H3XME

As above - Do NOT get the diesel. Even if by some miracle you get a good one, there will be more to fix/maintain in the long run. If you can, go for IS250. Manual is quite good, a lot of them have LSD too, it's a different gearbox and ratio to the diesel, so much better drivability but manuals cost more to tax, unless you can find '55 or '06 plate manuals - they costs as much as autos to tax. Or ideally, go for Automatic, easy to drive and hassle free, BUT they cost considerably more than manuals just because they're more sought after. After all it's Lexus, makes sense people want automatic more. I've had 3 250s over the years, always come back to them because they're good cars. I do 60miles/day commute in my manual, and like others have said, you can get ~30 in town if you're gentle on the throttle and 40+ on the motorway (I get about 43mpg at 70mph). Think of it this way, it may cost you a little more to buy the petrol, but in the long run it will be a much cheaper car to run than the diesel because all the things that go wrong on 220s are just engine related. The only common fault these two cars share are sticky calipers (or more specifically slider pins that cost £20) if you don't regularly grease them up (once a year).

Oh there is, boiling points differ & low temp viscosity is different between DOT 3,4,5,5.1 etc. This is why you wouldn't use a DOT 3 or 4 on a race car as the brakes get way hotter. Similar to road cars in winter, you'd want DOT 5.1 due to its low temp viscosity which is better for stability of ABS.

Looks really good! I've cleaned my car properly a few months ago, clay bar-ed the whole car, you'd be surprised what it picks up on a "clean" panel. The little bits you don't see show up on the clay bar. After that I gave it a good polish and waxed it with similar stuff you used, but I tend to go for AutoFinesse products (it's all pretty much the same). The shine has improved a lot! Only just now, maybe 3-4 months later it looks like it could do with some more. The only issue I find with this is that it doesn't last very long. These spray on waxes will last some time, and they do a big difference short-term, but the best way is to get is ceramic coated, otherwise you're destined to be polishing and waxing your multiple times a year. While it's satisfying when it's done, it's still a half a day chore to do it properly including washing and clay baring 😄 Paint correction & ceramic coat for 3 years normally costs around £700 on a car this size. Worth the money, if you care about the looks of your car.

Bump £180

There is a reason why everyone on this forum will tell you to stay away from the 220d if you can get the 250..similar economy, much nicer gearbox and mainly no engine issues. Any chance you can return the car if it's from a dealer? You have 30 days.

One of mine was ripped, the other 2 didn't look broken, but I'm sure the parcel shelf sun doesn't help the overheating.

Yeah, middle is how it should be. It's only on full and high volume when it causes issues over time.

Can everyone please stop getting upset over another's opinions? Yes, today's SUV's are pointless, it's an essentially lifted estate car but if one prefers it for whatever reason there's no need to start an argument. There is no right or wrong as such.

Yeah for sure. I've dyno'd N/A car before and after exhaust + intake and while it made almost 15hp more it wasn't noticeable anyway.

A/C would make a small 2hp difference but I'm sure they turn it off. Heated seats wouldn't make a difference. I'll post it up once we go.

He didn't get 186WHP though.. he got 186 at the crank and 148WHP.. This is what RR Racing show on their dyno. 161whp (~190bhp) IS250 Manual with 150k miles.. For RWD cars it's generally 15% drivetrain loss so the figure checks out. Automatics, these older ones like IS250 will have a greater drivetrain loss.. ~20% which again checks out for Bogdan and his auto 250. Figures seem correct, albeit a bit low.

I find those figures a bit disappointing, but we'll see when I take mine. It isn't awful, but I don't think it's the case of it losing 1hp per year.. Having had a few of my cars dyno'd - stock and modified, I know that manufacturers like to lie on the spec sheets and when they officially say 204bhp, it could be either way. Most of the time they make less than what's stated. GT86 should be making 200PS/198BHP stock, but when a few of us went to Dynodaze (same place as above) stock cars were making ~185bhp.. mine made 198bhp with a cutback & better air filter (just filter, not a whole intake). I was meant to go that day with @TadasC but my car decided to throw CEL on Thursday and I can't find my OBD so ordered another one to check the fault. The car drives fine, but I don't want to take any chances until I know what code pops up. Mine is manual with an aftermarket resonator, free flowing mufflers and a full K&N Typhoon air intake kit, so again not really a fair comparison, but Tadas has a stock automatic with an F-Sport airbox. Just as an interesting fact, my girlfriend's '19 Civic FK7 (1.5 turbo 4pot) should make 184bhp according to Honda, but all of those cars make between 197-204bhp when dyno'd.

I'd agree. My amp failed after 165k miles - just overheated. However, I went through 3 subs in my ownership which was roughly 3 years and 50,000 miles. I'd advise against cranking the bass up in the EQ for long periods of time 😂

They go wrong because they tend to overheat. High volume and bass music doesn’t help it but that’s more of a subwoofer issue. The amp needs to have constant airflow. There are air ducts behind the rear bumper on the sides that allow for airflow but they tend to get clogged with dirt etc. take the bumper off and make sure they’re clean, if so, don’t worry. If not, clean it up and happy motoring

Tail lights are still available. New ones cost £259 on eBay!

The lights are finally done. Banged it out today after work. It’s slowly coming together… now just wait for wheels to arrive from Japan and camber arms. IMG_9313.mov

This is the problem with majority 3 cylinder engines.. They vibrate, they're under a lot of stress because turbo-charged 3 banger is small and harder to keep cool, and overall just a really bad engine. They're not even that fuel efficient because often you see these engines in big cars..(such as Focus, Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Ceed etc) these little engines have to work at least twice as hard as the naturally aspirated V6 in the IS250. Shows on longevity. Start up a 3 cylinder after 100k and compare to the 2.5l V6.. The V6 will be unphased and the I3 will sound like a diesel that's covered half a million miles. Here's a fun fact.. the new Lexus LBX will have a 1.5L 3cyl engine.. or at least it will be one of the options - presumably just a smaller displacement version of the GR Yaris engine 🙂 Those are good for power & reliable so far, but let's see after 100k miles.

In short, no, but it's really tight. You have to remove a plastic cover on the back of the headlight to access the bulb - you can pop it off with the airbox in place, and if you have small enough hands you can maybe just about twist and remove the sidelight bulb. However, you will not be able to put the little cover back on as that requires a bit more movement in already a very limited space.. It's not worth the aggro, so just get the 3 or 4 bolts out of the air box, push it aside (no need to fully remove it) and that should give you enough wiggle room. It's a 10min job.

Hello, I've had an HKS Temperature gauge on my shelf for a few years now and I finally decided to use it. I will put it in next time I do an oil change as it replaces the sump plug. However, in terms of routing the wire from the oil pan back into the cabin (to the gauge), I'm not sure which way to go. In my GT86 I ran it through the wiring harness hole in the firewall that was located just under/behind the battery on the passenger side. Is this the same case on these? I haven't looked yet, so apologise in advance. Alternatively, since the plug side on the driver's side, it would be ideal to run it through the same side of the car, it would be a much shorter path but I don't know if there's a hole in the firewall on the driver's side. Any input is appreciated. Thanks

You know, I had the same symptoms. The car would even sometimes stall if I went from 6th to neutral coasting towards a junction, but then it was also shaking at the lights and was doing like 500rpm and you could just feel it was struggling so I had to give it some revs. Almost as if the oil pressure was low. This happened only sometimes, and maybe 2-3 weeks later I changed my oil, cleaned the maf & air filter, started using Tesco 99Momentum more and poured one can of Liqui Moly injector cleaner into the fresh tank of good fuel. I forgot about this issue now but come to think of it I had nothing like that ever since. Like Linas already mentioned, Carbon build up to a point where it's causing issues is very rare in the UK, but if your car lived in London all it's life, it may never get a proper chance to stretch it's legs often enough so it would kind of make sense, but still, I don't think it's that given your mileage. Service it, do what I did and see what happens, if that doesn't do it I would be inclined towards a faulty coil / spark plugs etc. Do the free or cheap stuff first before moving onto spending money on replacement parts that may have no effect!

HEADlights have sold now, but these tail lights are still available 🙂

SOLD. Admin please remove.

FOR SALE Brand New Smoked / Black VLAND tail lights. These are fully road legal, brand new in boxes. I bought these thinking I'll use them but I don't like them on my car. They are the same tail lights as on my friend's White IS250 (attached photos). Price: £190 Collection preferred (WV11), but can post at buyer's expense. I also have factory xenon headlights for sale here for £200 >