eleveneleven

10 hours ago, LenT said:

Vladimir makes a very important point here, Lee.

Having celebrated the survival of the three of you, the hard-nosed reality of pursuing a full claim for compensation is the next priority.  Despite the presence of mind you displayed in saving your daughters, I doubt you were able to search for witnesses.

So you now rely on the Police to assemble a case against the other driver and it’s their Insurers from whom your Insurers - or Claims Company - will take action.  If you’ve had previous claims you’ll no doubt be well aware of the process - and it does presume that the other driver was insured in the first place!

Which brings me to my own particular hobby horse - did you have a dashcam recording the event?  You don’t mention it, but in these circumstances retrieving and safeguarding such evidence becomes essential.

At the very least, I hope that your dreadful experience will impress upon every driver here the importance of fitting a simple dashcam as their own independent witness.

Thanks everyone for the kind messages I really appreciate it. 

Turns out my in laws are very close friends with the director of a group of solicitors who specialise in claims, injuries etc he's taken this quite personally. Sounds like it'll be a very long process but I'm in good hands when it comes to that side of things. 

With the dashcam I didn't have one unfortunately I really wish that I did now and it's definitely something i'll be looking at installing on the next car. as I said the Police are being very cagey with the details at the moment and I was in no shape to gather witnesses. Would have been beneficial to have that video evidence but I'm confident the evidence the Police gather (if they do their job correctly) will paint an accurate picture. 

Along with a dashcam Id like to stress the importance of Child seats too. The injuries my girls received were bad but the injuries they would have sustained if not in them or not fitted correctly doesn't even bear thinking about...

My oldest is 7 and she's been asking me for a while if she can use a booster seat and ride up front instead because all her friends do. I'm so glad I never gave in! I see it often when I'm out n about or on the school run, a lot of parents just don't take it seriously enough. I'm not judging, as I didn't quite fully understand how important they were either, but they are and I hope my experience can serve as a warning to anyone who doesn't feel they need to use them or use them intermittently to think twice about it. 

Absolutely stunning car (and reg) Don't see many of them on the road. Hope you're enjoying it. 

Hi guys 

I was involved in a very serious accident last week. Driving home from Gymnastics with my girls a full fat V8 Mustang driving like an absolute lunatic came barreling towards us head on (in my lane,) it was a head on collision, it's still all a bit of a blur, my car was on fire when I came round, I had my daughters in back, the back doors wouldn't open so I had to drag them both out through the front. it was a mess! All 3 of us were eventually taken to hospital and released a week later. 

The whole ordeal has been a nightmare, one of the worst thing things I've ever had to experience! 

Needless to say the Lexus is toast (literally) I'm gutted about losing it and everything in it but more importantly I'm extremely grateful that all 3 of us are still here! The broken bones, emotional trauma we all sustained should heal in time, and we live to fight another day.

The Police wont tell me much at the moment but did mention that the Mustang ended up worse off than ours in terms of initial damage and the driver of that car along with his passenger are still hospitalized 

The Lexus did its job! (in addition to the car seats the girls were sat in) I chose this car because I wanted something reliable, comfortable & safe, it fulfilled all 3 of those requirements effortlessly. 

Started at every press of the button, got us from A to B in comfort and when it came to it, kept us as safe as it could in a situation many aren't fortunate enough to walk away from. I couldn't have picked a better car for the budget I had, i'm very thankful for that. 

Just wanted to share this for anyone new here considering buying an IS250 or any Lexus for that matter, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone here sincerely for their help and advice to all the questions I had prior to buying this car and during my ownership period. I wouldn't have chosen it and maintained it correctly if it wasn't for the friendly advice and info I got from you all so again BIG thank you to everyone here from the bottom of my heart!! 

Not sure what I'm going to replace it with at the moment as well maintained ones are thin on the ground, prices starting to climb and I doubt i'll get much back from my insurer, but I guess i'll cross that bridge when I get to it...

Please stay safe everyone, look after yourself and your loved ones, we just never know what's going to happen sometimes! 

20 minutes ago, Beamish said:

 

I would be inclined to suspect a failing alternator.

This was my initial thought but the electrics seem to be working fine. Water pump could be a suspect but the engine temp seems fine too. 

Had a look underneath the car and all seems fine there aswell

Would sticking brakes produce smoke? 

After a wash & polish yeaterday I went to run a few errands I stopped off to put some air in my front tyres, got back into the car and could smell a very strong burning smell. Got out to have a look around and noticed smoke coming from the front grill. Opened the bonnet and smoke seems to be coming from drivers side of the engine (I can't quite pinpoint where exactly.)

Coolant level is currently sitting in the middle between full & low

Car seems to drive fine, the engine temp is stable and no warning lights or (fault codes when scanned) but there is a slight whining sound when I rev it.

Checked on it again today... I let it sit until it reached operating temp then took it for a short drive. 

Smoke from the engine has calmed down but the smell is still coming into the cabin and it's strong. It's coming through the air vents as when I turn the aircon off it stops 

Any ideas what it could be? 

Thanks 

Yep mines the same, silver and absolutely covered in flies after a wash/polish. 

On 3/17/2023 at 12:19 PM, Mr Vlad said:

Hi Lee. Do Not use WD40 on the MAF sensor. Use a dedicated spray.

As for the throttle butterfly valve. Unplug the multiplug first before you touch the butterfly. Otherwise it'll screw up what the ECU sees and really make the car run rough. Use a dedicated spray for the butterfly. 

Let the MAF dry in air. Do Not touch the thin wires. Oh don't forget to plug it back when it's dry and you've put it back in its housing. I forgot and my car ran like pooh.

Once you've cleaned the items and you start the car there's a chance the revs are high. They were on mine. I did a post on Throttle body Re Learn. I'm krap at finding posts but look it up. It'll save headaches. 

Thanks Vlad I appreciate the advice. Will get some dedicated sprays then and give it a go when we get some dry weather. 🤞

I would start by scanning for codes. You had buy a cheap OBD scanner from amazon. The fault codes will give you a much better idea of what's going wrong. 

Hi all 

Going to attempt to clean the throttle body and MAF sensor at some point. Just wanted to clear a few things up before I do it. 

- I've seen people using wd40 to clean thier MAF sensor is this safe or should I just buy a dedicated maf sensor cleaner? 

- Do I need to disconnect the Battery before cleaning MAF & TB? 

- Is it OK for me to open the butterfly plate on the throttle body by hand or should I just leave it closed. 

This will be the first time attempting this and I'm far from handy with a spanner  so any other tips of things to consider would be great

Thanks. 

On 3/10/2023 at 9:53 AM, Ozzay said:

Interesting I just logged in to post about my recent troubles and you give me this message.

You know what did work. I used to have engine sputter and confusion when the car was on low revs driving when slightly uphill. Over a period of 4 months I used the Forte petrol injector product which is meant to be very good. The engine vibrations went away.

If you read my other thread where the mechanic told me it was the intake manifold seals. He did that plus calipers. No rough idle for weeks but even after the petrol treatments my engine is sputtering on acceleration sometimes (usually when warm). I had cylinder bank 2 misfire twice in January/Feb and put the third petrol injector treatment in. The mechanic said try the fuel treatment stuff again. It could be dirty injectors. It could be a ignition coil failing. Bad spark plug. Bad connector. Vacuum leak anywhere though I promise I have seen it all myself can't find anything. I cleaned the throttle body once in 2021 and MAF sensor and again throttle body was cleaned by the mechanic who ruined my car in June 2022 (the one who advised the rocker cover gasket seals to be changed). 

In May 2022 sparks were changed. Car was fine before and after.

When June came and those rocker cover gasket seals were put in the car then experienced rough idling. He did not fix it because he was guessing things. Big regret going to him. After he claimed the injectors were dirty. Well the car had 0 issues before and suddenly injectors was the problem. The issue is even the Lexus specialist will be wasting his time and money on me though he has been OK because they need to see codes.

So there were 2 mechanics at play here. One who ruined the car with the rocker cover gasket seals (mysterious). The 2nd one is a Lex specialist who tried to resolve the problems (intake manifold seal (guess work IMO))

So as of right now I need to do the following:

Re-check vacuum leaks literally everywhere

Check sensors. 

Don't know how I am going to check injectors without stripping it apart.

Could replace ignition coil and spark on bank 2 but that's guess work as well.

I really don't know. The cars amazing in general but very unhappy at this minute so do let me know what you find. Others boil it down to carbon issues. If yours was just services. I could only think of the airbox, air intake and filter being a culprit. Other people did suggest EGR valve as well.

 

PS. Ides rough at 500 sometimes. When warm and stopped in Drive or Reverse rough idle heart beat. Acceleration is not what it used to be. Tried various fuels. The car idles at 1k exactly when the cars sitting from cold (stopped). When it gets warm it lowers to between 500-700rpm. 

Thanks for the update buddy much appreciated. 

A few days ago I decided to fill up with V-Power instead of the usual Tesco momentum. After about 20 minutes of driving I stopped at a traffic light and..Silence. the issue seems to have pretty much stopped, it's not gone completely, it's more intermittent now but it Idles slightly higher now in D/R when warm. Not quite sure what that's telling me though other than I could do with using Vpower (which I'd rather not) could it be an oxygen sensor issue maybe? I'll take your advice and start by running some injector cleaner over the next couple of fill ups and see how that plays out. Mines currently on 90k and hasn't had a fresh set of spark plugs in a while not checked for vacuum leaks and MAF hasn't been cleaned on my watch so those will be the next steps at some point this year. 

Hope you manage to get yours sorted too mate, it's an annoying niggle with the only solution being a process of elimination by the sounds of it. 

Keep us posted. 

@Ozzay did you ever figure out what the issues was? Mine has been doing it for the last 4 months now, idles at 500 ish RPM causing heartbeat like vibrations. It's been serviced recently and no fault codes showing 

48 minutes ago, steve2006 said:

Difficult to tell from your picture but is this the part you need?

 

Not sure to be honest the MOT guy suggested it was 3 seperate parts. Appreciate the image though mate, I'll keep digging. 

Just had a quick look on Lexus parts direct and they're currently £285 each. (if it's the right one) 

Great find, good job you didn't have to spend £1600+ to get it back on the road. 

Hope the fix goes well. 

Just had a chat with the MOT tester. Luckily it's not the Subframe that's corroded it's the 4 parts that connect to the Subframe. 

Does anyone know how to go about looking for the parts or part numbers? Just want to get an idea of the price for parts myself before the mechanic prices it all up. 

pic attached - the area circled is the Subframe. The parts that need replacing are numbered. The bolt in the middle also needs replacing. 

Thanks again for the help so far. 

Thanks guys good to know it's not as bad as I first thought. Corrosion is never a good sign so was thinking it might cost more to repair than the cars worth. It's still at the garage so will head back tomorrow morning take a look and see what they advise. 

Cars currently in for its MOT just had a quick check and it's failed on the following. 

Nearside Rear Subframe mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Not sure what this is but is doesn't sound good. 😰

Car has flown though it's MOT every year for the last 10 years with no advisories aside from tyre wear. Certainly no advisories for subframe corrosion. 

What work will need to be done and how much is this likely to cost?

Any advice about this would be much appreciated guys

11 minutes ago, Las Palmas said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=headlight+lexus+is250+2008&_sacat=0

Maybe?

Thanks mate but I meant the bulb not the actual casing. 

My MOT is due next week and one of My headlights is out. 

Can someone provide me a link for a replacement bulb please? 

How difficult a job is it to do myself? 

Thanks 

Any update on this OP? I'm having a similar issue, engine has started idling a little lower than it used to (around 500rpm now its usually around 700) it's causing the car vibrate when sat still. No fault codes come up when I scan it. 

I've switched from Tesco momentum to Sainsburys super unleaded  as it's a lot closer/convenient so I'm not sure if it's the fuel that's causing the issue or maybe something else, Sticking caliper maybe? 

I don't agree but it makes sense why he would say that. 

America didn't get the 220/200D so he has no experience with that engine

It seems like Carbon build up was more of an issue in the USA, than it was in UK/Europe probably because there's a lot more 250's on the road there. Americans do a lot more miles on average than us so they were likely first to experience these issues.. Weather conditions are also very diverse The cars in hotter parts of the US like Miami had melting dashboards. Again we didn't really get that here. 

Lexus are on the whole very reliable (diesels aside) there's not many other engines in their line up that could potentially kill itself over time. especially one fitted to one of the most popular Lexus Models ever made

If we don't agree that the IS is one of the worst models in the line up based on its engine, What Model(s) would people here have chosen? (Diesels aside) 

It gets worse...Mercedes plan on charging a subscription fee to unlock sport mode in thier EV'sm I have a feeling most car manufacturers will eventually follow it's too good an opportunity for them to pass up on 

Hey all

Does anyone know of any good Toyota/Lexus specialists in the North west. Manchester/greater Manchester area if possible? 

Thanks 

It's about right for a 220 they're not very fuel efficient unfortunately. The newer 200d is slightly better but still not great for a diesel. It is worth inspecting the EGR valve though and cleaning if necessary and checking Calipers as mentioned above but highly doubt it'll make much difference. 

There's been a wave of car thefts on my estate recently. the thieves have been using those wireless transmitters to intercept the cars keys signal. Took them literally 10 seconds to gain access to my friends GLC Merc and drive away it's crazy to watch! 

Just wondering if anyone knows how these transmitters work exactly meaning are they able to gain entry to any car with Keyless entry/start or is it software specific i.e. the thief would need the relevant software depending on the make/year of car? 

Seems to only be German models going missing every time I hear about it happening so I'm assuming its the latter, but again just could be because they're desirable so worth more when sold on, stripped down etc.

I'm not that worried to be honest as the IS isn't a particularly desirable car, but suppose it doesn't harm to take precautions and my keys now live in a metal tin when not in use. how do you guys feel about it?