PJD69

I can understand for hybrids, but for the older petrol cars isn't one of the joys of a Lexus that it's an ultra reliable brand?

I've heard it said that the IS250 is the most reliable car you can buy on the used market, and quite a few parts are cheap Toyota parts.

17 hours ago, HellRider said:

it done only 2k miles between MOTs 02 aug 18 - 14 apr 21

https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/

Yeah it's been sat in the main for approx 3 years, no oil changes etc.

20 minutes ago, Pielight said:

I believe that even the Extended Warranty is administered by a third party (TWG) who must authorise any claims?

Third party or not, I suspect a main dealer would have some clout in getting certain works approved as good will?

Speaking to a completely independent dealer the other day (no relationship to Lexus) he explained that he has some pull with the warranty company (Warranty wise or whoever, would have to check). The fact that they mainly retail premium cars (Bentley, McLaren etc), in volume, and have submitted few claims on behalf of customers (indicating they curate their stock well) being a factor there.

An example he gave was a shock absorber replacement for a customer. The warranty company t&c only obliged them to pay out for one, dealer said he talked warranty company around to replace as a pair as that is the correct works for the car, and it's dodgy to leave the customer fronting the 2nd one effectively compensated for half the required works.

On 8/8/2021 at 9:09 AM, First_Lexus said:

^^ I’ve had quite a few operations throughout my life due to the physical disability with which I was born. It’s thanks entirely to the NHS that I can walk and still lead a (relatively) normal life even during the second half of my life. No doubt if I’d been born fifty years earlier I would have been confined to a wheelchair of some kind.

With things like MRIs, general anaesthetic and most things ‘medical’ I’ve found that the fear of the unknown is usually worse than the reality. The stress and anxiety leading up to an appointment doesn’t exactly help matters! I now embrace such things as another life experience. You may think that’s crazy - and maybe it is - but it really helps me. And for the record, I’ve grown to really enjoy a general anaesthetic as I love the warm feeling when I go under. 

I’m reminded of a story I once heard, about an anaesthetist who had an operation in his own hospital, and who had to be anaesthetised by one of his own team. He counted from one to ten - as you do - getting to about 7 before going under. When he came round, he had the presence of mind to wake up saying “…10201, 10202, 10303…”

As you might expect, the staff were first confused, then worried…and finally impressed at the joke.

Glad it went ok @PCM. Best wishes for the results.

WRT my comment you replied to re general anaesthetic, wasn't going into detail it's someone else's thread - but was terrified was because the last one was fine had lovely little sleep - until I got home and spent the night throwing up blood into a bucket. I think they struggled intubating me, a totally rare occurrence no doubt, but my cunning plan was by remaining awake during the latest operation, I shall avoid repeating that! 

Agree wrt treating these things as an experience, an "adventure" even.. and having had a few procedures done, concur the usually fear is worse than the reality. 

Have a good friend who is really grounded and very philosophical take on life, first contact I had from him after he had a cardiac NDE was (paraphrasing..) 'wow.. that was mad what an amazing experience!'   

Total scumbags @-Rich- I hope your insurance take care of you ASAP. 

I'm in a pretty remote location and have one near neighbour (and night before last, someone wandering around with a torch for 2hrs early AM have a police incident no) am wondering how tempted thieves are by a nice IS250? I was pretty much on the fence about a GT86 because it could be targeted.

On this point, given most here have keyless entry, I wonder how many of you are vigilant about keeping your keyfobs in a metal box / RF proof container in the night...

Ah.. fair enough.. I took that advice from another forum, but I trust you are correct

Check out these posts on Honda paint.. 

https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/holy-crap-the-paint-on-these-cars-sucks.57186/

45 minutes ago, ikeja said:

Is it worth having a ceramic coating in preference to a wax?

If it's a young car (post 2012ish) with silly thin water based paint and you're doing a lot of motorway miles, possibly as stone chips can get down to bare metal and if not noticed or attended to rust creeps under paint and.. BOOM whole panel needs a respray. At least.. this is true of other brands including Mazda, Honda.. I don't know about Lexus paint.

Folks..

Get a cuppa, sit back and relax, this is very soothing to watch 😄

12 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

Hi Paul. Very interesting what you just posted. I bought my car last few days of last June 2020. Yes the service book was full of lexus stamps but what I did was to get from the log book the Varient number. Or was it Version. Anyway its the number required when you register a car on the Lexus website service history page. I did that and found all stamps were genuine and also found my car had 2 new brake calipers fitted a few years back and a new water pump too. 

It's a good idea to get the variant/version number from the selling dealer and get on the Lexus website and check the cars service history. If your happy then buy, if not then you know why not to. You can always unregister the car once all info gained.

Ah..! Good tip on the Lexus website

Getting the VIN number can help verify the spec of car too

I'm sure the issues I mention are rare btw, and probably indicative of someone doing 'too much' due diligence.. 😂

When did you purchase yours? Many cars haven't had a service since 2020 due to lockdowns. The example I've shown was sourced at auction probably many of these are Lexus trade in stock not good enough / too slim margin for the forecourt.

Warning : never trust 'service stamps' unless buying from a trusted source!

In my car hunt I've encountered three shifty scenarios :

1. Faked service stamps. Very convincing looking, but a rubber stamp isn't hard to facsimile (even a potato one 😂 ) increasing the resale value of a car by several thousand pounds! Verify with a service dept if possible.

2. Conversely, verified services stamps a Lexus dealership claimed were fraudulent. What happened was the owner previous to the seller knew a Lexus mechanic and had his work done on the side. How do I know this? The seller accidentally revealed the previous owners contact details including phone number, so I called him and he explained this and verified the cars history for me (which I confirmed later, eg he mentioned it had been traded in to Porsche and Porsche acknowledged this and named the person etc). When I explained to this prior owner that Lexus refuted the stamps, he immediately produced a legitimate invoice on official Lexus paperwork showing the service showing costs for parts and nothing for labour. Clearly that branch didn't want to acknowledge that this had occurred.

3. Erroneous 'fake stamp' in service history. With another vehicle, the service dept refuted one of the stamps validity, indicating that the car in question had missed it's major 60k service (sparks etc) and claimed that stamp must be fake. However I contacted the accounts departments who produced an invoice for the work donem which went into great detail. In that case, the information will not have been entered onto the computer system at the point of service.

I guess this is why Mazda and others are going digital..  

1 hour ago, markeyszoo said:

I also did not trust the last service record which I think was performed, or not, by a mate.

"Official Service!" at Wer**** Motor Garage, per chance?

49 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

Super One Traders.

Queried these guys earlier today about the following IS250 advertised as "FULL LEXUS MAIN DEALER SERVICE HISTORY."

It has Lexus Edgeware stamps until 2018.. then nothing to a recent indie July 2021.

20 minutes ago, Bluesman said:

I have just done mine for a laugh and their price to me was £150. Don't forget that's not the final amount as the car still has to go through them going round the car and picking out every little mark on the car after which it will cost more than the £150 after which you owe them money to take it away.

One of the less well regarded Lexus franchises offered £100 for my Honda.

I was like.. why are you even suggesting that?

I'd get more to watch a scrap metal dealer lift it onto a flatbed!

10 hours ago, PCM said:

Well... I have had my MRI scan.

Feeling very spaced out still from the meds ( 4mg Lorezapam ).

( Having to correct almost every word I type.)

Yes, it was better than I thought, but that was no doubt due to...

Really good support from here and practical advice. Thank you so much.

Doing physical exercise in the morning.

Taking sedation ,took away the anxious feeling. Left me very wobbly afterwards,

Music to (attempt) to listen to.

An eye mask - a must; eyes closed.

Excellent and caring staff all the way.

Going in feet first.

Listening to all the odd MRI sounds and 'engaging' with them.

Having a chaperone - my wife.

Having a panic button - not used.

Took 45 minutes to scan.

And yes, told noththing about results as yet...

 

Congrats on getting through it, and being on the other side..

Had an operation in October and I was more terrified of the general and being intubated than the operation (it didn't go well last time) so opted to be fully conscious.

One of the maddest things I've ever done tbh and full theatre with about 7 staff, but tolerated it quite well and chatting throughout.. thanks to the wonders of benzodiazepines and self induced hypnosis.

My very best wishes to you for the results!

1 hour ago, doog442 said:

The second car market has gone nuts.

As someone who has been observing prices closely for months, this is literally true.

A multifaceted combination of factors have cascaded and conspired including :

Chip (CPU) shortages
Covid factory lockdowns
Disruption to haulage logistics
Folk working from home then not
Brexit sunny uplands

Vehicles are ordinarily a depreciating asset class in all but the rarest examples

I'm seeing cars today that were advertised a year ago for half the price (edit : I don't mean by type, I'm talking the same car)

Folk paying more for used cars than retail cars (the latter being unobtainium)

The worst is camper vans. In collusion with the above issues, people are abandoning foreign holidays this year in favour of camping

13 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

Not sure why first one needs shock replacing (is there something I have missed?). Regarding it being rare on IS250... not necessary for 10 years old car shock failing would not be strange. To my surprise my 192k car was still on original shocks and had no issues, maybe just my luck.

"Offside Front Shock absorbers light misting of oil or has limited damping effect (5.3.2 (b))"

13 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

As for 2011-2012 SE-Ls yes they are rare, so you much more likely to find F-sport or SE-i after 2010. Just a simple matter of car being rare. Main issue I have with F-sport is that it doesn't have cooled seats and I consider that important, but if you can live without it then it is not an issue for you and choice will be highly expanded.

I personally don't understand the preference for leather, I prefer Alcantara and I think it ages better too.

Does shock failure suggest the car has had a hard life and smacked into a few potholes?

I was put off this one below - as it had a replacement shock and a complete new rack.. but it does have FLSH (including two stamps from Poland Lexus) does this look decent? Was on the market a few weeks ago and now relisted same seller same pics:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107245399336

Incidentally @MX5V6 I have no idea about the E10 business others can answer to that.. and it's not an SE-L.. but it does have the Mark Levinson system (possibly sunroof too?) and not a million miles from you :

https://usedcars.lexus.co.uk/en/used-lexus/Lexus/IS/250-SE-4dr-Auto-vdcnd4k

18 hours ago, Linas.P said:

It is interesting how the prices of these cars have gone up. I got my 2008 IS250 S-EL in 2014 for £4000. It had 122k miles on it which was one the high side for 6 years old car, but I was more than happy to take it knowing it had easy miles on motorways and that was amazing decision as condition of the car was far better than mileage could suggest and after 6 years and 70k miles it never had a single fault. In 2020 I have sold it for £2700 with 192k miles and with N-category (non-structural write-off) after receiving insurance settlement of £3800 (I think they deducted like £700 for resale value). That was surprising because it means my 12 years old car with 192k miles in 2020 was worth same as a paid for 6 years old car with 122k miles in 2014!

Looking at the prices nowadays they are just crazy, it seems people really started appreciating these cars for what they are. 

I can't tell you what to pay for IS250 as I can't influence the market, but I would not pay more than £5.5k myself - even for latest and best example. After all even last model year (2012) are now 9 years old and presumably has ~70-80k miles on the clock. Anything lower than that is not good sign either - car doing low miles locally will always be more tired than car doing many miles on the motorway. ~10k a years is good measure.

As well, I am not sure why 2007 September would be a cut-off date. Between 2005 and 2008 it is the same car, so I regard the all the same. 2009-2011 is first facelift - different rear lights and indicators went on mirrors, there were few more subtle changes inside each years, so for models after 2009 you could add a little bit of money each years, because they got HDD sat-nav at some point, late 2011 got DLRs etc. and obviously final model for 2012 again had DLRs and latest revisions of all equipment. But if I look at the price I basically see them as 3 tiers 2005-2008, 2009-2011 (non-DLR), 2011(DLR)-2012. 

Now when it comes to ML... again it isn't really that important. I had cars with both ML and without ML and although ML is "better" the difference in minimal. The standard car has 13 speakers system, ML has 14 speakers + better amp (basically only adding centre speaker in the front). ML is slightly louder but not much and the main benefit of ML is high-clarity and high-definition sound, BUT only if you have good quality source. If anything ML only highlights imperfections in music if you have poor quality source (say MP3 ripped from youtube). So if you planning to listen to classic music out of original DVD with loserless quality ML is amazing, but if you listening banging tunes from youtube it may be the same if not actually worse.

As for E10... I find this blown out of proportions... I drove thousands of miles on E85 in Europe as well as other ethanol mixes which were far greater than 10% of ethanol with absolutely no problems. Sure I would not recommend leaving E85 in the tank for months, but just using it on long journeys was absolutely fine. 

In short - if I would be in the market I would grab something like this myself:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107285549824

if I would need to go with first facelift:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107245408889 (althought I would never go for cream interior, they just don't las as well as black). 

Ok I'm not experienced at buying cars (I try to keep them and run them into the ground consequently I've only ever owned 3 cars) - but advice I've been given is seek a Lexus with FSH and preferably FLSH. Which would strike out the second example there?

The first one needs a shock replacing.. that seems pretty rare for a IS250 ??

I'm currently looking at a 2011 F-Sport (which I prefer to SE-L) with full 12 month Lexus Warranty, no ML or screen and it's £9.5k... it's in my preferred pearl white practically immaculate and has a new OEM exhaust.. is that "mental" ? Please tell me if that's insane because I've been looking for a few months and if it is and anyone fancies helping me find a cheaper example local to cheshire, it may save on psychiatry bills!! 💪 

Tbh if I'd read @is200 Newbie posting history and knew what I was doing, I'd have bought his SE-L a few months ago as he obviously maintained it to an excellent standard.. IIRC he sold it for £5,5k.. I might be slightly off there 

Here's one that's probably got some life left in it.. and I do recommend checking the MOT history on this one :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234103193059?hash=item3681a33de3:g:bI4AAOSw~sZg~KLu

Thanks all for the comments chaps.. 🙂

All taken on board and enjoying the community vibe here..

2 hours ago, scudney said:

So Paul what exactly is it that you are after or looking for 🤔

It's quite simple..

I've struggled to find an IS250 locally with the Sat Nav in a year and trim I like.. they are turning up without the screen.

So wondering if/how long it's worth holding out...

There's quite a pricey one locally but with a superb history and it ticks all the boxes for me aside from the screen.. production date 2011, F Sport bodykit, Mark Levinson system, low mileage, FLSH, in the gorgeous Arctic Pearl.. the screen is the only thing missing.

I do like techy stuff so I was hankering after the screen, but not for any practical reason really and @Linas.P has a point that the buttons offer direct access vs using a touch screen whilst on the move..

Reversing camera would be nice for reversing out of a tight space at home, but I've already sourced a 'blink' camera to help with that..

I'm not interested in playing DVDs. Sat Nav isn't that compelling nice to have but looks dated to me.

Are there other significant benefits for having the screen besides reversing camera?

I'm seeing IS250s that I like that don't have the screen.. which I did really fancy tbh especially for reversing camera but I think I would just about survive without

Less to go wrong if you don't have one..?

Great tips from Mr Hunter there Phil.. though I'd struggle to find 10 Lexus SEL / FSports with FSH to get maximum leverage.. 😄

The F Sport has been relisted if anyone fancies it :

https://usedcars.lexus.co.uk/en/used-lexus/Lexus/Is-Saloon/250-F-Sport-4dr-Auto-mqck7z6

I have watched a few Kevin Hunter videos after you previously mentioned him (and they are very informative indeed) but not that one. Thanks, I will check it out! 

Hi and sorry folks for no follow up, I had to take a break from car related things, as this is now I think the 4th deal to be scuppered so far..

So yes I had a cordial chat with the salesman as Lexus Sidcup and rejected the car and my deposit has been returned. I'm gutted as the car seemed fine in other respects and would have received it already were it not for the stone chips. It's a pity they weren't detected at the front end of the process.

They offered to attempt a repair, but if that failed would sell the car as is. A full window replacement was not offered (uneconomical presumably).

1. As @Herbie says there is a cluster of chips, and whilst I'm no expert in glass, I've read this is not good. 

2. I wouldn't be able to see the repair for myself, and if it did not wholly resolve the chips so they are absolutely invisible, any residual marks in my line of sight would bug the heck out of me.

3. I was mindful of the thread below, if the glass was replaced under my insurance policy. Tbh I doubt a Lexus dealership could replace the windscreen to factory standards. Time and time again, I've read that it's best to retain the original screen, unless it absolutely needs replacing. 

As mentioned, this is the 3rd or 4th time now that I've been at the point of buying a car for things to fall through. It's been a bit of a head <rude word> so I took some time out.

The hunt for an IS250 resumes!

I'm going to broaden the spec I'm looking for, and also limit my searching to something I can see locally.

Thanks for all the comments it's a great community here..

37 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

One man's junk is another man's treasure. One tester's fail is another tester's pass! Without seeing the chip it is hard to known how "bad" it is.

The attachments should give you an idea. Do open them on your desktop, the images are fairly decent, but clicking inline in the forum doesn't expose the full resolution.

38 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

Keep us updated Paul.

 I'm will do, as the drama continues. Only at page 4 so far.

2 hours ago, is200 Newbie said:

Just one point, if you are putting your trust into the dealer telling you what is wrong with the car over the distance selling you are making, how many checks did you say they were actually doing? Should these checks made cover the obvious points checked at MOT as a start point for the 100 or whatever checks they make report to the buyer which would have covered the screen? I would question the checks they have made and informed you of ... So what else have they checked (not) that may come up during early ownership. If the screen is to be replaced then absolutely make sure that it works, ie, the heating elements and its sealed correctly and also the replacement does not introduce any of the noise that was evident in the early days around the screen/dash.

As you should be aware, the callipers are a weak spot on these, have they been assessed as part of the checks Lexus have made? I will bet they are reported as good but upon next visit to Lexus there will be a recommendation to replace them! Have they issued you with an inspection report?

Hi Shaun. Not yet, and I've not found anyone posting the contents of the 150 point check, do they even give the customer a copy? If I'm to proceed I would like to see it! Callipers and water pump, must surely be part of the check or be covered by warranty?

WRT the exhaust, I asked for detailed photographs of the underside of the car (covers off, obviously) whilst its on the ramp - something which you graciously did for me when I looked at your car - and I've done due diligence on the servicing (considerable - some servicing recorded on invoices at another dealership seem not to have been entered on Lexus' computer systems, so according to their systems it missed a year, but I've been talked through the invoices for works done back to 2016 nothing ominous). It had the 60k w/ spark plugs.

2 hours ago, is200 Newbie said:

Just things to bear in mind, but for me, having a garage state they have done checks and then to find its an MOT failure through what would be an obvious finding would make me question the actual checks made. Just my opinion, i am sure others will question it...

I do think it's a pity that cars are offered to the public prior to checks, MOT. Was warned at the outset that a car can be condemned as it passes through the workshop due to uneconomical repairs needed, and I've actually been through this process before at another Lexus dealership and it was a let down when trying to secure the car, to learn it was going to head to auction instead.

I suppose it's about turning the cars over quickly, I accept this is a premium brand and these older cars are small fry to them but it be nice as a customer to be considering cars that already have a clean bill of health?

Tbh I've probably looked at the MOT history of 30+ Lexus to date, it's the first time I've seen screen chip (most are just tyres and brakes as we know), and I probably wouldn't have considered the car if I'd seen this advisory when screening. If for no other reason - it's always there on the history - and the window ofc is not just something to look through, it's a structural component of the car.

29 minutes ago, Herbie said:

It is not a failure, it is an advisory. The car has passed an MOT but attention has been drawn to a chip in the windscreen and it is/was apparently so small that it was only noticed at MOT time. If it really was anything major it would have been seen well before then.

I'm not so sure. Photographs received. See for yourself (attachments). It's not one chip, it's several. I don't know if it's a reflection in the laminate, but they appear to be in pairs, if so that would suggest maybe not individual stones but some other object striking the window. Again perhaps its expediency in terms of turning cars over, but I suspect I would have seen these marks at the point of a trade in. Hard not to when sat behind the wheel, surely, as they are in line of sight of the driver? A specialist is coming to see if they can be filled (will residual marks remain that bug the life out of me?), if not they will be left as is!