DBIZO

To confirm, the IS 300h does not produce a fake motor sound to warn pedestrians / cyclists. It is likely one of the quietest cars in EV mode, and one need to be mindful on this when rolling in EV around people (I live in a 20 with lots of pedestrians during the day). A kid once  turned around rather suddenly and almost rode into the car on a bike because he was oblivious to the cars presence only a few metres behind him. He was very surprised.

On 9/19/2024 at 9:18 AM, wharfhouse said:

I find it interesting why people want so many gadgets in cars. Of course it's a personal choice and everyone is free to spend their money as they want. But as an alternative view when I bought my IS 300h I looked at the various trim levels available and selected the Executive trim as having the features I felt I would use. The cost wasn't an issue as such as I was buying used and wanted a two to three year old car but the higher trim levels I couldn't see the value for me in many of the additional features. I hadn't planned on keeping the car as long as I have, but in hindsight I'm actually pleased I have less gadgets as there is less to go wrong as the car ages - especially given the cost of Lexus parts and repairs (even meaning the car could be written off for what is a minor issue due to the cost of parts / repair when some of the technology is involved). Everyone has different needs and desires so not trying to say there is right and wrong - I've spent enough on cars on the past myself - but it's something to bear in mind especially when buying older used cars. 

You're right, rationally speaking, but since when cars have got anything to do with reason? I made the same calculation going for an Advance, and ever since I've been checking the market from time to time for a Premier, but can never justify shelling out the money for those extras. How does it make sense to get premium audio in a car where you don't really pay attention to the music, there is lots of noise - but I want it. Bigger screen, to pretty much show the same information. Memory seats, even though I always just manually adjust what I feel works for the day. Radar cruise because it sounds cool except every time I try in a rented car it never works well, it's annoying as hell. I want the blind spot monitor, because why should I turn my head. It goes on. I want it all. We, humans, are hopeless.

I paid essentially the same for a similar mileage 2015 Advance in 2021. I'd have thought prices went down since, from a Lexus dealer. Granted, that was the bottom of the market.

If it's in good condition in an out, it could still be a good deal.

Also make sure you know what Advance trim means - it doesn't have driver assistance systems (no blind spot monitor, lane keep assist, radar cruise, auto high beam), no memory seats, no premium hi-fi audio, and not the car is not connected. Some of the features in the description look odd, like lane guidance and speed limit notification. I don't suppose a 2015 IS Advance do those.

Also, note that no IS has power operated boots, regardless of trim, simply not available...go figure.

If you expect any of that, you better look for Premier or highly configured F-Sports, but for the budget, those will be high mileage.

2 hours ago, zed007 said:

Wow thanks for the heads up but that car is sold. Are both of those items covered under Lexus warranty?

The servo is covered, AC leaks due to cracks are not. I had hole in my condenser, likely a stone piercing it at speed.

22 hours ago, zed007 said:

Appreciate everyone's input.

I had a test drive at Lexus few weeks ago and the drive was good. We didn't purchase that in the end as it was bright red.

I've missed a few on Autotrader around the £13k mark for a 2015-2016. Buying from Lexus dealer seems quite expensive, maybe another £2k.

I had my eyes on a 2016 premier mode that has done 113k mileage. Full Lexus service history and its up for £10,200. I've never purchased a car with that kind of mileage. Would that put off anyone or because it has full Lexus service history it would not be a problem?

 

It's probably 1k more than it should be given the mileage and the year (prices dropped quite a bit recently), but who knows, maybe it's in pristine condition, then it's a good get. But that mileage is a non-issue for reliability either way, if it has been looked after. Having said that, buyer beware, it's a car, you never know. Get the AC checked for pressure to see if there is leakage, also the heating servo unit is prone to die. Both are about £1k each to get replaced at a dealer. Also, unless the 12V Battery is new, replace it. You don't know how long it stood on a forecourt disused. 

20 hours ago, zed007 said:

Hey everyone,

I'm new to this forum and joined as I'm going to be joining the Lexus family 🙂

The main reason for choosing a Lexus is300h is the reliability and fuel economy. We would mainly use this for school runs and shopping. We were looking into BMW 320d but it doesn't make sense with the amount of miles we would do

I've been keeping an eye out for the last few weeks on an IS300h my budget is around £13k max.

Is there anything to look out for? I've enquired about a few of them and most of them had missing service history.

The last thing I want to do is be left with big bills.

I've seen another one at a garage and it has full lexus service history from 2018 to 2020 and no service record until 2023 serviced again at Lexus and then in 2024. This one includes the relax warranty as well.

Hope so can share some useful info. I've dragged this on for a few weeks and should have purchased one by now but I can be very indecisive, which doesn't help

 

Thanks

Have you tried out one at least, how it drives? It is a very different animal compared to a BMW or most cars because of the way it delivers power through the continuously geared transaxle. It feels a bit like electric cars. You can put it into 'manual', but it's just software mimicking and not a great one at that, it won't stick a gearing ratio, it slides.

Also, the engine is torque poor at low revs not simply because it's a breather but also because the timing is set to what's called Atkinson cycle for fuel economy - the electric motor is supposed to fill the gap but that only happens if the Battery is charged and warmed, there will be occasions when the car feels anaemic. The engine is otherwise plenty powerful for UK roads, once the engine is revving around 3,000 and the computer understands you mean business, it's also responsive to throttle input in normal and sports modes.

Also, as an ex-BMW driver, you should know the steering is comfortable but there is not a great deal of feel for the road. The suspension and the grip (with good rubber) is there, it's like going on rails, but you don't really feel where the car is. Also, the wheel gives off a notchy feel when in neutral straight position, which is documented but considered a non-issue.

The car build quality is excellent, but clearly cost cutting measures got to it. The car is really focussed on the front, and particularly the driver side, then it gets cheaper as you progress towards the back. The boot lid I think is a major let-down, the whole thing just feels cheap. There is no weight to it, the hinges are ugly, the latch is unconvincing. 

This is not to discourage you, I wouldn't really like to go back to discrete gearing or other makes. The car is a looker, much better looking than the 3-series, and as reliable as a car gets, top of the league. The inside of the car I also find much more pleasant than most cars in the class, particularly the leather seats. It's smooth, classy, and comfortable for long journeys too. If you use cruise control, it can easily do high 40s mpg (at the pump) when sticking to speed limits on a full tank.

On 6/5/2024 at 12:08 PM, Maxz said:

Finally cleared up after speaking to Lexus head office. Lexus Parts Direct are correct in their confirmation that a replacement 12v battery purchased from a Lexus Dearlership has a 12 month warranty only and there is an annual mileage stipulation. 

Your 12v battery only is under a 3year less than 25k mileage warranty, if it is the original factory fitted battery and is within these time and mileage terms (plus I assume you may also have to have done the minimum 6k miles per year, so at 1 year 6k on the clock, at least 12k at 2 years and 18k at 3 years if claiming for a fault).

As with most of these warranty scenarios, devil is in the detail.

Thanks, good to know. For a critical single-point of failure component that should last 4-5 years, a 12 month warranty is very poor indeed.

If you already have problems with starting up the hybrid, that's way overdue replacement, whatever the age. That's minimal power compared to cranking the engine.

Be mindful that these are not full-sized 12V car batteries, but smaller ones because, again, all it needs to do is power up the hybrid system, and it's the NiMH traction Battery that cranks the engine. Toyota/Lexus chose these to save space and weight. However, this means that the 12V holds less charge (45Ah vs. typical 60-70Ah) and may wear out faster (VRLA does not like deep discharge, for example, when sitting long), especially if your mileage is irregular/low.

Also, your 10 years in the Skoda, isn't that rather exceptional? VRLA technology tends to last 10 years only in ideal conditions, which means always fully charged, never too warm. A car rarely provides ideal conditions.

If your warranty is disputed ('computer says no'' situation), your best chance is always a letter to the dealer head office, appealing to an expectation of higher standards. Good luck!

Great colour, enjoy!

14 hours ago, Maxz said:

Many thanks for this, I defo have a problem. Attached reading after charging the car on trickle for a whole day.

 

It's likely you have a dead cell, and also your remaining cells are degraded or undercharged. In any case, it's a concern how long it will be able to boot your hybrid system up. Any chance it's low on charge? It takes longer drives (at least an hour or so) to meaningfully charge even a smaller lead-acid Battery after it's deeply discharged. In any case, I'd get it replaced, it's a relatively minor expense compared to the massive inconvenience and time you lose if your car doesn't start up.

Also, be mindful that while replacing a 12V Battery is something anyone could easily do following simple instructions, some people reported issues when it's not done by a professional, ideally a Toyota/Lexus garage. I think some people lost the amplifier.

On 5/31/2024 at 9:53 AM, Maxz said:

My is300h just started having the same or similar issue. The battery is less than 2 years old (bought June 2022 from Lexusparts Direct Swindon, only 12 month warranty). Parked for 4 days, when trying to start, got the Hybrid system won't start warning. Charged the battery and it now starts. However, when holding the Menu button and flicking the light switch from auto to side light 3 times, on the vehicle signal screen only 11v is shown and drops all the way to 10v, when just sat in accessory mode. When engine is running 13.7v is displayed. In accessory mode should the voltage really drop as low as 10v? If anyone else can share their readings in accessory mode would be interesting. I ran techstream and there are no DTC codes reported either. Can shorts be found using Techstream?

Reading 12.6V starting in accessory, dropped to 12.4V in a minute and then stays there for a while, now 12.3V. Battery is 3 years old, changed by mains dealer, don’t remember the make.

I’m planning on replacing at year 4 regardless of readings as I learned the hard way what it’s like to be stuck with a dead car - airport park lot, late night, cold and rain, 4 hour wait for roadside as I couldn’t charge it enough to boot the car up. 

On 3/3/2024 at 8:20 AM, xcdriver said:

Back at the end of January I had the misfortune to collide with a large roe deer on a country road in Dorset. The car was recovered the next day and taken to a body shop in Exeter. There was no damage to the bumper , grille, or lights, only the pop up hood had activated.

Just over a month later I have the car back, and when I picked it up I asked for a copy of the bill that my insurance company paid. The cost shocked me. I was expecting it to be in the £4 to £5k range after reading other posts on here, but it was way more than that at a total of £8304.30 with the VAT. The parts cost alone came to over £5k!

My car is a low mileage 2016 is300h Advance so the repair was authorised, but if it hasn't happened already I would expect an older high mileage example to be written off for this.

 

The pop-up mechanism with controls alone is probably £2k plus labour, yes. Plus you need a new hood. I narrowly avoided it to activate, but some cable come lose and the ECU reported error. The ECU alone is quoted at over a grand I think, but luckily, it was not an actual ECU incident just no signal. In car over 5 years, in an accident, the pop-up hood activation can easily push the car into write-off territory when added to the repairs. A feature that doesn't benefit you and is a joke when you have 2.5-tonne people mowers roaming the streets.

15 hours ago, Vatreni said:

Well my 300H has landed fresh off the boat, all good so far, but lots of options and config still needed.

Just something caught my eye in the manual that may not come up very often - tyre pressures

I do drive in the EU quite regularly, including the Autobahn. How would you interpret this table? Germany is a 50/50 mixture of driving around or above 160kph and around 100kph or less. 46psi sounds extraordinarily high.

Another associated query - I've seen a published top speed somewhere of 180kph. This seems low for the engine size, anyone know the real top speed (I will drive at 200kph for times on the Autobahn)?

ta

I'm surprised by the low-speed pressure, never seen such values for a road car. What I understand of the theory, is that at high speeds you can start with somewhat lower because of the heat-up in friction, but you want to maintain maximum contact for grip. Maybe these values are for the OEM tyre only that behaves differently? Also, at 46 psi the ride quality must be much harsher too. That's a long way of just tend to go for 36-38ish, particularly in winter, when heat is not an issue. 

These cars are limited not by power but gearing and rotation of some components, specifically one of the electric motors is protected from too high 'g' loads, so your car will just take the throttle off once you hit the electronic limiter. Yes, the engine would keep pulling, but the car controls won't let. The 'faster' transaxle Toyota/Lexus has is bigger, heavier, more expensive, and no one really needs to go that fast in a cruising saloon. The G-platforms transaxle is probably not even in production anymore, I don't know. The ES300h or IS300h are not gran turismos.

I drive on the Autobahn myself too, maxed out at 125 mph sometimes, but only for fun, and to keep up with my brother-in-law in a 911. I find 100-110 mph on the speedo is plenty even if the traffic is light and allows it. Above that, the cabin noise gets much higher, and fuel economy drops off by quite a lot, and the engine audibly is not enjoying itself that much. It likes a 3.5-4.5k rpm pull, it sound pleasant, above that it's comes across a bit of a struggle for the relatively low torque and the cont. variable gearing not giving the 'lock-in' of gearing but sliding back first before increasing gearing again. Just my experience of an IS300h. I know the feeling of wanting to go faster, but there is a difference between want and need.

1 hour ago, Tonyw said:

I agree on the depreciation hit

but it has surprised me this time how big (for a Lexus)

as mentioned I bought a new ES in Dec 21 (1st of the touchscreen models) for £34k with £24k on the PCP after deals, done 5k miles went back to the dealership after 18 months and they gave me £30k, paying off the PCP and leaving £6k as deposit on my current car.

skip forward to now, I paid £35k this time with £25k on the PCP after my initial period. I have done 2700 miles and it is 7 months old. But they are telling me it is worth less than my PCP balance.

how can I go from only loosing £4K over 18 months to this time loosing potentially up to £12k over 7 months

A car with £40k list price, ok it’s is normally nearer £35/36 with discounts has lost 33% in 7 months

It's not the car, it's the market. In '21 and '22 the market was very tight, interest on carrying forecourt inventory was lower, and supply chain inflation was high due to component shortages. Now the supply-demand balance shifted back to oversupply, interest is high which reduces second-hand demand and increases the cost of keeping the cars for dealers means that they are forced to offload more cars by reducing the price. This is what hits you now, but the comparison to your previous is made more difficult by an unusually low depreciation due to market tightness. 

14 minutes ago, PaulWhitt20 said:

I got exactly the same service from Stoke when I bought my ex demo IS300h 8 years ago.
when I queried them they said I didn’t ask 

Never been back to them. ☹️

I think you  got it right. If it's not full, you can be glad it was a cheap and quick way to find out it's better you don't go back.

48 minutes ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

Hey sorry i had not seen this. Kaizer is a mechanics garage but If you're in Kent (I see it isnt the case), for bodywork stuff these guys are really good MX Bodyworx https://www.mhbodyworx.co.uk/

Thanks, it's good to have options. I don't have a quote from a Toyota-approved bodyshop yet, so in case they are cost-prohibitive, chances are I'll try your recommendation. The car is driveable. 

Many thanks, will look into them.

Hi everyone,

This is first for me, never had any major damage to a car. I'm looking at an out-of-pocket repair to my IS300h. It's much more substantial than a 'small area repair' job some garage seem to be taking on. The front end of the car had an impact that broke panels, the headlight cover, foglight, and deformed the front left corner, including the wheel arch. I'm told no structural damage, no damage to the suspension, wheels, but it is certainly to be over £5000 I'm told. 

I'm seeking a reliable bodyshop that people here used with satisfaction or heard good things about. The car is in Portsmouth but it is driveable now, can take it within reason to a bodyshop a few hours away, if I can make it back home on a train. I want original parts of course. 

There is also Snows in Southampton but I first wanted to ask around. I prefer not to use them if I can help it, and I suspect the quote there would be substantially higher still, probably making the repair cost prohibitive, it's probably not worth £10k now.

Thank you for all the help.

On 5/12/2023 at 11:16 AM, Mr_Groundhog said:

Often dealerships simply do not deal with bodywork facilities. They rely on other specialised garages for it.
If anyone is in Kent/Medway, I know an excellent bodywork garage where they do things really well.

Hello Mr - would you be so kind to drop me the name of that garage. I am looking at a substantial repair to the front left of the car, and the last thing I want is a headache from a poor job. Is it Kaizer Motor you mentioned in another thread? Thank you!

On 5/4/2022 at 5:27 PM, Overland said:

If you remember, I asked for some information on nanotechnology treatment, for my RC300H.

At the end of October I had the treatment done and I would like to report my personal feedback.

First of all it must be said that I did not have the treatment done by a detailer, but at a body shop that was, for 20 years, first a historic Lexus dealer and then after the parent company refurbished the sales network, merging Lexus with Toyota (and in Italy this created enormous inconvenience to the "Lexus customers of the old guard") excluding those who did not adhere to "a new showroom design", they continued only as bodywork.

That said, I trust them because since the first Lexus IS200 that they bought from them they have proven to be high-level professionals and knowledge for Lexus paint, in fact they have developed a nano treatment area within their facility.

The product used is NASIOL ZX53, a product that according to many would be of medium/low level which however really satisfied me, in fact compared to other cars with much more "known" treatments, the yield on my car is incredible and, in my humble opinion really better.

Of course the treatment was preceded by decontamination and polishing.

After 6 months I can say that this treatment is essential for the protection of the car and I regret not having done it before, thinking about how many cars I have ruined by washing them in an inappropriate way and, above all, not having protected them.

Not only did I find a kind of "self-cleaning" effect, the dirt doesn't even get to the surface, but the sheen and brilliance of the color is exceptional.
In the evening, a classic Sonic Titanium color effect (which changes tone depending on the light), is highlighted incredibly.

There is a very evident "drop" effect, when it rains: the car simply dries up while driving, the effect is truly spectacular.

I made it everywhere, in every single detail of the car, except the frontal windshield: here I use just a SOFT99 cleaner that add protection.

I notice that bird and insect droppings can be removed immediately only with a jet of water, avoiding that, remaining for a few hours on the surface of the bodywork, they cause damage on the transparent.

As for my maintenance routine, the car has never been washed with automatic washes, I perform a pre-wash at commercial washes with only the pressure washer and a specific product from the company Labocosmetica, and then at home I proceed with a wash " rinseless ", completely by hand and then I pass a specific quick detailer to protect and enhance the "sheen".

Personally, I really recommend making this investment, which in my humble opinion extends the life of the car, improve the washing process and make the car more beautiful.

I add some picture shoot in my garage with artificial light, outside in the night and in the morning during a rainy day.

Hope it helps and thanks for your attention.

Bit late to this party, but in case this reaches you: how much did this treatment cost? Truly impressive results.

15 hours ago, IS300FSPORT said:

 

Although it looks faster than it is in a car park!  Honestly speaking,I also believe performance wise it is underrated, happily keeps pace & is capable of shaking off the typical equivalent German rivals who try to sit on your rear bumper.

I used to wish the car had more torque for high-speed hill climbs or acceleration on European motorways. But more recently I came to the conclusion that I don't need a faster car, but rather I need to first learn to drive properly — after 20+ years on the roads. I prefer the 300h acting domesticated even if you push. I tried a 911 Carrera4S and it was scary, violent. Frankly, modern cars have stupid amounts of performance. It would make sense to demand extra training and license for cars above a certain performance level.

2015 IS300h at 112k miles / 180k km

Heating servo unit failed at around 90k, but then the failure disappeared. Would cost £1,000 to repair at mains dealer. It's covered under their warranty plan, but according to them I voided my claim on it as I didn't bring the car in soon enough.

At the 100k service, report says AC leakage, cost would be around £900, at this point it's optional, the AC still performs.

Nothing else. Original break pads, although I tend to minimize their use, try to take a lot energy out by a combination of regeneration and, at higher speeds, engine breaking. 

If anyone is considering using Lexus Motor Insurance, and you are planning on driving to the EU, make sure you either ask for a quote with an extended EU cover or simply just look for one where it is standard to have a 30-day plus third-party cover. 

I'm in the process or a rude awakening because it never occurred to me after having read government and independent guidance on motor insurance that it is possible to not have EU third-party cover when you take out insurance in the UK, particularly when it's comprehensive. After all the UK was in the EU up until 2021, which means all insurance up to that point had to have compulsory third-party cover valid across the EU as standard. Which must mean they removed it.

Lexus Motor Insurance told me today I don't have any cover in the EU, because I spent more than 3 days (three), which makes me liable to damage I caused. I will financially survive, but that's about it.

Maybe it's obvious to most of you, but it never to me that a 3-day limitation can possibly apply to third-party cover. In fact, I find it shocking. I genuinely thought, even after having read documents, that there is third-party cover in the EU. Better still, turns out, I was driving illegally. The joke is on me.

A quick review of the matter also indicates other insurers offer 30, some even 90-day third-party cover as standard of their policy schedule, at no discernible extra cost against the quote. Admiral offers 90 days as standard except for their "Essential" policy. 

Looks like Lexus Motor Insurance does not only offer substandard customer service but also a substandard product.

This experience, together another one when I got rejected on a heating servo repair that was originally covered under my extended warranty plan because I didn't bring the car in when they wanted, makes me leave Lexus-branded services behind. Even if I get the car repaired (probably £5000 for a car that's worth less than £10k) and keep it, I don't think I will use any Lexus UK services in the future. What they are selling I now realise is a pretence of premium and a false sense of peace of mind that people believe because the cars are impeccably built - in Japan.

I don't see legal recourse for me, but filing complaints with both LMI and Lexus UK about these matters. A response will surely not be too big an ask after having spent several thousand pounds on their insurance and service plans.

Is this premium navi? I don't recognize these versions, I've got standard. 

I think an actual software update for the operating system is a dealer service thing. Unsure how to check what's their latest firmware, carmakers are rubbish at IT and Lexus is no exception. Best first thing you can do is register yourself and see what you can find: In-Car Multimedia and Navigation Systems | Lexus UK

With standard navigation, there is sod all you can do here....will never my life understand these backward carmaker policies...

17 minutes ago, rayaans said:

You guys really need to try turning the Lexus Link off entirely and seeing how it goes - its very likely its causing drain and its a well known cause of the drain too (as are all car connective apps). 

My UX300e was draining batteries out within a week until the connected services were turned off. Hasnt missed a beat since.

There you go, makes perfect sense, and an example of how making things more complex undermines core reliability / availability. I even turned off keyless entry in part for this reason, but also for the added security against theft, although the car now hitting 8 years, I don't think it's in demand by thieves.