IS250 SE - Build Thread

[morgan_sa]

I’ve aspired to own an IS250 for a few years now, even during my time holding the keys of an IS200, and after a few months of searching for the right one I managed to find this 2008 SE manual. While it doesn’t have the top spec, it has only done circa 55,000 miles and appears to have been well looked after. It had also been recently serviced, so there were only a couple of outstanding cosmetic issues to be addressed; these were some trim and interior pieces that were missing, the headlights requiring treatment for oxidation, and the wheels which could benefit from a refurb down the line. It’s currently stock, aside from the red brake calipers, although I’d like to further modify the car and make it my own in the future. Here is how the car is looking currently; I still can’t get over how good it looks:

My first round of purchases included a set of genuine carpet mats, an Anker Bluetooth receiver, and a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Fives; the consensus seems to be that these are one of the best options for both fuel economy and wet grip, which are important factors as I’m primarily using the car for motorway driving. I did choose to keep the staggered factory setup, although I can revisit this if and when I upgrade the wheels. I also spent an afternoon restoring the headlights, which were pretty severely clouded.

I’ll do my best to keep this thread updated with my progress, but in the meantime thank you for reading and I hope you like the car. 👌

[Simon F]

Being totally unable to do this kind of thing myself, I am in awe of people that take this kind of thing on.  

I hope it goes well and I look forward to seeing your updates.

[Mr Vlad]

Hi Sam. How you getting on with your is250? 

[morgan_sa]

Hi Vlad and all - firstly, my apologies for not updating this sooner; I've had a lot to contend with in the previous year including a flat move, but I'm now settled and ready to continue with my IS250 build.

I've put a fair amount of miles on it, but I'm pleased to report that I've had little to no issues with the car at all; the engine has been faultless, and I've been very impressed with the Eagle F1s. I've also added a couple of modifications, including a genuine F-Sport induction pipe, and a set of Climair Sport wind deflectors; once the weather improves I'll try to get some more photos up. I have however grown a bit tired of the (lack of) infotainment, so I'd like to look into an Android head unit (or similar) this year.

I'll also be heading down to Shedfest at Mallory Park Circuit in May, in case anyone will be there.

Cheers. 👌

[Mr Vlad]

Hi Sam.  Good you've got back here and settled in your new place. 

As for infotainment. Teyes CC3 is what you need. The best for your car by far.

There's a thread by Ahmed on here which is all you'll need to install.

[morgan_sa]

Thanks, Vlad; I'm currently between that one and an Xtrons unit as I understand it has Android Auto, but I've read that the Teyes has a better build quality. The only thing I'm not keen on is the driver/passenger climate controls being the wrong way around on the unit.

[Mr Vlad]

The Teyes does have android auto and the other one if memory serves. I was going to get one this year for mine but not to be unfortunately 😞

[H3XME]

@morgan_sa hey dude, just buy one of the Android units from AliExpress.. They all seem to be running off the same platform anyway. Mine worked fine in the green car and I paid £150.. 2G32GB. I am going to buy another one for my new IS250, however this time I'll go for the 4G64GB which is 8 core just to future proof it a bit 🙂 It's ~£190 - www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005534168076.html 

Also the one i sent is a bit more OEM looking, I had the 10.1" one without the side buttons before and it's way too big in my opinion. Looks a bit out of place in this car.

What plans you got for the car this year?

I will not be going to shedfest, but I am going to RollHard, Players Goodwood, Plus44 & Ultimate Stance. Depending on how my show & shine application goes.

[morgan_sa]

Hi all, just a quick update on the car - I've recently had the clutch replaced, as the original had started to slip quite badly. I suspected the flywheel was starting to go bad also, so took the opportunity to have this replaced at the same time. For those interested, I went with the Exedy OE replacement clutch kit and a Lexus DMF (sourced from Lexus Parts Direct, at a price much cheaper than quoted by various Lexus dealers!). Although this (inevitably) was a very expensive repair, I'm pleased to say it drives much smoother than ever before.

Here is how the car is looking at the moment:

Here's a short overview of what I'd like to do to the car this year:

- Android head unit (Teyes CC3, or similar - thanks for the heads-up, @H3XME!): as mentioned, I've grown tired of the lack of infotainment and would like to add a reverse camera (not sure if anyone else finds the rear visibility quite poor?)

- Missing trim pieces: I'd like to replace a couple of trim pieces that were missing when I bought the car

- Replacement number plates: the current 3D-style ones are definitely not for me, and I would have sorted them long ago if they weren't bonded on!

- Machine polish: there are a few light scratches and swirls that I'd like to sort out at some point

- Alloy refurb: the current alloys are in quite a poor cosmetic state, although I'm yet to decide if I'd rather replace them altogether (I quite like the forged Nissan Rays alloys, although open to suggestions!)

 

Thanks again for reading!

[H3XME]

1 hour ago, morgan_sa said:

 Alloy refurb: the current alloys are in quite a poor cosmetic state, although I'm yet to decide if I'd rather replace them altogether (I quite like the forged Nissan Rays alloys, although open to suggestions!)

You can have my F Sport wheels (graphite) - £500 or 350Z wheels. Or even 370Z but that’s down to whether you fancy going for 19s.  

[morgan_sa]

On 3/17/2024 at 12:51 PM, H3XME said:

You can have my F Sport wheels (graphite) - £500 or 350Z wheels. Or even 370Z but that’s down to whether you fancy going for 19s.  

Thanks for the offer, Lucas. How well do the 350Z wheels fit? I've seen the offsets are +15mm front / +18mm rear vs the standard fitment, but do they still fit under the arches (on standard suspension)?

[H3XME]

4 minutes ago, morgan_sa said:

Thanks for the offer, Lucas. How well do the 350Z wheels fit? I've seen the offsets are +15mm front / +18mm rear vs the standard fitment, but do they still fit under the arches (on standard suspension)?

Yeah, they’re almost flush on stock suspension. You’d need +25 front and back to be flush on stock wheels and suspension, so you’ll be fine 🙂 don’t have any pics of them on stock car I don’t think