Stuart Aspey

It could be down to the dealers ethic, maybe. If they think a buyer has the ability to buy a new car, perhaps they omit to tell? I've been using Cardiff Lexus since I bought my 04' Sportcross and then my 13' IS300h, so they knew that I tend to hold onto the car for a while and perhaps thought there was no need not to tell me? My opinion only and maybe there are other reasons...

Thank you Bluemarlin. Yes, this was something my dealer (Cardiff) spoke with me about. I took it at face value and assumed all Lexus dealerships were aware of this.

Photo added for information only. (yes, 3 of them are sportcross')

I've beenwat hing the prices of the first gen IS going up in the last 12 months. I think £800 is a lowball offer and a good wash and polish and photos taken in the sun might see you get more than you're expecting.

I like that the Lexus warranty can be renewed until the car reaches 150,000, though I am starting to find myself onthe dealership more and more often as my 9 years old IS300H starts to bear the scars of its age. 122,000 miles in, though and I'm still getting 38-39mpg on a 6 month average.

I think this is something not covered under a dealership servicing. Lol. Maybe I'll take a look this weekend.

Yes, I imagine that this is much more common on many more cars and drivers tolerate it.

Yes, it appears that a combination of cheaper (higher plastic content to rubber) tyre and a car not being used regularly can cause a tyre to become 'ovaled' a little bit like a flat spot. There could be some of this with mine, but when on the wheel balancer, you could see that there was also a warping of the rim itself. So, even though the machine said everything was okay, you could see a movement of the wheel that would be amplified when on the car. An Alloy wheel warped fixing service is very good to know about. I will try the dynamic wheel balancing first and when I'm ready to change the tyres, I might see if there is someone local that does this.

@paulrnx @Brechin Slate Thank you both for your comments and suggestions. The mechanic brought me to the wheel balancing machine. The wheels, despite being balanced according to the machine, have become slightly warped which is causing an apparent wobble. This is them amplified the faster the car goes. Lexus Cardiff does not have a Dynamic Wheel Balancing service (where they balance the wheels when still onthe car so as to replicate the pressure and weight of the car on the road to further balance the wheel) - from what I understand (though there are also machines that have a 'Road Force' addition to a standard wheel balancing machine that replicates this too. So they have advised trying this before considering changing tyres or rims.

Soo.. Its back... Almost unnoticeable until 60mph-80mph. Its there when pressing the accelerator and when not. Its there when braking and when not. Its there over different road surfaces. Its there a little in the steering wheel, but doesn't feel like the front of the car. Its more pronounced in the seat, if that makes sense? Could it be a wheel bearing or could it be the active damper issue that was mentioned in the other thread? Car is going back in tomorrow. Could it be cheap tyres that are sitting for 5 days out of 7.....

It might also be worth contacting your local dealership and asking which body repair shop they use. I was directed to a local place called 'LoveMyCar' they had all the Lexus colour codes and did a great job on my wheels.

Although, looking at the point of where the moisture on your car is, I'd look for a crack somewhere on the rear quarter panel or where the seam is at the boot opening

Check you have a crack inthe boot lid itself.

Right. As a first time problem (at least to be reported by me) they are looking at wheel balancing as being the cause at this point but will re-evaluate if the problem persists. Smokey smell was a piece of plastic lodged against exhaust.....

Cheers guys, so there is the possibly that bad or cheap tyres could be the cause....? Currently at Lexus and the technician has taken the car out for a spin. So we might have some more opinions coming back in due corse.

In the passed couple of weeks, I've noticed something that I can't quite put my finger on (was noticed before wheels were done and after) I thought it could've been a balancing issue. When driving and almost always when approaching 70mph, I get a vibration, but it isn't constant. Nothing major (the car is going yo Lexus this afternoon) that I thought could be wheelbearings, but there is no noise when checked at standstill (and rotating the wheels) A friend mentioned it could be the clutch/gearbox, but wasn't sure if the CVT gearbox utilised a clutch in the common manner standard gearboxes do. The other sensation that sometimes comes in with the vibration is like the car is driving on flat tyres, like the bumps on the road are suddenly amplified in feel through the steering wheel, but then this goes away sometimes as I turn a corner or just after a distance of travel. I wonder if this could be a Bush or joint failing. Again, it's not constant which is annoying me. Lol

It is possible. See if the panel on the boot lid is wet. It will be good if Lexus will recognise this as a possible fault that will be covered by Warranty for others in the future. If you do take it to Lexus, let them know I had my boot lid sealed along the crack. If they want date and names to verify the work was done and the problem may be similar/same, the my name is correct and it was the Cardiff dealership who undertook the work. We may not get it added to the warranty list immediately, but the more people who have the same problem, the more likely it may in time.

I think Maxz's comment a couple of posts back or maybe on his own thread that the boot is much more lightweight than previous generation IS's could be partly the cause and if we are closing the boot with similar levels of force that we would use to with those older cars.... So yes, an apparent design flaw not picked up in development that Lexus owners would be unwittingly heavy handed. Lol

@Maxz @Markcampbell81 Lexus Cardiff have said this is the first case they have seen about the boot lid splitting along the seems. At the present time, it is not a repair that is covered under warranty as it is not recognised as a part (or section of) that should require a repair at this time. I wonder if you other were to go to Lexus and bring this same concern to them, whether it would become a warranty covered repair in future that could benefit other IS (3rd Gen) owners. Yes, a £126 diagnostic and sealant repair might be a hard bullett to bite (especially as Maxz has already repaired his) but is something that could help others in the future... Regards Stuart.

I think it possibly is rusty as its been letting in water. They are sealing it at no cost, but I've had to pay for the investigation..

The close ups shows quite a significant crack along the seam

Very well said. Yes, Lexus are always set to excel themselves in customer services and reliability.