Shahpor

Thanks for that jack, but don't worry, it is more a case of resignation than sadness that I own the black sheep of the Lexus family.

Interesting to see the difference:

Interesting stuff chaps.

I did forget to mention that the car was pretty much in sport mode all the time.

@rayaans  That is a nice little upgrade for the interior.  Also, I do like my screens big

@Shahpor doesn't feel the love

This is what the manual says:

I'm sure you are as it's a fine car

Well, like I said, the MPG result is probably a little skewed since I had a heavy right foot, but does that mean it is less fuel efficient than the IS300h?

@rayaans Well, if they do replace the centre console, then I am sure it will look much better.  One of the bit I love about my interior the most is the maple wood, which I think adds a nice touch.

Yep, the car had 5,800 miles on it.  Soften over time is all good and well, but wouldn't that mean that that bolster will wear out more quickly over time?  One thing I forgot though is that I loved the seat ventilation.  You can really feel it, unlike in mine.

Oh, absolutely nothing wrong with the gearbox when accelerating hard   It was when I lifted off and let the car drift down in speed then press the accelerator again that it seems to struggle.

I am not that old!   It is just that the car has a lot of functions.  I liked the way the selection 'mouse' moved, however, for example, I had no idea the dash display could be changed until several hours after I drove it. No doubt if I owned it I would quickly learn where and what everything does.  I am just not used to getting in a new car and being confused.

I agree most modern cars have a lot of plastic, which is a shame.  It just doesn't add itself to the 'premium' quality of the rest of the car.  Yes, mine probably has more plastic, but I suspect it has something to do with the dash layout and larger centre console setup that makes it more obviously, well to me at least.

Hey all.

Apologies if this has been covered before, but my searching skills are not good

Anyway, my IS was in for a service yesterday and they gave me the 200t as a courtesy car for 2 days (couldn't get back to the dealer before they closed yesterday).  So I just wanted to share some thoughts with you and see what peoples opinions are.

First, the good stuff:

1. Lovely looking car.  It was Sonic Titanium and the dark wheel finish was fantastic.
2. The interior on the whole was good.  I liked the dash display that shows the boost pressure and oil temp and pressure.
3. It had some nice mid range grunt to it.
4. Lots of toys.
5. Cornered very well.
6. Quiet, especially on the motorway.
7. Nice size boot and good rear leg/head room.

But there were a couple of niggles:

1. A bit too much plastic on the inside.
2. Equally, the centre console felt too big and high.
3. Need to read the manual to figure out what all the button do!
4. The automatic gearbox seemed to get caught out a few times.
5. Managed to get 25mpg over 150 miles (Although I wasn't exactly taking it easy, but it was mostly motorway driving).
6. Anyone else have a problem with the drivers right base seat bolster getting in the way with your leg on top of it?  All the others were fine, but that one made for an uncomfortable driving experience.
7. Speaking of uncomfortable, personally I think the F Sport suspension is too hard.  Granted, this was on London's infamously bad roads, but it felt a little jarring.  I am sure others will disagree on this one though.

So, that is pretty much it.  Most of the niggles were just that, and overall it was a good experience, but perhaps not as good as I had expected.  Strangely, I felt hemmed in with the 200t, so it suddenly seemed so light and airy when I got back into mine.

Sorry for the long rambling post, but like I said, it was an interesting experience, and overall a positive one.  Now if only I could afford one!

I have just had a Dunlop SP sport 245 x 17 rear tyre fitted to mine from the main dealer.  It cost me £118 all in, which is actually cheaper than most other places.

It is really annoying because it was a perfectly good tyre, but during the service they found a large slash in the tread.  Seems a stone did it!  Scary really when you consider it could have blown out at any time.  Even more annoyingly, this is the second time in 6 month that I have had to change a good tyre because of a cut,

I was going to ask for a photo, but before I could, I got the video from Lexus showing me the problem.

On the plus side, one of my rear calipers was seized, which my extended warranty covered.  Even more impressively, the warranty company came back with an answer within an hour, and since both the tyre and caliper were in stock, got it all done at the same time.

Only trouble was, I had to give back the IS 200t they had lent me.

Hi Gary.

You might have more luck if you post this in the IS section.

By the sounds of it, your DPF is blocked?  Have you tried going for a blast up the motorway for 15-20 mins to try and clear it out?

From what they told me, airbags are in very short supply these days, so it could take a while to get it done.

I am heading to the dealer tomorrow, so will ask again.

sorry, perhaps I didn't make my post clear.

What I meant was if he didn't have the factory warranty, it would have cost more.  It was just an example of a potential scenario for someone who owns a car more than 3 years old.

Thanks for the info Colin, very interesting.  Also, impressive reliability from the 6 Lexus's you have had.  I can see why you keep coming back

Case in point though, for your IS, I am not sure of the price of course, but I am willing to bet that the power steering link, seat base and wiper sensor would have cost you more than the £795 the warranty would have cost you at the time?  This is obviously assuming you would have had the work done at the dealer, which from my experience is a nice bonus.

So in 200k miles of driving, you have had nothing go wrong except some bushes and bubbling wheels?  That's impressive.

Although I expect that Colin's experience might be more typical than yours, I would be happy to be proved wrong since I am planning on getting another Lexus after this one.

So you had problems inside the warranty period?

Well, considering it was leaking and it was done at a dealer, you could argue that the warranty only cost him £375 so far, which is worth spending for peace of mind.

So glad I bought mine when I did.  2 months after I got it, my car needed a new flywheel and, as it turns out, engine mounts.  Along with a new clutch this cost me £650.  Without the warranty, I was looking in the region of £3000.  Granted, I could have had the work done somewhere else, but there are benefits to having work done at the dealer e.g. courtesy car.  Also, my dealer was brilliant when it came to fixing the issues, which were more complicated than first anticipated.

So, I had 22 months left after getting my moneys worth for the £795 for the cost of the warranty.

Another thing is sometimes it is nice to get some niggling faults taken care of which you otherwise wouldn't bother with.  My car is going in next week for a service, and I have asked them to look at a couple of niggles which I would otherwise have just put up with.

I don't think I would own a newer Lexus without a warranty since they are so expensive to repair.

That is reasonable.  It is basically what Lexus charge around here for an hours labour.

The extended warranty has been good for me.  Saved me a load of money when my flywheel failed.  I am going to put it to test again next week for a couple of small bits.

It think the price has gone up slightly since it is should be £895 for two years.  I really hope the 241 offer on the warranty doesn't stop, since it actually makes it a reasonable price.  I got a quote for a MINI extended warranty recently and they wanted roughly £521 a year with a £100 excess!

Sounds good

I suppose it has changed a lot from the good old days when I had a set of coil overs and on bumps you had to watch you don't bang your head on the roof!

Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but doesn't it ruin the ride quality putting the coil overs on?

I mean it looks very nice, but most people seem to compliment the wafting ride the LS has, so isn't it a bit hard now?

By the same token, I assume 20 inch wheels would need narrow tyres, which would make it even harder.

Perhaps it might be easier if you just posted the advert assuming it is on a website?

As for the mileage, I don't think low usage is that unusual.  I have done 2k miles in a year before.  Depends on if you stay local or not and whether you commute in your car.  I used to take the train to work, so a lot of days it wouldn't get used at all.

What happened to 2011's MOT?

Well, again the windscreen isn't a problem really, although the worn pads are a little strange.

I took mine to a Lexus dealer the same day I bought it for a visual safety inspections.  Not a complete once over, but since I was buying an extended warranty, it had to be done.  It does add some reassurance if they don't find anything wrong with it.

I would get your car checked at the dealer as soon as possible if you do buy it since the less time between, the less chance the seller has to claim the fault occurred after it was sold.

Other than that, if you are happy with it, then yes, some good bargaining tool can be used.  Although I am finding it more and more that even small independent dealers are not willing to haggle.  I ended up paying list price for mine, although I did get a service and a new tyre included.

The advisories aren't that bad considering what they are, as long as they are rectified of course.

What about the rest of the MOT history?  It can show signs of neglect.

More worrying is the service history.  Personally, I wouldn't consider a car that hadn't been serviced in 24k miles and 3 years.

Just spoke to my local dealer regarding the airbag recall.

He said it is definitely happening, but they haven't informed everyone since they don't have any stock of airbags.  He took my number and said he would call me when they do arrive to book my car in.

Well, mine is a diesel, but apart from the drive train, it is the same.  I bought mine with 109,000 miles on it, and after a year it has 118800 miles on and it has been faultless.

As for spec, if you want all the toys, you could hold out for a SE-L.  It took me a while longer to find mine since they are not as common, but I am glad I did.

Can a mod fix the title of this thread?  It has been bugging me