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Afternoon LOC members. Just wanted to drop a quick note on here to introduce myself, I joined the club a week or so ago in anticipation of my upcoming purchase which I collect tomorrow, as you might imagine I'm in quite a good mood looking forward to this. I've read a lot and learned a lot in the past week mainly from you good people of this forum and am confident I've put myself in the right car. I am sure most of you will be aware of the limited number of ISF's avaiable at any one time, I made my selection after viewing and test driving three, two from lexus main dealers, a pre-facelift 08 and a 13 plate, but my favourite was in between the two settling on a 11 plate in Black from a ford dealer (of all places). Only have dealer pics until tomorrow, but I'll post a few more at some point. The Lexus is a bit of a departure for me, my more recent car history is quite varied but all the changes have been for one reason or another. This change was necassitated to the imminent arrival of my second child and a move to 5 doors was all the justification I needed to talk myself into this... This and the fact that hopefully I wont be tempted to modify it which is a bit of a habit of mine. So I'm coming out of a Audi S3 3-door but it was no ordinary S3. Beyond the engine block casting there wasnt much standard about it, she was running 406Bhp on low boost (1.5bar), full modified Volkwagen racing Cup suspension and braking via Brembo/AP Racing, apart from basic stance she looked like a standard S3. Lovely. I think to an extent it is this wolf in sheeps clothing that pulled me to the ISF over the C63 AMG or M3, I've always prefered the understated. Back from this I had a Mazda RX8 R3 special edition, a very brief fling with a mazda 6 sport (still dont know why i did that) and prior to that a Lotus Elise R. With exception of the Mazda 6 I have loved all these car as they suited my perfectly at that given time. All being well I plan to keep the ISF for a few years until the litte uns are out of their kiddie seats. So here starts my ISF Journey... happy to be part of this quite exclusive little club. Dave

I was following a car on a green traffic light controlled roundabout when he suddenly stopped. I hadn't seen or heard it but there was an ambulance approaching from the left and he was correct to stop. Unfortunately I went into the back of him at about 5 mph. Much too slow for the crash collision stuff to do its thing. There was no damage to his car, an old Honda Civic. I had a crack in the bumper and two breaks in the chrome grille surround. If you look carefully you can see the damage on the pic. A quick trip to Lexus and wait for the quote, not certain whether I'd claim on my insurance or just pay it. I knew I had to report it to my Insurers irrespective of whether I claimed, but when I received the quote, and had recovered, it was a no brainer. A new bumper and grill surround, plastic trim along the bottom and painting. £3,100 [emoji15][emoji15] Needless to say my Insurers, Admiral, were less than impressed and certainty couldn't understand the paint cost and the need to feather in across the wings. They wanted it done at the "approved repairers" which I flatly refused and after a modest row they gave in and off it went to Lexus. No courtesy car from Admiral as I wasn't using their approved repairer but Lexus, true to form, went the extra mile and I've been driving an IS200T for the last 10 days. Certainly a quick car but I couldn't wait to get mine back this afternoon. The traction control far too keen, mpg of 25 and a gearbox that couldn't seem to make its mind up. The repair costs are crazy, the body shop manager was telling me of a yob who kicked out at an IS, dented the bumper and set the pop up bonnet off. Made mine look cheap by comparison. Anyway, I have mine back now, not that anyone would notice the difference tbh, and I have protected NCB so hopefully the hit at renewal won't be too bad. Moral of the story, even at 5 mph, keep my distance!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Anyone else notice the difference in prices... I usually alternate between normal unleaded and V-Power (2 fills of normal to 1 fill of V-Power). Today I filled with V-Power. I noticed the price of that was £1.15 against a price of £0.98 for the normal lower ron. Is it a misconception that when petrol prices come down that its just the advertised prices (for normal petrol) - I have only seen the normal prices advertised along with the diesel and some times the LPG is also up there on the garage sign and its that price you can see going up and down... does the higher rons stay high because not a lot of people use them. If that's the case, how long can petrol last before it degrades in the forecourts tank if its rarely used?

A friend has pointed me to this link on you tube for an ISF v BMW (BMW blows its engine) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s92oZHgdWQk

Having owned my RX for 7 years I can honestly say it's the best car I have owned. My previous cars were Merc W124's and I thought they would take some beating. After 42000 miles with only the crap 12v battery giving any problems.

Long story short, someone pranged the front of my IS300h so it went in this week to Jemca in Bracknell for repair work. The third party insurance paid Enterprise to provide me with a courtesy car, which was a brand new c200 Mercedes (petrol). I've never driven a Merc before, so it was interesting to compare the experience with the Lexus. A few things I noticed: 1) The 7 speed auto box in the Merc felt so clunky compared to the smoothness of the Lexus. The gear changes jolted me a little in the seat, and seemed to be disconcertingly timed. 2) The engine was noisier than the Lexus, which you barely hear unless booting it hard 3) Economy was worse. I was driving sympathetically, and hit around 35Mpg average over the 150 miles I put on the car 4) Interior felt cheap with shiny plastics (probably the cheapest trim spec in the range, but still not a 'cheap' car) 5) Didn't like the gear selector being on a stalk from the steering column at first, but got used to it and kind of liked it by the end 6) Little cargo nets on the side pockets in the boot - neat and very handy 7) It had a reversing camera (but no parking sensors!!) which was better in low light/darkness than the Lexus. However, it had a slight video lag meaning you nearly hit things if reversing a little quickly. 8) Seats aren't as comfy as my F-Sport Needless to say, I was glad to pick up my car again today, and really appreciated just how silky smooth the ride quality is from the hybrid system. I've been slightly bemoaning only being able to average 46MPG on my best tanks of the Lexus, but won't any more after the thirsty and lacklustre Merc experience!!

Don't think I need to explain when I am asking what fuse will enable cctv .as for the camera obviously one that is getting hardwired

not doubting that at all, how can you get bored of a ISF after 4 months, unless you have access to vast funds it seems unlikely.

Lexus make the best cars in the world. Lexus dealers are the best dealers in the world. It's up to us to be the safest drivers in the world.

My initial post #17 (why aren't they numbered on this new fangled layout ?) was presented in a very matter of fact way. I take your point that the police can't fund investigation into every misdemeanor on our roads. However, the 911 pulling in front of me and braking hard was very frightening and extremely dangerous. I had to brake so hard that my abs was activated ! It wasn't an accident for two reasons, I was sufficiently alert and responsive and the traffic following me were equally competent. I think you make light of the situation I described ! Don't think you'd have the same outlook if it had happened to you ! Having the dashcam installed hasn't and won't change my driving attitude, in fact I forget it's there, it is there in case I need it. It does have a bonus, since Mrs ledzep discovered that it records sound too, she is rather quiet in the car

With you on that Eric, I have used V Power (previously Optimax) since I bought the car and wold never use anything else. Mine is now turbo so I need the extra but always did before. Also shop around we have garages about 4 mile apart that are 8p a litre different but they still go into the expensive one. I would imagine petrol would degrade eventually and why those with cars they don't drive very often haver to drain the tank from time to time and refill, but you are probably talking a year or so. The cost of fuel always amuses me when people talk about it. When you buy a new car it drops about 10% the day you drive it off the forecourt, which for a new Lexus is probably about 2 years worth of fuel anyway. We sell water at £1 for half a litre (and some idiots will spend £9 on a packet of cigarettes!) so is petrol really that expensive?

Seems to really like a car he's only had for a few months..... Can't like it that much to be selling!

Has anyone asked "how long have you had it for?"

Please tell me where I can get a 300H for £7k

Hi. Personally I'd go for a 250 and avoid the diesel. The petrol car is much more refined so I've heard and better styled. What about a 300h ? Hybrid feul consumption and you have the best of both worlds. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

If you haggle really hard can get good price, I got mine from lexus snow group in Plymouth, they had it on for £11500, I got it for £10400,dealers always put on more as they know people will haggle.always get valuation first then you know where to start price from, start from bottom as I did at £10,000 which was private price.lexus do essential service which is exactly same as lexus one.i got my is220d essential service done, even stamped book.

Quick summary: IS220d is "fine" if you not driving in the city and if you are ok with under-powered manual car. Same would be applicable to any poor diesel car (like BMW320d) except maybe they have more reliable engines. IS250 AT has excellent engine and gearbox reliability and none of the issue IS220 has. Choice is very simple - either you get SE-L with everything or SE without anything, there are no major options except of Sat-Nav with Mark-levison audio and "moon" roof. you have option of MT as well. The real consumption of IS250 AT (my personal London driving last 10k miles) - 25-30MPG in start stop urban driving, 35-40MPG in extra urban (but I do ~90MPH, by driving 75-80MPH you can get 40+ MPG).

She's ok. I must admit the ls is completely impractical and I've only used it once. But I sat in it last night and it's a lovely old thing. Bit like the Mrs actually

Great pictures great looking car you will have lots of fun in that especially with spring and summer just around the corner. Mike.

We all have different priorities, I guess. Look how many people buy brand new cars to save a few quid on fuel, or to get £0 road tax, whilst quite happily chucking thousands down the pan in depreciation.

how did we end up talking 330d BMWs A Lexus is250 I would get. You get far more toys for your money, low maintenance in general. BMWs way over rated.

I had a 2008 IS220d SEL, nice car but the fuel consumption was not great in town or on a run, 6th gear way too tall, I changed it for a 250 F Sport auto, in my opinion overall a much better car.

Sorry, you misunderstood me (should have said 'they are' instead of 'it is'). I meant the model was nice in general, not the car I linked which I found at random.

You're right, this is pointless. I will however continue to express my opinion as I see fit. For the record, I never said I did drive a manual petrol. Perhaps you should re-read my post? Well, this speaks volumes about you, doesn't it? Finally, Robag, I apologise for de-railing your topic.

The point is I've only ever heard of this being a problem on LS430's (and on some Land Cruisers, I might add), but never on an LS400. This can only be due to differing design and manufacturing processes on the production line from 2001 onwards. Putting it bluntly, it's a design fault.

Presuming it is the same as here in the UK, then yes, it does require a disc. It is inserted behind the clock panel above the dvd player. There should be two little holes either side of the panel that are used to remove it to change the disc.

Hi All, So tomorrow I will finally be driving my Lexus for the first time since picking it up, it's been in the garage a while, while I've been doing bits and bats to it and I've been away on holiday too for 7 days. So far I've tinted the rear windows, painted the callipers and applied DECALS (Looks great) and added some logo puddle lights, I've also cleaned it up to looking like showroom new. I've got more stuff planned this weekend too, ambient lighting (got all the parts and tools just need the time to do it, LED foot well down lighting, extra boot lighting and maybe rear foot well lighting too if I can find a good spot to place the lights. Also looking at ordering some of these from the US: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290837889369?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT in blue and got a few other nick naks on the way but their coming from china so may take a while.

Top work. That's a lot of swirl marks! It's true you don't know a car until you have waxed/polished etc it. You get so close during the process. stu

I did promise that a detail would be one of the first items on my to do list. You never really know a car until you've given it a proper clean up. Turns out the paint is in pretty bad fettle, not marked or damaged just neglected its been treated to an 'average joe' care car regime I suspect. There is only one area I suspect has had a patch/scratch repair and thats on the back drivers side corner, in bright light you can just see a haze under the lacquer where its been blanded in. I might have the bumper painted to get rid of this but no hurry. So the process begins... as the saying goes 'you cant conquer Rome in a day' so today was stage 1. The paint was so dry it pained me and felt like very light sandpaper to the touch It was going to be a long but enjoyable day Quick pressure wash off the onto the Snowfoam, obligatory snowfoam shot... Two bucket wash and dry, wheels treated to Pro valet Bilberry wheel cleaner This is the paint after the wash before I started working on it, warning, explicit paint damage pics coming up, if you have a weak stomache look away now... A not so quick Clay...damn these are big cars compared to an S3 Wash off, and out comes the DA for a once over. Medium pad, heavy cut compound just to kill off the big stuff as a temporary until I have more time. Apply large amounts of polish full of fillers - Autoglym SRP Top off will Collinite 476s and this is what you end up with. You just have to know which products work in which situations. If you have knackered paint a polish full of fillers will work wonders. I will finish the detail at in the not so distant future I promise.

Last year I was travelling eastwards on the M4 between South Wales and London with cruise set around 75mph. I was in the middle lane overtaking lorries and in front of me were four cars travelling slower than me. My door mirror revealed no hazard so I pulled out to overtake. Within a matter of seconds a Porsche 911 closed on me very rapidly with lights flashing menacingly ! I continued to overtake the four vehicles at my cruise speed and pulled in immediately afterwards. The 911 was flashing me throughout ! As the 911 overtook me I gave him a two-fingered salute through my driver's window. He immediately pulled in front of me and slammed on his brakes. I had to brake very sharply to avoid a collision and was lucky that the car following me was sufficiently alert to avoid colliding with me too. As a result of this incident, I have just fitted a dashcam. Maybe I shouldn't have given the salute one may argue ? I just wish I had the footage of this *** in a Porsche to show to the police. Would they have done anything ? I don't know, but it was a very dangerous thing to do ! I'm pleased I have it, hope I never need to use the footage. I won't be posting on youtube, this is a peace of mind installation. £60 well spent in my view !

I think that is about right, the 2010> model years are certainly more desirable and carry a premium. Some one should point that out to the Manchester branch.

Not cheeky, I think everyone on here will know what these go for more or less. I didn't actually know it was down at that price originally but I paid £25k on the nose. I was happy to pay that looking at others

Had I of known you wer at Skye I would of invited you round to take your pick on bits of my mk4 LS.... I'm scrapping it next week as I've neglected it since I got my 600..... and Mrs is complaining about it sat on driveway doing nothing, as I am not a gold member I cannot offer any bits for sale as I have been constantly reminded lol... Anyway I will dig out the cartridge for you FREE of charge just send me your postal details and it's yours ... Just put in a extra £ or two the next time the poppy tins are out pm me your addy

After a gap of over 10 years and for a very modest price I'm now back in the IS200 Sport game. On the test drive it was just as I remember with all senses suitably stimulated. Sounds great, looks great (even smelt good but I think I might have imagined that) and much better than the Vauxhall company cars I have had that's for sure. Thanks to all on here for the posts I have been reading to help me know what to look for. Fingers crossed but with full service history and only 70k miles its going to serve me well. I did consider a lease plan on a new IS300 but £'s per smile I recon this one is going to be much better value. What could possibly go wrong? I'm looking forward to posting with you all when something inevitably will on a car of this age. Looking forward to some enjoyable motoring, Cheers Glynn

and when it was running on Volk wheels i have mixed and matched a few different offsets and wheels though