larry chester

. . . . . . . . . . . or until you look in the rear view mirror and see the guy with the light bar on the top of his car catching up with you!!! LOL :whistles: To misquote Jim Croche from Speedball Tucker, "146 was the route you were on, it was not the speed limit sign." :) larry

I got such a "great deal" that I bought it (or should I say, fell for it :chairshot: ), and then I got home and wifey gave me the good sense that I should have had in the first place. In Illinois, you have 30 days to get a full refund, so I did go and get it. In the interim, see if you can get a prorated refund on your extended warranty. We bought one for our Volvo, and boy, we really needed it, and used it - but the warranty was to 150K miles. On the Lexus, you have a 50K warranty bumper to bumper, and isn't it 70K on the drivetrain? So what does that leave you with for a warranty on your Lexus that you're paying $2K for? Not worth it at all, no matter how hard they try to sell you. larry

Has anyone seen a torque curve on the IS250? I was wondering what the ideal shift points are, and though I am starting to get a better feel of the car as I start to push it, it would be easier to see the reality from the charts, rather than just pushing the gas pedal and relying on butt measurements. TIA larry

Bart: Yes, I noticed that the front spoiler is so low, that in a heavy snowfall, the car becomes a snowplow. Not exactly a great design for the Upper part of the US, where snow is a reality. I don't think that even AWD helps if you're plowing snow in front of you. Wheels arrived this afternoon. Driveway's plowed. I'm putting a coat of wax on them tomorrow, and then Sunday morning, I'll mount them. larry

UPDATE So, last night Deerfield, IL (where I live) got 11 inches of snow. More than any other community in the Chicago area. Boy were we lucky!!! So, this morning, I decided that it was important for me to get to work. After all, I had to do the month-end close for my company. I mean, I'm an important person, or at least I try to be a contientious one. So, I figured that even though I didn't have my snow and ice tires yet, I could blast out of the driveway to the street, and then drive - albeit slowly - to my office. But it was not to be. Bravery turned to be stupidity. I drove out of the driveway, and hit the street, or at least my back tires did. The rest of the car was still in the driveway. It took me a half hour to dig enough snow so that I could get my car fully onto the street and pointed in the right direction. HOORAY!!! Except that I couldn't go forward. The stock tires and wheels had no traction whatsoever. None. So I decided to go back into the driveway so that I could at least avoid the snow plows that were going to come down the street at some point. Well, that took another half hour. Great, huh? Well, now I finally have the car in the driveway, and my new 16" wheels and Michelin X-Ice tires are being delivered today by UPS. Then, I will spend the late afternoon changing tires changing tires in a cold freaking driveway so that I am finally ready to go. Whatta deal!! larry

lex: I am glad that you have it all worked out. I don't know, does the IS250 AWD have the same tires front and back? on the RWD they are different, which precludes me rotating. But that being said, I have always been wary of warranties of time and distance on car's accessories, whether that be tires or batteries or the like, because they will always pro-rate the warranty against the price you paid, and apply it against the then retail selling price of the tires. I had this situation once, and found that the sale price of the tires at the dealership were less than what they were going to offer me for a new set under the warranty that had a 50% credit applied. So, for me, warranty - schmarranty - I just drive my car and love every minute. EXCEPT - We just had the big snow storm of the year. My car is in the driveway under 8 inches of snow. I have the originally delivered Bridgestone Potenza tires on the car. Tire Rack shipped out my Michelin X-Ice yesterday mounted on 16" wheels. Due to arrive today. I was gonna change them myself. It wooda been a lot easier last week!!! :chairshot: larry

Outlaw:I got my car with 13K on it. It was used, and came off of a defaulted lease. The car is silver, and the front spoiler looks like someone splattered the car with black paint. The front edges of the fenders and some of the hood have rock chips in it as well. If I bought the car new, I would have put the clear plastic 3M Rock Shield on the car. Now . . . . . don't know what to do. I really don't want to spend the money to repaint the front spoiler already, and is it worth it to put the shield on the car now, protecting the paint that's left, and confirming that these chips will last forever? Am I going to spend hours on the garage floor next year touching up the spoiler with silver paint and then sanding it smooth before I have plastic shield put on it? No good answers here, and now that winter is here, sand on the highways is only going to make this problem worse. The joys of owning a car. larry

Steve:If your "summer" tires cost you $400 and last you 20K miles, and you take them off and drive half the year on your "winter" tires, which cost you $400 and will last you 20K miles, then you have - in effect - one set of tires that will last 40K miles and cost you $800. Having two sets of tires doesn't really give you an additional 40% mileage on them. It's a fiction, because during that "extra" time, they (ahem) aren't on your car . I guess that you either need to figure that the cost of tires for these cars is the price you pay for the "look" of the large diameter wheels and performance, or you buy smaller wheels, or lower speed rated tires or both to get better mileage on your tires, and spend less money. It's all on how you look at your car, and what you "use" it for. larry

Well, I called Tire Rack and ordered some 16" wheels with Michelin X-Ice tires for them. You see, the issue for me is really one of cost and practicality. I don't expect to be "racing" my car in the winter, so getting the high performance winter tires which cost in the $200 - $250 each range is more than I want to do. Secondly, there are few manufacturers that have the split sizes that Lexus recommends for the front and rear of the car. I did get the split sizes on the 16" wheels, and I don't think that it is going to make that much difference in the driveability of the car. It's going to be the look of the car that you guys are going to hassle me about. Plus, going through tires every 20 - 25K is not going to make my wallet happy. :cries: larry

So, what's your thought on saving the money spent on buying wheels and just having them remount the tires in the fall and the spring? The cost differential will probably eat me up in three years anyway, but I won't have to worry about the TPMS system. $20 per wheel for mounting twice a year times 4 tires. :cries: Don't know that there is a way to really avoid this. The years "buying one set of wheels and tires for use all year around" are gone forever. Now two sets of wheels and tires, and 20K - 30K miles per set instead of 50K - 60K miles per set. And you thought that the gas / car companies had a conspiracy? How about the conspiracy of the tire / car companies? larry

Well, I have the IS250 RWD MT6, and am pretty good in winter driving - seriously. My last car was a Lexus SC300, not known for winter going, and I had just regular touring (H Rated) Tires on it. Never got stuck even in the worst Chicago storms. But, I have never had low profile tires before (on 17" rims), and thought that I would have to get winter (snow rated) tires with smaller rims to combat the snow. Wifey isn't too happy with my choice to spend another grand on my investment in the car, but I do have a concern about some of those freeway ramps in the winter. Wonder what my risks will be if I choose not to go the winter tire/rim combination. I am anxious for someone else to have the experience before I do. larry

:Edited post to note G35 as the car referred to: Like the others that commented, I drove both the IS250 and the G35 before I bought mine. Even took wifey along so that she could make her comments. They are both nice cars, so you really can't go wrong, but RX330Driver is right, this is a Lexus forum, and if we had thought that the G35 was the better car, we would now all be posting on the Infinity forum. Here's my take on the two cars. 1. I was looking for a stick, and a stick on the G35 is very hard to come by. 2. I was really looking for a more luxurious car than a more powerful one, which is why I gravitated to the IS250 rather than the IS350. I'm not planning on racing my IS250, and it is quick enough off the stop and around corners to satisfy me. 3. We liked the G35, and it had a nice ride, but the seats were stiffer, especially in the back. And, the car was significantly noisier, especially when you put your foot in the car. But if you want a powerful sports sedan, I'll bet you would like the sound of the rumble under the seats. I didn't. 4. I am really sold on Lexus quality, and have posted my comments on that elsewhere in this forum so I won't repeat the stories here, except to say that I have had a Corolla with 198K miles on it, and a SC300 with 210K on it. Nuff said. 5. I guess if I wanted gas economy, I would have bought a Prius. But at 24 mpg, I am at the lower end of what I really wanted. Being in the G35 with upper teens would have really gotten my goat every week when I filled up. 6. The G35 really has a bigger cabin, but if you raise the front seat up off the bottom, and don't drop it back all the way when you have company in the back, there is sufficient room there for two medium sized adults. We went to theater yesterday with another couple, and he was thrilled with the back seat. All in all, it's just a damn fine driving car, and if it holds up as well as my last ones, I will be just tickled. You won't be sorry buying the Lexus. (maybe I should lurk around the Infinity forum to see if you have done a comparable post there. ;) ) larry

I change my own, but that is what my wife's Volvo wagon is for. larry

Yes there is a difference between 9 miles and 179 miles. But I bought mine "used," with 13,800 miles on it. From Lexus perspective, that is barely out of the garage. The car was flawless, except for a scrape on the right front wheel rim , and I might spend the $75 to get it fixed. But at 14K miles the car is brand new. At 75K it will still drive like it's brand new. My SC300 drove better at 100K than most cars I bought new driving out of the dealership for the first time. There is nothing like a Lexus. larry

Well, me and my big mouth. :chairshot: I reached down to the switch to "prove" my point, and in the process set up the alarm on the tire pressure. Now, I have to reset the pressure by going through the setup process, and I guess that I will have to go through the winter with the red and yellow sign flashing on my dash. Nope, I couldn't figure out how to turn the damn thing off. It is just going to "beep" at me till I reset my tire pressure to be correct at the pressure I want. Now I've got to read that section of the manual again, and pull out my compressor, and get a decent pressure guage. Might as well get some new caps for the valve stems as well. Oh, well. larry

Gentlemen, we have unanimity. I ran my car home today in rush hour traffic, watching my Miles to Go all the way. I got to the gas station with 3 miles to go. Pretty close. Fill up? 14.8 gallons. So, there were 2.4 gallons left in the tank. Enough to go another 48 miles, or there abouts. Now, I'm not suggesting it, but Lexus probably designed the extra in it so that "idiots" who didn't pay attention and suddenly realized (while they were on the highway cruzzin along to their tunes) that they were at 5 miles to Zero, and were also 15 miles to the next exit wouldn't need to call AAA. larry

Danny boy (excuse the familiarity). Here's my story (two of them). In 1987, I bought a brand new Toyota Corolla for $4,500. During the next 10 years, I put 198,000 miles on it. I replaced the clutch twice. Otherwise? Just brakes and a clutch cylinder. Then some yo-yo ran into it in front of my house, and the insurance company settled with me for $4,000 (believe it or not.) They thought that it only had 98,000 miles on it. :whistles: My income had risen a bit over that 10 years, so in 1996 I bought a 1992 Lexus SC300 with 32K on it for $26,000. Over the next 10 years, I drove the car 177,000 miles (for a total of 209,000). It is still parked in my driveway. It now needs a new A/C and struts in the front. Otherwise, it still drives great, and looks even better. You want to compare Lexus to BMW?? Why do you think that BMW now has a promotion where you buy a used BMW and you don't buy any maintenance till the car has 100K miles on it. Because otherwise, you wouldn't be able to afford gas!!!! :o I have known people that have had BMW's, and they hate the service department, and dump them to buy different cars. I have never spoken to someone that has had a Lexus and wants to get out from under it. Maybe I just don't know the right people. ;) larry

Yah, and when you come in because you have a bent valve, and they tell you that the only way you could have bent a valve was to take the RPM's too high for too long before the 2,500 (or whatever) mileage break-in was completed, so your warranty is void, and you say "but my salesman said that . . . . . . " They will look at you like you had said, "gee, I didn't know she could get pregnant from just one time . . . . . " larry

I hate to say it, but since I only sit in the front . . . . . . . looks good to me :) larry

The little button to the lower left of the steering wheel is what controls the displays and warnings. If you press it and then the right or left arrow, it will change the display and you can change the warning to ON or OFF and change the pressure settings. I haven't asked a dealer, and I don't know how the pressure sensors work. But I'll be damned if I am going to spend an extra 450 bazingos to get them on my winter tires. I have never needed pressure sensors in the past and I really don't need them now. I would have rather had memory seat and mirrors. larry

Hooooo NOOOOO. It doesn't include sensors, but I understand from the moderator of this board that I can put wheels on the car without sensors, and as long as I turn off the warning signal, I don't have to worry about it. And, if you're concerned about traction, I would still consider getting 16" wheels for your car. Certainly 17" with winter tires is going to help over 18" with performance tires, but who does performance driving in the winter? Be careful of that patch of ice!!!!! :o larry

I am facing a similar problem, but different. My car, an IS250, is equipped with 17", and I am planning on going to a 16" wheel and winter tire package from the Tire Rack. I am a bit chagrined at having to spend over $900 for such a package, but such is life. I think that you will find that there is an article on the Tire Rack website on the size of wheel related to traction, and they recommend the 16" wheel for winter driving. It will give you more tire flex, more traction and be a better all around tire in the winter. If you noticed, they will also ship them to you mounted and balanced. I'm in Chicago, and probably need to do this in the next few weeks, before the snow flies and they run out of stock. Let me know what you decide. larry

There is a certain reasoning for buying any car. If we all wanted the same car, we would all be driving Model T's. I bought the IS250 because I wanted the stick, and wanted a bit better gas mileage, and my budget was in the upper 20's. I know that the IS250 MT6 gets about the same mileage as the IS350 auto, but that is where the selection comes in. The stick was more important to me, and the price point made the IS350 out of reach, unless I found one with lots and lots of miles. I'm really pleased with my car, I just have to get extra wheels and tires for the winter. Wifey will be really happy when she hears that story. NOT :chairshot: larry

I'm sure that my experience doesn't really count, since I bought mine used, but here it is. I found out the car was off lease, from someone that defaulted. Picked it up a little less than 2 weeks ago. I have been looking for a bit over 3 weeks. Trying to find a 2006 with a manual transmission for cheap. First of all, it's nearly impossible to find a used one with the MT6. Secondly, there is no such thing as cheap with these cars. Mine is a 2006 MT6 with the Luxury Package (heated and vented seats) and the accessory package (front and rear mats). Very basic transportation. The only thing that I really wished it had was memory seats and mirrors. I had that in my SC300, and it was really handy. The car is in silver, and has 13,500 miles on it, and they had it listed for $29,995 on the internet, and I got it for $27,900 plus taxes, etc. We were at a different dealer looking talking about these cars, and they laughed at me when I told them I was looking for a used one. They had a new IS350 they tried to sell me for $45,000. Not in this lifetime. My car is just great, thanks very much. It has nearly everything that I want in a car, and the sound system is great. larry

All the comments about waxing and waxing to remove the scratch are just plain wrong, unless you are using a wax with a polishing compound in it, and I wouldn't do that. The only way to remove a scratch is to fill it, or to buff (or polish) it out. There are a number of polishes on the market that will allow you to remove the swirls caused by buffers, but a scratch is probably too deep to buff out. You can use 3M Hand Glaze mixed 50/50 with Blue Magic Metal Polish. That is about as tough a compound as you will want to use. Or, you can use one of the Meguaire products. Use a wet cloth to add some lubrication, and go forward and back (front to the back of the car) as the air flows across it. That is how I have removed swirls and small scratches from my classic Porsche, and honestly, your Lexus has a tougher finish, because it is clearcoated. But if the scratch is through the clearcoat, you're basically screwed. larry