bluenose1940

Brilliant Paul, you are being really helpful with this info. it is probably going to cost me a few bob to kit myself out properly but I think that it will be worth it in the end. i think that before reading your advice I would be one of those who would undo all of the good work by giving the car a 'rubbish wash' I have always been a sponge and leather man up until now. I intend to change that once I have purchased all my goodies! I am wondering if I might venture into a bit of 'claying' too. have you ever tried this?

Thanks Paul, some really useful information there. I will investigate your recommendations further during the next couple of days. I didn't realise that there are polishes that contain fillers, that sound a really useful product. Thanks again. Thanks also to Carl. I will hopefully get myself sorted soon and if the weather picks up I can get stuck-in.

Wow! I have just checked the net for a depth gauge and they all seem to be very very very expensive, and then i spotted one for around twenty quid but I then thought that if all of the others are so expensive, can this one really give an accurate reading. Probably unlikely. I am just looking to get a really nice evenly polished/waxed look to my car and to hopefully get rid of some of the quite small blemishes and swirls that I have at the moment I wonder if my local dealership would do a depth test for me if i asked them nicely. Are the pads that you need for each process, interchangeable between machines or, do they come specifically made by the manufacturer of each machine? Thanks again for being so helpful.

Thanks for your input. You obviously use the menzema stuff on your car, out of interest what are your reasons for this? I have never used anything on my cars before, other than a bit of stuff from Halfords on occasion and so am not familiar with proper car detailing. I am getting close to making my choice of machine but, then up pops another problem, there are different types of pad to use for different processes. Any ideas on this?

Anyone have any thoughts on this package please? http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/meguiars/meguiars-dual-action-machine-polishing-kit.aspx many thanks

Brilliant! Exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much Ian, am extremely grateful.

I was recently following a thread that was discussing 'in-car cameras' but do you think that I can find it now, not on your life. Can anyone remember it and point me in the right direction please. Many thanks.

I think that I have narrowed my choice down to 2 polishers........... Maguiars G220 and the Kestrel DAS 6 PRO A top job seems to be the Flex 3401 but is very very expensive and I can't see that at my level of detailing would warrant spending that sort of money. Anyone got any further thoughts on helping make the final choice? Thanks for all the input thus far.

Hi folks. I thought that I would treat myself to a basket full of detailing stuff.......polishes/waxes/wheel cleaner/protector etc. I have been onto the 'Detailing World' site and asked a question about buying an electric polisher and someone told me that I need to be careful what I buy as my car probably has 'soft paint'. I always thought that paint was paint, didn't realise that there is a difference. Does anyone on here know the answer to this one please. Does anyone use such a polisher and can offer any recommendations. I was initially looking at the DAS 6 PRO but once again, someone has suggested that it might be too powerful for my car/paint. Any thoughts anyone. Many thanks.

I have just clicked on this link and have decided that if I need any of these clips, this is where I will go for them. The seller seems to be extremely helpful in making sure that you know what you are buying. Thanks for the link.

have a look at one of my old threads..........here http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/76569-problems-headed-off-at-the-pass/

This is just a shot in the dark and is the first thought that came to mind when I read your post. Has the windscreen ever been replaced and if so was it the correct type? I believe that I have read on here that you can actually see the heater wires at the bottom of the screen if you look carefully. I've just had a look at my screen and I think that I can see the wires OK. If you can see the wires on yours then it would seem to be an electrical fault such as switch or fuse so I can't be much help there I'm afraid. Hope this doesn't seem to be a stupid reply to your query, it just seemed like a possibility to me.

Oh right, thank you for that emin_75, I didn't realise. You learn something new everyday as they say.

See my post at #2 above. Fitted this to my IS220d but only one unit needed to be fitted in the drivers side door, and this operates both mirrors. I shall be fitting one to my IS250 in due course and once again I will just fit the one unit to drivers side.

Yes I do have the 'Community' box in the left and a 'search' button over on the right but when I type anything in that search box it works the same as 'Google' and I end up with a load of different sites covering sticking brake callipers, rather than it finding the threads within the LOC. Anyway, I don't need to search that subject anymore as Lexus Exeter fixed the problem via my extended warranty. Am really pleased with the outcome. However, I still need to sort the 'search' problem for future use.

I have often used the search feature on the LOC forum but for the life of me I can't find it anymore. I am trying to find any threads on 'sticking brake calipers' anyone got any ideas please.

After numerous telephone calls and emails during the first year of ownership, it does transpire that although the new dealership owners had most of the service information, some of it was missing. I even phoned Lexus UK and they too confirmed exactly that and so I am happy with what I was told.

I have a bit of a problem really with the service intervals with my car as I do not do many miles annually. The service plan that I have covers a 70K service at September 2013, an 80K service at September 2014 and a 90K service at September 2015 However, when I purchased the car in September 2012 it had 57K on the clock and the salesperson told me that the 60K service had been done just before the then owner part exchanged it for a new Lexus. My car only has 62K on the clock at this time. Since buying the car I have pestered the dealership for confirmation that the 60K service had been carried out and, because the dealership has changed hands they kept telling me that the full data was lo longer available. However, within the past week they have contacted me to say that as a gesture of goodwill, and "to put the matter to bed" (their words) they have told me that they will collect my car from my home and take it to Plymouth (100 miles round trip for which they will replace the petrol used) and they will put new spark plugs in. To me that is customer care/service absolutely second to none. It certainly encourages me to go back to them when I am ready to change my car again.

I took out a 3 year service plan for my 2006 IS250 SE-L. It cost me £801.71 and it includes Fixed price parts and labour costs, Free puncture repairs, Free Summer and Winter checks, Free MOT's All of the inclusions are for the term of the plan. I thought that this was quite a good deal.

No definitely not possible to lock the car with the keys still inside. When I was selling my IS220d I went for a drive with the prospective buyer and we stopped in town to go to the bank, parked the car and got out and, try as I might I could not lock the car. Feeling quite embarrassed and a victim of 'sods law' that something should go wrong at such a critical time (selling the car) I could only apologise and say that it had never happened before and that I would get it looked at and sorted. As we still had to go to the bank but could not lock the car, I picked up the drivers handbook folder off the back seat so that nothing was visible to a passing potential tea-leaf and, just for the hell of it I tried to lock the car again and it worked! I then realised that the spare key was in the folder ready to pass on to the new owner. Crisis averted!!!!

My son-in-law's Chrysler does it but my IS250SE-L don't not, not no how it don't..................shame really.........nice option to have.

Morning Bobby, As a point of interest I always use Shell fuel along with the AR products and am really pleased in every way regarding my car. The acceleration and economy are very much to my liking, along with the comfort of the car etc. Have a look at this site and have a read up on the AR6400 and the AR6200, you can make your mind up from there. http://www.powerenhancer.co.uk/ Hope this helps.

I too had the 220d for about 12months and was very pleased with it. I only changed it for the IS250 because of the very low annual mileage that I do since retiring from work. I did many posts on here about what I did to minimise the chances of getting any of the oft mentioned engine problems and I had a considerable amount of success too. One of the threads that I started, was showing the considerable increase in mpg that I achieved following the use of a particular product for cleaning the EGR valve. here is the link http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/76569-problems-headed-off-at-the-pass Now that I have the IS250 I have run through the system a couple of tanks full of fuel containing AR6400 and, I now use the required amount of AR6200 at every fill-up

Yes indeed there have been occasions when I have experienced very hot seats and steering wheel, not now that I own my SE-L though. If we get a decent summer this year, I will do some checking out as my car is dark coloured and my wife's is light. You make some interesting points in your posts. As they say, you learn something new every day.

I too have owned dark cars (including black ones) and white ones but can honestly say that I have never noticed any difference. I know that the Tuareg tribes wear black in some of the hottest places on the planet, they presumably do this to keep cool.