Looking to buy IS250 se l

[Steve67]

Hello. New here and to Lexus..

We are looking to buy a 2010 Is250 se l... What should I be looking for? Any common issues that need addressing?..it has full Lexus service history and has low miles..

[H3XME]

47 minutes ago, Steve67 said:

Hello. New here and to Lexus..

We are looking to buy a 2010 Is250 se l... What should I be looking for? Any common issues that need addressing?..it has full Lexus service history and has low miles..

Hi,

There is generally nothing wrong with these. The only common "fault" is sticking/seized brake calipers, particularly the rear ones. Washers that go over the slider pins in the calipers just deteriorate over time. They also need re-greasing, ideally once a year for a peace of mind. Mine were really bad when i bought the car. Couldn't change the pads because I couldn't take the calipers off. It took some hammering with a mallet and prying the pins out. New pins cost me less than £20 on eBay and it's been great since. Easy DIY job to be honest. You can find out easily when you jack the car up and put it in neutral. If you can freely spin the wheels you're good to go. 

Another thing, although may not be as common as the above. My Mark & Levinson subwoofer died after 13 years of use. Best way to diagnose that is to plug your phone in via AUX and put a bass-ey song on. You will hear it rattling at first, and over time it would come on and off intermittently until it stopped working completely. Got a new one from a scrapyard for less than £100. Other than that, I had nothing wrong with my manual IS250 that is on 151k miles now. Suspension bushes are still in good condition too. 

BTW, the engines are quite bulletproof if you stay on top of oil & filter changes (1 year or 8k miles which ever comes first).

[Mr Vlad]

No need to worry about the sub speaker. You don't get one in the SE-i. Not from what I've seen. 

[F.A.]

3 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

No need to worry about the sub speaker. You don't get one in the SE-i. Not from what I've seen. 

I think the SE-I models with the Full Map Nav still come with a 13 speaker Pioneer system. This also has a sub in the rear shelf. 

[AntC]

I think the Mark Levinson system depends on whether you have the touch screen navigation or not.

Mine is not an SE-L, but I still have the 13 speakers and the Mark Levinson amp behind one of the panels in the trunk.

[F.A.]

6 hours ago, AntC said:

I think the Mark Levinson system depends on whether you have the touch screen navigation or not.

Mine is not an SE-L, but I still have the 13 speakers and the Mark Levinson amp behind one of the panels in the trunk.

Around the first facelift in ‘09, the Full Map (FM) option was released. This gave you the Sat Nav with accompanying touch screen and reversing camera but with out the Mark Levinson system.  I think these systems had the 13 speaker Pioneer stereo. 
 

Originally the Multi Media System (MM) with the 14 speaker Mark Levinson system was available on all grades at launch as an option, which is why your non SE-L has it. 
 

Frustratingly  the MM system was dropped for the 11 MY facelift, meaning that the FM system was the best system that could be fitted to all trims bar the ISF, which was still  fitted with MM system as standard.

[Mr Vlad]

Well you learn something new every day 👍

[true blue]

Hi I find all this very confusing as my 250 SEL convertible was registered mid 2011 has all the upgrades and full nav system  HDD for music and video Bluetooth and Dab radio  .I have the original sales brochure booklet for that year which lists all option for all models so I can refer to that ( if I can find it as I put it in a safe place 😃 )

Dave

[F.A.]

5 hours ago, true blue said:

Hi I find all this very confusing as my 250 SEL convertible was registered mid 2011 has all the upgrades and full nav system  HDD for music and video bluetooth and Dab radio  .I have the original sales brochure booklet for that year which lists all option for all models so I can refer to that ( if I can find it as I put it in a safe place 😃 )

Dave

What are you confused about ? 

[true blue]

Hi FA I am confused by your statement that the MM system was dropped for the 2011 model year facelift ,I have a 2011 model year and I thought the system in mine was top spec I can't see any better option Was the MM system available as an extra in 2011 ?

Dave

[F.A.]

51 minutes ago, true blue said:

Hi FA I am confused by your statement that the MM system was dropped for the 2011 model year facelift ,I have a 2011 model year and I thought the system in mine was top spec I can't see any better option Was the MM system available as an extra in 2011 ?

Dave

Ah I see. 
 

Do you have the Mark Levinson Audio system on your convertible ? It should say just under the CD slot in the dash board. 

Only the Full Map option was available after the MY 11 facelift ( which came about later 2010) which meant that the Mark Levinson Stereo was dropped from the previous Multi Media system. It just retained the Sat Nav and reversing camera. 
So if your car is a 2011 model year and is fitted with the Full Map option then it has the top system that was available at that time. However this was not the top system that was ever available on the 2IS, as it does not have the Mark Levinson audio system.

This was certainly the case for the saloon.  However, it is possible to find an 11 plate car with the Multi Media system ( and the Mark Levinson system) but it was actually a MY10 pre facelift car, just registered in 2011. 
 

[true blue]

Hi thanks for that it says Lexus under the CD slot so it is not the Mark Levinson system ,I only thought it was because the salesman said it was in the advert ( ther's a surprise ) and M L is not mentioned in the instruction manual .Its still a good system much better than the Bose in my Mazda .

Dave

[F.A.]

11 minutes ago, true blue said:

Hi thanks for that it says Lexus under the CD slot so it is not the Mark Levinson system ,I only thought it was because the salesman said it was in the advert ( ther's a surprise ) and M L is not mentioned in the instruction manual .Its still a good system much better than the Bose in my Mazda .

Dave

That’s typical salesman BS. They rarely seem to know much detail  about the car they are selling. 

I’ve had both the Mark Levinson 14 speaker system and the Pioneer 13 speaker system and whilst the ML system is better, the Pioneer system is still very good. 

I think the Convertible had a slightly different speaker arrangement to the saloons. 

[MartinH]

Slightly off-topic, but does anyone else here have an SE with the Mark Levinson sounds? Mine seems most unusual in that regard (even more so in having the moonroof and reverse cam). It is a wonderful implementation, falling little short of the Naim sounds indoors.

[F.A.]

4 hours ago, MartinH said:

Slightly off-topic, but does anyone else here have an SE with the Mark Levinson sounds? Mine seems most unusual in that regard (even more so in having the moonroof and reverse cam). It is a wonderful implementation, falling little short of the Naim sounds indoors.

Nearly half the IS250 SE models currently advertised on Autotrader  are fitted with the Multimedia system, which compromised of the  Sat Nav, reversing camera and Mark Levinson Audio. I remember that it was quite a popular option on SE cars when we were looking for an IS250 back in 2009. There was a bit of a step up in price between the SE & SE-L models, so I think people had a tendency to opt for the SE and add the Multimedia system instead of going for the SE-L. 

[MartinH]

That makes sense — in the years after its launch it was perceived as a luxury, even prestige car. It as only later in the model lifecycle that it became routine, with pov-spec versions

[Steve67]

Well, we went for the car,( son in law's car) but found a fault on the way home, the audio is faulty, the garage have been informed and are willing to pay for the fix, as per my other thread the fault is no sound, disconnected the Battery and refitted, the sound works,, but only for a short period..so looking at damp issues as per the web.. the car is one owner, flsh, with only 16k miles ( warranted / confirmed by main dealer) 

 

[is200 Newbie]

The amp is located in the right hand side of the boot - under the plastic panelling. There is also a vent to outside which can get blocked with all sorts - just check this is free of dirt. Could be collecting water there?

[Mr Vlad]

Blimey. Ivecread that the amp is in the boot. I've read the amp is in the area of the glove box. I've heard of stereo but that's ridiculous lol.

[is200 Newbie]

25 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

Blimey. Ivecread that the amp is in the boot. I've read the amp is in the area of the glove box. I've heard of stereo but that's ridiculous lol.

Yup - in the boot - it is a strange place to locate it...

 

[Steve67]

So here's is where we are.. the audio sound is working intermittently..

[H3XME]

On 5/2/2021 at 2:27 PM, Steve67 said:

So here's is where we are.. the audio sound is working intermittently..

Unplug everything from the amp and plug it back in. Funny thing is, my subwoofer gave up a few weeks ago. Audio was intermittent too.. At first, there was no base, and then the whole audio system was on and off. Replaced the sub (got it from a scrapyard), everything works perfectly. Doesn't make sense as to why it would affect the whole audio system, but it did. However, if the garage said they'll fix it, there's no point brain storming here 😛 

[Deathstar]

Just to weigh in here. I have a 2012 (62) plate which does not have the ML system, but it does have the Pioneer 13 speaker system. I have to say, its very good. I had a loan of a NX with a Mark Levinson setup and that was a little better. The standard kit in the NX isn't brilliant, but in the IS, its great. Everyone who comes in my car comments on the quality of the sound system (and the smoothness of the ride!). 

No real issues with the cars, just look at the usual things. If I was being really picky these are the weaknesses:

Alloy wheel corrosion - This was really bad on the early IS200. 

The paint seems thinner than on my VW Passat, more susceptible to stone chips etc.

If I was being really fussy, due to the low profile tyres on the 18" alloys the ride can be a little harsh over poor road surfaces (we have lots of poor quality roads in Wales). 

 

I do however love the car. It has been amazing. 

 

[F.A.]

Yes good point @Dylanlewis2000  The alloys on our 2007 250 SE-L were a nightmare for corrosion. We had multiple wheels replaced under warranty and also refurbed at our local Lexus dealership but they all corroded again  within a short period of time. This was despite treating them with a wheel sealant and cleaning them on a weekly basis. 
The alloys on our MY11 SE-L were much better and remain corrosion free for the 8 years we owned it.