Knightshade

There's actually quite a bit of info available on this stuff, including pricing for much of it...

Most of it, like most TRD parts, are show parts, not go parts... there's almost nothing that'll add any power to the car (there's an intake that looks like a Joe Z knockoff for 4 times the cost and another exhaust that looks just like the current Lexus/HKS offering that doesn't add much power...and that's about it).

There's a stronger clutch for the IS250 that already doesn't make enough power to stress the existing clutch

There's some potentially decent suspension stuff, that's about as close to real performance parts as this stuff gets (unless you count the carbon ceramic brake kit that'll cost north of $10,000)

Then you've got the bling like the $865 engine cover or the $100 shift knob...

Here's a link with some of the pricing info

http://my.is/forums/f87/f-sport-parts-pric...is350-f-346062/

Have you ever put a DVD in to a DVD player?

It's exactly that difficult.

I'm not sure exactly what you're saying... you thought adding navigation to the vehicle would somehow magically give you an XM receiver?

The OEM ISx50 XM hardware mounts in the trunk of the car, and isn't terribly hard to add... I think it runs around $300 and there's several threads on how to install it yourself

I'd like to buy an IS 250 with specific options (luxury package & navigation) for a fair price. My dealer mentioned they never get that configuration in stock without custom ordering. He said they WILL place a custom order, but only for an IS 350 LOADED (44k+ MSRP, 18", speaker upgrade, etc). He also said they cannot negotiate price at all on custom ordered cars, even with a hefty deposit.

Should I call another dealership? Is it possible to get a custom order IS 250 with luxury package & navigation at a reasonable price (3k below MSRP)? Or was the dealership speaking the truth about having to order an IS 350 and pay MSRP? Please let me know, would love to buy an IS but this sounds odd and turns me off a bit from Lexus.

I'd say they're lying. A dealership can special order anything, with any specific packages. It just takes 4 or more months to get it. They have even more package options to choose from than what is posted on www.lexus.com. Most of the options are scaled down versions of the website options.

They pay the same invoice cost (with respect to added options) than they would getting the car in a normal yearly shipment. That means they have the same price wiggle room (MSRP - invoice). It sounds like they are lazy and don't want the hassle.

I would deffinately not deal with these jokers. Talk to other dealerships, even if they are a couple hours away it's worth it. One warning though, if you do special order, do not expect to be told an exact date for delivery. They have an absolutely terrible tracking system. They do not know the car's location or the expected delivery date, even after it has been loaded on a truck.

There's no reason it should take 4+ months. Mine took 2.5 months, and once it was on the ship from Japan they knew the date it would reach port in the US, as well as a 3-5 day window when it'd arrive at the dealership after that.

One sorta 'catch' is AFAIK all the special orders for a given month have a cut-off date (I want to say the 15th) so it it doesn't go in by, say, March 15th, then the order doesn't actually get submitted until April 15th and the clock starts from there... which I suppose might get you nearer 4 months if you just miss the cut-off for a given month.

I think the extended warranty is good if your planning on keeping it past it's factory warranty and if you drive a lot.

$2500 is too much though. You should get a 100K/7 yr Warranty for like $1500 max.

Another option is getting "mechanical break down insurance" via your car insurance company.

I have that for a new civic I got. It's like $3.00/month, and you have to start it when you buy the car new (they give you a 1 year grace to get it).

Then you keep paying. So after 48 months, you've paid $144, and during that time you've been under your factory warranty.

From 48 months to 100 000 miles your under the $3.00/month warranty. It's bumper to bumper cept for brakes etc.

The catch is that it has a $250 deductible.

From 50K to 100K, your really worried about major repairs, trans etc falling out. $250 is almost nothing considering how expensive Nav units, and Transmissions can run. So if you add up 72 mo $3.00, plus $250 deductible, your still way cheaper than the $2500 warranty from them.

Plus you didn't have to pay it upfront or with interest.

IF you sell the car, then your done. The other catch is if you get 400 speeding tickets, your insurance will go up. So this is for responsible people.

The other catch is as far as I know only Geico offers this- which is great if you use Geico, otherwise not so much

It's just changing a disc in the nav unit in the dash...takes like 5 minutes to do yourself... pop the cover off (there's a tool in your factory toolkit to pop it off), eject old disc, insert new disc, pop cover back on...

Yup, that's the guy... just couldn't remember his info off hand and can't get to my other email while at work... while it's true that it's only "adding" 3 yrs/50k miles that works out to less than $500/yr for the extra coverage... maybe not worth it if you replace your car every 3-5 years, but pretty cheap piece of mind if you keep em for the long term.

Having just bought my 2008 IS250 I am considering the dealer's offer to extend the 4 year warranty by 3 years to 7 years for US$2500. I intend to keep the car for 10 years. I have had my Toyota 4-Runner for 13 years and have never had anything other than routine servicing done on it. I wonder if I will need it. However, the IS250 is more complex and sophisticated with multiple computers so there is more to go wrong. Hence my dilemma.

Any opinions would be welcome!

Thanks

My belief is that this is a waste on a Toyota product--your 4Runner is a great example. You are buying into the salesman scare tactics with the "today's cars have many more things that can go wrong." This was the same reasoning my dad would never buy a car with power windows--"It's just the first thing that breaks!"

You are paying for $2500 for 3 years of coverage, not 7 because you already have 4 years with your purchase. Keep your $2500 and invest it. If you have a major malfunction after 4 years, you have the money to pay for it.

If you do decide to get it, ask them for a copy of the warranty documents to review before you purchase. Look for a the section that says "Exclusions." I had this issue on an Acura TL that I foolishly bought Honda's extended warranty for. There was a LONG list of exclusions. My auto-dimming rear view mirror went bad, and I was denied coverage because "mirrors" were excluded (even though the glass part was fine--just the liquid inside went bad). I even appealed to Honda Finance, and no go. Dealer ended up agreeing with me, and comp'ed the cost of parts.

if you search around you can also get the extended warranty MUCH MUCH cheaper than that... the quoted cost on my IS350 was only something like 1600-1800 (can't recall exactly) for the platinum (best coverage) 7 yr/100k warranty from Lexus... I think it was a dealership in Connecticut or someplace like that... you can buy the warranty from any dealership and it's valid anywhere. And an IS250 should be even cheaper than my quote.

For performance, no, it's almost certainly going to show no gain at all.

On the other hand, a reuseable filter will pay for itself over time compared to a disposable one simply in replacement costs.

Be careful of "wet" reusable filters though as too much reoiling will cause issues with oil getting on your MAF.

To be clear-

The US 2IS has no harddrive whatsoever.

The JDM 2IS does have a HD in the nav unit where it keeps its maps. If you're able to download music onto that I'm unsure, and I don't know if there's anyone on here who'll be able to answer it as I'm unsure anyone else on here has one.

Pretty much all cars have had ECUs for decades now.

The one in the US 2IS is not reprogramable by anyone right now in any way if that's why you're asking.

The only package that I am aware of as standard on the IS is the Preferred Package (cargo net, trunk carpet, wheel locks). I special-ordered mine and left off the Preferred Package, and they put it on anyway, at no charge. Go figure.

Didn't come on my special order, so it isn't standard.

What one dealership might do isn't the same as what another might, but it's not a company-wide standard or anything.

Oh, and there's no reason you can't get awfully close to invoice on a special order if you find a reasonable dealer. He's still making a small profit on a guaranteed sale just for filling out some paperwork.

Would the brake dust TSB solve the sensitivity of the brakes?

I don't think it solves but just improves it.

I had the factory original pads changed per the TSIB at 15k mi. on my '06 IS250 awd and there are two differences: 1) brake dust is less but not a significant amount (worth it though); 2) Brake feel is very slightly different as in less initial "bite". Unless you are going to drive it hard and brake it hard, you may find it easier to brake smoothly (again, worth the trouble). I waited and tolerated the brake dust issue until 15k to extend the time when I would have to replace them at my expense.

Most folks seem to report more 'iinear' braking feel from the TSIB pads so that will probably help that issue for you...

The steering as folks have mentioned was changed in 08 specifically to be -more- like BMWs because people complained it was too light.

The rims are physically the same size but the finish is different (and much nicer looking in many folks opinions) for 08

hi, i am new too. your car may not have the DVD equiment.:whistles:

If it's a car without ML (which is what he said) then he absolutely does NOT have the DVD player- that requires both Nav and ML.

TSIBs are generally free as they're fixing a problem with the original vehicle.

I update the maps in my Garmin annually, but that's only $75... as noted the map data is already a year or two older than the indicated year, and if you live anywhere with much development things change fairly quickly. If you live someplace with very little development in the last few years you can probably skip it.

You can install the new disc yourself easily... and there's cheaper places than the dealer to buy it (try ebay for one)

Hi I'm new in here and I need help with my Nav. I have 2008 IS350 and I want to know if somehow I can play DVDs on my Nav. with out ML ?

No, you can't... your car doesn't have a DVD player

The dealer I got my car from didn't even drill holes in the car. They just took a screw gun and forced the screws through the plastic.

There are ways to attach a front plate without putting holes in the bumper too (a couple different ways that I've seen).

Does anybody use their ipod in the IS250? I was looking for a good ipod integration setup. Has anybody tried the DICE ipod integration kit for Toyota/Lexus? Let me know what you tried and how you liked it. I'm looking for advice on a good ipod integration kit. Any information is appreciated and useful.

Thanx...

Get your dealer to fit the Lexus integration unit. It provides a full interface in the glovebox that switches/charges/plays and use of the steering wheel audio control. No interference either which you get if you charge using the power socket at the same time using the auxiliary jack in the central storage unit.

Any info available on pricing of the Lexus dealer installed option?

I understand there is a Service Bulletin that is supposed to fix the buzz through the speakers when the charger is plugged in and the ipod is on. My dealer said it could not be fixed but then I found out about the Service Bulletin. Has anyone gotten that fixed? I have an '08 250.

Thanks

Where did you find the service bulletin? (link)

I thought this was already fixed on 08s... I didn't notice any buzz the couple times I had mine plugged in at any rate.

TSIB can be referenced here-

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread...=auxiliary+TSIB

I need the advice of the form...

I just bought a 2008 Lexus IS 250 Fully Loaded this past weekend. Everything was great! I got a good deal on the car the car looked good, has the options I wanted and everything.

Here is the problem. After I took delivery of the car drove it home and parked, looked at the front of the car and saw an aweful front license plate, with dealer logo. So I got my screwdriver out and took off the plate and found they had screwed the mounting bracket directly into the bumper, so I called the sales person and told him I wanted a new bumper. He said by law they had to put the mounting bracket on the car, after he said that I went to the California DMV Website and found this: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d05/vc11713_17.htm which basically says they don't have to mount it for you, only provide you with the bracket. None of the cars on the lot were equipped with this, they put it on when they took it back to wash it.

What should I do?

You should call him back and quote the law to him. Explain you paid for a car without holes in the bumper and that's what you expect to have.

Well, apparently his dealer did... but it's rarely a good idea to listen to the dealer :P

The dealer needs to learn to read the owners manual.

Your car requires 91 octane or higher to run properly.

It will -run- on 87, but not properly.

The engine will detect knock from the low octane fuel and !Removed! engine timing...meaning less power. The sensors are probably good enough to avoid doing any damage from the knocking.

Then after a while the computer will try adding a little timing back in, and see it knock again, and !Removed! the timing again.

You probably -can- run this way for a lot of miles, but it's not a very good idea.

Generally speaking you should -always- use the lowest octane fuel that doesn't cause engine knocking (which you likely won't be able to hear while driving it but your engine can)- That is almost always the same octane the dealer recommends in the owners manual... which for an IS350 would be 91 or higher.

The carpet change came after production began, so the first shipment or two of cashmere interiors still have cashmere carpet for 08, then they switch to black after that.

Otherwise most stuff has been mentioned- different wheel finish, different steering feel... plus they added a crappy coinholder on the dash, and the seat-backs are changed for a little more legroom and a different type of seatback pocket.

If you do your own oil changes than save yourself time and trouble and put some fully synthetic Amsoil in there... you'll only need to do it once a year (unless you drive more than 25-35k miles a year).