johnatg

No problem! Pleased that you take an interest in us! 😊

There are quite a few ads for housings on eBay - mostly from China or USA. But it's only an ally can - the chinese ones should be perfectly OK. Cost about £12. (Look for IS250 ones - they are the same for IS220D) One odd thing - the specified torque setting for IS250 housing is 18 ft.lb - for the IS220D it's 30 ft.lb

This is the IS forum! All IS models have a non-disposable casing - you need the correct tool to remove and retighten it ( eg this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/64-5mm-14-Flute-Oil-Filter-Socket-Remover-Removal-Tool-For-Toyota-3-8-Drive/122345149365?hash=item1c7c56d3b5:g:WbMAAOSwQiFadeNJ ) Note the cut-outs in the rim - they are the vital bits which engage with lugs on the casing and are the reason why any old filter removal tool will not do. Tightening torque is 18ft. lbs. - do not tighten it further. I use K&N filter element inserts. Genuine Lexus ones and other brands are readily available - they are just paper and an O-ring seal. (You get an extra O-ring and a plastic spacer, both of which you chuck away) Oil is a matter of choice - any 5W-30 fully synthetic will do and you need to change it every year or more often with even normal mileage. Lexus change interval is 12 months or 10000 miles - I change mine at 5000 miles. Extended interval oil changes threaten the life of the timing chains - and replacing them is a major, major job.

The fact is that it is almost impossible to remove an overtightened oil filter housing with conventional filter removal tools. The correct tool usually does the job, maybe with some difficulty. It might be worth applying a little bit of heat, very cautiously, to the housing, if all else fails. Correct tightening torque is 18ft lbs - not very tight at all.

According to the RAC, there is no website (as of Nov 2017) giving a comprehensive and correct listing of cars by registration number showing their Euro standard. Cars first registered after Jan 1 2006 had to be Euro 4 compliant (the standard became optional in 2005) - some registered before will have been. All IS250s are Euro 4 (at least) compliant. Quite how the authorities will administer this is beyond me if there is no definitive reference.

Yep - passenger side dash only. Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

I wouldn't worry too much - my car has always had a bit of crust as you describe - I bought it 6 years ago at 29500 - now on 65500. But keep an eye on the level of coolant in the header tank. Water pumps do seem to be a bit of a weak spot on the IS250 engine and are frequently changed before 90000 miles. How long a warranty have you got on the car? If there is any suspicion of a leak before it's expiry I would get the seller to change the pump (if you bought from a trade seller). A new pump can be bought for less than £100 from carparts4less and fitting is not too difficult if you have some diy capability - there is a photo or video guide on here somewhere.

I think you'll actually need to clear the fault code with Techstream. Then drive and see if it comes back.

If you put your reg no in on the CP4L first page and search for Brake Discs you will get a list of suitable parts. For my reg it only gives Eicher front discs and then a choice of vented or solid Pagid rear discs - they can't tell from the reg which rear discs IS250s have. (My car has solid rear discs - they changed to vented some time in 2007 in production.) If the Pagid discs you have found are listed under your reg they will fit. If they are under something else they may well not do - the diameter and thickness dimensions might be correct but the 'bell' part may not be.

Most of the service parts (even on the production line) are not made by Lexus but by a multitude of suppliers. They produce parts to Lexus specs and pack them in Toyota boxes but you can often buy exactly the same parts in manufacturers' own boxes. Many parts for Japanese cars are sourced on Europe and come from different suppliers from those in Japan =- they get packed in eg Toyota boxes for sale at premium prices or in the manufacturers' own boxes at a lower price. The trick is to sort out the quality produce from the dross! EuroCarParts and CP4L are the same company - CP4L invoices say EuroCarParts. CP4L is more or less the trade oriented version but it really makes no difference. The ranges listed can be slightly different but CP4L are generally cheaper even with the frequent ECP discounts - worth checking both though. I don't really buy stuff for the Lexus from either. Oil filters - I use K&N just because I like them. Buying a IS250 filter is not like buying a canister type one where the quality of construction of the can and its internals (eg anti drain back valve) mattered - IS250 filters are just paper and a sealing ring, along with a superfluous (for the IS250) o-ring and a curious bit of plastic which you don't need. Air filters - Toyota branded ones cost about £25. BluePrint are major suppliers of Japanese (and these days other brands) parts and are pretty much the standard suppliers to the independent garage trade. They produce (or rather package) parts to OEM spec and their air filters are readily available on eBay for less than £10. They don't sell direct to the public but there are plenty of vendors of BluePrint parts. I don't think there's much point in using cleanable oiled filters costing £50 odd when you can buy excellent paper ones for £10 and the scheduled change period is 40K miles - you can replace them twice as often and your wallet wont notice the difference. Oil - I have used Dexos2 (the branded GM product) for a long time, but the price has gone up over the years and I have now taken to using Exol Optima LSG 5W-30 which meets Dexos2 specification along with specs by MB, GM, BMW, VW etc. Not available in 5L cans but I buy 20L containers for about £60 and use a tap to decant it. 3 oil changes for £20 each and it's an excellent oil. Spark Plugs - only choice is Denso - I will soon be fitting IKBH20TT which is now the recommended (Iridium) plug. Wiper blades - you need Denso hybrid blades - other brand flat blades don't wipe the screen properly. Most economical is to buy replacement rubbers from Lexus (Birmingham on line, but all dealers sell them) Brake pads - EBC Red stuff or Yellow stuff. Discs - MTEC. And there's always RockAuto for more obscure parts which seem to be hard to get in UK. Their brands are a USA mystery - pick with a pin - there's usually a choice of manufacturer for the part you need. Just my opinions and my choices, but they keep my IS250 and various other cars which I look after going! (The other cars sometimes use different brands, but the same thought processes apply.)

Well a lot of cars, Mercedes, BMWs and Ford Fiestas in particular have been stolen in this way. The devices you can buy on Amazon and eBay for £257 work up to about 30 metres from the key, without obstruction. Metal and walls etc reduce the range but by some random amount. The further from the front of the house and the more metal in the way, the better. The Faraday pouch is a good idea, so obviously you do take it seriously - probably more so than the rest of us, until now!

I guess that's all true - there are reports today of the very low rate of house burglary attendance by the police, let alone detection or prosecution. And I would expect taking a car without intrusion into a house to be rated even less seriously than burglary. Keyless cars are more susceptible than just remote centrally locked cars because you can not only open the door but also start and drive the car without the key with one of these wireless devices. And central locking only remotes are generally passive until you press a button - they don't respond to an enquiry signal so these responder devices don't work with them. There are some things you can do - keep your car keys as far away from the front of the house as possible and preferably inside a metal box. Don't forget the spare key - maybe take the battery out of that until you need it. And don't use the keyfob locking/unlocking facility especially in public car parks - use the door button instead - that way you're not transmitting a code to anyone around and the signal can't be interrupted to intercept locking of the car. And check that the car is locked (try a back door) before walking away. But the market for Lexus and in particular parts is going to be a lot less than for prestige and common makes - the most vulnerable these days are Ford Fiestas which I guess are mostly stolen for parts.

Just keep using what you have been. Diesels need a high detergent oil as well as DPF protection. Note that a working EGR and DPF will be a MoT requirement after 20th May.

Quote: 'Back to the EU standards - I don't know about Bath, but at least in London (proposed new congestion area) IS250 and IS220d would be exempt' Not so in France, though - Euro 5 petrol cars get a Crit-Air 1 sticker, Euro 4 petrol cars and Euro 5 and 6 diesel cars get a Crit-Air 2 and Euro 4 diesels get a Crit-Air 3 sticker. And it's not just a charge - complete bans during more or less working hours come into force progressively at the Authorities' whim. And I can't get a Crit-Air sticker at all for my MX-5 (pre-1997) - no more 'driving through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in (my) hair' !

Sorry - ignore this thread - posted by a click error! See the other with the same title!

See here: https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test It's a bit ambiguous. After May 20th - I don't think they can actually prevent you from driving away, but there may be more consequences if you were stopped by the police on the way home (or back to the test place, come to that) I got a note saying 'dangerous' once - I had made a bungled attempt to adjust the parking brake soon after getting the car and it wasn't working on one side. (Is that actually 'dangerous' on an automatic?) - I had no issues with driving it home, fixing it and driving it back for the pass! But I suppose that might not have been strictly legal.

I see this morning that Bath may be going to introduce a congestion charge according to Euro emissions ratings (and some other cities already have) I visit Bath quite often as my daughter lives there, although I haven't driven into the city itself for quite some time. (Use the handy bus pass!!!!) The key ratings are Euro 4 and Euro 5. UK market IS250s met Euro 4 from 2005 to 2010. From 2011 onwards they met Euro 5. Not sure about diesels, but more restrictions can be expected!

Just thought it might be useful to post some definitive details about the changes to MoT tests from Sunday May 20th 2018. There are quite a few changes to the pass/fail/advisory system which is being comprehensively revised and in particular is introducing a 'Dangerous' category which means you can't drive a vehicle which has received a dangerous warning - previously if a car had a valid (old) Mot you could drive it home - now it seems you can't (legally). Too many changes to list so see here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mot-changes-from-may-2018-guidance-for-mot-testers/overview-of-mot-changes-from-may-2018 Then there are the new items which will be tested. Not all apply to saloon cars (as opposed to vans, pick-ups etc), and some items apply to newer vehicles only, but here's the list. See the link above and pages referenced from there for more details. (Incidentally, for IS220D owners, note 'EGR' and 'DPF tampering'!). Some people might like to get a test in before May 20th! brake fluid contamination additional braking device performance daytime running lamps front fog lamps reversing lamps bumpers prop shafts all rear drive shafts cab security cab steps floors passenger hand grips (quads and heavy trikes only) noise suppression material undertray security emission control equipment: oxygen sensor NOx sensor exhaust gas recirculation valve other emission control equipment engine malfunction indicator lamp diesel particulate filter (DPF) tampering fluid leaks - engine, transmission and so on

Just thought it might be useful to post some definitive details about the changes to MoT tests from Sunday May 20th 2018. There are quite a few changes to the pass/fail/advisory system which is being comprehensively revised and in particular is introducing a 'Dangerous' category which means you can't drive a vehicle which has received a dangerous warning - previously if a car had a valid (old) Mot you could drive it home - now it seems you can't (legally). Too many changes to list so see here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mot-changes-from-may-2018-guidance-for-mot-testers/overview-of-mot-changes-from-may-2018 Then there are the new items which will be tested. Not all apply to cars (as opposed to vans, pick-ups etc) and some only apply to newer cars, but here's the list. See the link above and pages referenced from there for more details. (Incidentally, for IS220d owners, note 'EGR' and 'DPF tampering'!) brake fluid contamination additional braking device performance daytime running lamps front fog lamps reversing lamps bumpers prop shafts all rear drive shafts cab security cab steps floors passenger hand grips (quads and heavy trikes only) noise suppression material undertray security emission control equipment: oxygen sensor NOx sensor exhaust gas recirculation valve other emission control equipment engine malfunction indicator lamp diesel particulate filter (DPF) tampering fluid leaks - engine, transmission and so on

Perhaps I could have put the bit about the noble gas playing no part in HID operation a bit better......the light is of course produced by changes in energy levels in the electrons of the gas through which the arc is struck. It doesn't really matter what gas is used - any gas will give out light when an arc is struck.

Can't let that go, Linas. My lights do not blind oncoming motorists - if they did, I would get flashed at and I have never experienced retaliation since my HIDs have been fitted. Also, the aim and beam pattern is checked at MoT time and is correct. And there is a very sharp cut off along a horizontal line between light and dark - lower and upper areas of the beam pattern. Sub-5000K HIDs produce white light - the blue/green colours come in above that. There is no similarity between the operation of HIDs and halogen bulbs. HIDs strike an arc between electrodes. The inert gas - be it Xenon or one of the other noble gases - is largely there to prevent too much erosion/burning away of the electrodes. The actual gas may affect the colour to some extent, but the gas plays no other part in the operation. HIDs are bright like a welding torch - the arc produces the light. Doesn't matter if they are cheap or expensive - they all work like that. Halogen bulbs work with a fine Tungsten filament. The Halogen surrounding it (Iodine) creates a chemical reaction with Tungsten atoms evaporating from the filament whereby Tungsten Iodide is produced which dissociates and redeposits Tungsten on the filament. In this way a very fine (and hence, bright) filament which would otherwise burn out very quickly is enabled to keep on working for a reasonable time as it is effectively reconstituted continually. Noble gases are present to fill the bulb and create the correct (high) pressure needed for operation - only a small amount of iodine is present, and again, the noble gases play no part in the operation. As for LED bulbs - they just don't work in headlamps not designed for them. They look bright but they just don't produce illumination. (Hence I can see that they work very well for DRLs in the fog lights). Cars which use LEDs have headlamps designed as a unit and they work - too well, as they are just too bright, as featured in the news a few days ago.

Which lights are you referring to? The dip beams are projector lamps and have either Halogens or HIDs depending on model (SEs have halogen, SE-Ls have HID for example). The main beams are halogen and these cannot be changed for HID (or at least should not be) You can put HID bulbs in the dip beams - kits are available on eBay from £30 ish. They are illegal but work pretty well. I've had them for over two years in my SE and have had no problems with MoTs or getting flashed at. It is true that for EU type approval a car has to be fitted with headlight washers and self-levelling headlamps for HID bulbs to be used but this does not affect the MoT (but does make the HIDs illegal if the extras are not fitted). The MoT test checks roadworthiness, not type approval (and they are not the same thing). The MoT manual says that lights fitted with HID bulbs may be fitted with washers and self levelling and these must be working if they are fitted - but note 'may' and not 'must'. Don't think that by fitting HIDs to a halogen-equipped projector dip beam you will get the same result as an oem HID set up. The manufacturer fitted dip beams with HID have a shutter which opens when you switch to long range/main beam and closes when you dip the lights. This movable shutter is not fitted to halogen equipped dip projectors - they seem to be permanently 'shuttered'. It is a big improvement to the lighting to fit HIDs to the dip beams though, despite the howls of disapproval that will follow this! Use HID bulbs rated at 5000K or less - the higher temperature ones have strange colours and actually produce less light (fewer lumens). The after-market HID kits come with a ballast and the whole thing just plugs in using the standard bulb plugs. You have to cut a hole approx 1" diameter in the rubber dust protector on the back of the dip beam lamp. This is plugged with a grommet from the kit which has wires between bulb and ballast passing thought it (and fitting very tightly for water and dust protection). Fitting is a bit tight, especially on the left hand side, but not too difficult.

Those are neither the US nor UK paint names - maybe they are the Chinese or Japanese market names? My car, for example, is 6U3 - Sargasso Green in UK, Desert Sage Metallic in USA, Midnight Green Mica (above), also Mid Green and Medium Green Pearl on various web sites. Just goes to show - don't go by paint names - always use the code!

It may well fool speed cameras etc (or their ticketing systems) which are largely automated these days. Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

DG65 OHE Honest guv - I never noticed! Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk