parkman

I bought a Gen III 300h, very late 2013 model, and I remember noticing that there was this difference between emissions output figures. I often thought that it must have been an error on behalf of the people advertising the later models !! Thanks for the clarification. Parkman.

Is it vaguely possible that there could be something coming up from underneath the car ? I had a roughly similar problem with a classic Mercedes, 1991, where the bolt holding the inside mounting seat locator on the rear of the seat started to corrode the carpet and it turned out that water from under the car was slowly getting in through the threaded bolt hole in the floor. I cured it by cleaning the under carpet metal floor, cleaning the carpet and then sealing the thread through the floor with a thread sealer. Parkman.

Does the mid 2015 model show an emissions output of 107 gm, as opposed to the 2013-2015 300h having an output of 109 gm ? Parkman.

Hi Edwardo, I agree that you have posted the links, it's just when I follow the links for Amazon I just get a whole page of headings and it is difficult to figure out how to find the IS 300 brake pads. Having said that, I have had an e-mail from Cambridge Motorsport Parts, and they say that they stock Hawk Performance ceramic brake pads, from the US. A front and rear set are £150 plus postage, and Hawk pads are supposed to be very good. I will be ordering from Cambridge, I think, because they took my reg. number and came back to me to say that they have the right pads in stock. Sorry, that should read "will have in stock in about 7 days time". Parkman.

A fair point about regenerative braking. I would be more interested in the dust free option in the brake pads. The other points are advantageous, quieter and perhaps easier on the brake disc. I find that the current brake pads tend to grab at bit, especially a very slow speeds, and I would like to try ceramic pads to see if they will be more gentle, and hopefully also be a bit less dusty on the alloys. Again, as I have mentioned on a number of occasions, I have so far been unable to source any pads by people like Akebono or Wagner Thermoquiet. I see that there are links to an Amazon page but there is nothing about brake pads for the IS 300h. I found a connection to a manufacturer in North Wales, with a reference to Akebono, but I have not heard a thing despite e-mailing them twice. They must not sell into the UK, I suppose. The only other option is EBC replacement pads but the don't have the dust free, and "quietness", reviews that American brake pads have so I am loath to buy them. The search continues ....................!!! Parkman.

Hi, I completely agree with you on this. I have not scratched it as yet, but the reason that I would have liked the stainless steel protector is because we quite often have relations whom we drop to the local airport when they their cars at our house, while on holiday, and it is just the possibility of damage occurring when putting cases in and out of the boot. As you rightly say, it is just a case of being careful and I don't have a problem with doing just that. Parkman

Edwardo, thanks for your information. I am not busy promoting Mercedes, or trying to run down Lexus, I just get a bit frustrated, sometimes, when trying to find parts that other people say that they have bought but I can't find for love nor money !! I will have another look for brake pads. I would possibly prefer the Wagner pads as the reviews seem to indicate that they run quietly. I notice that my brakes tend to grab a little bit at slow speed, and they also tend to groan a bit as well. Hopefully, a change of pads might sort it out. Thanks again. Parkman.

As a quick comment, I happened to ask Lexus store, Birmingham, and the guy said that he wasn't sure which US model of the IS range would be the same as the UK IS 300h. I was discussing a different part for my gen III IS 300h and I asked, if I bought the part in the US, what would be the corresponding model to our 300h. The chap said that he wasn't at all sure but it could be the US IS 250 or the IS 200t. Then someone else told me that the IS 250 id a gen II car. So again I have run into a brick wall trying to find, in this case, front and rear dust-free brake pads for my IS 300h. So I will just have to either buy the pads from a racing parts dealer in the Midlands at around £200, or just have Lexus replace the existing brake pads with Lexus parts. I do know that I didn't have such difficulty sourcing parts for any of my Mercs, from a 1983 S class, 1991 E class to a 2004 E class. I have bought a lot of tuning parts and standard replacement parts for these three cars, in particular, through the years with very little problem. Sometimes I had to contact Mercedes Oldtimer for older parts but they still ended up being sourced. It is a pity that it is not as easy to source parts from around the world for the Lexus IS. Parkman.

Hi, thanks for all the advice and suggestions in relation to a stainless steel bumper protector. I have now given up on the bumper protector. As I can't find a stainless steel item I am not going to look any further. I had my local Lexus dealer get in the silver ABS protector and I have rarely seen such a rubbish piece of kit. It is really thin, whippy, plastic[ABS] and it looked as if it had been painted with an old, stiff, paint brush. There was a surface which looked all the world as if the cheap plastic was painted with a bad brush, and the paint had pulled, leaving just lines on the surface. How anyone would sell a piece of stuff like this for £99 is unbelievable, even the store man who showed it to me admitted that he would put it on his car ! That really said it all for me. Cheap junk that would not last, and would make the back of the car look terrible. I can't understand why Lexus make a stainless steel item for all the other ranges but nothing for the IS range. I can't find an answer, either, because I have found it impossible to find an e-mail address for Lexus Japan. They seem to not have an address publicly available so that you can't contact them directly. Bad business, in my opinion. So no bumper protector Parkman.

Hi, just wondering if a link to the seller of Wagner Thermoquiet brake pads could be listed here ? The Amazon link only goes to Amazon UK, and there is only one seller "BBenKatastima". I had a look for sellers in the US, but none of the listed sellers send to the UK. Also, the US sellers don't seem to have a listing for the IS 300h Gen III. If anyone has actually purchased Wagner Thermoquiet brake pad kits [front and rear] from the US would it be possible to post a link to the seller, and perhaps list the part number, as all of the brake pad kits that I have looked at are either for the GS, or the Gen II car, or the IS 250 [which I believe is Gen II anyway]. I would be most grateful for a direct working link to a company that will ship to the UK. Parkman.

Thanks a lot for the reminders guys. I will try Lexus Birmingham, as well as Chester next week. Regards, Parkman.

Rayaan, of course, I had forgotten about that. I will have to get onto to local dealer guy in Chester, next week, and see what he says. Parkman.

I read an article in the Irish Sunday Independent, about two weeks ago, with the journalist being lent a VW Golf electric for a week. His biggest issue is exactly as Mark [TBi] has mentioned. Driving from A to B and then finding any charging points being blocked by cars left plugged in and left. I agree about the idea of buying an all-electric at the moment, I couldn't justify the comparatively short travel distance ability, and I wouldn't be interested until there are enough points to be certain of finding an empty point if I am travelling. I have just had a run from Dublin to the Rochestown Hotel, from there to Waterford, from there to Wexford, and then back to Dublin. All in two days, down to Cork last Friday and then to Waterford. Stayed overnight in Waterford and then to Wexford, and lastly back up to Dublin all in one day, today. Got home around 20:30. Very easy, comfortable journey, only needed some fuel once and not a full tank at that, and averaged 54 mpg. I really don't think my previous E220 cdi [sold two weeks ago] would have done much better. The other thing that was mentioned is the IS gearbox, and compared to a 2004 Mercedes E220 cdi autobox it is very quiet and slick. I used to find that E220 used to give a noticeable "thump" when you stuck your foot down, to do a quick overtaking move for instance. The autobox also used to get a bit mixed up in slow moving traffic. If you did some slow, slow, quick quick, slow moves the Mercedes box would often try to change up and suddenly down in rapid time and it would eventually change down into first with a very noticeable jolt. The autobox was in perfect condition, it was tested by Mercedes in the UK when I had it there, it was just the electronics in the box trying to do very quick up and down changes and getting "tongue-tied". The IS is a pleasure to drive in comparison, and I just suspect that newer Mercedes E300h gearboxes may be no better. So I said farewell to Mercedes and bought my 300h in the UK from Lexus and imported it into Ireland, and, so far, I am very pleased with it. I really can't see myself ever going back to Mercedes after the Lexus. Parkman.

Rayaan, do you know if there actually is a Lexus IS stainless steel bumper protector available anywhere - before I give up the search ? Parkman.

Hahahaha, Sean, nice one. Rayaans, the refurbishment was top-notch but the wheel cleaner was aggressive enough to dull an extremely well finished sets of rims. I was using the Halfords own brand spray-on cleaner. The same product had started to do the same to an original set of Jaguar XJR rims, as well. Jaguar Liverpool advised me to stop using the alloy wheel cleaner, and then get the wheels professionally repolished, which I did. The guys that did the wheels managed to polish the wheel paintwork back to original so at least I didn't need to have them repainted. That was a couple of years ago, and I have never gone near any alloy wheel cleaner products since. Anyway, I have decided to remove the plastic protectors when I next do a polish of the car. A good coat of Collinite 915 wax should remove any signs of the protectors from the doors.

Ah-ha, not welsh, definitely not, no sir. I not sure about not having the required acceleration - have you ever seen how fast sheep can move when you show them a life sized picture of a wolf ? Or when you shout "Mint Jelly" at them. Parkman.

I like the explanations of the technology - but - I still prefer the idea of a reindeer under the bonnet. Even a large sheep would be OK. Parkman.

All the advice is appreciated. So that rules out tar remover, that's OK because I don't particularly like using it. It always reminds me of the alloy wheel cleaners which usually end up ruining the paintwork on the wheels. I gave up using wheel cleaner years ago after a newly refurbished set of alloys on a classic Merc went dull in about 12 months. The clay bar suggestion may be worth a shot though, although I wonder if the clay can get at the very edge of the plastic, enough to remove the black mark. I think that I will end up following Rayaans route and removing the plastics. I certainly agree with the opinion that it would make more sense to be applied on the front of the bonnet. I had quite a big problem with a Merc E220 and the paintwork on the front of the bonnet chipping. I believe that E class paint is very hard, to stop casual scratches, but then chips quite badly when struck by stone chips. Parkman.

I might give a tar remover a quick try over the next week or so, I think I have some Autoglym Tar Remover somewhere. I suppose the only problem could be that the paint could get dull after a while even if polish is applied immediately after the area is cleaned. I sure that the edges will get dirty pretty quickly during the winter as well. Rayaan, how did you remove the plastic ? Does it just peel off, or do you need to heat it with a hair dryer or a hot air gun ? Parkman.

Hi, I have a house up near Birkenhead, but I was looking for a car to export to Ireland where I also have a place. I went to Stoke before I bought this car. They had a 2015 Advance model with only 6000 on the clock, but there were little things that I didn't like, and couldn't understand, about the car. It was a beautiful metallic navy blue, but all the doors had paint damage down the edges, as if the doors were always opened in a garage and the door edges were banged against the walls. Very strange for such a very low mileage car. Anyway, the memory seat option on the Premier was actually a deal breaker for me. We also looked at an F Sport and a second Advance model, in Southport and Bolton. Both my wife and I drive the car, and we are quite different in height so I really need the memory seats. The car that we were replacing had memory and the first thing I looked for in the cars was memory. Yes, I guess that I will have to clean the protector edges as best I can, and as you say, live with it after that. Parkman.

Hmmmm, I would rather keep them on, if only to protect the corners of the rear doors from stone chips. I think that i will try some rubbing compound on a small cleaning stick. Having said that I am looking at getting glass coating applied, it just depends on what the guy who does it says about the lasting durability of the coating. Incidentally, it looks like I have a similar car to you. I bought mine from Lexus, Chester, and it is a July 2013, Gen 3, 300h Premier. First hybrid, and I am very happy so far. Parkman.

Hi, a quick question. What does anyone use to clean the dirty edge, from road dirt, down the front edge of the plastic paint protector on the rear edge of the rear doors. I find that there is a dirty black line down the edge of the plastic that is difficult to remove. I have tried to clean it with Autoglym Super Resin polish but it hasn't cleaned off. Perhaps someone could suggest a cleaner that will clean the black edge without damaging the plastic or the paint. Parkman.

Stephen, I have had a look through the internet several times, and fairly diligently, but I have found only two items. One is from RGM Rearguard, and another from Lexus themselves. Do you have any links to sites who have stainless steel for the IS 300h [or IS 250] at this present time ? The only places that I can find who tend to stock stainless bumper protectors are mostly in the States. Also, I have found one or two dealers in Japan who used to stock stainless steel items but no longer do so. Parkman.

Again, many thanks for the messages. Terry, thanks for the thoughts on your 2017 item. I have to suppose that all the metal protectors will mark just as easily as yours. I am going to follow up on Phil's suggestion, the one listed as a stainless steel protector, priced at £165. I will be interested to see whether any of the Japanese suppliers get back to me. I saw an original set of [possibly] ivory, or at least not black, carpets listed by JZ Accessories with a really strange price - Yen 46,000, which works out at about €3800 !!!! I am thinking that they give you a car along with the carpets !!! Surely it has to be a typo. Edit - According to a different website and joint pricing Yen/Euro it is more likely that the price is really about €150 !!!! Parkman.

Hi Tel, is it possible to attach a picture, please ? Having had a further root about on the internet I see that Lexus Parts Direct, Fish Brothers, have the metallic style abs bumper protector. I hadn't actually found that item up until now. Maybe you could give your opinion of what it is like. How robust is it, and how long do you think that it will last. Parkman.