Interested In Buying Is220D.

[Kings]

Hello, I'm interested in buying a IS220d, around 2006 / 2007. Before going to view any, I'm looking to know what to look out for, common faults.

Was there changes between 2007 - 2008 with the engine?

Should i buy one or what is your opinions?

Thanks.

[Creo]

I would recommend reading through the threads in this forum, and elsewhere. From what I have read the 220 diesel doesnt seem to get as good a feedback as the petrol 250. I dont have the diesel, nor would I, too little gain in a few mpg for more problems and issues with diesels, and while it can be argued that Toyota have great experience in diesels, it does seem thatw hen it comes to cars their petrol versions are better.

[bluenose1940]

Agree entirely with Creo. I had the 220d and it really was a lovely car but I moved to the IS250 because I didn't do enough mileage to warrant the diesel. I didn't do enough research at the outset.

There is loads and loads of info on here about the 220d, please be sure to read as much as you can. There is always lots of valuable help from members too.

You may still decide to go for the 220d after lots of reading but at least you will be much better informed. Good luck

[dave32]

I have a sport version and I would avoid this car as the main problems are the head gasket failing, (incredibly common) and lots of people get the vsc warning which could be a host of faults, mine needed a new egr valve

im doing very well to average 34mpg and I only get this on longer journeys over half hour

the petrol version seems the way ahead and the mpg is basically the same as the diesel

I would avoid getting this car at all costs

[Kings]

So an IS250 would be my best bet? What sort of tax band do they have?

Hopefully my insurance company will insure me, I only priced a IS220D and they were giving me money back to switch.

My last car was a mitsubishi lancer, 1.6 lol.

Could someone explain the specs?

SE-L / SE? What's the differences? Highest and other specs?

[Shepherd]

I just switched from IS220d to IS250. I am with AXA/Swiftcover. For me it was only £12 dearer for IS250

[Kings]

I'm only 22 tho lol.

What do you think of your is250?

What was the reason you switched?

What's the MPG like on the is250? Manuel or auto?

[Creo]

MPG for the IS250, well mine anyway, is 32, thats an automatic. I think thats pretty much standard from what I have read on this forum. Of course consumption is very much to do with driving style and driving profile (type of roads, traffic etc), so you could see less, or maybe even a little more.

Tax band for mine (2007) is L, which is currently £280 per annum.

[Kings]

Yeah well I've had my eye on these lexus's the past couple of days. After reading so many bad reports about the is220d, I'd be tempted to buy a is250. Between EGR valves, injectors, DPF and engine replacements due to wore piston seals I'd take a chance to spending more money on fuel lol.

Do the IS250 have any problems?

Which would be better to get an automatic or manual? Does the flywheels or gearboxes give my bother?

Thanks.

[Shepherd]

I find a big difference in 250 and 220d. With 220d you feel the turbo rush. With 250, I just can't get myself to push it. It is just so smooth and nice, I don't want to ruin that nice feel by pushing it. My is220d never gave me more than 33. The IS250 is going me around 30 average mixed driving.

The reason I switched was that the my 220d was at 126k miles. And lexus didnt cover the head gasket issue after 110k so I was getting a bit nervous. I just switched it with a high mileage 250 AUTO at 131K miles. So far so good but now I read there is a carbon build up issue on the 250 that can be quite as expensive to fix out of warranty

[Kings]

Thanks for the input!

I must really get myself out for a test drive in one.

I'm actually see one for a decent money.

Lexus IS250 SE-L

January 2006, 86k miles.

Automatic, £4990.

What's the automatic gearbox like? Smooth at changing gears?

[blackcts]

Bloody hell, it seems not even IS250s are safe

http://my.is/forums/f122/is250-carbon-build-up-out-warranty-service-447593/

Cars of all makes are scary, geez you would buy nothing if you looked too much into anything.

[Kings]

I suppose that's true, I've been looking way to much into it lol.

I just don't want to buy something that is going to break my heart, these Lexus's have really caught my eye.

[blackcts]

I'd still say Lexus are still one of the most reliable makes, have a look at some of the Audi forums...nothing is perfect

[Kings]

Thanks, I appreciate your input. I do this before I buy anything so I have a little knowlogic about the car before buying it.

[is200 Newbie]

Hi Kings

Check the exhaust on the car you are looking at - if its on its way out then the part is only available from lexus and its not cheap at all.

If at all possible get it on a ramp to view it especially at the union between the back boxes and the centre section.

[Kings]

Will do, anything else?

Is there a way to check for carbon build up, or would it be misfiring and low on power if there was carbon build up?

[is200 Newbie]

There are a few checks you can do that could initially save you quite a bit of money in possible repairs but you would need to ask, I would assume, if you could check these as it would involve taking the wheels off / putting car on ramp etc. Don't know if the AA still do a check on cars or if they would do the following...

Exhaust - ramp required (noisy exhaust would indicate blowing, black soot marking on exhaust would indicate holes etc in exhaust system..)

Tyres - inner wear - quite a quick initial check (check rotation of tyres are correct) if they are on the wrong way then its not only dangerous but an indication the garage you are buying the car from may have done this to hide the wear to unwary buyers. If so, be very wary as you don't know what else they may have covered up...

Brake calipers - you need the wheels off to check this - you are looking for seized calipers / worn discs. You can check this on the rear wheels by taking the car for a good run, when parking up after driving about 10 mins or so just touch the alloy wheel (or carefully, the disc itself) - if one is hotter than the other then the hotter one would in most cases indicate there's a seized caliper which is causing the brake pad to bind against the disc.. Front is harder to tell - but could be done if wheel off and cars on ramps - check for caliper movement (in / out) by compressing piston / carriage assy. Brakes are easy to check at home when you own the car, 15 mins per corner to re-grease the pins and check calipers. If not too far gone then seized calipers can be brought back to life quite easily.

Noisy dash board - have not experienced this myself but can be found on the forum.

Door seal - my drivers side door seal has gone (I think) door is chattering away but seal does look good - have not had a chance to look at this yet. Just nit picking on this fault really.

Carbon build up - its not easy to pin this down - I think my car has it as I have had the symptons of it but I have used the fuel additive BG44 and it has worked for a while but I had the symptons again on Friday this week when I started the car up after sitting for a few days. How to tell is that the car "shivers" and the revs go mental through 1k - 2k rpm. I will carry on using the additive - have used it twice now in the 6 months I have owned the car - I can only presume its slowly clearing the build up. The only symptom I have has been whats best described as a shiver and the rev needle does a dance around but it will go if you rev it up once - car otherwise is ok on this point.

Plastic engine cover over the cylinders has broken clips on mine

Alloy wheels from this manufacturer are poor - they corrode and there's no getting away from this if you are keeping the car for a few years.

Other than the noisy dash board, the above sums up the faults I have had on my car during the past 6 months - I could have spend thousands in putting it right but have done almost all the work myself and found alternatives to keep the cost down.

Exhaust replacement (centre piece = £1700 fitted) I had a stainless cat back fitted for £450 (Cybrand - Ellesmere Port)

Tyres which I have recently replaced all 4 tyres with Avons at £480 (Local tyre depot)

Calipers I have replaced the rear two at £400 for the two (One OEM / other recon from Ebay)

Front discs and brake pads all round from brembo supplier £140

BG44 I have used two tins of this at £14 per tin from internet

Engine cover is not on my urgent list but I can source this for £100 (breakers)

Total cost for repairs for the 6 months of ownership has been just under £1500 - I don't think the car was looked after by the previous owner although it did have a full lexus service history when I bought it so it must have had a bad year before I bought it!!? but now all the works been done (or most of it) I don't expect to be paying out on it for a bit I hope - the next fault it thrown up that's not on the list above I will be selling it for a smaller car.

Don't let this put you off if I haven't already .... I think it just highlights the importance of doing the checks before hand before buying and if finding any it will put you in a good spot in haggling with the price. An AA check if it offers any come back against the above will be well worth the money.

[blackcts]

Think the exhaust must have been unlucky, they are normally quite long lasting on Japanese cars - good to know that there are aftermarket alternatives

[blackcts]

Think the exhaust must have been unlucky, they are normally quite long lasting on Japanese cars - good to know that there are aftermarket alternatives

[dave32]

no manufacturer is perfect but when you read head gasket failiures on the 220d after 25-30k miles then you know its crap,

the cars look nice and are different from the usual german brands and I always heard lexus are 2nd to none on reliability but the 220d seems plagued with faults,

I was toying with the Volvo s40 and I wish now I got that car instead as the drive in them is instant not the massive turbo lag on the lexus

[Shepherd]

if you are looking for is220d it can be a reliable car. It worked for me till 123K miles, there are several on autotrader that have done much more than that. All you have to do is make sure you drive enough for it to get warm eough. My drive to work is 15 miles one way and seemingly it was enough for it to last that long.

If you can, try to get 250 Auto. But 220d is not a bad car overall.

[blackcts]

To be fair you read about all the bad 220ds on here - I'm not saying for a second they don't have their problems, but I think it's fair to say that most haven't had HG failure after 25-30k and even then, Toyota have been more than generous with this acknowledged design flaw, extending the warranty to 7yrs/112k (full service history permitting). Other than that fairly major fault they are pretty reliable as far as a modern diesels go IMO.

Ref the S40, they are a lovely car - we had one for 5 years (petrol) and it was pretty reliable apart from the Abs control unit fault @ £1500 which is extremely common in pre 08 cars afaik. Reference the diesel (2.0d) - I haven't driven it in an S40 but have driven the Focus 2.0d which has the same engine. I agree, it's not as laggy as the 220d but it's certainly not any faster, but no doubt it's more economical the 2.2 D-CAT system kills mpg around town. Regarding reliability, the mates 2.0d has 110k and now is getting hard to start at times and mechanic reckons it needs injectors (big money).

My point is modern cars (especially diesels) have the potential for big bills, there's no such thing as the totally reliable car unfortunately and there's a degree of luck.

[dave32]

lexus don't always honour the head gasket failure, Cambridge just didn't want to know, apparently have 1 missed service out of 9 means it wasn't maintained, ( all servicing done before I owned it)

lexus hq were just as bad passing the buck

[Kings]

Rang my insurance company today and they told me I had to be 30 to get insurance. (I'm 22.) I told them I done a quote online and got quoted £650. After spending 20 minutes on the phone they agreed they'd insure me for no extra cost on my current policy. Not bad coming from a 1.6 mitsubishi lancer lol.

I went today and looked at a 2006 IS250, and I have to admit, I was truly impressed. Automatic was so smooth changing gears and it was nippy enough, so comfy as well.

Just could some explain the extras that a SE-L has? Lethal seats, heated seats?

How hard is it to change the spark plugs and what sort of money are spark plugs? I'm a mechanic so Ill probably do them myself, if they need done. Just need to ring up the garage and see what all has been done in the services.

Trying to bid the guy down, as tax is up and it's gonna cost an extra £280 to tax it for the year! Hopefully get it brought soon!! :)