Just bought an IS200

[Razor61]

Just purchased a 2003 IS200 SE manual with 74,000 on the clock from a very nice gentleman in Chelmsford. Bought it for the Mrs to use (I have an LS400) instead of an Audi A4 Tdi. I had an IS200 as a company car 2003 - 2007 and I loved it so decided to get another to go with the LS400. First thing was a good wash and put some wax on it, clean the engine bay and then look at the bottom rear arches............. There was no sign of external paint bubbling in this area but I wanted to have a good look. After removing a lot of mud and muck then rear wheels off, I could have a proper look. I am very relieved to see that there are no holes (unlike my LS400!!) and only surface rust so I’ve caught it in time. Wire brushed, sanded with emery cloth, de greased, washed down and dried. Then 2 x coats of hydrate 80 to treat the corrosion that’s left. Next weekend, weather permitting, I’ll clean all of the rear wheel arches, treat any corrosion I find, paint the inner arches including the bits I’ve done today then coat them with Dynax. Also when I get chance I’ll spray Dynax inside the sills etc but not sure on the best way to do this. I’m becoming a dab hand at sorting out rear arches etc on Lexus cars, did the same on the LS400😄

Ill post some pictures later.

[rich1068]

Sounds like my approach to buying new cars for Freda. Initial purchase and then 3 to 4 weeks messing around with it 

[Razor61]

1 hour ago, rich1068 said:

nitial purchase and then 3 to 4 weeks messing around with it 

Yep, you know the score😀

pics of the car and one of the bottom rear arches after tweatment.

[Razor61]

Update on the car. All the rear arches and lips have now been treated with Hydrate 80 a couple of times, left to dry and then painted with Por-15 paint. It's all ready for the next dry weekend to be sprayed with Dynax UB/UC and then Dynax S50 sprayed into the sills.

As a follow on from this I thought I'd share what I think about the 'rusty sill' issue that seems to affect a fair number of IS200's and I assume IS300's as well. Maybe everyone knows all about this issue/what to look for and I'm telling you how to suck eggs but what the heck.

Before I purchased this IS200 I did a lot of research into the rear arch/sill rust issue. I have an LS400 which suffered with a similar issue and this prompted me to look into it. I searched forums, including this one, the web and anything else I could think of to gather as much information on the symptoms, what causes it and what the implications are if this issue exists. I watched a few YouTube videos on fixing the issue (links below if you are interested), one not so bad and another that was pretty pretty bad. I couldn't really find much info on what causes it but I have my own idea/s after watching the videos. After all that I decided I wouldn't consider an IS200 with any signs of bubbling in the problem area. I was assured that this car had no signs of bubbling and when I got to the car I checked myself, as documented above.  

Symptoms:

Water gets into the sill and rusts from the inside out apparently so once there is bubbling showing on the outside surface it's already eating through the sill.

Example pics I found. The first shows the bubbling and the second is an example of how bad it can get in the rear arches (similar to my LS400 but not as bad)

The big question is, how does the water get into the sill in the first place? From my experience on the LS400, I think the bottom of the inner arches and up the sides of the rear inner wing get packed with dirt and mud etc (the plastic covers and shape of the metal contribute to holding it in place). If these areas are not cleaned out regularly, rust appears, eventually rots through into the sill area and water gets into the sill area. Picture 2 above illustrates this. Unless you know about this, which owners of the new cars wouldn't, you wouldn't pay attention to cleaning those areas and keeping them clean so over the years things get rusted.

This is what I think based on what I've read and found but please correct me if I'm wrong and there is another cause, maybe the sill itself can rot on the inner side from outside as well resulting in the same effect.

Links to repair/rescue videos:

There are a few parts

 

 

[LexIS200Sport]

All good info, thanks for sharing  🙂

The recurring rear sill rust issue was basically what LED me to part-ex my IS200 Sport 😢. This was after having been repaired by a local bodyshop twice.

 

[Razor61]

No problem, I’ve learned a lot by reading other people’s posts and info on this forum and other places so I try my best to give something back. It’s a shame that the sill rust problem can result in the car being scrapped at worst or you get rid when mechanically there isn’t much wrong. All cars have their weak points of course which don’t appear until they are many years old and Lexus isn’t immune to that. The IS200 I bought is 17 years old and the LS400 is 24 years old so all things considered they are doing pretty well, rust is the enemy rather than the mechanical bits. 

[steve2006]

I was fortunate with my imported 1994 Toyota Celsior ( LS400) in that it spend 12 years in Japan with no road salt exposure and maybe a kinder climate.

I did however shortly after purchase clean out the rear arches of accumulated crud, to be honest there wasn’t much compared to other cars I have owned but I still did it and continue to do it yearly after each UK salted road winter. Although the original sealant was still good I also gave it another coat when dry.

Using a hose pipe and a stiff brush I ensure it gets a good wash out, the only things I tend to find in there now are the odd stone flung up by the tyre.

The result is no rust never mind rot so a little bit of time spent on prevention really does work, this is particularly important on cars like the LS where the sills are clad in plastic making it difficult without removal to see any rot.

 

[Razor61]

Had a look at the front brakes today as they were pulling to the right when braking from a high speed. Up to 50 ish you wouldn’t notice but at 80 you do notice. As I suspected the front left calliper was the problem and one of the pistons wasn’t working correctly, released it so it moves better but I think new callipers are needed or a rebuild. Checked the drivers side as well and it's fine but both will be replaced if it still pulls to the right.

[Mincey]

I have to say that I have nothing but admiration for the chap who restored the IS200 in the videos a few posts above (and anyone who has the balls to attempt repairs like that!). I wish I had a hundredth of his talent and determination. 

[Razor61]

On 10/17/2020 at 5:31 PM, Mincey said:

I have to say that I have nothing but admiration for the chap who restored the IS200 in the videos

So do I, he did a 'proper' job on the sills and the rear end. It was interesting to watch how it all came together. Obviously it cost a bit, around £2k iirc, but not sure if that was just for the bodywork or if that included the cylinder head replacement as well (there are a couple of other videos about this for the same car) I think the car came in for the bodywork but before it arrived the timing belt moved a tooth or 2.

[Razor61]

I bit the bullet and replaced the timing belt, water pump, tensioner and idler pulley a few weeks ago. I did get a quote from Lexus to replace the timing belt and water pump, £660 plus another £160 quid for the tensioner and pulley. So I purchased the water pump, tensioner, idler pulley and arb bushes (while I was at it) from Amayama. Timing belt and a complete service kit from LPD. I forgot to order the thermostat and gasket but I have now ordered it and will fit it when it arrives. Timing belt had been replaced but it needed doing because it was well over 6 years iirc. I did enlist some help from a mechanic round the corner from where I live, I wanted to do the whole thing myself but chickened out a bit😄

This is my experience of doing it after reading as much I could on the internet and watching YouTube videos. I've probably forgot a few steps so please don't use it as a definitive guide.

Started as soon as got light on a Saturday (I was off work all the week after just in case I screwed up big style), put the car on my new Rhino Ramps, removed the undertray, air intake etc, spark plugs, drained the coolant, removed the radiator, removed the v belts, upper timing belt cover, power steering pump (bottom bolt on the bracket took a bit of removing as the coolant had leaked to this area and rusted it) and a few other bits like water pump pulley ready to remove the crank pulley and lower timing cover. Set the crankshaft pulley to the timing mark. I couldn't get in with my impact gun to remove the crankshaft pulley bolt and I didn't want to use the 'breaker bar wedged on the ground and turn the engine' method so I was a bit stuck. I should have thought about this before hand. This was the point where I went to see the friendly mechanic round the corner, explained the situation and he came to have a look and brought with him a lump hammer and a 'Powerbar crankshaft bolt removal tool'. I did wonder how the 'Powerbar crankshaft bolt removal tool' was going to help/work, if you don't know about these (as I didn't) it's worth looking on the internet. He took one look and said that removing the crankshaft pulley bolt will be a piece of cake. 2 mins later the bolt was off and the pulley removed with a bit of tapping and levering. Yipee, that saved my bacon and after a suitable payment I asked him if he wouldn't mind checking the timing etc and if I've done everything correct once I'd finished, he said 'no problem, by the way the water pump is leaking'. I didn't know it needed replacing until I took the upper timing cover off but I had bought a new one to fit anyway. So on with the job, removed lower timing belt cover, marked up the crank and camshaft as per instructions and removed timing belt, tensioner and idler pulley and water pump. Cleaned the water pump area, fitted new water pump and gasket, pulley, power steering pump and idler pulley. Now it was time to install the timing belt, I started doing it but chickened out because I wasn't sure about the correct way to fit it and then install the tensioner so it was all lined/timed up and tensioned correctly. Back to my friendly mechanic..............I explained the timing belt was ready to fit and he said 'did you chicken out?' and I said 'oh yes!' 😁 He locked up the garage/unit and we walked round the corner to my house and after a bit of messing about and a coffee, watching a youtube video and reading the 'manual' we got the timing belt on and pulled the pin on the tensioner, then rotated the engine a few times to make sure the timing was all  correct. When a YouTube video or instructions say 'fit new timing belt, tensioner and remove the pin', it's not quite that easy (I'm reasonably sure I could do it next time now though)

All looked well so I continued to re assemble everything (and fit new spark plugs), by this time it was around 2pm iirc and I had intended to get as much done as I could and then carry on the next day. But at around 4pm I'd got to the point of re filling the coolant so just carried on and finished it but didn't re fit the undertray as I needed to do an oil and filter change the nest day. Now for the big test of starting the engine and finding out if we had done everything correct, put the key in and turned.........................it fired up and ran fine. Off the ramps and took it for a run with the heater on full heat to get the coolant running round and system bled. That was a big relief, gave myself a pat on the back and bought the mechanic a bottle of nice whisky a few days later to thank him again. I had to top up the coolant a couple of times after but once it settled down the level stayed on max when checking in the morning when cold.

 

[Eoghan1990]

Hi is anyone in here considering selling a manual is200 contact me 

07480229641 

[Razor61]

Recently decontaminated, clay bar, buffed and waxed the paintwork. it came up pretty well I think.

[Razor61]

Washed the car last weekend and noticed a 50p sized paint bubble on the passenger side sill about 8 inches from the rear arch. Looked on the drivers side and there was another bubble in the paint but not as big. I’d checked round the rear arches for rot/holes as documented earlier and treated etc. but my first fear was that the cills were rotting through further along. This reminded me that I hadn’t sprayed Dynax S-50 into the cills as planned last year so took the plunge and did it this morning.

There is a rubber bung at the bottom of the rear cill but it’s covered by a plastic cover so jacked up the passenger side, wheel off, plastic cover removed (3 x 10mm bolts) and removed the rubber bung ready to have a look inside the cill and then spray the Dynax S-50. I was dreading what I would see when I looked inside the cill. Inside the rear section of the cill had surface rust but not rotted at all and further down looked fine as far as I could see so the paint bubble I found probably isn’t caused by the rotting from the inside I hope. On with the Dynax treatment, sprayed as far down the cill as I could get with the 60cm long pipe/nozzle. The nozzle is designed to spray 360 degrees at 90 degrees to the pipe so coats everything but I rotated the nozzle as I went along the cill. Sprayed half a can in one side and did the same as above on the drivers side, plenty of the stuff dripping out through the drain holes along the cill and at the rear so I gave it plenty! I’ll give them another blast tomorrow.

Now the paint bubbles................. I was a bit apprehensive to start scraping and prodding but I bit the bullet and cracked on with it. Removed the paint bubble and underneath was shiny metal, scraped off any other paint bubbles lower down and round that area both sides that I could find. Some bits lower down had surface rust underneath so wired brushed, cleaned and treated everything. Tomorrow I’ll apply some undercoat and when dried paint it, I have some touch up paint which will be ok and look better.

When I saw the paint bubbles last weekend I was dreading that the car was suffering from common rotted cills but I needn’t have worried and it’s a relief to be honest. If anyone is worried about the state of the cills on their car I would recommend checking the cills by looking through the 30mm sized holes in the rear of the cills. You can’t see everything, unless you put a camera in, but you can see enough to make a judgement. Then while you are at it blast them with cavity wax of your choice.

 

[Scott mckenna]

On 3/6/2021 at 11:15 AM, Razor61 said:

Washed the car last weekend and noticed a 50p sized paint bubble on the passenger side sill about 8 inches from the rear arch. Looked on the drivers side and there was another bubble in the paint but not as big. I’d checked round the rear arches for rot/holes as documented earlier and treated etc. but my first fear was that the cills were rotting through further along. This reminded me that I hadn’t sprayed Dynax S-50 into the cills as planned last year so took the plunge and did it this morning.

There is a rubber bung at the bottom of the rear cill but it’s covered by a plastic cover so jacked up the passenger side, wheel off, plastic cover removed (3 x 10mm bolts) and removed the rubber bung ready to have a look inside the cill and then spray the Dynax S-50. I was dreading what I would see when I looked inside the cill. Inside the rear section of the cill had surface rust but not rotted at all and further down looked fine as far as I could see so the paint bubble I found probably isn’t caused by the rotting from the inside I hope. On with the Dynax treatment, sprayed as far down the cill as I could get with the 60cm long pipe/nozzle. The nozzle is designed to spray 360 degrees at 90 degrees to the pipe so coats everything but I rotated the nozzle as I went along the cill. Sprayed half a can in one side and did the same as above on the drivers side, plenty of the stuff dripping out through the drain holes along the cill and at the rear so I gave it plenty! I’ll give them another blast tomorrow.

Now the paint bubbles................. I was a bit apprehensive to start scraping and prodding but I bit the bullet and cracked on with it. Removed the paint bubble and underneath was shiny metal, scraped off any other paint bubbles lower down and round that area both sides that I could find. Some bits lower down had surface rust underneath so wired brushed, cleaned and treated everything. Tomorrow I’ll apply some undercoat and when dried paint it, I have some touch up paint which will be ok and look better.

When I saw the paint bubbles last weekend I was dreading that the car was suffering from common rotted cills but I needn’t have worried and it’s a relief to be honest. If anyone is worried about the state of the cills on their car I would recommend checking the cills by looking through the 30mm sized holes in the rear of the cills. You can’t see everything, unless you put a camera in, but you can see enough to make a judgement. Then while you are at it blast them with cavity wax of your choice.

 

 

[Razor61]

So this car is up for sale on here, Facebook and Gumtree. Had a few enquiries but they wanted the car for peanuts and is a story for another time.
One of the interested people wanted photos of the boot, the left and right pockets in the boot, rear sills and lower arches. I duly obliged and took the photos. When I removed the spare wheel, which is in perfect condition, I noticed a large rusted area in the wheel well on the left just up from the floor. I don’t remember seeing that when I got the car 18 months ago.
I know I’m selling the car but I can sort it before it gets any worse and I may end up keeping it anyway.
Tonight I removed all the stuff in the boot, all the boot linings and had a good look round. In the boot pockets where the inner wing meets the outer skin you can see rust coloured stains coming from the sealant, pics posted to illustrate all of this, but the pockets are dry. You can see where the sealant has split and I think some moisture is creeping in or crept in before I sorted the inner rear arches.
Removed the plastic trim underneath on the passenger side that covers the passenger side of the wheel well. 4 x 10mm nuts, 2 came off ok but the other 2 needed persuading with the grinder…….this gives access to the left hand side of the wheel well. This area was all rusted and I could see where a 25mm section was rusting through, not much metal left and is Swiss cheese.
After much scrapping and wire brushing, Dynax Deox gel liberally applied and covered with cling film and will leave for a couple of days. When I remove it, wash down and dry I’ll post a few pics. It should be all nice shiny steel then I’ll sort out the bit that’s corroded through and paint the whole lot. More of the wheel well needs doing but I’ll get this bit out the way and do the rest.
 

 

 

 

[Razor61]

The area I first saw has been treated and some more Deox Gell applied, it needs a bit more work but from the picture below you can see the difference even though it has cling film on.

before:

after:

[Razor61]

Car is now sold and gone but here are some pics of the wheel well all sorted. I did sort out the underside of the wheel well, again lots of scraping, rust removed and 2 coats of Por15.
After a bit of scraping in the boot in the corner of the wheel well there was a hole, rust removed, aluminium gauze stuck in place with tiger seal and painted. The areas I’ve done will not be an issue in the future. If I had kept the car I would have removed the rear bumper, rear exhaust and done everything on the back end.

By the way, in the picture of the boot area the dirty red stuff is my blood……….it was cleaned up of course🤣