is300h known issues

[Phooey]

I am new to the forum and new to Lexus.  I will be looking for my first car in the next few weeks and have already decided on a 2016/17 is300h.

My questions are;

a) are there any known issues I should be looking for when viewing cars? 

b) I am aiming at finding a car under 25k miles and looking to spend below £20,000.  I believe I should get something close to showroom condition.  Am I being too optimistic?

[bobusa]

Hi Phooey,

Welcome to the club.

a) I've had my 2015 since new and only had some little stuff like the ML grill on the back shelf coming loose. Also some small creaks around the lower part of the center stack of the dashboard. Very solid and reliable and plan to drive at least another 5 years.

b) That depends on the previous owner and whether it was owned privately or by a lease company. Just have to be lucky I guess. Mine is in great condition (privately owned) with just some stone chips on the front bumper which is very normal.

Good luck with your search.

 

[olliesgrandad]

These are a very reliable car. 

My first advice would be to check that the car has been properly prepared for sale. Lexus dealers in my experience can be a little lax on proper preparation compared to others. Try and buy a car that has been sold and serviced by the same dealer and ask for a redacted printout of work on the car. The online records are helpful but from experience don't show everything. 

Lexus warranty is great. Try and get an extra year thrown in if you can. I have owned a IS300h and they are a good car. £20000 should get you a fine example. Do have a long test drive in the car you want to buy as seating comfort varies between vehicles. If you are considering an f sport this is important as the seats are quite firm (mine was an f sport). 

Later versions I have driven appear to be better on fuel economy. 

I am sure if you buy the right car you will be pleased. 

Good hunting 👍

[Phooey]

2 hours ago, olliesgrandad said:

These are a very reliable 

My first advice would be to check that the car has been properly prepared for sale. Lexus dealers in my experience can be a little lax on proper preparation compared to others. Try and buy a car that has been sold and serviced by the same dealer and ask for a redacted printout of work on the car. The online records are helpful but from experience don't show everything. 

Lexus warranty is great. Try and get an extra year thrown in if you can. I have owned a IS300h and they are a good car. £20000 should get you a fine example. Do have a long test drive in the car you want to buy as seating comfort varies between vehicles. If you are considering an f sport this is important as the seats are quite firm (mine was an f sport). 

Later versions I have driven appear to be better on fuel economy. 

I am sure if you buy the right car you will be pleased. 

Good hunting 👍

Thanks.  Reliability and the hybrid was my reason for choosing ... oh, and the fact it is a Lexus!

You say later versions better on fuel.  Do you mean later than 2017?  

I am not considering the F sport.  Nice to hear positives regarding the rest.  I really appreciate the time that you have taken to reply.  Thank you.

Thanks also to bobusa 

[olliesgrandad]

My car was a 2014. The later one I had on loan was a 2018. The difference in economy was marginal so don't let the year cloud your judgement. Getting the right car is more important than the age. My 2015 GS300h was a pre-facelift car but only a Lexus buff would know. I paid 21,000 for it in 2017 and it was immaculate with only 11,000 miles and luxury spec. 

Do view the Lexus YouTube video on driving a hybrid if economy is your thing. Driving a hybrid requires a different technique to a conventional petrol car. 

[Phooey]

Thank a lot Les.  I appreciate your input.

[Paul Brooksbank]

I've recently bought a September 2013 F Sport with 22,800 on the clock for £17,000. It's immaculate. Electric heated and ventilated seats and auto dipping mirrors. The only thing I haven't got is lane control and radar cruise. I'm getting 42 mpg town and urban and 58 mpg at motorway speeds. The seats are very comfortable and its very quiet. You won't get the full luxury spec for less than 20K on a 16/17 plate. But don't be put off by a slightly older car, they're bomb proof and if supplied by a Lexus dealer, it'll be fine.

[ColinBarber]

Really the only thing specific on the IS to look for is corrosion on the disc braking surfaces, especially on the rear, or a rough braking noise feel at less than 5 mph, which indicates a sticking calliper. Also that the footbrake is working correctly as some owners tend not to use it, allowing it to seize up.

[ThomasD94]

For my 2 cents on this topic:
I agree the Mark Lev speaker in the rear came loose in both our IS cars. Weirdly within the first couple thousand miles the wheel balancing was disturbed and new weights were added.

Had no issues with either IS (ones a 2014 model). 

Have a look at features as I'd recommend getting one with cooled seats!
With regards to paintwork I guess that will be down to each car and the previous owner 🙂  You might find an older car cared for versus a newer ex company car that no one looked after. Also with regards to paint try get a metallic silver or grey as they hide scratches easier than the flat  'velvet black' paint on our 2019 as it marks easy. Might I recommend sonic titanium as colour to look at ? 

Hope this helps?

I have a video of our 2019 IS 300h with the premium pack if you wish to see what the pack adds etc

I have

[ThomasD94]

3 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

Really the only thing specific on the IS to look for is corrosion on the disc braking surfaces, especially on the rear, or a rough braking noise feel at less than 5 mph, which indicates a sticking calliper. Also that the footbrake is working correctly as some owners tend not to use it, allowing it to seize up.

Yeah I find the footbrake annoying!

[ThomasD94]

On 4/27/2020 at 5:47 PM, Phooey said:

I am new to the forum and new to Lexus.  I will be looking for my first car in the next few weeks and have already decided on a 2016/17 is300h.

My questions are;

a) are there any known issues I should be looking for when viewing cars? 

b) I am aiming at finding a car under 25k miles and looking to spend below £20,000.  I believe I should get something close to showroom condition.  Am I being too optimistic?

Also 2017 models got the facelift so check out for those!!
I would aim for a well specced base model over F sport with no packs on it 🙂

[Phooey]

Thanks for all of your input guys.  I am trying to take it all onboard.

I have found a couple of 2016 cars.  Both white, the colour I wanted and comparing the two the only difference seems to be the millage.  Both £18000 with enough change for a pint and the spec appears to be the same but one from a local dealer has 18437 miles and the other from a Lexus approved dealer has 28041.

To me, the extra 10000 miles doesn't seem to warrant the dealership price tag.  I'd very much appreciate your thought!  

[matt8]

I'd choose the Lexus dealership one.

You get a year warranty included then.

10,000 miles is neither here nor there.

Do check specs / add ons that may be in one but missing in the other.

[olliesgrandad]

Personally I'd look at both and check the condition and service history. I would certainly be looking to get a car with a Lexus warranty, but you might be able to put that on the non Lexus supplied car. If pearlescent white make sure the bodywork is tip top as the colour is expensive to repair properly. 

[olliesgrandad]

Personally I'd look at both and check the condition and service history. I would certainly be looking to get a car with a Lexus warranty, but you might be able to put that on the non Lexus supplied car. If pearlescent white make sure the bodywork is tip top as the colour is expensive to repair properly. 

[Thackeray]

See if you can identify whether either of your options has had any bodywork repairs. You could ask the dealers but they probably won't know unless it's a car they've handled since new.

Instead, you can check for VIN stickers on the bodywork. Every body panel should have a VIN sticker. These are sticky labels, not the main identification panel. There should be one inside the boot lid, inside the bonnet, inside rim of each of the doors, on each of the side panels (from memory these are on the pillar between the doors and on the wheel arch when the rear doors are open, though my memory could be wrong on these locations!.)

If any are missing it means that paintwork/bodywork has been repaired. A Lexus approved bodyshop will take the trouble to replace the VIN sticker but as they cost around £100 just for a sticky label, non-authorised bodyshops probably won't bother.

If you find that either car has missing VIN stickers, I'd be inclined to give it a miss unless there are other factors that persuade you to go ahead (a big discount?!) Mechanically, these cars are very reliable and as they're computer controlled it's hard for even the worst driver to damage the mechanics. But bodywork is another thing entirely, If you can identify that the body is probably pretty much as it left the factory, or at least that any repairs are Lexus approved, that for me would be a big selling point.

[Paul Brooksbank]

I could have bought a silver IS on a 2015 plate from Ford's of Winsford for less than I paid for mine, it's still on their site now if you take a look. The car is literally 8 miles from me but ... It was MOT'd last September, on an Isle of Man number plate, then it arrived at Fords in October with very few miles on the clock since the test. It has sat there for months at the same price. It may be a good car, but Fords only give a 3 month warranty and with it sitting around for so long?  I know it'll be bullet proof, but the Isle of Man to Cheshire thing screamed "auction" to me. As you know, once you've dealt with a good Lexus dealer, you don't go anywhere else! 

Lexus Stoke are deservedly very highly rated, so I paid a bit of a premium for mine, but I sleep soundly at night and I've just had the 12 month warranty extended by 3 months by that nice Mr Lexus. If you're going to buy into a premium brand, and I honestly think Lexus currently occupy the position that Mercedes enjoyed in the 1970's, which is just about the pinnacle of quality, then why scrimp and save on a few quid? 

By the way, as I've previously stated on here, Crewe where I live is the home of Bentley and previously Rolls Royce. That factory has been bought, sold and horse traded more than the average corner tart. Their quality (Bentley) is about 20% above the car they're based on, the Audi. Mercedes and BMW are run by accountants these days, long gone is the engineer in charge. 

Take your pick, but if I'm spending a lot of my cash, I know what I'm doing. 

[Phooey]

18 minutes ago, Paul Brooksbank said:

... If you're going to buy into a premium brand, and I honestly think Lexus currently occupy the position that Mercedes enjoyed in the 1970's, which is just about the pinnacle of quality, then why scrimp and save on a few quid? 

 

Very valid point.  Thank you.  I've never spent this much on a used car before and the thought of wasting my hard earned cash is not something I want to contemplate.

[Maxz]

From my experience:

1) If buying from Lexus dealership check service history if being offered Supagard, as I was sold it even though it had already been paid for and applied by first owner (it  is sold as lasting for life of the car so does not need reapplying). Make sure you get the care satchel and guarantee cards to register too if opting for this.

2) If dealer sources you a car to your spec from another branch, check the price online, as my salesperson marked up the list price to slip in and pass off products as “free”/“discounts”.

3) check rear arches have scuff stickers on. If either side missing means a repair has been done to rear arches.

4) Pay for a laser wheel alignment check after purchase, my tracking and alignment were out on 3/4 wheels, dealer didn’t do prior to sale. Will help avoid excessive tyre wear.

5) trickle charge the 12v Battery regularly as they are prone to failure and don’t seem to be charged so well by the vehicle (I assume the hybrid Battery steals most of the charge from regeneration). First time I charged mine took 3 days to get back up to full charge. 

Otherwise great car to own and drive, can’t go wrong!

[ColinBarber]

17 minutes ago, Maxz said:

2) If dealer sources you a car to your spec from another branch, check the price online, as my salesperson marked up the list price to slip in and pass off products as “free”/“discounts”.

Just don't get a dealer to source from another dealer, certainly not unless both dealerships are owned by the same group - e.g. Inchcape, otherwise both parties are making money from you.

[Maxz]

23 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

Just don't get a dealer to source from another dealer, certainly not unless both dealerships are owned by the same group - e.g. Inchcape, otherwise both parties are making money from you.

In my case Lexus Sidcup sourcing from Lexus Edgware. In fairness this is a reflection on the individual salesperson not Lexus as a whole, but just so people are aware you still need to pay attention if you are buying direct from Lexus. It is luck if you get one with integrity or one acting in self interest (i.e. doing anything possible to squeeze extra commissions out of a customer, even with morally questionable practices). Anyway, not to take the post off track given it was originally vehicle focused, just added given buying from Lexus versus an independent/private seller was mentioned.

To add to point 5, maybe a pseudo effect, but once the 12v was fully charged, I noticed the hybrid charge indicator appearing more frequently and in turn electric drive kicking in a bit more given the 12v no longer needed to be charged. Average mpg went up a few decimals too. Would need a Lexus boffin to confirm if that is really true though! The 12v is defo a watch point, especially right now with cars sitting unused for extended periods.