is200 Newbie

Whatever you do, don't use the copper grease on the slide pins, not sure if that's your intention?. I don't know anything about Ceratec so cant offer any advice on that as not used it before so would be wrong to comment on its use. For the slide pins and this does cause a lot of comments from owners as to what they use themselves but i use the Toyota Red Rubber grease for the pins. High temp and is also a lubricant but more importantly it does not attack the runner boots on the callipers. Used it for years and years so can definitely recommend it without issue. Like i said, other owners will have their own preferences as to what to use.

As Linas said above, check with an OBD2 reader - it could be a fault that's pending and not yet recorded in ecu. Could possibly be something like the O2 sensors starting to fail, not quite failed yet so reporting an issue and then reverting back to running properly. 70k was the usual time in mileage that the sensors would pack in... And also mentioned, could be battery, usual life is around 8 to 10 years. Do you have the original battery still in (Panasonic make?)

Looks like its been modded a bit, front and rear bumper not standard for year / lowered / bigger wheels / boot spoiler and DRL's on front lights ...... ones with sunroofs (moonroofs as they call them) are really hard to find.

Getting the popcorn out for this one ...

Had used it quite a few times, cant really say there's a noticeable difference as by the time the fuel is being burnt it would be a gradual process of feeding it or mixing it in with what's in the tank already if its the lower ron. If there was a difference then it would not be noticed really as you would get used to the running of it. It would possibly? be better to fill the tank with the premium and run it as low as you dare and then fill with the supermarket stuff as the performance (drop or same) may be more evident then?... dont know. One thing i would say is that petrol does go off, using it from a garage that does not sell a lot of the premium fuel, you could be using fuel that's off and give you issues or no benefit at all from using it. Not sure what the "shelf life" actually is or how garage's actually monitor it?

Where are these located? Have never heard of them being cleaned or even replaced before?

I have a set of rubber boots in the garage somewhere that i took off my is200 years ago and i had been using Castrol Hi Temp grease (i know that as i still have the tub in the garage) I had been using that grease for a few years before changing to the Toyota stuff after i started to have issues, The old boots had stretched and misshapen and would not hold a good seal around the lip on the calliper recess. Can only put that down to the grease attacking the rubber, doesn't have to eat it away to be noneffective. 7 years of use with the Toyota grease on my 250 with no issue. Look at the use the boots go through and the temperatures they face, cant be the same rubber used for all of the mechanics in the car. Everyone has their own preferences, that's mine, i can guarantee its application as it works through the experience i have had..

A few things to consider 1. Recommendations are made to replace plugs every 60k. As your car is about to reach 120k then they will be due. If it has followed the service spec then they will have been changed at 60k HOWEVER, for everyone i know that has had them changed at 60k as per the schedule, they have all stated that (backed up by mechanics) that they would have lasted easily to 100k but if you are following the schedule then they will soon be due. 2. Exhaust life is usually for normal use between 70k and 100k where it will start to fail, some people get longer out of them, guess that's due to the varied use but this mileage is around ripe time to start to keep an eye out for the exhaust starting to fail. Attention should be made to two points in the exhaust system, around the middle box and behind the two back boxes, both areas on the pipes themselves. The severe failure would be behind the back boxes when driving as if it goes then you will experience them getting caught up on the road (in direction of travel) and pulling off the rear bumper, or at least making a bad mess of it. Not so much the centre if it goes as its supported by the rubber hangers. 3. Water pump, usual signs are a white crust around the pump and a loss of fluid in the expansion chamber (bottle) Mileage for the failure of this seems to be around 70k but again it is approx. 4. Upstream O2 sensors, both banks, seem to last up to, again 70k approx, not a big job to replace but they will give you a warning that they are on their way out by intermittent dashboard christmas tree flashes, on and off until they stay on. Usually a week of flashing through normal use before they come on solid. 5. Calliper slide pins, make sure the correct grease is being used, a lot of people / mechanics use a high temp grease which is fine to prevent the pins from seizing but it attacks the rubber calliper boots. The Toyota Red Rubber Grease is the recommended grease to use as it both lubricates the pins and does not attack the rubber boots. Other greases may attack the rubbers and leave then dry and misshaped letting water / dirt into the pin recesses and then resulting in seized pins. 6. In 8 years of ownership of a 250 the only issue i have had is the exhaust. Oil changes are easy and done annually with an engine flush (not everyone likes doing this) Pins are greased twice a year (before the summer and before the winter) 7. I use a K&N oiled air filter, quite expensive at around £40 i think, have had ours for years and its now paying for itself as only a clean and re-oil every few years is required 8. Wheels are attrocious on these cars, they will always at some point corrode/oxidise and will at some point need a refurb. Saying that i have had mine for approx 5 years now (on both the old and the new car) and they have not bubbled yet. I always clean and wax them when i have them off to grease the pins so that maybe the reason why? Car in the image was my old one before it was written off, same colour as yours (cardaxion) with 18" Lexus Spider wheels on it. They do come up at reasonable prices on eBay, keep an eye out for them as i think they look really good. The second image is car now with them on.

Bought my current 2006 model 250 in 2018 with 25k on the clock (for a 12 year old car t the time that was low). I had a 2007 model before for 5 years and it was written off (at 110k miles) so i knew what i was looking at when i bought the 2006 one. Full service history on it and i could tell it had been looked after. Usual things to check, callipers, exhaust etc but to date, no issue with it and its now on 40k 2 years on. Just make sure to change oil for your piece of mind. It had turned out i was doing approx 14k per year but circumstances changed and now doing (back and forward to work) approx 500 miles per year plus out and about. So its really down to circumstances. A good run a month will ensure its running ok providing its looked after. I must say tho that, with mine, it doesn't get up to temp from home to work so i am expecting to have the exhaust replaced. I do however give it a good run when i can. I woudl not worry about the mechanics, trust your judgement and if viewing it then you will get a good idea on how it has been looked after. Any car after a valet can be made to look prestine but starting it, listening to it and general condition will give you a good idea of its "health"

The second plug from the left seems to be the only one with an electrode remaining ...

We (wife and I) currently have 2 cars, IS250 and a small convertible Tigra. My wife wont drive the IS, the Tigra is hers. She keeps saying the IS is too big but i think she is scared she will bang it (its my baby and its currently spotless !!) We are probably looking to reduce down to one car soon and i would like to remain with Lexus although have been looking around at other brands but like the reliability of these and the fact that not a lot of people around where we live have them 🙂 I have been looking at the CT for a while, i know coming from the IS it (what people have said) is slower but that does not bother me anymore. We had one for a day a while back from Lexus while the IS was in for two recall's and it was nice overall, it did feel a bit slower and the one we had was a lot noisier (road noise). The fact it is smaller and is the brand i like is swaying me to stay with Lexus. So inevitably i have a few questions ... I will be looking for one around the 2015 model, 1.8 or above, the spec i am not concerned about (don't know what's the best one for this year). Is high mileage an issue on these. What considerations should i look for on the battery, what has the most effect on the battery, the age of the car or the mileage covered (this will be my first hybrid so don't know a lot about them). Is there a particular model / year people would recommend and any issues from ownership of them would be good to know. Do the callipers still present a problem like the IS's do thanks in advance

I have all of these "bits" and have done on the current and previous IS i had - both have been SE-L models tho. I have seen cars advertised as SE-L Multimedia editions, is it right to give them that title? Does it state that anywhere in the information that came with the cars such as in the manual etc or are dealers just calling them "Multimedia" as they have all the bits on them?

I bought mine a couple of years ago after my 2007 one was written off. I bought a 2006 model which had almost 25k on the clock and was immaculate. Had a good look round it having had one before i knew what to look for and could not fault it. The only issue i have with it now, 2 years on is the rear screen elements seem to have "dried up" and are breaking and one stone chip on the front of the bonnet. Not bad it thats all that's wrong with it at almost 15 years old. Mine also has the moonroof (prefer that to the air con) but does not have the multimedia package (what's included in that anyway?)

Has had a good clean and polish - dont let that sway you as all cars can look good after a good clean. Best way as to go and see it. Usual things for buying a car but make sure the following are all good ... Brakes not seized / exhaust is good / recalls done / electricals all work. Uneven tyre wear (insides) can be expensive so check they are not worn. White crust at the front of the engine indicating water pump starting to leak.

I don't have the diesel 220 version (have the 250) but have read owners on here changing the 5th injector on these to resolve issues - you say you have changed 4 .... could there be one you have missed?

What make of a battery is installed on the car? Do you have a date stamp on it to tell how old it is? - if its a Panasonic then its the original battery - i would suggest its your battery that's on its way out. Batteries on these that are on their way out can cause some strange goings on I have had the chattering noise before on a previous IS and it was due to the battery being disconnected after a bit of work was done on it. Connected it back up and it chattered for a bit while turning over then started.

Ha hahaha Just noticed if you press the sunroof button in instead of turning it left or right that it automatically opens or closes .... only had the cars for 3 years and noticed this by accident today !!!!

As Normski states, make sure your mechanic uses the Red Rubber Grease. The wrong type will attack the rubber. Also, get into the habit of checking the pins every year or even 6 months, it does not take long and will save quite a bit of £'s if you spot the pins dry or the rubber boots worn or split. A good time to check them is during the summer before the winter months wen there is a lot of salt on the road

Grill surround vinyl wrapped in black

Check for exhaust drone. Usually around cruising speed around 70mph in 6th gear.

Been using an engine flush for years now - (I use Wynns) Used it on high mileage Lex (with me doing about 6k per year) and a low mileage one (with me doing about 1k per year) and, maybe its a placebo effect, but it does help to keep the keep oil clean longer - when changing the oil i also use a bit of new oil to run through to get the old oil out before putting the new oil in..... just one thing to check before putting flush in the engine is to ensure the oil drain plug can be removed.

Is the sports mode on - i find gear changes in auto mode a bit jerky at top rev with the sports mode on - much smoother with it off... just a thought ?

Next time you do an oil change use an engine flush - possibly do it after 6 months from when it was changed to get it back on track in keeping the oil clean(ish). I got into the habit of changing the oil twice a year - i haven't done it this year as not done many miles. Keep an eye out in Halfords or Asda for special offers on the oil as it can be as cheap as £15 per 4 litres which makes it work regular changes.

I usually do this when cleaning the slide pins on the calipers, an ideal time as the wheels off the car and you can get into the wing to clean the mud out - also a good chance to scrub the felt(ish) liner There is no liner there as John has said, theres a bit of a gap then the liner.

Is that a diplomatic flag pole :)