Andyscooke

I found a four way adaptor with a short plug that fits withour fouling the arm rest. I was then able to plug anything into the adaptor side with no problem (even ran a USB cable to the glove compartment for a phone charger). Having tantilised you, I'm not sure where I bought it - have a feeling that it was Halfords - worth having a scan of their shelves.

Definately the automatic. Better drive, better fuel consumption and lower road tax - a no brainer.

So it has come out at last. Does no-one at Lexus realise that the British 'summer' is nearly over - this should have been released in March for June delivery. My point is, I was really interested when it first came out at the Geneva show, but was surprised when told of the July release which seems to have now slipped to August (still awaiting notification from my local Lexus). I liked the look of the car (and still do) but when more information became available - £43K and 9.0 sec 0-60 it didn't look as attractive. As I pondered, I started earmarking lay-bys on my normal route in case the roof had to be raised at the rush and the novelty was on the wane. The wait continued so I considered other options and have an imminent delivery of a Mercedes E350CDI coupe for the same money. Plenty of toys, folding rear seats, 7 speed auto, 0-60 in 6.9, better fuel economy and tax and the panoramic roof with no B pillars, whilst not a cabriolet, comes close. I've been loyal to Lexus for 10 years so leave with a heavy heart because I have no axe to grind with Lexus per se; I just feel that their marketing has become big headed and instead of competing well with the Germans, their pricing strategy is too close for comfort to the competition. They need to be on their guard or their customer base will start looking at alternatives. Never sit on your laurels....

The battery is a 3v CR1632. Best get them off the internet - you'll get a pack of five cheaper than one from Lexus. Armed with the battery, remove the key from the remote and then prise the remote apart (once the key is removed, there's an indentation that you can twist a small screwdiver in to separate the two halves) Raise the printed circuit and the battery is underneath. Replace with a new one and clip it all back together again. Changed mine this morning - took less than two minutes. No need to re-programme afterwards. Good luck with the new car.

I had the same dilemma before I took the plunge nearly four years ago but never looked back. Nobody's mentioned fuel consumption in their arguments. My IS300 used to binge drink on every journey whilst the 250 returns a respectable 33 overall and reaches 38 on a long motorway journey at constant speed. Also the auto box on the 250 is far superior to the 300. As for acceleration, I didn't notice any difference when I swapped and a foot to floor can manage most situations with smooth aplomb. The engine is much smoother and mine at 80K is running so quiet, I have to check that it hasn't stalled. I can't comment on the 18" alloys but the tracking needs regular checking if the inner wear on the tyres is to be avoided. All in all, I would swap - the extra toys (the MM with the reversong camera is a must) and the smooth auto box will make it worthwile.

Agree that Lexus are very good at honouring the replacement. I had two new front wheels at about 20K and then just before the 60K, they replaced the back ones. I mentioned that I suspected the two fronts were showing signs that they were going again so they replaced them with no argument so 10 wheels in less than 3 years ! I am also surprised that they haven't sorted this out - suspect it's the UK weather that causes the issue but they have had plenty of time to think about it. I was lucky, just got in under the 60K so you may have talk sweetly..... good luck

My is250 SEL Auto MM is over 3 years old. When I first got it, it was rattle free. Had to replace the windscreen after about a year and a rattle was added for free!! Lexus Hedge End resolved the problem at the next service so I was a happy bunny. Two months ago, another windscreen had to be put in and, hey ho, the courtesy rattle was thrown in... Service wasn't due for a while so I decided to apply some first aid. I had some stiff but flexible foam in the garage so, after some trial and error, manage to force a strip down between the console and the windscreen right in the centre in front of the speaker grill. It had to be tucked well down which also meant that it was not visible. No more rattle. Worth a try.... PS My last loan car was the diesel and I couldn't wait to get back to the super smooth automatic box that uses all the gears.

Lexus Hedge End (Southampton) fixed mine during a routine service and has been perfect ever since. No evidence of major dashboard removal - the dealers seem to know the cause now so get them to do the biz.

You need to beam them up through Bluetooth. If your iPAQ has windows mobile (I would have thought it did), go to contacts and select one. Go to Menu > Send Contact > Beam and then put the MM system into transfer mode once you have started the beam.

Mine has been quiet as a mouse from new - now done 55000 miles and still purrs along so silently that I sometimes wonder whether its stalled - as if it ever would. I would definately have it checked out

I have posted before but my rattle disappeared when I had a replacement windscreen fitted - supports the theory that the fitting around this area is causing the rattle. It was just a fluke with mine and I will not be surprised if it returns in which case I will get Lexus to sort out. Meanwhile, it is just bliss - have driven with the radio off just to appreciate how quite the car really is. The rattles can really be annoying but don't let them put you off the car - Lexus should have enough knowledge now to sort them out. As already said, the quietness of the car perhaps extenuates any alien noise.

The IS300 Sport Cross is a good bet. Not a true estate but has plenty of room with the seats down and more in the boot than a saloon with the seats up. The performance of the automatic is very respectable but 25 mpg average may put you off. I sometimes regret trading mine in for the new model.... sometimes, just sometimes

Booked the car in for its 20K service and also to sort out the annoying rattle in the centre behind the vents. I had delayed getting it fixed to allow some Lexus experiience to build up so it could get sorted at the first hit. Two weeks before the service was due, a large L shape crack appeared around the rain sensor in the middle of the windscreen. Booked it in for a replacement through my Insurance for the following Saturday. RAC Windscreens did a perfect job even to the point of when I picked it up - deep joy - NO RATTLE. Didn't want to count my blessings too soon so tried to find as much rough terrain as possible during the week to ensure that it wouldn't return. Upshot is, when it went in for its service yesterday, I had to admit to the dealer that there was no longer a rattle but left my options open should it return. Bottom line - it appears that either the windscreen has some connection with this rattle or the Fitter inadvertantly moved/re-routed something whilst he was doing his work. Either way, I have been driving around with the radio off just to appreciate how quiet the car is - fallen in love with it again. :) :) :)

What fabulous news - especially for yourself but lets hope for other 250 owners who have yet to get the problem fixed. I just hope that the resolutions have been sent to all Dealers - mine goes in on the 19th to get fixed. Thanks for the positive news and many congrats on the new addition - you'll need a Rx400h now to carry all that baby equipment!!

Interesting idea. Did the coloured wax harden or was it still soft when you applied the regular polish? It goes hard enough to grip to the exposed undercoat but soft enough to merge with the polish overcoat. A week has gone by so I will check the durability when I wash it tomorrow (weather permitting). You should buy a product called Langka - it makes applying touch up paint trivially easy. You put enough paint in the stone chip, wait one hour, put some Langka on a clean cloth and wrap it around a flat plastic card - 5-10 seconds rubbing over the blob - perfect smooth flush result! It is just fantastic. Langka can gently melt away the excess touch up paint letting you smooth it out properly - but it does not affect normal paint. In fact if you rub for long enough you can remove the touch up paint completely - so if you really mess it up you can sort it out and start again. The key is to work on it within 1-2 hours of application before it cures to being too hard. Mark mspiteri, Any idea where we get Langka from ? Infinity......... Try here - http://www.langka.com/ for info and here http://www.frost.co.uk/item_detail.asp?productID=8221 for purchase