I bought an IS250...

[eleveneleven]

After spending the best part of 6 months looking for a GS300 and finding nothing but lemons I decided it was time to widen the search and add the 250 to the list 

I've always admired the 250, my dads had his for over 10 years, 120k miles later nothing major has gone wrong .They are a little small in the back though and I'll be using the car mainly to ferry the kids around which is why is wasn't on my list initially. 

One came up last week, SE (with the multimedia pack,) 80k miles with a Full Lexus service history and receipts. Went to have a look at it and came away very impressed. The car has wanted for nothing but the looks of it. 

I purchased it a few days later 😁

So far I'm certainly not disappointed, to be honest I thought id be settling but it drives just as good as the GS! There's not as much power and the ride is a tad firmer but I can live with that.

It's amazing how well insulated they are though, I cant hear any traffic when I'm inside. 

Gave her a wash/polish yesterday evening, locked the car and stood back to admire my work...got a little closer to to inspect and the lights on the wing mirrors lit up along with the interior light! Nice touch Lexus 😀

Anyway a few questions if I may... 

1. There seems to be what can only be described as a white noise sound coming from the speaker in the drivers side door. I only hear it when there's no music playing and it still does it when I switch the sound system off. Is this normal?

2. What exactly does the PWR button do? 

3. Is it me or does the car seem to lock twice if you press the lock button twice??

Looking forward to many happy miles with this and contributing here as I learn more about the car 

thanks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AntC]

Hey there, have fun with your new car and make sure to floor it from time to time!

Regarding the speaker noise issue, I've heard that this can occur if something is plugged into the aux jack in the armrest. Not sure on this so you should google it, I'm positive it's a known issue.

 

The PWR button will make the gas pedal more responsive - car will go faster with less gas. The car will also shift at higher revs as opposed to normal mode.

 

Pressing the lock button once will lock the car, if you press it again while locked, it will simply attempt to lock it again which is why you hear the click sound. If you test this, you should hear that the first click is much more audible as the lock position will change in the inside of the door, while the second time they won't move as much since the doors are already in the locked position.

 

Make sure to watch 'hidden features' videos to see all that the car has to offer.

 

Cheers

[H3XME]

1 hour ago, eleveneleven said:

2. What exactly does the PWR button do? 

Your questions have been answered above to be honest, but in regards to the PWR button.. I'd keep it on all the time. You get the full experience of the engine/car. It's more responsive. The button basically un-restricts the pedal. (Manual gearbox cars don't have that button, so you're basically in the "PWR" mode at all times. However we do have the Snow Mode which does the opposite, it makes it very unresponsive and makes it easier for you to be gentle with accelerating if you have a heavy foot.) In a normal mode it's a bit spongey and less sensitive to help you with fuel economy if you're heavy footed. The car doesn't suddenly lose 40hp in normal mode, it's just the pedal makes it feel like it.

[LenT]

1 hour ago, eleveneleven said:

3. Is it me or does the car seem to lock twice if you press the lock button twice??

No, it’s probably the car!

If it’s like mine, then if you touch the sensor spot on the handle about two or three seconds after the first touch, then you activate the deadlocks - which is the second sound you hear.

This ensures that if someone smashes a window to gain entry to the car, the door locks still cannot be operated from inside the vehicle.  Having said that, I haven’t actually tested it myself!  So this is simply something I have read and it may not apply to all models.

[Thelongterm]

The 'White noise' on your right side is... the ventilated seat doing it's job, it's a whispering woosh sound. Turn off the ventilation on your side and by magic all is now quiet in the cab.

[Chris111]

5 hours ago, LenT said:

If it’s like mine, then if you touch the sensor spot on the handle about two or three seconds after the first touch, then you activate the deadlocks - which is the second sound you hear.

This is exactly what happens. Lock the car and then within 5 seconds lock it again and the deadlocks are activated. This is irrespective of whether your model locks from the key fob or the touch pad on the door handles. In my experience the owners manuals do not mention this and I do not understand why.

[eleveneleven]

Appreciate the reply's guys. 

The Aux slot is occupied 🤦‍♂️ that was pretty much the first thing I did before driving away so that explains that (thanks @AntC) 

Interesting to know about the deadlocks too, hope It never gets tested but nice to know it's there. 

Now that I'm used to the way it drives I'll try the PWR button see how it goes, it could do with a bit more shove so that should be nice. I did notice the previous owner had it on but I thought maybe it was an error and I've read reports of damaged auto transmissions from people leaving the the SNW button activated year round so not knowing what it did I turned it off. 

but yea it's an awesome car really enjoying it so far, it was waay ahead of it's time! 

ahh I have another question... Does anyone know what commands can be used for the voice command system? I've tried saying everything from "aircon off/on" to "volume up/down", nothing seems to work, she'll just respond with something like "that command cant be used here" I'm not bothered as I wont be using it, just curious to know how it works.

 

 

[steve2006]

This covers model years from 2012

https://www.lexus.co.uk/forms/manuals/owners-manual

[LenT]

1 hour ago, eleveneleven said:

ahh I have another question... Does anyone know what commands can be used for the voice command system? I've tried saying everything from "aircon off/on" to "volume up/down", nothing seems to work, she'll just respond with something like "that command cant be used here" I'm not bothered as I wont be using it, just curious to know how it works.

From my, admittedly limited, experience of automotive voice command systems, I suggest you consider the possibility that it doesn’t work!  🙂

When I paired my phone up to my new Honda Accord, I thought that, like ET, I’d ask it to Phone Home.

The resulting conversation between Man and Machine was like a Monty Python sketch.  I didn’t bother again.

[J Henderson]

3 hours ago, eleveneleven said:

 🤦‍♂️

 Does anyone know what commands can be used for the voice command system? I've tried saying everything from "aircon off/on" to "volume up/down", nothing seems to work, she'll just respond with something like "that command cant be used here" I'm not bothered as I wont be using it, just curious to know how it works.

 

A list of commands are available on the touchscreen once you push the button on the steering wheel.

I mainly use it to change the temperature on the climate control - "25 degrees" etc.

Enjoy your new car. 😁

[Texas]

Here ( quite lengthy) are all the voice commands on the system.

[zoricib]

That's a serious commitment to take all those photos! 

[Mincey]

29 minutes ago, zoricib said:

That's a serious commitment to take all those photos! 

Absolutely - that's definitely going above and beyond!

[mikes5]

can anyone provide the link to "Hidden Features videos" IS 250 2006

Thanks

[Mr Vlad]

Blimey WOW Texas that must have took quite some time. Ruddy well done for that. 

Welcome to is250 ownership and the best Lexus forum there is Lee. Out of interest what's occupying the Aux socket in your car?

 

[Texas]

I actually took them some years ago when I was trying to get my head around the system and to follow along while reading the owners manual, yes I did/do read the manual and confess to being a nerd like that! 😂

[Texas]

7 hours ago, mikes5 said:

can anyone provide the link to "Hidden Features videos" IS 250 2006

Thanks

Not quite sure what you mean??

pray tell more!!!

[AntC]

@mikes5

You can see this guy, he has a few videos on this:

It's bot really a hidden features list, more like features that aren't obvious, but still, I'd say it's worth a watch. Keep in mind that this is the facelift model and not all features are available on all cars 

As for the voice commands, I find them rather outdated to be honest. I had to use the 'Climate off' command when my AC buttons weren't working, since there was no other way to completely turn off ventilation. Oh boy was that a fun experience, arguing with the car.

Also, to use the voice commands, you beed to be on the appropriate screen. For instance, if you want to change the temperature, you need to be on the climate screen.

 

@LenT

I also did not realize the deadlocks option. Just tested it on my car and can confirm a click is present when you press the lock button twice. You learn something new every day.

 

[Texas]

Not so much hidden features but features you won’t/don’t need on a regular basis. They are mostly in the owners manual so definitely not hidden as such.

[true blue]

great effort Texas ,I have had the car years and never gone as far as that ; I also have a T shirt ' proper dads don't read instructions '😀 you get my vote for a badge

Dave

[eleveneleven]

@texas you're a star mate thank you very much. Does a lot more than I expected! having to be on that particular screen to be able to use the relevant command kind of defeats the purpose, but its still pretty cool.

I have 2 potential issues

I have an Aux to USB C cable in the Aux slot so I can play my music but I've noticed it seems to be cutting out occasionally, some days are worse than others. Had a quick look at the amp in the boot and made sure all the wires were properly connected which they were but it's still doin it. Is this cause for concern? what's the damage for a new amp? 

The car sways to the left at times, more so under hard braking. Tyre pressure/tread levels are all fine any ideas what else to look for? 

 

 

 

 

[Mr Vlad]

Hi Lee, so you have a wire with a 3.5mm jack at one end and a USB C cable at the other. I take it you have the USB c into your phone? 

As for the swaying , that'll probably be the camber in the road or one of the brake calipers is sticking. 

[LenT]

38 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

As for the swaying , that'll probably be the camber in the road or one of the brake calipers is sticking. 

Brakes most likely candidate.  But I’d also check n/s/f wheel for tracking problem.  Look for uneven wear on tyre tread as a possible indication.

[eleveneleven]

On 9/18/2021 at 5:02 PM, Mr Vlad said:

Hi Lee, so you have a wire with a 3.5mm jack at one end and a USB C cable at the other. I take it you have the USB c into your phone? 

As for the swaying , that'll probably be the camber in the road or one of the brake calipers is sticking. 

Yes that's right, 3.5 jack to the Aux connector in the car USB C to the phone.