is200 Newbie

Another question ... would be interesting to know how many people own these cars (IS / GS etc) in the UK which should be a figure Lexus could work out just so we could see the extent of the ownership in the Uk?

Nice one John

Were the tyres rubbing on the wheel arch covers on full lock?

Normal use that manufacturers state is 1 litre per 1000 miles. Sounds excessive but I did own a Vauxhall that exceeded this once so went through the process of oil consumption tests and it was within limits which I was not happy with. Tight tolerances on engines these days in order for them to meet emission targets mean they use a small amount of oil for lubrication which will burn off hence any drop in the levels. The worst drop I have seen in mine is when using the edge oil ... but every car will be different. I posted an oil and fluid post on here a while back where I thought I would, just for info sake, monitor the levels etc. Results were interesting. On edge over 6 months I needed to top up approx half a litre. So far after 2 months on Magnatec there has been no drop in levels. Cars coming up to 83k

In the nearly 4 years of ownership of a Lexus I have only taken it to Lexus once for a cambelt change on an old is200 as I didn't trust any other garage to do the work. For all the other jobs I have done on the car I have done them myself as its not that hard to do - the service is an easy one. Lexus have let me down a couple of times so this led me to do the work myself and not living near a dealer then that sealed it for me. I do the oil changes every 6 months on mine as like you I only do a small mileage a year. Its used daily on short runs and on occasion has a good run so I think its important to have the oil changed regularly. I cant help with the tyres as I put on what ever is available as my exhaust is quite noisy so defeats the point in looking for a set of tyres to block the road noise.

Good job

Nothing to consider ... Keep the 250 !!!

Mines on the original battery (7 years old) has started every time after coming back home from a 2 week holiday. As mentioned above, unless you have left items running, you will be ok.

The noise you are hearing is a VVTi rattle. A common issue with this engine. Regular engine oil changes and engine flushes has cured mine. I have used both the Castrol Edge and Magnatec. I experienced oil loss with the edge compared to the magnatec (no idea why?) Also the Magnatec is staying cleaner for longer compared to the Edge brand. Both were 5w/30. I change oil every 6 months and would carry on using the Magnatec.

A 2 hour test drive ...? Were they doing an airport pickup?

Its a seat out job for the IS ... Not sure for the GS. It can be ordered without the connecting plug so you can reuse the existing plug and wire and just solder the new sensor to the existing wire which takes out the hassle of messing with the interior and doesn't take as much time. Again, it may be different for the GS.?

I think this depend on the regions the dealers are in. Same with my one at 70k but 6 years old. They would not replace the calipers. Decided to do it myself and proved to be a simple job.

Welcome to the forum George. Good choice. Good searching. The SE-L models are slowly becoming hard to find. At least not as many come up for sale these days. Stay away from the diesel !

Inform the police (they will give you advice) and also your insurance. In informing your insurance they will not alter your premium as you don't need to give your policy number as you are just seeking advice. My wife was in the same situation a while back and was her fault (admitted) - small scratch and dent on the bumper an old Picasso we went through the insurance as there was quite a big cost due on her car due to the angle she hit the Picasso. No one was injured at all. We put this through our insurance as the cost was almost £1000 for the repair to my wifes. A couple of months later after all the repairs had been done and everything forgotten we were contacted by the insurance company for a statement as the people in the other car had put in a claim for whiplash. We argued this as there was absolutely no way anyone was injured whatsoever but they came back and said it would cost less to settle rather than prolong the case but it would affect our premium!! . Apparently you have 12 months from date of accident to claim for this .... Totally ridiculous !! Anyway wife managed to remember to take a load of pictures (heat of the moment its not something you always think of doing) so that saved us really - rather than have an increased premium the claim was thrown out lucky for us. If it was me I would seek the advice - did you take pictures? As for proving they have accepted payment then a signed "invoice" would cover you.

I have a smaller one, black pearl type which is hard to find. Bought from USA for my grill mod but too small. Size is 90mm x 65mm.

What size are you looking for?

Its worth checking it - not a big job - 10 mins at the most

Maybe im one of the lucky ones - have never experienced any condensation in the car (YET !) I very rarely use the air con (don't really like them - much prefer a sunroof) but I do know it will clear your screen when misted up etc. I have my "air flow" always set to have have air coming in from the outside and again very rarely use the re-circulation mode (unless passing farms!!) There is another button on the dash - looks like a pollen filter button, Other than the obvious, what does that do? Maybe - long shot - your filter needs changing (glove box cabin filter) maybe its clogged or even wet/damp? When I park up and turn the engine off, I hear after a short time, a noise coming from that area as if there is a vent closing ... I have always thought that this was something to do with the cabin being "sealed" from the outside air elements ... maybe wrong. Do you hear this with yours?

Its usually something wet in the car (or damp) has it been raining and you have a wet coat in there?

Thanks Colin

Might sound like a daft question but can the older models be updated with the newer revised maps - I know its expensive. Just wondering?

I can only comment for the problem, same as yours, that I had but I have an IS model (should be the same principle though) When my exhaust went there were no warning lights associated to it - your exhaust can be welded if you are careful, exhaust fitters will probably tell you that you need a new one (two things ... they want the custom and also they will state that in case of any issues in doing the weld repair) the check VSC issue you have, I had with mine not that long ago - it was intermittent at first, maybe off / on for a week or so but there was a point after that where it came on constant. So your sensor is probably on its way out. An early indication that it needs to be replaced. I don't know about the GS parts but I could only buy mine from the USA (the USA prices were peanuts compared to the dealer part price) Its a good idea to replace both banks as if this one is on its way out then the other one wont be too far behind. Use this as an indication that you need a sensor and if you are doing the job yourself then look for the part now as there may be a long lead time from the USA.

Yes - nuts are missing - it not fitted then the seal will break as the exhaust flexes and it will be an MOT failure

Thanks Eric - yeah I have seen the thread. I will keep an eye on the pump as I guess its ripe for a change but no indication yet Cheers

I think it is a good idea to have a Lexus representative on the forum - The forum is open to anyone to view the experiences Lexus customers are having with their "products" without registering. Being registered to the forum gives you the added opportunity to add comments / suggestions and to help other owners with problems they may have. I would hope you could add any help or general advice for people owning the Lexus brand throughout the range during your time on this forum.? This is a premium brand of car and at times there are obviously issues with the service from different dealers and also issues, quite obvious ones, with the cars that the users experience but the dealers don't or wont recognise. A case in point is the issue with seizing calipers - been around since 1999 but to my knowledge still not resolved, certainly not resolved up to the 2008 on certain models. Is this a bit of a marketing exercise that's being undertaken here? Every manufacturer is looking at ways to increase its sales base and you will find, and this will be backed up by posts on this forum, that a lot of existing customers will return to the brand if treated right and had a good experience with their current model - I have ... even though I myself have experienced unresolved issues and unbelievable part prices. I don't know if my next car will be a Lexus and that's a further case in point in keeping your customer base happy. You will need to generate new sales and a majority of these will be from previous custom. It would be a good area to look at supporting users of the older models, who will in return, support your brand and make further purchases in the future. So my question, although I own a 2007 model Lexus so is not really relevant to your request above, would be how can you offer a better service in both part prices and customer service to the customers with the older models. Another question would be how can you introduce a web based service account for the car you own - one where you could log into to see what work has been done to the car you own and also give you an indication of what service work is required for the following year. At this point in time you need to travel to a dealer to ask for the history of the car you own and that depends on whether they have it or they let you see it.