Used IS 300h Advice.

[MrTickle]

Used IS 300h Advice.

 

I am looking at buying a used Lexus IS 300h and have a couple of questions.

I’m looking at spending under £15k for a vehicle with around 60k-70k miles on it.

I intend keeping it for as long as possible.

 

Firstly - Is there anything in particular I should look out for with this model and age range?

 

And are there any schedule/calendars on this forum for maintaining an IS 300h hybrid?

 (such as tire wear, certain fluids at certain miles or year, belts/chains, Ball Joints, breaks/pad, etcetera).

 

Many thanks,

T.  

[wharfhouse]

1 hour ago, MrTickle said:

Used IS 300h Advice.

 

I am looking at buying a used Lexus IS 300h and have a couple of questions.

I’m looking at spending under £15k for a vehicle with around 60k-70k miles on it.

I intend keeping it for as long as possible.

 

Firstly - Is there anything in particular I should look out for with this model and age range?

 

And are there any schedule/calendars on this forum for maintaining an IS 300h hybrid?

 (such as tire wear, certain fluids at certain miles or year, belts/chains, Ball Joints, breaks/pad, etcetera).

 

Many thanks,

T.  

These cars are very reliable - mine is a 2014 reg IS 300h and has now covered 144k miles (I purchased it in 2016 with 40k miles on it) and nothing serious going wrong in all that time (main items have been new front wheel bearings at 80k miles and one new rear caliper at 150k miles). Changed front discs and pads at 80k miles (as the front wheel bearings were being done) but the disc/pad would have lasted quite a bit longer. Changed the rear discs and pads at 150k miles as the sticking caliper had unduly worn one side, otherwise they would have had another 100k miles of wear left in them. As all discs tend to suffer from corrosion and pitting over the years, they may need replacing just for that reason before they actually wear out.

Rear tyres I replace every 20k miles and fronts every 40k miles. Make sure you service it according to schedule (every 10k miles or 12 months, whichever comes first) and the items you mention above will be covered (see the service book you should get with the car for the details of what needs changing when). In general it's the usual interim service one year / 10k miles (mainly oil and oil filter) and major service the next year / 10k miles (includes additional checks / replacements). Spark plugs should be changed every 60k miles (though Lexus tend to change them every 6 years even if the car has done less that mileage). First engine coolant change is at 100k miles (possibly 10 years if that comes first I think) and first inverter coolant change is at 150k miles (there may be a time based change as well for lower mileage). Differential oil, air filters and pollen filters have certain interval changes too that I don't recall at the moment, but it's all in the service book. E-CVT gearbox is down as lifetime fill by Lexus - so no change is scheduled (there is some debate on here about whether the oil in this should be changed or not - your choice - but it's not included by Lexus at any service interval). Cars have been known to go 250k+ miles with no problem. Mine has never been changed.

The Lexus service activated warranty (Relax) when a car is serviced by Lexus is free with each service and is automatically renewed until the car is 10 years old or has covered 100k miles (whichever comes first). The hybrid Battery can be kept in warranty until the car is 15 years old with unlimited mileage by continuing having the car serviced by Lexus or paying for a separate Hybrid Health Check with Lexus every 10k miles / 12 months (whichever comes first) and costs about £70 each time. There is also a Lexus 10 Year Plus Extended Warranty for cars over outside the Relax warranty that can be renewed annually for cars up to 15 years old / 150k miles (whichever comes first) at ~£500 per annum (which includes Lexus Roadside Assist) though dealers are often not well clued up about this... I had this in place until recently for my car after 100k miles as I have do quite a high mileage. I had the front wheel bearings and the rear caliper all done under warranty).

Of course, the usual caveats over buying any used car apply, but find a good one that has been well cared for (serviced according to schedule etc.) and you should get many years/miles of motoring out of it. 250k miles without major issues would not be uncommon.

Trim levels are hard to determine by the way as cars are not easily identifiable by trim. There were trim names from new but these did not always follow a simple hierarchy (did not always build on the features of a previous level) - then there were also options that could be specified. Main features probably most important to most people are standard or premium sat nav and audio, Mark Levinson top end audio, leather trim with/without electric seats. A few other gadgets etc may carry some weight with you but best to check each car for what it actually has rather the relying on general trim names (many cars aren't listed with a trim name for this reason).

The IS 300h had a slight facelift in 2017 - nothing particularly major so I wouldn't worry too much about that. One thing to know is that cars that are pre-2017 have a VED of £10 (will be £20 next year) whereas post-2017 cars after the government changed to the flat rate have the full flat rate VED (around £190 per annum) - so if you are looking at two cars around 2016/2017 age worth bearing in mind if you want to save some money each year.

I'm sure others will furnish you with some more info. Attached is a brochure from 2014 (so pre face-lift) that might be of help when looking at what is trim levels etc.

IS300h brochure 2014 08.pdf

[agent_dess]

Service History would be good starter. Not only look at the service book but also check the lexus website for the electronic history and see if it matches and has hybrid check been done every year.

Look at the MOT history carefully and see if it tallies up ti will also show any that would have cause MOT failure and does the mileage look correct year on year.

Personally i would not look at anything older than 2016 at this point, but bear in the mind the new 2017+ model have a big jump in VED tax.

Look the seat particularly driver seat, does it look really worn vs mileage.

The rest would be wear and tear such as brake pads etc.  

Inspect body panel especially if its been raining, are the colours matching.
Check engine cap for mayo build up.

[agent_dess]

But overall solid cars... that said i think personally think my previous IS250 MK2 was better built than the new MK3 generation.

Something has got to be done about the polar bears and melting ice caps i suppose 😂

[Notamech]

Good cars overall. Nothing much to watchout for when buying other than the usual sensibilities you would show when buying any used car. One thing is the waterpump on some older models was susceptible to leaking ao check for pink crust around the waterpump. Also try and avoid cars from the coast or far north as salted roads mean there will be loads of rust underneath and in the engine bay.

[S.H.]

1 hour ago, wharfhouse said:

These cars are very reliable - mine is a 2014 reg IS 300h and has now covered 144k miles (I purchased it in 2016 with 40k miles on it) and nothing serious going wrong in all that time (main items have been new front wheel bearings at 80k miles and one new rear caliper at 150k miles). Changed front discs and pads at 80k miles (as the front wheel bearings were being done) but the disc/pad would have lasted quite a bit longer. Changed the rear discs and pads at 150k miles as the sticking caliper had unduly worn one side, otherwise they would have had another 100k miles of wear left in them. As all discs tend to suffer from corrosion and pitting over the years, they may need replacing just for that reason before they actually wear out.

Rear tyres I replace every 20k miles and fronts every 40k miles. Make sure you service it according to schedule (every 10k miles or 12 months, whichever comes first) and the items you mention above will be covered (see the service book you should get with the car for the details of what needs changing when). In general it's the usual interim service one year / 10k miles (mainly oil and oil filter) and major service the next year / 10k miles (includes additional checks / replacements). Spark plugs should be changed every 60k miles (though Lexus tend to change them every 6 years even if the car has done less that mileage). First engine coolant change is at 100k miles (possibly 10 years if that comes first I think) and first inverter coolant change is at 150k miles (there may be a time based change as well for lower mileage). Differential oil, air filters and pollen filters have certain interval changes too that I don't recall at the moment, but it's all in the service book. E-CVT gearbox is down as lifetime fill by Lexus - so no change is scheduled (there is some debate on here about whether the oil in this should be changed or not - your choice - but it's not included by Lexus at any service interval). Cars have been known to go 250k+ miles with no problem. Mine has never been changed.

The Lexus service activated warranty (Relax) when a car is serviced by Lexus is free with each service and is automatically renewed until the car is 10 years old or has covered 100k miles (whichever comes first). The hybrid battery can be kept in warranty until the car is 15 years old with unlimited mileage by continuing having the car serviced by Lexus or paying for a separate Hybrid Health Check with Lexus every 10k miles / 12 months (whichever comes first) and costs about £70 each time. There is also a Lexus 10 Year Plus Extended Warranty for cars over outside the Relax warranty that can be renewed annually for cars up to 15 years old / 150k miles (whichever comes first) at ~£500 per annum (which includes Lexus Roadside Assist) though dealers are often not well clued up about this... I had this in place until recently for my car after 100k miles as I have do quite a high mileage. I had the front wheel bearings and the rear caliper all done under warranty).

Of course, the usual caveats over buying any used car apply, but find a good one that has been well cared for (serviced according to schedule etc.) and you should get many years/miles of motoring out of it. 250k miles without major issues would not be uncommon.

Trim levels are hard to determine by the way as cars are not easily identifiable by trim. There were trim names from new but these did not always follow a simple hierarchy (did not always build on the features of a previous level) - then there were also options that could be specified. Main features probably most important to most people are standard or premium sat nav and audio, Mark Levinson top end audio, leather trim with/without electric seats. A few other gadgets etc may carry some weight with you but best to check each car for what it actually has rather the relying on general trim names (many cars aren't listed with a trim name for this reason).

The IS 300h had a slight facelift in 2017 - nothing particularly major so I wouldn't worry too much about that. One thing to know is that cars that are pre-2017 have a VED of £10 (will be £20 next year) whereas post-2017 cars after the government changed to the flat rate have the full flat rate VED (around £190 per annum) - so if you are looking at two cars around 2016/2017 age worth bearing in mind if you want to save some money each year.

I'm sure others will furnish you with some more info. Attached is a brochure from 2014 (so pre face-lift) that might be of help when looking at what is trim levels etc.

IS300h brochure 2014 08.pdf 6.08 MB · 2 downloads

Mine is 2017" F-SPORT and they got some more frequent service like differential (LSD), brake fluids (much needed if spirited driving). Mine went through the 6 year service last year and they replaced the E-CVT fluid (expensive).  To MrTickle you want a well serviced and good rustproofing car. There are 2 types of service from Lexus here in my Country and that is standard (by the manual) and Pro service schedule (very few know that). To F-Sport users the LSD is hard on fluid, I got mine at 10k km and after 33k km of driving it I can feel the LSD is quite looser than when I got the car so with my driving style once a year replacement is my new schedule.    GR-4 Yaris has the same.. (Torsen LSD) and they have the same problem.

[wharfhouse]

5 minutes ago, S.H. said:

Mine is 2017" F-SPORT and they got some more frequent service like differential (LSD), brake fluids (much needed if spirited driving). Mine went through the 6 year service last year and they replaced the E-CVT fluid (expensive).  To MrTickle you want a well serviced and good rustproofing car. There are 2 types of service from Lexus here in my Country and that is standard (by the manual) and Pro service schedule (very few know that). To F-Sport users the LSD is hard on fluid, I got mine at 10k km and after 33k km of driving it I can feel the LSD is quite looser than when I got the car so with my driving style once a year replacement is my new schedule.    GR-4 Yaris has the same.. (Torsen LSD) and they have the same problem.

Isn't the IS 300h just a normal differential - even the F-sport as the drive train is the same as all other IS 300h trims - so no LSD? 

[wharfhouse]

2 hours ago, wharfhouse said:

These cars are very reliable - mine is a 2014 reg IS 300h and has now covered 144k miles (I purchased it in 2016 with 40k miles on it) and nothing serious going wrong in all that time (main items have been new front wheel bearings at 80k miles and one new rear caliper at 150k miles). Changed front discs and pads at 80k miles (as the front wheel bearings were being done) but the disc/pad would have lasted quite a bit longer. Changed the rear discs and pads at 150k miles as the sticking caliper had unduly worn one side, otherwise they would have had another 100k miles of wear left in them. As all discs tend to suffer from corrosion and pitting over the years, they may need replacing just for that reason before they actually wear out.

Rear tyres I replace every 20k miles and fronts every 40k miles. Make sure you service it according to schedule (every 10k miles or 12 months, whichever comes first) and the items you mention above will be covered (see the service book you should get with the car for the details of what needs changing when). In general it's the usual interim service one year / 10k miles (mainly oil and oil filter) and major service the next year / 10k miles (includes additional checks / replacements). Spark plugs should be changed every 60k miles (though Lexus tend to change them every 6 years even if the car has done less that mileage). First engine coolant change is at 100k miles (possibly 10 years if that comes first I think) and first inverter coolant change is at 150k miles (there may be a time based change as well for lower mileage). Differential oil, air filters and pollen filters have certain interval changes too that I don't recall at the moment, but it's all in the service book. E-CVT gearbox is down as lifetime fill by Lexus - so no change is scheduled (there is some debate on here about whether the oil in this should be changed or not - your choice - but it's not included by Lexus at any service interval). Cars have been known to go 250k+ miles with no problem. Mine has never been changed.

The Lexus service activated warranty (Relax) when a car is serviced by Lexus is free with each service and is automatically renewed until the car is 10 years old or has covered 100k miles (whichever comes first). The hybrid battery can be kept in warranty until the car is 15 years old with unlimited mileage by continuing having the car serviced by Lexus or paying for a separate Hybrid Health Check with Lexus every 10k miles / 12 months (whichever comes first) and costs about £70 each time. There is also a Lexus 10 Year Plus Extended Warranty for cars over outside the Relax warranty that can be renewed annually for cars up to 15 years old / 150k miles (whichever comes first) at ~£500 per annum (which includes Lexus Roadside Assist) though dealers are often not well clued up about this... I had this in place until recently for my car after 100k miles as I have do quite a high mileage. I had the front wheel bearings and the rear caliper all done under warranty).

Of course, the usual caveats over buying any used car apply, but find a good one that has been well cared for (serviced according to schedule etc.) and you should get many years/miles of motoring out of it. 250k miles without major issues would not be uncommon.

Trim levels are hard to determine by the way as cars are not easily identifiable by trim. There were trim names from new but these did not always follow a simple hierarchy (did not always build on the features of a previous level) - then there were also options that could be specified. Main features probably most important to most people are standard or premium sat nav and audio, Mark Levinson top end audio, leather trim with/without electric seats. A few other gadgets etc may carry some weight with you but best to check each car for what it actually has rather the relying on general trim names (many cars aren't listed with a trim name for this reason).

The IS 300h had a slight facelift in 2017 - nothing particularly major so I wouldn't worry too much about that. One thing to know is that cars that are pre-2017 have a VED of £10 (will be £20 next year) whereas post-2017 cars after the government changed to the flat rate have the full flat rate VED (around £190 per annum) - so if you are looking at two cars around 2016/2017 age worth bearing in mind if you want to save some money each year.

I'm sure others will furnish you with some more info. Attached is a brochure from 2014 (so pre face-lift) that might be of help when looking at what is trim levels etc.

IS300h brochure 2014 08.pdf 6.08 MB · 2 downloads

Apologies - my car has actually covered 154k miles - makes more sense of my later comments

[S.H.]

5 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

Isn't the IS 300h just a normal differential - even the F-sport as the drive train is the same as all other IS 300h trims - so no LSD? 

all F-Sports got the LSD but I am not sure about the Luxury trim. In my country they had 3 trim levels, Executive (base) F-Sport and Luxury.

[wharfhouse]

7 minutes ago, S.H. said:

all F-Sports got the LSD but I am not sure about the Luxury trim. In my country they had 3 trim levels, Executive (base) F-Sport and Luxury.

Could be country related then? 

[Notamech]

27 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

Isn't the IS 300h just a normal differential - even the F-sport as the drive train is the same as all other IS 300h trims - so no LSD? 

This is correct. In the UK the only thing different about the fsport is the instrument cluster, some styling elements and the suspension dampers. The rest of it is identical to other trims so no limited slip differential on the IS300H at least, as far as I am aware.

[S.H.]

26 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

Could be country related then? 

Yes could be but I can not see an F-Sport without LSD, but you need to ask your self do you want the Sport or Comfort driving !     The F-Sport is rather harsh/firm and not for every one. I went through my owners manual for 2017" Chapter 9 but there is no real details there...

Lexus IS300H 2017 Owners Manual.pdf

Edited Wednesday at 04:41 PM by S.H.

[wharfhouse]

1 minute ago, S.H. said:

Yes, but you need to ask your self do you want the Sport or Comfort driving !     The F-Sport is rather harsh/firm and not for every one. I went through my owners manual for 2017" Chapter 9 but there is no real details there...

Lexus IS300H 2017 Owners Manual.pdf 154.37 MB · 0 downloads

Yes F Sport is slightly harder ride than other trims as different sports suspension and wider / lower profile tyres (though in UK top of the range Premier also had wider wheels / lower profile tyres but AFAIK normal suspension). Some prefer the cosmetic differences of the F Sport (different grille and the sliding instrument cluster and seats) but other than the suspension and wider wheels there are no other performance benefits. 

[MrTickle]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the answers. I have more than enough to work with now and feel a lot more informed moving forward.