Bye Bye Is200..hello Is 250!

lexusisfan · November 22, 2014

Hello folks,

After a long search for an IS250, finally purchased a 2006 IS250 SE Auto MM with 80,000 miles on the clock.

First impressions, WOW! What an upgrade! For a 2006 model, it was certainly a model ahead of its time.

After a few weeks of ownership, I have the following comments / questions:

- My IS200 had a clunking noise when braking at low speeds which was really annoying and would turn a few heads. Well, it seems that the IS250 has exactly the same issue. I've read through the other threads and it seems that the caliper pins need to be greased. Will get my mechanic at it.

- VCS CHECK / ABS / Brake light on - Well, I get this when I'm using my brakes a lot, especially when parking or city driving in traffic lights. It doesn't affect the driving, but I'm still worried. It disappears after switching on / off the engine and it only happened twice so far - Anyone who experienced it and solved it?

- LIGHTS - my Lexus IS200 was upgraded with an aftermarket HID kit, while the IS250 comes with the normal halogen lights. I feel that illumination is generally poor, Any ideas in how to improve or give a brighter and "whiter" look? Anyone installed HID kits to theirs? Haven't seen any on the road with non OEM fitted and don't mine to look tacky either.

- ENGINE NOISE - It sounds almost like a diesel! The IS200 was much more quieter, and was expecting the IS250 to be the same. My mechanic assured me that it's normal due to the injectors being noisy. Also heard another IS250 and it sounded about the same.

Apart from the above, I'm absolutely loving it.

The sound system is amazing, the car is really comfortable and I love its gadgets.

The driving seat is really a good place to be and feels very premium.

Ishaq · November 22, 2014

Hi and welcome. IS250 Auto is a great car.

I would grew with you in the headlight being very low. I recently changed mine with an after market HID kit costing me £40 and 30min to install. I went for a 55W 6000k H11 kit and it looks great. There are many sellers on eBay but make sure you get a AC ballast version and not the digital version.

As for the engine sound I am not sure exactly what you mean as mine is really quiet but only the injectors would sing slightly when warming up but the veru quiet and smooth. Maybe you can give it a oil change as these engines do like new oil. You may find that the noise improves if not disappear. There is a thead here by newbie regarding Engine Oil and Level, it covers a bit on engine improvement with new oil.....good read.

Another upgrade you can do is interior LED kit costing £20 from eBay. This will give you a much better illumination and very easy to diy.

Also there is a auto folding mirror kit you can install which will fold your mirrors when you lock the car...search P40 Kit on this forum and you will find all the details.

Your break problem could be a number of things. Maybe you have missing shims on the pads, maybe the clippers sticking etc...just check all yourself.

Hope this helps😄

is200 Newbie · November 22, 2014

As Ishaq above

OIL - The car likes fresh oil - I have always replaced the oil when I have bought a new car as I have not trusted anyone saying they have spend a lot of money on doing things like this before selling a car. Doing it yourself is an easy job and it will be handy to know how to do it as it saves a lot of money from taking it to the dealer unless you are that way inclined. In doing it yourself you know what's gone into the engine.

I change the oil every 6 months as I don't do a lot of miles - there is a definite difference and benefit when running on new oil - the car feels different and also noticeably sounds quieter. I have just changed the oil last weekend and I can only hear the injectors. Rattles disappear (I have found it starts to get noisy when an oil change is due, on mine anyway)

BRAKES - like the is200 there are issues with the calipers seizing - when you get the car go around each corner and get the slide pins greased - again, trusting someone that has said they have done it before you buy the car is a bit reckless as if they haven't done and they seize beyond freeing up then it will be around £100 to 200 per caliper if you done the work yourself or a £600 dealer cost to replace them. Its wise to get to know how to grease the pins as its not covered in any service interval - seems like Lexus would rather replace the caliper unit rather than greasing the pins?! Another easy job that takes around 20 minutes each corner. These need checking every year (every 6 months to 1 year) and will save you £'s

DASH LIGHTS - do come on at start up but will go off after the car passes its self check. If they do come on any other time, then you need to investigate why. An ODBII reader is a handy piece of kit just to narrow down any issues. My lights came on a few months ago, intermittently at first for a week or so but after that they came on solid. Found out it was a sensor that had packed up. Early warnings on these issues are vital as quite a few parts are only available from the dealer in the UK but can be soursed from USA dealers / companies at a much reduced cost - hence the early warning as delivery times for parts needed will vary between 1 week to 2 weeks.

Theres that many things that it can be that its a good idea to get a reader - around £ 10 on eBay.

I find the lights ok - but theres a few threads on here that explain the differences on the lights for different models - some with HIDS / some with normal lights - I think it depends on what year the car is ... 2006 I think were normal lights but I may be wrong on that one ... look through the threads for more info. Easiest indication to check if you have HIDS is that if you have headlight washers.

You will get used to the car - more refined than the 200 so it does get a bit of getting used to.

toffee_pie · November 22, 2014

SE wont have HIDs, I got them and they are really good. enjoy the car. :)

bobbyc · December 4, 2014

In relation to the caliper issue. I had mine in the garage yesterday for these to get looked at the mechanic nearly had kittens trying to fix them.

He said the back two (surprise surprise) were very difficult to free and he had to take them off and get them onto a bench and use a considerable amount of heat to get the pins out (and ensure he never damaged the rubber boots on them). One of the front ones was also quite stuck but he managed to free them all and get them all working fine.

I am convinced that if I had gone into Lexus for this to be done they would have binned these and told me to buy new ones.

It is great to find a local garage who will put in a bit of effect to save their customers money. As a result the service plan with Lexus has been cancelled and I will be going to this garage for my services and MOT's

lexusisfan · December 28, 2014

Dear members,

First of all, thank you for your helpful posts.

Just dropped the Lexus for service last week to an independent garage, and the following has been done:

1. Changed oil (Castrol Edge 5w30) and OEM filter (£12 from Lexus shop). Also ordered a BG service pack from eBay, heard good things about it. Mechanic flushed the engine with the BG 109, and added the BG MOA with the new oil. I now feel the car much smoother, responsive and much more quieter.

2. All 4 sliding pins greased, front offside caliper was stuck, mechaninc managed to fix it, 2 rear pads completely gone. Replaced them with blueprint. Clunking noise now gone, the car brakes much better and it feels more balanced.

3. VSC Check on - Mechanic tried to read any faults on the ECU, no faults found. Since service, light has not come up either. Fingers crossed it stays that way. Probably needed the brakes fixing.

As someone mentioned above and quite rightly, this is the SE model so it doesn't come with the OEM HID lights, I was looking for an aftermarket upgrade but only if it meant improving on night driving vision. I've seen a couple of IS's with an aftermarket kit and not very satisfied. I was trying to find something very close to OEM. Will keep on searching.

Thanks