AntC

I got my Is250 at 120k miles and changed the plugs with the Denso iridium ones. There was no mention of a spark plug change in the service history and the old ones were fine so I kept them. They are pricier than most, however, considering that they can last you more than 100k miles easily, I'd say it's a good investment.

Can you still have a phone call while using the Bluetooth armrest setup with this adapter? Also, does it use the built in mic or the one from the phone? I really want to stream music via Bluetooth, but would also like to keep the built in phone call function.

Indeed, I am aware that HIDs work on a lower temperature and that this may prevent snow from melting from the headlights. Regarding legal issues, I am from Bulgaria and the yearly technical inspection here is literally bare bones. They only check your brakes, emissions (in idle), and if your lights are working, not whether they are properly adjusted. Regardless, that's not to say that I don't clean my headlights or adjust them as necessary. I tried taking some photos of the difference between the halogens and HIDs, however, you can't even tell that they are a different color when using the phone camera. Having said this, I would appreciate any information on the Techstream lighting options, as far as I am aware, all 2nd GEN IS models should have them available. Cheers

No headlight washers available with my model and no AFS. Also, just to clarify, the headlight off delay option is missing prior to the HID installation.

Well, after a lot of wondering and research, rather than buying better halogen bulbs, I installed an HID kit. The installation process took some time because I had to drill the housing covers to make room for the cables, and also figure out where to strap the ballasts and canbus drivers. To my surprise, the output is much stronger than the previous halogen bulbs and the beam pattern is the same, except the HIDs are a little bit wider. I'll post some photos later today. A quick question, is anyone familiar with how I can adjust the auto turn off headlight option? At the moment, headlights stay on when the engine is shut down and turn off as soon as the driver's door is open. I would like them to stay on for 15-30 seconds after exiting the car. I have seen videos and documentation on the Lighting options available via Techstream, however, I do not seem to have this option available. Have tested using multiple different Techstream versions, as well as a different program entirely and have gone through all possible options. The lighting options menu is there, but the headlight delay option is not.

Thanks for the heads up! I think I'll research some more different bulbs and watch a few comparisons and reviews and then order some. Will make sure to post a comparison, as well as the type of bulbs that I got. Thanks again!

Well, as it turns out, OEM illuminated door sills cost 150-200 dollars each, so that's out of the question. I'm thinking the only upgrade that may be worth it is the headlights from the current OEM halogens. I've done some research and it seems people don't recommend putting LEDs into the halogen housings. Retrofitting the facelift model headlights does seem like a lot of work and the headlights themselves are quite expensive. I also thought about VLANDs, however, to be honest, I like the factory projector look much better and they may end up having better output than the VLAND. Any suggestions on upgrading headlight output without having to replace the headlights entirely? I'm currently using the stock H11 halogens.

Changing the gearbox oil is a must when buying a car with some miles behind it. Like Mr. Vlad said, only 2-2.5 litres will come out from the drain plug, however, if you remove the filter and gasket, roughly 5-5.5 litres will drain out. I would suggest replacing the gasket and filter, along with the amount of oil that was drained, then drive for some time, replace 2-2.5 litres from the drain plug and repeat one or two more times. This will ensure that mist of the fluid has been refreshed. You should also ask for a photo of the trans oil and compare the colour with the brand new one to determine if the one in the gearbox is heavily contaminated or not. This is the oil that you should use:

I think the Mark Levinson system depends on whether you have the touch screen navigation or not. Mine is not an SE-L, but I still have the 13 speakers and the Mark Levinson amp behind one of the panels in the trunk.

Can confirm that UK cars are also affected. Mine will often rattle on a warm start, however, from what I've researched, this is not something that would cause an issue, other than the unpleasant sound. The issue itself can be caused if a pin in the VVTi mechanism is worn out, thus, when the engine is shut off, causing the oil that is pressurising said mechanism to leak back into the engine. When you start the car again, it takes less than a second for the oil pressure to build up, thus causing the rattle in question as the mechanism is locked in place by the oil. I've read that this is an expensive repair and I'm currently looking into solutions. One possible solution is a pre-lube system that keeps the oil pressure up before you start the engine, reducing overall engine wear. I've also read that frequent oil changes can mitigate the issue, however, I'm still on my second oil change and am unable to confirm this. Right now, I'm about to test an anti-friction oil additive and will report back with the results when possible. I also read somewhere that this can be caused by incorrect data from the computer on engine shut down, causing the VVTi mechanism to stay in an incorrect position. I have an ECU update available, though I have yet to get around to it.

So I changed the engine oil a couple of days ago and so far, I have heard the rattle once, though it was significantly less louder than previously. I'll wait some more time to see how it goes and may end up testing out an oil additive. Will provide an update once I have more information.

I change mine at 8,000km. Even if the oil is good quality, the condition of the car, as well as how you drive it will have different effects on it. Regardless, no mechanical component has broken down due to frequent oil changes, so its better to change it earlier rather than later.

I did indeed see the TSIB, however, unfortunately, in Europe, it only applies to vehicles that are still within the 70k miles warranty. The only TSIBs applicable to my car are the passenger airbag replacement and fuel pressure sensor. Regarding the oil additive, I assume you are referring to this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/20031190583 However, I'm from Bulgaria and was unable to find any websites selling this brand and model specifically. Generally, the consensus here is that Bardahl and Liqui Moly are the top additive brands, though I've never used any fuel/oil additives so I can't personally comment on their effectiveness. I also found another thread here regarding the warm start VVTi rattle: Mentioning that the rattle goes away when the oil is topped up. At the moment, my oil level is somewhere in the middle between min and max, I may try topping it off or changing it entirely. The video in this thread also shows the exact issue: From what I've gathered up until now, the rattle can cause problems on the IS 350, but not the 250 and is more of a annoyance than anything else. Though it does sound horrible and I would rather have it gone completely. I'll continue researching and will post any results that I may have. In the meantime, any information from someone who has dealt with this issue is appreciated!

Actually it never rattles on a cold start. The rattle only occurs on a warm engine. For example, drive the car to working temperature, shut it off for 30-60 minutes, chances are, it will rattle for a second on startup. From what I know so far, this is caused by the cam shaft positioning when the engine is shut off, this results in oil leaking through the VVTi filter. I did previously replace one filter and cleaned the other, though the rattle did come back. I plan on having the filters cleaned again next time im at the shop to see if it will go away and for how long. Any tips on this afe greatly appreciated. Regards

Indeed, I took the entire thing out, after disconnecting the battery. The coolant hoses were a pain but all went well. I did test the calibration process but did not notice any difference, I guess the sensor was calibrated from my previous drive. Thank you all for the info once again. Now I need to sort the VVTi rattle issue, but I'll do some more research first.

Thanks for the info. Found the thread and will test it out when I get the chance. For reference - Cheers

Well, I actually did move the flap quite a bit so I could clean everything out properly, had no idea that it can go out of calibration. Haven't had any issues so far, hopefully none to come. On another note, I know most petrol cars benefit from having the step motor cleaned. Is it possible to do this safely on the IS 250?

I ordered the Pirelli P-zero PZ4 which are supposed to be quiet at 69db, though I've yet to confirm if they are quieter than my previous Bridgestones.

I got my car with 225/40/18 on all wheels and it was obvious that the rear tires were too thin for the rims, though the car was handling fine. I'm now waiting on some new 225/40/18 and 255/40/18, however, the price difference between 225 and 255 is quite significant. Still, I would assume that it's best tyres as specified by the manufacturer.

So I cleaned the MAF sensor and throttle body yesterday using the MAF cleaner and the car did idle at slightly higher RPM initially. The MAF sensor was not really dirty, but there was some gunk built up on the inside of the throttle body, so I had to take it out entirely. Overall, i would say there's no noticeable difference in how the car drives, but still, its better to have them clean than waiting for issues to arise. Just a tip, if you want to clean the inside of the throttle body, make sure to take it out to prevent any gunk going down the intake. Also, be careful with the coolant hoses connected to it, they can break if twisted too much.

Thank you for the information. I'll make sure to post results once I'm done!

Hey there, Sorry for reviving an old thread. I bought a MAF Sensor cleaner and I'm planning on cleaning the sensor later today due to some RPM fluctuations when idling and when coming to a stop while in gear. As far as I'm aware, it is normal to have higher RPM for a few days while the ECU recalibrates to the use of a clean MAF sensor, my question is, if I reset the ECU by removing the couple of fuses, will this automatically recalibrate the sensor? Also, can I use the MAF cleaner to clean the throttle body as well? Thanks in advance! Cheers

In my opinion, the only plus to diesel cars is higher torque at lower RPM and slightly better MPG. Everything else is a downside. Sure, there are good diesel cars out there but they always end up costing more in maintenance than a petrol car of the same range would. For instance, every ~10-15 year old diesel that you may buy, you will have to deal with the standard DPF and EGR issues. The clutch on a manual diesel gearbox will always cost more to replace compared to that of a petrol car. And as others have stated, if you plan on driving in the city most of the time, it's just not worth it as the car can't start the regeneration process to burn off all the soot which will undoubtedly lead to issues. Generally speaking, the D4D engine used in the IS200/220, as well as various Toyota models is an Ok engine, however, it seems that they did a rather poor job in terms of longevity with the diesel Lexus. There are, of course, good diesel cars available, but the IS200/220 is not one of them. Consider the fact that this is the last diesel Lexus ever made. When I initially had my sights on a 2nd Gen IS, I was tempted to go for the diesel, but after reviewing various Toyota and Lexus forums, I realized that despite the car being almost half the price, it will quickly end up costing a lot more in maintenance. When going for a Japanese car, petrol is almost always the better option and the price difference between a petrol and diesel car of the same make/model/year will almost always reflect this. For reference, this is the case with the Mitsubishi Lancer and Honda Accord.

Hello Linas, Thank you for the detailed response. It also crossed my mind that all these features may require additional modules to be installed that would simply not be worth the effort and price for this car. For example, I previously researched the seat memory options and as it turns out, installing it is possible as you said, but the seat memory needs a new body ECU, seat ECUs in each seat, mirror ECUs in each mirror, etc. As you said, they did not make these features easy to install and it would be better spending this money on a new car entirely that would already have them available and factory-built. Regardless, thanks for your information on this. I may look into the rear view mirror and possibly door sills as they seems easy enough to install. Will make sure to update this thread if I get around to doing any of this. Cheers

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone has installed any of the optional features on their 2nd Gen IS. More specifically, I'm referring to the following: Adaptive front lights Auto-dim compass rear view mirror I did some research and did find information on other forums on installing a rear windows shade, illuminated door sills, however, I'm looking into features that offer functionality. So, I'm considering changing the stock halogen headlights eventually, to either the aftermarket VLAND lights, or possibly the HID+DRL LED lights from the 2012 models (though this requires some modifications other than installing the headlights). My question is, is it possible to have the AFS feature on a car that does not come with it, and is it possible to wire an electric rear-view mirror, considering that the car only has a regular one. All feature recommendations are welcome. Thank you. Cheers