IS250 Manual - Clutch replacement

iandlm · January 30, 2018

I have been told that I need the clutch replacing on my car (no surprise as it has done over 100K miles) as it is slipping a fair bit. I took it to Halfords to do the clutch check (Yes I know, - not the best choice, but it was a free check) and they have said that I will likely need the Fly wheel replacing also. Obviously, from my point of view, that is a serious amount of money.

So before I commit to getting it done (somewhere other than Halfords, of course), can anyone confirm what they are saying??

Is the likelyhood being that the flywheel will need replacing or are they "bumping up the bill".

Any advice / guidance is well appreciated and you have my thanks

Shahpor · January 30, 2018

Hi Ian,

There is no way to know for sure, but it is distinctly possible that the flywheel will need replacing also.

It is one of those things - the cost and time of getting the clutch out means it is usually a good idea to change the lot. Having said that, it is quite possible that the flywheel will last for some time to come.

How long are you planning to keep the car?

When I had my clutch done at 110,000 miles (albeit on my diesel) the flywheel definitely needed replacing. The springs were loose and the plate 'wobbled', indicating a worn centre bearing.

After 100k miles, I would assume yours would be pretty worn. Having said that, have you owned the car long? I was just wondering whether it has had a clutch replaced previously or not.

If you find a decent garage, you could always get a flywheel, and if it is not required, return it?

iandlm · January 30, 2018

Hi Shahpor,

Thanks for the input.

I have had the car since 2009 when it had only 18500 miles on the clock, so I know it well.

Deep down, I suppose I knew the answer as there was no reason for Halfords to make that up. Secretly I was hoping it wasn't though as it is a lot of money.

I think, realistically, that I would like to keep it for as long as I can now as I'd only get peanuts for it now. As far as I can tell, there is nothing to indicate there is anything else wrong with it. I've only ever had to change tyres and lightbulbs o it, so I suppose I am due a big one

I guess a decent garage will be able to tell me "what is what"

acer54 · January 31, 2018

My is220d has covered 116,000 miles and recently I had the clutch release bearing changed under extended warranty, the flywheel and clutch plates were inspected and both were in reasonable condition, I elected to have the clutch plates changed which only cost me £350 as Lexus picked up the labour under the extended warranty scheme.

Shahpor · January 31, 2018

18 hours ago, iandlm said:

Hi Shahpor,

Thanks for the input.

I have had the car since 2009 when it had only 18500 miles on the clock, so I know it well.

Deep down, I suppose I knew the answer as there was no reason for Halfords to make that up. Secretly I was hoping it wasn't though as it is a lot of money.

I think, realistically, that I would like to keep it for as long as I can now as I'd only get peanuts for it now. As far as I can tell, there is nothing to indicate there is anything else wrong with it. I've only ever had to change tyres and lightbulbs o it, so I suppose I am due a big one

I guess a decent garage will be able to tell me "what is what"

Well, it seems you have a good car that has obviously been well looked after, which should not be underestimated.

The problem arises, like you say, because it unfortunately isn't worth much.

In all honesty, I would be tempted to leave the flywheel and plan for the cars replacement should the worst happen. I haven't looked in a while, but when I was researching mine, the flywheel alone was around £850. Considering what your car is worth, it is certainly a lot to pay for an item that might be considered preventative maintenance.

By the way, I am assuming you don't have any symptoms of a worn flywheel, such as juddering when moving off?

It is certainly a tough one. If it were me, I would try and find a friendly garage that would allow me to check the condition of the current one before deciding what to do next.

iandlm · January 31, 2018

Ah, Is that what the juddering is!!!

In that case, yes the flywheel does need changing. That has kind of decided it then :-)

Thanks again for the input .Well appreciated :-)

Stevew1 · June 18, 2020

On 1/30/2018 at 12:14 PM, iandlm said:

I have been told that I need the clutch replacing on my car (no surprise as it has done over 100K miles) as it is slipping a fair bit. I took it to Halfords to do the clutch check (Yes I know, - not the best choice, but it was a free check) and they have said that I will likely need the Fly wheel replacing also. Obviously, from my point of view, that is a serious amount of money.

So before I commit to getting it done (somewhere other than Halfords, of course), can anyone confirm what they are saying??

Is the likelyhood being that the flywheel will need replacing or are they "bumping up the bill".

Any advice / guidance is well appreciated and you have my thanks

Stevew1 · June 18, 2020

At Lexus Always ask for quote for fitting clutch source parts your self works out cheaper Lexus standard workshop time for fitting

1 1/2 hours £95.if it takes longer that’s down to them this is the time quoted for dealers by Lexus if you don’t ask they will charge you what they wish they tried inflating the bill when I picked car up said it took them longer to remove gearbox . Just handed them my quote

that’s what I paid........

Mihanicos · June 19, 2020

The only way to be sure of the flywheel condition is to look at it. Normally it will last a very long time, unless the brass pins that hold the friction material on the clutch disc contact the flywheel. If your clutch is slipping for a short time, the pins may have not contacted the flywheel yet. And even then, the pins wear much faster than the flywheel so they do not cause any damage.

For the old Mercedes W123 diesel model the clutch would last about 400 000 miles. The flywheel had no wear.

You can also resurface the flywheel, there are limits which you will find in the repair manual.

From what you ate saying, I would say that your flywheel is ok.

Chris.

steve2006 · June 19, 2020

Are they dual mass flywheels on these or solid?

iandlm · June 19, 2020

Appreciate the recent comments, but this was dealt with over 2 years ago.

Just thought I'd mention that

😁👍

iandlm · June 19, 2020

And for info, it's dual mass

Texas · June 19, 2020

" but this was dealt with over 2 years ago."

so....what happened then re the flywheel? pray tell as you never came back and spilled the beans!

Paul M.

Taters · July 3, 2020

I'm encountering the same issue with my is250. The clutch is slipping in higher gears and is definitely due replacing.

As the car has 105000 miles i don't see the point in not changing the flywheel while the clutch is getting done as it's probably on it's last legs anyway. The problem is I can't for the life of me even find anywhere that sells the dual mass flywheel nor an afternarket solid flywheel even.

I'm really stuck at this point as I've only had the car a few months I really don't want to sell it on for a massive loss but I cannot figure out where to go from here.

H3XME · December 14, 2020

On 7/3/2020 at 8:44 PM, Taters said:

I'm encountering the same issue with my is250. The clutch is slipping in higher gears and is definitely due replacing.

As the car has 105000 miles i don't see the point in not changing the flywheel while the clutch is getting done as it's probably on it's last legs anyway. The problem is I can't for the life of me even find anywhere that sells the dual mass flywheel nor an afternarket solid flywheel even.

I'm really stuck at this point as I've only had the car a few months I really don't want to sell it on for a massive loss but I cannot figure out where to go from here.

I've just ordered a clutch kit, pressure plate, disc and bearing costing me around £250.. car is on 145k miles. Standard clutch. And I also cannot find anywhere that sells flywheels other than the dealer who quoted me £800+VAT. I'm hoping the flywheel will be okay, as the clutch only just started slipping the other day. Fingers crossed.

Taters · December 14, 2020

8 hours ago, H3XME said:

I've just ordered a clutch kit, pressure plate, disc and bearing costing me around £250.. car is on 145k miles. Standard clutch. And I also cannot find anywhere that sells flywheels other than the dealer who quoted me £800+VAT. I'm hoping the flywheel will be okay, as the clutch only just started slipping the other day. Fingers crossed.

In the end I managed to figure it out but not without tons of hassle. Long story short, after being let down by techniclutch on eBay, who straight up tried to steal my money, I ended up buying a clutch replacement kit for around the same cost as yours from Euro Car Parts along with a solid mass flywheel for $300 from a company called pgear in Taiwan. Thankfully the clutch kit and flywheel arrived quite quickly and installed easily according to my mechanic. I know some people have had reservations about using a solid mass flywheel with an unsprung clutch but I have put over 2,000 miles on mine with no issues as of yet.

K Swinger · December 15, 2020

Do you feel like the change to SMF was worth it? Our IS250c is slipping, my local transmission shop is encouraging just clutch replacement at 110K. I’m not sure what to do except NOT pay Lexus $4500.

Taters · December 15, 2020

14 hours ago, K Swinger said:

Do you feel like the change to SMF was worth it? Our IS250c is slipping, my local transmission shop is encouraging just clutch replacement at 110K. I’m not sure what to do except NOT pay Lexus $4500.

Everywhere I read said that the DMF would go at about 100,000 miles so I decided to just change it now to prevent any future hassle. Only reason I went for the SMF rather than DMF was because it was far cheaper. In terms of driving I don't notice much of a difference. It's definitely revs a little quicker but not substantially. There are a fair bit more vibrations between 2500rpm and 3000rpm where it seems to resonate but for me it's no louder than the exhaust note anyway. Obviously all cars flywheels will wear out at different rates so I can't really say for sure whether you should replace it too or not.

H3XME · December 15, 2020

50 minutes ago, Taters said:

Everywhere I read said that the DMF would go at about 100,000 miles so I decided to just change it now to prevent any future hassle. Only reason I went for the SMF rather than DMF was because it was far cheaper. In terms of driving I don't notice much of a difference. It's definitely revs a little quicker but not substantially. There are a fair bit more vibrations between 2500rpm and 3000rpm where it seems to resonate but for me it's no louder than the exhaust note anyway. Obviously all cars flywheels will wear out at different rates so I can't really say for sure whether you should replace it too or not.

I shall see tomorrow. Going to change the clutch and I'm hoping the flywheel is okay, even after 145k miles. I had no issues, no weird noises, vibrations etc coming from it so I'm having high hopes. If it's bad, I'll have to go the Fidanza SMF route for £500.

H3XME · December 18, 2020

Quick update on the clutch. I've got the Exedy kit in, kept the original DMF with 145k miles as it's still good to be used. I don't think you need to change the flywheel unless you have flywheel issues or can justify spending £500+ on a new one just for peace of mind. The car works as it should now, clutch feels very good so I'm happy overall.

Texas · December 18, 2020

Result ( sort of) there then fella👍

Mitcheyfex · March 7, 2021

Nice, Result!

I have a IS250 and my clutch is slipping, only just started yesterday, mine is on 150k so fingers crossed the flywheel is fine and I can get away with just doing the clutch, I'm not getting any flywheel symptoms and no juddering.

H3XME · March 29, 2021

On 3/7/2021 at 10:31 PM, Mitcheyfex said:

Nice, Result!

I have a IS250 and my clutch is slipping, only just started yesterday, mine is on 150k so fingers crossed the flywheel is fine and I can get away with just doing the clutch, I'm not getting any flywheel symptoms and no juddering.

Chances are that they will try and force you to change the DMF so they can make more money on you, but yeah, if it ain't broken, don't fix it.