Fizzboy7

mr raider actually said: Which is what you have listed above. Cosmetic differences and a few options adjustments. so basically they did nothing. the guy at the dealer said the 08 and 09 are the same. which it basically is. its not like they upgraded anything SUBSTANTIAL like ML comes standard...or more HP etc I wouldn't say they did "nothing." This is the traditional, typical, mid-life update or facelift if you will. Changing a front and rear bumper, lighting, side mirrors (which I forgot to list), and wheels are enough to tip off anyone who follows this car that it is indeed different. A typical salesperson will often say nothing is different with the new model, just to sell the old one and get it off his lot. Beware.

More than just jiggled options... 1) New front bumper, air intakes, and grille. 2) New standard rims (17" and 18"). 3) New rear bumper (area between the tailpipes is now black and cut higher). 4) New rear taillights. 5) New exterior color. 6) Grey wood replaces the red auburn in black and grey interiors. 7) New center dash console buttons for Nav, chrome trim surround, and clock display area. 8) Supposedly the addition of outside temp always visible, but I have yet to see a pic. 9) Beige and grey interior trim colors are now limited to lower sections of the doors. 10) Redesigned sunroof switches... now black. 11) Supposed suspension and steering enhancements... but no one has felt a difference yet. 12) Reshaped accessory front and rear spoiler.

I am coming out of an '03 Auid A4 and it had VERY heavy steering at low speeds. They changed it for 2005, but I felt that made it too light. My new '08 IS250 feels on the heavy side, but it's decent. I'd prefer it to be slightly lighter while parking, but that is a nitpick. As far as brakes... this thing has an amazing amount of brakedust. The darker for '08 wheels hide it some, but it's still there in all it's dullness. I also feel there is too much travel with the pedal before anything happens, but I will likely get used to it as the car is very new to me. If I had any real complaints, it would be the lack of roadfeel. The Audi (and BMW for that matter) let you feel the road through the steering. It's helpful when cornering briskly or even braking. The Lexus is more isolated, which is the price paid for a good ride and silence. Somewhere out there, someone has a car with the best of all worlds.

Mine had 24 also. But I had to add 60+ to get it home. Oooooo...

Congrats on the new lex B) Welcome to the club So many more questions I keep thinking of. I was parked in my garage tonight with the xenons on and I turned the wheel to see if the lights turned with it. Nada. Does the car have to be moving in order for this feature to kick in? Also, I can't seem to get the RDS working with the radio. I'll hit the RDS button and the name of the song or artist comes on for a few seconds, but won't stay. Is there a way to keep that text up? My A4 had is scrolling constantly. What else... oh! When in manumatic mode and coming to a stop, the gear indicator stays at 3 or 4 or wherever it was before I came to a stop. Then when I start moving again, the trans will shift by itself until it reaches those numbers again. At that point, I am back in manual mode. Shouldn't the trans default back to 1 and manual mode when I come to a stop and start up again? I have glanced over the owner's manual... more studying to do unless someone wants to chime in with info. Thanks again!

Cool. I also have some white sticker film on the edges of my hood I have to pull off. And I am noticing a build up of dirt where the edges of the film used to be... I guess some residue is still on there. Wax time! =)

I appreciate that!!!!!

Thanks! I'll give it a tug this afternoon. =)

Congrats on the new lex B) Welcome to the club Thank you thank you! It's great to be here. I tried registering at Club Lexus, but it won't let me log in, or I don't see a place to add an account, and the webmaster never emailed me back. Oh well.

Congrats. There are Technical service Bulletins to fix the cracking and treplace the rear view mirror - yours for the asking... Thanks! Yeah, I have been reading so much about everything on the board... the TSB were next. I knew going into this car there might be rattle issues. But again, it was the sum of everything that led me to the IS.

After much lingering and research, I am finally the proud owner of a new '08 IS250. I am coming from an '03 Audi A4, which was totaled in January. After much haggling with the insurance company, I finally got settled up and made the purchase last week. I only have 275 miles, but so far, I love this car! I looked all over for Glacier Frost Mica and only a few dealers here in SoCal had any. Got the color I wanted and a great lease at Lexus of Westminster. I even got Lexus USA to honor my Taste of Lexus coupon that expired last December. Not bad I must say! What mostly attracted me to the IS was it's agressive styling and amount of features for the price. I love the keyless ignition, wood trim, 18" rims, and LED lighting everywhere. I looked at everything, including a new A4, and concluded this would be the one. I hope to get many good miles out of it and glad I found a forum to post things on. Speaking of that, I do have some questions. One, is there a way to lower the rear seat headrests? One seems higher than the other and I don't see or feel any buttons to press. Two, there is an elastic band below the back seats at the carpet. Is this something to be cut off and removed? Looks like shipping material. Yes, I have the cracking sound from the center dash, but so far it hasn't gotten on my nerves yet. Lastly, I notice my review mirror vibrates a lot when the interior warms up or I drive with the sunroof open. I think the mounting might be defective, so I'll be bringing it to my dealer for that. Everything else is great and it's hard to think I am actually driving a Lexus! =) Thanks for the info!