saracen

I too have a silver SE-L with no visible "rust" spots. I have washed the car about four times now and I always have a very close look at it while leathering it off. Just on your other point the cruise control holds the speed at what ever it is set at. Are you pushing the cruise button in, so that the "CRUISE" sign comes up on the dashboard. You then need to tap the Cruise lever down to then set the speed. Took me a while to figure this, plus a read of the manual! I find the cruise feels wierd as the car does what ever it needs to do to maintain the speed. Having said that I've never been lucky enough to have cruise control before, so maybe that is what it is supposed to do.

I know that the structural rigidity of the IS250 is said to be 20% stiffer than the IS200, but what about the paint? How does the paint (apart from obvious new colour range) differ from the outgoing model??? My personal opinion is that the paint is a lot better. 1400 miles and no chips so far. I used to dread cleaning the IS200 because each time there woudl be a new set of chips. I did take a GS300 out as a courtesy car on my last IS service and that had a massive chip on it, it almost put me off buying an IS250 as I was worried that the paint was going to be no better than the outgoing model.

I believe you can - I tried and failed so will need to read the manual There are two MPG figures, MPG since the car was made (?) and an MPG for the current tank of petrol. I tried to reset the tank figure as I've just filled up. I'm pretty sure that the MPG for the tank resets every time you fill up. I did notice something in the manual about resetting it, I guess I will have another read - RTFM I guess, but it is not the most exciting read, I find myself falling asleep.

When you're in the wrong gear and the revs are too low for that gear e.g. being in 5th gear at 10 mph. Not really a problem for the auto though. Cheers Scott. Yes this wouldn't be a problem for the auto, man the changes are so sweet, you really cannot tell when it moves up a gear. Lucky man Saracen...how is the car bearing up? How many miles have you done, and have you stopped smiling? The car is still amazing and I'm am loving it, loving it, loving it. :D The car has generated a lot of positive comments from colleagues at work and I'm still giving the occassional guided tour. And I love the way people stare at it as it glides past them or the way others try and crane their necks to get a better look when stopped in traffic. So far I have done just over 1200 miles and I've had the car for nearly a month, and it still looks perfect, I've not reached Koshimes levels of super polishing but I did nip in to Halfords over the weekend to get some car cleaning bits and pieces. This week I did my first long trip up to Manchester with three colleagues from work, the car certainly got its fair amount of Ooos and Aaaahs, as I demonstrated the keyless entry and start, the sat nav and the reversing camera (which I think got the most admiration of the day). Despite some of the very positive comments for the IS in the press I still think Lexus has some way to go before, in people minds, they favourably compare it with BMW, Audi and Mercedes. I'm not bothered, I still think it is the best all-rounder on the road and fantastic value to boot. And in the future I'll be able to say "I had the foresight to drive one when everyone else thought they were rubbish!" I finally saw another IS - in Aberdeen of all places! An then another in Coventry a few days later but they are still a very rare sight on the road. Am I still smiling, what do you think? :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

When you're in the wrong gear and the revs are too low for that gear e.g. being in 5th gear at 10 mph. Not really a problem for the auto though. Cheers Scott. Yes this wouldn't be a problem for the auto, man the changes are so sweet, you really cannot tell when it moves up a gear.

What do you mean when you say "labouring the engine". I really don't understand this term.

Arkanoid, welcome to the club. I too have a silver SE-L Auto with MM. Not noticed any ticking from the engine. The cruise control does slow the car down but I find I need to hold it down for a few seconds before it starts to slow. I too had a "clicking" noise from the console, although it didn't move but it only seemed to happen when the car was first started and it was cold and to be honest it has now completely stopped. I hope these minor points don't spoil your enjoyment of what is a great car. You could always speak to your dealer and get them to resolve any thing you are not happy about.

Cheers Saracen. The SE does not have memory, so this might explain why I cant get it to work (must read the manual some time) I get a similar light sequence to you but don't see any led over the gear stick - maybe manuals don't have this. Where are you front door courtesy lights ? In the doors I only have red ones. With the boot I was kind of expecting something similar to the puddle lights, I'm sure the reversing lights could come on or the number plate lights. I think the puddle lights are actually a waste of time - they come on just as I climb in, you almost need them to come on quicker (white leds maybe) or come on from further away. The door courtesy lights are the red ones at the bottom of the door. The puddle lights do come on if you use the remote but then that would defeat the idea of the Smart Entry!

Thanks for the pics Scarface. I went to Halfords today but they had run out of the 2 connectors, will keep an eye out. It is not pressing as the iPod seems to last forever on a single charge.

Koshime, my 220d SE+MM doesn't do the reverse mirror thingy. Tried with l/r and centre button - no joy. Is there anything else you did to get this working. Also, do your led personal lights come on when you unlock the car ? Manual talks about several sets of lights - I just get the front and rear main lights and some footwells in the front. Certainly dont get an led lighting the console/gear lever. Finally I get the puddle lights but nothing when I approach the boot Scott, I can only comment on the IS250 SE-L Auto. I have set the mirror button to L and it works fine but the manual says that the dipping is only a function if you have memory seats. Does the SE have memory seats? The lighting sequence is "staged". As you approach the car interior courtesy lights (front and rear) come on and also the outer puddle lights. In reality you almost have to be right next to the door for this to happen. When you open a door the interior lights (front and rear) will come on, these are in the same place as the courtesy lights, but if you check they do get brighter when you open the door. Also the front footwell lighting, front door courtesy lighting and front scuff lighting will all come on as well. The LED personal lights you mention only come on when you switch them on. There is an LED light to light the gear lever, if you have an automatic it shines onto the top of the lever but might not be so visible on the manual. It also not very bright and would be masked if you have the MM which gives off a lot of light. The lights will not work when you are near the boot as you are too far away.

Hey newbie, how much did this connector cost? I'd be interested as I have the Belkin power connector but as you say can't use it as the centre console will not close.

Jamboo, thanks for mentioning me. I've been really busy with work this week and haven't managed to update the diary but to get back on topic, I've not had any rattles in my IS. My driving is a mixture of motorway and country roads so there are plenty of chances to shake the girl about and so far I'm rattle free. Of course should any rattles start, Lexus Leicester will be the first to hear of it and you guys the second...

I've been meaning to mention this but when I bought my car I was told that I could have an all inclusive service package based on my current mileage (20K per year) for £1200 ish for three years. This package includes all servicing PLUS items not normally included such as tyres, lights, wiper blades. So for the next three years I would only have to put petrol in, tax and insure... I can also take my car to any Lexus dealer too... Has anyone else heard of such a deal? It sounds great value, I spent £800 alone on tyres on my last IS.

I can't say I noticed any adverse wind noise on my trip over the weekend. Admittedly I did not take the car over 80mph. A second opinion from my front seat passenger confirmed what I thought. Sorry Tango...

Tango, as promised pics of charger: Charger in place With armrest down, the armrest will not close fully and cannot be slid back into place either.

if you go into My controls and then manage my attatchments, you can delete some to free up space Sorry to sound like a novice but if I delete them from My Controls will they not also disappear from the posts that I have put the pictures in? I did an experiment and it does delete it from the post, how can I get around this? I thought Gold members could post as many pictures as they want.

if you go into My controls and then manage my attatchments, you can delete some to free up space Sorry to sound like a novice but if I delete them from My Controls will they not also disappear from the posts that I have put the pictures in?

I had read that Lexus has developed a call centre to contact customers when their service is due. All part of the legendary service. "Lexus's industry-leading performance in customer satisfaction is witnessed by an unprecedented five successive J.D. Power and Associates Gold Awards. But true to its core principle of the "relentless pursuit of perfection", Lexus GB has launched the Lexus Customer Relations Management programme, designed to deliver an even better ownership experience. A series of innovative measures is being phased in across the national network of 53 Lexus Centres to establish a system for booking service appointments that is more time-efficient and better tailored to each motorist's personal preferences. Central to this programme is the setting up of a national call centre." I had two calls myself but I always take the car to the dealer myself. Don't want no stranger hand-brake turning my baby round corners! Not that this ever happens of course...

I too am having problems adding pictures to a post. I get the following error message: The total filespace required to upload all the attached files is greater than your per post or global limit. Please reduce the number of attachments or the size of the attachments. The images are small in size. Have I done something wrong?

My Dad bought me one for Christmas and while it works great it is still too tall to allow the armrest to be closed while it is charging the iPod. I've left the charger in the glove compartment as I can use it with the cigarette lighter if the iPod is low on power but that has not happened yet. If I get the chance I will post some pictures to show it in action.

DAY EIGHT Woke up this morning and decided to give the car a wash. But then it started to rain and then snow. Decided not to let it stop me so I opened up one of the empty barns and did it there :P The car is really easy to clean and when I finished it looked like new! But then I noticed I had two really small chips on the rear drivers side alloy wheel. I can't believe it - Lexus have had years to come up with wheels that don't chip at the sight of a stone and it looks like they have not learned anything in the last few years. I am really :tsktsk: Having calmed down and getting things into perspective the car still looks great and I'm sure that the Lexus warranty will take care of things if they get any worse. Going for a drive to Solihull later and will see what the wind noise is like at motorway speeds. Total Mileage: 314 Cattle startled by Lexus heading their way: 5

Wow filming and driving at the same time - how safe is that! :duh: He did the say the car schweet!

I too have an SE-L MM but have not noticed any significant wind noise. I usually have the stereo on so that might be why. I'm doing some motorway driving today so will have a good listen. That is if the other half can keep quiet for 10 minutes. :shutit:

Hi Mike, I live in the country so narrow twisty lanes form part of my journey every day. I also have the IS250 SE-L with MM and have noticed the big difference between the light given out with the new IS over the old one. The light on the passengers side is just as good as that from the drivers side on my car. I don't know of anyway of modifying the lights for other driving conditions. I don't want to be rude but was the system switched on as there is a satellite switch to turn them off?

This news is simply awful, and a new car too, but as you say you both walked away with little injury, save for a broken hand, and you can't put a price on that. I hope your wife gets better soon and the car is replaced with little hassle. Hearing that the car saved you both makes me even more certain that I made the right purchasing decision.