Lexus Nerd

Moved to IS250 forum.

The discussion on the LF-LC and the production model based on it - the LC 500 - continues here:

Complaints here on the ML system seem to fall into two categories: Sound quality and interface look and feel. I don't deny that the ML system lacks bass: Other posts on the forums note the change of sub between MY08 and MY09 IS 250s, and the loss of bass in the model. Subwoofer output hasn't improved since. But one should really try playing music from CD first, before complaining of sound quality from streaming audio. This is to isolate the problem between the playback device (Mark Levinson system) from the audio source itself. Spotify's free service from mobile samples music at just 30% of the sampling rate used for its paid service used on a desktop computer, and that would make a noticeable difference to sound quality. On user interface: I'd rather a smartphone-vendor-independent interface than to be wedded to either Apple CarPlay or Google Android Auto. To that end, Toyota has announced its use of the open source platform known as SmartDeviceLink, and will feature on all future models worldwide by 2019. What does this mean to the existing Lexus infotainment system and its Enform apps? My guess is that either very few enhancements will appear on the current platform, or that some enhancements will appear in order to justify charging for Enform after three years of free use. One final note: I don't mind Lexus' so-called Windows 3.1 look, feel and point-and-click interface (which would date back to the '90's, not the '80's). The alternative is to use the dial interface of the Germans, which really has its roots in the jog-and-shuttle interface on VCR's from the '80s. If it really was any good, we'd still see it on non-auto electronic devices today.

So, how does it help to me??????? LTuned, how much did you pay for it? Did you try and shop around for the best price (as I believe the dealerships' offered price for software updates, as with auto parts, can vary)?

The interface may not look pretty, but at least you can use it in traffic, and still keep your eyes on the road. Spotify has "tons of music and albums from ..." mostly rap artists. At least, every time I've tried using it (I really *want* to like it, but ...) Pandora's music is more varied (although you start hearing the same music on the same station, after about two hours).

After I upgraded Enform on my first Lexus, Enform requested my Pandora login ID and password before it allowed me to use Pandora. After I upgraded Enform on my second Lexus, however, Pandora started playing music without prompting me for a login ID and password. That means your Pandora login ID and password are not stored in your car's infotainment system, but either in the smartphone app or the Enform server in the Cloud. My guess is that it's the Enform server - just like recent and saved Destinations and Fuel Finder preferences. I suggest you contact the Enform Call Centre on 1300 729 950. They probably have a back-end interface to enter your Pandora login ID. Do be patient, though, as the person you're speaking with on the phone may not understand the problem, nor know how to fix it. They might get back to you within the next day.

Your Lexus dealer should have recorded the numeric key code (it's engraved on a metallic tag that comes with the keys when the car is first delivered). If you purchase replacement keys from your dealer, they can encode them using that number.

Try changing the driving speeds under the Advanced Navi. Settings. These should be set to the average speeds at which you usually drive (having regard to the traffic conditions you most often drive in, whilst using route guidance) on suburban streets, major roads and freeways.

Greetings from across the ditch, Steve. A good read ... Well done on the purchase.

Hi Steve, and welcome. It's the first time I've seen the MY11+ IS ML system compared to the Pioneer system but, certainly, there's been some dissatisfaction with the MY11+ ML systems when compared to the ones fitted in MY06-MY08 models. The problem seems to be with the single-core subwoofer fitted to later models. Here's links to just two of these discussions: http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/12532-sub-woofer-info-modding/ http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/12630-08-is250-ml-sub/

From the desktop browser, you'll see a button, "More Reply Options". After clicking it, you will see more features in your post editor, including a feature to "Attach Files". After choosing "Choose Files...", you can upload multiple files and then add them to your post. Example: (Note: If you don't see anything happening after clicking "Add to Post", try switching your editor to BBCode mode first, by clicking the power switch button on the button bar.) You can also create hyperlinks to images in an online photo album (e.g. Photobucket or flickr).

Welcome, Chris. Some of us, yes - although it depends what you mean by "long" :-) As a guide: - One of the recent visitors to our forums has been a member since 2004. - Out of the recent posters to our forums, the top 20 most prolific posters have been members of Lexus Owners Club AU for an average of around 4.5 years. If you assume that most people become a member of our Club just after owning their first Lexus, then you can certainly find a lot of experienced Lexus owners here.

Could not agree more - this is a Lexus we are talking about. When my dealer of my first Lexus encouraged me to buy an extended warranty, he said, "Sure, the engine is reliable, but consider it for the electricals." Five years later, my old IS 250 hasn't had any problems, but I have seen a number of cases on these forums where the EMV (navigation system unit) has died just after expiry of the original warranty. Perhaps my dealer was right ...

Anth and Zerone, There is actually a good run-down of the Australian model grades and their features on our very own forums: http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/10109-2is-model-review/ It's probably only missing details of the X Edition that re-appeared in 2012-13. I'm not aware of any extended warranty deals that were offered by Lexus Australia between 2010 and 2013, although it's possible that individual dealers may have offered something. If you do end up with an IS that's less than four years old, you still have the option to buy an extended warranty before the original four-year warranty runs out. Once getting such a car, do shop around the various dealers in your area for the best price for an extended warranty.

To change the alerts you hear, such as red light camera and school zone warnings, go to MENU -> Setup -> Navigation -> Detailed navi. settings -> Driver support information, then select/unselect the relevant items in the list.

Hi Michael, and welcome to the Club! I've moved your post to the NX forum, as it's a query rather than an introduction to yourself. Your Navigation System can be configured so that the sound of your favourite tunes on the radio won't be interrupted by the voice guidance, but not the other way around. All you can do is one of the following: 1. Turn up the voice guidance volume by going to MENU -> Setup -> Voice, and adjusting "Voice volume". 2. Turn down the radio. 3. Forget the voice guidance and pay more attention to the nav system display. Use the cursor-right button on the right-hand side of your steering wheel until the navigation system information appears on the multi-information display between your speedometer and tachometer; that may make the navigation instructions more noticeable while driving.

I wouldn't use the "range left" as the basis for any fuel consumption calculations. It is a usually a conservative estimate - what if your last 34 km was all uphill? In most cases, however, you should find that you can still drive for quite some time when the estimated range is 0 km (although it's not recommended).

Welcome to the Club! Is your IS 200 stock? If not, what mods do you have, and are you planning to make any mods?

A dirty engine would explain excessive fuel consumption, but it would explain a discrepancy between a trip computer reading and your own logs. There are some additional factors I didn't mention before: "The fuel consumption figure produced by an on-board trip computer is calculated from the distance travelled and the theoretical amount of fuel consumed by the engine (often based on the number and duration of fuel injection pulses). In theory, these consumption figures should be reasonably accurate, though in practice there are sometimes differences between these and the figures derived from on-road testing. This may be the result of variations in service station pump readings, odometer readings and filling errors ... or in the process used to calculate the trip computer figure. In view of this, these figures should be regarded as a reasonably close guide rather than a firm consumption figure." (Source: RACQ) In addition to my previous points: - Service station pump readings and "filling errors" such as "the consistency of fills" and the "ambient temperature and temperature of the fuel during filling" could be factors, but we can discount those issues in your case, because your discrepancies are consistent after six fills and you probably aren't always filling up on hot days. - If your engine is dirty, this would affect how much you throttle the engine in order to obtain the desired acceleration. This would, in turn, increase the number of fuel injection pulses. That would be reflected in your trip computer's fuel consumption reading. So a fuel injector clean could improve your fuel economy, but it won't affect the percentage of discrepancy. Sorry for being wordy again, but I wouldn't want you to spend $ on an engine clean, in the absence of any other factors that would warrant it.

Yes, for 2010 IS 250 F Sport, there should be 225/40R18 front wheels and 255/40R18 driving wheels. According to an online calculator for tyre sizes (http://tire-size-conversion.com/tyre-size-calculator/), if you are using the same tyres for the rear as you are for the front, then there are 804.3 revolutions per unit length (mile) when the IS 250 is only expecting 775.2. That means the distance travelled is overstated by the odometer, for a given true distance (and a given volume of fuel) by 3.8%. Thus, a reading of 9.5 L/100 km would be closer to 9.9 L/100 km in reality. That's not quite the difference of 1L/100 km you're trying to reconcile, but it does partially explain things. Another factor is if the level of error between the speedometer and the true speed. My IS reports 114 km/h when I'm actually doing 110, so there's an error of 3.6% there; and, according to Wikipedia, odometer errors are usually proportional to speedometer errors. So a reported fuel consumption of 9.5 L/100 km is actually 9.5 L x (1 + 3.8%) x (1 + 3.6%) = 10.2 L/100 km in reality. Add to the fact that distance readings can be off by up 3% when tyres are worn. Assuming your tyres are partially worn, let's say a difference of 1.5% from new tyres; so now, your true fuel consumption is 10.4 L/100 km when the trip computer says 9.5 L/100 km.

Two thoughts: 1. How is the app calculating the distance? By GPS? It could be a variance between the app's estimation of the distance travelled, and your odometer. This, in turn, could be caused if your tyre diameter is different to stock. Having said that, you would need to have installed smaller wheels - or have your tyres significantly under-inflated - in order for your IS 250 to understate the litres of fuel consumed per 100 km. 2. You say that your IS 250 reports between 9 and 10 litres per 100 km. Let's say 9.5, on average. 9.5 L/100 km = 10.53 km/L,which is between 10 and 11 kilometres per litre. Are you sure your app is reporting litres per 100 km, or kilometres per litre? They are two different methods of measuring fuel consumption.

It would be worth checking with Lexus. Most IS 250 owners who report cold start issues have an MY06-MY08 model, with known issues with the direct injection design. So the published solutions may not apply to you.

The behaviour is normal for a CT 200h. For any vehicle, you can accept that there is a certain amount of reserve fuel that won't be included in the "cruising range" calculation. Normally, it's a relatively small percentage of the fuel tank (e.g. for IS 350, 10 L/65 L tank = 15%, which would be reasonably close to the "E" line on the meter). But the CT only has a 45-litre tank. The following is taken from the CT Owners Manual (US edition): "When the vehicle has run out of fuel and the hybrid system cannot be started, refuel the vehicle with at least enough gasoline to make the low fuel level warning light go off. If there is only a small amount of fuel, the hybrid system may not be able to start. (The minimum amount of fuel to add to make the low fuel level warning light go out is about 3.1 gal. [11.8 L, 2.6 Imp.gal.], when the vehicle is on a level surface. This value may vary when the vehicle is on a slope. Add extra fuel when the vehicle is inclined.)" Now, 11.8 litres out of 45 litres is 26%. Hence, cruising range is said to be 0 when the tank is 1/4 full. Of course, 11.8 litres would normally get you well over 200 km on the highway in a CT. But I guess the reserve level is rather high, just in case there's a problem with the hybrid battery.