Hi all.

I just bought my first Lexus, a 2001 IS 200. The car is in great shape body wise for it's age and the interior is almost flawless. It has very low mileage for it's age as well and I got a really good deal. I was extremely happy with the purchase until recently....here are some questions I have.

Firstly, I live in Europe but I am an American and drove in America for over 15 years accident free. I am currently not driving the car a lot because this is my first vehicle I have purchased in Europe and I still only have my American drivers license. I can get insured with my American license but it is very expensive, 700 Euro down and then payments of 150 Euro a month...just for the basic insurance. Because I am not driving the car much, I am having problems with the Battery dying. I have started the car every day and try to let it run a bit and do drive it to a point (don't want to get into trouble) but I have had the car for two weeks now and the battery has completely died twice...I have it hooked to a battery charger now. The guy I bought the car from swears that this is only happening because I am not driving it much. In truth, the guy I bought the car off of was driving it as his full time vehicle up until a month ago. The only thing that I can think of that could be draining the battery is the security system but would it drain the battery this fast? My battery appears to last only a week before it is dead again. The Battery voltage readings on the meter in the car are normal. I don't know, it just seems like the charge should be lasting longer than one week even if it was not being driven.

Secondly, when I got the car, the mast key was broken, well the plastic bit that holds the key and the remote together. I have found a really cheap plastic case on the internet with the Lexus logo to replace this but the remote its self barely works....again the guy I bought it from swears its the battery. I assume the battery would be behind the little screwed on tab on the back of the remote? Is this a specialty battery or is it something I can pick up at a Jewelery Shop.

Thanks for the help.

 

1.take your car to the shop to get it looked at.

2. watch stores should have batter for the key.

 

Thanks for the reply. I was able to find a battery for the remote at a local jewelry shop. As for my battery, I have concluded that it was not charged correctly the first time it died. The first time it died, I had to go to work so I bummed a lift and a friend of mine stayed behind and charged the battery for me...I am starting to believe that he either didn't let the battery finish charging or didn't have it the charger connected to the Battery correctly. The second time it died, I was off so I charged it myself and have had no problems since and it has been several weeks now. I have noticed one other electrical type issue though but other than this one issue, everything is now great with my car. The person who owned the car before me said that when he got it, it had the original stereo in it. He replaced the stereo, he said because the CD player got where it skipped really bad. He gave me the original stereo when I bought the car so I can reinstall it if I ever so choose. It currently as a Sony Xplode CD player installed in it....which I am wondering if this simple fact doesn't have something to do with the problem. The clock in the car doesn't work....The back field of the clock lights up and orange color but no numbers appear on the screen, none of the buttons on the clock work either. I am wondering if something may have come disconnected during the instillation of the new CD player. Any thoughts on this?

 

Toyotas have a bad problem with the outside temp/clock screen backlights malfunctioning/burning out. Just a common issue from what I've seen.