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djrobsd

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  • Lexus Model
    2006 IS-350

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  1. If your status is New Club Member then you are not allowed to post items for sale in this forum. You must make a contribution to the forums before you can post here. When you have made enough posts, your status will change, and you will be allowed to post. This has become necessary due to the number of people registering purely to sell, and not contributing to our community
  2. Thanks, I just got a good lesson in tire sizes. :) I think if I have to change wheels out I'd go for the 17 x 8 since I've read on some other forums that the noise/handling are dramatically improved with the smaller wheels. As it stands right now my car is so loud on the freeway... It ruins my experience of driving a Lexus.
  3. I have the 225/40ZR18 on the front and 255/40ZR18 in the rear. I'm sick and tired of replacing tires every 15-20k miles. Can I replace all 4 with 225/40ZR18 (or 255/40ZR18), or will they not fit on the wheel? I would love to be able to rotate my tires and get the most life out of them....
  4. Installed this in my 2006 IS-350. This is a great device for those who want to add bluetooth wireless music streaming to their pre-2011 model Lexus (the 2011 models have this feature now). I'm using this with the iPhone 4 and it's very nice to leave my phone in the pocket and just hop in the car and just the little belkin button mounted on my dash to start playing music.... It plugs right into the cigarette plug in the center console and then has a pigtail audio cable that plugs into the line in the center console, for a nice clean installation. Then there's a wire that goes to the Microphone which also doubles as a button you press to start the music playback, skip to the next song, or activate voice dialing on the iphone. It also has a USB port on it so you can still use your cigarette lighter plug to charge a USB device. With that said, wanted to point out a few things: -My car has the audio noise isolation issue - I get a slight hum from the engine using this, not NEARLY as much as when I have my charger plugged into the phone and plug the phone into the line in. I understand there is a TSB for this and I just need to call my dealer and see if they will do it for free (I am out of factory warranty but still have the lexus extended warranty in place) -Works with external apps like Pandora, Spotify, etc. However, Spotify seems to have an issue where it will cut out once in a while and I have to hit the belkin button again to get the audio to start playing. A few times it wouldn't work at all without closing and reopening Spotify and pushing the bluetooth button again. It may just be a Spotify issue rather then something with the Belkin device. -After you start the car and push the button, music usually starts playing, but not always. Sometimes I have to unlock my phone and open the ipod app and push the button again. Most of the time it does play. If I'm playing a podcast, it does resume exactly where I left off before. -Bluetooth speakerphone works BETTER then the Lexus one, it plays in stereo on all speakers, AND also people seem to be able to hear me better then the Lexus built in Bluetooth. -Yes, you can have your iPhone paired to BOTH the Lexus AND the Belkin, and do calls through the Lexus and music through Belkin. Music pauses when the call comes in and resumes when call finishes. -Overall, a great upgrade for $80 bucks, well worth it to me to not have to plug cables into my phone when I get in the car.... I am a little disappointed in the consistency of music playing, and would also like it to automatically start playing without pushing any buttons (like the factory Bluetooth does on the 2011 IS)... LOL BOTTOM LINE: If you want the convenience of leaving your phone in your pocket and play music, and don't want to mess with hard wired solutions this is your best bet.
  5. I've been looking into some technology upgrades for my 2006 IS350. I have an iPhone 4 with the latest IOS and I've thought about getting something to interface my phone with the navigation display. Two options I'm considering are the Parrot 9200 and the VAIS si2iC. I've also thought about the VAIS m2i but it's REALLY expensive at $500, and I'm not sure what more you're getting for the extra $150. I'm curious what others have done and how happy you are with your choice? One thing I like about the Parrot is it supports both USB and Bluetooth audio... but the VAIS seems to have a far more advanced interface, not to mention a much bigger screen by using my factory nav screen. So for those who have upgraded I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
  6. 19mpg with led foot on 2006 IS350... With no tune ups, only oil changes.... I get 21mpg average... 23 if I drive 65 and be very conscientious of my driving habits.... I live in San Diego so we have a lot of hills going from one mesa to another..
  7. That's not an honest post there, I've gotten 60mpg after a fill up when coasting down hill from the gas station!
  8. I got a notice about valve spring recall on my 2006 IS350 so I took it to the dealer yesterday for replacement. They told me they would have my car for at least 3 days and gave me a 2011 IS250 loaner with only 5k miles on it.... I think anyone who goes from driving a used car to a almost brand new one will say they prefer the new one, even though it's a lesser model, and I am no exception... My 2006 has 68k miles on it... And is 5 years old. I get that... But I can't believe the difference... The 2011 rides smoother, even though it has the same size tires on it as my IS... And is significantly quieter... I'm wondering if Lexus made some major noise dampening improvements in the newer model year IS cars? Or could it be that the Y rated Dunlop SP Sport 2050 tires on the IS250 are just a much quieter tire then my Z rated Hankook Vantus tires? Prior to the Hankook, I had the stock RE050 Bridgestones which were also extremely loud. Anyway, maybe I just need to get some quieter tires. I don't need Z rated tires, and if the Y rated ones are THAT much quieter then the Z (Or maybe Hankook and Bridgestone tires just suck) then there is something to be said about that...
  9. I disagree with you. I think there is a sweet spot between performance and comfort, and I think Lexus dropped the ball with the 18 inch package on the IS350. Most people who own an IS350 didn't buy it to race or drive aggressively all the time, I think you'll find that most IS350 owners bought it because they love to have the power when they need it, such as when passing a car or merging onto the freeway. :) To the OP: I have my IS350 in for service right now. They gave me a 2011 IS250 for a loaner that still has the same 18 inch rims and tire size as my 350, but instead of Z rated, they put Y rated, Dunlop SP Sport 2050... The ride quality is awesome compared to my 350.... Although Lexus may have added more noise dampening and suspension improvements in the 2011 model. :)
  10. In July of last year I purchased a used 2006 IS350 w/ 46k miles, Premium, Luxury, Nav, Levinson & spoiler for $24,900 from a used car lot (not certified Lexus, doah!) in El Cajon, CA. At the time I purchased the car, my brother in law who owns a body shop in CO inspected the vehicle and everything looked good on the surface. He checked under the hood, the door seals, etc, but he didn't look under the vehicle and that turns out where the problem lies. A couple days ago, I tried to trade my IS350 in, and the dealer pulled the AutoCheck history report (similar to Carfax). The Autocheck history reports an accident on 6/27/2007 with no details. It also reports that the auction house that sold it to the dealer I bought it from reported Unibody Damage at the time of sale on 6/19/2009. The guy at the new dealership I was trading it in at took my car and put it up on a lift and inspected under the car. The manager showed me where parts had been replaced. There are a lot of markings on the bolts (can someone confirm whether or not lexus does this at the factory??). And some of the parts have brand new stickers on them that would have normally worn off quite a bit after 4 years. In addition, the inside of the front tires is worn down to metal in some spots, even though on the outside they appear fine, and have plenty of tread left on them. Here are the photos I was able to take: http://picasaweb.google.com/djrobsd/Unibody?feat=directlink# So... I'm just curious. Was the dealer I bought my car from required to disclose the previous unibody damage to me? It's been almost a year since I bought the car, do I have any recourse at this point? Looking at the photos, it seems like the repairs are legit, but the way the tires are wearing doesn't seem normal to me. Aside from buying new tires, what else should I do at this point? I mean, it seems to me like I've got a car which is now worth a lot less because it won't show clean on an Autocheck or Carfax report... And in addition, I have to disclose this to whoever buys it from me, so that will in turn require me to sell the car for less money... Not sure what to do at this point... Just curious what others thoughts are!
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