ColinBarber

Yeah it is straightforward. Just make sure you can undo the fill plug before draining 😉 Crush washer/Gasket part code 12157-10010 needed for both drain and filler. Needs exactly 1 litre for the LSD diffs, which was standard on the IS300 in the UK.

I think the main problem is when the words are spoken, as it is easy for it to be misinterpreted. Always copy and paste the words directly if possible.

Yes, every 2 years/20k miles.

Yes, if it is still under the 3 year manufacturer warranty.

They were optional in Japan, so either these have been ordered from there or the original ones have been painted. The option wasn't available in the UK.

SE and SE-I were still available in 2011/12, so the range was SE>Advance>SE-I>F-Sport>SE-L. But because the Advance was only £340 more expensive than the SE hardly any were sold, given that the Advance provides the following over the SE spec: Satellite navigation Rear parking camera Cruise Control Rain-sensing wipers Leather Seating Pack (leather upholstery, heated front seats, eight-way electric front seat adjustment) Front and rear parking sensors Auto-dimming rear-view mirror HID bi-xenon headlights with LED running lights 18-inch alloy wheels

Might be worth measuring where the beam is, turning everything off, loading the boot and then turn on the ignition and lights again to see if the beam is still in the same place or has moved up.

Agreed, what you describe seems like a hardware fault not software.

By not altering the the tyre profile as you moved up a wheel size you have changed the rolling radius by almost 4%. You speedo will be more accurate (as by design it reads over), and you odometer will show less miles than you actually travel. I'd normally only expect to have stepping when on full lock, and if so probably not worth worrying about it - and try to avoid full lock anyway. Are you getting it at other times? Whilst the geometry won't have changed by altering the rolling radius, the way the car behaves will change and you may need to deviate from the stock settings to optimise your setup. You are best to go to a specialist to get your geometry set up.

Stereo is the same. Suspension is the same design but stock springs/shocks are different due to different weight of the vehicle, and different front end wheel geometry. Aftermarket coilers should fit without an issue. Many products state compatibility for both IS220d/250, other don't if they originate in Japan or the US as the 220d wasn't released there. https://www.fensport.co.uk/collections/lexus-is-220d-ale20-11-05-12-10/category_chassis-tuning

The exhaust manifolds aren't cast so unlikely to be a crack in one of them. As Brain says, check the manifold bolts, the welds around where the primary cats are attached to the manifold and the joints to the exhaust.

Watford Gap in Northamptonshire is the North/South divide isn't it 😉

Yes it is standard practice for the HHC. They need long term history to ensure there are no intermittent issues before providing a warranty and if the ECU has been reset (or battery disconnected) then the history has been lost.

It's a fine line, and one that they are probably over. There isn't a dominant market issue here as there are many independent one can go to for servicing, but restricting prices that franchises can set is illegal - although some dealers will offer you a lower price so they technically can ultimately set their own price.

I suspect you have a small leak and the level got to the point where the pump couldn't circulate the coolant correctly and the hybrid system shut down because of overheating. Whatever error was produced seems to have cleared by the normal 3 good engine start up cycles rather than needing manual intervention. The noise you heard would have been air in the electric cooling pump. You really don't want this to happen again so you should top up the coolant before you need to go on a long drive, even if it means adding water as that is better than nothing - but then get it all drained and replaced with proper Toyota pink coolant when the issue is fixed. A low 12v aux battery can cause all sorts of weird error messages, but they normally occur on start up, not once the engine is running as the hybrid system is then providing all the vehicle electronics with 14.4 v. This also isn't just a battery issue, you had noises that suggest air in the system and a low coolant level. Hopefully it is something simple such as a hose split or not clamped properly. I've not heard of these water pumps failing but it is possible. The pink coolant is easy to spot so it should be easy to tell where it is coming from.

The RX 500h is going to be quite different from the current RX 450h. 2.4l 4 cylinder, turbo, 6 speed transmission rather than a CVT. I suspect most sales will be the RX 350h or RX 450h+ though.

If a dealership has a Toyota and Lexus franchise they have to obey the rules or risk losing it. It's Toyota GB that are price fixing, not the dealers. If you ask Toyota GB about it they will say they are doing it owners a favour by removing the need to shop around for the best price.

It's possible the air was just purged from the system through the vibration of driving the vehicle. I'd top up again and take it out for another small drive. Not sure whether the error will clear itself or it needs to be cleared, either with a diagnostic tool or disconnecting the battery. Given that the coolant level is still going down at the moment it is probably best that it is locked out for now.

Have you looked at the Lexus website to see if the price is competitive? I've purchased vehicles from Nottingham, Oxford, Exeter and Ipswich to get a better deal. I only got my wife's UX from Guildford because it was an ex. Toyota/Lexus car that had a set price on so a Surrey tax wasn't added.

What is odd is that the engine cooling system and the hybrid cooling system are independent - a leak on one cannot affect the other. Do you know if the levels were fine before you had this problem, or this could just be a slow leak over a long time period? Ignoring the engine coolant for now, the main issue is the hybrid system (inverter) cooling system. It obviously detected an issue and shut down. It only contains around 2.2 litres so almost half has disappeared. It is quite a small and simple system so it should be easy to diagnose with a pressure test and fix. Keep a careful eye on the level until you can get a garage to look at it.

How much coolant did you have to put in? When you say both tanks can you be clear on which ones, as there are three caps you could put coolant into.

Yes, 100%. However it isn't really free if you are forced to pay way over the odds for a service, and it is a particularly bad deal for people who have vehicles under 3 years old and are covered by the manufacturer warranty.

Do a series of heavy braking runs from 60 - 10 mph to clean up the pads and discs to see if that improves things.

The newer WLTP figures are realistic, not the older published ones FUEL CONSUMPTION (WLTP†) Combined mpg (l/100km): AWD - 36.6 (7.7) - 37.1 (7.6) FWD - 39.7 (7.1) - 39.7 (7.1) Forced EV drive mode is really only designed for moving a vehicle in/out of a garage/driveway, if you use it in normal driving you will likely get worse mpg than if you let the system sort itself out. When driving the vehicle will go in and out of EV mode by itself when it is optimal for it to do so.

Threaten to go to an independent, or just go to an independent, is the only option. Hopefully if enough people stop using Lexus dealers they will be forced to lower the prices.