Andrew250

Thanks for the heads up about Rock Auto. Just out of curiosity I checked out the website from your post. As an example for my IS250 the OEM Aisin Water Pump would cost just under £105 including international shipping and taxes VS £156 from Lexus UK with shipping. Very surprised at the cost savings involved, seems like it's too good to be true. The savings would only increase when bulk purchasing. Will be bookmarking this site for when I need discs and pads and other bits for sure

I was thinking about having mine done at Lexus but the quote including sparks for an IS was £705. That is quite a bit, but I did understand most of the fluids got changed and the sparks are supposed to be a bit fiddly. Whilst is no doubt a thorough check over the car, the price is too high for me. Going to go for a local specialist when the time comes instead and save a few quid.

It's available on the Lexus website to view as a PDF document. Most fluids get changed including coolant, rear diff. Not sure if transmission oil is changed, dependent on the inspection I believe. Why not ask the service center for a full breakdown via email.

Well I had quite a long chat with the local Lexus dealer service department about it. They have done it previously for people who wanted to service the transmission, but advised in their opinion it's not required. They can understand why owners want to do this but seemed reluctant and discouraged really from having it done which I thought was fair. He advised after working for Lexus servicing for a long time auto trans failures are rare. The advised they can do the job, it would entail cycling through 7-8 litres of ATF by draining and re-filling and it would take at least three hours labour. Total cost at the dealer £550 all in. I can't recall if this included a new filter and gasket, I assume it would but forgot to check. I await further communication from the gearbox specialist in Gloucester on the fluid used, but their quote was almost half this, so will be going with them.

Yes I understand that - I meant in terms of the whole transmission 7.5 litre total.

Thanks chaps for your input - I have emailed a nearby transmission specialist with a couple of questions and waiting to hear back. Depending on what they say I will be hoping to get as much of the oil changed as possible with the filter and gasket changed at the same time. Having now spent a lot of time researching online it seems definitely worth doing for somebody like me, who wants to keep hold of the car for a few years. I am pretty certain the gearbox would be fine to push on without interference to 150k+, but I don't want at that point, damage to occur that preventative maintenance could have avoided. Hopefully at my mileage it's still fine, but as noted above, I don't know how the car was used in the past. The mileage it has for its age puts it at around 13k average per year, so quite high, so you may assume motorway miles, but who knows. As you state Vlad the gearbox is made by Aisin who recommend frequent gearbox oil changes (see PDF I have attached). The list of jobs to do on the car grows longer, but I know it will all be worth doing in time. atf_a2_CFEx_AFW.pdf

Thanks Vlad - That's a price I can be happy about. Will do some research and see what is local. Bodywork is definitely in need of some TLC, but like you, I am happy to invest money on this car as I want it to last a good few years. Thanks Linas for your help again. After pouring through this forum and clublexus / reddit to learn more about the IS250 the one debate that doesn't seem to have a definitive answer is around the gearbox / transmission oil (It's also mentioned in this thread by 2Ravens so that got me investigating!) I appreciate its deemed a 'lifetime' fluid but as has been stated by many prior owners, what is an appropriate lifetime? Some owners report having never changed the oil, some have had transmission problems at 150k on the original fluid, some advise changing at 100k. My car is approaching ten years at 120k and that could be somebody's idea of a lifetime and yet I've just acquired it! I think I am going to have a drain and fill of the transmission, even if this only seems to replace two litres out of about nine. I've read not to seek out a flush as that can do more harm than good. My service book states it's only inspected at 40k intervals and from the receipt I have Lexus did drain and replace some (about a litre I think), but that was many miles ago. I am wondering if this is worth having it done by Lexus - Has anybody who has had this completed and could you give an estimate of costs and how much fluid was drained? I know that most of the fluid is contained in the transmission and not the pan, hence the need to keep changing the pan oil. I've read that you can have the drain and fill completed over a course of three or four times to get most of the older oil out of the gearbox, but this could be very costly if visiting a dealer each time. Perhaps it best for me to just do it yearly with an annual service? Despite watching a few helpful Youtube vids, not something I would do myself. Sorry to keep asking so many questions in the thread - Just want to ensure I don't miss anything early on that needs attention and once again - Big thanks for all the help so far, great community 👍

It was well polished and waxed (obviously) by the garage when I bought hence why I barely noticed it at the time. I'll see what it might cost to get it repaired and whilst I want to it looking as good as possible I don't want to spend a fortune. Ha - Yes same tyres on each axle. When I come to replace them I will be stumping up for the same brand, good quality tyres all around. JDM - Thanks I checked out the pictures and it looks really good, similar look to what I will be going for when I get them refurbished after lockdown. Think it suits the IGO really well. Thanks 2Ravens that makes me feel much better. Now feeling positive it could be made to look half decent without spending a silly amount of money. Due to the mileage and age, it has the expected paint chips and light scratches over the car anyway. In time, I would like to try some car detailing to see if I can get the paintwork looking better but that's after I've taken car of the wheels, big service, bumper scuff etc. Still driving really well so far and zero issue's to report since I bought it, sadly not used it as much as I would like due to lockdown.

Hi Nick, I just purchased a 2011 IS250 Advance and I am really happy with the car so far. It has all the gadgets I need - Heated electric adjustable leather seats, auto dimming headlights, rain sensitive wipers etc. Lexus wrote a small blog about the advance linked here. https://blog.lexus.co.uk/catching-up-with-the-new-lexus-is-advance-sports-saloon/ US brochure although I think as cars made in Japan pretty similar specs as UK ( I think ) https://www.lexus.com/documents/brochures/2011/2011-Lexus-IS-Brochure.pdf & check this Honest John write up regarding models and specs. https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/lexus/is-2005/good#item9 The advance does not have; memory seats, auto folding mirrors or cooled seats at the higher model range nor a sun roof. It also has a more standard sound system and not the fabled Mark Levinson system (I find the sound system to be good but I am not an audiophile) . F sport got different suspension and exhaust and sportier trim. I am not sure what else is missing I am sure somebody will be along to advise you. I paid less than what you have listed but I went much higher mileage with a full service history as the engines are known to be very reliable. The cars can suffer from some issues well documented a thread in the IS250 forum - well worth a read prior to viewing and a test drive. I think all three look good, I would choose one with a good service history and not necessarily lower mileage but well cared for.

As soon as the wheels are done, or even at the same time I'd like to turn my attention to the bumper and rear wheel arch scuff I mentioned. Here are some pictures, pretty nasty. When I inspected the car I didn't even notice the rear wheel arch, quite how I don't know.. Caveat Emptor indeed.

Thanks again. Looks like a really professional outfit. Wish I lived close enough to make it worth a trip... I do love a trip to Edinburgh mind you 😆 🍺🍻 Well I will keep trying to find something closer at a better price.

Sorry I forgot to ask John - Is that a an acid dip, repair and then powder coat?

Also here is a recent picture of the car, I think the darker alloys woulds suit it well but open to suggestions.

Thanks John that's helpful. I am going to keep looking. The Wheel Specialist is £360 if you take the 'silver' option but still seems pricey. Cardiff Alloy repair has prices from 'as low as £75' a wheel but I am sure for my car it will be closer to £90 a wheel. I am not adverse to travelling a reasonable distance (when I can) to get servicing and repairs like alloys completed to a good standard at a fairer price. Nice excuse for a longer drive in the Lexus 😀

I recently purchased my IS250 and I am having the same issue. The air is only coming out luke warm at maximum setting so interested in any ideas for a fix.