Does anyone have an idea of how much insurance will cost for a group 50 car? Just a rough idea?

My IS250 has now clocked over 100k and to the best of my knowledge it hasn't had its coolant changed, I'm sure I've read somewhere that it should be done at 120k or 5 years whichever is the sooner. Can anyone help?

Thanks

FB

My IS250 has rain sensitive wipers and I am struggling with them. There is an adjustment on the wiper column with five settings, are these supposed to be the sensitivity (which I presume means the density of rain landing on the sensor)? Which setting is least sensitive?

Well after just over 4 years of ownership of my 2010 IS250 and with a 100k now on thee clock I thought I've done a back of a fag packet calculation on what it costs to run a car for a year quite sobering really but interesting that the depreciation is more than the cost of fuel for a year but then not suprising. I feel sorry for the previous owner who lost over £13k in two and a half years ownership when buying new.

So here are my figures based on 10,000 miles driving per year;

Lexus costs

Purchase price = £13500

Value now after 4 years & an additional 42k with 100k on the clock  =£6350

Car tax = £280/yr

MOT = £40/yr

Service/parts = £150/yr

Insurance = £240/yr

Fuel based on 10k/yr @ 33mpg paying 1.17/litre = £1612

Depreciation = £1750/yr

Total annual cost  = £4072/yr or 40p/mile

Ive owned my 07 IS250 for about 4 months. After owning an 02 IS200 for just over 4 years. 

After a bit of googling and searching on here to try to get the traction control off properly using the pedal dance and other methods I gave up because nothing seemed to work. But last night I managed to figure it out. 

With one foot on the brake pedal hold down the traction button and at the same time toggle the switch to the right of it between snow and pwr a few times and it will disable the traction control and stability control systems until the ignition is cycled or the traction button is pressed again. 

Hope this helps. 

Be carfull with the traction control off, I was surprised how easy it was to light the tyres up with minimal effort. 😶

Someone hit my car and there are scratches on the fender. I can see the primer... 

Can it be fixed without a complete spray?

Looks like a 300 or 450 just coming off a aroundabout.

Looks like a 300 or 450 just coming off a aroundabout.

Just received letter this morning from lexus regarding airbag recall. Any1  else received letter??????? Attached copy of letter

After agooo few years away I have finally come to a point in my life where I need another Lex, my daily commute is 120 miles round trip which has admirably been knocked out by my vectra, now just hitting 218k miles, it's been a trusty car, spent nothing on it in 5 years bar tyres, brakes and a set of swirl flaps! And to be honest it's very rarely let me down, mostly user error, running out of fuel etc.

So anyway I'm going to check out a 56 Is250 SEL tommorow it'd got 80k on it and is up for £5995, I've had a look on autotrader and it looks kind of top whack price wise, it looks in good condition anyway my question really is this reasonable, I've not looked at a Lexus in so long I'm a bit out of the loop.

I'm not doing the commute in the New car will keep the vectra until hopefully in the next few months I change jobs and will go to work on the train instead.

I've read the what to look for guide,some great advice there, I can't wait to fond my a new one, I miss my trusty 200 even now!

Nick 

Has anyone noticed that lexus is250 steering is too hard to turn when compared to any other car? 

Hi all,

I have the VSC check light on.

My is IS220d. I have been driving with this light on for 2 years now. The car did so far 130K on the clock. I have no loss of power whatsoever. I do a trip Swindon-Cambridge twice a week every week. I can easily do 44 MPG at 70+ mph on sixth gear. So Power wise no problem there.

But this light is getting on my nerve now.

I took it to Lexus dealer and they claimed that cat converter has gone and wanted £2500 to fix even though I told them what I said above.

Any ideas how to fix this? or what else can be causing this light to come on?

O2 sensor replacement

Check VSC / traction / warning and engine lights came on recently. It started as an intermittent fault, they would light up on the way to work and go off on way home - it happened for 3 days until the lights came on permanently.

I had no choice to drive it - I bought an ODBII reader and it reported back on Bank 1 Sensor 1 failure.

I ordered two new sensors - Denso 234-9051 from the USA and they came this morning

I am replacing both sensor 1's (Bank 1 and 2) Drivers and Passenger side as it makes sense as they have been in the car for the same length of time and while I am doing one I will do the other. Bank 1, Sensor 1 is on the drivers side / Bank 1, Sensor 1 is on the passenger side. Both are accessible from the engine bay.

I replaced Bank 1, Sensor 1 tonight as this was the one reporting a failure. It took 15 mins (if that). Firstly I removed the drivers side engine cover

Next, to get to the sensor easier, loosen and remove the fuse box shown in the picture below using a 10mm socket

Do not remove from the car - just loosen - there is one 10mm bolt and one 10mm nut to take out - lift the fuse box out of the way as per the picture below

You can now see the sensor and its also easier to remove.

To remove, I used a 22mm 7/8 socket - open ended sensor socket - place this (or whatever you are using) over the sensor nut and loosen only - you may need some WD40 and a SMALL tap on the socket from a hammer to encourage it to move at first - don't take it off at this point

First remove the sensor wire socket from the cars connecting plug - you will see from the new sensor you would have bought before doing this that there is a small securing lug on one side of the plug.

Picture below is of the sensor plug still attached to the cars socket - a bit obscured

To remove this you need to press down on a tab to the rear of the plug on the car which can be found on the side of the plug facing the bulkhead. While pressing on the tab gently pull the wire and the plug will come out of the socket. In taking the fuse box out of the way there is enough room to get both your hands into the sensor area. Once this is off I secured the wire with a bit of tape to an upper hose so I would not lose it into the depths of the car if I dropped it when the socket come off - I think it would drop through the bottom of the car but just in case it didn't I secured the wire. Next, remove the sensor itself. Doing it this way it will not twist the wire up as there are quite a few turns required to remove the sensor.

With the sensor removed - (dead one shown below)

Replace with the new one. Place the anti sieze compound on the threads of the new one before inserting it into its location. Put the sensor in first and then once secured fully, plug it into the cars socket.

Replace the fuse box and engine cover.

Job Done - re-connect the battery and you should have no more nasty lights on the dash. Reset the windows once you are happy with the job.

I checked the error had gone by re-scanning the car with the ODB reader again.

Noticeable differences. There are obviously a few - quieter running / revs are way down / too early to report on fuel consumption / car is now not lumpy when idling.

Next job would be to do Bank 2, Sensor 1 - that's a weekend job as its getting a bit dark now.

Pictures below of before and after on engine report

Before

After

Been doing a bit of digging to find the relevant info on the air/fuel (A/F) and oxygen (O2) sensors fitted to our vehicles. Essentially, on the is250, there are four to be considered. There are 2 Upstream sensors (Bank 1 Sensor 1 and Bank 2 Sensor 1) and 2 Downstream sensors located after the cats (Bank 1 Sensor 2 and Bank 2 Sensor 2). The engine is a V6 configuration ( sorry to say the proverbial, but needs must) so we have two Banks of three cylinders. Viewed from the front of the car the bank on the left is Bank 1 and the bank on the right is Bank 2.

Found this to help clarify if anybody not sure.

See below at A  ... sorry, all went out whack when I uploaded it all!!

The A/F sensors are good, generally speaking, for 80,000 mls or so. Lexus recommend changing between 80 and 100,000 (but they may last longer). The oxygen sensors are very important because they monitor the air/fuel ratios and exhaust of the engine, so if they fail more pollutants can be released into the atmosphere. This can also cause the engine to run into serious problems including a compromised catalytic converter. You may feel erratic acceleration, notice a bit more smoke from the exhaust, smell a petrol odour, notice your mpg start dropping and if one fails completely you'll get light up on the dash with Check VSC warning. Then you'll need to get the codes read to pinpoint the problematic one (assuming it is indeed a O2 sensor).

Here is another bit of info i found which is a TSB from Lexus. This is handy as it relates to all of the Lexus vehicles. This clarifies further the individual sensor locations.

See below at B

I'm just about to do my 2 Upstream sensors (precautionary move .... as I've noticed a tad more smoke and slight smell of fuel, plus I'm on 74,000 mls) as Lexus will want around £650 to fit them and they are not that tricky to do your self. Newbie has done 2 splendid guides on how to do with excellent photos. Denso are not the most helpful to the UK market but the sensors can be sourced from Rockauto in the USA at much cheaper prices. Import Tax is a grey area ... sometimes you get away with it and sometimes not!! Currently, the sensors are £70-90 from Rockauto (may improve, who knows, the Dollar rate is not brill at the mo ... but heck they're still a darned site cheaper!) or anywhere around £240 each in the UK.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/lexus

Incidentally, while I'm doing these jobs I shall change the PCV valve too (easy to do while doing Bank 2 Sensor 1, having made the space to get at it!!). Again, got that at same time from Rockauto for £5.40 where Lexus want £26. The PCV valve being gummed up can lead to a bit more exhaust smoke.

Out of interest here are Newbie's guides relate to his 2007 model.

Newbies guide for Bank 2 Sensor 1 is within the above post. This is the best place to look as all the photos are present. Unfortunately much has gone awry in the "How To" section after the last forum update .... most pictures have vanished.

If i discover any differences on a 2010 model I'll put up a walk thru with pics. The only thing I've found thus far is that the sensors have a different reference number. Maybe some modifications were made to the facelift version.

The Bank 1 Sensor 2 and Bank 2 Sensor 2 units are tricky'ish to do as they are essentially under the floor and will require lifting of carpets and moving of seats to get at as they the looms pass through the floor of the car via a weather proof grommet to connect into the exhaust pipes.

I hope that info is of use to some of you.

Happy New Year to all and here's hoping 2017 will be a good one for all.

Right, need a cuppa now!! 

A

B

A quick list of what to look out for .... don't let this put you off ... all the faults I can remember are listed below (some are common sense), maybe there are a few more that owners can add

Seized rear calipers - cost around £300 each - Easiest way to check is to take the car on a test run and then when parked back up again feel the heat on each alloy - should be warm and not excessively hot. No squealing. Also, if discs are still rusted looking after driving then there's a problem. Obviously pulling to the side is noticeable

Brake pad shims - some members reported missing brake shims from the rear calliper - probably from when pads were replaced and the garage or dealer forgot to put them back on. Its not something you can easily check on a test drive but if missing they are very hard to source except from a scrap dealer if they will sell them at all separate.

Seized front calipers - as with the rears, around £300 each. Both front and backs can be freed if not too far gone, re-greased and put back together again but once seized they may need looking after more than ones not having been seized in the past as pitting and ill fitting rubber seals may be an issue. Why does this happen ... last owner not looking after the car or using the wrong type of grease in that it attacks the rubber boots letting dirt and water into the caliper moving parts. If it was looked after by the dealer then new calipers would have been fitted if seized. Greasing is not a part of the service schedule from Lexus so be aware. You may not experience any warnings that they are seized. Its the most common fault on these cars so get an assurance from the seller to replace if found to be seized or have him check them first. To be honest If it was me i would also check them myself when I got home with a new car just to be sure. Easy DIY job to both replace and maintain (grease) I do mine every 6 months but a lot of owners do it every year.

Black oil - A sign the cars not been looked after - the oil should not be black. It will go dark in colour but not black. Again, an easy DIY job - I use Magnatec and an oil change, including the filter will cost you around £60. Takes a bit over 6 litres.

Oil filter cap seized - If you can, ask the dealer or garage to ensure the cap housing thr filter will move. A lot of garages, including dealers put these on far too tight and some owners have experienced cracked housings while trying to remove the caps to change the filter. An easy DIY job

White crust around front water pump area - an indication the water pump is on its way out - costs around £200 for a new one (inclusive of fitting)

Exhaust shot - Black soot around the welded joints - check the centre section around the middle resonator as this is a problem area. Get this checked out at an exhaust centre. Pay for the inspection as you wont get a lot of change back from 3k for the replacement parts (back box and centre) if it has gone or is on its last legs - the pattern parts have not been released to 3rd party manufacturers so the replacement parts are only available from Lexus unless you are going bespoke and going for a stainless one - a Cat back system will cost around £500

Tyres rotated wrong way - Ask why have they done this? un-even tyre wear so look around the shocks / springs to see if theres any issues - maybe nothing

Leaking shocks - Expensive replacements but not a real issue - some owners have reported replacing them and hard to find

Wheel locking nuts seized - Put on with a tyre dealer air hammer. Will come off with specialised tools and a lot of patience - I think this is common cause on all cars - happened on 3 in our household over the years. Check this out before buying if possible.

Wheel security locking nut missing - check this is available when buying the car. Without it you wont be able to take the tyres off easily or replace if you get a puncture

Tow hook missing - only handy when you need it so check its there - located in the boot of the car

Spare tyre - it houses a space saver wheel - make sure its inflated. If it looks like its been used then take out and inspect to make sure its inflated.

DVD sat nav extraction tool missing - only handy when you come to update the sat nav DVD - the tools for this should be in the black tool kit in the boot of the car

CD/DVD head unit fully working - take an original CD / a DVD and an MP3 disc with you and test each one out - they should all work without messing with the settings. (you will need to select each disc to play and it should)

Noise from front speaker cover - a cracking noise from the speaker cover on the front centre dash board - not experienced this myself but its apparently quite noisy. Also a rattle has been reported, again not widespread.

Noise from driver door area - don't know If this is a common area. I originally thought it was the door seal but narrowed it down to the handle above the door rattling slightly - I oiled the hinge and the noise disappeared

Coolant level low - check the heating is hot when on. Check for a "gurgling" noise which will indicate the cooling is low - if its low then there could be an issue with a leak or possible indication the pump is on its way out

Front headlights - will become "cloudy" over time - no more than any other car and can easily be restored with a bit of elbow grease

Corroded wheels - a common issue with the Toyota wheels - bad ones will eventually lose air and deflate due to the corrosion not creating a good seal.

Uneven wear on tyres - indication there's something a miss with the alignment / shocks - to be honest this is not reported as a problem on the cars. Maybe more so from owners using non OEM wheels

Cams are chain driven - no worries there but they can stretch (very extreme though)

Rear blind working - read a few posts on here that its stopped working or stuck in the up position - check its operation

Front discs - They are heavy on discs and front pads. Check the wear on the discs on the front - not expensive to replace and an easy DIY job

Lights not bright and flickering - an indication that the bulbs are on their way out - check both are the same colour. If not, one has been replaced and other will need to be done at some point. Check all front lights as they are quite fiddly in replacing the bulbs

Aircon works - should be cold - if not then check coolant level, if ok the system either has a leak or may need re-gassing

Squeeky steering adjustment - has been reported by a few members. Mine squeeks in hot weather when automatically adjusting. Not all the time and has not caused any issues.

Mirrors dip when in reverse - the mirrors should dip towards the road when in reverse, a feature on the cars to ensure easy viewing of where you are going. If they don't then its most likely they will just need to be cleaned internally. Again an easy DIY job.

Parking sensors - with the engine running have someone walk within a foot of the sensors at the front and the rear of the car - it should start beeping when the person walks past them. Not seen any issues with this reported by the owners.

O2 sensors - PreCat (within engine bay) will go around 70 to 80k easy DIY job - cost around £180 for OEM Denso ones - don't use 3rd party ones as they will not last

Rear brake shoes - Cant easily be checked on a test drive - changed mine at around 90k last year and they still had a bit of meat on them, probably on the car from new so more than likely will need changing or inspection at least. Easy DIY job

Main engine plastic cover - centre engine cover can become loose from removing and re-applying it. there is a push button tab that breaks off and it can in some instances be heard rattling over lumpy roads. Mine has broke - not a real issue as the radio at low volume masks any rattle. I expect some strong glue would fix this.

Engine idle - make sure its constant at tick over when cold (quite high) and when hot (around 700revs) - if erratic it could indicate a carbon build up - not an issue with an application with cleaning liquids

Valve Rattle - VVTI may rattle from time to time - the oil will drain in some cases from the resoviour for the valves after standing for a bit and as a consequence there is a rattle noise (similar to a dull machine gun noise) but will disappear in a second or so. Happenned on mine a few times when I first had it. but not come back for a couple of years now. Regular oil changes and I do an engine flush each oil change and in my opinion it has helped a lot.

Exhaust smoke - no smoke from these - only condensate when in cold weather which is normal for most cars

Cabin carpets - check the drivers side has clips anchoring the carpet down (if it has one) if it doesn't then the carpet can creep under the pedals

Boot - Its a fair size boot but the opening does not give good access to large items - ideally it could have done with split seats but its not that kind of car I guess.

Audio - Make sure the spec includes a Mark Levinson branded head unit which is the better of the head unit specs on these models.(indicated on the front of the stereo on the bottom right of the unit)

Rear seat room - its a bit cramped in the back with passengers on the seats - leg room is dismal, maybe that's why I have never sat in the back when its been driven. Wife wont drive it due to the size of the car which I don't mind at all.

Reliability - looked after its bullet proof, best make of car I have owned. Running costs are petrol only. Put in the time to do the services (oil, filters etc) and it will serve you well.

Parts availability - Had my 250 for 3 years and an IS200 for 2 prior to that - the only time I was unable to get a part was the exhaust for the 250 - I could get one from the dealer but at nearly 3k I thought no way and went down another route. Parts are available from Eurocarparts / ebay / online easily enough and are not expensive.

Speed - People forget these are not sports cars - they are quick in manual mode and can keep up with the best of them but are not made for that purpose. Its nice owning one for the individuality of having something different from whats sitting on the neighbours drive or in the works car park. I only know of an IS200 Alteeza and a IS220 local to myself so its my bit of exclusivity. Don't care how old it is, its still better than a new model medium city car.

Mileage - mines on 93k - no issue and having has a high miler is200 and this one then I would consider another high miler but with the knowledge of what to look for. I don't think there would be any problems if you are careful in what you are looking at - gut instinct in a lot of cases. I guess there will be very few low milers available now on these cars now but you may be lucky in finding one.

Keys - Ensure it has a minimum of 2 keys and they both work  - if not then its definitely a bargaining chip to use as a replacement one will cost you around £350 and a trip to Lexus.

Corroding windscreen wiper arms - these seem to bubble quite a bit under the paint on the main body of the wiper arm. No issue but it will break through the paint at somepoint.

Check front windshield, if non-genuine check if wipers defrosters and auto sensing wipers works OK. As well windshields mouldings sometimes gets gets loose (broken clips) - about £80 to get new mouldings. (Courtesy of Linas.P)

Main ground cable - In wet climate it was reported that main ground cable sometimes gets corroded and it is very hard to troubleshoot it.(Courtesy of Linas.P)

Squeaky seats reported for the manual option (Courtesy of Vintagesixtysix)

DMF issues (Dual Mass Flywheel) for the manual drive option (Courtesy of Vintagesixtysix)

Paint - the paint is soft on these cars so are prone to scratching easier than other makes if not careful

Cat failure - there has been a couple of reports of the cats failing on these cars but only a few have been reported at relative low mileage for the car (around 80 / 90k miles) not common though. There are 2 cats on these.

Service milestones - consider cars around 60k miles require a spark plug change - or so Lexus recommends although they are good for 100k. This is an expensive job at around £600. Not done mine yet, planning on doing them at 100k. I would state at 100k then you will need to get your hands dirty and give the car a good going over, fluids etc just for peace of mind. Lexus service interval report does not state any excessive requirements, mostly checks to be made.

Recalls - that I am aware of: cabin carpet mat required securing / airbags / fuel sensor washer. there may be more but these are the ones I know of.

Spec - I would personally recommend the top spec SE-L Auto box at 2007 / 2008 as I believe when the face lift came along then the models lost a few features that were on the older models. A sunroof would be brilliant but like gold dust at this spec.

Quite a bit of points above - don't let this put you off at all - the exhaust nearly saw me pack the car in when mine went but I went down the stainless route so alls not lost. Best to go into a sale knowing all the points to look at before making your mind up. Best car I have ever owned.

One last point, if you have an ODB error code reader then take along and scan the ecu for any stored fault codes unless the dealer has cleared it down

I've got a 1 litre bottle of the CASTROL MAGNATEC 5W30 and need to topup my engine oil, but it seems that castrol have the same product in different variations, A1, A5 etc. and i seem to have the A1, the difference with these variations seem that the bottle has the approved manufactures name on it. The one I have says approved for Ford. Just wondering if i should use this on my car? it still is a 5W30 after all and fully synthetic.

Just wondering why they have different variations for different manufacturers. Do they have different stuff in it? or just packaging?

Was driving carefully in the rain yesterday through Manchester. Stopped at the traffic lights, to right filter in two lanes turning right. As I pulled out and turned right the back end broke away and spun violently thru 270 degrees. I managed to catch it and bring it back in. Luckily traffic in the other lane was light and managed to avoid us. Now I had the family in the car and the weather was dreadful so was being as careful as possible.

No idea why the back stepped out so hard and fast as I didn't see any trace of oil on the road. I'm always more careful as well in rearwheel drive cars. The traction control was beeping frantically but could do nothing. I have had the back twitch a couple of times over the past year, but usually when exiting a wet roundabout. However never at such a low speed.

I've currently got the tyres on about 38-40psi as I'm more motorway driving and it seems to sharpen the steering up a bit, but I'm wondering if it might be worth dropping the rears a couple of psi? I have the standard 225/45/17 on the front and 245/45/17 on the rear.

The only other thought is that I still have the tyres on that came on the car when I bought it. Evergreen EU72 tyres. I've just done 8k on them in the last 6 months and they were OK but I wouldn't say they inspire confidence. So I'm now looking at getting a new set of Avons all round.

Has anyone had anything similar happen and any thoughts on what might be the cause? Overinflation, rubbish tyres?

Any of you guys use halfords to have your lexus serviced?

My next service will be a major at 30k. I've looked at the prices and a major service at halfords is nearly half the price that lexus will charge. Do halfords service the car to the exact same standards as lexus?  No doubt lexus know these cars inside out and know what to look for. The guys at halfords have probably never even worked on a lexus before.

Also there is a halfords service centre in my home town of hereford. If I go to lexus I have a long drive to either bristol, Wolverhampton or Birmingham. 

Hey Guys, (and Gals)

I'm in love with my IS250, and have had a bit of a disappointment this past Saturday.

AC Compressor is frozen. if I try to turn it on when stationary the car stalls, if I try to turn it on when driving at speed, I Can hear the belt slipping on what I think is the compressor pulley. I'm gutted :( 

Anyway, looking for suggestions from fellow IS250 owners. from what I've read, I'm probably going to need a compressor, a system flush, and a condenser/drier/evaporatior?

@Linas.P  I read your thread where you replaced your compressor, did you replace the condenser/drier/evaporator? has it been OK?

Mine was working fine, up until it died... :(

Worst case scenario I think it will be very close to a grand to get it fixed :(

cheers