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Surprisingly the 3ltr bmw lump is more economical that the 2ltr IS!!! That's part of the reason for maybe getting one. The garage has rung me and suggested 6k minus work to be done - 5,600 but won't knock any money off the bm because it's cheap enough. Sounds about typical.

Hi guys I know it's sacrilege but I'm thinking (only thinking) about getting a BMW 330i sport. Alright, I know it's a bmw but I recently drove one and the engine is just awesome! So the question is, what is a reasonable part ex for my Lex is200 sport, plat ice, 51 reg, 72,000mls FSH with a couple of minor dents and stone chips? (otherwise immac) apart from the dreaded error 3 CD jam which seems to come as an optional extra!

Usually calipers, get a mechanic to service both front calipers, might work, did on mine anyway. Good luck

Thanks mate, this helps alot....do you know if the car will still vibrate if the caliper is sticking on the rear....as i too have only just changed my front discs (about 4 months ago) but have not changed the rear discs... ← If it is a rear caliper, yes the car will still vibrate but the steering wheel won't. A tell tale sign on mine was a brake dust build up on the inner side of the disc where the caliper was working the inner pad but wasn't pulling the outer pad on. Hence the vibration, because there will be a brake imbalance when braking. Worth checking.

This problem is nearly always calipers sticking on the pins, I've had bad brake judder on the front and the rear and the only difference is that the steering wheel shook when it happened on the front and not on the rear. I too suspected discs and ball joints and although I have a badly worn ball joint on the rear and the discs also don't look great it still ended up being a sticking caliper. My mechanic serviced all the calipers and alas, no brake judder! I have read so many threads where people have got new discs put on and at their expence have found the problem to still be there. Hope this helps and good luck

Mine does the same beyond 40mph and I have Toyota wipers that seem to be in good condition and do the job properly but I know what you mean, drives you nuts after a while and it's embarrassing if someone's in the car with you. Do the Bosch wipers come with wind deflectors?

In my opinion, don't use the SNOW button, I used it in the snow last year and it slowed the car down until it almost stopped, by which time I'd lost all momentum and ended up scraping both alloys along the kerb!! From a standing start the car is dreadful but once you're rolling and as long as you're not going up hill the IS really isn't too bad as long as you feather the throttle and don't rev too high!?! Second thoughts STAY AT HOME!

I had exactly the same with mine and was told by everyone including the mechanic that it was the brake discs on the rear. I did'nt do anything about it and all of a sudden it disappeared! Turns out it was a caliper sticking slightly. Might be the same on yours because apparently the calipers do have a tendancy to do this on all IS's. May just need the calipers servicing. If the steering wheel shakes with it, it'll be on the front, if not it'll be the rears. Good luck

Yes, it turned out to be the lower ball joint. Apparently an expensive part because you can't just buy the ball joint itself (you have to buy the whole arm link with it). If yours turns out to be this which, I'm told by my mechanic, it normally is, it's the joint closest to the inside of the wheel (almost in the wheel cavity). A quick fix is to give it a good squirt of "Wurst" grease, it takes about 3 weeks to work in but surprisingly does the trick!! but you will need to do it again after about 8 months. The noise is the ball creaking within the nylon case due to becoming dry and is apparently quite common. GOOD LUCK

Lexus quoted me £650 for 60,000 service. Ended up getting it done at a reputable independent garage with all genuine Lexus parts, and for exactly the same service it cost me £244. I also wondered how Lexus can charge £150 for 6 spark plugs because when my invoice came back I was only charged £53. I know that when you come to sell the car it may be worth a few hundred quid less but why not save yourself that few hundred quid in servicing during the time you own the car!?

Thanks guys, you've been a great help as usual. I have to say, what with my alloys corroding, rear calipers seizing, brake discs warping, ball joints creaking, steering wheel wobbling, and now my dash cracking you could write a song all about the joys and woes of owning a Lexus. Strange thing is I still love it though!

Has anyone else had this?. The section of fascia around the clock/thermometer appears to be cracking? I can only think it must be due to the heat in the car but it is getting visibly worse with more tiny splits on the laquer appearing. Is it possible to buy a new piece of dash and refit just this piece without damaging surrounding fascia?

This sounds more likely because isn't there more than one balljoint on the rear drop link? In the mechanic's defence he's going on the supplier's advice and price. I'm getting him to have another look to make sure I don't get ripped off because it does seem ridiculous that you can't just pay for a simple ball joint + fitting.

Hi all Finally tracked a creaking sound down to a rear ball joint but been told by mechanic you can't get the ball joint on its own, there's a whole section that needs to be replaced containing this joint which is £120 plus 3hrs labour. Why is nothing easy? Mind you Lexus would probably charge 300 for the part alone!!

Same as that, £440 for the 60 & 70k (a saving of over £300), but it does vary from one dealer to another. But generally speaking it should be between £420 and £500 as a guideline.