Is250 Self-Servicing

[james250]

Usually when i get my service done at the dealership, i request not to change the air and cabin filter as i just do that myself. Its very cheap and seems to bring down the dealers price hugely. So got me thinking, if they making that much on just swapping something like the filters, how much can i save if i do the oil change myself? I am coming upto 150k miles and considering now doing the air, cabin, oil and oil filter change myself. What other things would the interim and full service include? i would still like to take it to the dealership for checkups and other things that require doing. My next spark plug change is still 30k miles away. Things like that I would still like to get done at the dealers but would need to have a schedule of when what would need doing.

But just wondering, if i call the dealers and say i would like to book in a service but without the filters and oil change, how much would that be? they might say then there is no service LOL Would they still stamp my service book ?

Does anyone else do this service themselves? I found the following DIY video on youtube but it says its for an AWD IS, just wondering if the drain bolt and the oil filter are in the same places for the RWD IS



I'm thinking of getting some low ramps instead of jacking up the car, i just about fit under the car without jacking it up now so just need to raise the car a little to get under the car confortably.

I've come across two types of ramps, metal and plastic. Below are pics of the two ramps, the metal is slightly cheaper than the plastic. Anyone have any suggestions on which one to go for:

[ChumpusRex]

At 150k, in addition to filters and oil, I would do the differential oil and drain and refill the coolant.

The diff oil should be easy. It just takes 2 litres of a standard 75W90 GL5 oil; easily available from any motor factor.

For the coolant, you will need 10 litres of toyota pink coolant - this cost me £80 from the local toyota dealership; the parts guy was so shocked when he rang up the bottles at the till that he gave me the owners club discount; the price was still obscene.

Note that there is no aftermarket equivalent to toyota pink coolant for sale on the UK market. Lexus specify a non-silicate, non-amine, non-borate hybrid organic acid (organic acid with added phosphate) coolant. There are a number of equivalent products for sale in the US, but none have made it over here.

The closest aftermarket product available in the UK is a non-silicate, non-borate, non-amine, non-phosphate (non-hybrid) organic acid coolant (Comma G30). This would probably work OK, but it does not comply with lexus specifications.

As to spark plugs, I did mine at 130k (70k after they were first changed). In all honesty, they looked pretty much in perfect condition when I pulled them out. Getting the surge tank off is a pig of a job, and getting it back on is even harder (I had to admit defeat with 1 bolt, as there was no way I could possibly get it back in). Given the difficulty of the job, and lack of wear at 70k, I wouldn't bother doing them until 100k-120k.

[james250]

Few thousand miles ago, i had an overheat issue cause by faulty radiator cap. The valve damaged and fell into the system. The toyota garage i took it to nearby dismantled the system and removed the broken valve and replaced the radiator cap and added new pink toyota coolant. the invoice shows that they added 4.5litres so it wasnt a complete drain. Should i still drain and refill the coolant? 50% of the coolant in there is new. When draining and refilling coolant, i am assuming you drain from the bottom drain plug and fill from the reservoir bottle. is there any bleeding procedure? there doesnt seem to be any bleed nipple or anything on the lines like some european cars have.

Also, any recommendations on ramps? is the oil drain procedure video the same for the RWD IS?

[ChumpusRex]

The coolant should be changed every 50k miles or 5 years, whichever is earlier. The recommended process is to drain all the coolant then refill. It sounds like you've had a 50% replacement, so it's probably good for another 30k miles or a couple of years. The system holds 9.1 litres + 0.6 litres in the expansion bottle.

Drain procedure: Syphon bottle dry. Remove radiator cap. Drain the radiator with the drain ***** on the bottom, drivers side; this will get about 5ish litres out. There are also 2 drain cocks on the engine itself, one underneath each exhaust manifold. Remove cold air scoop leading to air filter in order to get access. On each drain *****, connect a hose to the drain nipple, and loosen the drain bolt with a ratchet. Once coolant stops draining, close the drain bolt by torquing to 13 Nm.

Refill procedure: fill the bottle to the full line. Pour coolant slowly in via the radiator cap. Massage the radiator pipes to get any major air locks out, and top up until the engine is full. Replace the radiator cap, and start the car. Set heater to full heat with air con off. Periodically massage and squeeze the radiator pipes to encourage any air to float to the top of the radiator. Keep massaging until the car has reached full operating temperature and the fan starts (caution: lots of moving and hot parts; only massage the bits well away from the fan and main belt). The system will self bleed and expel any air via the expansion bottle. Allow car to cool. Top up the bottle to the full line if necessary. Remove radiator cap and ensure that engine is still full. Top up if necessary. Replace radiator cap and air scoop.

It is quite awkward to get to the engine drain cocks. You may prefer just to do a 50% replacement every 2 years, and just drain the bottle and radiator.

[james250]

Thanks for that, awesome guide on coolant draining. Any tips on Oil drain and re-fill? user manual says 6.3L with new oil filter. Should i add 6 litres first and then check the level with dipstick? or should i add the full 6.3L and then check the dipstick? Any tips on whether to do oil change after warming the car a little or not?

[is200 Newbie]

Hi James

I use the metal ramps as shown in the picture - the extensions are good as they give that bit more clearance between the front bumper and the ramp itself. If used without then your front bumper would scrape the ramp due to the incline of them but I suppose it depends on the type of ramps but the extensions do help avoid this.

Oil change is easy - you would need an oil filter cap removal tool but other than that its an easy job. location of the filter is at the front of the car approx. 24 inches in.

Remove the small protective plastic cover to get to the filter underneath on the plastic engine shield cover (you will see this cover if you look under the car when its on the ramps).

Use the oil cap tool and remove filter. Filter is not the can type but a paper filter type. I use "Japarts" company on the web for parts like this as there's no guessing on what part to use and they have always sent me the correct parts. Make sure the new filter you are buying includes the rubber seal washer.

It does hold over 6 litres of oil which I found out. I have a catch can that I use when changing oil but it only holds 4litres. If you don't want to make a mess on your drive then its worth buying a larger capacity one for doing oil changes on these.

I have always used Wynns engine flush when changing oils as its the ideal time to do so. The oil I use is Castrol Magnatec 5w/30

Good luck

[james250]

I use the metal ramps as shown in the picture - the extensions are good as they give that bit more clearance between the front bumper and the ramp itself. If used without then your front bumper would scrape the ramp due to the incline of them but I suppose it depends on the type of ramps but the extensions do help avoid this.

Thanks for the reply, i've ordered the metal ramp with the extensions. Is there any tips on driving the car onto the ramps? do they tend to slip. What if the wheel is wider than the ramp surface?

[is200 Newbie]

As its real wheel drive its being pushed onto the ramps if you are raising the front of the car - just get someone to help to tell you when to stop. Line the ramps up central to the tyre - I have had no issue in this and have done it quite a few times.

My car was on a set of these for 4 days with the back raised while I sorted exhaust out. Just be a bit careful when raising the back, just common sense really ... don't rev the engine too much to get up the ramp as they could be pulled under if the tyre grips on the ramp, again get someone to tell you when to stop. You will find it will cope very well in getting up the ramp safely when raising both the front and the back.

Make sure your tyres are resting on the top flat of the ramp and not the slope and just to be safe chock the wheels that aren't raised.

[james250]

Other than the regular oil and stuff, what else has to be changed periodically? I'll be cleaning and greasing brake sliders pins everytime i service it myself too.

So far other things I can think of are:

Coolant (every 50k after the 100k mark, mines had a 50% coolant change at 147K so wont do coolant change until maybe 160 or 170K)

Spark Plugs (Every 60K)

Brake Fluid (Every 2 Years or 20k miles - Not sure if this is correct)

Front & Rear Differential Oil (Not sure how often this should be done)

On my previous service worksheets, i noticed also something about

Brake Booster vacuum pump every 12years or 120k miles

Inspect Charcoal Canister every 2 years or 30k miles

There are also alot of inspection and checks that are mentioned on the service sheet, which i assume is part of the visual safety check report, i'm wondering how much the dealerships will charge just to carry this out and if its worth having done every 10k miles after i do my own service?

[james250]

the metal ramps i've ordered say they are 2.5tonnes and i am assuming thats 2.5t distrubted between both of them so approximately 1.25tonne per side. Is this ok for the IS250? what weight is the IS on each side?

[Exdee]

I think the kerb weight of the car is around 1.6 tonne so you should be fine.

[ChumpusRex]

By popular demand, the oil torque specs are

oil filter cap: 25 Nm

drain bolt: 40 Nm