Gefühle Nach Einem Jahr
Sorry for explaining in English, but my German writing is not the best.
It has been one year since purchasing my is220d and I must say that I am still impressed with how nice the car is. I have been driving cars for well over 35 years, I have given driving instruction and defensive driving schools, plus I am a master mechanic. I drove/owned many automobile, and 25 years of driving Mercedes. I purchased the Lexus in black with beige inside, I wrote a letter to Lexus complaining of one thing; "why can't we get colors of our choice, like a pretty white Lexus?" After one year, they now sell a white Lexus.
The is220d was assembled in Japan and delivered to us here in Germany (this is a key point), Toyota and Lexus strive to make perfect cars, and the Lexus automobiles are the closest anybody has come to making a perfect car. The Lexus is "NOT" an automobile for everybody, they are special, just as the owners are.
In this froum I have read a lot of people talk about the bad reviews the see in magazines when compaired to other automibiles, such as the BMW and Mercedes. If you noticed when the is220d first came out, most of the magazines bosted of how good the car was, with all the accessories is was unbeatable. After a couple of years, the magazines were changing their stories about the is220d, they were beginning to tell everyone the car was too expensive, it had flaws which the BMW and Mercedes didn't have. One report said the "C" class Mercedes had the exact same acessories that the is220d had, but the Lexus was a lot more expensive. That report was totally inaccurate, the "C" class did not have all a standard accessories that the Lexus had, you had to pay more to have those acessories installed in the Mercedes. A couple of the things people complain about:
1 The Lexus automibile was assembled in Japan, and before it left the factory, you can be 100% sure (without fail) that the car was perfect. There were no squeeks, noises (Knister/Klapper/Knack) or anything to make the car undesirable. I believe the noises that appear after a year of driving are from people who manipulate parts of the car. If you order an automobile and after it gets to the Lexus/Toyota dealer you ask them to install something, the mechanic must disassemble the dashboard or center console to install what you want. When the mechanic puts the pieces back to together, they are not seated properly, or tightened to specifications, and therefore they make noises by rubbing together.
2. The paint job is subject to scratches. I find this true, but to me, it is a minor problem. This automobile is "NOT" for everybody, I think this car is for people who know the value of a Lexus. It is not a 1984 Mercedes that everyone would park in the middle of a busy parking lot for everyone to open their doors on and cause damage to. I think a Lexus is to be treated with care, it should be handled like the expensive car that it is.
3. The magazines which rate automibiles, and publish their findings are "NOT" being fair. But if you stop and think about it.., why would a German automobile magazine make a Japanese car sound more attractive to purchase then a German car?
4. The turbocharger in this car is not like in a LKW. When you start a Lexus you should never race the engine, give the turbocharger and all engine components time to warm up (5 seconds or so) before driving. When you start to drive you diesel, take it easy, I know it's got tons of power, but the engine is cold, take it easy. Likewise, after you drive at a high speed, do not stop the engine suddenly, this may cause the turbocharger to warp.
I use between 6.5 and 7.5 liters per 100 Km, I drive 30Km to work, mostly Bundesstr. When I drive on the autobahn, I drive aprox. 160 Kmh. I have driven 23,333 Km since purchasing it new, and I find the car to handle perfectly. In November I was in Bodenmais (Bayern) and drove it through the deep snow and ice with no problem. My first service I paid less then ¤200, for a Lexus, that is not bad.
My feelings are this; I have purchased a Lexus, not everyone can afford one, not everyone wants one. The car was assembled and inspected and found to be flawless when it left the factory in Japan. If after it arrives at the dealer you have a mechanic take the center console apart, or the dashboard and it is now making noise, maybe the mechanic didn't put it back together properly. My is220d has everything I need, stereo, CD changer, AUX for Ipod, beautifully lighted speedometer, Geil interior lights.., why would I want anybody to change it? Now, if I received my car and it made noise within the first year, I would ensure they fixed whatever the problem is without fail.
Signed: Proud Lexus Owner
