JamesIS220

Hi John, Hope you get well soon and the Lexus does you proud. I bought a 2006 IS 220d too. off ebay for £1,475 and over 4 months and 2,400 miles no issues. Mine has now done 177,000 miles but 4 year Lexus and rest independent history. Last Tuesday went straight through MOT and no advisories. Emissions 0.17 allowed 1.5. Installed a new Nissens AC condenser and now have working AC. Mine is the basic model. Performed fantastic on my weeks holiday of 762 miles in 28+ degree heat on the Isle Of Wight. The more you drive it you soon get used to the gearing. Main thing give it a good run and avoid short journeys and 6th gear. James

Various people invented the various stages and chemistry and science behind developing AC from 1823. Used for the first time in cars properly in the 1940's Home AC first used in a home in1902 America and from the 20's. An interesting read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_conditioning James.

Indeed, only had one car with AC in my 18 years of driving a 2007 Toyota corolla we bought new in 2007. Sold it in late 2009 and not had manual AC until 2 summers ago in my 1996 Volvo 940. Last Tuesday fitted a new AC condenser to my 2006 Lexus IS 220d and it's fabulous to have 2 cars with fully working AC. The Lexus I set it to 17 degrees and press auto and it's ice cold. Once I got it working in the Volvo last summer, wanted it in the Lexus! James

I can't take the credit. The second owner owned it for 8 years and serviced it every year with all receipts for work. Thank you both. It baffled me as it is a manual 6 speed! I have sometimes pressed the clutch down but not fully as hit the foot rest. Tried several times and didn't feel I had not fully depressed the clutch as tried 5 times. A turn off sorted it, strange! The clutch feels good and no issues in over 2,000 miles in my ownership. Apparently when I phoned the garage who serviced it for years it's never had a clutch fitted in the 8 years he owned it or any real issues. Service items are, waterpump, EGR clean, new battery. Tyres, brake disks and pads. Certainly love the CC in this weather. Nice to have my second car with working Aircon. James

Yesterday took my 2006 IS 220d for it's first MOT with me and glad to say it passed with no issues! Always an apprehensive wait while watching him go over the vehicle! The tester was very impressed with the condition considering its 177,000 miles and said there was no play in the front wheels and it's like it came out of the factory. No oil/ gearbox leaks and he could tell it's been looked after. Monday evening I spent 2 hours fitting my new air con condenser and was hoping the same Garage I got the MOT done at could re-gas my AC, but unfortunately man away who uses machine. Went to Kwick Fit and got it done for £59 and took an hour. Works great now! Yesterday was a great day and really pleased it all went well. On Monday when I got the car cleaned I pulled into the car wash bay and unfortunately this one was closed and went to reverse out and no reverse! Wouldn't go into any gear! Turned the engine off and restarted and gearbox back to fully working instantly! First time it's happened in my ownership and I have covered 2,300 miles. Any idea what it could be? James

Most likely the same design of pipework as my IS 220D. Looks the same but different pipe layout. You need to undo the bolt and gently pull off the pipe(s) into the AC condenser without damaging pipe to reveal the O ring. My one pipe at bottom was very tight. I need to change my condenser on my is 220d and wanted replacement O rings. I went to Lexus Birmingham and was staggered to find the O rings are not available on their own and you had to buy the pipework they were attached to! I'm going to remove the O rings and see if I have any suitable size in my box of 400 as suggested. Volvo I could buy them separately and told them! The nice bloke said " Yes, more money" Liked the IS300H in the showroom but pricey! Need a lottery win. Anyone know the O ring size on an 2006 IS 220d? I would much rather order the proper size to save the hour disassembly! James

I have a 2006 Lexus IS 220d and had spent £45 on a re-gas with another company who had said leak free. The AC worked lovely for 7 weeks then went warm. The passenger vents cooler than the drivers side vents. Apparently common as AC is set up for LHD car market. Had cool car in and put a bit of gas in and used his sniffing probe on all components and the tool alarm went mental when testing the condenser. Charge for coming out was £30. I had ordered a new condenser but damaged the stubs while fitting so ordered a new condenser so hopefully fitting it next Wednesday. The IS 220d condenser is £156 and is Nissens. IS 250 aftermarket around £70.00 https://www.adrad.co.uk/car-air-conditioning/condensers/catalogue.php?manu=LEXUS&model=IS James

Phone and email locksmiths, much cheaper than a dealer. I lost the main key for my 1996 Volvo 940. Luckily had a spare to copy, but locksmiths can cut new key from scratch. Volvo no longer do them and other problem is key has an immobiliser chip programmed to the car. Phoned round key cutting places and found a local firm in Birmingham CT locksmiths who programmed a new chip and ordered a blank key and cut it all in the space of 5 hours for £40. I was well happy. I presume being a 2003 your car has an engine immobiliser chip in the key too? If new cut key doesn't work, tape the top part of your old key with chip to the new key or get the old chip fitted into the new key. The engine immobiliser chip came out in 1995 according to the locksmith, so my car an early user! James

I passed my test in 1999 at age 21. My first vehicle I bought was a 1995 Daihatsu hi-jet 1litre van. (N87 ENX) Cost me £2,500 of my hard earned savings and £1,100 in insurance. Using it for business as just passed my City and guilds NVQ level 1,2 & 3 in Plumbing and Gas. I hated the way it was blown around in the wind and brakes not great as drum all round. It was 4 years old and only had 28,000 miles on the clock. It failed it's mot as OSR strut leaking and all one assembly. Cost £283.40 inc MOT fee. It was reliable. Sold straight after as insurance gone up 20% even though claim free and sold the van for £1,750. I was glad to see it go! Drove my Nans 1985 Volvo 340GL 1.4 (C159BTA) as a named driver with direct line. Bought for £1100 in Porthleven in Cornwall when lived there for 11 months and sold for £50 as clutch going and getting rusty. Owned 340 for 5-6 years Moving to Normandy France in 2002 to renovate my grandparents holiday home and bought my first car, a 1986 Volvo 740 GLE estate. (D795RJW) Cost me £425 and I really liked it. After 5 years having it cutting out and stalling and garages at a loss. As we had made a profit on buying and renovating a property used the profit to buy a new 2007 Toyota corolla linea techno 1.4 D4D hatchback for 21,500 euros. My grandfather insisted on new. I advised 6-12 months old but wanted new. While waiting 4 weeks for the new car my 740 worked perfect but we had a 2,500 euro trade in which was good. It was French registered, but only worth peanuts in the UK. Liked the abs and aircon and the 50mpg but found it uncomfortable on 2 hour plus journeys and found if window slightly open in rain water dripped onto window switches and seats. We fitted seat covers from day one. No reliability issues. After over 7 years in France 2.5 years with the Corolla we sold the house and car and moved to County Kerry Ireland. Only got 8,000 euros for the LHD corolla at the supplying dealer and it was immaculate and only done 45,000kms. We were looking for a cheap car in the UK and my Sister found a 1989 240 GLT (F912 YOA) automatic for £350 with 8 months mot and done 159,410 miles owned by a disabled couple and partner died who drove. Got on the plane from Dinard to Birmingham, viewed the car and started it up and bought it for the full asking price in late 2009. Have it to this day and for 8 years my only car and daily workhorse. Fantastically reliable but a bit rusty round arches and had welded twice for 50-150. 18 months ago bought a 1996 Volvo 940 SE LPT estate auto which is great and very reliable. P483UWV. Cost £250 but spent 1k on AC and maintenance items. Bought at 184,000 Recently bought a 2006 Lexus IS 220d and so far no issues even though now done 177,000 . Cost £1,475 so my most expensive used car. Completed a 762 mile weeks holiday with no issues last week to the Isle Of Wight. Mot on it on Tuesday. Another AC condenser on order as Condenser leaks. Didn't mean to write an essay but travelled around a bit and as you can see no real bad cars. If I had to choose best for price it would be Volvo 240 and 940. Lexus I use for best as it looks nice. James.

Very low mileage for the year. Should do another 200k easily especially if a D5. Mine on 195k James

What I like about estates is if you need extra room just fold down the back seats. Mine also split 70/30. I also like the fact I can then get 4 adults in when visiting family and not have more than one vehicle. My tools stay hidden in the boot by a load cover. Saying that I have 3 cars! I like the landcruiser Colorado from the late 90's but looking at them not any more room than a 940 and unless you go for amazon spec not as much kit as my 940. I'm not keen on the poor visibility and unless pretty new well used and knackered. My estate cost £250 and spent another 1k in 18 months on service items, aircon, and general age related items. What estate have you got? James

I like estates as I'm self employed and use my Volvo 940 for it's load lugging ability. The good bits is it's very reliable, easy engine bay access for DIY, comfortable, automatic, got a reasonable kit like heated seats, electric glass sunroof, electric windows x4, heated mirrors, AC, ABS, Drivers Airbag, and half grey leather. Above all though cheap to buy. The only thing against it is when Birmingham gets its ULEZ charges as go into Brum every Sat to visit family. I will try to find a new route to avoid the charge. I really wouldn't know what to buy to avoid the charge that costs less than 3k. Don't have big cash to splash on a new car or 5 year old one. I like the IS300H as very much, if not the same IS220 styling. More rear legroom would be nice though. I don't know why hybrid manufacturers don't incorporate LPG into the mix. Cheap LPG costs backed up with electric sounds great. LPG seems to be forgotten about. James

I would like a hybrid Lexus estate, what with ULEZ, ultra low emissions zones coming to Birmingham soon but don't think they did any? The Ls 430 looks really comfy and lots of kit. Cooled seats would be great in this weather. James

I like the older Volvos. Had 1986 340 for 5 years. My Nans 1986 740GLE estate. My very first car I bought in 2002/3. £425. 1989 240 GLT auto estate. Owned 10 years. £350 940 SE LPT auto estate daily driver. Owned 18 months. £250, but spent 1k on general repairs/ maintenance. All good cars. 2006 Lexus 220d. Like the comfort and style of the 220 but prefer auto. Like the economy though and so far in 1200 miles no issues apart from AC. You get a lot of car for the money. Mine is high mileage at 176,000. Next car may go for a LS 430! Looks great and auto. Or a Toyota landcruiser Colorado. James

No, used nitrogen apparently or something that is ozone friendly and do a leak test before putting in the refrigerant gas. This wasn't an AC specialist, just a garage with machine. I'm sure the problem is the condenser as mobile AC man put some gas in system and used a sniffer tool on all ac pipework etc and at condenser the sniffer tools alarm went mental, hence why I put a new one in but not worked out. I had a 1986 740GLE with B230K Carb engine with red interior! I liked it and my first car in 2003 which cost me £425. Kept it for 5 years. AC is rare in a 740 as quite an expensive option then, or possibly a turbo model? James

Mooring prices based on a narrowboat. Widebeam from 3,500+ a year depending where. The one thing I do regret is not getting out cruising in it! Too busy working or other things crop up. This August? September I'm going to take a month out and get exploring the canals. Not moved much in my 5 year ownership. James

Thanks. Your wife may prefer a wide beam. More space. I have a residential mooring which costs £585 a quarter based on 50ft length which isn't bad. Boat licence £795 a year if paid in full. Boat insurance £150 and Boat safety every 4 years £150. Water included in mooring fees and electric by card. Max power available on bollard is around 3.5kw. I have all mod cons like washer/ dryer, dishwasher, and central heating from stove or webasto. Every 2 years have the boat taken out of the water and the hull painted. £9 per foot length. James.

Travelled around with Grandparents renovated a house in Cornwall, 2 in Birmingham one in Normandy France, lived in France for over 7 years and then moved to County Kerry, Ireland and renovated and extended a bungalow there and stayed for 2.5 years. Moved back to the UK and after a 18 months found a job as a maintenance man in a care home. Did that for 10 months and didn't like being on call and travelling all over the UK to cover their 4 other homes. Pay was £7.60 an hour and if the home was under 50 miles each way didn't get paid for travel time. Ended up setting up as self employed as Plumbing and Property Maintenance and enjoy the variety of work. Mostly last year decorating and bathroom renovations. I'm a fully qualified plumber and I certainly don't earn a lot. This tax year 10k but don't need a big income as live on my own narrowboat and have no wife or kids to support. Contentment in life counts more to me. James

I have a 2006 IS 220d and the AC never worked. Had it re gassed and worked great until, leaked out 7 weeks later. Got a mobile AC man out and condenser leaking. Ordered new nissens condenser for £171.00 on ebay. Yesterday took the old one out and bolted new one in then re fitted the 2 ac pipes to the condenser. Got the bolt mostly in and bolt snapped off leaving the bolt in the thread! Took it all out again and managed to drill the rest of the bolt but some thread damage but bolt still tightened up well! Found some better, shorter bolts and noticed once all done up the inlet stub on the condenser had bent and looks like it would leak. Just cheaply soldered, with a tack weld top and bottom! Found a garage today who also does AC and 40 minutes later it failed the leak test! Don't know where leaking but suspect the spilt condenser stub. At least no charge! Moral of the story get new shorter bolts for the ac pipes. Or not bother! I'm not bothering as by the time I bought another condenser and regas I would of spent £430. Car cost £1,475 Opening the window is a lot cheaper. Would of been nice but only use the Lexus as 2nd car. At least I have AC in my old 1996 Volvo! The Volvo cost £300 to get the AC working but the condenser was only £64. James

Your AC may have a big leak hence compressor not running as pressure switch stops compressor from running when gas low. Your compressor may need re-shimming. If the clutch gap isn't correct it may not engage the compressor clutch. If the same as a Volvo 940 the centre part can be manually pressed in with a stick to get it to engage. Heat and expansion may be preventing it from re- engaging. Some youtube vids of re shimming. I have just had a company out to test my IS220D For AC leaks from a national franchise company called cool car and found the condenser is leaking. Had a sniffer tool for the hard to see areas. Cost £30. Ordered a new nissens condenser from ebay £174 so hopefully fitting Sunday. My Volvo 940 has a used compressor off ebay. It works fine and came with a 30 day warranty. Cost £30. I did pay a garage £120 to fit it and re-gas as access tight so bear the fitting cost if found to be a dud. James

It's what I do before MOT. Looks a lovely car and low mileage. Covers the surface rust on suspension bits and protects and prevents advisories. James.

When I bought my Lexus for £1,475.00 the most I have ever paid for a car I did a car history text the reg check. Came back clear, no accidents, colour change, stolen etc. Mot history to see if any advisories. Always passed with no advisories. Before going to see the seller I did a finance check. No finance owed. Advertising seller was selling on behalf of his business colleague owner. He buys the cars, his friend lists them but unfortunately owner on holiday. Thought it sounded odd but showed me the original owner traded the car to another dealer and the person I bought it from, his business colleague bought it from this dealer. I was happy as at least the original owner had sold it. Worst case I had lost my money. Before parting with my cash I did another finance check to make sure that there wasn't a log book loan on it. It was clear again. There is always a risk as most HPI reports only search the main lenders! I got a receipt and the V5C Slip. I had also taken pictures of the ebay listing and conversations about collecting the car etc so if the seller was dodgy had proof to the police if stopped I bought it in good faith. 4 Weeks later I had not received the new log book even though the seller said he would post it to the DVLA. Checked with the DVLA and not notified. Filled in a V62 form and sent it off along with the V5C and apparently they contact the registered owner and if no response automatically send you a new V5C. 5 weeks after received new log book. Now with no previous keepers name and address. Also be aware there are I believe 200,000 stolen blank V5C logbooks which were used by car thieves to clone the stolen cars to another legitimate cars details. http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/car-buyers-guide/cbg-dvla-warning-stolen-v5c-vehicle-registration-certificates.html James

Not good! The more jobs you do not only saving money but know it's done right. I haven't managed to get one yet as none on ebay. Emailed lexus breakers and not got back to me yet. I'll phone them next week as breaking several diesel 220's. A new one from Lexus Birmingham complete was £250!! I thought £100 new. £50 used. I have ordered some engine bay engine cover clips and the carpet clip off Ebay, so we'll see how they fit. A mobile AC company is coming out to me on Tuesday to get my Lexus AC system leak tested, so hopefully find the leak and take it from there. The AC is certainly needed in the possible 30 degree heat this week, thankfully the 940 AC works. James

Non Lexus garage has serviced it every year for the last 8 years for the previous owner. Not near me I'm afraid. Suspect most probably housing tightened up too much or oil drained but filter not changed? I need to buy the housing as even with two people using filter wrenches wouldn't budge it! I'll also buy the removal tool. James

I have a 220d on 176,000 and took my car for a full service. The garage couldn't get the oil filter off the housing using 2 oil filter wrenches as feared breaking the housing off. I know there is a special tool but garage said even that wont work and to buy a new housing. I have done a google search and some old listings on ebay come up but sold and can't find any others. Anyone know where to buy a new or used one? Suppose last source is Lexus. Could do with more engine bay trim clips and drivers footwell carpet fixings. Many thanks. James