Lexus Nerd

No, it wasn't; but we should let the owner own up him/herself.

Nice work Ultrasonic. I was wayyy out.

Hi fastegg, a) I take it your tank was full when you left Gosford. When you refill your car, do you stop at the first click, or fill it till it is nearly overflowing? b ) When you refilled the day you travelled back from Port Macquarie to Gosford, how many litres did you have to pay for? Eighty-five litres? 80? c) The fuel consumption readout: Is it the type that you initialise at the beginning of the trip, and it slowly changes the farther you travel? Or is it an instantaneous reading, so that it shoots up when you stop the car, or drops down dramatically when you're going downhill and your foot's off the accelerator?

Yes, I asked myself that question too. None of the 2005 Lexus Australia press releases mention VDIM as a feature in any of the models. Not that that definitively means VDIM wasn't available, but you'd think they'd mention VDIM if it was indeed available on one of the models. In the US, VDIM initially appeared only on the IS 350. But that's all academic. I hope dinesh can get a badge for cheap.

You mean PCS Danny? Yeah, I'd be worried by that quotation, too. http://is.sewellparts.com/oem-catalog/7501751548-Body-IS250-2006.html This US parts site shows that there's only two badge variants available for the 2006 model: a basic one, and one for PRECRASH SYSTEM-WITH(MILLI-WAVE RADAR TYPE). In case one suspects that the Sports Luxury shipped to Australia might have been somewhat different - this quote from an NRMA review of the 2006 Sports Luxury states otherwise: Radar cruise control, pre safe crash preparation and swivelling, bi xenon headlights are also fitted to the Sports Luxury variant. So check using the VIN.

AAMI won't let you choose the repairer.

NO WAY! That's just awful. Feel free to use some of my Ultimate Compound but, if it's keyed down to the metal, that won't be of much help. Has anyone tried to fix keying using touch-up paint? Is it worth a try, or better off getting the panel repainted?

Hi dinesh, and welcome. Yes, the badge on the Sports Luxury houses the Active Cruise Control and Pre Collision System sensor/s. I'm not sure what aftermarket options are available, but you could try ordering it from overseas. Sewell Parts is one such online shopping site, although this one seems to be much cheaper: http://www.villagelexusparts.com/products/LEXUS/IS250/EMBLEM--RADIATOR-GRILLE-OR-FRONT-PANEL/2114764/5314153010.html

Does anyone know how acceleration times are determined by manufacturers? The "official" 0-100 time is 4.9 seconds. Should a manufacturer decide to quote an acceleration time, I would have assumed that such a time is recorded on a stock vehicle without any fancy footwork - just ensure the driver weighs about 70 kg, there's only 20 litres of petrol in the tank and stick the accelerator pedal down on a racetrack where there's sufficient grip so as to not spin the wheels too much. (Of course, you can better the time with an appropriate launch technique - YouTube would be much smaller if it wasn't possible to beat the manufacturer's time!) If I'm right, then there's a serious problem with journos who, with an IS F, just stick their foot down and achieve times in the high 5's.

Chris, you said, its electrical inductance. what happens is there is so much current running through the ballast it creates like an electrical magnetic field around it. . . in turn messes with all other electronic components near it. So I assume that this only occurs when the lights are on. (Or can there be sufficient current running through the ballast, even when the lights are off?) Sapphire Cam, does this only happen at night?

For those who like to keep their IS looking at its best, I'm planning to have some Meguiar's Ultimate Wax available for purchase. This product isn't currently available in Australian stores and is said to be better (certainly more lasting) than Meguiar's previous top-of-the-range product, NXT Tech Wax 2.0. When it does come out to Australia, it will most likely sell for over $55, but you should be able to pick one up at the meet for around $30 (let's see what happens to the A$ against the US$ in the next few days!). If you'd like me to order any other Meguiar's stuff at US prices (+ postage) and pick it up at the meet, do let me know (by PM) by Tuesday night, 2 August. For a list of products, check out meguiarsdirect.com. See you at the meet!

I say 125 to the end of 2010, or around 140 to end of June.

White IS F on Bridge St, Sydney around 1930 Friday evening. The missus remarked how wonderfully smooth the engine sounded as it crossed George St - she wants one now!

Sorry I can't help you with LED sizes. But ADR 48/00 states that "the lights of the lamp used in the illuminating device must be sufficiently colourless not to cause any appreciable change in the colour of the registration plate."

I wonder if that was a certain forum regular you spotted ... If so, you misread two of the six characters on the rego. But I didn't know he was on P's ... Off-topic ... I was just looking at photos of meets that took place before I joined this forum. I saw LEX51S' car in stock form. LOL .. I can't believe it. And 16" wheels too.

ilv's age may also have to do with the not-so-normal premium.

Must have friends in the area ... I saw it parked near the station on Saturday night, when I visited Mamak.

Hi Pauly, Welcome! Feel free to upload some pics of your modded ride.

Hi Fanel, The consensus here, I think, is that the auto transmission on the IS is the better buy compared to the manual ... so you've done well. Welcome!

Yep. It's actually underwritten by Wesfarmers. Not only the premium is pretty cheap, but the features are a little better than other cut-price insurers. Unlike some (like NRMA or AAMI), they will always use OEM parts (new if car under warranty; new or reconditioned if outside of warranty; excludes windscreens). Choice of repairer is also available, as long as your quoted cost is no more than theirs. They also have a special deal for Sydney North Shore residents this month, but it only covers cars left overnight in postcodes 2060 to 2126. It's not for everyone, though. Does $2388 sound good to insure your IS F?

That would be build number 60, right? So tell us about it, even if you were a passenger! Is it comfortable? Did you get pinned back against your seat on acceleration (ok, dumb question)?

Can anyone recommend a good basic current model nav system? (Not a Lexus OEM one - the target vehicle isn't a Lexus.) Basic features required are: - Portable - Min LCD size 4.7 inches - School zone warning - Point of interest lookup Advanced features like voice activation are not required. My relatives visited JB Hi-Fi today and noted the Navman units they were interested in weren't in stock - only "returned stock". What does this mean to you? Does it mean Navman sells well, or are they unreliable? Recommendations on what *not* to buy are also appreciated. Thanks!

How did it go?

Hi Driving4Fun, You've raised a lot of questions, but they're all reasonable questions for a car buyer that's new to Lexus. Let's see if I can answer at least some of them, and hopefully others can fill in the blanks. 1) The Lexus brand: Where do I start? Quality - An IS 250 SL contains a number of quality finishes that others take for granted, such as semi-aniline leather, real woodgrain produced by Yamaha craftsmen and arguably one of the two best factory-fitted sound systems in the world. To give you a general idea of Lexus' pursuit of perfection, check out these videos: http://www.lexus.com.au/about/TheExtraordinaryWay Service - Have a look about these forums, and you'll find few faults on Lexus' after-sales service. Reliability - Well, you already know about that. Lexus also consistently rates in the top two in US and European surveys covering lack of defects and overall customer satisfaction. Cost of parts: There's several things to consider here. Your helpful people in the trade seemed to have chosen specific parts that contain a lot more features - and, therefore, moving parts - than the average spare part. The typical wing mirror contains a motor for moving the glass up/down, and a motor for moving it left/right. The IS 250 SL wing mirror also contains a mirror for retracting the entire assembly, a motor for moving the mirror body up/down for reversing, a heater and a dimming feature. I don't mean to frighten you, but the AFS headlights - which allow you to "see around corners" - are also rather expensive to replace. But bear in mind that Lexus parts are generally very reliable, and you don't have to worry to much about replacing them unless you have a crash - in which case, you'd make an insurance claim. Finally, parts that have a similar level of technology compared to those of other makes (e.g. OEM brakes) might cost more, but they almost certainly wouldn't cost four times as much. In some cases, you can replace parts with Toyota parts without compromising on quality (e.g. a cabin filter is disussed here: http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10275). 2) 75K Servicing costs: This costs more than other routine services, due to the replacement of the fuel filter under the back seat; and, for whatever reason, it costs more in Melbourne than in Sydney. Check it out: http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10006 90+K Servicing costs: Others may be able to help here, but bear in mind that not many have had to undergo 90K+ servicing, given the time that the second-generation IS has been on the market. 3) Parts that are replaced: Others may be of help here. There is no point in time for mandatory replacement of the timing belt, but it is inspected and replaced, if necessary, from a given point in time (either 90K or 105K, from memory). 4) Servicing in Melbourne: I'm not in Melbourne, so others may be of help here. Besides Lexus dealers, Toyota dealers have been known to service Lexus cars. 5) Warranty: The initial factory warranty is 4 years, or 100,000 km, whichever comes first. If you can find a specimen that's less than four years old and has done less than 90,000 km, you may be able to purchase an extended warranty. 6) Any other info: One of those open-ended questions for which I'm lost for words. Once you find an IS that meets your budget, I hope the only thing you'll really need to worry about is deciding on which colour is best! Happy shopping!