roadfrog

I'm a member with a 2008 LS460 and a 2012 CT200. My son wants to join the family with a Lexus and is looking at a very well-maintained IS300 that has 298k kms (about 160k miles). Here's the listing. http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/a/Lexus/IS...PO&orup=3_15_3

I'm a DIY'er and know my way around vehicles. What I would ask of you IS owners, is what SPECIFICALLY to look out for when we go check it out tomorrow. The price has been negotiated to 5k dollars (CDN), or about 3800 U.S.

Thanks for your input folks.....

roadfrog

Wow....60 views and not one post.

Ahhhh well. Car bought.and hopefully no issues.

MIA_LEX

iTrader: (4)

This side of forum is not good compared to the 2is forum on here or my.is for 1st gen.

In terms of the car, as long as its been well maintained like you said you wont have to worry about much on the 2j. Jus make sure you change all fluids and ensure that the car doesnt leak. Its 15 years old so things will start to go if they havent already.

roadfrog

Thanks Mia! Yeah, this forum is stagnant - at least in comparison to the LS forums. Thanks for the heads-up. I changed the oil and filter today and recharged the AC. There are no leaks and this car is in amazing condition.

bigguppy

iTrader: (15)

Consider other fluids too. Like rear diffiantial, at least do a drain and refill on transmission, check the radiator fluid. Inspect the radiator itself. Mine was the original and made it to 163k. Check the serpentine belt. Check the suspension components like lower and upper control arms. Check the shocks. I overhauled mine over the weekend and what I thought was one bad front shocks, turned out to be all four. Anyways I bought all four from A1auto for $130 USD shipped and then spent another $77 at rockauto for KYBSM5490(2)MOOGK160089(2)MOOGK90460Sorry it was easier to copy and paste parts number. Consider doing spark plugs/wires too. I used NGK plugs and wires. Since you are there replace both left and right valve cover seal. I think I paid $23 at a local dealer with the Clublexus discount. Cheapest I found even compared to other dealers online. Valve cover and radiator fail on me recently around the 163k moles. So maybe consider those too. You can find maintenance info for the 2jz motor too under the 2nd gen gs300, as they share the same motor

roadfrog

Yes, I'll replace the diff fluid as I have no idea when it was done. We have no service records. However, the timing belt will need attention for sure. The owner stated that it was done at 60k miles. Way overdue. The other issue we've come across is that the HVAC system isnt working properly. When you select the dash vents, only the outermost vents put out any air. I have a feeling that the air blend door is stuck or a vac line is pinched etc.

Thanks for the advice so far......

degmla

iTrader: (1)

IS 350 18" wheels
Megan Street-LP coilovers
FIGS IS300 SXE10 Front Caster Arm #2 Press-in Polyurethane Bushings -- a big fan of this, but not necessarily an easy job.

Also, more than any other Lexus I own, this car's performance DRAMATICALLY improved when I cleaned the mass air flow sensor piece in the air intake tube. I guess it had not been touched in 180k miles when I bought it. A different car. I honestly thought I was having transmission issues.

Oil filter is PITA. I found it easier for me to remove the 10mm bolt holding the hard pipe tubing above the filter. Made it easier to flop the tubing around and get the filter out and in.

Your HVAC theory confuses me, though. If you have air coming out the side vents, the only thing to prevent air from the middle vents is the little door directly behind the vents. Is it closed? Or, does it show open, but it's broke inside and still closed? The single center wheel should be scrolled up. I am talking from memory, so I might be remembering wrong. No fancy doors or pinched vac lines. These are not dual AC cars.

My son's ride (almost)...in a few months. He calls it Silver S'wag (contraction for Station WAGon).

roadfrog

I have MAF cleaner, so I'll give that a go. The car drives great though.

As for the center vents, that's interesting. The vents are in the open position, but no airflow, so I wonder what happened. I'll take it apart and have a closer look, I didn't realize the outermost vents were on the same branch as the centers, but that makes sense of course. I just assumed the worst.

degmla

iTrader: (1)

Ummm, don't give me too much credit. I am speculating like you! I might be exactly wrong. If I were designing the car, I'd have one door move rather than 2 or 3. So, if any top vents getting air, I'd think the door did its thing. But, there might be other variables I'm missing.

I think the center AC vent is easy to remove, like, literally, just pull it out. I have OEM navigation, so it involves a little more, but still easy. I think any search dealing with "removing IS300 radio" will yield nice instructions.

I'll be curious what you find. I hope it is easy and cheap!