is200 Newbie

Oil - 2007 IS250 A while ago I done a test on the oil consumption and the differences between two Castrol grades. I had noticed the levels dropping under normal use while on Edge so decided to monitor it just for peace of mind. I change mine every 6 months with an engine flush each time as I only do low miles and I think it keeps the engine in good condition (the report I done showed the reasoning) I used Castrol (Magnatec and Edge, both 5/30 grades) - I noticed while having the Castrol Edge grade in the car that the oil level would drop, no hard driving but didn't experience smoke. So I monitored it to see how long it took to drop and change colour. I used Magnatec next and found an improvement. No drop in levels at all and the oil stayed clean for longer. I put the clean oil down to the fact that I do a flush every time. I am still on Magnatec with no issues. There's no pressure release when opening the oil cap on mine (petrol)

search for the following on ebay - you will find a few different priced ones between £7.59 and £12.89 Black 35.8 inch Guard Car SUV Body Bumper Protector Trim Cover Protective Strip I cleaned the bumper with IPA and also the rubber strip before applying the 3M tape. I also left the rubber strip on a radiator for a day or so just so it "ironed" out the wrinkles from being in the package through the post. Not bad at that price if it saves a few scratches.

Not a very good picture but found this on ebay as a generic protector - took the measurements and seemed to fit so bought one. It came and it fitted very well. It does not cover all of the top of the bumper but it has covered a few scratches made when lifting bags out of the boot (not a big entrance to get big bags out of or in for that matter) It protected the bumper tonight when taking other bags out. If anything a bit too short - Car needs a clean also !! Pictures below

Lexus member of the year award coming I think !! Ask them for a job....

Search "Refurbing Aero Alloy Wheels" on the forum. I posted this when I had the dreaded corroded wheels on my 200. Came out very good. Theres no reason you cant do these one at a time. Should take you a weekend to do the 4 as long as you get all the bits required first ... and remember to do the spare.

Nice one - we are about to get a dog and I was going to look for a cover. may have a look at this one...

Did you actually check this? As I mentioned above there have been reports on fuel caps not being secured on properly and its a recognised issue with some of the Vauxhall models where the rubber seals wear and do nor create a full seal.

Got it in one - the strive to make cars technologically better ... sometimes a backward step. Noticed this week that Mercedes has applied to the gov in order to change the law to allow their new car owners to user the automatic overtaking option on their new cars. Scary, its getting to be your life in other road users hands Maybe they should spend time in resolving the known faults on cars - that would be a bigger step forward rather than these automatic driven cars

I wonder how fitting OEM parts from the manufacturer at a later date in the cars life, that could have been fitted as an option, would affect the insurance? Makes you wonder what else they can argue with in getting out of paying claims. Put the logic to tyres and take remoulds etc as an example (don't actually know if these are still made to be honest?) but they are fit for purpose but not specified by the manufacturer. Would the likes of this null and void a policy?

Don't think bi-annual is right (twice a year???) 2 - 3 years would be more like it or when the calipers need replacing (if you are unlucky)

With John above regarding noise. A standard panel filter wont create any greater noise than OEM. I have had the K&N oiled filter from when I had the car, over 3 years now - only got it as I had one in my previous cars and it cost £25 from what I can remember. Guess its paid for itself now but I will be cleaning and re-oiling it this year with the kit that came with it and after I do this I will need more cleaning kit. Filters are on another 3 cars so the cleaning kit does last a while but I guess there's no cost difference over time against what John has pointed out. As for the performance - I had noticed an initial jump in performance at first but its not noticeable once you have been driving it for a while. Our other cars have been the same especially in the small engine ones. Your choice really - as I have an oiled one I will keep it in - you can actually see the amount of dirt it collects when its washed out but I guess you can see the same from whats collected in a standard one.

That's good going. So what has Lexus ACTUALLY done to resolve this problem .... They may have provided good service but it sounds like they have replaced a few parts at your expense and not resolved your problems with the car. Will they refund for the expense you have already put into it? I have never understood when a car is taken into a garage to be repaired and its found to still be faulty that they don't issue a refund.

Exactly. Aftermarket is the only option - you can find used oem on ebay but how long they would last would be questionable. That price was two years ago - may have come down or gone up by now. I have heard some of the stainless steel ones can be quiet, some owners on here may be able to help in directing you to a supplier.

I expected it to last longer - hadn't heard of any others going at this age (knew it would eventually go though) Lexus quoted me £2700 at the time, fitted, to replace it which was the middle and boxes. Could not justify that expense so had a look around - ATS told me Lexus had not released the pattern part for 3rd party manufacturers to make it so its only available from Lexus as an OEM part. I went with a local custom exhaust manufacturer as I needed the car and could not really spend a lot of time sorting it out. Bad mistake as its awful - the drone is bad at around 2k revs, novelty at first but for the past year or so its got on my nerves. I have all the parts to make my own now and just need a bit of good weather and a bit of time to put it together. Having all the parts now, it doesn't look like a hard job at all. I need to bend a few pipes but have an idea for that. I will either weld or clamp it, I don't know yet. It will have twin boxes on each side when done which would help the flow better. It may still drone a bit but further up the rev range but its not going to reach the revs during normal driving. Once I have done it I will post the pictures up.

I guess each car will be different due to how its driven and how often, Mine went after 7 years - cars an 07 model. I think that was a bit premature, Lexus thought otherwise

Thanks John ...just registered - I like the how to section - laid out well. Will have a good look through when the registration is complete. Spotted a few in Neston at 2006 to 2008 , seem clean at a reasonable price and mileage. Soft tops but have also seen a couple of hard tops. Surprised about the rust but I guess its made from metal !!

I am sure I have seen posts from forum members stating they have an MX5 My wife has a convertible Vx Tigra 2008 - looking to change and have always liked the look of the MX's and heard they are reliable - Am I right in thinking someone here has one? If so, anything I should look out on them - have been looking at the 2006 to 2008 model range - either the 1.8 or 2.0 engines.

A quick look through ebay (not checked DVLA info) and there are a few on there within budget - need to travel though. I would not be put off by the mileage of them unless you are planning on doing a lot of miles and even then it wont be a big issue http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-IS-250-2-5-SE-L-Full-service-history-/272131999226?hash=item3f5c54c5fa:g:884AAOSwFNZWveRe http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-Lexus-IS-250-2-5-SE-L-4dr-/252266165815?hash=item3abc3c3637:g:6O8AAOSw5dNWpjfc The one below is on ebay listed wrongly as an ES-L(should be SE-L) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-LEXUS-IS-250-ES-L-2-5L-V6-6-Speed-Manual-/252290210254?hash=item3abdab19ce:g:MH0AAOSwZ1lWecP7

I use the following ODB scanner http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELM327-Mini-Bluetooth-ODB2-ODBII-Car-Auto-Torque-Diagnostic-Scanner-Tool-White-/111744267146?hash=item1a047a338a:g:9oUAAOSw-jhUGtlL You get what you pay for - I have found it has detected the faults fine that I have had on mine - for a tenner you cant go wrong. You can spend up to whatever you want and get a more in-depth reader, Toyota Techstream is the best but you will pay for it. With the scanner above just download the "Torque" app for your phone or tablet and away you go. If you are looking outside of your area then if ringing the dealer you don't need to let them know where you are coming from ... tell them you are just around the corner...

I think the dealer price is being swayed by the relatively low mileage on this one, mileage on a car this old should not be a big factor as it doesn't tell the story of how the cars been looked after as you have witnessed - 5995 to me sounds a bit too OTT considering you could be looking at a few quite expensive fixes. Its definitely a contender for haggling down but take into account the prices you are faced with to put right - if you do go for it as is and applying the cost of the repairs (brakes / exhaust etc) then you will be looking at 9k overall (cost plus repair) to make this car happy again and at that price you are into a different price bracket of a car that you can be buying. It depends upon what you find regarding exhaust and brakes. Those alone will add 3k to your bill from a dealer. Ask the dealer to put it through its MOT at an independent garage (not his) to ensure the exhaust and brakes are good. If bad then ask him to put right before he sells. I am sure when he see's the cost of parts then he will be willing to do a deal. Check the exact spec - there are SE-L and SE-I options out there which are quite similar in the markings. Have a look at the V5 doc to make sure. I am pretty sure a check using the car reg on the DVLA site will let you know what it is to be sure. My price would be £4500 but even then I would be a bit wary. Check the oil - if black then I would leave alone. Check for white crusting around the water pump area (front of car between the rad and engine block towards the bottom of the engine) which would indicate water pump issues, not due to use but due to age. Tyres, chech these are on the right way as I have seen cars and purchased one that had the tryes on the wrong way round (rotation indicator wrong) masking issues with the steering / shocks etc. Wear on outside on a "rotated" tyre would indicate issues. 2 keys essential - one being the master. Only one key then consider another 300£ to add to your bill. One very good opportunity to see the cars health, may be a bit too late to organise this, get or take a Bluetooth ODB reader with you, plug it in and read the history of any errors. Some dealers will wipe this clean but some may not. Its an easy check to do. No indicator lights on the dash wont mean there never has been, they could have been cleared but still stored within the ecu. I have checked this twice when buying a car - once it brought up the history and the other it did not. Worth a go. Lastly, don't be persuaded by the first one you see, although you have only found this one, there are a lot out there in better condition.

I had a custom stainless cat back made by a company over in the UK - Cybrand - but I would not recommend them. Not much use to you but one to knock of as a potential supplier. Think very hard about fitting a stainless exhaust as if you get it wrong you can be left with a hell of a drone around from it around 2k revs. Novelty at first but it eventually spoils the driving. Some of my weld and folds have failed on this custom one. I am that fed up with mine that I am putting together one myself with parts I have sourced over the web. Just waiting for some good weather and a bit of time to fit them together. Thinking easter will be a good opportunity. I was going to list the parts and a guide on a "how to" when I done it. The free flow exhausts while "releasing" a bit of power from the engine has a drawback in creating more noise especially in stainless steel. Once done it will have new centre box / pipe and I am fitting a quad boxes to get rid of the exhaust gass quicker which I am hoping (have been told) will eradicate the drone or at best will move the frequency of it further up the rev range so it wont affect the drive.

Sorry but I would trust your own instinct over what a dealer tells you - they will want to sell the car, they will use any excuse to gloss over any issue to sell or to make the car stand out as the brightest can in the lot.. Best get the name of the owner, contact him and from there base your decision both on what the dealer and the owner has told you. If it does turn out the owner lives in Spain then it would give some confidence in the dealer. Like cracksta said above, you can check its history, tax and if its currently insured on the DVLA web pages. My opinion is that a car like this needs to be run - high mileage is of no issue at all providing you look after it and by that I mean the basics (oil / brakes etc) as they are built solid otherwise, ok you do get into servicing timescales from an older car more but nothing that would not crop up with time for a low miler. I would check fluids / rubber hoses / greased components from a car that sits idle for most of the time. Contacting the owner may reveal if he has had it from new and also how often it has been used. Might turn out he has and only done supermarket miles or school runs...not enough in my opinion to keep a car in good running order (just my opinion) If not phased by the owners opinions on here then take a very good look at the condition of it - exhaust will be another good essential area to check as sitting for long periods without use could corrode it, caught me out when mine went with a quoted price from Lexus of £2700 for replacement!! (not available as a 3rd party part so only option is ebay or a custom exhaust) - brakes will also seize. There are no cam belts on these (chains on them - no issue there from a low miler) What model is it and what price is it up for? Full service history? Remember the service intervals go by mileage and by year so it will have to have been kept up to date with the stamps not due to the mileage but for the years. From what you have said, brakes and shocks then you will be looking at approx. £1500 fitted - more from a dealer. If the plugs have not been done then add another 500 on top of that!

No real reports of issues with speaker rattles - maybe just unlucky that something's come loose or fallen down window gap - gotta ask the obvious, its nothing rattling around in the door pocket? If all else fails then the door cards not that hard to remove.

Maybe a stab in the dark and I know nothing about diesels ..... wont cost anything but check the seal on the fuel cap or the caps on secure. The petrols create a vacuum and there has been a few reports of spurious goings on linked to unsecure petrol caps. Its a reported problem on some Vauxhalls where the rubber seal fails causing issues.

John - I had read that petrol does degrade over time but was unsure by how much or how quick Just thinking about an experience i had a while ago where the car started "shivering" I put this down to carbon build up as its been reported that this is one of the symptoms - is it possible that this symptom could be a cause of bad fuel being used? Not sure how the car processes the information regarding the different fuel rons it has in its tank but I have noticed it does perform differently between them - I have also noticed that my fuel range goes up when changing between 95 and 98 grades. So if the car actually received a 98 ron petrol and thinking it was that but it actually had a degraded petrol in it it may have spluttered a bit or just recognised that the petrol was a lower grade, I presume petrol will degrade and produce a different chemical from that its designed to do and therefore find difficulty in burning it efficiently?