Lexus Nerd

Well, mine is still a stocker without a moonroof ... But it's white, for what it's worth. You can count me in. Looks like seven so far.

It's time to renew my insurance, and I'm currently waiting on a quote through my Lexus dealer. In the meantime, I'm shopping around. I've noticed that while thebuzz has a low premium, they will not guarantee use of genuine parts, regardless of the age of the vehicle. Some other insurers will guarantee genuine parts in the first 1-2 years, or for the life of the new car warranty. Should your insurer allow you to choose your repairer, they will almost certainly reserve the right to request a re-quote from the repairer ... meaning that, if they won't guarantee use of genuine parts, your preferred repairer may end up using non-genuine parts anyway. Of course, if the insurer chooses the repairer, they will guarantee the workmanship for at least the period you own the car (so they say). Given this knowledge, does it really matter if you can't choose your repairer? In shopping around for the lowest acceptable premium, wouldn't the main issue be the use of genuine versus not-so-well-fitting clone parts? I'd like to know your thoughts.

Radiation on imported Japanese cards is generally not expected to be a risk: http://www.insideline.com/nissan/japanese-carmakers-say-no-radiation-risk-expected-on-exported-vehicles.html Having said that, there was a report last month of radiation found on some Japanese cars imported to Chile. It appears that the cars were hosed down on the ship, then allowed to be delivered. If one was still paranoid, they should drive their new IS 350 to the front lawn of someone they don't like, hose it down there, then drive away satisfied.

I see what he's asking, LEX51S. Fatjoez currently has an IS 250 Sports, and has ordered an F-Sport grille. He hasn't taken delivery of the new grille yet and, for all fatjoez knows, the Sports badge could be a different size to the F-Sport badge. So anyone with an F-Sport may be able to shed some light on the F-Sport badge dimensions. Having said that, Naz has a point. The F-Sport was introduced with the MY09 IS 250 series upgrade, which means its grille will have a different shape to any IS 250s produced in 2007. Fatjoez, you may well find the F-Sport grille won't fit at all. Sorry.

An article about the 2011 JD Power Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Survey has just appeared in SMH, but I decided to get the full details from UK's What Car? http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/jd-power-survey-2011/compact-executive-winner/257096 Funny how driver's opinions differ so much from the journos. But I guess the standard equipment and engine performance a typical buyer will experience in the base model, combined with superior reliability, has had something to do with that.

For those who don't already know, a Lexus LF-Gh concept vehicle was unveiled at this year's New York motor show. The body styling - with the front grille being the most prominent development - is said to be an evolution of Lexus' L-finesse design. http://www.lexus.com.au/future/lfgh/ Keep in mind that this is just a concept vehicle - The production styling of the CT 200h ended up being rather more conservative than that of its LF-Ch predecessor. But what do you think of the styling of the LF-Gh - which could be the basis of the styling for the next generation GS, and other models in the future?

News articles released overseas on the MY11 upgrade mentioned a drop in fuel consumption due to a lowering of the final-drive gear ratio. No Australian news articles or press releases refer to this improvement. This may be because (a) Lexus Australia hasn't performed the appropriate test under ADR 81/02 that would allow them to report a different fuel consumption; or ( b ) while there may have been an improvement under other test conditions, there is negligible difference in fuel consumption under ADR 81/02. Or, it could be ( c ) Lexus Australia didn't bother making any press release about the mid-life IS250 upgrade, so the improved fuel consumption never made it to the local news; or (d) the change to the final-drive gear ratio wasn't applied to vehicles shipped to Australia. Does anyone know the correct answer?

Sorry, I can't make it to June's cruise :( but I should be at the next meet after that.

Thanks guys, it's great to have caught up with some of you again. Thanks to x250x for making it too ... hope we'll see you again at the next meet. Special thanks to my aged care facility for letting me stay up after the Lotto results

If you don't mind spending a little bit just to keep your car good as new, check this out: http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8276

The things we do for love! lol

A clarification question, just so you can obtain accurate answers from others ... Servicing is normally performed every 15,000 km or 12 months, whichever is the earlier. By requesting a service at 40,000 km, I assume it's been nearly 12 months since the 2-year or 30,000 km service?

+1 for Meguiars Quik Interior Detailer. Even safe to use on the rest of your dash, including the satnav LCD!

I once heard it was great to have as a party trick - watching the wheels turn one way momentarily before turning the way you intended them to go. B) I think it's a great idea for the two reasons it's intended. The first is to increase steering response and stability. One of the big criticisms of Lexuses is that they just don't have the same steering feel as BMWs. Or should I say, that was one of the big criticisms. BMW has already replaced hydraulic steering with electric steering in its new 7 and 5 series, and everyone seems to hate it. Once EPS appears in the next 3 series, BMW's reputation for superior steering quality may totally disappear. If Lexus can improve EPS steering response with both 4WS and VGRS - together with finer tuning of the steering program, having several years of EPS experience under its belt - Lexus could become the unexpected leader in steering feel. Add improvements in suspension - perhaps adding the advancements in suspension already found in the newly released CT 200h - and the 3IS could become the new leader in driveability. (Well, I like the 2IS' driveability as it is, but all this new stuff in the 3IS might silence the critics.) The second reason for 4WS is to decrease the turning circle at low speed. That isn't a big deal in itself: the current RWD IS has a small enough turning circle as it is, but it could make reverse parallel parking in tight spaces even easier. I'm guessing that it would be a great addition to a car that's fitted with Lexus' Intelligent Parking Assist System; and, if unprestigious marques like VW are now adding self-parking into its low-end models, surely IPA will feature in the next generation IS too? I can't wait ...

Some spy photos on the Web give credence to the suggestion that the next generation IS will share a common platform with the next generation Lexus GS, meaning that the 3IS will be wider than the 2IS. IMHO, it's unlikely that both the GS and the IS would share the same platform as the FT-86, as I can't see the Supras and Celicas of tomorrow being of the same width as the Lexus GS. Which means that any article on the Web offering a sneak peek of the 3IS, and claiming that it will share underpinnings with the FT-86 - and there are many such articles - may well be way off the mark in every respect.

Expressions of Interest are currently being sought for the right to hold this exclusive licence plate number. A pair of these NSW plates are currently in storage with RTA in a slimline ebony-on-white form. Currently, these plates attract an RTA annual fee of just $90 per year, saving you thousands of dollars over a lifetime when compared to the $440-per-year Personalised Plus plates. A transfer does, however, require an accompanying transfer of ownership of a car. So these plates would especially suit CT 200h buyers who have to wait several weeks for their CT to arrive, and perhaps have a vehicle they've planned to trade in to their Lexus dealer or otherwise dispose of. As the LPN "CT20OH" looks so similar to the Lexus model name, the LPN "CT200H" will never be available for issue in NSW. So your new CT will definitely stand out with these plates! As I've only just decided to make these plates available for transfer, I haven't set a price. Please PM me if you're interested.

I can think of at least three classes of people who may have got tickets (and probably don't participate in this forum): - Those who own/owned multiple Lexuses (I went to a Lexus do once where some guy had just bought his tenth - or was it eleventh?) - Those who have purchased an LS 460 or LS 600hL - The eight Australian LF-A buyers It's a pity Lexus didn't take note of Blacky's preferences in his Encore membership, though. I'm not sure how many LS owners would have enjoyed the F1 more than IS F owners.

Check out this thread: http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9689

Discussions on rattles feature prominently in these forums. When everything else works so reliably and quietly, cabin rattles become one's main bugbear. Lexus service centres shouldn't think you're asking for too much if you bring your car in and get them to try and fix it. I've read stories from around the world where they'll hold on to them for days to try and finally remove rattles and squeaks. After having one rattle removed from a brand new IS, my suggestion is: - Before going to the service centre, find a road near the service centre where you can reproduce the problem. Murphy's Law is also the reason for the presence of many smooth roads near the service shops! - After arriving at the service centre but before leaving the car with them, get the tech to sit in the passenger's seat while you drive directly to the road where you can reproduce the problem. (Of course, if he can't hear it from the passenger's seat, he'll need to drive.) One more thing: if it sounds like ticking and not creaking, and they've already tried lubricating the seals on your door, consider the winder motor in the door. I've never heard of it being a problem in a Lexus, but I did once have the problem in a Camry.

So did you find anything that suited your needs onnzo? Interestingly, a brand new CT 200h would be within your price range and has a few inches more rear leg room than an IS 250, so it may actually fit your two baby seats. It may not what you were expecting in terms of torque, though (or power for that matter).

I see you have a Sports Luxury grade model. If the mirrors don't seem to fold up at all: - As LEX51S said - have you tried pressing the button next to the L/R rocker switch while the ENGINE START STOP switch is in ACCESSORY or IGNITION ON mode? If the mirrors can fold manually, but don't seem to fold automatically like you believed they could: - If you have the older model prior to the MY09 update (i.e. your indicators are on your car body, not the wing mirrors), then you believed wrong - the feature isn't available. Otherwise, if you have the later model: - Turn the ignition on and leave the car parked. - Press the ON/OFF button beneath the instrument dimmer dial. - Press ">" until, on the multi-information display between the speedo and tacho, you see "AUTO" followed by a couple of symbols that look like mirrors. - Press the ON/OFF button so that ON is highlighted.

In short: F Sport has sports trim (pedals, spoiler etc.), 18" wheels (Prestige has 17"), bi-xenon headlights, bigger rear brakes, premium audio system, auto dimming/dipping/positioning mirrors, satnav/Bluetooth as standard As I mentioned in my previous post, you should get the Prestige with EMV and moonroof for under $65K. The F Sport would cost $72550 after the free-on-roads deal is factored in - you might be able to talk a salesman down to $70K.

Have you got quotes from Toyota yet? From my reading of earlier posts about servicing costs on this site, and my own experience with Toyota service costs over a number of years, I get the impression that Toyota servicing costs are much the same as Lexus costs, once you subtract the potential value of a courtesy vehicle and car wash from the Lexus costs ($50-$100).

Hmm ... 65k for IS 250 F Sport? That would represent a $5000 discount on top of free on-roads. I wouldn't have thought it possible. But 65k for IS 250 Prestige with both moonroof and EMV is certainly possible. The free on-roads until 31 March brings the factory recommended driveaway price down to $66550 (in NSW). Then you just need to bargain down around $1500-$1600 with the dealer. That shouldn't be too hard, since it represents a discount of just $1100 to the dealer before LCT and stamp duty. If you still wanted to choose between EMV and moonroof: If resale value is important, and you're not interested in an aftermarket satnav system, choose the EMV.

Canada's TV ad seems more on the money, even if the story of driving away with the wrong girl is almost identical to a recent Volvo ad. Meanwhile, there's plenty of billboard space being used for the CT at Sydney Airport. To me, the ads remind me of Corolla ads but, hey, Corolla was Australia's #1 selling car for 2-3 years. Lexus Australia has just updated their Website with full details of the CT, including body and trim colours, an image gallery and more. Yes, that stuff's been available on the Sydney City Lexus Website for a couple of weeks now, I know. But I guess we can finally say there's a new baby Lexus well and truly on sale now.