Lexus Nerd

The issue is found in most direct injection engines. Should you choose to change your own oil, be careful about what you use. A 5W-30 may sound better, but produce more deposits than a 10W-30 due to the higher proportion of additives. Certain brands also produce more carbon (including Mobil 1).

My research suggests that Lexus USA had no choice but to change the piston rings. They couldn't tell people to switch to a 10W oil due to fuel conservation laws.

I bought an extended warranty for my 2010 IS 250 at purchase time.

I was sold it on the suggestion that, while the mechanics probably won't fail, the electronics could. I vaguely recall a recent post that someone did get some electronics fixed under extended warranty.

Just a clarification: so the contacts have disappeared from the iPhone? Or are the contacts on the phone intact, but the phone book on the Lexus becomes empty?

What version of iOS are you using?

A relay would be used to control the +/-power to the motor and hence determine whether the motor winds up pr down. Is the relay separate from the switch unit you replaced?

Hey guys how can i update my nav maps?

i know that i need that updating DVD, so does anyone have one or a copy of it ?

If anyone has "a copy of" a later version of maps than your own, then it's only for their own backup purposes.

If you want to ask whether you can buy someone's DVD, you'll need to make ten posts before asking in the "Buy and Sell" forum.

Alternatively, try EBay or whereismaps.com. (The latter currently doesn't seem to sell an update for Lexus - presumably because a new version is only a month or two away.)

As to the brand of oil you use, it makes no difference its more the viscosity and quility of oil you use and most manufacturers have all.

Thanks for the tips, Jerry. On that note... I recently received a reply from a Penrite rep when I asked them the suitability of their "Enviro+ GF-5" oil (it's also a 5w30 full synthetic).

He responded with the following:

"Do not use any oil from our Enviro+ range: these are mainly low ash oils and are only to be used when called for. The best oil is Racing 10w-40 as it uses the highest categories of base oil in its fomulation. However, HPR5 (SAW 5w-40, full synthetic) would also be a good choice."

I thought low ash oils were more ideal to put in your car...?

I'm reading a lot more about oils than I originally ever wanted to know, but I figured it was useful since we could have a lot more pre-2010 IS 250 owners asking about oil consumption in the future - perhaps linking it to the brand of oil they use or a US service bulletin about oil consumption.

Here's my understanding: Low ash oils are good in that they do reduce deposits. Doing what you can to reduce deposits in the IS 250 engine is important, since many direct injection engines have an inherent problem with carbon buildup (this isn't a problem with the IS 350, which also features port injection). But low ash oils don't provide as much protection against premature wear. I guess Penrite is suggesting there are other ways of reducing deposits while maintaining protection against engine wear.

Your maths don't add up, obviously you made a mistake with the k's on 20/7/13, my guess 105 755 km ? So you change the oil after 14826 km I assume you used the balance of 10lts for top up right? Assuming you used 5ltrs? on the change you added another 5 in 15 k ks that to me means you used 1lt per 3000 km. Not an unresonable ( a little high) consumption.

On the last oil change you done 3000 ks and the level is down by 1-1.5 lts again consistant with the previous use.

Sorry to say but going on your maths I'm not sure you filled it to the correct level, did you check?

My observations, you think that there is no oil in the engine when the oil light goes on hence your opinion she used one lt per 662 km. WRONG, if there is no oil in the engine she will not last one minute!!!

I don't know about your car but in most cars the oil light is not oil level warning its low oil pressure warning, its there to warn you to stop the engine so you won't stuff it, you can have full oil and the light goes on ( not saying this is your case) i=f there is a problem and the pressure drops, in your case the pressure dropped because the level is low, very dangerous .

If you read your ownwers manual you will find it tells you you have to check the oil level regularly and top up when the level drops on the low mark on the dipstick, usually 1-1.5 lts between the two marks ( I don't know what it is on your car, I don't even know the oil capacity for your car, I know my 350 is over 6 lts, yours could be the same?).

I make sure my cars oli level is always at the top of the dipstick or very close to it, I also know the usage on all my cars so I don't even need to check the oil every week. You should do the same check every week and top up as soon as she goes halfway down between the high and low mark.

Hey there, thanks for replying!

Terribly sorry! I did mean 115,755km.... My bad.

And yes, the 250 also takes 6.x L, including the filter. And I have also verified the Low Oil Level warning on the dip stick and it does sit quite close to the low mark.

To explain in detail the time where I was using the Castrol Edge: Back then, that was the time when I relied on my mechanic to do the oil changes as part of the service. I see him on a one year service interval and I give him 10L (if it makes any difference, 2x5L bottles) of Castrol Edge sport. The oil change takes around 6.5L (he goes a bit over the full mark) and I take home the remaining oil.

Somewhere like a few months before the next service/year is due, I get a Low Oil Level warning. I then pour the remaining 3.5L of oil as a top up to my car. This will survive until the service is due without giving me another Low Oil Level warning.

The last time my mechanic changed my oil for me was at 100,929km on 22/09/12, which was 10 months and 14,826km prior to me changing oil for the first time and using Nulon. (Don't be alarmed.. I still take the car up for service. I just let him know my oil was changed so he needn't bother with the oil.)

I'm not sure if my math is logical here, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say that year, my car survived on a total of 10L of Castrol Edge 5w30 over a span of 14,826km in that 10 month (service booked early) period (and then some, since there was enough oil remaining for it to not complain).

As with the deal with me using Nulon... Well they came in 6L packs which I found to be quite convenient. It doesn't exactly go past the full mark. It's close.. but not all the way up, but I would expect that amount to last me at least 6,000km. The reason why the first change (where I couldn't get my filter out) lasted a little longer (4xxx Km) may be because there would be some old oil left over inside, where the second time I actually was able to get the filter out, and so I really was only running 6L of oil, which only lasted around 3,000km in 3 months.

I recognize that right now, there is still some oil inside that's allowing my car to run, otherwise I'd imagine to hear some ungodly rattling and screeching somewhere... However, just looking from a very novice POV, I was able to do quite a bit more km using 10L of Castrol Edge in one service interval (10 months back then) than the two oil changes using 12L (combined) Nulon within the 7 month period before I got the warning lights.

In hindsight... I'm really comparing apples and oranges here, aren't I? In the case of the Castrol, I am just simply topping up (usually goes all the way back to the high mark), while in the case of nulon, I empty the remaining oil and I replace it with only 6L of oil. But still, we are talking about a difference of twice the milage...

Sorry for the extremely tedious post and please do tell me what you think...

Also I'm tempted to try out the Penrite Enviro+ GF5. Seems like a much more affordable alternative to Castrol, which costs 50% more. Again, please share your valuable input. :)

You're right; it's comparing apples with oranges. wrxhoon is right to say that the low oil warning light doesn't mean there's no oil left at all. In the 2007 IS 250, there's a difference of 1.5 litres between the full level and the low level on the dipstick. The oil capacity is 6.3 litres, or 5.9 litres without the filter.

With the Edge, you used as little as (10 - 5.9)/(14 826/1 000) = 0.25 litres per 1000 km. Since some oil would have been consumed between the time you made the last top-up and the next oil change, you could have used as much as (10 - 5.9 + 1.5)/(14 826/ 1000) = 0.38 litres per 1000 km.

On the first change you made yourself, the 6 L of oil should have theoretically been enough to reach the full mark, plus 100 mL extra. Assuming the oil light comes on at the same time that the "low" level on the dipstick is reached (ok, big assumption), you've used (1.5 + 0.1)/(4 843/1 000) = 0.33 litres per 1000 km.

At the time of your next oil change, you changed the oil filter, and you used 6.0 litres when 6.3 litres would have been needed. You would have consumed merely (1.5 - (6.3 - 6.0)) = 1.2 litres before the "low" level on the dipstick would have been reached. That means you consumed 1.2/(3 091/1 000) = 0.39 litres per 1000 km.

There's enough margin of error here, such that you can't really say whether using Castrol Edge or Nulon is making much difference to your oil consumption. But I will conclude with one interesting note.

On the Owners Manual for the 2007 IS 250 for the US market, the following paragraphs appear:

Oil consumption: Max. 1.1 qt./600 miles, 0.9 lmp.qt./600 miles (1.0 L per 1000 km)

If you consume more than 1.1 qt. (1.0 L, 0.9 lmp.qt.) every 600 miles (1000 km), contact your Lexus dealer.

That would indicate to me that your oil consumption of between a quarter and half a litre per 1000 km is deemed by Lexus to be completely normal.

The 75,000 km service involves removing the back seat to replace the fuel filter. This will usually make the service more expensive than any of your previous services, unless the non-Toyota/Lexus service centre miscalculates the effort required.

Do ensure you get quotes from various Lexus (or even Toyota) service centres, as prices can vary significantly for this service in particular.

A recent study of used vehicles in the US (based on number of defects found at trade-in) has found the Toyota Prius platform as one of the top ten most reliable platforms. (Toyota/Lexus had five other platforms on that list.)

"Fewer than 4 percent of Prii that are traded-in exhibit any type of serious mechanical issue, and that includes problems with the hybrid battery. While the older Honda Civic Hybrid and Accord hybrid have all experienced substantial battery wear ..."

While the RX wasn't specifically listed, you can at least be assured that the intuitive fear of battery degradation shouldn't be a factor when buying a car with Toyota's hybrid technology.

I know there is a TSIB in the USA for the 2006-2007 IS250 and IS350 for the dash rattles/squeaks.

Does anybody know if there is TSIB in Australia for the dash rattles/squeaks for the 2008+ model 2nd gen IS250 and IS350?

If there is, do you know the TSIB number?

Thanks.

Given the prevalence of some rattles and squeaks, I would guess there exists a documented procedure for fixing them.

But, perhaps, your real question is, "If there a recall for the 2008+ model 2nd gen IS250 and IS350, with regard to rattles and squeaks, so I can get them fixed free of charge?"

I would guess again that the answer is no. But there are some factors that might minimise any cost to you for fixing them outside of the warranty period. I believe there are three kinds of rattles and squeaks:

1. The most common one emanates from the glovebox. It is easily found when the technician fiddles with the air filter and/or removes the shelf inside the glovebox. Perhaps your Lexus dealer will be nice enough to help fix this one without any labour costs, since it's easy to identify and fix. (And if they've recently performed a major service and replaced the filter, then just complain that they didn't do a good job, because it's been rattling since you got the car back.)

2. The second one involves the door seals. The doors can rattle due to dry door seals, particularly in winter. Your Lexus dealer can show you how to fix these yourself, so the only cost to you would be some lubricant spray.

3. The third one involves the foam inside the body panels. I once had a rattle in the B pillar on the passenger's side. A fix would involve removing some interior panels, and perhaps insertion of even more foam. I suspect these are the kinds of problems that would cost you if you find them outside of the warranty period, but they're not as prevalent as the other two types.

Do we know when V20 is going to be released?

Ive also noticed that my oil use is tremendously high. I changed the engine oil 5000km ago and have had to top up twice (engine oil notification came on). I use 5w-30w mobil engine oil.

I have a 2008 is250 prestige. Hoping someone can help me out.

Do I have a lemon??

linhtron,

You've got enough info on the exhaust smell issue: try changing fuels and, if that doesn't satisfy you, then you'll need to look at exhaust changes. The engine oil consumption is an entirely different matter, and has been discussed in a number of places on the Web, including in this topic. In short, there's a known issue with excess consumption in some IS250s produced before mid-2010. While these problems are being addressed in the US, there is no such recall on Australian vehicles; so you won't automatically qualify for a free fix if you present your car at your local Lexus dealer.

Suggested solutions:

• Perhaps you can work something out with your local Lexus dealer, such as getting them to perform a scheduled service on your car (you'll need one in the next 12 months, anyway) but only if they warrant that the oil consumption will be reasonable over the next 15,000 km.
• You're the second person to have reported this issue recently on this forum. The last guy also reported using Mobil oil. Other bloggers on the Web have reported issues with using Mobil 1, at least with predominantly highway driving. Try changing your brand of oil.

I am having exactly the same problem with my new (latest model) IS250. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

If it's under warranty, have it checked by your Lexus dealer. As with all rattles, squeaks and clunks, they will address the problem until you're certain the problem's gone. (Having said that, it helps if you drive the car to the dealer yourself and don't leave until you know they've reproduced the noise.)

Welcome Sirlach!

One of only 45 shipped to Australia - is it an auto, or a manual with the LSD?

No, 2010 is HDD based not disc based but it would be the same as the 2010 RX navigation.

I thought HDD navigation only appeared in the IS in 2013 (yes, towards the end of the life of the second facelift)?

In any case ... WhereIS suggests that their Lexus navigation updates apply to all Lexus vehicles. Even if we assume their Website is a little out of date and doesn't apply to HDD navigation, we can safely say that a Lexus DVD-based navigation disc will fit all Lexus models with DVD-based navigation.

is this the engine that came out with the last generation IS350? direct injection, and 233kW?

If so, surely it's not that old as I believe it was a completely new engine, not just a modification of the 2grFE engine (202kW one used in RX350, Toyota Aurion)

I also thought the reference to the engine being "around since Noah's Ark" could not have specifically referred to the IS 350's 2GR-FSE, as it only first appeared in production cars in 2006. So I thought Dowling was having a go at the GR generation of engines, which first appeared in 2003. In comparison, the first GM LS family engine appeared in 1998.

Alternatively, Dowling could have made such a reference just because, well, the IS' engines are naturally aspirated. And anything else is, in comparison, high-tech ...? That's a subjective point of view, and one is entitled to it; but the point is that the age of the technology didn't seem to matter with his review of the SS.

1.

Prestige:

225/45 R17 (F) 245/45 R17 ®

F Sport / Sports Luxury:

225/40 R18 (F) 255/40 R18 ®

1. Official time for the 2010 model is 5.6 seconds. It can be faster in reality. The MY14 model is rated at 5.9 seconds, but we need a well-worn-in example to confirm what it's really like.

3. No difference between F Sport and other grades' exhausts when stock. There does exist an "F Sport" exhaust which can be bought as an accessory and fitted on any 350 grade.

Anyone down for a meet in February?

Is there an "IS melbourne" Fb page?

Just thought it might be easier to contact in and out of that.

:)

I'd love to see the Melbourne Club members meet up. Once you've gravitated towards a particular date, time and place, I can get it promoted on the "Lexus Owners Club Australia" FB page.

I have used BP Ultimate, 7 Eleven, Shell V-Power which all are 98 RON and agree with most people here.

BP Ultimate gave me the most KMs and is very responsive.

7 Eleven and Shell V-Power gave me the same KMs, however Shell V-Power felt very sluggish.

The only thing I would like to know is would there be any difference if I filled up with BP PULP 95?

The only reason why I'm asking is the difference between PULP 95 and 98 is 6c/L.

Various reports - from A Current Affair to NRMA - show that 98 octane fuel gives you more distance than 95 octane fuel. The question is, how much farther?

At ideal conditions, you'd get 98/95 = 3.2% improvement with PULP 98, but it's generally less than that. At the current cost of fuel, PULP 98 is 3.7% more expensive. So ...

If you're trying to get every last cent of value out of a tank of fuel, go with 95 octane fuel.

Having said that ...

BP Ultimate, Caltex Vortex 98 and Shell V-Power all have detergents in their 98-octane fuel, reducing carbon build-up and the need for a regular fuel injector clean. When it comes to 95-octane fuel, however, BP is the only one that doesn't purport to have detergents in their Unleaded 95 fuel. So using BP Unleaded 95 could cost you more in the long term.

So ...

If you're trying to get every last cent of value out of a tank of fuel, go with either Caltex Vortex 95 or Shell Unleaded 95.

Personally, I stick with BP Ultimate. It costs between 0.5% and 3% more per km travelled, and I don't have to consider whether the fuel is adversely affecting my throttle response.

See a Lexus dealer immediately. All Lexus hybrid vehicles ever sold in Australia have an 8-year warranty on the battery:

http://m.lexus.com.au/hybrid/discover

At worst, they may say the charge looks good and you can't get it replaced. But it's worth a shot.

I'd also be interested finding out the price of the replacent battery. The talk about an expensive replacement seems more urban legend than reality. (Might depend on your definition of "expensive".)

Moved to "Buy and Sell" forum.

Have a chat with Chatswood's service manager. It worked for me when I had an issue with the price I was charged.

Will do, what was your issue about the price?

It happened 1-2 years ago. When I got home from picking up the car, I reflected on the amount I paid and felt that it was much higher than I expected. I did some research, including contacting friends who use Lexus of Chatswood, and also compared the invoice amount with Lexus of Blackburn's published schedule:

http://www.lexusofblackburn.com.au/services/parts-and-services/services

When Chatswood charged me significantly higher, I knew something wasn't right. It turned out that there was an error in the invoice, and I was immediately refunded the amount overpaid.

Have a chat with Chatswood's service manager. It worked for me when I had an issue with the price I was charged.

Around the world, there's been dozens of reviews written about the third-generation Lexus IS, particularly the IS 350 F Sport. And I've read most of them, either before or after my own purchase of the F Sport. Most give credit where credit's due, while each author gives their own opinion of the minuses: the exterior styling, the foot brake, the weight, the relatively thirsty 3.5-litre engine and so on. The authors' verdicts may differ, yet the vast majority of reviews are comprehensive, and focus on the aspects of the vehicle that matter, both to the audience and the seasoned motoring journalist.

I was rather amused, then, that a recent Australian review of the IS 350 F Sport by a supposedly experienced Australian journalist was factually inaccurate, embarassingly superficial and puerile.

Joshua Dowling carries the title of "National Motoring Editor, News Limited". To be more exact, he is a freelance journalist that used to work for Fairfax, but now spends most of his time commentating on motoring industry news of interest to the masses, such as the local Holden factory shutdown. He isn't the chief editor of News' Carsguide, and you can count the number of car reviews he's authored for Carsguide in 2013 on one hand. A motoring journalist of 20 years, he has also had the pleasure of being flown this year to an Porsche international launch event, the Tokyo Motor Show and to the US to review the Chevrolet SS.

On 25 December (yes, Christmas!), Carsguide published Dowling's review of the 350. It begins with the requisite blurb about Lexus taking it up to the Germans, falling short of success and devising a response. Amazingly, it then criticises the pricing:

When the first IS sedan was released ... 14 years ago, one of its advantages was a long list of standard equipment, which were often extra cost options on the European marques. But times have changed ... The car we're testing however is the current flagship of the IS sedan range, the IS350 F-Sport, which starts at $84,000. For that sort of money you're within striking range of super-efficient twin-turbo power from the German brands; in the Lexus you get a relatively low-tech and thirsty 3.5-litre V6 that's been around since Noah's Ark.

Calling the F Sport the "flagship" is inaccurate in itself, but I'll avoid nitpicking. The point is, Dowling has mixed up two distinct model grades. It's the Sports Luxury, not the F Sport, that starts at $84,000; the price of the F Sport, before on-road costs, is $73,000 with solid black paint. It appears the model equipped with active cruise control was tested; that variant is $85,000-$90,000 on the road. The equivalent on-road price of a 200 kW-plus German model, including options that Lexus includes as standard, is around $110,000-$120,000 for an Audi A4 and around $120,000 for a Mercedes-Benz C Class or BMW 335i. The naturally-aspirated engine's fuel usage is mentioned in the context of value for money. Most IS 350 owners will pay around $5,000 in fuel over 5 years; but you could travel 25,000 km a year for ten years, and still have a lower cost of ownership than a German rival.

Fourteen years after the first IS was released, the Lexus is still thousands of dollars cheaper than an equivalently-specified German model, and the fuel economy of the Germans doesn't make up for the higher sticker price. A veteran journalist should know these facts, so one wonders whether Dowling has disguised the cost of the Lexus IS to make it appear more expensive to own than any of the mentioned rivals.

Dowling's reference to "Noah's Ark", and the "crude" and "old tech" engine might make him sound like a technophile at first, but it belies both his aversion to technology as well as his hypocrisy. He questions the effort required to use the Remote Touch to program a radio station while driving when, in fact, most IS owners would use the in-built digital radio to browse to their favourite FM station, without the need to scan the frequency range and then "store" the discovered station. He belittles the driving modes by stating that Lexus was "feeling the need to add a gadget or two", while both complimenting the handling of the IS and criticising its fuel economy. Both seem important to Dowling, but it's lost on him that the driving modes can optimise fuel economy and handling. Dowling writes,

As with most cars in this class, the Lexus IS has all the electronic gadgets covered, with lane departure warning, blind spot alert, radar cruise control and lots of other stuff that will have you looking for the "off" switch.

Not only are all of these features optional in the three Germans, but Dowling suggests they don't appeal to motorists. And yet, he suggests in one of his other few model-related articles of 2013 that Ford Mustang "enthusiasts" will be pleased with the inclusion of such features in the upcoming model. Furthermore, a reference to the 2GR engine as "last night's dinner reheated" wasn't applied to Dowling's glowing review of the 2014 Chevrolet SS, the LS3 engine of which is five years older.

Granted, Lexus expected negative feedback on their recent styling decisions, but to spend over 20% of the car review criticising the IS's exterior appearance highlights the article's lack of depth in other aspects of importance. The rest of the article has other inaccuracies. The F Sport has eight airbags, not ten, and Dowling suggests that the eight-speed transmission "helps with brisker acceleration off the line". Dowling also confuses intentional design with build quality when discussing the gap between the headlights and the bonnet lid, and suggests that a tyre pressure warning indicator was a "fault" when it could have been easily corrected if he bothered to read the manual. Considering this together with the inaccuracies in pricing, one wonders whether Dowling was going out of his way to discredit Lexus' well-acclaimed hallmarks of value for money and build quality.

So, why does a journalist - who generally doesn't bother to write a car review unless it involves an overseas trip - decide to review a Lexus IS model in Australia? And, given that the review reads like the journalist has had the car for an hour - not a week - why does News decide to publish it on the one day of the year with the lowest readership levels? Why publish it at all?

It turns out that Dowling is one of two Australian-based judges for the World Car Awards. As the Lexus IS is shortlisted for the 2014 World Car of the Year (WCOTY), Dowling is duty-bound to review it by 1 February.

Unfortunately, Joshua Dowling's amateurish and misleading review is a poor contribution to the WCOTY judging process. It's time for the Dowling to stop riding on his accomplishments of yesteryear, get off the journalism gravy-train and make way for a panel judge who can write reviews that are accurate, thorough and unbiased.

... I just bought a 08 is250 and this guy who sold it to me sprayed "something" on the speedometer screen while cleaning the car. ... NOW I have a screen that is hard to see through..

the question is I have called car yards for a cheap parts but they are offering $100 just for the plastic lens for the speedometer. Do any of you guys have any good idea what I should do?

should I just but the secondhand lens for $100? or do I have any other options?

Try Meguiars PlastX. It does help remove scratches from plastic, and supposedly removes haze too.

If you live in Sydney, PM me and I can let you use some of mine. Otherwise, Autobarn will sell it for 25% off this week.