Gaugster

Yeah, I was thinking Nav and BT but wrote Levison by mistake. We don't see many vehicles with NAV without ML in my region so I tend to think of them as one in the same. rish!then7 - Do you have NAV or not? What other features are you referring too?

I don't know much abot the LS but some of the newer head units have built-in Bluetooth capability as well as MP3, and Flash memory etc.... If your car has leather seats then realize that the sub-bass sound from a set of woofers in the trunk will have a harder time finding its way into the cabin. So don't skimp on the power and size of the subs if you go that route. That is unless you have a factory sub in the rear deck to use/modify

dude thats pretty sweet i appreciate the answers and all but i dont have the mark levinson dvd...can i still install a nav override for other features? also i have no idea how'd i'd go about installing it...any tips? oh and ya def. get a coin holder and put those sachagawea (sp?) gold 1 dollar coins if your from the US it looks pretty sweet I don't know if a nav hack will help as I believe that the Levison and Bluetooth phone capability are bundled together. Sorry. I will check into the coin holder. I have not seen one up close yet.

Hosestly, it doesn't matter much and is more of a personal preference. The S mode is not a true manual mode. The transmission ECU will not allow you to shift into what it would consider the "wrong" gear. It will actually beep at you if you try to shift into a lower gear (1st or 2nd) if the vehicle speed is too high. It also will not let you over rev the RPM when going full throttle.

Yes that is correct. The single gear shift icon (7-segment display) shows the gear selected when using the sport mode. If you toggle the 'Disp" button on the steering wheel to the gear indicator, if will show the actual gear that the transmission is in.

Welcome to the club. Read the FM when you get a chance. :D Yes all of the head rests have a buttom to lower then so that they are touching the top of the rear seat. Button is on the side of one of the post inserts. They can also be removed completely which is nice for cleaing. Not too sure about the elastic band. There was a lot of blue plastic on the finsihed parts of my car when I got it but this sounds like something different.

There are some Nav override kits for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM). They are hard to find but some will allow for video sources to be fed to the LCD screen. Then perhaps you could intergrate a video source etc... www.datasystems.co.jp is a good place to start but obviously its a Japanese site. I have the kit from the first link below and so far have no complaints. It's plug and play instead of hacking into wires and such. It only unlocks the DVD/Phone features when the vehcile is in motion but that is all that I wanted. https://secure02.blue.shared-server.net/www...r/app_tvnv.html http://www.field-net.co.jp/osirase/lmt-01n.html Good luck,

I just installed a NAV override switch set into one of the blank buttons. I have the rear shade but no coin holder so I have one space remaining for some TBD option. I am sure that I will thing of something. Maybe the coin holder?

Yeah, the bundled package thing is all about sticker prices IMO. I special ordered my 250 AWD with the packages noted in my signature. In Illinois is seems like all the IS350's came with the Premium & Luxury Packages along with Levison, etc... This drove the sticker price way up. The Pre-Collision System was just not available without a special order. Many of the IS250's were less optioned with lower sticker prices. Perhaps the more optioned IS250's sold out quicker too. Regards,

FWIW - I an rolling the Dunlop Sport 3D this season. They work great in snow and ice but still maintain the performance of a low profile tire in the wet/dry times. We have had a lot of snow (relatively) this year in Chicago so I have taken full advantage of their capabilities. Regards,

I actually had to get use to both the paddle shifters and the cruise control lever. At first, I was touching them with my fingers on accident but now it doesn't bother me. I use them only for down shifting but still just occasionally. So in theory, I could just remove the up-shift paddle and really annoy the Lexus “Purist” while befriending the “ricer” crowd. But really they are fine even if they are just for looks. I was actually thinking of adding a grip-tape like material to the back of the paddles to improve how the feel when I touch them with my fingers. They are smooth now with no texture and they feel kind of cheap to me. Maybe leather would be neat too? Anyone seen any sort of cover for the paddles? Or is this my next million dollar idea that someone else will do before I get around to it? Regards,

Dat’s veird? :D My American version of the IS250 has a sunglass compartment in the same area as the map lights and moon roof control. I.e. above the rear-view mirror. Perhaps, if you don’t have the moon roof option the you don’t get the sunglass compartment. However I think I have seen non-moon roof cars with the compartment before. Perhaps in an EU difference? Regards,

You might want to look at the OEM alternators for newer versions of Toyota vehicles that have the 3.0L straight 6. I think that is your motor but I could be wrong. The mechanical fit might be a match because the motor is based on the same platform. Perhaps they will have higher amperage too? I have read online that the new IS250/350's have a 100A OEM alternator. These cars are V6 motors so I don't think that they will bolt up directly. Regards,

You need to hold the button for a few seconds. Can you fully turn it of in an '06? Or is it just the stability that can't be turned off? I was thinking the same thing as I was reading through this post. The '06 cars don't have a button to push to defeat the traction control. So you have to do what is known as the 'pedal dance'. 1 - If you press the traction button on the ‘07 or ‘08 cars the traction control feature will be disabled at low vehicle speeds. The stability control is still 100% active. 2 - If you press and hold the traction button on the ‘07 or ‘08 cars then both the traction control and stability control will be disabled, again at low speeds. If the car gets too silly then the systems will come back online. It seems like disabling the safety features puts the car into a "Sport" or "Competition" mode so you can be more aggressive etc... Regards,

Yes, this is the procedure for setting the baseline tire pressure. It should be used whenever you make pressure adjustments due to ambient temperature changes, race day, etc… Just for the record. You can not program new TPM sensor ID’s by this method. So far, this can only be done with a programming tool that is typically only available from the dealers. However, both Lexus and Toyota dealers can program the ID’s. Guess which dealer costs less for the same service???? Regards,

Yup, The IS is very advanced when it comes to safety or any newer Lexus for that matter. They have many pre-collision systems as well as air bags galore. It is great to have all that security but at the same time, you hope that you never need those crash safety features. My only complaint is that the amount of airbags limits your options for mounting a baby seat. But I guess it encourages people to put the baby seat in the safest possible position. Center of the rear seat. Regards,

That is an interesting question. I have verified that the IS250 ML system can play .MP3 and .WMA (lossy) when these files are burned onto a CD. You get the tracking information, song title etc... I don't use the Lossless codec so I can't help with that. The Lexus or ML websites don't seem to reference Lossy vs. Lossless. The audio systems use an analog RCA input for any portable device. Therefore, audio compatibility is kind of a mute point. The digital to analog conversion is performed by the portable device (IPOD, ZUNE, Cell Phone etc...) and the vehicle just plays the analog signal. You might want to see what type of mounting kits are available for GS and buy a audio device that uses the kit. Some of the kits use the SAT radio input which allows for use of the vehicles controls etc... I have a cell phone that I store music on when I travel. It is possible that track information can be communicated over the analog input but I do not know if our vehicles have this capability. Regards,

I concur.

The Lexus-Japan website seems to mention that the HDD can hold music as well as NAV data. So I do not believe that your comment is correct. However I am using a google translator to read the text so.... Besides a 30G HDD for NAV data only would be silly even in Japan.

None of the US market ISx50's have the HDD. However the JDM version of the IS has a 30G HDD but we are not talking about the Japanese market here. Regards,

How did you wind up getting the car home? Just to clarify. There is a manual override for the ignition although it is still electronic instead of a mechanical key. Once inside the vehicle, you can place the key fob flat againsts the start button. Then by pressing (maybe press and hold?) the start button, the engine can be turned on. This can be done even if the battery in the key fob is dead or missing. The details are in the FM (Frigging Manual) It is possible that the energy from the wifi antenna's caused the system to fail. Again, the FM has some details about this. I hope you didn't have to pay for a tow.

Thomas, I will tell you my experience about the Dynamic cruise control on a N. American version IS250 AWD. A1) The Dynamic cruise control works well but is not designed to work in heavy traffic. Please remember that the Dynamic cruise option also adds a Pre-Collision system as they use the same radar sensor. The Pre-Collision system also works very well. I had a truck pull out in front of me and the stopping power was much better. A2) The Dynamic cruise control works reliably. I use the system in all types of weather. The behavior of the system is the same for all types of weather conditions. I feel safe and confident using the system. A3) The system has two warnings. 1 is a beeping sound. 2 is a flashing icon in the cluster display. These warnings occur when the car in front is slowing down at a fast rate. The system can apply a medium level of braking pressure. A4) Yes, The Pre-Collision safety feature is very good to have. The Dynamic cruise control is a nice feature as well. I use it a lot more that I though I would. Please note that the system will only work at speeds between 28MPH and 88 MPH. Your IS250 system may be different because of the Autobahn speed limits etc… The system will not bring the car to a complete stop.

Schrader and Pacific are the two major TPM sensor manufacturers that supply the Automotive industry. I do not know for sure which wheel sensor is the OEM replacment for your car but the brand Schrader can be trusted as they already supply to the OEMs. So if the sensor is a direct replacment or at least compatible then you might be fine. You will need the sensor ID's to give to a Lexus or Toyota dealer when you have the new sensors programmed into the vehcile unless WalMart has the capability to program the new sensors. BTW, I think that this is a really good deal for the TPM sensors. Post your results for others. I bought an extra set for my IS250 winter wheels through Tirerack and paid much more but still less that what the Lexus dealer wanted to charge. Although for price comparisions, I am not 100% sure if the GS and IS use the same TPM sensor but it is reasonalbe to assume they would. Regards,

I was reading a post somewhere where they referenced the BMW shifter. It was the same thread that explained which wires to switch to make the change. But silly me, I can't find the thread anymore. :chairshot: I looked all over this and the other two groups that I lurk on but could not find it again. I will probably make my own DIY sometime but I would at least like to give credit to the person that inspired me.

It is possible that the combination of the two key fobs with one of them being left in the vehicle caused the issue. My wife and I ride together a lot and have both key fobs with us but have not had any problems. She keeps it in her purse and mine is in my pocket. Once she put her purse in the trunk and it gave use a warning beep. If you look in the FM you can see that there are multiple antennae in the interior and exterior of the car. Each antenna covers a zone in or around the car. Usually these detection zones overlap each other. The car needs to determine where the key fob is when a door sensor or the ignition switch is pressed. The idea is to only unlock the doors when the system is sure that the key fob is outside the vehicle. Likewise the system will only allow the engine to start when it is sure that the fob is inside the vehicle. You can test this by rolling down you window and holding the fob outside the vehicle. The car should not start if the ignition switch is pushed until you bring the fob inside. You will also get the “Key is not detected” message from the cluster. The Lexus system can handle up to 4 unique key fobs. A lot of design and testing goes into the development of these systems to avoid malfunctions but it still can be tricked once and a while. Hope this helps