Newest member :)

[JMAAGG]

Looks like I timed out and lost a long introductory post. Was probably for the best lol.

So short version: Hello everyone. I just bought a 2008 IS220d with 88,000 miles and FDSH for a great price. I then stumbled upon a matching set of alloy wheels for less than the cost of the (new) budget tyres on them. Pick the car up on Saturday and will take some nice pics with the wheels on. Car is Cadoxton Slate 1GO and I hope the wheels are too!

[Shahpor]

Welcome

Another fellow diesel owner is always welcome (just kidding, petrol owners are welcome too).

I do love the Cadoxton Slate colour, so looking forward to some more pics.

Those alloys look unmarked, so a good find.  Mine are corroded badly, so will need a refurb soon.

[Bluesman]

Hi John and welcome to the LOC, we are a friendly bunch so please don’t hold back asking questions big or small should you have any problems with your car. We always welcome ideas on how to overcome problems with our cars but as they are the finest cars in the universe they don’t go wrong that often.

We always love to see pictures of your cars so don't be shy.

Happy Lexus Motoring.

Mike. Bluesman.

[JMAAGG]

Thanks guys. Sadly, the grey 10 spokes do have some marks, I just took a pic of the best one. Still more than presentable though.

[bluenose1940]

Welcome John, I had a lovely 220d before my 250 and now my 300h.

Enjoy the car and the forum.

[JMAAGG]

Well here is our 220d. My wife offered to let me have the Lexus and she'll use my Audi instead (2003 A4 2.5 TDI Quattro), but she does more mileage than I do so I'll stick to the Audi for now. Besides, I have a cunning plan which involves changing the Audi for an IS 250 with leather interior and premium sound at some point in the future :)

Which wheels do people prefer the look of? The grey wheels do have centre caps, but they are silver so I will have to paint them before putting them on the car. Unfortunately the grey wheel colour isn't a perfect match, being a little lighter, but a few days worth of brake dust should rectify that lol.

 

[Shahpor]

Nice colour.

I prefer the look with the 17's.  Any pictures of the interior?

Oh, and is it a bad angle or is the rear wheel not centred in the arch?

[JMAAGG]

On 9/21/2016 at 0:06 AM, Shahpor said:

Nice colour.

I prefer the look with the 17's.  Any pictures of the interior?

Oh, and is it a bad angle or is the rear wheel not centred in the arch?

Thanks Shahpor. The rear wheels are a little forward in the wheel arch, but the angle of the previous picture makes it look worse than it is. I checked lots of other pictures and it seems to be the norm for the Mk II IS. I can see why some people go for bigger wheels or lowered springs though because there's so much space, but I'm happy at 17" especially considering how the cost of tyres jumps up. I also found some reasonably priced aftermarket black centre caps. Hoping they will look ok otherwise will paint them to match.

Anyway, here's a side on pic and a pic of the interior which is standard.

[Shahpor]

Hey.

You're right, the angle made the rear wheel look worse than it is.

The interior may be standard, but it looks very clean and unmarked.  Mine was like that when I got it, but I have been lazy and my seats are filthy.

By the way, have you cleaned your EGR valve yet?  Quite easy to do, and even though it has a full history, it is still a good idea to give it a regular clean yourself.  Depending on the kind of driving you do, they can get clogged reasonably quickly.

[JMAAGG]

I've not cleaned the EGR valve yet, but have seen the video guide and plan to do it next weekend. I appreciate the tip though. The car will be getting mixed use, but there will be plenty of longer journeys including a fortnightly trip from Windsor to Plymouth for the next 10 weeks (440 mile round trip) for my wife's work.

The previous owner had a daily motorway journey and the average consumption is currently at 45 mpg. It was at 47 mpg when we got it, but I made sure I blew any cobwebs out during our first tankful, which is averaging 25 mpg.

The interior was in great condition already, but I gave the plastics a good clean and I'm going to give the upholstery a deep clean next weekend too. Then I have some stonechips to sort out on the bonnet mostly followed by a good machine polish. I'm temping at a bodyshop as it happens and will get it done if we have a quiet moment or I might just buy a DA polisher and do it myself.

The other thing I'd like to do is get rid of the awful front number plate holder. I think they really let the styling down. I haven't managed to find a guide to removing it, but I've not searched very hard yet.

All that said, the car is great as it sits and drives beautifully. My wife is very happy with it.

[Shahpor]

If you plan to keep the car long term, then you will get used to cleaning the EGR   I cleaned mine, then did 5000 mainly motorway miles before cleaning it again.  It was surprisingly dirty inside.

I am not sure which guides you have looked at, but one tip is that you don't need to remove the metal pipe.  It is a pain to get to the bolts on the head, and removing the bolts usually involves taking out the Battery.  One of the bolts is easier to get to then the other, so if you remove that one and just loosen the other, you can move the pipe out of the way.  The rest is straightforward.

Also, when you do those the motorway journeys, make sure you keep the revs between 1800-2200 for a reasonable amount of time.  This will make sure the DPF gets nice and hot to burn off the carbon deposits.

45-47mpg is very good.  Between my mix of A roads and motorway, I get on average 38mpg.

I too have plenty of stone chips and light scratches, so I am curious to see how yours turns out after the touch up and polish.