UKPulse

fastener

What model/year of Soarer have you got? All the RHD UK imports have a digital dash, so there's no tacho/speedo needle to illuminate. The LHD US Soarers were the only ones with a conventional speedo. As far as I know, both have a knob on the facia behind the steering wheel that you can use to dim/brighten the dash lights.

What year/model of Xedos 6 do you have? I've never driven a Xedos, but have been a passenger in a mates one a few times. The 2.0V6 sounds sweet enough, although I'm not aware the car was significantly quicker than an IS200, what's the bhp/torque of the Xedos? The only other thing I really noticed was the interior being very, well errr 'Mazda' and the boot not being that big for the size of car. The IS is a beautifully put together car whether you're looking at the 200 or the 300, and both are still (thankfully) pretty uncommon on British roads. Yes, the European 300 does only come as an auto, but it's an excellent auto box and of course you can drive it as a semi-auto of sorts. Rear-wheel drive I guess is more dynamic and involving, and ultimately more rewarding for the enthusiastic driver (not that I consider myself any sort of expert). Also for the most part, Lexus dealers are among the best in the UK which counts for a lot in the overall ownership experience. But I reckon the jewel in the crown for the Lexus IS, in fact any Lexus, is what you're looking at right now.... L.O.C. The best owners club bar none (not that I'm biased you understand) :winky: :D

Sorry to hear about the damage, I know jut how you feel. My IS was just 2 weeks old when some careless :tsktsk: ker in a car park decided to put a dent smack bang in the middle of the door! Cost me £70 for Dent Magician to fix it, so I went and bought a '91 Astra off a mate for £200 and always use that when parking at the supermarket. Interesting what people say about posh people keying cars parked legally. There's a couple down my road who are just like that! Once when the road was busy, I had to park the Astra outside their house overnight. In the morning I found it had been keyed - 2ft scratch along the rear wing. Similarly, I had to park the Soarer there a couple of weeks ago... hey presto, scratch on front wing. Wouldn't blame someone if they put cat poo through their letterbox!!

It's a real pain, my IS has the indicator stalk on the left, the Soarer has it on the right. I am forever wiping when I should be winking!

I started out with a IS200 SE Auto Navigator - loved it to bits with one exception - power (or rather lack of). On the test drive I didn't really notice it, but after a year of getting left behind by 1.4L Astras and the like it was time for a change. Don't get me wrong, the auto box in the 200 is smooth & sweet, it's just that it doesn't lend itself to being pushed - it starts to get uncooth. The only option was to trade up & I've never looked back. The 300 as well as having more power, gets the HID headlights the 200 deserves, and I must say the photochromic mirrors are dead handy too. If anything the ride is quieter and more refined than the 200, and the auto box is as good as you'll get. I must admit, I leave it in "D" for 95% of the time. I did try some very amateurish 0-60 times to see what difference there is between fully automatic, semi-automatic with the buttons, and switching on/off the ECT PWR, but found that plain old "D" gets you there pretty much as quick as anything else. Oh and welcome to the club! :)

I think you've hit the nail on the head there! I find the only thing to do is to drive defensively, and to not get wound up about other drivers bad roadcraft. Trust me, it works wonders for your blood pressure. You don't have to drive like an OAP in a Morris Minor, just put on some soothing music and repeat after me... I will not get wound up, Have a paddy or get stressed, I'll let others have the aggro, Cos I'm giving it a rest!!

The Soarer has a 'tag' in the boot that you can pull in an emergency, but there's no sign of one in the IS, and no mention of an emergency release in the User Manual. As Colin says, there might be something under the boot liner?

Hehe... well being seen doing things like this doesn't help my cause :winky:

Ahhh, ok I've taken another four pics and put them in the Misc Gallery here. I had to dangle the camera in the space behind the headlight & point it in the general direction of the indicator socket, so they're not great. There doesn't seem to be an awful lot to see, the indicator socket seems to be up & to the side of the headlamp unit, all on it's todd?

Not sure if these will help? Have taken half a dozen pics of the drivers side light/indicator area as wasn't sure of the angle you wanted. Pics are in the Misc Gallery starting [here] The six photos total 4.7Mb so you might want to delete them from the gallery once you've had a look. PS - Having seen me taking snaps of the inside of my engine bay at 08:30, my neighbours are now convinced I'm unbalanced! :winky:

Ooops But on the subject of discrimination - Put on a set of leathers because most people over 50 will automatically think you're a yob. Grit your teeth when you pass signs outside pubs saying "No bikers". Sit patiently by the side of the road as police officers measure your number plate, listen to your exhaust and scrutinize your visor (for the third time this year). Keep your cool as you encounter car drivers doing their utmost to stop you filtering thru traffic. Steer round bricks left in the middle of your lane on blind corners. Wave politely as drivers drive at you with lights on full beam because you have dipped headlights on. And smile when the government decides that any bike over 500cc is a recreational "toy". Take up biking, then the odd forward facing camera won't seem so bad

Glad you got it sorted. It's gonna be a Happy New Year :D

Welcome to the club mate! Your Mrs is a lucky lass, a new IS for her 40th birthday - bet that took some wrapping!

Too many to list :winky: PS - Would never go to PC World for anything, their prices are a joke! Tend to use Novatech, besides, they're only 10mins away from the office.

I heartily agree, like motorist there are a minority of bikers who have a death-wish and who take all sorts of silly risks. All I can say is that to stay alive you have to remain alert and ride defensively. And yes, it's great training - motorists should be made to do it :) The justice system can be an *****. 6 points and a £60 fine in exchange for a life? It's outrageous! Likewise the case of a biker who popped a wheelie at 40mph and was spotted by a patrol car - he was banned for a year. In the same year, a woman crossed the centre line and hit a biker head on and killed him. In her defence she pleaded mitigating circumstances for her lack of concentration - she stated that it was down to her going thru a stressful divorce at the time. Her penalty? 6 points and a £300 fine.

I guess the only way to avoid the police having to argue the toss with motorists as to what is legible and what isn't, is to have a standard and to enforce it. Imagine a friend of yours is knocked down by a car that has plates made up in some italic font, and in the fleeting glimpse you get of it you can't quite make out the number? Those same plates, 10 yards away on a stationary car and in good light might look 'acceptable' I suppose in North Wales the trick is to burgle the house, then drive away slowly so Mr.Plod doesn't go after you :winky:

Ooooh, get me on the subject of bikes! I have been riding bikes since 1978 with only a one year break. I agree with most of what's been said, so if you really want to feel discriminated against, ride a motorbike! I'd say on average I'm stopped three times a year on the bike, but in 20+ years of car driving have only been stopped for a random check a couple of times. And yes... I too hate cheese-wire barriers on motorways, the UK's neglected roads, diesel spills, motorists who are either too ignorant or arrogant to deal with bikers and dumb laws about tinted visors. And on the subject of resisdents vs. bikers, there was a case last year of a biker who was knocked off his bike by a villager brandishing a wooden stake. The biker was doing 30mph in a 30 limit, his only crime was to encounter an irate resident who was indignant about bikers who occassionally sped thru his village. I believe the culprit was let off by the courts with little or no punishment

A 1994 20SX that'll be the 1800cc model? I had a '97 200SX Touring from new and it's still in the family. It's done 110K miles, looks mint and never gone wrong in 6 years of motoring. We just make sure it's serviced every 6K miles. The IS is a lovely car, but is very different to the Nissan. It's slower (0-60 in around 8½s rather than 6½s), but more refined/relaxed and you can get people in the back, it has a bigger boot, climate control as opposed to just a/c, heated seats, and arguably a better stereo. It really depends on what you're looking for in a car. If you like your current SX, then trading up to a T or V reg might be an option, but if you're ready to take things a little easier, the IS is hard to beat. If you want the Lexus* badge, but still have 200SX performance or better, how about a Soarer? You can pick up a good 2.5TT for under £5K :winky: * Ok, I know they're strictly a Toyota, but lots are badged Lexus

Great system - love it to bits. It remembers your last ten destinations, so the other half will know where you've been!

Many congratulations! What a lovely gift for Christmas :D

Many happy returns! Hope you don't get stiffed with the old "I bought you one pressie to cover both Christmas & your birthday" :winky:

...but some things never change :winky: Spent my childhood playing with toys at Christmas. Now I've got PC games, and an X-Box!

BMW drivers

starts clucking when I drive my B"W too fast". Barny Beemer chuckled to himself. Farm animals were easy to pick up, they never said no... in fact they never said anything, they just squealed or grunted. But at 52 he was starting to think maybe he should ask a real woman out on a date. "Who knows..." he thought, while staring at the reflection of himself in his 328i in a shop window. "Maybe one day I'll pluck up the courage to ask a real woman out? I've heard they can be...