ChumpusRex

The way I got it to work was: Press auto button on left, so that system is in auto mode. Press recirc button until auto recirc/fresh light is on. The hold recirc button for 5 seconds.

Thermostats can get sticky or slow to respond, so unpredictable things could be related to that. A radiator cap without pressure could cause overheating by allowing boiling to occur. If the coolant boils, you get gas bubbles forming - these are much bigger than the water that formed them, so the pressure rises, or the coolant gets forced out (in this case, into the bottle, where it might overflow and be lost, giving a low coolant level which won't cool). The bubbles could also cause problems with cooling circulation - if the water pump starts sucking in bubbles of steam, it won't be pumping any coolant. Possibly it could be the water pump, or radiator. If the AC is on, then it will preheat the air going to the radiator - this means that the coolant in the radiator doesn't cool as much - and if there is a problem with coolant flow (failing water pump, sticky thermostat or clogged radiator) then this could be enough to cause overheating.

I do have it. I was doing it wrong.

The check VSC light, skid light and engine light mean ANY error code related to the engine or emissions system. The cause can be ANY engine fault, sensor fault, electrical fault or emissions fault; the lights can stay on for a few days after the fault has gone, depending on what the issue was. The only way to narrow the issue is to get the codes read. However, a very common issue on the 220d is the EGR valve getting sooted up.

Thermostats usually fail open, or can leak a bit when coolant circulation is fast (I think this is why some people find that engine temperature goes down after the engine is revved hard). However, I did have a thermostat fail closed on a previous toyota, which resulted in rapid overheating. I'd change the thermostat, seeing as you've already got one to hand. Water pump is always possible, but it usually gives problems with overheating on the motorway or going up hills. That said, if your radiator cap fell apart, and bits fell off into the coolant, then who knows what has happened to the bits. I could well imagine that one might have got stuck in the thermostat and is screwing with it.

I don't have the screen on my 2005 model (or if I do, I don't know how to activate it), but the smog sensor sensitivity can be programmed using a laptop and a techstream cable.

Had this a couple of times before. In both cases, I had had the car in "on" mode but without engine started for a few minutes before hand. Possibly, the ECU had got confused by the long "on" period without engine running, and had decided to do a self-test on the next start, like it does on the first start attempt.

The Pagid Cera tec is a conventional mineral oil grease, and so is not recommended for calipers and sliders, because it will accelerate the degradation of the rubber. In practice, it's not really a big deal, as long as you inspect the rubbers regularly, and replace when getting brittle. The recommended lubricants for slider pins are either a pure silicone grease (offers some, but not optimal protection), or preferably a polyalkylene glycol grease specifically formulated for caliper slider pins. (e.g. the toyota grease).

If it's a 2000 model car, then a voltage sensitive ABS system may indicate that the ABS ECU is degrading. It's usually the capacitors in the ECU that degrade as they only have a 10-15 year life span under the harsh conditions that a car gets exposed to (massive swings in temperature, vibration and humidity). If you are handy, it might be worth removing the ABS ECU and opening it up to inspect the capacitors - if degrading, they will usually be visibly bulging or leaking chemicals. A number of people have rejuvenated engine ECUs with new capacitors, so an ABS one may well be similarly repairable.

I had discs, pads and caliper pin replaced. There was quite a lot of labour as it took the mechanic an hour to drill the pin out of the carrier, because it was so seized. But it was a lot cheaper than a new caliper. It was £100 for labour, and £10 for the slide pin. The discs and pads, I provided.

This is how my last stuck caliper showed itself. A faint tick-squeek, tick-squeak, tick-squeak sound while driving and turning, which goes when you touch the brake pedal. I didn't know what it was so ignored it. A few months later, there was no pad left because it had worn unevenly because of the stuck caliper and it was just metal on metal grinding during braking.

The issue with sunscreen is that it contains titanium dioxide as the active ingredient - this mineral absorbs UV light. However, some modern, high performance suncreens contain a special "nano-crystalline" form of Titanium dioxide. Some of these special forms, have some pretty crazy chemistry. Specifically, the nano titanium crystals absorb the UV light, but capture the energy and use it to create "free radicals". These are highly corrosive chemicals which are powerful oxidants, like bleach or peroxide. On a car, anti-oxidants in the cream get depleted, and because the cream isn't reapplied like it would be on skin, the free radicals build up and eat away at the clearcoat. Different clear coats react differently, some will be etched, some will be discoloured. However, this is a chemical degradation; it can't be washed off, the clear coat is actually damaged. If the clear coat has suffered superficial etching, polishing with a suitable abrasive may restore it, but the damage can on occasion be too severe to polish out.

It means that it can self-repair small scratches. Paint manufacturers have a variety of formulations that can self-heal;I don't know which paint lexus use. The commonest formula puts microscopic capsules of liquid paint in the paint. These then get locked into the paint when it sets. If the paint is scratched, the capsules are torn open, and fresh liquid paint leaks out into the scratch, and fills it in, then sets. Of course, this formula can only heal a spot once, but it would be pretty unlikely to get 2 scratches in exactly the same spot.

I got some of the black discs. The black coating comes off the first time you press the brake pedal, leaving a clean metal surface. Stainless is very expensive, whereas cast iron is dirt cheap and has excellent wear and heat handling properties.

Have a quick look through this forum about the 220D. There are numerous threads about problems with the EGR system, DPF system, and engines suffering total failure at about 80-100k. The fuel consumption is pretty bad for a diesel, being not significantly different from the petrol. The manual gearbox is best avoided too. The petrol IS250 is reliable and refined, and the automatic gearbox is one of the best available.

I didn't get these tools with mine. Precision screwdrivers can work, but I found that they didn't work well; no matter how hard I pushed or wiggled, they would not release the fascia. The best tools I found were brass nails from a picture hanging kit, which just popped the display off with finger pressure.

Just for curiosity sake, how do you open the fob to change the battery? Yeah, yeah, I know with such a new car it doesn't need a new battery yet, and lexus will do it during the service, but I'm curious. I tried the prying open a fob, in the same way as the 2nd gen IS fob, using the metal key in the pry slot. It opens slightly, but just will not come completely apart. Obviously, I don't want to break it.

It depends on the exact model of the headlamp. The service manual I have says that the igniter can be replaced, but you need to remove the headlamp swivel motors to get to it. However, I've seem posts on other forums that say that the igniter cannot be replaced, as it is sealed inside the headlamp sealed unit. There are some youtube tutorials that show how to break open the sealed unit to get to the igniter, and then reseal it.

If the igniter is faulty, then the igniter needs replacement. They don't go faulty often, but they can break. Ideally, I'd want to test the igniter with 2 different bulbs (just because the igniter is expensive and very dfificult to replace). It's a big job to replace it, as the whole sealed unit needs to be disassembled - or at least the headlight aiming mechanism needs to be removed, in order to get access to the igniter.

Look nice. I had mine powder coated at the wheel specialist in Manchester - more expensive £300 for their same day service. Mint job, as far as powder coating goes. https://www.dropbox.com/s/jzmppq5gr1cy7c9/2014-05-12%2019.49.28.jpg

Does the motor come out? Could you get a replacement motor from a scrapper?

If you have forced the flap up while it is in "fresh" mode, you may well have broken the damper control mechanism which selects recirc/fresh. This is not repairable (well, it is - but the mechanism can only be replaced as part of the vent assembly - £2000 + VAT for the part). Possibly, if you can find what has been broken, you might be able to repair the broken plastic piece, but it is very thin, and in general gluing plastic doesn't work well. Although, some people have managed to bodge it with a piece cut out of an ice lolly stick.

I've done my reverse lights. Main problem with these cheap LEDs (or not so cheap, the reverse light kit was about £20) is that they don't meet electrical interference requirements. Since I installed these, I lose FM radio reception when I select reverse; the radio just picks up interference noise.

The pink coolant was used in all new toyota/lexus 2004 or later model year cars, and is good for 5 years at least, and 10 for the first fill. In short, if you have an IS250, it will be intended to have pink. The lexus service manual does not recommend flushing for normal maintenance, because flushing will dilute the pre-diluted coolant. If you use a concentrated coolant, then it doesn't matter if you flush and leave water behind - you add the correct amount of concentrate, then top up with water. The pink coolant is a vivid "hot pink" colour. There is no aftermarket coolant with a similar colour - they are all red, red-orange or deep purple. If you shine a torch on the coolant expansion tank, you will see the colour clearly. In general flushing is only needed if you have a corrosion problem, and the cooling system is full of crud. The pink stuff is really good at preventing corrosion, so I would be rather surprised if a 2006 model had a genuine need for flushing. The lexus recommended maintenance is draining the coolant and refilling without a flush. Ideally, you should drain the whole radiator and engine. The radiator drain is easy. The 2 engine drains are difficult to find. (One is behind the alternator, the other is behind the dipstick) If the coolant has been changed, then you may as well just flush it - you can then, either flush with pink, then drain and refill with pink (very expensive, as it is nearly £10 per liter for pink). Or flush out with water and use a generic coolant that is similar to toyota/lexus specifications and just change it regularly (perhaps every 3 years instead of every 5). Annoyingly, there is no generic or 3rd party coolant on the UK market that has similar specifications to toyota pink. Cheaper options are the use of toyota red coolant, or a generic OAT coolant (a "G30" formulation is probably better), but note that the reason toyota switched to a their formulation was that their red was designed for 5 year changes, but didn't work quite as well as they had hoped.

No. It's part of the DPF - it measures the pressure across the DPF, and detects whether it is blocked up or has been removed.