KentIS300

Hello guys,

I realised my expansion tank was totally empty... really close to dry to be honest.

Now call me daft but for the whole time I had the car I do not remember checking it before... so today I have done the service I went to Lexus (Toyota) and picked up my 1lt coolant which they had specifically ordered £12 after VAT!!! This is the reason they do not stock it they said.

Anyhow, I topped it up 50%-50% so in total added about 700mls of fluids ... more less.

Tonight I realised my expansion tank was empty again :( :( :( it emptied gradually ... and not in one go.

I did not remember seeing any paddles....but just now at the Tesco Car Park I have seen a little pool of water under my car placed between the radiator and the engine block...

I could not see any wet patches under the car though (on the plastic covers)

No steam is coming from the car so I assume might be a hose???

Are there any weak points on the IS300 to look for?

I will lift the car tomorrow on tripods and go under to have a look... I am a bit gutted as this is now my only car.

Forgot to mention there is no overheating... and the engine is running like a dream, there is no smoke coming from the exhaust, other than the normal while until the engine half warms up (as I have read elsewere it is the condensation in the catalytic converter usually). After that there is no smoke from the exhaust at all....

Any ideas??

Just tinted my front lights and fogs... I thought they would look awful ... but taken the cheap price of the material I did not mind playing about lol

So here it is and I must admit I like it a lot ... looks much much better than expected.

I do not know how long it will last though... but I have enough material for two more applications if I like to.

PS.1 .... I know I know the car is filthy.... but I am out of energy these days and it just came out on the road today after I spent time servicing it lol

PS.2 .... I also know the application of the material is not 100% smooth... but it is my first attempt ;)

I have some money spare and I am very tempted!!! lol :D

I might be going mad ... or maybe the 300 sportcross has a different ride setup than the 200 saloon ...

mine does not like rought roads at all ... it is firm and bouncy and all factory setup. I would not call it comfortable or perfect ride lol.

I have not driven another IS to compare it though.

I like it a lot ... may I ask how much! lol I know a question never to be mentioned (for the exhaust I mean)

When I had my Toyota's I always used Mobil1 found out the engines worked with a sweet sound.

However I know that Toyota dealers used to use all the time Castrol ... I have no clue what they use now.

At the end of the day all oils are the same as long as they are changed in good intervals etc and them being fully synthetic.

However I never used Motul I must admit.

My alarm desides to go on random occasions and loves it around 12:00 midnight or around 6:00 in the morning ... it is like it has an alarm clock in it lol

However after observation I have noiticed I have a little leake on my sunroof (when I pull the visor back) and after a strong rainfall I have a couple of drops fall on top of my head. If I keep the sunroof visor closed is perfectly fine.

Now the fun starts that night when condensation takes place the alarm goes off ... and the same in the morning time.

The condensation of the leak in the middle of the ceiling is setting it off. My problem has nothing to do with the windscreen some others are facing. One of these days I will clean the drains for the sunroon and I will try to revive condition the sunroof rubber somehow. As the water is only like 15ml .... MAX

This is a scenario you might want to concider as well if you experience random set offs.

Also I have read somewhere else that the bonnet alarm switch can malfunction setting off the alarm as well.

Also a low or poor health Battery will set off alarms with this kind of sound as you described... they think someone is trying to disable them and the thing is your cannot disarm the bl@@dy thing ... lol as the Battery is low and becomes unresponsive. Happened with my CL when the radio was draining the Battery after a 4-5 day of non use.

So is there no way of stopping/curing it?

No apparently! Just gotta put up with it.

I suppose if someone changes the OEM shocks with some other make ... it will not do it anymore.

I have started having a clong ... sound from the front drive side over speed bumps I thought it was a ball joint as I have changed all my bushes so these cannot be.

And the shocks/springs are going to be changed soon as well as I want a better ride from the car.

So will let you know if it is dissapeared with the new setup

My IS300 S/C came from the previous owner with the K&N Typhoon kit and I must admit it does sound amazing.... when I first bought it and was driving back in my other car, I thought there was a bike overtaking me (ie Yamaha R1 flatout.) When I looked on the side I realised it was my new IS300 lol ... and my mate driving it like he stole it hahahahaha.

IT does sound like (I say "LIKE") a Formula 1 engine when pushed with the induction kit. And in mid range it has a nice throaty sound.

As I said in previous post the only bummer is the cleaning and reoiling... but that does not happen often.

My God spent 20minutes reading this topic... I was amused to say the least!!

I never driven an IS200 ...

But having owned and driven the following:

Ford Cougar V6

Supra 3.0 N/A

MR2 N/A

And now the IS300

Ford Cougar -- A nice GT cruiser, I would not call it fast as it only had 170 however nice torque as it was a V engine.

Supra N/A was Auto and that was a really bad point since it had a really old design auto and the engine did not have the VVTi.

MR2 2.0 N/A was FAST small light car and 190bhp well it is fun!!! although did not like the corners.

Now the IS300 I would call it rapid, nice responsive engine and nice gearbox maybe nicer box than the 200, but not mind blowing engine performance.

For certainly it cannot keep up with my CL500 which is N/A as well. But the IS has a responsive throttle. However a Straight engine cannot match the torque figures and the pull that a V engine has.

Plus I have noticed from experience a V engine likes less petrol than a Straight engine likes ... and that goes the same when it comes to I6 engines from BMW or Toyota or anyother manufacturer they are just juicy.

There is nothing wrong by liking your car at the end of the day there is a reason you bought it for.

But no need to keep challenging every poor person in the road lol "joking"

I have the K&N typhoon induction kit on my IS300 and it does sound really good.

Not sure if they make it for the IS200 ... however I have found a used one on eBay for an IS200 after a quick search.

The only downside in my eyes is the cleaning and reoiling ... gets a bit messy and takes time.

Has anyone else had the same look on their bonnet?

I have used 2500 wet and dry on a third of the bonnet and see if those scratches can be shifted.... and for some reason they seem that they are under the lacquer but they can still be felt with the nail.

I even tried 1500 grit and had the same outcome. Still there haunting me.

Only managed to remove them like 60%

I think the previous owner has sprayed lacquer on top of the lacquer and had a reaction... had some material which looked like lacquer over spray (dull look) on half of the wings which I cleaned with claybar and compound with rotary so the wings are really good with no problems. But it seems that the bonnet got the beating.

Note those pics are not before and after.

This is the worst bit of the bonnet I have not touched it yet.

This is where I have done the wet and dry and rotary with compound.

So now the weather is getting better and the BHP show in Lydden Hill not far away ...

Anyone interested to organise a local meeting?

Doesn't say much about the MOT place you have sent your car too. A bit like failing it on wipers when perfectly ok, they might be following the law but was a bit harsh considering you didn't try to misrepresent the characters. Bet they were quick enough to try and flog you a set of their £stupid.99 plates.

Can get sets from ebay with all legal marking dirt cheap have ordered many before

Nah did not go for their plates ... they did not try to offer me a replacement set ... he even said do you have another pair we can put on? which I found silly.

Gonne to Halfords where I had some previous discount and got the pair there done the cheapest possible...

I did suggest to you, in 11th posting on this thread, that you should contact DVLA with full details!

I took your advice Dave :) although there was no need to provide full details. As soon as I said I will take the matter legaly and I was a replacement legal set of plates or a refund. They offered a refund ... not a replacement.

I know I gave up ... but I am getting a refund.

For definate I will not recommend them

Thanks everyone for your kind assistance.

The garage where I purchased the car has go in contact with the previous owner who will post me the locking wheel removal tool. I offered to travel to his house to collect as I have an MOT booked for Monday and I need to change the discs/pads but he did not want me travelling to his house!! Why I do not know...

Anyways, I have cancelled the MOT and will rearrange for a later date when the brakes are sorted. The car is tested until the end of the month so all is legal

Again, cheers for all the feedback, I should have the tool shortly. Now all I need to do is upload some photos of the car etc... And get modifying!

K&N, Iridium's, timing belt, diff oil, engine oil, filters are on the list to do.

I suppose he is afraid of some sort of confronting :) Glad you reached to an end with this story.

Enjoy your motor and yes put on some pics :)

Make sure you also report those MOT stations which have issued you with a pass certificate whilst they've been fitted as they are supplying you with an invalid MOT

M1 my issue is not with the MOT places ... but with the Number Plate supplier who is denying total liability... while according to the law should have notified me before they hit the production process stating my number plates cannot be produced.

That is the main argument. A supplier denying an error in their process.

You would order from a professional claiming being in the business 12years ... and you would expect that the product you receive is legal. There is no pop up disclaimer ... stating your number plates are illegal or anything similar. How would the end consumer know that they are not correct?

I know it sometimes doesn't seem fair, but regardless of the legalities surrounding the supplying of your plates; once you drive on the roads they are entirely your responsibility. Not knowing the Law has never been a defence & you must have known you were pushing your luck with non-standard plates.

Well I did not know that they were non standard plates, noone told me different until yesterday at the MOT station.

Anyway I have spoken to DVLA and they have adviced by law the number plate supplier should not have supplied me with those number plates being non road legal.

By them supplying me those number plates they have broken the law and they are liable to fines or suspension of their licence if they do not set the matter right.

It is not about me ... but how many can they order from the specific website spend a fortune on a set of number plates thinking they are legal and have a peace in mind ... until they are caught by surprise like I did.

Hi Jason,

I had the same problem when I bought my MR2 ... the locking nut key was broken ... so it was like not having it ....

I took it to my local Watling tyres place and they tried a number of different sockets and about 30mins later my wheels were free from the locking nuts.

By the way I take it you looked anywhere in the car and documentation ... trying to see if the locking nut key is ... ie glove box, ash tray (front and rear), the pocket behind the driver's seat or passenger, one of the door pockets?, somewhere in the spare wheel bay ...?

I am just giving ideas just in case you did not search somewhere.

I hope you find a place that they will remove it.

I would not look at a chain of stores as they are too precious with their policies.

By the way I take it the old owner does not know where it is?

Also after looking a bit more into it .... it is the supplier to blame according to DVLA website, they should not supply me with mispaced number plates... this law amendment came into action in 2008 and it is in the DVLA website.

Hence the supplier should have contacted me to notify me that my product did not meet the legislation.

Non-Compliant Number Plates

It is already an offence for motorists to display non-compliant number plates on their

vehicles. From 1 November 2008 it will become an offence to supply number plates

that do not conform with the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations

2001 and the British Standard. This offence will apply throughout the UK and carries a

maximum penalty of £2500 and/or suspension from the register for up to 5 years. It will

be illegal to supply plates with the vehicle registartion mark (VRM) mis-spaced to look like

the name of an individual, non standard font/colour or with a slogan or message printed

on them.

Information about the display of registration marks can be found on leaflet ‘Display of

Registration Marks for Motor Vehicles’ (V796).

You produce your documents to prove that you are entitled to use the registration mark you're requesting, not to prove what you're going to do with them. It's about reducing casual car cloning.

And from looking at the site in it's current state, it doesn't purport to limit you to guaranteed road legal plates. There's several bits on there that say this or similar, as you've already spotted yourself.

To mis-space or mis-represent the digits on number plates is an offence under the Road Vehicles (Registration & Licensing) Regulations 1971. Be sure to enter your registration number correctly because the finished number plates will be made to the same spacing you enter here.

If you chose to double space the gap then, from my point of view looking in, it's your fault not the suppliers. You also say that

Which as I said in my reply ... I would have thought that mis-spacing would be to have too few than too many in my understanding as too many are out there making two letters look like one etc.

If they do decide to give you free replacements then it will be through nothing but goodwill. Assuming something to be right or wrong isn't really a solid argument.

No offence, but going to the effort of blaming the supplier, getting in touch with consumer direct and imagining that you could take this court after you bought them 5 years ago is just a bit OTT really. Get over it and find a less nazi MOT station would be my advice.

I bought the first set 5 years ago ... and bought then this set in September 2011.

My arguement is that noone has told me until today .... that putting 2 spaces between the group of numbers is illegal.

I believe a common understanding of an illegal number plate is one that has no spaces ... or the letters are too close to make something look like something else.

This is an obvious mis-spacing to me and I believe to common sense.

I have gonne to such "extremes" in researching, as I was not expecting my car to fail to something I was never warned that might be illegal.

The main statement to the consumers advice ... is that the supplier sold me a product which is not fit for purpose, which I believe is accurate. The supplier never told me that my number plates will be legal only for shows and not for road use.

If such statement was supplied with the delivery of my number plates we would not have this "arguement" at the moment.

OK let's say I wanted the number plates for a show use ... why go through the whole process of asking for my DVLA document that authorised me to produce my registration plates and also for my passport or photo driving licence??

They were more than obviously intented for road use since I had my DVLA document which I sent them.

Here is the website http://www.demonplat...latebuilder.php

If I am not allowed to post links as such ... please let me know and I will remove it.

Thanks Dave, I was directed there by DVLA after I called them.

However I don't see what difference does it make if there is one space or a two space gap between the groups.

X0 XXX

or

X0 XXX

I have received tickets via the post all those years bus lanes and junction boxes ... without any problem recognising my 2 spaces number plate.

And as someone else has said ... MOT check is for the road worthiness of the car ultimatelly ... not how "legal" a number plate is or not.

Anyhow I am just boiling here as I see so many illegal number plates on the road ... text style ... 1J made look like U ...and I mean it you cannot make if it is 1J until you go 1m away.. and these cars are driving amongst us every day...

However an extra space between groups is illegal!

Anyhow ... I went to Halfords .... printed off some really cheap number plates and got them on the car to pass the MOT.

I have spoken to consumer direct ... and they adviced regadless the statement on the website of the number plate maker, I was supplied with a product non fit for it's purpose.

Ultimately a number plate which cannot be used on the car with it's legal term.

Hence I could take it to court and have a good chance of winning under the consumer act.

I believe the statement is not clear and I had received no warning once the order was received.

It would have been easier to have a pop up on their website or a warning to say they the spaces I entered would make my number plates non legal.

This statement means nothing to me and to 90% of the day to day users I believe.

To mis-space or mis-represent the digits on number plates is an offence under the Road Vehicles (Registration & Licensing) Regulations 1971. Be sure to enter your registration number correctly because the finished number plates will be made to the same spacing you enter here.

I have googled the Road Vehicles (Registration & Licensing) Regulations 1971 and ... I cannot seem to find anything about number plates... let alone the mis-spacing mentioned there.

So how can this statement be valid?