Lexus Nerd

Hi Dazandbel! Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.

That's strange. Doesn't dis-lex-sic have a genuine towbar on his IS 350?

We've had two Club members have their 3IS batteries replaced. In both cases, technicians have pointed to the batteries being "faulty", rather than the car itself draining the battery. http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/12897-is-250-fsport-issues/?p=48322

Thanks for the update, Ramesh. A similar issue has been documented here: http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/12238-3is-battery-drain In that thread, someone jumped to the conclusion that there must be something on the Lexus IS that rapidly drains the battery. I note that, in both of these cases, mechanics have said that there has been "a faulty battery". That is very different from saying that the electrical system of the car is draining the battery. That said, there may be a bad (or very old) batch of batteries fitted to some 3IS sedans - and may even extend to the replacements stocked by roadside assistance agencies!

2 pm, at end of Leeds Street (industrial area a little north of Ikea)

Hi, Paul, and welcome!

I've had no problems at all since the multimedia firmware was upgraded to run Enform. The tyre pressure warning sensor can be re-calibrated manually. You can lower or change your wheels, inflate the tyres to the desired pressure, and then press and hold the reset switch for several seconds. Then, the warning will only appear when your tyres are appreciably below their pressure at the time you had reset the sensor. It's just a single yellow indicator on the instrument cluster.

Congratulations to p0c1 on being the first Club member with a NX200t. p0c1 returns to the Lexus fold after owning an IS 250 a few years ago. Welcome back, mate!

I have also tried to used external hard disk drives on a 2010 Lexus IS USB port in the past, to no avail. At the time, I suspected that the Lexus USB interface s designed to only work with devices that appear to be USB flash drives, not USB hard drives; but I've read some material online and I have my doubts on that theory. Try the following: Ensure that the disk is formatted to FAT32, not NTFS. Do a simple test by removing all files from the 120 GB drive, except for a few MP3 (.mp3), WMA (.wma) or AAC (.m4a) files in the root directory. Don't try to confuse the multimedia system by having other kinds of files - or too many files/folders - on the disk.

Yes, RMS would have your address. Would RMS contact you in relation to the recall? I don't think so. Would Lexus Australia or its dealers be able to contact you about the recall, by first obtaining your contact details from RMS? Again, I doubt it. If that was the case, then car manufacturers would not have to spend money publishing recall notices in newspapers. I think your best bet is to contact Lexus Customer Assistance Centre on 1800 023 009. Let them know you want to register yourself as the owner of your Lexus vehicle, and ask them when you can be expected to be formally contacted about the recall.

For those of you that can tell the difference between pre-2009 IS ML sound systems and those produced in 2009 and later, you will find the cause and solution in this thread: http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/12532-sub-woofer-info-modding

Welcome to the Club, Danny! Thanks so much for sharing your research. Would it be reasonable to only service the transmission after 100,000 km when there's early signs of problems, such as hesitation between gears and low idling rpm? (The latter could be caused by other reasons but, hey, if 100,000 km has already been driven, then it's reasonable to change the transmission fluid anyway.) Otherwise, if there's no issues, what about just leaving the transmission as-is? Arguably, this is the official recommended Lexus approach, as stated in the Owners Manual: perhaps it's "lifetime" transmission fluid, but you're supposed to see a mechanic as soon as there's any problems, including signs of gear change problems.

Hi, Martin, and welcome! Do you have a particular intake in mind? BTW, is there a reason why your front slimline plate is on the back of your car?

Hi, AngelEyes. I agree - the LS430 is a beautiful saloon, and I remember almost regretting buying my new IS 250 from my dealer instead of the used LS on the showroom floor. Welcome!

Nearly seven months ago, it was revealed that Australia was about to sign a free trade agreement with Japan, signalling the promise of lower Japanese new car prices. Today, Lexus Australia have finally announced reduced sale prices of its new vehicles, as a result of the lower import costs. It was predicted here, in our forums, that prices could drop for Lexus vehicles by at least $2000. Indeed, price reductions start from $2000 for the CT, with the CT 200h Luxury now starting from $37,990 plus on-roads. At the other end of the spectrum, Lexus Australia states that its LS sedan has dropped by more than $8,600. The IS 250 has had price cuts of between $2500 and a massive $4700, depending on grade. The IS 250 Luxury is now less than $60,000 drive-away. For the IS 350, prices have dropped by at least $2800. For the popular IS 350 F Sport, the price has dropped by $3600. Taking stamp duty into account, it actually means, for example, a drop of $3,780 in the NSW drive-away price and a drop of $3,787 in Victoria. Lexus Australia states its RC and NX pricing already considered the effects of the FTA. It means that there is now a noticeable difference of at least $4000 between the cost of an RC coupe, and its equivalent grade in the IS sedan.

Topic moved to Lexus IS250 Club forum. Lexus recommends that you use premium unleaded fuel - i.e., 95 RON or higher - with your IS 250. Using regular unleaded should only be used by exception; for example, if you are travelling through a rural area and premium unleaded is unavailable. Unleaded E10 fuel (typically 94 RON) is also acceptable, according to your Lexus Owners Manual. There are plenty of threads in these forums about fuel. Here's one containing details of recommended brands of fuel, types of fuel (95 RON versus 98 RON) and links to other threads (e.g. use of E10): http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/11749-best-recomended-fuel-for2011-is350/

In NSW, the Classic Euro White plate should perfectly cover the front licence plate bracket (unless the RC's is wide than that of the IS - unlikely). I used that style of plate on a second-generation (pre-spindle-grille) IS, and it did a good job of hiding the black bracket on the white bumper - although whether the car looked better as a result is questionable. On my MY14 (spindle grille) IS, I have considered replacing the bracket with one designed for the US market, which is narrower. However, I think that the Australian bracket is fixed onto the grille with screws positioned at each end of the bracket, and removing the Australian bracket may expose two holes in the grille. Given that the black Australian bracket blends into the black spindle grille, may I suggest that you ignore its protrusion and just fit a plate that suits the car and the kind of person you are.

Rather than find out the exact build date of your car to determine whether your car is definitely affected, you really want to know the range of VINs affected, and see whether your VIN fits in that range. Here's some information on the recall on the ACCC Website, complete with the affected VINs: http://www.recalls.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1064548