Razor61

As we know, with ECP and other on-line suppliers the prices vary depending on what 'discount code' is live at the time. Also there are more or less constant 'discount codes' with just a short break in between so prices are 'discounted' virtually all the time. ECP now have the 'MID60' discount code with 'up to 45% off' and I wouldn't be surprised if they are even cheaper at the moment. Because it says 'up to 45% off' the retailer can adjust pricing whenever they want, hour by hour or even by the minute if they want to. I have some knowledge of how on-line retailing works with discount codes etc, i.e. higher price without discount code - with discount code it brings the price down to 'normal' levels.

That is a good price, were the rear discs vented or solid? At the moment from LPD it would be £246.07 for discs/pads all round with solid rear discs and £280.72 for discs/pads all round with vented rear discs plus £5.99 delivery. List prices are £418.96 and £493.45 respectively as far as I'm aware.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Crown-/114532612767?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

That car was for sale by another seller on eBay a while ago and he must have bought it. I was looking and drooling over it then it was sold for £3.5k, very very nice car.

Yep, discs and pads are normally straightforward (assuming the calipers are not knackered) and I've lost count of how many I've done over the years...................I have plenty of brake cleaner, wet and dry abrasive paper and a good wire brush. I also have a gauge to check for any run out but I've not used it in a long long time. If the weather is ok I may paint the brake disc cover/plate things while the discs are off. When I get a car the first things I check/sort out are discs/pads/callipers, replace or clean up as needed and also oil and filter change (if it hasn't just been done) then sort out other things as and when needed. The front discs are worn, probably according to the 'manual' they don't need to be replaced just yet but I'm doing them anyway. I suspect the rear caliper slide pins need attention as well so I've ordered rear discs/pads and caliper slider pin kit as well. I may fit the rear discs/pads depending on what I find, don't really want to do them just yet as it's more involved with the parking brake shoes but if needed I will. If any of the calipers are sticking and need replacing that will be a job for Lexus under extended warranty, discs/pads are not covered as normal. If the calipers do need attention I wont be fitting new discs/pads of course! It will be booked into Lexus quick time. I've also ordered a 'ProSlip Brake Lubrication Kit', I've been using Ceratec and copper grease in the past but thought I'd give it a whirl. Seems good stuff if you read all the blurb about it.

Thanks Normski, I'll have a look. If the bits arrive I'll be doing it at the weekend.

I have only used Halfords for parts (in the past) and accessories quite a lot if the price is right. Also sometimes it's convenient to use Halfords even though they may be more expensive. Just my 2 pence worth regarding Halfords Autocentres. The only time I've used a Halfords Autocentre was when I needed a 'Vanos' fitted on a BMW E36 M3 around 8 years ago, it's a specialist job and I attempted it but failed. You may think why use Halfords then and not a BMW main dealer or BMW specialist? The reason was that I used a BMW specialist on Nile Street in Bolton quite a few times over the years, they were very very good, and when I struggled with fitting the Vanos I contacted them only to find out Halfords had taken over and it was now a Halfords Autocentre. At the time the personnel were pretty much the same including BMW specialists so I had the work done and they did a great job. This Autocentre is still there and going off the reviews it seems to be a 'good one'. So there are some good Halfords Autocentres around as Linas has said.

I use Halfords for lots and lots of stuff and have used Halfords for parts on cars I've had down the years without any problem at all, I'm personally not negative about Halfords and will continue to use them if appropriate considering cost and availability. To be honest I've never thought about Halfords for discs and pads, don't know why. For brakes I prefer to buy Lexus OEM stuff for a Lexus if at all possible but it's just my preference. The list price for Lexus front discs and pads is around £240 for the parts I believe so from LPD at the moment they are half price @ £118. So £40 more for Lexus OEM compared to, for example, £80 for Pagid from Halfords. I'm not saying Lexus discs and pads are better/worse/same as Pagid and I've used them for other family members cars over the past few years without a problem. If I had to pay £240 for Lexus discs and pads then I would think about Pagid or some other make maybe, Brakes International for example which is normally my first port of call if OEM brake stuff is too costly as they are close to where I live. I have a 2003 IS200 as well and for that car I will probably buy aftermarket discs and pads when the time comes, I've just purchased 2 x recon front calipers from Brakes international for it. If I think the discs and pads need replacing when I fit them I will be looking at Halfords, Brakes International, ECP, Autodoc, eBay and the rest to get the best deal.

Lexus Parts Direct: Genuine Lexus Parts Direct To Your Door | Lexus Parts Direct

I've just bought a set of IS250 front discs/pads - £118.80 and front caliper slide pin kit - £32.88 plus delivery from LPD. I think that's pretty good for Lexus OEM parts.

🤣you are probably right on that. I had looked a one IS250 but didn't drive it because the seller wouldn't budge on price and I didn't want to waste his time test driving it. I bought this one without seeing it in the flesh or driving it but it was from a main dealer and I was sent a 'personalized' video of the car. First time I have ever bought a car without looking and driving, I did drive an IS250 when they first came out, it was a courtesy car when my company IS200 was in for a service, but that was 15 or so years ago. 'Click and Collect' or rather 'Click and Deliver' a car from 100 miles away..............how times have changed! The whole process of enquiring, agreeing on a price/deal, getting alloy wheels and bodywork tidied up, full service and then delivered to my door was very straightforward and painless (apart from parting with the cash😁). Lexus Wolverhampton were great and sorted everything out so I couldn't be more pleased, I was getting tired of trawling through Autotrader and Ebay. Going from an LS400 which is so quiet and smooth I was a bit sceptical that the IS250 would come near it but I'm glad to say that the IS250 is very very close in terms of being smooth and quiet. I've only done about 100 miles but so far I'm very impressed. The auto 6 speed gearbox is excellent, car is very quiet, very smooth and comfortable. You can feel rough road surfaces but that's down to the 18 inch wheels and the rear tyres are not exactly brand new. The hifi is excellent as well even though it's not a ML system. It doesn't have the extra stuff that a SE-L has but I'm not that bothered really. Preference was to have it all but the choice between a SE-L with the bits from a dealer or private and a SE-I with most of the bits, Lexus approved with 3 x years extended warranty was easy to make. One thing I have noticed is that the wing mirrors are huge, good for visibility etc but they wouldn't look out of place on an HGV. That isn't a criticism by the way, it's just an observation.

Couple of pics of the new car, hadn’t been washed at the time.

No problem Roy, I know the Bolton area pretty well as I was a TV and Video field engineer many years ago for a company called Mastercare and my area was Bolton. I have some LS400 bits for sale, most of it new stuff but I have some used bits. If you fancy a run out to Darwen to have a look and a chin wag you are more than welcome, just private message me and we can arrange it.

LPD is Lexus Parts Direct, Lexus dealer with an online website for purchasing genuine Lexus parts. I've used them a lot in the last year, mainly for the LS400 which I don't have anymore so will need to change my profile.........and I'll do it now😉 Link to LPD Genuine Lexus Parts Direct To Your Door | Lexus Parts Direct

Rear UCA's are around £250 each from Lexus and are £212 each from LPD, half the price of the front UCA's.

This may help

Thank you for the offer, how 'battered' are they and are they worth refurbing?

Thank you, I like them as well👍 easier to clean I think as well. Not seen many ISS250's with that design and at first I thought they may have been from another model but I think they were an option and not people people chose them.

I've just purchased a 2010 IS250 which has a set of 18 inch staggered alloys, front 225/40/18 and rear 255/40/18 - 8J front and 8.5J rear I think. Picture of the alloy type is below and I haven't seen many IS's with them. I always like to have a spare set of alloys if possible but I don't think I will find a set of the same alloys anytime soon. I'll have more luck finding a set of 17 inch alloys to use or a set of 18 inch alloys taken from the later IS models, i.e. IS300H (I've seen a set for sale) I presume a set of 17 inch alloys from an IS250 would be ok? But does anyone know if the IS300H 18 inch alloys are ok to use. As far as I'm aware the PCD is the same at 5x114.3, the bore is the same at 60.1 and wondered if anyone could tell me if the wheels from an IS300H would be ok on a 2010 IS250?

Cheers, I will post some pics and it would be good to meet up. it was Wolverhampton, the only dealer that had any in stock and they had 4 of them. They had one at £4995 but no pictures, when I inquired it had been sold so left with 3. If you look on the website it will probably be obvious which one I bought😉

Thanks Linas, I would have been happy with it I’m sure but the search is over and I’ve bought a silver 2010 IS250 SE-I from Lexus. Quite a bit more money but 3 years Warranty, facelift model, full 12 months MOT, good history, full service done before I get it, scratches etc sorted, front alloys refurbished, 2 year service plan. No ML, auto dimming mirrors, memory seats though. I’d had enough of trawling through EBay, auto trader and other sites so looked on the Lexus website and sorted one out today. Job done and should be 3 years peace of mind and I’ll enjoy the car. I had the choice of 3 x IS250’s, light metallic blue 2010 SE-L 40k miles but the most expensive, 2008 SE-L in black with perfect service history and 40k miles which was £2,200 cheaper, and the one I bought with double the mileage and overall was the cheapest but the cost and mileage weren’t the main factors. There was something about the black one I didn’t like, it just didn’t do it for me and maybe it was the vane style alloys but the one I bought did. The most expensive one was the best of the 3 and ticked all the boxes but it ended up at £10,500 with the extended warranty and service plan as the dealer didn’t have any profit in the car to play with so that was a step too far. I would like an auto dimming rear view mirror and door mirrors so I’ll investigate whether they can be retro fitted, if they can then great and if not then it’s not the end of the world😀 Thanks for everyone’s input and advice.

The listing ended this afternoon, it’s the third time it’s been listed. Started at £4199 I think then reduced down to £3999 in the last listing.

Thanks for the info and advice. I looked at the car this afternoon and it is a very good example so I made my offer and gave my reasons why, it wasn’t accepted so increased it to the highest I was prepared to pay which I think was very fair and that offer was declined. So on with the search. regarding SE-L v this SE, I originally wanted an SE-L with everything including memory seats and ruled out an SE but this particular SE has most of what I want. Compared to what most of the SE-L’s have, it doesn’t have memory seats, parking sensors (but does have reversing camera), auto dimming rear view mirror and door mirrors, rear blind (not bothered), hid headlights and washers. I think that’s it unless someone can correct me. The important things I wanted were the multimedia stuff, mark levinson, light leather interior, automatic, well maintained with good MOT and dealer history which it has. If we could have reached an agreement I would have been very happy with the car but it was not to be. Regarding contacting Lexus UK about the history of the car I didn’t get detailed service history, just where it was purchased from, where it was serviced and what years. For detailed service history I would need to contact the Lexus dealer direct via email which I did for another car but haven’t had a reply yet.

I live 25 miles away from work so it’s ‘local’ to work and you tend to only notice other cars the same as you have. I definitely won’t be buying it because it’s close by, if it is a good one then it’s a bonus. I’ve had my fair share of travelling to view cars only to find they are not as described but that’s part of the process. A few months ago I travelled 250 miles in driving rain, stayed over night, looked at a good 2003 IS200 the next morning, bought it and travelled 250 miles back home in driving rain. Not having to do that again would be a welcome change😀

I said it was a car I’m looking at purchasing, they can’t give details of what’s been done but they will transfer you to the relevant dealer to obtain the detail. The car is in an area very close to work which I drive through every day to and from work, I have been looking at cars hours away so if the car is as described it’s a bonus not having to travel miles to see and buy.