ChumpusRex

I was planning to do a little work on an IS300h, so I wanted to see how to take some trim and panels off. I went to the lexus tech site and accessed the service manual, but the design of the site appears to have changed. I was unable to print or download, or otherwise save a copy of the relevant page of the service manual. For the 2IS manual, I have had no problem of accessing a specific manual page and then saving it or printing it out, but I couldn't do this with the 3IS manual. If I tried to save it, it would just save blank, and if I tried to print it, it would only print part of the page, and most of the information wouldn't print. Am I doing something wrong, or is this a new plan to ensure that people can't just pay one subscription fee and keep a copy of the page for posterity?

I'm quite happy with EBC Redstuff pads and slotted rotors on the front. They still produce a lot of dust (much less than OEM) but seem to be a lot harder wearing. The premium rotors are barely touched after 15k miles of urban driving. The OEM rotors would be completely dead after 1 set of OEM pads (about 30k miles). The EBC rotors are a lot more expensive, but I reckon I'll get 2 sets of pads out of them, compared to 1 set of pads with OEM. In terms of the back, I'd probably just use a mid-range disc like a Pagid, and a cheap aftermarket pad (e.g. EBC ultimax). I have got a set of rear EBC redstuff in my parts box, but I'm not sure they were a particularly sensible purchase.

It depends how much care is used. The nut will get very hot, potentially hot enough to damage the paint on the alloy next to the bolt, but probably not hot enough to do any serious damage to the casting.

Both the left and right amplifier channels are on the same connector - so the parrot should mute both. If only the left, or only the right is being muted then it sounds like the wiring is wrong. Shouldn't the ISO conversion harness connect to the head unit, rather than the amplifier in the boot? Note that if you have the DVD player option, then the CD/DVD audio from the head unit goes via a separate digital cable direct to the amplifier, and this cannot be intercepted or muted by any kind of add-on module.

No timing belt on these cars. The noise is a faulty valve timing adjuster - Very, very expensive to replace, but not thought to be a major problem for the is250 (the is350 got this fault in a more severe form, and quite a few got blown up engines, promoting a recall in the US). The use of correct 5w30 oil, and keeping the oil fully topped up to the max line can help keep if quiet. If it is very bad, a thicker 5w40 or 10w40 oil could be tried, alternatively an oil additive like BG MOA may help (worked wonders on mine when it got a cheap oil after a service).

If the coolant is more than half-way between min and max when cold, it will overflow when hot when going round corners or braking.

The IS-F (like the IS series in general) is designed for US ultra-low emissions specifications. It's pretty normal for an exhaust test to read "unrecordable" on such cars.

Nope. The part you have linked is the wrong sensor - it is "sensor 2" (after catalyst) You need "sensor 1" (before catalyst). The sensor is only available direct from lexus in the UK as a lexus branded part. It is normally considerably cheaper to import a denso branded sensor (denso make the sensors for lexus) from the US, unless you can find a seller in the UK - but last time I checked, there weren't any.

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/tutorials/article/225-o2-sensor-bank-1-sensor-1-replacement/ This is the part you need (or you could get the part direct from lexus for a much higher price) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DENSO-234-9051-Fuel-To-Air-Ratio-Sensor-/301234220773?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4622f56ee5

The IS, like many other 4 valve per cylinder normally aspirated cars, likes revs. I find I need to get the revs up above 4000 before the engine stops daydreaming and decides to do something. The car really benefits from having the transmission in power mode.

I got 1700g ones. They are much thicker and more luxurious than the OEM ones. At a guess, I'd say the OEM ones would be about 800g. https://www.dropbox.com/s/glt05s0wvql8g2i/2014-06-22%2013.26.50.jpg?dl=0

I got mine from www.cyberspares.co.uk I got the ultra-luxury ones and they're pretty good. Ridiculously thick - so thick that the heel pad is actually thinner than the rest of the mat - so if I was buying again, I'd get the rubber heel pad upgrade.

I got PIAA super sporza blades from tdcAutomotive on ebay. By far the best wipers I've ever used (but also by far the most expensive).

Sounds about right for a dealer interim service. The 6 year service is the one you need to take a seat for.

C1223 just means a problem with the ABS system, so the other code could cause it. C1249 means that the brake light circuit isn't working. The ABS uses the brake light circuit to tell when you are pressing the brake, and so arms the ABS system. However, it has got other ways of telling when the brake is on (by measuring speed, hydraulic pressures, etc.), so if it gets a discrepancy then it will set this code. The easy way to tell if this is the likely problem is to switch the car on, and put a brick on the brake pedal. Then go and see if the brake lights are on. If they aren't, it confirms a problem with the brake light system. It would be worth checking the brake light fuse, which is in the drivers footwell fusebox. If this is blown, it can cause this problem. If this isn't the problem, then I would expect a competent auto electrician to be able to take a stab at it, although they may not have the computer needed to reset the ABS system.

Thanks for the update seaside shuffle. I've had a quick look at the wiring diagram. Much to my surprise, the sensor 1 oxygen sensors have their own power supply. There is a 15A fuse and relay which supply both S1 sensors. The fuse and relay are both in the big fuse box on the passenger side of the engine bay (the square one next to the long thin one).

The previous owner of my car had them done and was billed £90+VAT for each bulb and £180+VAT for fitting. They are not too difficult to fit, but there is a bit of disassembly required because there isn't enough space to open the bulb door. On the passenger side, it's easy - you just unbolt the windscreen washer bottle funnel and pull it out - this gives plenty of space to change the bulb. It's more difficult on the driver's side - the engine air intake needs to be removed, to get access to the bulb.

Looks like you hit a good deal.

None of the bulbs linked are Road legal. To be Road legal, they must be "E" marked indicating that they have been certified as meeting the homologated specification. In practice it makes little difference. Even cheap bulbs are pretty close to the official specs so won't dazzle. 6000K light comes at a price of less light output. Even the expensive Philips ones are a fair bit dimmer than the OEM ones (2400 lumens compared to 3200 for OEM - and this is why they are not legal). In reality the legality is of little impact. It's not tested at MOT. The brightness may be: I used cheap 6000k for a while until I changed back to OEM and couldn't believe how much brighter they were. The reason I changed the cheap ones is because they didn't last long. I was changing them out like they were halogens.

No. The SE-L does not have "bi-xenons". It has a single element bulb for the low beam, and a separate halogen bulb for the high beam. The low beam pattern does not change when high beam is activated.

Just be warned that nightbreakers have a VERY short life span (about 1/4 of regular bulbs). You'll be changing them out regularly. The recommended way to change the bulbs is to remove the washer bottle funnel and the air box. No need to drop the bumper. You don't even need to do that to take the whole units out.

I used The Wheel Specialist in Openshaw. It was £315 inc vat. Drop the car off at 8am, pick it up at 5pm. Full strip and powder coat. Mint job.

Adjusting the parking break is a bit of job - it's a good hour, unless you are having the rear brakes done at the same time, as you have to completely strip down the main rear breaks to get to the park brake. There are 2 sites of adjustment, one in the brake drum, and the other at the pedal - they both should be adjusted together. I had my brake drum adjusted, but even so, I still had to push the pedal to the floor and it wouldn't hold the car if I left it in Drive. After a bit of adjustment at the pedal, it's now great - 8 clicks, and the car is well held.

That is the wrong part. It's a "sensor 2". Your error codes point to "sensor 1". It's a bit odd for both sensor 1s to fail simultaneously. I'd strongly suggest getting the wiring checked to make sure that it's not a wiring problem between the ECU and the senors (or a faulty ECU), or at least be prepared that it could be a wiring fault, if you replace the sensors and the fault is still there.

The denso part number requires is 234-9051