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I'm no IS250 expert, but I have read with some cars the failure of the brake light switch (or even misadjustment) or a failed brake bulb can stop the engine starting. It's linked to cancelling the cruise control or starting the car in gear. Sounds unlikely in this case as I doubt it would permit the engine to crank, but just a thought.

Appreciate your efforts Steve. Not an ideal way to spend a Bank Holiday...

That's interesting Les, how are you getting on? I had similar traction issues with Dunlops on my IS and was similarly pleased when I switched it to Avons. On my new-to-me-non-Lexus are noisy Prestivo (I hadn't heard of them either, apparently a mid-range brand from Yokohama) and Michelin Pilot 3; as soon as they get down to 3mm I will be swapping all four for something quieter. My first thought was CrossClimate but the Primacy 4 might be a better option. Down here, snow is only a problem two or three days a year and I'd rather stay off the road away from the idiots in that case! If the Primacy can handle a bit of cold like my Avons did they might be ideal.

I found it was happening mostly at higher speeds and in cross winds after a big change in temperature. There is a sort of clip at the end but I couldn't ever get it to engage, I suspect because something had actually broken off. I tried some double-sided body fixing tape which was useless. I was going to try Gorilla glue because it looks like you couldn't be trying to stick together two worse materials, shiny painted metal and flexible rubber with a big gap in between! In the end I found I could push on it hard enough just to get 50mm or so firmly wedged in the channel about 200mm from the end. That would hold it until the next freeze. In summer the rubber/plastic is more flexible and shouldn't be a problem then.

Welcome P! Do you mean the strip that runs the length of the roof where you'd put the feet for roof bars, or is it the seal over the top of the doors? I had problems with the former which would flap around at the tailend on the motorway.

Hi Nick, welcome to the LOC. Thats two smart new-to-this-forum IS200 in the last few days. 29k is remarkable!

Paint work on old Lexus is pretty good, the red on my 300 used to come up lovely. I haven't fitted a K&N since my youth (quite some time ago!) and never bought one for the IS. Minimal gains I should think on a n/a engine, but you might have improved throttle response over the paper element. Might be worth taking out your MAF and giving it a spray with contact cleaner just in case the K&N has ever been over-oiled. I'd have thought you'd have to seriously lay on the oil to get enough into the butterfly to get it sticky. I bought some throttle body cleaner last year but when I took the intake off it was a clean as a whistle.

Hi Damon, welcome to the LOC! Looks like you have a got a great find there; few and far between no. Is it a good as it sounds, or are there any nigg;es? I always think with the body-kit the IS benefits from bigger wheels, but that is an expensive option. Definitely like the idea of Shadow Chrome for those wheels though.

Hi Neil, welcome to the LOC. The NX must be very different to what you've had before. I guess it's best to buy a car that has at least one dealer on the island! And that's a lovely colour by the way.

Agreed, Chris Harris is possibly one of the best car journalists. Him, Harry Metcalf and Henry Catchpole I could watch all day. They just "get" cars and driving. Although it was a terrific opportunity for him to be on Top Gear, I did get a feeling at the time of: "oh well, it was fun while it lasted". From what you are saying Linas - and I haven't watched any episode of Top Gear for years - it sounds like what you describe (idiot TV producers included) is exactly what I feared. By no means is an LC500 a track car, not without the rumoured F version, and may be not even then. Chris H has had good words to say about Lexus in the past even when the idiots at Autocar et al have not, busy as they were cashing the cheques from their big advertisers. Witness his review of the RC-F review and more recently GS-F. May be it is just an aberration...

Greetings race fans! Some Lexus action for me to highlight this week... First off, commencing tomorrow is two day test at Paul Ricard for competitors in the 2018 Blancpain GT Series. 45 GT3 cars are scheduled to take part (take that, F1!), one of which is the lone RC-F being run by Emil Frey. A quick look at the entry list on that link will show you the quality of cars, teams and drivers against which the Lexus must measure itself. It will then be just three short weeks to the first race of the season at Zolder. Secondly, this weekend it is the IMSA Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. 3GT Racing will be running two RC-Fs, both of which should benefit from enlarged restrictor plates. The race starts AM Saturday morning local time and a full entry list is available here. Meanwhile, globally we may see more Lexus RC-Fs with customer teams as the FIA are pushing manufacturers to building sufficient cars to avoid a nascent 'GT3 prototype' class, which can only be a good thing, for Lexus and for motorsport. Just remembered! Also testing this weekend will be the GT500 and GT300 cars in SuperGT at Okayama. The superb LC500 starts the season as reigning champion but will be faced with renewed challenges this year from Honda and Nissan. In GT300, there should be at least two GT3 spec RC-Fs competing this season.

Yes, that new Auris looks rather striking to me. To be fair, the current model I think the current model looks pretty good, just a shame about the drive train. But the new 2.0l hybrid looks like it might finally provide a bit more 'oomph'...

Quite a good video here from the boys at Autogefuhl... Not really my cup of tea, but I can see the attraction of this over the existing rivals. Does anyone know if this is a de facto replacement for the CT200h?

If it isn't affecting emissions - which sounds like it wouldn't - then possibly you can clear erase the error to get it through the MoT. I had a recurring P0430 error on my 2001 IS300 (even after fitting of the oxygen sensor) for about two years, and emissions were never a problem at MoT time. I used a cheap Autel ODBII scanner to erase the code on the morning of the day and knew if would be off for at least 50 miles/an hour, so ample time for the garage to complete the test.

Hi Andy, welcome to the forum. The Lexus diesels certainly seem not to have been their finest hour but if you get a good one you'll do OK so long as you don't neglect maintenance. I have read some stuff about that long 6th gear and there seems to be a certain technique to get the best of it.

Hi Alex, welcome to the forum. Nice collection of vehicles you have there. Just looking at your CarThrottle site now. Like the 200 in green, not enough green cars around any more (not in the UK anyway). But perhaps it's time to invest a second crash helmet?

Interesting read, David, thanks for the effort in writing it. Electric vehicle are clearly the future - or some more advanced ICE Hybrid - but I think for the majority of drivers they are a long way off; there just isn't the charging infrastructure or the used car stock yet (today of 434,979 cars listed only 746 are electric). Buying a new Model S is very different experience to buying a eight year old Nissan Leaf, I suspect. Tesla leading by example but a filter down of technology needs to come into the mainstream market.

Much as I want to say a red 2001 IS300 (!), I have to add another vote for the Yaris. My wife has a 2001 1.3 with a ridiculous 33k on it, and aside form one exhaust, two auxiliary belts and one shock absorber, it has been vice and trouble free. They must be available for peanuts now.

Good luck with that, can be a right pain tracking down stuff like that. PM me if you want the WSM.

Hi Simon, welcome to the LOC. Sorry that your question has been overlooked. I'm very much of the 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' school of car mechanics (lots of bitter experience!) so can't really offer you any help. Can it be as simple as an in-line fuse? I assume the doors are on the same fuse in the box but is there another one in each door. If it's of help, I have a PDF of the IS300 workshop manual.

That's sad to see, but at least its been under cover all that time, should rescue-able, if the owner ever turns up. We had a 3.0 X-Type up our road that sat in a residents parking bay for over a year, slowly sinking on its tyres, corroding brake discs, condensation on the inside, lichen on the outside. A smart, serviceable car turned to scrap.

I guess the problem with the body kit is it might hide problems as the rot starts within. Some how water gets inside the box section and sits there. I assume this is either water thrown up by the wheels or some tortuous route for rain water, either way I'd hope your pampered example hasn't had too much of either! I've read a few posts on here about drilling a hole and Dynaxing; with apologies for not crediting the OP, ages ago I saved their wise words for my own reference: "I would recommend ALL IS200 owners rustproof this area, either after welding or for prevention. I drilled two holes in the bottom of the sill about 50cm apart (can be done with the car jacked up and supported), and also used the hole with a rubber plug below the front of the sill. Drill the holes just outside the flange. No point in drilling the other side of the flange as well, because it is the same box section. I used Dynax rust treatment, because it comes in a 750ml jumbo aerosol with a 60cm probe to get into box sections. Dynax came out well in a survey a few years ago, and I have used it a lot on my classic car. The probe makes it much easier to apply than Waxoyl, and the fluid seems to be more effective. While you are at it, lift the spare wheel cover in the boot, remove the rubber plugs in the bottom of the wells behind the rear wheels, and spray the area with Dynax."

Welcome Gary, yes nearly done the key thing myself! The tapping-the-pocket-before-slamming-the-boot ritual soon becomes second nature...

Confirmation today that Emil Frey Racing will be running two RC-Fs in both the Blancpain GT series this year (as well as running the old XKs at a few select Endurance races). It's a definite boost to be running two cars as opposed to the single car effort in GT Open last year. Drivers will be Albert Costa, Christian Klien and Marco Seefried in one car and Markus Palttala, Norbert Siedler and Stephane Ortelli in the other, which is a decent line-up. The first Blancpain GT test of the year will be 13th/14th March at Paul Ricard.

News today that Emil Frey Racing will be competing in the Blancpain series this year after dipping their toes for a single round in 2017. Hard to find anything more concrete than that but a Spanish website suggest the RC-F will compete in both the Sprint and the Endurance championships. Whether It will be a direct transfer of the team and drivers from GT Open we will have to wait and see. I know over winter the Lexus preparation has moved from a base near The Nurburgring to their headquarters in Switzerland, which may signal the end of the Jaguar XK8 programme and liberate additional resources and drivers (such as Stephane Ortelli). It will be a significant step-up in terms of competition, professionalism and budget but also international profile. It will be interesting to see if Farnbacher Racing continue in GT Open in 2018. News article from Sportscar365 is here. Press release from Toyota Gazoo Racing (showing the plethora of motorsport activities across the Toyota empire) is here.