First Impressions

[idlerider]

Very impressed with my '08 Lexus 250 SE - quiet (mainly what I was most looking for), nimble, great engine and comfortable. There are a few puzzling things about it though: the headlights are almost unbelievably dim (we don't even use it at night!) and how Lexus, claiming to be a top quality brand, could omit something so basic as headlight washers from an SE version almost beggars belief.

[Ishaq]

I have the same issue with the headlight and have the SE version like you. Having owned my car for 4 years I have opted for HID conversion kit which took me 20mins to install and has dramatically improved the light out put.

your right it's unbelievable what Lexus have done with the light output. Also I find the bean is too low. Many other cars in the road look so much better.

Also why go for H11 bulb....that's normally used for fogs.. other than that the car is amazing to drive and looks good

Enjoy

[toffee_pie]

17 minutes ago, idlerider said:

Very impressed with my '08 Lexus 250 SE - quiet (mainly what I was most looking for), nimble, great engine and comfortable. There are a few puzzling things about it though: the headlights are almost unbelievably dim (we don't even use it at night!) and how Lexus, claiming to be a top quality brand, could omit something so basic as headlight washers from an SE version almost beggars belief.

Cars with HIDs are meant to have washers by default, along with self levelling sensors. You dont have HID, so no washers. 

I dont know the drill in retro fitting HIDs and MOTs.

[Ishaq]

We've covered this before :)

My car has never been failed MOT for the HID kit. As we have projectors the glare to incoming cars is nothing standard housing. Plus the beam pattern is very low anyway.

Well I have not had any problems past 4 years and I have better visual and safety.

[madasahatter]

Just fit a 5000k Hid kit you will not fail an mot, and the car wll be transformed. Just make sure you keep the headlights clean.

[J Henderson]

8 hours ago, idlerider said:

how Lexus, claiming to be a top quality brand, could omit something so basic as headlight washers from an SE version almost beggars belief.

Well, to be fair, unlike German rivals with "SE" trim levels, there is usually something lower-spec below that in the model range. The opposite is true for the 2nd-gen IS since (despite being quite generously-equipped) the SE is actually the lowest trim level available.

 

[idlerider]

1 hour ago, Kodiak Sky said:

Well, to be fair, unlike German rivals with "SE" trim levels, there is usually something lower-spec below that in the model range. The opposite is true for the 2nd-gen IS since (despite being quite generously-equipped) the SE is actually the lowest trim level available.

 

Considering the fact that 'SE' stands for 'Special Equipment' I'm surprised that any manufacturer would even consider applying this acronym to its lowest spec. model. Had I known this, I would not have bought the car - as it is, I'm now seriously looking at selling it.

Many thanks to all who responded.

 

[Ishaq]

Don't sell the car :(

You will find that it is still equipped with some of the best features other cars don't have or are added extra ££

Do you have the MultiMedia Mark Levison?

[johnatg]

Nothing wrong with SE - the toys on SE-Ls etc are often discussed here - they seem to be a constant source of irritation when they go wrong! 8-year old plus cars with lots of gizmos can be very problematic, even with a Lexus badge! And you won't need to spend a fortune on updating very inadequate sat-nav!

Just fit HIDs and adjust the beams - the lights are fine then. And we had a recent discussion here about headlight washers - often people don't use them, or set them as anti-cyclist devices - (very non-politically correct!). And IS250 headlights have a magical ability to stay pretty clean anyway.

[madasahatter]

13 hours ago, toffee_pie said:

Cars with HIDs are meant to have washers by default, along with self levelling sensors. You dont have HID, so no washers. 

I dont know the drill in retro fitting HIDs and MOTs.

If items are not fitted then they can not fail an mot.

[madasahatter]

What exactly is your spec. Sunroof is only thing i miss. Hid lights sunroof and sat nav are expensive options, fitted to the top models. To which you pay a premium

to own. Sat nav does not bother me, i miss a sunroof do not drive with windows down. Xenon lights i now own due to my hid kit. Strange you can turn the washers

off for them. On my Vrs they used to wash the headlights every 5th go when lights were on. They need to be clean, so as to not throw the light pattern off.

Did you not know about the different specs before buying?? Do your home work then shocks are kept to a minimum. I read all i can about future cars i am 

thinking of buying. I had a budget of x amount and look for low mileage vehicles. A decent spec and know if a top spec car comes within budget to be very weary.

Look on well known sights, and get a feeling for price private and dealer. Specs colour and history,having said the latter history is not the be all and end all.

When vehicles are over 8 years old, use your eyes and ears. Take a non biased person with you we all have blinkers on when buying things.

And lastly enjoy one of the best cars on the queens high way.

 

[idlerider]

14 hours ago, Ishaq said:

Having owned my car for 4 years I have opted for HID conversion kit which took me 20mins to install and has dramatically improved the light out put.

Sounds like the way to go - but there seems to be dozens of kits available (most of them on a well-known auction site), some of them of dubious provenance. Can anyone, from personal experience, suggest a good 5000k kit/retailer? Ishaq?

[madasahatter]

24 minutes ago, idlerider said:

Sounds like the way to go - but there seems to be dozens of kits available (most of them on a well-known auction site), some of them of dubious provenance. Can anyone, from personal experience, suggest a good 5000k kit/retailer? Ishaq?

I paid about a £100.00 for my kit 35w with asaics chip which is german. Instant start up been totally reliable. Cnlight bulbs have same in the fogs but 3000k yellow.

[Ishaq]

59 minutes ago, idlerider said:

Sounds like the way to go - but there seems to be dozens of kits available (most of them on a well-known auction site), some of them of dubious provenance. Can anyone, from personal experience, suggest a good 5000k kit/retailer? Ishaq?

I have been using a kit off eBay which cost me £30 and has lasted 4 years now and still going strong. At first I paid £80 for a Kit as I did not want to go cheap but had faults after faults.

My kits is 55w with DC chip- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/55W-HID-Xenon-Conversion-KIT-Headlights-Canbus-FAST-Ballast-H1-H4-H7-H11-9006-/302083869044?var=&hash=item46559a0974:m:mr5okcl-vmbdpnvE1cEr_tg

I my opinion the manufacturer is always based in China then UK based companies put their stamp on it to make more money and sound like they are the best but in reality they are the same

You can also try this site which has excellent feedback - http://www.hids4u.co.uk/hidkits.php?car=14217

HID 4 U is expensive -

Madasahatter's  asaics chip German kit is also good and has good feedback.

I would recommend eBay kit, as if something goes wrong they always provide replacement and does not break the bank - you can then see if you like it.

[dazed]

On ‎24‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 9:57 AM, idlerider said:

Considering the fact that 'SE' stands for 'Special Equipment' I'm surprised that any manufacturer would even consider applying this acronym to its lowest spec. model. Had I known this, I would not have bought the car - as it is, I'm now seriously looking at selling it.

Strictly speaking the 'SE' trim level was not the lowest spec at launch. There was another model simply designated 'IS 250' that had basic cloth seats with no electrics, heating or cooling. Wheels were 16" with 205/55R16 tyres. Not sure how many of them were ever sold though.

I think in its day, the SE was a pretty well spec'd car (obviously a little long in the tooth by today's standards) - certainly comparable with the German offerings at the time, but less expensive.

In my experience I tend to remember cars for their handling/performance/transmission/comfort rather than the extra little toys that manufacturers throw in and convince you to part with thousands for (and which can often be the things that tend to go wrong and cost yet more time and money to fix).

[Linas.P]

It always good idea to do some research before buying car (or in fact everything). My opinion is that SE was never badly equipped car - try comparing it with say BMW 3-Series "SE", Lexus had much more equipment + when you looking to used Lexus you can get same equipment compared to say BMW for half price. I was looking to buy BMW e92 for a while, but the models for reasonable price were always so poorly equipped... eye sore really.

Now obviously when it comes to buying SE vs. buying SE-L... it is no-brainier to buy SE, when you can get SE-L for slightly more or even the same price. But that is the thing you should know or do research about. You can often found SE and SE-L selling for same price, because people (even sellers) simply don't know the difference. Same can be said about ML... you can get ML effectively free, but people will try to get extra £ for Sat-Nav which is in fact useless..

Finally, SE is not necessary worse then SE-L, it simply had less equipment by standard, but most of that could have been ordered optionally e.g. HID's so effectively some SE's are as good as SE-L.

[Shahpor]

Well, this is the first time I have heard someone complain about the spec of these cars.

Funny thing is, when I was looking for a SE-L, I didn't really consider the headlights.  To me, the interior toys were more important.

[ahmedali44]

Honestly speaking didn't know about spec on lexus only knew not to go for basic before I bought my is220d se-l.

Only knew when start reading about specs then knew need se-l as it's top of range with extra toys as only had German cars which had nothing apart from leather and xenons. 

Seen se spec with not much difference from se-l as when bought new must got extra toys as se-l spec 

[Linas.P]

Generally speaking Lexus was very generous with mk2 IS back in the day ~ until maybe late 2009 when they started cutting on spec. Both SE and SE-L were good value for money, especially SE-L...

I can hardly accept that I need to upgrade my car, because new IS/RC's has very little extra to offer, except of more modern looks.