ChumpusRex

Glad you sorted it. I see the ECP have fixed their battery selector. It used to select the wrong size.

This IS250 cannot be converted to LPG. Well, technically it could, but there is no suitable LPG ECU-add-on module available, or kit with the appropriate plumbing to connect the LPG system to the IS250's special fuel system. A "traditional" style LPG conversion is totally separate to the original fuel system. A separate gas mixer and control system, with a switch to disable the incumbent petrol system. Due to the advanced "direct injection" system used in the IS250, any conversion must run the LPG through the original petrol injectors, as the special injectors require fuel flow for cooling. This requires a much more complex ECU and requires complicated plumbing that can inject liquid LPG directly into the petrol pump and uses the existing injectors, compensating for the different fuel properties of LPG. Some kits do exist for VAG cars, but they are very rare and very few installers have the special equipment needed to install them and set them up.

One way to bleed without making a mess is to use a zero pressure radiator cap. Buy a cheap radiator cap that fits, and rip off the springy valve mechanism. This will put the radiator in direct communication with the overflow bottle. Any air will bleed out under zero pressure. You can then squeeze and massage the hoses to bleed it out, with fresh coolant being sucked in from the bottle. Allow to come up to temperature to make sure that all air has been expelled. Shut off and allow to cool. Reinstall the normal pressure cap once done.

The IS250 uses toyota pink coolant. This is not the same as the red coolant, and the red coolant is not recommended (but is probably OK). While the toyota red has a number of aftermarket alternatives - e.g. the purple coloured Comma G30, the toyota pink is unique with no equivalent or compatible product available on the UK market. Some caution is advised with the use of generic blue coolant. Traditional UK market coolants contain silicates, and toyota strictly require zero silicates. Mixing silicate coolant (blue) with phosphate coolant (pink) is not recommended as the coolants will react and the system will need to be thoroughly flushed. Just to add further complication, toyota pink is not available as concentrate. If the cooling system is flushed with water, then because of retained water, the coolant concentration will be wrong when refilled with pink. You'll need to perform the following very expensive procedure: Flush with water and drain. Refill with pink and drain. Refill for a second time with fresh pink.

I had some slightly dimmer ones in for my last MOT and it passed fine. Those ones burned out, so I changed them for some brighter ones. MOT is in a couple of months, so will know then.

CANbus is an electronic signalling system used in modern cars. It's designed to permit more powerful communication with different parts of the car and to save wiring. Take the headlights, for example. In a traditional car, your headlamp switch would operate a relay (an electrical controlled switch) which would turn on the high-power circuits to the headlights. Heavy duty cables would go from the relay to each headlight. A similar circuit would be repeated for the main beams, for the indicators, etc. With CANbus, a single heavy cable goes from the battery to each lamp cluster. A computer in your headlamp stalk senses the position of the switch, and that computer sends a signal over some thin CANbus cables to each individual lamp cluster. A computer in each individual lamp cluster controls the individual bulbs in the cluster. As there is a computer in each cluster, it is very easy for that computer to check the operation of each lamp and send back a signal to the dash computer telling it that the bulb is malfunctioning (the dash computer then responds by displaying warning lights and an error message). The IS series use CANbus extensively between the various computers. The issue with changing bulbs is therefore nothing to do with CANbus, but whether the car is equipped with bulb malfunction detection. BMW and Merc cars are equipped with bulb malfunction detection systems. Lexus cars are not. The issue with LED bulbs is that they are extremely energy efficient. In cars with bulb malfunction detection systems, the sensors are not expecting such high efficiency and instead treat it as a malfunction, causing the dash to display a bulb malfunction message.

Mirror TSB BO-0061L-1108-EN_IR.pdf

Passenger side mirror electric movement On models with auto-dipping and seat memory system. The position sensor on pre 2009 models can break, causing the mirror to go wandering off course when selecting a memory position or putting the car into/out of reverse. There is a TSB covering this, which requires replacement of the mirror.

Mine does the same. I noticed it last Winter. The car runs fine otherwise. I think it's just the way the car is.

If you can find a place that does 4 wheel alignment, it's often worth going there, rather than just getting the tracking done. My car was driving rather badly and the front tyres were nearly dead, so I took it for some new front tyres and got the tracking done at the same time. The car was awful after that - took it back a couple of weeks later, but they said the tracking was spot on. The front tyres were finished in about 5,000 miles. I took it somewhere else that did 4 wheel alignment. It was the *rear* wheel alignment that was massively out. The rear wheels were pointing to the right, so I constantly having to steer to the right to keep the car from turning, but this meant the car pulled to the right. Just doing the tracking completely missed this problem, and worse, they'd set up the front wheels with reference to the back wheels, so the toe on the front wheels was completely wrong, which is why the tyres had been demolished so quickly. Once I'd done that the car was fantastic. Just one point to note is that other than toe, the geometry on the IS isn't adjustable. The IS has very aggressive camber, which results in accelerated tyre wear anyway, but if this gets even more aggressive, the wear can be dramatically accelerated and, other than replacing bits of suspension, there's nothing you can do about it.

I'd suggest wiping the dipstick with a clean dry cloth or tissue, then reinsert and carefully examine the dipstick against a white sheet of paper in good light. Use a torch if necessary. The oil film should be visible.

I've now done some testing with both Asda petrol (95 RON) and Shell V-power Nitro plus (99 RON), while monitoring the ECU. On 99 RON, the ECU has recalibrated to a significantly more aggressive tune with about 4-5 degrees of extra ignition timing advance, compared to 95 RON. The ECU has also adjusted the fuel injection by reducing the fuel delivery for a given amount of throttle opening (by about 2%). Although not really scientific, I haven't really noticed a definite change in fuel consumption - maybe I get about an extra 5%, but it's marginal; I don't think I could reliably detect a change in fuel consumption of less than about 10-15% because of differences in weather conditions, road conditions, driving style, etc. For information, I've enclosed a copy of the ECU data. The light blue trace is the ignition timing, red is the knock feedback timing adjustment, dark blue is engine speed and green is mass air flow. Top trace is on 99 RON, and bottom is on 95 RON.

Find the part number you need using www.lexus-mapupdates.eu. You will have the opportunity to order the genuine part. However, the genuine UK part is a pack of 4 discs for west, north, south and eastern europe. If you're in the UK, you almost certainly only need the west disc as it covers the UK and western mainland europe (but not scandinavia). Because the genuine part only comes as a pack of 4 discs, you can find genuine up-to-date western europe discs on ebay from Polish, Nowegian, etc. sellers. Just cross-reference the part numbers to make sure that you are getting the correct disc. Also check to make sure that you are buying a genuine disc; the high price of the genuine discs has resulted in a black-market in pirate maps - these pirate discs don't work as well, as the software has to be modified to bypass the anti-piracy system (which usually means combining bits of old and new softwares, which may mean missing or non-working features). I got my 2013 disc this way from a Polish seller. Works perfectly, in fact, better than the original disc, as it allows destination entry while the car is on.

I replaced the side-light bulbs with LED ones that are a bit like: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/W5W-T10-501-25W-CREE-PROJECTOR-LED-PARKING-CAR-XENON-BULBS-BENTLEY-/231058664076?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35cc2b6a8c I can't find the actual ones I bought any more, I think they've been replaced by this new model. Expensive, but they match the headlights nicely, and they are STUPID bright compared to normal side-lights. Obviously, nowhere near as bright as headlights, and not bright enough to dazzle like high-beams, but for side-lights, they are crazy.

You need to get the codes checked. The malfunction indicator lamp means that a "significant" code has been logged. (Not all codes will turn on the light, but the light ALWAYS means that there is a code).

IS250s manufactured from September 2007 onwards are OK for E10. (This means that some 08 reg cars may not be E10 compatible). The change also does not coincide with a model year change. Although all 2009 MY should be fine. The issue with E10 is not tuning, modern ECUs can tune over an incredible range of fuel qualities. As an experiment, I filled my 2005 IS250 with 25% ethanol, and monitored the ECU. It adjusted to the fuel within a few seconds and the car's performance was indistinguishable. There are 2 problems with ethanol: 1. It is corrosive in a different way to pure petrol. So materials that can withstand constant exposure to petrol may not withstand constant exposure to ethanol. There is a limited choice of materials available which are compatible with both. 2. It contains water left over from manufacture, and absorbs water from the air. Water can cause rusting or oxidation of metal components that contact the fuel. In the US, IS250s manufactured before 2008 were subject to a mandatory manufacturer recall because they would be affected by high ethanol fuel. The high pressure fuel injection common rails were replaced as they suffered premature corrosion because of water in ethanol fuel; the reason for the recall was because this could lead to a pinhole leak, but another problem was that the oxide formed as a result of the the corrosion could clog the injectors. Rather confusingly, the replaced common rails did not get a new part number; the part number of the obsolete part and the replacement is identical. So I don't know what the actual difference between the old and new parts are, or if there is any way of telling whether you have the old or revised part. There were also several part-number changes related to the fuel system before September 2007: 1. Redesigned high pressure fuel pipes (2 and 3) 2. A redesigned internal fuel tank part. The new fuel tank part was used starting from September 2007. It's an internal baffle, that acts as a "tank with the tank" that the fuel pump sits in. This means that the fuel tank can stay fully immersed in fuel, even if the tank is almost dry and you're going up or down a steep hill. Worst that could happen is that it could rot, and cause the engine to starve for fuel when the tank is nearly empty and you're going up/down or ragging it round corners. All the parts are replaceable. The fuel tank part is not expensive. The common rails and HP fuel pipes are quite expensive, and it's a 3-4 hour job to swap them out and you need a huge number of disposable gaskets/seals/O-rings/etc. to do the job, as well as special tools. Basically, only a lexus dealer or a garage with specialist common rail experience could do it. Basically, it's doable, but it would probably cost £750-1000 or so to replace all the parts (and that assumes that I've actually identified all the relevant parts). Unless your car has crazy low miles, and a high residual value, it's probably not worth doing, and instead taking a wait-and-see approach, and replacing the parts in the (probably very unlikely event) that you run into problems. One thing that you could try as a preventative is to use isopropanol as a fuel additive. Isopropanol is widely used as a "petrol dryer". It doesn't actually "dry" the fuel, the water stays in it. However, it stops the water from separating from the petrol. A problem with E10 is that the water can actually "fall out" of the fuel and settle at the bottom of the fuel tank and in fuel lines. In cold climates, this separated water can freeze when the car is left overnight. Isopropanol stops the water from "falling out" of the fuel. I don't know whether it will have any effect on the corrosion of aluminium fuel rails. But it might help, and shouldn't do any real harm. It's also easily and cheaply available. Obviously, if you are using isopropanol, it's important to make sure that you're using dry isopropanol (99.9% purity). I'd guess about 250 ml of 99.9% in a tank would be about right. It's commonly found in 90% and 70% purity, with the rest being water. As you might guess, sticking these in your fuel tank is a really bad idea. Notes: VIN checking tool: http://vinrecall.toyota-europe.com/e10.aspx Common rail part numbers: 23807-31020 and 23808-31010 Fuel pipe part numbers: 23803-31013 and 23802-31043 Fuel sub-tank: 77131-22052

By popular demand, the oil torque specs are oil filter cap: 25 Nm drain bolt: 40 Nm

The previous owner of mine had the HID bulbs changed by the dealer. The dealer charged £200 per side for the bulb and labour. The passenger side one is quite easy to change, you only need to remove the front engine cover (screwdriver needed to remove the clips), and then remove the funnel for the washer fluid bottle (spanner needed to undo 1 bolt). Once you remove these, you can open the door to the headlight and swap the bulb. The driver side one is more difficult as you have to remove the air intake to get to the light. It cost me £20 for a pair of cheapy bulbs, and took about 45 minutes to change the bulbs over, and that was not knowing what needed to come out or where the bulbs went. The bulbs have lasted a year fine, but I really don't know how long they will last, and I don't mind changing them myself. If you don't want to do the job youself, I'd suggest taking it to a local mechanic to get them changed; there's nothing difficult or lexus specific and for a qualified mechanic it's a trivially easy job. Buy a pair of D4S bulbs yourself online (recommend go for a good bulb such as a Philips Xeneco 42402, expect to pay about £50 each), and then get both installed at the same time. If one has worn out, the other will not be too far behind.

The UK model doesn't have the fuel injector in the manifold (or at least mine doesn't), so the job isn't quite as difficult as in that tutorial. The official lexus service manual has you remove the windscreen wipers, and all the plastic around the windscreen to get enough clearance to get to the bolts. That's a lot of work, and a lot of non-reusable clips. I did manage to do it without removing the wipers/trim, but the bolts behind the manifold are very difficult. The one behind the throttle body is extremely difficult; you'll need a flex-head ratchet ring spanner to get it out (there isn't enough clearance to get a normal socket on it). I couldn't get it back in when I was done, but I doubt it matters; it'll just make it easier next time I do it. I did mine at about 70k, and the plugs showed only minimal wear. I won't be touching mine again for 100k at least.

I just use water with a table spoon of dishwasher rinse aid (non-corrosive detergent), a teaspoon of cheap supermarket own-brand disinfectant (kills algae and prevents slime build up in the tank). Works great. In winter, instead of water use a mixture of water and ethanol. You can buy pure ethanol cheaply from B&Q - I think it's about £2 a litre. 1 litre of ethanol in 5 litres of mix will prevent freezing down to about -11 C. 2 litres in 5 litres will see you to -27 C. Plus it cleans and degreases the glass very nicely. If you prefer to use a pre-prepared screenwash solution (they're all much the same), then you can add a bit of ethanol to give it freeze protection.

I bought a pair of 4300K D4S cheapies from ebay - £20 for a pair. They're indistinguishable from the stock bulbs in terms of light output, and have worked flawlessly for 12 months.

The coolant should be changed every 50k miles or 5 years, whichever is earlier. The recommended process is to drain all the coolant then refill. It sounds like you've had a 50% replacement, so it's probably good for another 30k miles or a couple of years. The system holds 9.1 litres + 0.6 litres in the expansion bottle. Drain procedure: Syphon bottle dry. Remove radiator cap. Drain the radiator with the drain ***** on the bottom, drivers side; this will get about 5ish litres out. There are also 2 drain cocks on the engine itself, one underneath each exhaust manifold. Remove cold air scoop leading to air filter in order to get access. On each drain *****, connect a hose to the drain nipple, and loosen the drain bolt with a ratchet. Once coolant stops draining, close the drain bolt by torquing to 13 Nm. Refill procedure: fill the bottle to the full line. Pour coolant slowly in via the radiator cap. Massage the radiator pipes to get any major air locks out, and top up until the engine is full. Replace the radiator cap, and start the car. Set heater to full heat with air con off. Periodically massage and squeeze the radiator pipes to encourage any air to float to the top of the radiator. Keep massaging until the car has reached full operating temperature and the fan starts (caution: lots of moving and hot parts; only massage the bits well away from the fan and main belt). The system will self bleed and expel any air via the expansion bottle. Allow car to cool. Top up the bottle to the full line if necessary. Remove radiator cap and ensure that engine is still full. Top up if necessary. Replace radiator cap and air scoop. It is quite awkward to get to the engine drain cocks. You may prefer just to do a 50% replacement every 2 years, and just drain the bottle and radiator.

At 150k, in addition to filters and oil, I would do the differential oil and drain and refill the coolant. The diff oil should be easy. It just takes 2 litres of a standard 75W90 GL5 oil; easily available from any motor factor. For the coolant, you will need 10 litres of toyota pink coolant - this cost me £80 from the local toyota dealership; the parts guy was so shocked when he rang up the bottles at the till that he gave me the owners club discount; the price was still obscene. Note that there is no aftermarket equivalent to toyota pink coolant for sale on the UK market. Lexus specify a non-silicate, non-amine, non-borate hybrid organic acid (organic acid with added phosphate) coolant. There are a number of equivalent products for sale in the US, but none have made it over here. The closest aftermarket product available in the UK is a non-silicate, non-borate, non-amine, non-phosphate (non-hybrid) organic acid coolant (Comma G30). This would probably work OK, but it does not comply with lexus specifications. As to spark plugs, I did mine at 130k (70k after they were first changed). In all honesty, they looked pretty much in perfect condition when I pulled them out. Getting the surge tank off is a pig of a job, and getting it back on is even harder (I had to admit defeat with 1 bolt, as there was no way I could possibly get it back in). Given the difficulty of the job, and lack of wear at 70k, I wouldn't bother doing them until 100k-120k.

The IS250 does not have oil pressure or oil indicator lights; so nothing to see when you turn the ignition on. If your oil level is low, the master alarm indicator will flash, and the information display will display an "low engine oil" message. If the oil pressure is low, the master alarm indicator will flash and the information display will show "low oil pressure". Unfortunately, even though the messages differ dramatically in their significance, the way lexus have designed the dash makes it very easy to confuse them. I was surprised that even running the washer fluid low, sets off the alarm chime, flashes the master alarm light and pops up a "washer fluid low" message.

Get about 28-32 mpg (combined) on my regular commute, or up to 35-40 mpg on a long run (depending on how heavy the right foot is) in my 250 Auto. Record tank average was 46 mpg (47.8 indicated on the dash), but that was a 450 mile run and I took it very gently.