Topshelf

Thanks guys. We test drove a fully loaded IS350 last night, and while there are many things to love about the car, right now it's not right for us. So we'll be keeping the wagon for a bit longer. Thanks for the help though.

You're not kidding about the "options" BMW is nice enough to offer. Many come standard on cars costing half as much. So frustrating! And I'll admit that the Bimmers do sound nice when you wind them out, but the price I'm paying for that seems to keep getting steeper. I want something sporty, but luxury and a smooth peaceful ride are more important. I have the Z4C for pure sporty (Surely is no luxury or smooth ride in there <_< ) This is a big change, going from an AWD wagon to a RWD sedan, so it will be interesting to make comparisons. It's surprising to hear that not all Lexus dealers give out loaners. I've never had any issue with having a loaner waiting for me for any of my many services. lol Infact, I have to get my Z back in again for another issue. No doubt that this car will be gone when the warranty ends. I'll check into that with the dealer, thanks for the heads up. While I agree that the IS is easily better looking than the current 3 series, what isn't though, I'm not positive about the M3 vs. IS-F. I'll have to study some pics and think about that one. :D Thanks for the input!

Thanks for the reply smooth. It's pretty funny how we got to this point so I'll be real curious to see how the test drive goes tonight. We had an '02 RX300 which we loved, but it was maybe the most boring vehicle in the world to drive...not one ounce of fun could be had in it. So we traded that in for an '05 325xiT. Similar storage space, but worlds different as far as driving goes. Was actually a fun car, though it seemed like I was working on it every other weekend. Next we traded that in for an '06 325xiT because she wanted all the upgraded option the E91's had to offer. She loves the car, but again, there's always something that needs to be worked on. Now we're looking at going back to Lexus, the same brand we said we wouldn't buy again because they weren't sporty enough. Apparently there's a price to be paid for "sporty", so I'm hoping we can knock that down half a notch, but up the reliability/comfort factor a few degrees while still having a car that's fun to drive. I'm really looking forward to tonight because I have the experience of the current and previous gen 3 series for a direct comparison, not to mention that I drive an '06 Z4 Coupe every day. So this should be very interesting. Oh, and I've already been warned that any car we look at must have NAV and all the creature comforts available. Once you have them, you can't do without. :)

Hey all! Was hoping you guys wouldn't mind throwing a few opinions out this morning. Quick story is I'm taking the wife to look at a CPO '06 IS350 tonight because I just don't believe these BMW's are worth the hassle anymore. She has an '06 325xi wagon that is a fun car, but there's always something wrong with it, plus it rattles and squeaks like mad. It's super practical though and she does like it when it's working right. So basically I just wanted to get some basic thoughts on your impressions of the IS. I know this is an IS forum so you guys are hopefully going to love the car, but any real world driving info, known issues to look out for, must have options, or anything else you could share would be appreciated. I've been reading the reviews and comparisons over the weekend, and while the 3 Series always comes out on top as the better sport sedan, I have to wonder where these guys find constant wide open twisty roads to drive. The roads out here in PA are garbage, and sporty driving is hard to find. So I'm really thinking a more luxurious, reliable and comfy IS might actually be the better real world option. Thanks in advance. :)

Thanks guys. I did a bunch of research and it seems to be a good product. Like SK said, on a car that doesn't get any kind of regular cleaning, it seems to be more effective, but lots of people are even recommending a cleaning like this every 15k miles or once a year now as part of normal maintenance. I'm at 80k so I'm sure there has to be some kind of buildup in there, even if it's small. But I think I'm going to wait until I get back from the trip to do it. I'd just hate to take a chance on something going wrong right before I leave. But I'm sure a nice long 2500 mile drive would be a great way to clean that system out. I'm not a regular poster, but after I get it done I'll post my results just in case anyone else is interested.

Hey guys, I just got a flyer in the mail today from STS and on it there is a coupon for a 4 step Run-Rite Fuel System Cleaning Service. I'm about to leave on a 2500 mile round trip and thought that this might be a good idea to help with fuel economy. I think I've seen this service being talked about on an episode of Motorweek a month or so ago too. I have 80k on the RX300 right now, so I'm assuming there has to be some buildup by now. It's a $60 treatment. So I was just wondering if anyone has any good or bad info about such a service? I don't usually like to do anything major just before a trip, and I do consider shooting chemicals into my intake major. So any info on this? Here's the website for the product. Run-Rite

Yeah, other than turning it off for towing purposes (something I wouldn't do with an RX300 anyway), I see no real reason to turn it off. I guess it could be possible that the shift points would change to higher in the rpm band when the OD is off, giving the vehicle slightly more acceleration. But I don't know one way or the other on that. But really, start the truck and drive. No reason to turn it off.;)

Been meaning to update this. After 500+ miles of driving with 93 octane, my gas mileage dropped to a constant 16mpg with no perceptible improvement in performance. I've switched back to 87 octane, and am already back into the 18mpg area with no perceptible loss in performance. So after all this, I'll stick with my original thoughts. Until someone can show me dyno charts of 87 & 93 octane, run under the same conditions, with a true increase in performance for 93, I'll happily use the recommended 87 in my RX300 while both saving money and getting the same performance. That was one very long sentence. lol

Dam! For $180 you could have had the sensor and the socket in 3-5 days. Oh well. As far as the socket goes, it's just a standard 22mm O2 Socket you can buy from any auto parts store. For the $10 they charged, it was worth it to me not having to fight with a wrench. And now that I think about it, I needed a breaker bar on that socket just to get it to turn. It's up to you, but it's only a few more dollars at this point. Oh, that link thing is wierd. It's supposed to point to www.oxygensensors.com

That's also quite a bit different than the wording from my '02. And just an update so far....No noticeable performance increase, and an average of 15.2mpg.:D I've done 100% annoying city driving so far though. Hopefully I can get it out on the highway at some point. Otherwise I might need to run 1 more tank of the expensive stuff before I can end this test. Hmm, I imagine that's really when I'll notice if there was a performance increase though.;)

24mpg!?!?!?! If that's what using premium gets me, I won't say another word. I average 18mpg. Using your calculations and $.30/gal increase for premium, I'm looking at $250 extra over the course of a year. And for what? To think I'm doing myself a favor? Unless someone can show me proof of either an considerable increase in performance, or mileage, then I'm doing myself a bigger favor by putting that $250 in my pocket. Running 87 will not harm your engine in any way. So don't think that using 93 is going to make it last longer. That being said, I'm filling up with 93 tomorrow to start my first test. And keep in mind that this test will be taking place under ideal weather conditions...Little to no need for AC and no need to idle the truck to warm it up in the morning. We'll see, but I'm not expecting much. And lastly, the manufacturers recommended fuel is 87!

No, Lexus recommends 87. But since the car companies and oil companies are tied together, they "suggest" that using a more expensive fuel, may give you improved performance.;)

Haha, it was a little snarky, but I expected much worse. :D Hey, if anyone believes their truck runs better using 93, then enjoy. I'm just not going to buy into it. I would love to see a dyno comparo done the same day using 87 and then 93. That would be interesting! That being said, the above quote is intriguing. Maybe I'll throw a tank of 93 in since I'm almost empty and see if my mileage increases. I would need to see an increase of 1.5 mpg to justify the added expense of premium fuel. I'm not expecting to get that kind of result, but I'm up for an experiment. Just noticed that you own a 330. Is that quote also listed for the 300? Edit: Yep, also listed for the 300. I'll fill up tomorrow with 93 and see what happens. I actually need to gain 2.25 mpg to justify premium. I thought it was $.20 more, but it's $.30/gallon more than 87.

I do agree that buying a high performance car, or any car that requires 91+ octane, and using 87 octane is a complete act of stupidity. My C230 requires 91, so I'm stuck using 93 as that is the lowest octane I can get around here without going below the manufacturers recommended minimum. However, a knock sensor is not a performance mod. It's a safety feature to make sure the fuel doesn't prematurely detonate due to bad gas or too low of an octane. To get the benefits of higher octane, you have to remap the ecu, or use an aftermarket tool. I've been around high performance cars and motorcycles for years, so it's not like I just made this up. Yes, you might see the slighest of tiny increases, but most of it is a placebo effect. Some people think that simply putting more expensive gas in their vehicle will add all kinds of performance benefits and better gas milage. Meanwhile, these vehicles have very complicated fuel maps setup by engineers using a specific octane level for the best compromise of performance/economy. Sure, have your maps redone for premium fuel, then I'll buy the benefits. But in a stock luxury suv???

If you guys think running higher octane is going to give you more hp and/or better mileage, you should really do some research on gasoline and octane ratings. The only thing you're doing is wasting money and making the oil company's richer. Most people I explain this to reluctantly try a tankful of the 87 or the manufactures recommended minimum and come back a week later saying they can't believe how much better the vehicle runs and how much money they are going to save. I'm not going to go into all the details, but honestly, you're only fooling yourself if you think it's better for the truck. Unless you're using racing fuel which is a completely different animal, use the lowest octane you can for the best results.