fastball

Radar jammers are illegal everywhere. Laser jammers are not. Radar is radio frequency, and all radio frequencies are governed by the FCC. If you jam a radar, you could face federal charges, as well as your speeding ticket. It would be the same a jamming a TV or radio station. Very bad. Laser, however, is not radio frequency. It is light (Light Amplification by Stimulation and Emission of Radiation). Jamming laser is not illegal, and right now Escort makes the only reliable Laser jammer. You can see it on their website.

Just took a 6 speed manual out for a test drive today. It had the premium package (wood trim, heated and perforated leather). The wood trim is on the ashtray cover and coin box only. Around the shift boot is black plastic with aluminum trim inserts. Shift boot is obviously black leather, and the knob is leather with some sort of black metal grip in the handle. It's contoured very well to your hand. Just slides right into place. If you get one without the premium package, the entire center console will be black plastic with aluminum trim inserts. I will be placing an order for a manual with premium package and the ML sound system in about a month I'd get the sport package but at $3800, it's a bit steep for me. Not to mention, you get the 18" tires which are offset sizes (wider in back), so that would be about $1000 each time to get a new set of tires. Hey switch, you said your dealer "threw on" 16" winter tires..... for free? What did you do with your stock wheels and tires?

Hmmmm...... o.k., the only available option package that came up was the premium package, which is fine. But that was it. When I got to the accessories, only 18" wheels, all weather floor mats, and a car cover came up as available. Does this mean these are the only options I can get in Cleveland? How does this regional stuff work? Can't you just order the car the way you want it and even if you have to wait 3 months you can get what you want? I know these are all questions I should ask the dealer, but I don't want to waste my time going back and forth before I'm sure that I can get the car the way I want it. And I am NOT going to buy one of the loaded up IS 350's or 250 AWD's they have on the lot. If I wanted to spend over 40 large on a car, I'd get a Corvette and keep my current car for every day use.

I'm considering placing an order for an IS 250 RWD 6 speed manual. The only options I really want are the premium package and the Mark Levinson sound system. Is is possible to order that stereo without the navigation system? The salesman at my dealership gave me a copy of the BOL of 2006 IS models, and it does appear the Mark Levinson sound system is available sepparately, yet I only see it matched with navigation. I don't need the nav system as I have a thorough grasp of the streets in the city I grew up in and have lived in for 28 years. Think it actually takes away from the look of the dash board too, that big LCD monitor in the middle of it.

Trans fluid should be changed at 30k MINIMUM! There's no need to change it before then. Diff fluid???? I've seen a differential from a 1954 Chevy with the original factory fluid in and it's clean, clear, and the gears show no signs of wear at all. And the rest of all that "inspection" stuff is for the birds to be honest. I would say the oil change and air filter change are the only things which really need to be done, so I would figure $60.00 MAX. All the rest is pure dealer profit, with or without the loaner.

The only trait SACD and DVD-Audio have in common is that they both offer multi-channel surround sound capabilities. Beyond that, they are as different as apples and oranges. SACD uses a different software technology, thus a player designed for SACD (such as your Denon) must be used. The Mark Levinson sound system cannot decode SACD. SACD, to some audiophiles (myself included) acutally sounds more natural like old vinyl. Since it has an extremely high sampling rate (higher than DVD-A), the sound is less compressed and more rich. I have 2 albums on SACD as well (Boston's debut album and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon)..... both sound fantastic, much MUCH better than their compact disc counterparts.

I would surmise that the 350, being the high powered beast of the two models, would command sticker or above. But if one were looking at the 250, I bet you could negotiate an attractive deal below sticker.

I would agree with you if you don't have the desire to play DVD-Audio discs. Neither the base or the MLS sound packages pack the kind of power you can get from an aftermarket system. But then again, nothing does. Factory systems in general cannot compete with an aftermarket system you can put togther piece by piece simply because of size and power. The amp in even the MLS system in integrated into the sound processor, and the whole box is no more than the size of a loaf of bread. It doesn't have a high current power line, either. So, when you purchase aftermarket amps and the right speakers and wire it up with high current electrical wiring and fuses, you will have a much more powerfull system than any factory system (standard or optional) can possibly have. As of right now, the only aftermarket manufacturer of a DVD-Audio compatible player is Alpine. I would only buy the MLS system if I specifically wanted DVD-Audio compatability (which, in my case, I do.... and I will certainly put an aftermarket amplifier system with better speakers in it :) )

I have driven a new 2006 BMW 330i with sport package in a manual transmission..... couple of points to contradict your opionions: 1. BMW is insane - they think just because their cars handle the best that nothing else matters, so they charge $43,000 for an entry level luxury sedan. So you say to watch what you add to the option list, right? Well, if you keep it in line with the IS price wise, take away leather, heated, and power seats, moonroof, CD changer, upgraded stereo, and pretty much end up with a real stripper. 2. BMW's interior quality, while it may look nice when you see it on paper or on your computer screen, is actually quite cheap. Much cheaper today than it was 5 years ago. I can say this because.... 3. I've driven an IS 250 AWD, and I can tell you the interior on the new IS is the HIGHEST quality I've ever experienced. Better fit, finish, feel, and operation than any marque (BMW, MB, Acura, Audi, and Cadillac).... It may not look as nice to you in your little 17" computer screen, but believe me, if you go drive the cars back to back, you will understand that the Lexus IS is a whole different driving experience. It's very sporty, but classy and elegant at the same time.

Come January, the IS 250 will have the 6 speed manual stick shift as standard equipment. They aren't shipping them untill then because they feel most of the peak interrest will be in the AWD IS 250 and the RWD IS 350, which are not available at all with a stick shift.

I don't own a Lexus, never have yet (for 6 years I've been a Honda person). But the reason I joined this forum is to learn from other owners experiences about Lexus. When Lexus unveiled the new IS last April, I fell in love immediately. So, I am for certian going to order an IS come January (when the RWD 6 speed manual IS 250 is available). After driving an AWD IS 250 last weekend and reading this thread and some of the negative remarks about Lexus, I have the following points: 1. Lexus vehicles are built with precision beyond that known to man. The fit and finnish is beyond anything on the road today (including BMW, MB, Acura, and for certain Cadillac). I fell in love with how soft and solid the doors close on this car - velvety soft, very sensual. 2. The new L-finnesse styling theme is beautiful, and it will look just as good 10 years from now. The new GS and IS (and upcomming LS for 2007) are like fine art. You can sit and look at them for hours and not get board. 3. I don't know where people get mad at the price: I figured I could get an IS 250 RWD with the 6 speed stick shift, premium package, and MLS sound system for $32,950. That comes with dual 10 way power front seats (heated and cooled, I might add), keyless ignition (and if you haven't driven an IS or GS, you just have to just to see how the keyless ignition works - it's soooo friggin cool :) ), optical instruments (which goes beyond LED illumination), and the quietest, most solid, smooth, refined, and at the same time sporty ride I've ever driven. This car makes my 2000 Prelude feel like a piece of junk, which it is not at all.

Not sure if any of you are audiophiles with your home stereo, but the Mark Levinson sound system is one of only 2 (the other is the Acura sound system in the TL and RL) available car stereos with DVD-Audio playback and 5.1 dolby digital surround sound. If I may, let me explain DVD-Audio (I've been a stereo repair technician and home/car installer for about 8 years): DVD-A is different from the DVD as you have all known about for the last 10 years. DVD-A is first off NOT a video disc.... it may have some special features, but it's only designed as an audio discs. It is true 5 sepparate channels (the .1 being the sub woofer) of audio instead of the standard stereo (2 channels). DVD-A discs also use a much higher sampling rate (96khz versus the 44.1khz sampling rate of a standard 2 channel compact disc). Since the information on the disc is in a unique softare language, only players designed for DVD-Audio specific discs can decode them (a DVD-Audio player can decode standard movie DVDs as well, but a standard movie DVD player CANNOT decode DVD-Audio discs). My home theater system has a DVD-Audio player, and I have two great all time classic albums in DVD-A: Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's Brain Salad Surgery. It is well worth the price to get the added bennefit if you are in to high end audio, but if not, you will not notice much of a difference between the base sound system and the Mark Levinson if you only play standard 2 channel compact discs. I hope this clears things up for you all. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask :)

That is a drop dead gorgeous car. With the new L-Finesse theme, Lexus has a way of actually moving you emotionally when you look at their cars. I think the new IS and GS are just beautiful, inside and out.

Most any stock stereo system is mediocre at best. Top line stereo equipment includes speakers with polypropeline surrounds (as opposed to the foam found on even Lexus's or BMWs). Polyprop is more durable to the extreme temperature changes your car goes through, not to mention it's more plyable and makes for better sounding speakers all together. And what really matters in a good stereo, whether home or car, is amplification. Bottom line, no stock system has it (when I say amplification, think big, beefy amplifiers). The stock system in a typical IS 300 might have a small external power amp somewhere in the trunk or dashboard. But it's no more powerfull than a clock radio. A stock amp is usually rated somewhere between 10-30 watts RMS/channel. Good aftermarket amps START at 40 watts RMS/channel, and go up from there depending on how much you want to spend. Now, run a couple of those (I would say get two 4 channel amps and bridge them down to 2), one for the fronts, and one for the rears, and NOW you have a decent system. And we haven't even gotten to head units or sub woofers :)

I'm surprised there's not more talk about the new IS 250 on this forum. From everything I've read and seen, it's a sure knockout.

Oh, boy. If Best Buy told you they wouldn't do it, it must really be a job for the dealer only. I'm sorry, but it looks like you will have to take it to the dealer.

That's why I suggest you take your car to your local Best Buy mobile install bay. They do this sort of thing every day for people who buy new stereos and have them installed. Even though you aren't buying a stereo from them, I'm sure they'd be happy to remove your head unit. They have all the tools and their techs are trained on all the lasted cars to work on. They'd probably charge you 50 bucks, but it's better than the $80.00/hr labor rates at the dealer. You can actually call them right now, ask to speak to their mobile install technician, tell him the year, make, and model of your car, and ask how much it would be to just remove the head unit.

I've been a home and car stereo technician for about 7 years, and I've seen this happen numerous times. If a CD is not PERFECTLY smooth (i.e. no cracks, uneven surfaces, or stickers or labels stuck to the top of it as one might use for a CDR), it will more than likely get jammed pretty bad. All the gears, rollers, and sensors in any slot type CD mechanism are made with such close and tight tollerances, that anything which can throw them out of synch will do exactly that. Not to mention, there are little sensors inside that tell the microprocessor which position the disc is in. So, if the disc isn't exactly positioned right, one sensor may be telling the processor one thing, and another something else. That's most likely the case here. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the head unit needs to be removed and dissasembled down to the CD mech to remove the disc and make sure everything is aligned correctly. There is no other way to do it. Now, you could save yourself serious cash if you can remove the head unit yourself (or you know someone who can). If you take your car to Best Buy, they are usually pretty good with this kind of thing, and they won't charge you dealer rates to just remove the head unit. Once it's removed, take your head unit to an electronics repair shop first, before taking it to a dealer. And if your head unit is not repairable for a reasonable cost (I'd say less than $200.00 would be reasonable), you may need to purchase a new one.

Hi everyone. This is my second post (posted something similar in the thread for the new IS 250), and I must be honest I've never owned a Lexus. But the reason I've joined this forum is because the looks of the new IS 250 have really blown me away. So much so that I would like to learn about the Lexus marque as much as possible. I'm a Honda enthusiast right now, driving a 2000 Prelude I've owned since new, but I know Toyota/Lexus makes fantastic vehicles as well. Just nothing that interrested me untill now. I am in the market for a 4 door touring sedan that must be rear wheel drive, offer a true manual transmission, and not have gimicky styling or be unreliable (since I drive about 25k miles/yr). Everything I've heard and read about Lexus is nothing but fantastic, it's just that you either could not get a manual transmission on their cars, or the one you could (current IS 300) has ugly altezza tail lamps and a cheap interior. So kudos to Lexus for this new design, and I'll be checking in on this forum for everyone's opinions about owning a Lexus long term.

Hi everyone. This is my first post, and I must be honest I've never owned a Lexus. But the reason I've joined this forum is because the looks of the new IS 250 have really blown me away. So much so that I would like to learn about the Lexus marque as much as possible. I'm a Honda enthusiast right now, driving a 2000 Prelude I've owned since new, but I know Toyota/Lexus makes fantastic vehicles as well. Just nothing that interrested me untill now. I am in the market for a 4 door touring sedan that must be rear wheel drive, offer a true manual transmission, and not have gimicky styling or be unreliable (since I drive about 25k miles/yr). Everything I've heard and read about Lexus is nothing but fantastic, it's just that you either could not get a manual transmission on their cars, or the one you could (current IS 300) has ugly altezza tail lamps and a cheap interior. So kudos to Lexus for this new design, and I'll be checking in on this forum for everyone's opinions about owning a Lexus long term.