mr_raider

BAh... 0-60. It's all about how rock solid this car is in tight turns. It's nice to see passengers reach for the door handles when I near an off ramp.

How do you check your oil if there is no dipstick?

There is a "dummy" indicator/warning light on the dash that lights. The Lexus' are also equipped with these dummy lights.

I applaud you for checking your oil level (presumably regularly)! Just curious, because I actually don't check the IS oil level, have you found any indication of your car burning oil?

No burning. I check at every fill up (2/month). I'm already uncomfortable with 6 month oil schedule. Coming from Nissan, I was used to 5000km/3 months.

The "no service" tranny worries me too. Thank god for the 6 year powertrain warranty. Toyota has been making some flaky parts of late.

Toyota told me they need the 4 ID codes. That's all. Tirerack told me every thing should be there, but were vague of specifics. If I have to unmount the tires from the rims to get the ID codes, it will annhilate any savings I could have had and I might as well buy locally.

How do you check your oil if there is no dipstick?

I tested all the cars mentioned above in AWD form, plus a few more (Subaru LGT, Volvo T5 AWD). The Germans were overpriced, underequipped and had horrid interiors. Plus I hated MBs attitude when I asked to test drive a c230 4 matic like they were doing me a favor. In the end it came to the g35x and the IS250 awd. I chose the latter for it's smooth ride, quiet interior, and better fuel economy. The IS may not feel as road worthy as the 3 series, put it turns in some of the best slalom times in it's class.

BTW, I have owned American and Japanese cars for 13 years in a climate as bad as Boston, and I never had a blower failure, or any of the problems you listed.

they should be printed right on the side/base of the sensors.

Not much use if they are mounted and balanced.

If you -must- have ti in your dash you could get an aftermarket head unit with a screen and navigation installed, that also does more, for less than the cost of swapping in the OEM unit.

Unfortunately, it's far from easy to do that due to the way the dash is integrated.

They said the sensors were by Pacific or something. I'll check with some local shops and see what they say.

Does tirerack give you the sensor ID numbers?

If anyone is curious, the dealer wants close to 3K for rims, tires, sensors :D

Lexus will only program Lexus brand TPMS sensors. I know that Lexus sensors are made by Pacific. (TireRack doesn't sell these).

You can get the sensors at Lexus or from an online Lexus dealer (~$106 each + ~$6 for each required fitment kit) , have them program the sensors into the car (~$100) and then mount them in the rim of your choice. Don't buy wheels and tires prebalanced as they will only have to be remounted and balanced after the sensors are installed.

steviej

Are you sure about this? I just called tirerack and they said that the aftermarket TPMS they supply is compatible. I found a local Toyota dealer willing to do the programming, all they need is the ID code.

Has anybody from Canada dealt with tirerack.com? I live close to the border (PLAttsburgh NY, Burlington VT) and I wonder if can ship the tires there and save on brokerage fees.

New law coming in effect in Nov that makes winter tires mandatory around here, and I'm looking to beat the rush by starting shopping early.

Anyone go to a 16" setup for the IS 250 AWD in winter? 16" tires seem to be cheaper and I generally like the higher profile for winter driving.

Also, there seem to be no steelies for IS, what type of cheap alloy rims should I look for in winter?

Finally has anyone ordered a tire/wheel combo with TPMS for the IS from tirerack.com? Is everything compatible and will the dealer be willing to program the TPMS bougt from a 3rd party?

Trying clicking on the lock button twice on your key fob. If that doesn't turn em off, you got a problem.

My AWD is250 is getting 11L/100km city and I got 8.2L/100km highway on recent road trip with 4 people in the car and a full trunk driving 120km/h.

I'll let the smart people convert all that from metric to US.

then...

what are you planning on doing whenever you park at night in a dark spot? use a flashlight?

Lights are thoroughly useless since they illuminate in front of the car, not to the side where I exit. Right now the only thing they got going for them is the "cool" factor. I didn't know no delay meant that they still stay on until the door opens. I'll have them changed next time.

LOL!! POS portables!!..... You might wanna keep a 2-D nav backup system folded nicely in the glove box. LMAO!!

Hmpf.. Analog.

I tried. 30 seconds is the shortest time, followed by off. There is nothing in between. The alternative is to turn the headlight switch to off before leaving the car.

Does anyone really use that coin holder? To much rattle for me.

No. It doesn't hold coins very well. Especially our oversized dollar coins.

A more recent survey:

http://www.forbesautos.com/advice/toptens/...?thisSpeed=8000

According to what I read, 52% of IS buyers are women. SO it's only 2% girlie. A far cry from the Miata or Beetle.

Much more convenient than leaving the card in the side map pocket. Didn't notice :)

Has anyone minus sized to 16" on the AWD? Do the brakes get enough clearance? I was thinking of it for winter since you get more choices in 16" and the added protection from potholes is welcome.

I've seen threads about people getting it after filling up and not tighting the gas cap, but i havent filled the thing up yet its still on the dealer fill up. Thanks

That's the check engine light due to the fuel vapor recovery system. VSC malfunction is something different. Time to visit your friendly neighbourhood Lexus dealer.

Well the ES is faster than the IS250 AWD, so he may miss the power. Then again, the ES drives llike a boat.

I should have said "87 octane". But, yes, all pump gas today in the US and Mexico (Canada?) is unleaded.

No. We still put lead, beer and beaver tails in our gas :D

ok dude the 350 has too much power. when i drive in the city from red light to red light i feel like throwing up.

No such thing as too much power. You may decide the IS250 has sufficient power for your needs, but you can never say "too much power". That's just blasphemy :D