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New Year Wishes: health and happiness.

I’d rather servicing costs are lowered and we keep reliable vehicles that are serviced at least once a year.

Wishing you a happy and healthy new year Bernard and to all our other forum members. hope you are all ok.

I'm really looking forward to getting back out on my bike with the Cheam & Morden cycling club. It's been a good number of weeks now since I went, the bike has had a £300 service in the meantime (needed a bunch of stuff) and I have some nice new warm winter cycling clothes. Cycling is a great activity. It's unfortunately sometimes let down by the bad cyclists who sail through red lights and generally behave badly, but that's really just humans in general and motorists aren't any better.

Too early to have done much today, but yesterday I taxed the fresly MoTed LS400 and started driving it again. I doubt the £50 of V-Power I put in will last me long, but it's great to be behind the wheel of it again not just looking at it on the driveway. Now to start on the list of things it needs to keep it going as longer-term proposition.....

Managed to replace the side repeater without a hitch, working slowly with plastic trim tools I already had. Re-attaching the upper cover took the longest time. More of a sliding into position from the bottom and then pressing rather than a straight on push. Gave me a satisfying sense of achievement and saved me almost £50 from lexus! Many thanks to the valuable input from Colin & Peter.

Autoglym hand polished , then a coat of harly carnuba wax ! 3 hours worth looks clean for a day before rain comes back FullSizeRender.MOV

Motorists aren't any better at what may I ask? Sailing through red lights, riding on footpaths, impeding the progress of other road users, imperious to horses and pedestrians, going as fast as possible through rural villages, going two or three abreast worst of all shouting to one another as they go along 🤯😎

So far I don’t think anyone has mentioned that the IS is rear wheel drive and the ES front wheel drive. But don’t let that put you off the IS I have never managed to loosed the back end even on snow. With its 50/50 weight distribution it performs well in slippery conditions. I have not driven an ES so cant offer an opinion on that. My other comment, the Top spec IS with Mark Levinson will have bigger wheels that will make the ride harder. Good luck in your search, either will be a great car.

Congratulations Ian, satisfying to read as well as your own sense of satisfaction, and an encouragement to have a go at jobs that at first seem impossible - until you get the info from Colin and others 🙂 Embodies all that is good about these forums.

Most of Europe runs cars on E85, I am not saying ethanol does not have any effect (positive or negative), but it cannot be that great. If 17 times greater ethanol content does not kill IS250 then I don't really see why 2 times higher content would. It is well known (be it somewhat rumoured) that one should not leave ethanol in the tank for long time (that is E85), again how long it is somewhat debated, depends how full the tank is how much oxygen actually gets into the tanks, how cold/warm/humid it is, but consensus is that over the time ethanol will absorb some water. How much is again debatable, but any water in fuel is not good. So his is the argument about corrosion, basically some components may be fine in petrol, but may rust in water. Some argues that somehow ethanol pulls water out of seals ant thus dries them out and makes them brittle, but unless we talking about vintage cars and natural rubber seals I can't see this being the case either. As I said in the past I have run IS250 on E85 for thousands of miles (I think good guess would be 40k) and nothing has happened to it, now sure I have not disassembled fuel system before and after to confirm and inspect, so it is only anecdotal evidence, but even if there was undue wear we talking micrometres. So if that is anything to go by, then 8.5 times less concentration of ethanol should be fine for over 320k miles. That is not to say ethanol is better for cars or that anyone should ignore the manufacturer recommendations like I did and use ethanol, but the panic is unwarranted. And... importantly when it comes to additives I just kind of doesn't make sense additive can isolate all components from ethanol and make it safe to use. There are "conditioners" for diesel and petrol as well, which works in similar way and extends life of fuel already in the tank, but that should not be needed if the tanks is used at least in 3-6 months. As for Redex in particular and IS250. The key issues is that 4GR-FSE has only direct injection, so 80% of what fuel additives could do automatically does not apply, because fuel never touches injectors or intake manifold and thus can't clean anything. The only thing it could do it to clean injectors, but the fuel itself should be cleaning them (ethanol is actually good way to clean injectors)... so despite using redex in the past I honestly cannot justify any reason to have it in the tank on IS250 in particular.

Dont worry if the firing squad is all female i am sure a fight will break out between them giving you two the opportunity to sneak out!

I second that Bill. Happy New Year everyone one.

The way things have gone over the last year or so I think I'd settle for a year when nothing else goes wrong 🙂

My guess would be that there's a good chance that this technique results in the parking pawl sometimes not engaging with the parking gear. I don't suppose this matters as the parking brake is holding the car but here's a video that shows the parking pawl and parking gear in a similar Toyota transmission. From this you can see that sometimes the parking pawl may not slip into a slot in the parking gear. This is the Prius P410 transaxle, whereas the IS300h has the L210 transmission, which is pretty similar but designed for rear wheel drive rather than front wheel drive. If you look at the video you can see that the parking pawl won't necessarily fit into a slot on the parking gear unless it turns a fraction to line up the pawl with the slot. This movement is what causes the jolt you sometimes feel when it engages. It probably doesn't matter whether it engages or not because if the parking brake were to fail, the parking pawl would still slide into the next slot of the parking gear before the car had a chance to move more than a fraction. And for normal use, if the brakes are holding the car whenever Drive is selected, it will never be obvious whether the parking pawl was engaged or not.

A few more pics, trim tools came in handy, lock nuts added to prevent the nuts coming loose again

I just took a nice drive out to the Lakes , got back now. Scary driving through countryside at night, no street lights

I hope it has Dolby B at the very least…😆

Presumably, as an EV owner you need one of these impediments to progress in order to avoid the 3 hour, waiting to charge queues? 😁

Change to a bosch battery yuasa are rubbish batteries. Mine was still under warranty, but halfords would not replace it went flat after roughly 4 days no use. No problem with the bosch.

I would say no. Not saying it's incorrect, just that you don't have any evidence for the claim. There's one light and hundreds of things that can make it come on. Codes will provide clues but not always a definitive diagnosis, which is why technicians cost as much as they do because diagnosis is the skill.

A Mini-VCI cable and Techstream will give you the best interface (equivalent to a Toyota main dealer). I think you can buy licenses to use it for a single day for not much money.

the blessings are that the number of cyclists will reduce simply from inextricable mangleation of their cycles 🤣 Malc

I forgotten how to use internet without ad-blocker... so sadly don't know adds on this site (or any ads to be fair). But where I am leading to - get ad-blocker and you will never look back!

We'd die of old age whilst they were picking out the right colour bullets 🙂 Now I'm really done for 🙂

Thats a very good point you raised about the larger wheels. My IS has 18 inch f sport wheels and they're noticeably harsh. That section on the M25 which is concrete is just too loud and jarring to drive on.

Could be a vacuum leak somewhere, check the oil filler cap is tightly sealed and all hose clamps etc.

I Would get Your Lexus to Your Local Dealership This Needs checked Out Soon As...!!!!!

Well they're cars from different classes. The IS is more a 3 series / C class type car where as the ES is more a mid size - E class / 5 series type car. Other than the sunroof and sound system i think the decision would largely depend on what you use the car for and what your priorities are. I sold my e class due to ulez expansion and was looking for a lexus hybrid. I knew i didn't want an suv so for my budget my options were the IS or the GS (which i think is now replaced by the ES) but overall similar decision. I test drove both and frankly preferred the GS as the interior was roomy and it was more comfortable etc. But similar to the ES the rear seats didn't fold and the boot had an awkward shape which made storing a childs buggy along with any luggage tricky. In the end i went for an IS as that was at a good price + the looks and storage won me over. Overall for what i use the car for (primarily in the city and school runs etc) it is compact had adequate storage that is flexible and it is easier to park in relatively tight spaces than something like the e class or cars of that segment. But it is not without its flaws e.g its designed to be sporty so the seats are super snug doing anything like stretching over and trying to reach anywhere else in the car e.g. The glovebox etc is a nightmare. Sometimes even trying to take things out of the centre console is super difficult and inconvenient. If i had to do it over i sometimes think the GS would be more comfortable and maybe I should have gone for that. While the IS is adequate as a family car it was designed to be more sporty and is not what you would choose if you prefer wafting along in comfort. Also if you do more highway runs and need the comfort I recommend the roomier more comfortable ES over the sporty snug IS.

I've never been a fan of Redex products. Can't remember what happened but a motorcycle at the time needed a repair after it was used. Put me and friends off for life.

Thanks for the update. I've seen a dealer in the Croydon area that seems to have a good selection in my price bracket max £7000 .they have various well maintained service history and a reasonable warranty. There is also a private seller near me with a 06 model that looks ok but I don't think the belts have been replaced. I will be checking the everything you have suggested Thanks for the information I will post on the forum as the search continues

Just wanted to thank you for posting this guide. I have just used it to fix a a very loud rattle on the passenger headrest of my GS250, it turned out both nuts had detached and where rattling around inside the headrest. My question is now it is all back together properly how does the forward/backward adjustment mechanism actually work? The Headrest goes up and down but Im currently not sure how to adjust it any other way and the owners manual isn't clear. Mine is a 2013 F-Sport with the 15 way seats. Thanks.

Hi Random and welcome to the LOC. Bear in mind these cars have Climate Control and being computer controlled the blower will not operate until the engine has warmed up if the selected cabin temperature is above ambient temperature to avoid blowing cold air into a cold cabin. Did you leave the car running long enough for the coolant to warm up to the normal level on the gauge?

Not too distant from Epicurus’ belief that happiness lies in the absence of pain. Or something like that. Not sure he made any distinction between women and men in this regard, though. Perhaps Phil can enlighten us.

That's for the diagrams. Just had a go at lying on my back in the footwell to find that rely box no. 1 and it's hiding. I'll try in the morning when there's light and hopefully no rain. I wish car makers would insist on hiding fuses and relays above footwells. It's just rude.

Crikey Bill the New Year has given you unbridled courage 🤣, just remember everything you write is now on record forever. So come the ultimate female revolution I shall be alongside you lined up against the wall. 🤣🤣🤣

Hi John, only just picked up your thread but still hope to contribute. Hope this helps. I've just purchased an RX400h (07) and when looking I found my best guide was to check MOT history using the 'Vehicle Smart' App. When looking I found so many 'yellow' passes that had advisories relating to corrosion. Needless to say these were all dismissed outright. I also became wary, through research, of those with a sun roof (leaks can apparently be an issue) and also those around the 110-120k mileage mark because it is recommended (so I'm told) that drive belts and spark plugs should be changed every 60,000. So I think I was lucky to find one well within my budget (£7k) with no sun roof, 11 'green' MOTs out of the last 14 years (last 5 consecutive), recent belt and plugs changed around 65k and it's still only done 83k. Interestingly I bought it privately and it does not have a full Lexus service but has clearly been very well looked after so I would not necessarily place too much importance on Dealer service history but, obviously, if it comes with it then all to the good. My final two criteria were to not spend a ridiculous amount on Road Tax and to not have a model with air suspension. I managed to tick those boxes too. So all in all I'm a very happy bunny. PS ... If you want to buy mine then tough, 'cos I ain't selling! PPS ... Good luck with your search, I'm sure there's one out there with your name on it. Happy New Year.

hold fire ! - these cars always show low coolant when the engine is cold - I will upload a picture of coolant tank in the morning - compare it with yours before taking any action. On a side not you should never use anything in these cars apart from Toyota Red coolant. has the radiator been changed on yours?

I hate rattle noises from cars. I have sold a couple of cars because of rattles that I couldn't find / repair.

Dirt doesn't harm the car. Cleaning it can ..

Roads around here are gritted every night, so washing the car would be a waste of time. Also don't want to risk my pressure washer getting wrecked with water freezing inside it.

If you have Android, download the torque app, if you're on iOS, I find "Car Scanner" (Blue icon) to be good. You can clear the codes, but if it's something like that it'll come back on. I had the same on my car when my Lambda sensor died, same lights on the dash, but luckily it wasn't misfiring or idling funny. Depends on which sensor it is, otherwise you can have symptoms like those..

As above. A disconnected MAF sensor makes you car run like #hit. I found that out when i forgot to plug it back.

I think it may have been down to me. Today I rediscovered how to redirect the air to the windscreen and put it in recirculating mode the air in the car and it was much quicker. I did read the manual quite comprehensively 18 months ago when I first got the RX but obvious have forgotten most of it now but at over seven hundred pages this is a lot to remember on top of the further over three hundred pages for the infotainment and satellite navigation system. So much high tech and so many settings but I guess thats progress for you.

I have long argued similar case and have met same people making same claims over and over again. This is same thing as another thread about changes in the rules more generally. In summary the responsibility seems to be continuously moving away from individual actions and toward the drivers, thus making roads more hostile and removing duties from people up the arbitrary "hierarchy of road users" and pushing their duties down to motorists. They as well have decided on most invalid criteria for hierarchy as well - that is "vulnerability", rather than standard hierarchy of competence. I find it absurd that cyclists and on top of them pedestrians, who mostly have no understanding of Highway Code are considered superior and are given increasingly more authority. As Illustrated by Matthew - cyclists in highway code had provisions which allows them to control the traffic behind them, even thought they are not required to have any formal or even informal knowledge of applicable rules. Not only that - rules themselves are often impossible to follow (roads could be just too narrow to pass) and supporters of the rules just brushes this off as "and why you in the rush, what you can't wait for the suitable road for overtake?!" Completely disregarding that that suitable road could be miles away and whole column of motorists will be driving behind single cyclists who feels the need to be defensive and drive in the middle of the road. And this lack of consideration for motorist is infuriating - so they ask mutual respect and support, but as well expect motorist to be second class users?! Note as well, that in Highway code there are "key words", - MUST, means it is back by law, SHOULD means it is advise. If you go trough various sections, then you will see that most rules applicable to motor vehicles are MUST, whereas most of rules applicable to other users are SHOULD or just advisory. So realistically, there are very few rules which are enforceable on other users and really it depends at their discretion if they will follow them. The other claim often made on false premise is "and why should cyclists unnecessarily do something". Well that is the point - because there are no rules saying they MUST NOT, so they can do it for the sake of doing it, because they are jealous, or because they don't like the colour of your car, or because you looked wrong at them, or so they thought. Now it is fair to say there are idiots in ranks of both drivers and cyclists, but when it comes to drivers there is only so far they can go before they acting criminally and there are clear rules under which they can be made responsible... when it comes to cyclist idiots, there is very little you can do and such people can go very long way before they really cross the line. In summary, what I am saying - for mutual care and respect, we need mutually fair equal playing field. It was never never fair and recent changes made it even more unfair... or at very least the language encourages cyclist to be more defensive, more bold and put themselves out in front of the car. On political level it is gain for cycling ideologists, on level of society as a whole that loss for us all. Signed.

Oh dear. This discussion is a perfect illustration of what will be being played out on the roads as a result of the latest amendments. You assume for example that it's up to the cyclist to determine whether they consider it safe to allow a vehicle to overtake them when being approached from behind, but that is not what the rule says it states "allow them to overtake where it is safe to do so" Where it is safe to do so may differ between cyclist and driver and either can be wrong, it needs clarity. The cyclist may not have the benefit of having taken a driving test either which would make matters worse. As for mobility I'm not sure you know what it means. How many older drivers do you think will be able to open the door from the outside. Not very many I can tell you. Otherwise people use their mirrors as they've always done, and of course you overlooked the responsibility of the cyclist to themselves of looking in the car as they aproach and keeping at least a metre away incase someone carelessly opens their door. In short, you can't say the petition is ill advised, you can say in your opinion it is ill advised but as shown so far you're not really looking at the issue from more than one road users perspective.

Well I'll go t' foot of our stairs as me dear departed granny used to say - that'll teach me not to just copy and paste without checking first

I hope this video can be seen by the general public but I saw it on Facebook so you may need a Facebook account to view it, I don't know: https://www.facebook.com/william.harmsworth.39/videos/476306763942079 If it doesn't work, below is a screenshot of a cyclist enjoying their new-found freedom

I do have some sympathy with Matthew's argument, I find aspects of the new rules, both pedestrians and cyclists, worrying. I always show great respect for cyclists and I expect courtesy in return. Effectively blocking the road can only exacerbate frustrations, many vehicle drivers are on business not a leisure drive, just imagine the stress on a delivery driver if he has constant hold ups in an already stressful job. My bet is that these rules will be revised at some time due to increasing incidents/accidents. Bill D.

Hi there the GS is definitely more comfortable than IS with a better ride and also has a lovely interior, best in class in my view. The GS F sport is firmer both in ride and steering feel. If you want comfort then I would go for GS luxury or premier spec and use sport mode which tightens up steering feel when required, otherwise leave in normal mode and enjoy comfort. The F sport has a permanently heavy sporty steering and firmer ride on 19 inch alloys so be sure to properly test. I had GS luxury model from new for 6 years, brilliant car with no issues at all. Good luck!