ravenhil

Hi! I used to drive a WRX until it is no longer appropriate for my age category and prefer the feel of luxury and comfort over raw performance. So I got myself a used 2nd generation IS350.

All I can say about my car is that it is quite surprising. The IS350 feels like it is on boost all the time and the engine hardly vibrates. It is so smooth and graceful that I can no longer accurately sense it's speed based on engine noise and vibrations alone. This is definitely a step up from my old wrx.

While I am familiar with the wrx, I know next to nothing about the Lexus IS350. I have been reading a lot from this forum and getting to know my car better.

I have never owned a Lexus before. I do not know what is oem or modified on my current car. I am guessing that the previous owner of my Lexus made changes to suit his taste, which I can fairly say is not entirely in line with my own.

Having said that, here's an under carriage shot. Under carriage 2IS350 part 1

Under carriage 2IS350 part 2
Is this OEM? I expected a whisper quiet exhaust from a Lexus but this one sounds more aggressive than my old WRX.

Thanks for reading!

strikeraj

That exhaust is not OEM for sure
It is one of the aftermarket dual exhaust that brings up hp slightly (cannot remember the name)

metaleckz

iTrader: (9)

it looks like the joe z exhaust to me. One of the best exhaust out there. True dual exhaust but not super loud. Gives about 8-10whp if im not mistaken

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Welcome to the 350 club! Like others stated, that's not a factory exhaust. It's either a "true dual" exhaust setup (like a Joe Z setup) or a custom dual setup. Enjoy the extra ponies and sound!

ravenhil

Thank you all for the replies! Now I know the exhaust isn't stock. The next thing I want to know is the headlights. I am not sure if all IS350s come with HID lights with the AFS as an option, or halogens are standard and HID lights comes with AFS, or the previous owner changed the lights to aftermarket HID. I have no AFS on/off option from the TPMS selector switch. The headlights appear to be OEM but that could be just the housing with the bulbs swapped out for HID ones. The way the light builds up brightness gradually suggests that it is HID. Plus there is a little red box in line with the headlight wiring that I assume is the ballast. I would expect the ballast to be fixed onto the engine bay wall but this one is just dangling.

The ballast for the fog light is stranger still, poking through the skid plate and cable tied to the front bumper. I'm almost certain this mickey mouse job isn't OEM.

SeanO

iTrader: (1)

Good to hear coming from a WRX driver!

Definitely sounds like the previous owner installed (half-***) some aftermarket HID's so most likely you have regular halogen headlights with no AFS

Same for the foglights.. I removed my HID kit earlier this year as I think HID's are too bright in fog housing