is200 Newbie

The creak comes from a ventilation flap closing / opening - you will usually hear it close when you turn the car off - after two or three seconds the ventilation system closes itself off from outdoor elements to stop moisture getting into the cabin. It happens on mine regularly when I turn the engine off - its not a real issue and hasnt given me any hassle. I have got to question why Lexus don't know this? Mine is a 2007 model, surely its come up in the past with them?

Impressive results for the polished lights - has it made a difference in the headlight beams?

Anyone know what a 2007 VED tax band would be for a 250 auto ? I believe its a band K? Just looking at the new 2017 road tax changes - works out to be £295 (£5 cheaper?!)

I still one of the lucky ones that have the paper pink copy - still legible but starting to fray at the edges Mine expires in 2037 ... happy days !

Make sure you get a guarantee from any manufacturer that its quiet in the cabin No drone Good welds Passes emissions (depending on what components are being replaced) If you are replacing a good exhaust then KEEP the old one just to be sure you can live with any noise from the new one. If you can live with it then sell the old one as they are very scarce as OEM parts, especially the back boxes.

Looks clean and tidy Personally I think its too dear at nearly 6k - its not the SE-L model so does not have (in my opinion) the added "extras" that make the car worth purchasing at that price. there are a lot more out there being the SE-L model, cheaper, and have the top spec toys for the car that make it more desirable. Also, and its only my opinion, looking at the low mileage cars shows that these, being a 2.5L engine car have not been run as expected - at nearly 10 years old, you would expect to see it at around 80 - 90k miles having had decent runs on motorways etc. This high mileage its just run in.... a low miler would have been used as a run about, but saying that, I only do 6k a year but purchased mine at just under 70k. Expect the same things to go wrong with it as a high miler as its the age that make the difference for the likes of exhaust / brake calipers / fluids, maybe not as much but expect them. Also, get the registration number then look through the MOT history of the car on the web and that will give you a very good indication of how well its been looked after. Personally, for me, its too expensive.

As with John above - Tyres are what you are willing to pay - Tyres for my wife's Tigra cost more than mine !! Mine are the standard 17" wheels so I would not stress on the cost of tyres as they are comparable with any run of the mill car. There's no real issue in tyre wear if the wheels are all balanced / aligned so its just a wear and tear issue and that will be down to how you drive the car. As for the spark plugs, yes the change is at 60k miles (as per Lexus recommendations) but you will get up to 100k from them, loads of owners will run the plugs to that mileage, change them and note that the used plugs still have loads of life in them....but, if the car has not had the latest recall (fuel seal) then there's a work around where you can book the car in for the recall and have the plugs done at the same time as most of the parts will come off to do the recall work that need to come off to do the plugs - no brainer. I believe the work will cost around £120 (check the figure) for the extra work and the parts costed separate. When you consider that cost and the longevity of the plug life then its actually on a level playing field with other vehicles as the other vehicles will be changed twice (if not more) during the lifetime of the ones fitted in the Lexus. Post a link to the car you are looking at and members here may guide you through any issues spotted with it ....

I paid around £50 but it was a few years ago- look at this one - eBay number 262683811993 - Its the same one and depending on the exchange rate its a good saving from the one you are looking at from Australia. In each case they will all need to be modified to accept the Lexus badge as in the pic above

There's some good prices on there - have saved the link for future

Personally, I would go with the first option and its a close match to the grill pattern under the number plate. This is the same one I used when I updated my grill. Pictures below are of the same part I fitted to mine.

Its a working part so don't go at it hell for leather - take the top pin out which is actually like a large bolt secured to the caliper - I think a size 14mm socket is required to unscrew it. I would be surprised if you have any issue in removing this slide pin as it is shrouded in a rubber boot. The caliper should pivot on the lower slide pin to the point where when at its lowest point will slide out. Squirt some WD40 under the bottom rubber boot - leave for a few minutes and then try moving it back and forward by using your hands. If theres no sign of it moving then try the mallet - if there are signs its moving then stick with it until it moves freely, applying more WD until its completely freed.. if no luck then with the mallet gently tap the caliper while trying to "wiggle" it back and forward with your other hand - you will get a feel for it if its starting to move. Add a bit of force until it moves. If its not budging then you could try two things: spray with WD40 and leave overnight and try again in the morning. Apply heat but I would do this as a very last resort but if doing this then make sure all the oil you put on it has been cleaned first before heating up. Once you get it off it will need a very good clean - both pins will need cleaning from rust / dirt etc - the rubber boot from the top slide pin and the recess on the carrier from the bottom pin. Get them spotless. Before re-fitting, make sure the piston is moving freely (open the brake fluid reservoir) and squeeze the piston in with either a clamp of some form or a pry bar just to ensure it is moving. Remember to close the brake fluid reservoir when done.Put the right grease in and monitor them every 6 months until you are confident they are clean enough and sliding properly. Stick with it and it should come free. If one has seized then I would be inclined to check all the other pins on the calipers

The parking break operates the inner rear drum shoes so while the wheel will be secure to work on, the rear calipers themselves should be free to remove.

What does the noise sound like?

Sounds like you have a bad "rattle" mine only happened on start up and only on a few occasions before the flush took effect - never when the car was running. IS it definitely a machine gun sounding rattle? I have also experienced a what can be best described as a "shiver" when the car was running - used some BG40 and I have not experienced that since either but there was no noise associated to this. Its very unlikely to be an issue with the chain if the noise is as above. The chain can stretch but not to the point that it will create any sound like that experienced. when doing your flush I always run the car at 2k revs for 20 minutes with the flush in / drain / put some new oil in and let that drain until clear / tighten all the plugs up, new filter etc and then do the new oil fill.

Sneeky - the TV ad doesn't mention any charges...

I will be the first along to comment on the use of the engine flush...I regularly do it - twice a year along with the oil change. It is a personal thing I guess. My use started when I owned a Vauxhall Astra and the engine rattled like hell - I tried the engine flush and it quietened it down quite a bit but shortly after I got rid of the car so cant comment on it totally eradicating it on another brand or car. Since then I have used Wynns flush at every oil change on the Lexus. The rattle you have noticed I had experienced a long time ago when I first got the IS250. After a few oil changes and engine flushes I can only presume that the noise disappeared due to this fact as I was not doing any other maintenance to resolve the noise. The noise, if its the same, sounds like a machine gun for a second or so, but soon goes? Since I first experienced it, the noise has not returned. I do an oil change with Magnatec and a flush with Wynns every 6 months (I have a change due now in fact). I have noticed that the oil stays cleaner longer, much longer, than when it did when I first got the car. Its not an instant fix, I would think two or three times using the flush you will see and hear a difference. I have had no issue what so ever in using it. One thing I did notice however was when I changed from Magnated to Edge. Edge seemed to get dirty quicker and I had to top up the level between changes. Went back to Magnatec and there were no problems so stuck with Magnatec since - offers can be had through ASDA now and then for around £20 per tub. One point I would make though - if you are considering an engine flush then make sure the oil filter housing cap can easily come off and also the oil plug can easily come off. You don't want to add the flush and then find out you cant drain it due to one of the housing nuts or caps being seized. I think the flush is paraffin based, it smells like it a bit. I will carry on using it just because I have the confidence after a few years that its ok for mine. I do think it makes a difference. Also, when changing the oil I do run some new oil through to flush the old oil out before securing the drain plug and finally filling it as I think it takes a bit of anything sitting in the sump out. I guess its just having the confidence in using it for the first time...

Their current TV advert states they will fit a light bulbs purchased from them on the spot ... really? Do you think they will do ours?

It has been that long ago since the SS exhaust went on after the original one failed that I cant remember what it was like pre SS. I did notice a difference when the SS one was fitted, mostly in noise. Its hard to explain but the noise was that you could hear every gear change when in auto mode. You could also feel the gear changes. The drone at 2k revs was something I got used to at motorway speeds but lately got fed up with it. It was mostly cabin noise but there was a bit of exhaust noise outside of the car. The differences from putting this exhaust on are speed / responsiveness and noise - all to the good and very noticeably good. Its probably gone back to stock but feels new to me after driving a "tug" for the past two/three years. The changes I have made to what would be the oem system are: Centre resonator - from a 2.0L IS200 which is smaller in diameter but longer than the IS250 oem one. This IS200 one replaced a freeflow SS one which was bigger in diameter but shorter in length. The IS200 resonator, looking through the "can" has gauze fins inside shaped in a screw pattern and I an guessing this is disrupting the flow of gasses making this "can" quiet (vortex effect) also helping to pull gasses from the engine but also adding a bit of back pressure compared to the SS one which when looking through that "can" was just a straight through pipe and just passing the gasses through with no resistance.. The piping from the IS200 centre resonator to the boxes I done in 63mm mild steel - the oem size I know is smaller (I think 54mm but not sure) Putting 63mm pipe on matched the pipe on the Rover boxes. Thoughts on puttint the bigger diameter pipe on was to, once out of the resonator, the gasses can escape quicker ...making the pipe bigger on the other side of the resonator I thought would not put pressure on the engine expelling the gasses as its being pulled through by the new IS200 resonator and exit quicker.. The Rover boxes were only selected due to the good match of the size, the fact that each box is a twin box had no bearing on why I chose them - I looked for a boxes from a V6 and these, from looking at loads of variants, were the best match. I went for mild steel after reading a lot about the reasons manufacturers use this - ignoring the cost side, there are benefits from mild steel over stainless. Mild steel absorbs noise better than SS Mild steel is cheaper I have found it easier to work with I have found the mild steel thicker than the SS When I was working on the system I found the heat dissipation of the mild steel was a lot better compared to the SS However, the life span of mild steel is a lot shorter than SS but with the mild steel being peanuts in cost comparison then I think its negligible. All parts on my system now can easily be replaced by stock parts (replacement of all the parts, pipes & boxes,I have put on will cost me just over £100 - I cant argue with that. One thing I noticed with the SS system I took off after cleaning it was the discolouration of the piping - it was tarnished (a light brass colour) due to the heat. the boxes and resonator when cleaned were as new - (like mirrors). So I can guess the pipe was affected by the heat, no brainer as the evidence is there. The boxes were not and the fact you can handle the boxes to some extent when the engine is hot backs this up. So, when you start your car up in the morning and its cold, its a lot noisier then than when its up to temp. At a guess, its possible due to the boxes not dissipating the heat then that's the reason it was noisy? Without looking at an oem exhaust to compare, the main changes are pipe size / resonator and back boxes, so I guess all the components are different from stock. A couple if issues with my welding - it will get better (I hope !) Happy with the job though - took a while for me to do this. I was taling about it for about a year until I had the actual time to do it but well worth it.

Totally agree - Once the pattern is done then its just a case of cutting the pipes and fitting it together. If its available off the shelf then its no more than a 2 hour DIY job to fit and that's taking time doing it. So quiet now and it has gained a lot of power back.

Very happy with it. To be honest I am quite surprised how easy it was to make and surprised no one else has done it before.

Got the tips on today - a bit proud of the bumper (sticking out a bit) but with the diffuser on they are pretty level.

My bad ... just noticed two small holes in the panel that would match up with the badges.....need to go to specsavers !!

from the images below, found on the web is seems that the IS model are stuck on or have small pins that don't protrude through the panel

Took this picture after a trip to London last week. Doesn't seem to indicate that there has been an impact on the MPG by fitting the exhaust. Two weeks on and its been fine

Received the diffuser today Took longer to get through customs in the UK that it did to get here from the USA !! Offered it up to the bumper and while it initially looks quite big it fits quite well, its quite rigid the one I have but I may heat it up a bit before getting it painted to see if it will mould better to the bumper to help in fitting it easier when it comes to it. Will need to adjust the exhaust exits on the diffuser (inner edges) which I had expected. There is enough room to do this on the diffuser as I only need to widen it by around 2 inches on each inner edge. The exhaust tips are coming tomorrow so I will get a proper idea of the fit from them. When offered up it was quite a good fit - not a lot of gaps but I am guessing when it does eventually go on there will be. So thoughts are to, like you have, half paint it, have seen these on yours and a few USA IS models and it looks good. Was initially thinking like you have done and paint black in the gaps between the fins or was considering using a 3D carbon wrap in between. Wont do any harm to try the wrap if I get it painted anyway can always remove it if it does not look ok. The wrap should adhere better to the paint I think. I am also toying with the idea of adding a rigid plastic mesh between the fins (in cutouts). I have seen this on the later IS models in silver and it does look good. I may ??? have a go at this as the new exhaust tips will fit well in the existing gap I made in the bumper with no need to hide any uneven gaps made as a result of fitting different boxes so if it doesn't work then i have not really lost anything but the cost of the diffuser...As a result of the cutouts to fit the mesh it will make the diffuser lighter and more flexible (might be possibly too flexible??) but thinking it would make it easier to fit? Not sure yet. Going to get a sample of the mesh first just to see what its like. Picture below of a picture from the web, arrows indicating what I mean by the "gaps" in-between the fins and also of a black coloured rigid plastic mesh which has around 6mm mesh gaps. if I use this then I will have it painted silver or a smoked grey to match the wheels on the car. My car is the Cardaxion Slate colour (not the blue in the picture) Will need a strong glue if going ahead with this and also, thanks for the recommendations about the panel bond. The plastic mesh has been advertised as rigid but enough to bend / shape Any thoughts...?