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The magazine are very bias to German cars for some reason. The IS300H shares the drive way with our other car, a BMW 335i, tuned to roughly 380bhp, imported Sports catalytic converters, larger intercooler, Bespoke Bilstein suspension, Quaife LSD, and whole load of other performance parts thrown on. I do like to go on some B road blasts and when given the opportunity make full use of the BMWs power and if I'm really honest it could do with a bit more, and the throttle response could be a bit sharper.....I really wanted a M3 (but wife said no) hence I had to waste stupid £££ turning my 335i into a mini M3. But since the IS300H arrived last week, guess which car has been pretty much sat on the driveway un-moved . Though the IS300H cannot compete with the 335i for out-right pace/fun for 95% of the trips I do the IS300H is in a different league from the BMW. It's unbelievably quite...even at motorway speeds the engine is hardly audible, and the whole interior feels much higher quality and better put together. The IS300H doesn't have a CVT gear box, its a far more complex system of planetary gears which I suspect most car reviewers have no idea about. It is absolutely seamless in terms of 'gear changes' because there aren't any normal 'gears'. It takes you a little while to get use to, but once you've learnt it's nature its amazingly smooth. Interms of power...humm, the IS rated at 220bhp and weighs barely more than a 3 series, so how anyone can find overtaking in it 'dangerous' is beyond me, maybe it says more about their inability to survey the road ahead. Yes there is a small delay between mashing the accelerator and power deliver kicking in, but it's hardly dangerous, and if razor sharp throttle response if what your after than your need to be looking at something that has a NA V8 (like the old M3), because actually even my turbocharged BMW has throttle lag despite all the tuning bits(ie Turbo lag) :(. MPG wise, ours is too new to tell, currently averaging 43mpg for mainly city driving, the demo car we had managed a easy 50mpg over 24hrs of M-way and city routes. It's not better than a turbocharged diesel but the driving experience is leagues more refined than our old Honda diesel that use to drive me mad from it's clattering engine at idle. Don't believe the reviews, the only real criticism for the Lexus is the sat nav interface...The iDrive system in the BMW is much better...BUT all the FUNCTIONALITY is there, infact you get more as standard, it's only the actual user interface which takes getting use to. Again once you use it for a few days it becomes second nature. We had the Jag XF, Jag XE, and the Merc C class on our shopping list....The moment I was won over by the IS300H was when during a 24hr test drive we went to the local Jag dealership, and whilst looking at a XF another IS300H glided in total silence....a few minutes later a £60K XJ pulled up...clattering away like a tractor :eerrrmm:...why spend your hard earned cash on technology that belongs on a farm when you can have something that's pointing the way to the future

One question that seems to come up a lot is about the ‘performance’ of the IS300H versus say a BMW 320D. Most magazine reviewer seem to think the IS300H is slow….Despite on-paper figures suggesting other wise. So had a morning free today, and the sun was out, so had a little ‘play’ with my SJ4000 camera. Did a quick video of the IS300H, in Sport mode, 0-60mph. Not the most accurate test, but it’s around 8 seconds in the real world, given how easy it is to launch, it’s pretty much the same as a 320D. But what surprised me was the ‘in-gear’ performance, 50-70mph is pretty rapid, and certainly meets if not beat ‘quoted’ times for the 320D….Yet one of the things car reviewers go on endless about is the ‘effortless overtaking’ of diesel cars due to toque, but in a real world situation the IS300H matches the in-gear numbers….So what on earth are car reviewers going on about when they complain about the performance of the IS300H ?? I also did a quick blast around the local B roads, and as you can see the road handling of the IS300H is fab, slightly short on steering feel, but much better than our old Civic. Though the engine noise isn’t great, and the ‘fake’ engine noise generator is even worse, but you can tell the chassis of the IS has been set-up well. And dare I say it, comparing unmodified to unmodified, the IS300H's handling/ride is more fun and more compliant than my E90 BMW 335i!! :) It's just a shame Lexus haven't don't sell the IS350 here in the UK, because when paired up to a proper power train, I think the IS will be very hard to beat... A new hybrid IS-F tuned for performance would be very very nice, and I think would challenge the M3 as the ultimate sports saloon...Come on Lexus, just build the thing:flowers: So in summary any one ‘concerned’ about a lack performance for the IS300H shouldn’t be….Ignore the magazine reviews, and go test drive one for your self. It’s no-sports car, but it’s certainly just as good interms of performance as the journalist favourite 320D…Except you don’t have the clatter of the diesel engine, and don’t need to worry about turbos/timing chains failing. But if you really want a quick/fun ’sports’ saloon/car, the petrol engine still rule (maybe with the exception of a Tesla S)…and Lexus do offer the RC-F, hopefully a new IS-F :)

Finally found time to fit auto dimming rear view mirror. Was missing this feature a lot. After doing some research I found out that Honda mirror will fit plug and play, so bought one on ebay - 40 quid including postage for brand new one for Honda Accord 2008-2014. Other thing required was dupont female wire housing to connect wires to the mirror, also available on ebay. Unfo as my time was limited I did not take any pictures, but job is easy when you use Lexus HomeLink fitting instruction as reference: http://www.lexus-tech.eu/aimuploads/%7B809862E7-2603-BE76-8D41-37B980882603%7D/HomeLink_CT200h_RHD_PZ481_00291_AIM_002_039_0.PDF As I wanted to keep it as simple as possible I decided to check overhead console wiring loom looking for ground and power when ignition is on instead of running wires from centre console. You can connect as well reversing light power if you want the mirror to get bright when reverse is engaged. This signal can be found near passenger feet, in case of need I can provide more detailed info. To remove the oem mirror simply pull away from the windscreen the bottom of the fitting and then move the whole part upwards. To remove overhead console - pull from the windscreen side first, there are 2 clips, then on the sides near lights - another two clips, unplug connector and remove console. Connect piece of two core wire to wires in console connector - ground is white with black stripe in the corner (pin 15), power - green in the middle (I believe it is pin 7, next to yellow one). At the back of the mirror we need to connect pin 1 - power and 2 - ground. Put all the bits together and job is done. The second picture is with the light sensor covered, mirror dimmed. It gets really dark, was just not able to catch it with my phone camera. If you do not want the mirror to dimm you can turn it off using the switch.

Great looking car, well done lots of happy smiles of motoring ahead. Mike.

Looks like a nice example, perhaps the paint damage on the door will buff out with the help of a decent bodyshop. Some good information in your post, I was certainly was unaware of the tax refund. Another plus is that the £ - Euro is good presently so saving you even more than it would a few months ago.

Exactly what I was thinking. I doubt there is anything wrong with your old callipers, as they are just seized up. A quick strip down and grease to lube them up and I expect they would be a good as new. I have done this on several cars now and it has always worked. A new seal kit would probably be only about £20 if they ever leaked. Yet another Lexus rip off. Main dealers are fine when a fault is covered under warranty, but at any other time, I would steer clear of them. In my opinion (and experience) they frighten people in to spending lots of money when they don't need to. Main dealers won't repair anything; they are either incapable, or are only allowed to sell new parts. Sorry to rant. I shall calm down now, but after diagnosis, they wanted to sell me a hybrid pump for £3240, when after my own investigation. all that was wrong with it was a £7 bearing!!

Briarwood Pearl, in case you are wondering.

Morning all, so 2 and a bit weeks in, I thought I would report back with initial impressions ( which may help prospective purchasers ) So, I have taken delivery of an IS300h in F-Sport White with base nav as the only factory option 1. Looks/Quality. The car looks frankly stunning and has got that response from public and the Company car park brigade alike. The wheels look a bit small at first to me as my last car had 20s, but the ride on those was brutal. Fit and finish inside and out is superb and certainly as good if not better than all of the German cars I have had. 2. Driving. The ride is excellent and handling is great. Smooth serene progress in near silence is the order of the day and you certainly leave the car feeling refreshed. The biggest difference to me has been comfort, my Audi gave me a crippling bad back and the seats in the IS are so comfy and I am 6'4. 3. Performance. The biggest question for everybody considering the car. To be honest I drive the car in "Normal" for 99% of the time and as per the forum statements I have not bothered with "Eco" at all. The car is plenty quick enough and you are surprised when you look at the speedo. Now.............."Sport", for the odd occasion I have tried it at the traffic light grand prix, frankly I have been pretty surprised by the pick up in the car. I guess when you drive in "Normal" all the time, then "Sport" does feel quick and with no gear change to speak of I have always left cars trailing miles behind. Everybody has been correct also that the car makes you change the way you drive and the obsession with getting the EV light on does become somewhat all encompassing !! 4. ICE. So the Sat Nav graphics are a bit 90s, and the voice is ok but to be honest sound quality from the standard stereo is fine (B&O in the Audi) and generally I have nothing to complain about. Music plays fine from USB, phone connectivity to iPhone6 has been stable for incoming/outgoing calls. All boxes ticked for me. So.................I am a very happy bunny. The car currently has 250miles on the clock and has over half a tank left in it. I have only done 5mile commutes to work in traffic and the return is around 41-42mpg whereas my petrol A5 returned approx 28mpg at this time of year. Less fill ups, big tax saving and a cool, rare car. ALL GOOD..............if you are thinking of getting one, do it, especially if it is a Company car. Ignore the sneers from the Audi, Bimmer and Merc guys. They just don't know yet. Cheers Dave

Suns out very gentle breeze already washed n polished Mrs and sons car.... Don't need to do mine as it arrived back spotless 😃

So I promsed some more feedback on the importing process once I was back from India and here I am. Some of this will be a recap as I can't remember everything that was discussed. Irish owners of cars with engines over 3 litres are motivated sellers. Motivated by an annual road tax of 1800 euro. After a false start with a member of this forum, I found a vendor of a 2004 model, 2nd owner, almost full service history, 95k on the clock. He was looking for 5,500 euro. I pointed out he would get a refund of half his car tax, as it was taxed til October, and he agreed to deduct that from the price. But there is another twist. Ireland has a punitive tax on new cars. If you export a car, you get a proportion of that back. There is an online calculator of how much you get, which in this case came to 1400 euro. So I suggested he would get his full asking price if he took 3,300 euro off me, and 2,200 off the state, plus there was another 100 in there because they would undoubtedly chare him something for the admin. Vendor agreed, and I flew over with that the agreed price, and about 20 photos in my inbox. I knew the front parking sensors weren't working, there was a scuff on the driver's door, but just before I left I got him to confess that he only had one key, which we agreed to sort out when we met. Vendor picked me up at Dublin airport and we went for a drive, in which the car seemed fine. We agreed to split the cost of a new key, and went to a dealer, only to learn you can't do it same day. So we called a UK dealer, got quoted a price between £200 and £300, and he knocked 200 euro off the price. So the final price was 3,100 euro. Vendor drove the car to the Dublin docks and I caught the late ferry to Holyhead. Total transport price for buying in Ireland including flight, ferry and fuel, just under £200. Now you are legal to drive an imported vehicle to a pre-booked MOT if you insure it on the VIN, but when I went to my regular garage to get a letter confirming an appointment, they said "here, take these" and gave me a pair of trade plates. I drove the four hours home with a very brief stop for coffee, enjoying the calm of an LS430 cabin. Only issue was the tyre pressure warning coming on, which the vendor had warned me it would. I need to reinitialise the sensor. Mot was a fail, but only on n/s headlamp alignment, which turned out to a five minute job once I found instructions on the Lexus forum. So now the documents are off to Swansea, and the car is sitting on the drive waiting for a UK registration. Photos to follow. Jon

Santas been....😃 and I have her back 😃😃

On this forum, you are likely to get only one answer

I am happy to hear this Tarun. Have you considered a wrap for the car? mine turned out great. William Hi . I have seen a car wrapped before but am interested to know what the cost for a whole car wrap would be, especially for a car the size of the ls430

To be honest as I said earlier, and as a few other posters have said, I service my cars for the first 4 years at a main dealer to maintain my warranty, but as some have said you can you use an indy as long as they service within the set standards blah blah (aka any excuse to weedle out of warranty claims) Myself? Well I include myself in the hypocritical list 1. I use main dealers to maintain my warranty 2. I complain that they are a rip off! 3. I own 2 Lexus's (Lexi?) and never had to claim a warranty repair! I buy Lexus for their quality and reliability, get them serviced at a main dealer, moan about prices, and have never claimed ! see......................................what a bloody hypocrite Lol

Actually, if I remember rightly, all of them are dressed in black...further fueling the possibilty of subterfuge.

You shouldn't do that, it wastes energy in B mode by turning over the petrol engine to add extra load. For optimum recharging you should used the brakes to achieve maximum regeneration on the energy display but no more.

Wayne Join Lexus Owners Club in USA They are virtually identical to ours but theres more of them bot say that our Forum is no good but there is more of them than us and you see more solutions to Problems http://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-third-generation-153/ Regards Robert

2017 for the LS. Coming with a twin turbo engine according to my sources. Oh and it's an absolute masterpiece apparently. Hes been 100% right so far with the GS-F and RX so seems pretty reliable. It may be coming with hydrogen fuel cell too

Wayne I would think that all is ok First when the fresh?recirc is in auto mode its for detecting exhaust fumes and bad air then it goes into recirc mode but will go back to fresh when it as cleared. The system is very smart and is pretty much trouble free, but do not under any circumstances open that filter cover with it in fresh or auto mode must be in recirc mde if not you will not even know you have broken it and dont let anyone change unless they know that. i know you have done it yourself but you have been very lucky for it to be still working but it is not broken if flap operates" Lucky man" Right wayne there is a procedure to check all the flaps etc that they are working and gives a errror code if not however if it is not strong sunlight you will get 2 error codes it is a while since i did it but i think its 21 and 24 sun sensor for both sides. With Ign off press and hold AUTO switch at same time (you have to manipulate your fingers) hold Fresh/Recirc button then press ign button twice but dont touch brake, panel will light up and the climate will go into check mode release both buttons then press fresh recirce button and it will go through 10 flap modes and air blowing modes and keep repeating till you press OFF then switch off and you are back to normal mode. Just on more point i dont have the 450 and dont have experience of hybrid, i would think if you are in hybrid mode surely engine not running, engine not running = cold heater i may be wrong buttttttttttttttttt................ someone may correct me regards Robert

Crikey! :( How do you plan on getting that home Mark?! I can probably get Hayward & Scott to remove it for me, but I don't intend on trying to fit that in the boot! Lol. You are welcome to arrange collection from their premises in Basildon? I'll confirm once I hear back from them. Cheers. Peter :)

The springs/ bars cant be adjusted, but you can help them by placing a 5mm bolt in the groove where they sit to help with the opening on the remote boot pop! Have a look here matey, http://www.**********club.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=6530&highlight=boot+viagra&page=7