Subtronics

I'll be interested in this when you figure it out mate. If you need a car to test on let me know 🙂

So, from a very quick look, the connectors look the same, just in different locations. Got a few bits I want to sort first, but I may well give this a try.

Thats really interesting! I will have a google see if I can find out if the plugs are the same on the back. Might be possible after all.

Looks very similar, well worth a go!

Yeah, I figured so. I can imagine all the coding is handled by the ECU. So maybe possible if the ECU is swapped out. Probably cheaper buying an FSport lol

Hi, has anyone fitted an FSport speedo cluster to a non FSport? I really like the moving part in the f sport and found one on ebay, but its very expensive and wouldn't want it to not work!

I had a heated steering wheel in the courtesy ES from Lexus Leeds recently. It was lovely! Really missed it over the last few weeks! It all depends how much wiring is in place by default. If the wiring is there, its not a big job, you'll need the steering wheel and switch box.

What a strange issue! At least its just in a secondary body part not actually structural! When I got my IS, I stripped all the boot seal off and cleaned everything as it was full of crud like yours. Glad my boot is nice and dry, when I start tidying my car up in spring, I'll be checking for this fault though! Glad you got to the bottom of it. Do you think your car could have been rear ended and that cause the crack?

That really doesn't sound normal to me. Have you taken it on a big run, get it really hot? And when the engine is running, does the exhaust steam? I'd be tempted to take it to another Lexus dealer or take the issue up with Lexus UK. You bought a car from a dealer, it should be mint.

Yeah, I wouldn't think it would make a huge difference, just curious. I do think it is a great chassis though, going to be putting coilovers on it this year.

Most will say its pointless in a IS300h, but its more curiosity than anything else. Do any of the Is300h or rc300h models come with a limited slip diff?

So, the IS300h is back. Lexus Leeds charged £768 for the head gasket change. Which I think is a more than fair price. Still come away from the experience feeling a bit let down. Since picking the car up I have noticed that there are a few marks over the car that were not there before and the engine bay hasn't been cleaned after the work or left in a very tidy state. I guess you could argue that I paid less for the service due to the problems I had with customer service to start with, but at the end of the day I am still a customer and have paid out a lot of money for a repair that in my eyes is clearly a manufacturing fault (I know the car is well out of warranty and done nearly 120k, but its been well looked after and I can't find evidence of any other IS300h with a blown head gasket. I know they are under no obligation to fix it and wouldn't expect them to fix it for free). Lexus Leeds on a whole were a bit rubbish, it took a damning Google review to get their attention and then as soon as that was removed, they lost interest in helping me. I got offered resolutions to the problem that were then removed and the car went in and out of there shop three times before the issues was resolved. I wouldn't recommend using them and the reason I haven't reported the marks on the car to them, is because frankly I am sick of them and don't want them near my car again. I would be ashamed of leaving a work space as messy as them have left my engine bay. Non of the coolant has been cleaned up, there is gasket sealant on other components in the bay. I am sure I can clean it up myself, but if this is the standard of work from a main dealer, then my mind is blown. Anyway, I have loved having the car back, its coolant has stayed level since Tuesday afternoon, so that is good news, and I am starting to remember why I bought the car and how much I enjoy driving it.

I'd say you are not going to be able to touch in the small area, so if you are using a bodyshop ask them to get as close a match as they can. Or if you are doing it yourself, you'll need to take the part off anyway, so just take that to a motor factors and get the best match you can.

Bit of a funny one that to be honest. So originally they were rubbish at getting back in touch with me when quoting for parts and service requests. So I left a bad review on Google. The head of service saw this and got in touch. They have agreed to diagnose the issue free of charge as a way to say sorry, they also completed some minor works for free. But now they are charging, but at a very reasonable rate. So as it stands I have authorised for the head gasket to be replaced. I am concerned though that if they find any further damage to the engine, that could push the repairs beyond my budget. I guess at that point though, I might have to try go cap in hand to Lexus UK, I know they have no obligation, but if my car is the only one to have had this problem, then surely its a manufacturing fault. Anyway, will cross that bridge when I get there.

Quick update. Waiting on Lexus now, but with Christmas, New Year and I can imagine a delay on parts with the problems on the border, I can't see it coming back to me anytime soon. Hopefully they will have it stripped down before New Year though, so they can report on the state of the head and block. I have been warned if the head is cracked its £2700 for a new one. Not quite sure what I will do if that is the case, but deal with that if it happens. I've been enjoying the top spec ES300h they gave me as a courtesy car, however plush it is on the inside, its definitely no IS. Completely different and I won't be looking to own one in the future. Very comfy cruiser and such a relaxing place to be and the toys are fantastic, but couldn't be less sporty.

Probably un-related, but I had an Accord that the alarm kept going off and it was the little push sensor in the door shut. Took it out freed it up with a bit of grease and that sorted it. The car just thought the door was open. Just something else you can check. Just push each one in and see if it moves freely.

So Lexus Leeds are doing more investigations, but general consensus is the head gasket has failed. They are just double checking the EGR cooler, in case I happen to have picked up a dud. They have been fantastic on the potential repairs, given me a very fair price. Will update once I get it back.

If I can afford Lexus to do the job, I think I will go for that. I would rather have the come back to a job done by them, rather than a garage putting in an engine I have sourced. But it will all come down to cost, either way its going to be an expensive bill just before crimbo. Not really much point trying the head gasket repair stuff, thanks for the suggestion though. I need my car for work, so can't be waiting for something to go wrong, and at best its only going to put off the inevitable. I'll update with the news from Lexus tomorrow.

When its working right its great, full heat across all the vents

Quick update: The car has been back and forth to Lexus Leeds a few times now. They have done various tests that all came back as clear, but after getting the car back yesterday with them convinced the issue had been resolved. I took it for a good run out last night, (a 50 mile round trip), and noticed coming off a round about that the thermostat nudged a little way up and over the normal position, but other than that it was fine. Then on my way to work this morning, I lost all heat through the blowers and started over heating again. I managed to limp the car back to Lexus Leeds where they did a sniffer test and it failed. So it is now pretty much confirmed that it is the head gasket. Just waiting to hear from Lexus Leeds how much the damage will be to fix it, and if I can afford that or if I have to replace the engine with a secondhand item. Just so to update the symptoms. Car seems to push the coolant out from the heater matrix, into the header tank and then out the overflow. No heat coming from blowers and then the car will start to overheat. In the engine bay, the header tank is full of coolant, and its coming out the overflow. Both upper and lower pipes are warm/hot. The car hasn't lost any power, doesn't have any mixed oil/coolant, nor does it have any smoke coming from the exhaust. It hasn't lost any power or lost any economy. No warning lights (unless it gets too hot) and no error codes. *Edit* Lexus Leeds haven't heard of another IS300h with this issue or a blown head gasket and no results form a Google search for this issue either.

Hi All, Sorry for the late reply, it has been a very hectic week! So I was a bit annoyed with Lexus Leeds and ended up writing a review on Google (the modern day equivalent of a strongly worded letter I guess). Well the review caught the eye of Vantage Group and they got me in touch with the service manager at Lexus Leeds. To be honest I am blown away with the level of service I have since received. They got the car straight in and inspected (also giving me a lovely 20 plate IS300h F Sport). They found a faulty radiator cap and hoped it was just that, which they replaced for free. Unfortunately, despite them road testing the car yesterday, by the time I got it home and I checked the coolant level, it had already started to rise. By this morning, it was pushing out the top of the tank again. Lexus Leeds took the car straight back to investigate and there it has stayed all day, they haven't been in touch today, but they did say they were very busy and set my expectations that I would be in the courtesy car (an ES300H) over the weekend. So I guess its just a matter of waiting to see what they come back with after having a deeper inspection. My gut feeling is its the head gasket, but I feel like its in the best place to find that out. What happens if it is, I don't really know. I am not sure if I can afford that much Lexus labour, but the service manager seems keen to make up for the communication failures at the start. On the back of all this, I take back my comments about the dealer. I would highly recommend using them if you are local to them. I'll update the thread when I know more. James

Last time I did it I went through the financial ombudsman. It took ages, but I did win. I am packed out with work and don't have the time or energy or mind set to face something like that at the moment. I just need to get it sorted and get on with enjoying it. I love driving the car, its such a nice place to be. Fingers crossed it doesn't cost the earth to get it back on the road.

Unfortunately not. It wasn't a main dealer, and spoken to them and they are not interested in sorting it. I have in the past successfully chased a garage down on a shoddy car, I got a full refund, but it took 9 months! I don't have the time, nor can I wait that long to get the issue resolved. Its booked back into the more helpful garage I found locally next week. They are going to diagnose the issue and see if they can help. Still can't get over how unhelpful Lexus Leeds were, their customer service was appalling.

It was cheap for a Lexus for expensive for me! I have had them in the past and they have been bullet proof. Its a real shame that this one has already proved otherwise!

The EGR Cooler hasn't resolved it, so looks like it is the head gasket.