zoricib

Mine's a 55plate and find it behaves the same. I just live with it now but used to annoy the sh#t out of me. The previous owner managed to set the speedometer light to come up at 70mph so at least I have that...

Hey man, let me know how this goes. I have a 55plate and just got the sliding pin kits for the front and rear breaks, but think I have the same issue with the rear pins. The ones I got look like the ones on the right side of your pic.

very informative posts! and great mods!

I would monitor it then - mine showed white salt like deposits just below the water pump and small pools of coolant - so keep an eye for that and change it when necessary. I don't think they'll just explode all of a sudden. Declan is right here - you need pink long life coolant. lexuspartsdirect.co.uk is a reputable source and often better priced than ebay for oem service items. And btw my waterpump was changed at about 93k miles

Changed my water pump about a year ago (just after I did a major service which included replacing the coolant...) and with the AISIN waterpump (oem manufacturer I believe) and coolant supplied by myself I think it totaled to just under £250. I think labour was about £75 - well worth it for the pain of coolant spilling everywhere on your drive. Make sure you get the toyota/lexus coolant as apparently regular pink/red coolant is not a 100% match for the oem spec

Update now that I got the exhaust sorted. Also pics at the end of the post - excuse the filthy car (perks of living in a village and driving on solely country lanes to work!). Tried taking a video of the sound but it's too windy and can only hear the wind. Will probably add a video at a later stage. Firstly, to explain why I believe there is such a difference in the quites I received. Foolishly i thought cat back and back box delete/replacement are different but apparently they are quite different - especially in pricing. So the price I got from MIJ Performance was for backbox replacement, whilst on others it was for the whole catback exhaust I'm thinking. So I ended up with the backbox replacement myself. Not bothered really as it achieved what I was after - which was getting a longer lasting exhaust. FYI the catback exhaust was replaced by the previous owner (also a forum member) with an ebay exhaust less than 4 years ago (had the car myself for almost 2 years). Now to the actual work. I opted for the "mid-sport" option which is supposed to be quiet under normal driving and louder under acceleration. I'm finding it a bit loud and slightly droney up until 2500 rpm, but apparently will quiet down after a few hundred miles once some carbon will deposit on the new piping. Will have to wait and see. With the radio on the change in sound under normal driving is not really noticeable, but when accelerating you can hear it. I opted for slanted oval 3 inch tips to replicate the oem look. Overall I'd say I'm happy with how it turned out, hoping the little drone I get now at 1500-2500 rpm will improve Now to the pics, starting with a look at the hole in ebay exhaust.

Updating this in case it will be useful for others in the future. Got quotes from multiple exhaust shops for a stainless steel back section DK Tuning Birmingham: starting at £699 for MIG welds, £899 for TIG welded Tony Banks Leeds: £429 TIG welded PowerFlow Tamworth: £750 - unsure of type of welding Cherry Bomb Performance Exhausts Nuneaton: starting at £500+VAT - unsure of type of welding MIJ Performance Walsall - £379 TIG welded Although the top choice would have been Tony Banks don't feel like driving a 4 hours return trip so I'll have the exhaust built by MIJ Performance on Saturday. I'll post another update once the work has been completed

@Vintagesixtysix thanks! Was looking at them as I actually live on the outskirts of Nuneaton, but they are closed today. Will give them a call on Monday. How much did they charge if you don't mind me asking?

Update: powerflow wanted £750 for the back section in stainless steel 😨

Sounds a bit throatier, but not bad. Was actually enjoying the sound until I noticed the blown box....now sitting at powerflow exhausts to get a quote. Other quotes I got over the phone were close to £400

Hey everyone, Just saw that one of my back boxes blew and had a considerable hole in it. Looking to get a new exhaust &leaning towards a stainless steel custom one. Saw that Tony Banks in Leeds is highly recommend but don't fancy a 4 hour roundtrip. Anyone has recommendations for a good exhaust shop near Coventry? And any idea of costs? Fyi looking just for the final section, not a full exhaust.

I use the Marine Aerospace 303 spray on the dash and door panels - it gives a really nice non-oily satin/matte finish. I don't think you'll want a shiny dashboard as it will reflect in your windscreen on sunny days I have the same colour for the leather seats & I use the Supernatural leather cleaner & their sealant with a boars hair brush and a few detailing brushes. I generally apply the product to the brushes and scrub the seats as it tends to disappear in the small holes in the seats otherwise. they do smell a bit vinegary when using them, but the smell doesn't linger for long. I clean and seal the seats once or twice a year.

Ah, didn't realise you had a manual! Mine's an auto and around town it stays in 4th or 5th with revs under 1500rpm usually.

I get the same with the white smoke and with the thread you found, think it's normal. On the mpg - which figure are you watching? average mpg or tank MPG? I'd use the tank MPG and reset it on the motorway (long press on Mode button on the steering wheel I think). It resets itself after each refuelling so if you did many mile around town at 18mpg then when averaged with the 40ish MPG on the motorway it probably settled at 30? mine is a 55 plate and I get around 25mpg around town and a combined 30-32 with some motorway/country lanes driving to work and back. spark plugs and oil I think will help with MPG - also check your tire pressure. Cleaning the MAF sensor is a good idea too as seen some people doing it and it helped with MPG and the car felt more responsive. haven't cleaned my PCV & throttle body yet but know a friend that has. Apparently the PCV shouldn't be as bad as you see on US forums because the fuel quality is better in the UK. & good luck with the sand blasting! never seen anyone doing this to their car but sounds like a good idea! Where are you based in WM? I'm in Coventry/Nuneaton

if the engine/gearbox is cold the car will hold 5th for a while. when it gets all warmed up it will shift to 6th. also noticed that when cold the gearbox holds gears for longer and at higher revs than when at operating temp - probably to bring it up to temp quicker?

thanks both! I thnk I'll go the Amayama route

Asked the seller on ebay and said the kit is only for 2013+ models unfortunately

Thanks! will they fit the 2is? I've seen them but the title mentions IS250 IS300 so thought it's for the 3rd gen?

Hi, Does anyone know where to get the rear guide pin kits? Frentech used to have them on their ebay shop but they're now saying the supplier stopped producing the rear kit & only the front is available now. Thanks, Bogdan

Glad it worked 🙂

just take your time with taking the stereo out as the top of the dash above the vents is very easily damaged. watch a few Youtube videos first and be patient (like I wish I was)...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VYSZ8S2/ref=emc_b_5_t looks like this is the new version with microphone - not sure the mic needed though as for calls the car's bluetooth kicks in, so check if you can install it without the mic

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07JN9MD28/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253946448924?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338722076&customid=&toolid=10050 looks like it's not in stock anymore on ebay/amazon but try emailing the sellers or have another look online

I had a bluetooth adapter set up in the armrest and found the bass was lacking. Albeit the adapter I had was the cheapest I could find on Ebay - £5 I think. Went with the integrated bluetooth version that plugs into the back of your stereo and the sound is great now. 95% of the time I play music on spotify and the quality is amazing. Only time I find it lacking is when I play radio from my phone from 3rd party apps like tune in. So take into consideration the source you're playing from. If you're not too fusy about bass levels I'd say go for the armrest setup. some people going this way reported some buzzing due to the grounding wire of the car/stereo but a £4 ground noise loop isolator would fix this if it occurs https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403271547163?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28 If you fancy fiddling about with the stereo go for the integrated version.

I remember reading something on this possibly on the US forum. It's possible but not a straight swap. You may be better of with an aftermarket unit - think that there are some that look very similar to the oem one but run on andorid - like this one