parkman

That definitely looks better than the softer leather. My 2013 IS 300h is showing somewhat more wear than the red leather in your F-Sport. Parkman.

Edwardo, I agree with your comment regarding older cars. I keep a 1991 Merc 260E at Manchester airport, parked for several months at a time. It is just locked with a key, as it is in a locked warehouse the alarm is not on, and it will stay charged probably for between three and six months. It is a big battery, as well, and is only about 9 or 10 months old. Parkman.

The DPF issue is a real pain in the a**e, and it is something that dealers don't mention at all. I had a friend who was an ex-jaguar mechanic, who worked for himself, and he had a Jaguar XJ 2.7 TDVI in for repair, and even though it was only 4 years old it needed a new motor. It seems that the DPF system kept dumping raw diesel into the engine each time it started, and this diesel leaked down past the piston rings into the sump and mixed with the oil. As the self cleaning system meant that this diesel was dumped each time it ended up that there was a lot of thin oil in the sump, as well as having too much fluid in the sump. The engine eventually blew up because the bores in the block were no longer lubricated and because there was about 30% more oil/diesel in the sump than there should have been. All of this was caused because the car was not driven for a fairly long journey every week. The idea is that the engine has to be run above a certain temperature to ensure that the excess fuel is burned off, and that then means that the emissions are down to a satisfactory level. The problem is when you don't do the long journey the excess fuel is not burned off and runs into the sump. About two years ago it seems that it was almost impossible to pick up a second hand 2.7 Jag diesel engine as they had all been either used or gone bang. My friend told me that the XJ 2.7 in question was for sale, and the seller would accept £5000 for the car, four years old with 35,000 miles on the clock. You couldn't give them away at one point. I don't think it matters what you do with new cars when you leave them parked up - the battery will go flat because the alarm is armed all the time, and although the drain is small the battery will eventually go flat. Unless you have a means of actually disconnecting the alarm your battery will go flat - end of story. I have a classic Merc and I can lock the car with either the central locking, which turns on the alarm, or use the key which just locks the doors. If I use the central locking the battery will be flat in about ten days, because the alarm is on. If I lock the car with the key the battery will last about four weeks without a problem. Parkman.

Just a quick comment - I notice that Paul mentions that short journeys don't like to be left standing, or short trips, according to the Landrover /Rangerover forums. I agree that this is a very good point, but only as far as diesels are concerned. Diesels take a lot more whack when starting, and after that short journeys will clog up the DPF. As far as I am aware, having made a lot of inquiries, these issues don't concern petrol engines.The battery will probably go flat after a couple of weeks because the car alarm system will have a constant draw, but the short trip issue is more or less irrelevant unless one keeps doing trips of perhaps 2 miles a day, for weeks on end. I had a Merc E220 cdi and that drove me nuts until I was able to get rid of it. It had two batteries, one under the bonnet and one in the boot. As I am now retired I tend to do short journeys most of the time. But every fortnight or so I would have to take the car out on the motorway and drive the car at around 50-60 mph for an hour or so, to clear the DPF because to ignore it meant that the car would keep going into limp home mode. At least with a petrol IS 300h I don't have to worry about these problems now. Parkman.

Hmmmmmm, I suppose, only "suppose" mind you, that there could be some merit in the arguments for having privacy glass. I think that I will have to have a closer look at the RX. A neighbour has an Audi A6 with dark rear windows and it just looks unbalanced. I do have difficulty in finding any attraction in the dark glass. My daughter just fitted retractable blinds in the rear of her Suzuki Vitara suv, and they work very well for her two mini-kids. Two Jaguars that I had previously also had retractable blinds that rolled back into the doors, and I think that this is a much better solution, from a visual point of view, than dark glass. However, I will have a closer look at some RX's at the dealers and see if I like the dark glass any better. Thanks, all, for your opinions. Parkman.

Thanks, Colin. I just don't understand why all the RX's should require "privacy glass". What is going on in the back of all the vehicles that require "privacy glass" ? Are there so many VIP's going about in RX 450's ? I have the feeling that having "privacy glass" in your car is the same as wearing sunglasses when they are not needed, like that prat Anna Wintour at Fashion Week. What knucklehead feels it necessary to wear sunglasses in the evening, indoors, and then refuses to take them off when talking to someone, in this case the Queen. What an idiot Wintour is. Anyway, back to the topic !! So that kind of makes up my mind. Much as I would like an RX, and I don't have the wherewithal to buy a new one, I don't want the "privacy glass". So it looks like I will need to buy the more expensive, second hand, Volvo XC 60 with the 2 litre petrol engine. A fine motor, none the less. Parkman.

Thanks Colin. Rgds, Parkman.

Yes, I just think that having the rear windows tinted always looks out of place. I remember many years ago that people could buy the tinting film and they would stick it to all the windows except the windscreen, and the car just looked stupid. One of the few manufacturers that did it properly, and subsequently got the tinting banned in the UK, was Peugot. My wife had a lovely Peugot 106 GTI back in the day, and it was metallic dark green with green tinted glass, and it looked really smart because all the glass was tinted green. I'm not sure that I will buy an RX 450h if I can't find one with the options that I want, cream leather and sunroof, but with clear glass in the rear windows. I will probably need to look at the Volvo XC60 as that has normal glass in the rear passenger windows. Parkman.

I wonder whether anyone might have an answer, or a solution to the following question. Is it possible to change the rear door windows from darkened glass to ordinary clear glass, as fitted to the front doors. I was thinking about the RX 450h in particular. I don't like darkened glass unless it is fitted all around, as you sometimes see in the US. I find that a lot of manufacturers insist on putting darkened glass in the rear windows; Audi, Jaguar, Lexus, and quite a few more. But I would like to see whether it is a film on the glass which can be removed, or is the glass actually dark ? What would be the solution, getting two new rear door windows ? Parkman.

I had them fitted by Lexus, Cheshire Oaks, Chester. It took about two hours, and the total cost was £407. I think that you may be able to buy them for around £200 and fit them yourself, but I am not sure if that price is right. I decided to get mine fitted as I had just bought the car, and I was going away for a while so they were done prior to collection of the car. If I am right, on the gen III IS there is a connection sitting under the door sill and it is just a case of plugging the illuminated sills in. I am very lax in not knowing this - I am not sure if they are connected to the door interior light switch circuit or the cars side light circuit. All I know is that they glow white at night when you open the door. I think that they may also come in blue, as well as white. Parkman.

There can be other bigger issues disconnecting the battery in most new cars. I did it with a 2006 Jaguar XJR and after being away for two months I reconnected the battery. I immediately got a number of electronic faults, the car started up with limp home mode and wouldn't clear itself, the passenger side electric mirror was stuck in the closed position, the fuel and temperature gauges went way past the end of the scale and got held in a position about a quarter turn past where they should have been [ there are no pins to stop the gauges going past the end point]. I drove it very slowly to the main dealer who checked the battery, which was perfectly OK, but fitted a new battery just in case but that didn't solve the problem. It was left with the dealer and they eventually had to replace the main "brain" in the car at a cost of £3500. The workshop manager told me that the re-connection of the battery almost certainly caused a spike to the electronics, and then "bang", main processor fried. I also saw the same thing happen to a Renault 30, many years ago. The battery went flat and the AA came to start the car. They jump-started the car, said "everything is ok" and left. The owner later found that things like the engine control had gone mad, the car wouldn't tick over properly, it would suddenly accelerate on its' own, and Renault, again, found that the main ECU was disrupted. This car also had to get a new ECU at a large cost. My own view is that I don't disconnect the battery unless it is really, really necessary. Likewise, if it has to be jump started I leave the jump leads connected for about 15 minutes to the flat battery, to give it a chance to take some charge before attempting to start the car which has the flat battery. And of course, ensure that the car used to jump start the "patient" is kept running at about 1000 rpm. For me the trickle charger is a godsend. Parkman.

Many thanks, John [Britprius] for a very good explanation of the hybrid system. I had read a couple of times that the IS 300h hybrid battery will only drive the car for a couple of minutes before it is depleted, perhaps less than that. Again thanks for the post. I will have a watch of the Tesla video - and then go and buy a new P90S with the 600 bhp upgrade................................... I don't think Parkman.

ZX1 looks like an interesting product, I must have a closer look. In the meantime here is the link: http://www.team-zx1.com/ Parkman

Interesting thread. I notice that the drivers side door side bolster is showing creases after 35,000 miles, which I hadn't expected. The car is 2013. But then I had a 2004 Merc E220 cdi with grey leather, 80,000 miles on the clock, and the drivers side door bolster pad was quite well worn as was the back support door side bolster. I did treat it for quite a number of years with Autoglym leather treatment but I think that this is just something that happens with leather seats. I have seen it on Jaguar XJ's as well, I have had three of them, and on a Mitsubishi 4x4. I own two classic Mercs, an 83 500s and a 91 124 260E, both with cloth upholstery and in fairness the door side bolsters are more or less unmarked. One car has 55,000 on the clock and the other has 120,000 on the clock. Parkman.

Don't forget to get the illuminated door sills. I have them on my IS 300 and they look really nice at night. Parkman.

Thanks for the reply, I wondered if the combination of the two figures was the answer. But then I wonder why isn't there a common value when advertising the car ? When it was straight-forward "bhp" it was simple, even with supercharged or turbocharged engines. The engine produced 100, 200, or 300 bhp or whatever. Why is the electric engine limited to 200 hp, and how does this compare to bhp ? Tesla P90 S is all electric but you can buy the upgrade to give the car 690 bhp. Could have anything to do with trying to hoodwink insurance companies ? You tell the the engine power is 290 bhp, when it is really 350 bhp but the extra doesn't count !!!! I think that there should be advertising laws that stipulate you have to declare the full car's output including every means of motive power to give a true overall figure. Then at least you know what you are dealing with. Just a quick aside, but on the same matter - what is the full figure for a Lexus IS 300h ? is it 181 bhp, can anyone tell me ? Parkman.

I am considering buying a GS 450h but one thing puzzles me - why are some adverts, for instance on the Lexus used car website, listing the 450h as either 291 bhp, or 345 bhp. I can't see anything thats differentiates the cars except for the years, but even then that is not apparently the reason. Is this someone adding the electric motor output to the petrol engine output, and if so why would Lexus use two different output figures on their own site. Or, could some models have a factory bhp upgrade ? Parkman.

I would agree that the point of the trickle charger is to start the car after a fairly long layover, but there is a case, perhaps, for not leaving it quite so long. I read a post recently, on the Mercedes owners forum where someone had a trickle charger connected to his classic Merc and the charger malfunctioned, over-charged the car battery and set both his car and his garage on fire. The garage and the car were destroyed. The other small point to remember about leaving the car on a charger for a long time is that you should try to turn over the engine a couple of times, to get the circulated around the engine. Despite what oil manufacturers might say oil will drain down and leave parts unprotected. At least with my classic Mercs I can just disconnect the king lead, turn the engine over a few times, plug the king lead back in and then start the engine normally. I'm not quite sure what you could do with a modern car like the IS though !! Parkman.

Very interesting replies on this subject. I looked at both the E-class hybrid, and the C-class hybrid, before I bought an IS 300h. I agree entirely about the diesel engine, and the rather jerky gearbox. My E220 cdi was a fairly reasonable example of both the noisy 2.1 diesel, and an electronic gearbox which would give a rather alarming thump as it changed down to first gear, after being stationary for about 20 seconds. The gearbox wasn't great at changing down, say from third to second, when trying to accelerate quickly in traffic. You would get a delay while the gearbox seemed to be trying to puzzle out what to do. I did have it checked out by MB and it was perfect, and the car only had just 90,000 miles on the clock from 2004. It was just a pretty poor combination as far as I was concerned. Another real bugbear for me was also trying to find a Merc with cream leather. I looked at about 8 or 9 2014 - 2017 E-classes, and about 6 C-classes, and none had cream. One had white leather but it was an AMG 6.3 !!!!! Very, very hard to find a 2013 to 2018 Merc which doesn't just have black leather interior, unless you buy the car new and go for a £1200 colour option to be anything other than black. Jaguar and Lexus were the two makes that offered a range of models, and years with cream leather as standard. I myself do not like black as I find it just makes the interior of the car too dark. My IS 300h has the cream leather interior, and I decided to add more lightness by buying beige carpets from a car carpet supplier. I am very disappointed that Lexus have stopped selling the cream carpets that they had a few years back, so I had to buy from after-market source. However, I have found the ones I bought are good quality, at least as good as the original Lexus black IS carpets. The only thing is you can't get the logo on the carpets that I bought as that would infringe Lexus copyright, but I don't mind. Parkman.

I had an interesting conversation, yesterday, concerning the choice between buying a Lexus IS 300h or a Mercedes C 300h. I have had the experience of owning a 2004 Mercedes E220 cdi, and, although I quite liked it i got fed up with it because every time it was parked up for two or three weeks there would be some stupid, but very expensive, problem when I would try to start it. So I was very glad to sell it during the summer last year and replace it with an IS 300h. I do own two classic Mercedes, from the early eighties, and these are really very well made cars, but for a day to day driver, having test driven year 2015 Mercedes E-class and C-class I do prefer the Lexus. I am interested to see what other members views are ? Parkman

I have a classic Merc, a 500se which is a 5 litre motor. I leave it for months at a time, connected to a Ctek trickle charger which I bought in Halfords a couple of years ago. It works fine although I have the car in a solid lockup, and the alarm is not used. The garage lockup is alarmed and has cctv both inside and outside so I am satisfied that I can afford to have the car alarm off, but the car itself is locked and has a steering lock fitted, one of the long bar ones. After all that !!!!!!!, my point is - the car starts fine even if it is left on trickle charge for 6 months. The charger in Halfords was about £40 I think at the time. Parkman.

Thanks guys. I will take on board all the comments. I will look at ordering brake pads fairly soon, so that they will be here if the weather improves and I can get out and change them. Parkman.

Hi, and thanks to everyone who replied. I thought that, as Rayaans says, it could be rust, but to be honest I don't think that that is the case here. I have checked the discs a number of times and they are very clean, with just a vague sheen of rust after a few days and heavy rain. I never leave the handbrake on with an automatic car. I only ever use park, unless I am on a car ferry, or unless there is a demanding reason to put the handbrake on. I do use the handbrake when in traffic, such as at traffic lights, but otherwise it doesn't get used. I had an Isuzu Trooper many years ago, and the handbrake actually partly siezed, because in 4 years I never used it once !! I have the same issue as wharfhouse ! I sort of think that the hill start suggestion could just be an explanation as my drive has a slight slope. Over the length of the drive, about 14 feet, the drop is around 18 inches. Not a lot, I know, but could that enough to trigger the hill start, that is of course if hill start is fitted to the 300h Premier. I didn't think that it was. I will be changing the pads when the weather gets warmer, and I always have this idea that the pads are worn to the point where the metal is rubbing on the discs. But I doubt it because I have had a brief look inside at the disc and there is a definite impression of there being plenty of pad left. All I can do is wait until I change the pads and then I will really see what the condition of the pads is. That [sorry for this bit] begs the question - do I just buy the pads from Lexus, standard 300h pads, online, or [and I know that I have brought this up a couple of times so I don't mind being criticised] does anyone know where I can buy a low dust alternative set of brake pads in the UK. The only place I have found was a motor sport parts supplier around Cambridge, but he doesn't have anything in stock, and he quoted £220 for front and rear pads. Thanks again for all the replies. Parkman.

I wonder whether anyone might have an answer to this - I left my 300h for a week or so, after Christmas, and when I went to drive off the rear brakes [I think] took a few milliseconds to release, and when they did it was quite a thump. They seem to be stuck on for some reason. The car is driven like a race car so the brakes don't get over-hot, and there is only a slight lip on the discs. Also, the hand brake wasn't, as the car was left in "Park". Could it be that the brake pads need replacing ? I do know that there is a slight sort of "shussing" noise when I put my foot on the brakes, so is this a sign of worn pads so that there is metal touching the discs ? I bought the car from Lexus themselves last August with a full service history, and it had been serviced four months before I bought. There is only 34,000 miles on the clock. I can live with the issue, but I would like to find out what causes the sticking. Parkman.

I agree with you wholeheartedly about the IS 300h. I bought a 2013 300h Premier last August, and I have been very pleased with it. But I would have agree that it is quite low. I have a rather iffy hip and it is surprising how awkward it can be to get into the car. I had an Merc E 220 cdi [i.e. diesel] for six years prior to buying the 300h, and I didn't have any problem getting in or out of the car. When I test drove the 300h I didn't notice how low the seats were, but for all that I really like the car. For me, the deal-breaker was having the memory seats in the Premier model, and the car had to have cream interior. I hate black leather interiors and I turned down Mercedes E-classes, BMW 5 series, and Audi A6's, all because not one of the cars that I looked at had cream leather. Jaguar XF was the only other choice, and the driving position for my wife meant that seats in the Jaguar were too low, at full height adjustment, for her to see clearly over the bonnet. Parkman.