is200 Newbie

I have bought a Mig welder - electric only - suits my needs. Welding is new to me so still practising but had a good result when I welded an exhaust flange to my lads astra exhaust a few weeks ago (something to practise on !!) ... found that the wire feed was too tight making the weld wire quite jumpy when feeding the weld so not feeding right. When I fixed this it was very good welding (beginners luck) - I believe Mig creates a mess but once cleaned up its ok. I will be grinding the welds back to tidy them up anyway so as long as its a good weld I should be ok. I have some scrap metal and some extra reels of wire so have a chance to practise before I do the exhaust. - Don't think it will take long once started because its all there. just need to get a bit of space !!

Not had a chance to fit yet - have all the parts even the hangers for the exhaust but not had a chance to take the boxes off my car yet properly which is where I will start. Need some space in the garage and that's proving hard to do at the moment as not long turfed the front garden and done a wall so there's all sorts of rubble and garden bits in there at the moment. I have managed to weld up the second box that needed flipping over to match the opposite side. I am using rover MG V6 boxes as they fit very well but are twin boxes and the input pipes need bending. Will cut and weld up to the correct angle for these then fit to existing to ensure they are quiet. So when done I will have two twin boxes on the car - have gone for an IS200 resonator so this will give me a replacement for the whole system that was originally replaced with the stainless one. The SS resonator is shot but the boxes are in very good condition. I had fitted the rover boxes on the car a few months ago as they are and initial experience was that they are quiet but could not drive the car due to the piping needing modding - need to alter the pipes first before anything and fit to the car to make sure they are as quiet as I expect.. But so far so good. - cost so far is £86 for the parts, all new. Will need exhaust tips and maybe when I come to do it another length of exhaust pipe but cost should be under £100 if it all works. Better that £3000. Also, I will need to put a bumper spoiler on the rear to hide the cut I will need to make in the bumper so add another £150 to the cost. Still good and it keeps me busy !! Picture below is of the two boxes before cutting / turning around and turning inside out then welding back up, you can see that if I was to use as they are then they would not match. Don't have a picture yet of the box welded up - will take some pics when I start - the box on the right is the passenger side and the left one is the driver side and they fit very well.

Thanks Mike - i am passing Halfords on Friday so will see if they have any. Being turtle wax i expect they will....

Before going down that route I would expect an indie garage would be able to tell straight away if the bearing(s) have gone. Should take them a couple of minutes of time. Could it be the exhaust blowing?

Some people will put you in situations that will always make you question why they are doing things but you find yourself questioning yourself more after its happened thinking why didn't I do this or that or ask this question or that question. Guess most of the time its genuine but reading other peoples experiences of things and situations that have gone wrong then it kind of makes you more aware. You may even be on a tv commercial after the photo shoot??!

Just seemed a bit odd that the guy was sitting in his car at the shop not particularly waiting for anyone as I was the only person there and then when I came out he was still there but moved off not much longer from when I did and kind of held back as I drove home. Me being a bit too careful I think but just checked and the cars still on the drive behind another one. At the end of the day its insured ....

Any chances that this recall will eventually cover all the air bags in the cabin or is it likely to just be the dash bags?

This may be genuine but after reading about recent thefts of cars it makes you a bit wary. The ISF stolen from a forum member brings it home how easy it is to find one of these although admittedly mines a standard IS. I left work today and stopped off at the local shop for some milk before travelling the short distance home. As I got out of my car I heard a comment on how good these are and its a nice car etc ... this was from someone sitting in a car in the parking space next to mine. Didn't think anything of it at the time. Coming out of the shop another comment was made, nice car etc ... driving off and about 20 yards down the road I noticed the car following. It could have taken three routes out from the shop. I got home into my drive and noticed the car pass not long after. Being a bit paranoid I think as gut feeling is that its just coincidence but have the cars reg number that the guy was in from the dash cam just in case but just goes to show how easy it is for people to track cars down if they are looking for one. There is only another one of these local - an IS220 and that's in a business next to my work 15 miles away so its not like they are a common car.

The headlights on mine are just starting to yellow on the edges. Is this happening on the inside or the outside. Is there any proven method of renewing them with a cleaning fluid - anyone tried anything that was successful?

Sounds like wheel bearings - more of a rumble noise?

Did you get the fault code from the garage ?

Its a mig welder and yes, it is an art. Playing with the settings last weekend it was looking a lot better when I had enough but a way to go yet I think but I am nothing but persistant.!! Thanks for the top regarding alternator lead - every precaution helps.

I have got to the point where I am starting to put an exhaust together - I can do a lot of the welding off the car in my garage but at some point I will need to get under it to do a spot weld to a piece I know is a bit iffy. I am a welding "virgin" and at the moment its ending up looking like rice pudding !! I will practise a lot more before starting but does anyone have any tips regarding welding something attached to a car, especially this one with all the electronics on it. I have been told to disconnect the negative battery lead before starting and all will be ok ? Any advice would be helpful.

I have the same issue and have always suspected the bottom part of the head unit that holds the CD's. I stripped the amp down a while ago to see if anything was amiss but did not find anything. its quite an expensive fault to fix with no information regarding the fault as each part is around £150 to £200 and a gamble if it works or not

Regular oil change and an engine flush each time has cured mine. Since doing this it has not come back. Got to say that the oil remains cleaner longer also.

Image below of the tube of grease showing the part number if any use to you - cost me £10 from dealer.

Have you asked what the reason is for it having such a low mileage for the year of the car - breaking it down, that's just over 1000 per year.!! You need to consider that the mileage is not that important due to the age of the car - the cost is a bit excessive to be honest. It is still an old car however you look at it.. If rust was an issue with these cars (luckily its not) then the mileage would be irrelevant. It has obviously not been used regularly so I would take a very close look at hoses / fluids / moving parts as being sat for any length of time is not good for any car. You have said it has got a full service history ... what has it had done and at what mileage. I would have expected the dealer would have referenced the age of the car and not the mileage when considering the service work required?

A lot of owners will use differing greases that they find suitable - if you have found one then that's good, continue to use it. I use the Toyota red rubber grease. Its designed to lubricate the pins while not attacking the rubber boots and its what I will continue to use after years of hassle free use. The slide pins should have no rust on them at all - they may get discoloured over time but not rusted. If they are rusted then moisture is getting In somewhere - more than likely through the rubber boots. If the pins are pitted then there's dirt also getting in. The rubber boots may look in good condition but just check their elasticity. They need to be able to seal tightly over the grooves on the pins effectively preventing water and dirt getting in. You will also find that the calipers will not operate effectively if the wrong grease is used as the rubber anti rattle shim on the top pin on the fronts will fail and cause a bit of friction when the brakes are applied stopping them from moving freely - could be associated to the issues with seizing calipers? I had tried silicone grease a long time ago but I presumed the heat got to it as when I came to clean the pins the grease was black coming out after 6 months (was red going in). All the times I have cleaned recently when using the Toyota rubber grease it has come out the same colour as it has gone in. Do not use copper slip. It works ok acting as a grease for the slide pin but it is petroleum based and will over time attack the rubber boots. Every 6 months I do mine, for the sake of 1 hour work tops I think its worth it compared to the cost of replacement but saying that, I reckon I could get away with a year before cleaning them. Just being a bit over cautious I guess. Gives me a chance to check other brake components while doing them and clean the muck from other components.

You have done your fronts - you will manage the rears no problem. Just take your time. It is an easy job and one an owner should understand as if not regularly greased the pins WILL seize. I do mine every 6 months - doesn't take long as you will find out and its good to understand how they work. I use Toyota rubber grease for mine - have done for a while with no issue but a lot of people use different greases with the same effect. Just don't use anything that will attack the rubber boots (a lot of the greases wont state compatibility on the tub) Pictures below are from the post I made on how to change the rear disks but will show the parts in question - picture 2 below shows the calliper rotated to its lower pointy before removal - the top bolt is visible still in the rubber boot. At this point it will slide off. It looks like I didn't take the pads out first when I don't this. Picture 6 below indicates the pins holding the pads in the calliper. There is only 1 securing pin (arrow 1) securing the pins in the calliper. Arrow 2 are the two brake pad pins that hold the pads in the calliper that need to be cleaned. Once the securing pin is out then the pins can be tapped out with a hammer and a nail punch or something similar. The image below is of the brake pad pins after a clean - they wont be spotless but you should be able to get them smooth (rustless) As well as this, re-apply copper slip to the shims before putting the pads back in to prevent brake squeal.

Glad it helped There's a different process for the rears but just as easy. 1 / Wheel off 2 / Remove the pins holding the pads - there will be 4 of (2 securing pins and 2 holding the pads in place) - don't lose the securing pins as they are hard to get and expensive when you do find a set 3 / Remove the top calliper bolt. From re-collection, this is a 19mm bolt. Once the bolt is out if will need a good clean. It is inserted within a rubber housing which will still be on the calliper itself. 4 / You will now be able to rotate the calliper down (swivelling on the bottom fixed slide pin) It if will not rotate out then its seized. If it has seized then with a bit of perseverance you can almost in all cases free it but gently does it with a rubber mallet. 5 / If free then rotate it fully down until it can be removed from the calliper housing. Its basically as simple as that. Unless it is seized that is. Inspect the rubber boots - you can remove the top rubber boot, clean and re-insert back into the housing with no problem. Inspect the lower rubber boot carefully as this one is the important one of the two as if it is perished it will allow water and dirt in causing it to seize. A good choice of slide pin grease is essential to stop the rubber boots being attacked.by the wrong one used. Make sure the bottom slide pin housing is greased - you want to make sure its coated but not too much. You will find a lot of the grease collects at the end of the housing. Make sure the inner top rubber boot is sufficiently greased - place a bit of grease on the pin itself as this will aid in it going back in. When I do mine I grease them, remove them and then re-fit just to make sure it feels smooth - it will also allow you to assess if you need a bit more grease. When ready to refit - it is the opposite from removal ... but, as you have applied the new grease you will more than likely find you have a small vacuum and the calliper will not fully go back into the pin housing, it just needs a bit of rotating around until the air inside is expelled, you will feel it coming out as you are rotating the calliper. If grease oozes out then there's too much applied - make sure to clean the excess as it will attract dirt. Its a good time to check the rubber boots around the pistons on the calliper. Give them a clean - I will do this with WD40 (both the piston and the rubber boot) When re-assembling, give the two pins that hold the pads in the calliper (ones that run through the pads) a very good clean as it will help the pad movement when braking. I use sand paper to clean these. You should look at around 15 to 20 minutes for the job. Hope this helps

Wot ha said^^^^^^^^ More than likely because you have washed it and they have dried in the sun

The LEDS were blue - quite bright The spoiler I purchased from an ebayer in China and it came painted. Cant fault it, not faded or become unstuck at all. On the car now for over 2 years. If you can peel sellotape then you can fit it yourself as it is backed with 3M adhesive tape. Just make sure to clean the boot application area with an IPA slvent to ensure its clean. Another light you could swap out are the door puddle lights - change for the lexus projectors. A bit tacky but novel idea.

A quick list of what to look out for .... don't let this put you off ... all the faults I can remember are listed below (some are common sense), maybe there are a few more that owners can add Seized rear calipers - cost around £300 each - Easiest way to check is to take the car on a test run and then when parked back up again feel the heat on each alloy - should be warm and not excessively hot. No squealing. Also, if discs are still rusted looking after driving then there's a problem. Obviously pulling to the side is noticeable Brake pad shims - some members reported missing brake shims from the rear calliper - probably from when pads were replaced and the garage or dealer forgot to put them back on. Its not something you can easily check on a test drive but if missing they are very hard to source except from a scrap dealer if they will sell them at all separate. Seized front calipers - as with the rears, around £300 each. Both front and backs can be freed if not too far gone, re-greased and put back together again but once seized they may need looking after more than ones not having been seized in the past as pitting and ill fitting rubber seals may be an issue. Why does this happen ... last owner not looking after the car or using the wrong type of grease in that it attacks the rubber boots letting dirt and water into the caliper moving parts. If it was looked after by the dealer then new calipers would have been fitted if seized. Greasing is not a part of the service schedule from Lexus so be aware. You may not experience any warnings that they are seized. Its the most common fault on these cars so get an assurance from the seller to replace if found to be seized or have him check them first. To be honest If it was me i would also check them myself when I got home with a new car just to be sure. Easy DIY job to both replace and maintain (grease) I do mine every 6 months but a lot of owners do it every year. Black oil - A sign the cars not been looked after - the oil should not be black. It will go dark in colour but not black. Again, an easy DIY job - I use Magnatec and an oil change, including the filter will cost you around £60. Takes a bit over 6 litres. Oil filter cap seized - If you can, ask the dealer or garage to ensure the cap housing thr filter will move. A lot of garages, including dealers put these on far too tight and some owners have experienced cracked housings while trying to remove the caps to change the filter. An easy DIY job White crust around front water pump area - an indication the water pump is on its way out - costs around £200 for a new one (inclusive of fitting) Exhaust shot - Black soot around the welded joints - check the centre section around the middle resonator as this is a problem area. Get this checked out at an exhaust centre. Pay for the inspection as you wont get a lot of change back from 3k for the replacement parts (back box and centre) if it has gone or is on its last legs - the pattern parts have not been released to 3rd party manufacturers so the replacement parts are only available from Lexus unless you are going bespoke and going for a stainless one - a Cat back system will cost around £500 - if you have the time and want to get your hands dirty then you can put together a bespoke exhaust yourself for around £100. Tyres rotated wrong way - Ask why have they done this? un-even tyre wear so look around the shocks / springs to see if theres any issues - maybe nothing Tyre choice - A good choice of branded rear tyres will serve well. Remember its a rear wheel drive car - Do not go for cheap brands as while they may last/wear well, the performance in the wet will be hazardous. Read through the forums for owner experiences on brands. Leaking shocks - Expensive replacements but not a real issue - some owners have reported replacing them and hard to find Wheel locking nuts seized - Put on with a tyre dealer air hammer. Will come off with specialised tools and a lot of patience - I think this is common cause on all cars - happened on 3 in our household over the years. Check this out before buying if possible. Wheel security locking nut missing - check this is available when buying the car. Without it you wont be able to take the tyres off easily or replace if you get a puncture Alloy wheel corrosion - this is apparent across the Lexus range - corrosion on the alloy happens and noticeable by bubbles under the alloy coating - will eventually lead to pressure loss if not tended to as it will break the seal between the tyre and the wheel itself Tow hook missing - only handy when you need it so check its there - located in the boot of the car Spare tyre - it houses a space saver wheel - make sure its inflated. If it looks like its been used then take out and inspect to make sure its inflated. DVD sat nav extraction tool missing - only handy when you come to update the sat nav DVD - the tools for this should be in the black tool kit in the boot of the car CD/DVD head unit fully working - take an original CD / a DVD and an MP3 disc with you and test each one out - they should all work without messing with the settings. (you will need to select each disc to play and it should) Noise from front speaker cover - a cracking noise from the speaker cover on the front centre dash board - not experienced this myself but its apparently quite noisy. Also a rattle has been reported, again not widespread. Noise from driver door area - don't know If this is a common area. I originally thought it was the door seal but narrowed it down to the handle above the door rattling slightly - I oiled the hinge and the noise disappeared Coolant level low - check the heating is hot when on. Check for a "gurgling" noise which will indicate the cooling is low - if its low then there could be an issue with a leak or possible indication the pump is on its way out Front headlights - will become "cloudy" over time - no more than any other car and can easily be restored with a bit of elbow grease Corroded wheels - a common issue with the Toyota wheels - bad ones will eventually lose air and deflate due to the corrosion not creating a good seal. Uneven wear on tyres - indication there's something a miss with the alignment / shocks - to be honest this is not reported as a problem on the cars. Maybe more so from owners using non OEM wheels Cams are chain driven - no worries there but they can stretch (very extreme though) Rear blind working - read a few posts on here that its stopped working or stuck in the up position - check its operation Front discs - They are heavy on discs and front pads. Check the wear on the discs on the front - not expensive to replace and an easy DIY job Lights not bright and flickering - an indication that the bulbs are on their way out - check both are the same colour. If not, one has been replaced and other will need to be done at some point. Check all front lights as they are quite fiddly in replacing the bulbs Aircon works - should be cold - if not then check coolant level, if ok the system either has a leak or may need re-gassing Squeeky steering adjustment - has been reported by a few members. Mine squeeks in hot weather when automatically adjusting. Not all the time and has not caused any issues. Mirrors dip when in reverse - the mirrors should dip towards the road when in reverse, a feature on the cars to ensure easy viewing of where you are going. If they don't then its most likely they will just need to be cleaned internally. Again an easy DIY job. Parking sensors - with the engine running have someone walk within a foot of the sensors at the front and the rear of the car - it should start beeping when the person walks past them. Not seen any issues with this reported by the owners. O2 sensors - PreCat (within engine bay) will go around 70 to 80k easy DIY job - cost around £180 for OEM Denso ones - don't use 3rd party ones as they will not last Rear brake shoes - Cant easily be checked on a test drive - changed mine at around 90k last year and they still had a bit of meat on them, probably on the car from new so more than likely will need changing or inspection at least. Easy DIY job Main engine plastic cover - centre engine cover can become loose from removing and re-applying it. there is a push button tab that breaks off and it can in some instances be heard rattling over lumpy roads. Mine has broke - not a real issue as the radio at low volume masks any rattle. I expect some strong glue would fix this. Engine idle - make sure its constant at tick over when cold (quite high) and when hot (around 700revs) - if erratic it could indicate a carbon build up - not an issue with an application with cleaning liquids Valve Rattle - VVTI may rattle from time to time - the oil will drain in some cases from the resoviour for the valves after standing for a bit and as a consequence there is a rattle noise (similar to a dull machine gun noise) but will disappear in a second or so. Happenned on mine a few times when I first had it. but not come back for a couple of years now. Regular oil changes and I do an engine flush each oil change and in my opinion it has helped a lot. Exhaust smoke - no smoke from these - only condensate when in cold weather which is normal for most cars Cabin carpets - check the drivers side has clips anchoring the carpet down (if it has one) if it doesn't then the carpet can creep under the pedals Boot - Its a fair size boot but the opening does not give good access to large items - ideally it could have done with split seats but its not that kind of car I guess. Audio - Make sure the spec includes a Mark Levinson branded head unit which is the better of the head unit specs on these models.(indicated on the front of the stereo on the bottom right of the unit) Rear seat room - its a bit cramped in the back with passengers on the seats - leg room is dismal, maybe that's why I have never sat in the back when its been driven. Wife wont drive it due to the size of the car which I don't mind at all. Reliability - looked after its bullet proof, best make of car I have owned. Running costs are petrol only. Put in the time to do the services (oil, filters etc) and it will serve you well. Parts availability - Had my 250 for 3 years and an IS200 for 2 prior to that - the only time I was unable to get a part was the exhaust for the 250 - I could get one from the dealer but at nearly 3k I thought no way and went down another route. Parts are available from Eurocarparts / ebay / online easily enough and are not expensive. Speed - People forget these are not sports cars - they are quick in manual mode and can keep up with the best of them but are not made for that purpose. Its nice owning one for the individuality of having something different from whats sitting on the neighbours drive or in the works car park. I only know of an IS200 Alteeza and a IS220 local to myself so its my bit of exclusivity. Don't care how old it is, its still better than a new model medium city car. Mileage - mines on 93k - no issue and having has a high miler is200 and this one then I would consider another high miler but with the knowledge of what to look for. I don't think there would be any problems if you are careful in what you are looking at - gut instinct in a lot of cases. I guess there will be very few low milers available now on these cars now but you may be lucky in finding one. Keys - Ensure it has a minimum of 2 keys and they both work - if not then its definitely a bargaining chip to use as a replacement one will cost you around £350 and a trip to Lexus. Corroding windscreen wiper arms - these seem to bubble quite a bit under the paint on the main body of the wiper arm. No issue but it will break through the paint at somepoint. Check front windshield, if non-genuine check if wipers defrosters and auto sensing wipers works OK. As well windshields mouldings sometimes gets gets loose (broken clips) - about £80 to get new mouldings. (Courtesy of Linas.P) Main ground cable - In wet climate it was reported that main ground cable sometimes gets corroded and it is very hard to troubleshoot it.(Courtesy of Linas.P) Squeaky seats reported for the manual option (Courtesy of Vintagesixtysix) DMF issues (Dual Mass Flywheel) for the manual drive option (Courtesy of Vintagesixtysix) Paint - the paint is soft on these cars so are prone to scratching easier than other makes if not careful Cat failure - there has been a couple of reports of the cats failing on these cars but only a few have been reported at relative low mileage for the car (around 80 / 90k miles) not common though. There are 2 cats on these. Service milestones - consider cars around 60k miles require a spark plug change - or so Lexus recommends although they are good for 100k. This is an expensive job at around £600. Not done mine yet, planning on doing them at 100k. I would state at 100k then you will need to get your hands dirty and give the car a good going over, fluids etc just for peace of mind. Lexus service interval report does not state any excessive requirements, mostly checks to be made. Recalls - that I am aware of: cabin carpet mat required securing / airbags / fuel sensor washer. there may be more but these are the ones I know of. Spec - I would personally recommend the top spec SE-L Auto box at 2007 / 2008 as I believe when the face lift came along then the models lost a few features that were on the older models. A sunroof would be brilliant but like gold dust at this spec. Quite a bit of points above - don't let this put you off at all - the exhaust nearly saw me pack the car in when mine went but I went down the stainless route so alls not lost. Best to go into a sale knowing all the points to look at before making your mind up. Best car I have ever owned. One last consideration - in the 7 years I have owned the Lexus brand we have by far spent more money during this time in maintaining a fairly new Vauxhall !! One last point, if you have an ODB error code reader then take along and scan the ecu for any stored fault codes unless the dealer has cleared it down

There are a few relatively easy mods you can do - one is the rear boot spoiler - picture below There is another relatively easy one - front grille - picture below.. You can also install the automatic wing mirror closure kit - no picture for that but its available through a forum member The LED lights I have installed - Interior both front and back / boot and wing mirrors - picture below shows the brightness of them.

Is this being advertised on Auto trader in Surrey ?