Peter P18

Sounds good Stu. :) Yep, got loads in the pipeline for the F still chap. Ordered a Titanium intake from RR-Racing in the States (looks lovely!), getting my flat bottom steering wheel reworked at the end of this month (alcantara sides, thicker all round, red racing line at the 12 o'clock position), ordering my new seats in a month or two (going with Cobra Misano Anniversary edition with heating elements and blue stitching to compliment the F theme), waiting for the last interior trim parts from my carbon skinner (includes the triple gauge pod I need to get the Defi gauges up and running), and getting the blacked out headlights reworked by a guy I met at the Japshow Finale last year that does awesome work with LED's! ;) After that it'll be headers, proper LSD, better coilovers possibly, bigger brake kit. ;) As I said, LOTS still to do chap! :)

Hey Chaps, Spotted a sales post on the US forum for some later spec suspension if anyone else is interested? The guy is in Germany I believe as opposed to the States, so shipping would be easier at least! ;) If anyone is interested here's the thread: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/2gen-is250-is350-is-f-classifieds-06-13/808191-wtb-oem-isf-suspension.html Look at the third post. Username is kauaian. He wants $650 shipped, but that would be to the States. I'm sure he would take less for UK shipping? The units are from a 2012 model with approx 50K miles on them. I'd try for $550 shipped to the UK. That's around £377. :)

Very nice Stu! :) Hope you are both very happy together. Bet the exhaust noise is a bit different after your F with the H&S! Lol. Make sure you come along to a Bluewater meet. Be nice to see it in the flesh! ;) Happy motoring chap! :)

Got it. :) Best of luck with the sale. Nice cars, but it is a difficult time of year to be selling. :( Hopefully you can find a buyer though. You'll love the IS-F. :) Brilliant cars.

Not at the moment I'm afraid! :( I can probably sort some out for you when the car is next at SRD though? Need the suspension raised slightly along with some other work they are doing for me. :) When are you thinking of buying your F? Soon I am guessing??

Double post! :(

Hi Gib, My H&S system included removal of the secondary cats, and replacement with two small silencers after I deemed it too loud and drowny! ;) Think I am the only one running this setup so far? Passed it's MOT with flying colours on the sniff test, so I can confirm it will be fully compliant of you fitted the same as me. :)

Glad to hear you got them Stuart. :) Good deal for you, good deal for the guy that wanted to sell them as well. ;) Everyone ended up happy! Lol. Hope you enjoy many happy miles with the new setup mate. Cheers. Peter

Hi David. I don't believe there were any changes to the exhaust layout from the 08 model to the last models sold?? Pretty sure you can get any of the usual setups to fit your 13 model, but probably worth checking with the seller/manufacturer to be 100% certain. :) If you go with H&S, they would build the system to fit your car from scratch anyway. That way the fit and finish will be spot on. Good luck! ;)

Not sure how I missed this?! :( Any news? Hopefully you've got to the bottom of it, or at least had it on a dyno? Sounds odd that it was running fine for a while before you started having the issues?! Hopefully it can be remedied relatively easily. Cheers. Pete

Good to hear you are making the most of owning one of these very special and rare cars. :) Whilst I haven't had the misfortune of using my F in the snow (nor will I ever!), I can say it's a lot more controlled in the wet than my Supra was! ;) Fortunately I take the train to work every day, and live 5min walk from the station! Keeps the mileage down, but boy do I look forward to the weekends! Lol. Hope you and your F have plenty more happy miles together. Hopefully the lower priced petrol we are due to be getting will make it a bit less painful on the wallet! ;) Cheers. Peter

It is possible to rub down just the clear coat, then re clear it. Not a straightforward job though from what I've heard. :( Best bet is to speak with a good bodyshop, don't go through Lexus though! ;) My shop in Strood are very good? :)

You're quite right guys, my apologies. Meant soft paint. Ask any good bodyshop, they all say the same about how soft and easily marked our paint is. :(

Think you'll find it was poor paintwork or something else. The bonnets are aluminium, so shouldn't rust. Thin paint is a known issue for Lexus and other Japanese cars. :(

What brings up that question Alan?! It is made from aluminium isn't it?! Mine is carbon fibre nowadays, but I was sure the OEM bonnet was aluminium???

Cheers Rob. :) Sadly you can't buy my wheels anymore. :( They were discontinued. Might find a used set from time to time on the classifieds, but you'd need to get them back from the States! ;) Think there are other Wedsport styles in our sizes though? Thing that appealed to me was the fact Wedsport are a subsidiary of Toyota. :) Keeps it in the family so to speak. :)

All comes down to cost really. :) Any of those options are workable. I'd agree you should have the full set painted if you go that route though. That way you won't have any issues with colour match. The newer OEM wheels can be bought new, but expect to pay a good chunk of cash if you buy them from Lexus! :( Sets are occasionally sold on the US forum? May not be mint, and you have the hassle of shipping, import duty etc. I'd personally have them fixed up and re-finished. My OEM wheels were done by a company called RIMTEC in Meopham. Did a nice job for not too much money. :) Here's a link: http://www.rimtecrefurbs.co.uk/ Best of luck whatever you decide chap. :)

I can't say I'm surprised at this. :( Does help me to rule out Woodford for servicing going forwards. Just annoys me we have these kind of issues given the brand, and the fact they seem to win awards all the time?! Lexus just don't live up to the hype in my opinion. Especially when you consider what they charge! :( I'm sure there are better dealerships out there. Just a case of trying them out. :)

Thanks Derrick. :) Got mine from eBay like most people do. Fortunately I have my network of "mules" or friends in the States who are normally willing to bring things across the pond for me. If not, I travel to the States on business at least 4 times a year, so grab things to bring back with me. :) This is the seller I used: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lexus-IS250-IS350-ISF-black-carbon-steering-wheel-blue-stitching-/251918671234?hash=item3aa785dd82:m:mqkhuHIR9Ht3-zwf9yvlW4g&vxp=mtr This is the carbon topped version, but they also do one with just a flat-bottom section like mine. :) The company are California based, so you can email them to get the wheel pretty much any way you like (guys in the States have had different colours, used alcantara on bits, made the rim thicker in places etc). I'd 100% recommend them. Not stupidly pricey either when you think about it. Cusco front strut brace does add some much needed stability across the front towers under hard cornering. Only tricky bit was getting the side engine covers to go on with the brace fitted. Took my mate Rob a little time to carefully grind down the plastic till it cleared the brace. I then added some race car trim over the edges to finish it off. :)

I could I imagine Stu, but not a very attractive solution. It's only happened once on full lock. I'll just try not to use full lock for now mate. :) If that's not possible, will see about shaving/retrimming the plastic liners. It's not catching badly, just a little bit. :)

Correct. :) The norm is 16/12, but being the Swift springs, it seems to ride really well. If I ever decide to do lots of track work, I'd change them for either Penske's or the KW's, but for spirited driving, the odd trackday here and there, these should be just fine. :)

So that's Birmingham and Woodford that are on the very poor customer service list! :( Had the exact same thing when I had mine in for the 7yr service and recalls. They booked me in, gave me such a basic CT200h that I needed my iPhone to direct me (no sat nav!), and as I was about to set off, service advisor runs out to tell me the car will be ready to collect the same day. Thought to myself, wow, that's very efficient for both recalls and a basic service. He then told me the recalls wouldn't be getting done as the parts were on back order! :( Like Sim, I'd arranged all of this at least 6 weeks before the appointment. Not what you want given the prices they charge! :(

Initial impressions of the new coilovers is good. Still firm enough to throw around the twisty bits, but softer over speed bumps, bad road surfaces, drain covers etc. The USRS bushes from RR-Racing are really good! Think they have stiffened up the ride a bit over the soft OEM items, but my softer springs on the BC BR coilovers cancel that out. The front is now nicely gapped between the tire and the wheel arches, but does catch if you try using full lock on the steering. :( Not much I can do about that other than raise it a bit more. Will see how it goes, as very rare for me to need full lock (was trying to parallel park when it caught the plastic arch liner). I'll update again once I've got a few more miles under my belt, but I'm pleased with what I've found so far. :)

Saw that! :) Very cool. You should check out my build thread? Got some photos of the new coilovers installed. Just on my way to collect the car now. Can't wait to drive it! :)

I'd have the blues and two's and the other bits from it! Lol. ;) Be fun to have an IS-F as an undercover Police car. :) I'm with you guys though on steering clear of it. The hard use and lack of mechanical sympathy from the drivers will have taken there toll for sure. :(