Surebet

Hi Colin I have never seen the top diagram showing the Rubber Attachment, this is really helpful . Many thanks

Hi Dave Sounds like a good idea with the hockey pucks, I presume you place the cut across the diameter so that the puck is is equally spread across pinch weld flange. Jack had previously stated the outside of the pinch weld is weak compared to the inside, have you ever had any issues with this. I can understand Jack's reasoning as there is more surface area on inside. Any ideas what the holes filled with foam on the inner face of the pinch weld flange are for ? Thanks again for the advice.

Hi Jack Thanks for your reply, this certainly sounds like good advice. Looking at the pinch welds , would you advise to position jack stands on the inner face at the position marked on the pinch weld where the manufacturer's jack is supposed to go. I have had a quick look on the inner side if the pinch weld and there appears to be a 1.5 - 2 inch diameter hole filled with some kind of foam material on the inner side of the pinch weld. Don't know what this is for, I can only assume it is some sort of locating recess used when the dealer workshop is using lifting arms when working on vehicle in workshop. Obviously I will keep any support or jack stand away from this point. As you said, "Someone needs to design jack stands for these uni body cars". I suppose after I've done the job once I'll be more confident in where to correctly position the support without damaging anything. Thanks again for your help.

Hi Ken I always carry a full size wheel as a spare( 245/45/17), removed plastic shelf with recessed compartments that intrude into the spare wheel bay and just use the felt hinged top . Then I have a boot liner which cover the whole boot. The boot is completely flat. The idea of a space-saver has never really appealed to me and ok I've lost some minor space with the recessed compartments, however I feel it is a worthwhile trade off. Alan

Hi Texas Thanks for info, had already looked at this in the manual, however when I looked at this position on the car, it looked like differential housing was made of some type of alloy rather than steel and I was a bit apprehensive to put the trolley jack under it. Have you used this position in lifting the rear of the car or have you used a different position. I always have more faith in other peoples personal experience rather than text book info. Thanks again.

Can anyone help me with what seems a very simple question. The correct points to jack up the car and support it while working on say the brakes, is the pinch welds. However how can you jack the car up and then support it, as the jack is now in the position of where the jack stand or any support should be placed. I realise many of the readers of the forum will probably be rolling about the floor laughing now however I'm from an age where cars had plenty of solid bits under the car to place support without damaging anything. With the low height of the vehicle and the monocoque body design, I am at a loss on how to support vehicle after it is jacked up. I realise many just jack up using trolley jack and work without any support, however I'm a belt and braces type of guy and would rather have support even if its only large blocks of wood. Can anyone enlighten me how and where they support car while working on it, any picture an exact support points would be great. Thanks for reading.

I go to a MOT only place, not cheap, last year £47, been using them for about 15 years. The thing I like about them is they have no reason to fail the car as they do not do any repairs. They only do MOT's. Other establishments I've used in the past were more prone to failing the car to generate business, dealerships being the worst offenders. If you find an honest garage stick with them. All the best.

Hi Bamboo I would stick with the grade of oil recommended by Lexus for your car. When buying filters, its probably best to stick with genuine filters. After pricing them at Lexus, phone your local Toyota dealer to see the price they are quoting for same parts, mention you might just go to eurocarparts as it is an older car and you don't want to spend too much . I done this last week and the person at the end of the phone said he would put the parts through as a trade deal if this would help. Worked out I got genuine parts for the approximate same price as eurocarparts price. I may have been lucky, however as they say " If you don't ask, you'll never know". The worst that can happen is they say no. As far as part numbers go, phone up Lexus or Toyota with registration or VIN number and they will be able to supply you with correct part numbers. Good luck.

Thanks for replying Steve and Normski, taken your advice and purchased Red rubber grease and got the pads from local Toyota Dealership, sold me them at trade price (35.00) which I thought was very reasonable. Still to tackle the job however no real hurry as existing pads still have 3_4 mm left on them.

Hi Bob Thanks very much for replying, the post of January 25th is fantastic and just the information I was after. Didn't see it when it was originally posted as I was not a Lexus owner then. Still trying to get to grips in sourcing all the excellent information the site holds. All the best. Alan

Checked rear brake pads today, will need to do them in the next few months, don't do a big mileage or drive car hard so don't require high performance pads. Whats the general opinion on the pads eurocarparts stock. Have seen Normski2 mentioning Rockauto in the US as being good for price and service( albeit I think he was talking about slide pins which are hard to source here), checked site and pad prices seem very low compared with pads in UK. Also US you-tubes appear to rate 3M Silicon grease for the slide pins as being the best however difficult to source in UK at reasonable price for small amount, any comparable silicon grease for same purpose here. Hoping to pick the brains of those members with experience having done this job and what products have proved reliable with respect to brake pads and type of grease used. Also used to use Shell Engine Oil (Helix Ultra Professional AG Engine Oil - 5W-30 - 5ltr) for my last car , Mercedes, with no issues, great price at eurocarparts at the moment with discount, anyone use it for their IS or am I better sticking to Toyota parts and oil. Look forward to all advice.

Got letter today, have booked in for Friday. They will also look at the new headlight they fitted 3 months ago , dealership had the car for 2 days. now after less than 1000 miles, it is showing condensation. Here's hoping I get a better result on Friday.

Hi Texas Fantastic video, as you say a lot of fixings however if all else fails looks do-able, I'm hoping when I contact the dealership they will make good and restore some of my faith in the brand. As Madasahatter correctly stated, try another dealer. Problem both dealerships in my area are owned by the same company, purchased the car from one and was rather disappointed in the way the way the car was prepared when picking up the car, a lot of messing about trying to get minor issues resolved. Received email from dealership PR team within days of taking ownership asking how I rated the Lexus experience. l highlighted the basic issues which I encountered on picking up the car, still waiting for some sort of reply, not a good sign, hence took the car to the other dealership for the headlight issue. My initial impression with this dealership was extremely positive and everything appeared great until I received the car back and seen the complete lack of attention to detail on repair( seemed to do the hard bit and did not bother with the easy bit). My impressions so far is Lexus dealerships are predominately only interested in selling new cars and the service side is a byproduct which is not up to quality standard of the cars which are being serviced. I am sure there is great dealerships in the UK however in my experience, just not in my area. I'll keep my fingers crossed that my next visit to the dealership turns my negative views into a positive and makes me eat my words, I'll keep you posted, and thanks again for all advice and help.

Hi Madasahatter Pretty sure the lights are Halogen . I'm amazed that the bumper can be taken off so quickly, it makes me wonder why the dealership had my car for 2 days when replacing the headlight, I wasn't that bothered at the time as I thought I would be getting a quality job, how wrong was I !!. I have looked at the RX issues on youtube, this solution would be ok for an ageing headlight however surely one which is only 3 months old with less than a 1000 miles should be covered by some sort of manufacturers warranty.

Thanks Texas for quick response, certainly no stone chips or damage to headlight glass , is the access cover easy enough to get into, I know to take the headlight out is quite a job, first removing bumper. Madasahatter, you mentioned drain bungs, I was under the impression that all modern headlights are sealed units, is this not the case.

Purchased car from Lexus dealership in March this year, in June noticed NS headlight had some staining( not condensation) on reflector. Took car to dealership for advice, dealership duly replaced headlight , which I was very pleased about, however they never replaced the bolts holding the plastic engine floor panels, only after getting the car home did I notice them hanging down. Took car back and was given the reason they did not have bolts in stock!!. When I said surely a few cable ties would have been better than leaving a job like this , service manager was embarrassed and annoyed, I think more the fact that the bad workmanship had been noticed so quickly and no excuse could be given. While washing the car today ( not using pressure washer, I noticed the new replaced headlight has condensation in it. To say I'm disappointed is a understatement, has any other IS250 owners have had similar issues with headlights. I also have a 10 year old vauxhall astra van, never had an issue with headlights and never been renewed. Since buying the Lexus I have done only 1700 miles, approximately half of this since new headlight fitted. When not in use(6 days a week) the car is kept in a well ventilated garage. I have still to contact the dealership to see what can be done, however suffice to say all the hype regarding Lexus Quality and Reliability together with quality workmanship is starting to sound rather hollow, its a pity as I really like the car but have I made a mistake straying from the quality German brands. Any and all advice would be appreciated.

Does anyone know what years are affected by airbag recall, purchased car from Lexus in March, don't know if work has already been done or whether my model year is within the cars affected. Have checked the https://www.gov.uk/check-if-a-vehicle-has-been-recalled and there is no mention of the recall. After reading the posts highlighting damage to dashboard encountered by various members, I really hope my car has not to be recalled. I'm not really surprised at some of the comments as my experience of the quality of workmanship shown at Lexus dealerships is sadly lacking. Great cars, plush showrooms and courteous staff however let down badly by technician's lack of attention to detail. I'll try and do any future work myself or use a quality independent whose sole source of income depends on quality work and not car sales.

Is this a feature on all IS250's or just the SEL model as mine does not move when reverse selected.

Hi Kieron I had a similar problem with one of my headlights (nothing to the extent of yours) showing slight staining on bottom reflector. Only had the car for about a month after buying it from Lexus, staining may have been there before purchasing however only noticed when washing car. Although being annoyed I thought I would just have to live with it. Decided to mention it on this forum, was advised to take it to Lexus dealership. Made a appointment, arrived at the dealership expecting the service manager to chase me, and unbelievably he said he would order a new one. New light fitted under my extended warranty. Don't know if I was extremely lucky or not, my advice would be to make an appointment at Lexus, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Hope you're lucky.

Hi Dave, never knew anything like the Fumoto valve existed, just watched a couple of you-tubes, great idea, certainly would make oil change so much easier with less mess. Thanks for sharing.

I know some dealerships now suck the old engine oil out via dip stick tube, I have used both methods and admit the suction method is easier and removes just as much of the old oil. This method is definitely favourite for engines with filter fitted to top of engine, no need to crawl under car at all. I know with Lexus I still need to go under car to change filter however sucking the old oil out still appeals to me as opposed to dropping it out via sump plug. Any thoughts which is best.

Years ago I remember Ford fitting impact switches into rear bumper location and if someone rear ended you, the switch would trigger cutting power to the fuel pump. I used to cut into the circuit and fit a small toggle switch hidden in the car, and when leaving the car , I would just enable the switch knowing if the car was stolen it would only go for a limited time before running out of fuel. The thief would hopefully just abandon the car within a certain distance of original parking. Don't know if modern cars utilise same type impact fuel cut off switches and this might seem a crude answer to the problem, however the theory still holds good. Cut power to fuel pump, car stops due to fuel starvation. Theory does not work if they load vehicle directly onto trailer. Food for thought.

Many years ago I had a 1997 Vauxhall vectra automatic with the same kind of fault. The culprit was a sticking idle speed control valve, it is an electrocal-mechanical valve approx. 6 inches long and 1.25 inches in diameter. This was a yearly issue for me and I tried everything, by stripping it down and washing mechinical part out, however it always resulted in me buying a new unit,( there was never any visible sign of any carbon build up) at the time approx. £100.As soon as the new valve fitted problem was resolved, Vauxhall knew at the time this was a built in fault as the parts department personnel stated they were selling hundreds each year. This is the only car I have experienced with this issue( idle RPM fluctuating erratically between 800-2500, when foot off gas pedal). I don't know if this car you have even has one of these valves, the symptoms you are describing seems very similar. Might be worth checking, If this is the problem, then don't know how much it will cost now, but it was straight forward job to do, 2 bolts holding unit on and an electrical plug in to valve. Al the best with your fault finding..

Thanks True Blue and Dougie for your replies relating to experiences you have had. My experience with the motor trade (dealerships in particular) is not the best and repeat visits back after checking work myself has been numerous over the years, I sometimes wonder if the dealerships are only really interested in selling cars and the service side is a lucrative but annoying byproduct of the car sales.I much prefer getting a good honest independent mechanic whose income depends on getting it right first time for jobs I cannot tackle myself. Your views have just backed up my own feelings and given me the confidence in continuing to do the services myself, its good to know there are like minded people out there who are not completely reliant on the dealerships to keep their cars in good order. Again many thanks.

I'm a great believer if you can maintain your own car, for the normal servicing, then you will probably get a more thorough job. The dealer technician is always fighting against the clock and sometimes omits the finer details. I maintained my last car, a Mercedes, for the last seven years after servicing costs at dealership became crazy for an older car. Does anyone think the resale value of a Lexus is seriously diminished due to an incomplete dealer service history, or after a certain age does it become irrelevant? I know when I went to trade in my old Mercedes at the Lexus dealership, the salesman offered me a third of what We buy any car had offered me, needless to say, no trade in took place. There is certainly 2 schools of thought regarding full dealer service stamped book and the self- servicing community who want a job done right first time. Is the perceived drop in resale value between the fully stamped vehicle and the self service is as great as the motor trade would have you believe, look forward to all opinions.