johnatg

Hmm - so now that we don't have tax discs, how are they going to verify this sort of thing in future? I suppose wardens/police will be able to note the VIN and match that where it's displayed - but it isn't on my MX-5 for example. Bit stupid of the scrotes to leave the tax disc in, but maybe intelligence is not one of their virtues (!) if any (!). Although I guess they've just abandoned the car.

The metal strips have a couple of little teeth on them at one end which engage with tiny slots in the rubber. You have to extract the rubber from them, then you can remove the metal strips and the rubber. Dead easy when you've worked it out but it does seem hard at first!

The replacement screen is a Pilkington one. I've inspected behind the dash pretty carefully (had quite a bit of it out myself) and Lexus did a pretty comprehensive strip of the dash last week - absolutely no sign of problems. The problem has to be with the handle sensing or unlocking functions in the drivers door - everything else still works but the driver's door won't unlock once it's locked. (You can lock the door from the panel switch but not unlock it - all the other doors unlock from the switch) And that takes out things like the window switch functions from the driver's door (only) and the door open sensor circuit. The fault has to be outside the junction box - it's a substantial design fault that such a thing can cause excess current to flow in the junction box. Something seriously lacking in circuit protection. I'm in Alderley Edge so Lexus Stockport is much more convenient (and the only really viable choice).

Total catastrophe! I went out to the car last night - it was well iced up, but I touched the drivers door handle - it didn't unlock. I just thought it was too covered in ice so went round to the passenger side and it opened by touching that handle. I started it and went round scraping ice. When I got back in it was showing 'trunk open' and 'rh front door'. I haven't actually opened the boot since before this all went wrong the first time. (The boor does still open by touching the button). It will be back in to Lexus on Monday morning............ Noo bie - the windscreen has been replaced (before I got the car three years ago) but there is absolutely no sign of water ingress anywhere. I can see what you mean from the picture, but I think that's just photo efects - the screws are clean and bright and the shades in the board are just copper under the green lacquer. And it certainly isn't wet this time.

I tried to clean it but it wasn't very succesful. Clearly the majority of components on the board are resistors and capacitors with a few transistors and diodes. The big blown up component is a diode, although I couldn't see a label on it. It is the same type of component as the one just along from it - see the overall view of the board referenced above - there are three diodes in a row, from top centre (D027) then to the right - one you can't see (under the board?) - D029, then the blown up one. That came off the board as soon as I touched it with the toothbrush and the board is too badly burnt to read the reference. The heat from that component had damaged the case - if you look at the first pic the 'dimple' on the case (near bottom right) is in fact heat damage. As the symptoms developed gradually, clealy the whole shebang didn't go bang in one go - the damage spread gradually. But who knows when it started - maybe quite a while ago? - before any symptoms showed up? Don't know if that gets us any further?

The unit is fitted behind the dash on the driver's side. The technician was pretty apprehensive about just plugging in a new unit and carried out extensive checks on the wiring to check for water ingress, shorts, chafes, etc. Nothing was found - all wiring in the dash and doors is clean and dry and in perfect condition and it all checked out. They also checked the main body ecu which is fitted behind the left hand end of the dash The new unit was therefore fitted - it works perfectly. The dealers were happy to leave the PO-40 unit plugged in and connected - they couldn't see that it could have any effect on the issue - and I don't think it did either. So I'm happy to give that a clean bill of health. There was absolutely no indication of any problem outside the junction box (except for the smell - and even that was quite contained). The conclusion at least for now must be that it was caused by a spontaneous component failure - if a capacitor starts conducting or a resistor starts passing more current than it should all hell can break loose. Hard to tell which component failed first - that IC (or resistor block?) with a hole blown in it looks pretty bad but is it chicken or egg?

Hi guys Well, it's fixed. It took Lexus Stockport most of Tuesday and Wednesday morning to find the problem and do the repairs. It involved a pretty comprehensive strip down of the dash and driver's door. The Intelligent tester wasn't much help, but they did eventually trace the fault to this box (known as Box, Junction - L82730-53130) http://tinyurl.com/qympzxa No sign of damage on the outside (eg to terminals) http://tinyurl.com/n7kpf2a http://tinyurl.com/pxkoq6y It was hard to open and they broke a tab off in the process (see first pic of terminals above, near top right) - but they were sure the problem lay inside. They found this: http://tinyurl.com/o34wkh2 Close up here: http://tinyurl.com/qfdn24j Any electronics experts willing to hazard a guess as to where that started? They threw in a free tin of sweets, air freshener, key ring, wash and valet and a cup of coffee. So all in all quite a bargain really at £1040! About £600 (after discount...) for the box and the rest labour - and that should have been twice as much. I could have done without that just after Christmas! Can't really fault Lexus Stockport - they kept me informed as they went along. They've never seen this before. These Lexus showrooms are a new experience for me. All fancy decor and soft lights - and very quiet! More like an upmarket intimate night club before opening time - waiting for the clientele! (Now there's a business idea, Mr Toyoda!) They did offer me the two year warranty for £795 - but with the obligatory servicing etc I still reckon I'm quids in without it over the past three years. Makes you wonder though!

Hi guys Oh shame! I've admitted defeat here. Been having a hard think about what can be wrong. The door sensor switch (it simply carries a signal to earth when the door is open) works fine. The window switches in the Multiplex Network Master Switch (the switch panel in the door) don't work, but the window switches in the individual doors do work. Central locking doesn't work (as far as I can tell - if I lock with the MNMS switch they all lock, then instantly unlock - except the drivers door - the only way to lock and unlock the drivers door is to use the handle catch or the mechanical key. The mirror fold switch in the MNMS panel works OK. I rather think that all these switches feed in to one unit. Everything is clean and dry, both in the door (PO-40 location) and in the driver's footwell and the side walls. And there's a rather unpleasant smell of failed electronic component in the driver's footwell. So maybe a component in the double door lock ecu has failed (I know where it is theoretically, but I'm damned if I can find it. let alone get to it). The faults manifested themselves gradually and progressively during the day on Sunday. Started off minor and intermittent - now I've got a load of hard faults. I'm so convinced that it isn't the PO-40 that I have not removed it, but I've booked the car in to Lexus Stockport next Tuesday to get some diagnosis with the Intelligent Tester. Apparently it's £82.50 for initial diagnosis. Better start raising some (a lot!) of cash! :( Many thanks to Michael - he called me and we had a discussion about it. Brilliant! I'll keep you informed.......

Help, please! My IS250 (2006) insists that the front rh door is open when it's not. On Sunday morning, the car was well frozen up, but it opened OK when I touched the door handle. But the mirrors didn't fold out (I have a PO40 fitted). I was able to fold them out with the switch - it's possible that the mirrors were frozen at first but the engine had been running for a couple of minutes whilst I was clearing the screen before I noticed and by then the mirror heaters had kicked in and the ice round the mirror pivots had melted. Thinking nothing of it I embarked on a journey of approx 70 miles and parked the car. During the journey the 'front RH door open' sign came up on the dash a couple of times. Thinking that the door switch had got a bit sticky, I opened the door and slammed it shut each time and it cleared. But at the end of the journey the car wouldn't lock with the door handle button (nor with the remote). I did eventually lock it with the internal thingy and exited the car through the passenger side. I locked the car up with the remote. I then went on a short journey and had the same performance when I parked. Then another short journey and this time at the end the car simply would not lock at all. Soon I drove home - all the while with the red light flashing and the sign saying front rh door open (and bleeps as well with the sign 'move to P range' when I slowed nearly to a stop). When I finally parked at home the car would not lock even with the mechanical key. Eventually I disconnected the battery and it then did lock (manually on each door). Now - door lock works from the switch on the drivers door - all doors lock (including the RH front door) but then instantly unlock (but the drivers door stays locked). The drivers door window works from the door switch but none of the other windows work from the rh door switch. They do work from their own switches on each door. Drivers door lock works from the switch but not the handle or remote, but it won't unlock. If the battery is connected the other doors won't stay locked. I can't find any fuses blown and I've checked the rh door sensor switch - it is fine (and I think never was a problem). Any ideas anyone? The circuit diagrams part of my workshop manual doesn't work - does anyone have a circuit diagram of the drivers door electrics and controller?

This is due to compromises in the steering geometry. At large lock angles (near full lock) the inside wheel must follow a considerably tighter radius than the ouitside wheel. This is achieved through the use of Ackerman geometry. But car manufacturers don't use true Ackerman - they allow some slip which you are not supposed to feel normally. Actually IS steering takes things a little bit too far so that you get to feel this slip effect at low speeds on some surfaces. Tyre wear does affect it too, but not much, and you will likely still feel the effect on some surfaces with new tyres. It's all described quite nicely here: http://www.motor.org.uk/documentlibrary/Sep%2009/TT%20_%20Sept%2009.pdf

Absolutely do not get a diesel - they have gone very rapidly from being a relatively environmentally-friendly mode of personal transport to being vilified. That will just get worse - eg plans to ban diesels from London and Paris (!), other cities will follow (even if not in the lifetime of current cars). And diesel fuel taxes will increase - possibly even road taxes. And diesels are now far from the crude but reliable engines they once were. Now very refined - and much less reliable/more expensive to maintain. And you won't actually save much in fuel. (BTW - you'll need to drive with very light feet to get anywhere near 37mpg - but same would apply to a diesel (at least a IS200D)) Hybrids are great, but have their flaws - initial cost , CVTransmissions are a bit odd and the ones I've driven are boring, boring. Now if they could just sort out the IS300h to make it feel alive......... I agree with Normski - no brainer to keep the IS250, at least for some years to come!

Theoretically (as I have an auto so don't have a boot!) - unscrew the gear knob, open the snap (on the top of the boot around the gear stick) then pull the front console panel sub-assembly backwards (by gripping the hard part of the rim at the back edge of the boot). This should disengage the 6 clips then you can remove the unit. Maybe then it will be possible to work out why the boot has come off the console panel - maybe it's torn or just come out of some sort of clamp.

You should be able to get new caliper pin seals (and pins etc) from a dealer, but failing that, Rock Auto sell them. They are in US but deliver efficiently. http://www.rockauto.co.uk (but the stuff comes from USA)

22" ones are correct - I think the ECP ones will not be hybrid blades - the Denso ones are and are correct - same as Lexus blades.. Eg these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290690410797?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I wonder if some of you guys have ever driven on a heavily salted wet motorway in freezing conditions but with no rain? I once drove (years ago) from Suffolk to Cheshire in such conditions in the dark (and my washer bottle was full when I started) - after I left the motorway I had to resort to using whatever liquid was available to clear the screen (I'll leave that to your imagination!!!!!). A wet heavily salted road in the dark or bright sunlight is a nightmare and fully justifies a prominent warning for washer bottle level. After all - there's no gauge - but you can keep an eye on your fuel level!

Indeed so - I used to have a Mercedes C-Class which had 225/45/17 at the front and 245/40/17 rear. Might try that on my Lexus next time! (Maybe some useful reduced sidewall flex and slight cost saving!)

I guess it's just that corrosion and water penetration into any electrical system causes unpredictable, intermittent and random errors. Electric current finds its own path - very slight changes in the degree of corrosion or amount of water can cause changes. If the damage was really as extensive as apparently reported it's surprising that it kept working at all. I suppose the whole thing is a bit like thumping the side of a TV to get it working (some of you may remember we used to have to do that every night!) or shaking a torch. And there's the standard cure for anything electronic - switch it off and on again!

It's not just the 200D - on 17" wheels 225 front and 245 rear are standard - and 18" wheels have wider tyres on the back, too - applies to all IS range. Someone at Lexus (marketing dept?) obviously thought it was a good idea. Probably more to do with fashion than technology - it's common on BMW and Mercedes too. The tech bit is all to do with putting the power down on the road with rwd - but 245s are a bit overkill with 200bhp, to say the least! :eerrrmm:

IS 17" wheels with bigger tyres on the back (not sure where this term 'staggered' came from - the tyres are just wider, not the wheels) are the same width front/rear. (8JJ). (This is Type B wheel spec) Type A wheel spec (16" wheels) are 16 x 7JJ - ie they are 1" narrower than the 17" - 205/55/16 tyres are correct on them. (Note however - the 18" wheels fitted as options (Type C wheel spec) are different - the front 18" wheels are 18 x 8J and the rears are 18 x 8½J)

Yes - in a word! You can use any wheels with the correct offset (and that doesn't matter too much, within limits), correct PCD of the bolt holes (that does matter!) and correct centre bore (and bigger ones can be reduced with adapters). Any wheel originally used on any IS will be OK. But you must choose tyres which give you more or less the same circumference as the originals - there are various tyre size calculators online to help you do that. Your tyre pressure guide on the door jamb probably lists the correct tyre sizes for different diameter wheels. Certainly the handbook does.

I don't think it's very likely that the aircon pipes have anything to do with it - they don't get any significant condensation. There is a drain from the evaporator, but that shouldn't discharge at all onto the transmission unless it's been damaged or misrouted. I think I might spray a dose of waxoyl over the electrical units on the side of my transmission when I get the chance - it does a good job of protection against damp and in particular the salt in road spray. Do you live by the sea or somewhere that uses huge amounts of salt over long periods of the winter?

Anything is diy if you've got the skills, facilities and test equipment. I think the main problems here will be access - the electrical switches etc for the transmission are situated on the nearside (rh drive cars) of the casing. The neutral switch is mounted high up near the front of the transmission. I suspect that getting to it and the wiring will be one hell of a job and it will be impossible unless you can raise the car safely to more or less head height (ie a lift is going to be all but essential). I think it's a good bet that fixing these issues will fix the gearchange problems you've experienced (but you might want to consider a bit of changing of the ATF as I mentioned before). Yes it's expensive - but I'm afraid that's the consequence of driving a particularly complicated car and despite usual near-perfect reliability, when something does go wrong it costs. On balance, I think that even I would go to a dealer for this. It might be false economy to compromise - but your decision. The car probably has 50K miles, maybe much more, left in it - consider its actual value now and its value to you. Or consider what someone else did recently when confronted with a major expensive problem - ask them how much they'd allow in p/x for it unfixed against a new or stock s/h car? If you're in a position to cope with that!

Hmm - that's all a bit worrying for the rest of us! Not surprised - diagnosis certainly fits the symptoms. It's a bit wally of them that they couldn't find it in the first place - this attitude of 'nothing wrong if there's no fault code' is typical of reliance on 'modern' technology instead of good old fashioned garage know-how. Main dealer labour charge of £100 per hour is pretty average - cheap even if you were in London (which I guess you can't be). I expect most of the loom could be saved, but that might take hours and hours - and anyway, main dealers don't fix faulty (or even dirty) items - just rip it out, chuck it away and fit a new assembly. And (almost) no Lexus parts are cheap. Not that I'm cynical of course......

Yes - but it needs batteries, and they'll be forever flat. I find one like this much better: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PROOPS-METRIC-DIAL-CALIPER-VERNIER-MICROMETER-150mm-15CM-STAINLESS-HARDENED-/351211489820?pt=UK_Measuring_Tools_Levels&hash=item51c5d60a1c And yes - you just need a couple of small hard flat things either side of the disc. OK a micrometer would do the job in one go, but you'll probably only use it once in a blue moon, especially a 25-50mm one. Dial calipers are quite useful for quite a range of things. (eg you can use the depth function for measuring the brake pads!)

Those dimensions are correct. Discs don't wear much and they are more likely to be well grooved and generally not in great nick before they measure less than 25mm. They usually last over a couple of pad sets. Once upon a time they lasted more or less the lifetime of the car, but banning asbestos has meant that pads are much more abrasive now. You can get bigger mikes on eBay or from places like Machine Mart. But don't bother - buy a dial caliper instead. Hold a couple of nuts against the discs and measure the combined thickness with it, then deduct the combined thickness of the nuts. That avoids measuring the edge crud. Dial calipers measure to 0.1mm - all you need. You can get digital ones but they need batteries and if you don't use it much they'll be flat whenever you do want to use it. Mechanical ones are fine. Measure pads from friction face to the start of the backing plate - ie just the 'lining', as we used to call it!