Lexus IS F: 2 Years, 30k miles Trouble Free!

Last Sunday marked the 2nd year of trouble free ownership after 31k miles on my 2009 Starfire with Black Interior, Lexus IS F. Last year, I posted a write up on Club Lexus about my history with the IS F. I also posted a one year follow up on my car. My experiences with IS F have started with the world debut in Detroit for the 2007 North American International Auto Show.  During the course of time, before the IS F was released (February 2008), I decided that I couldn’t wait until February to get one and I didn’t think I could afford it. My desire to own the first true Lexus hot rod grew as I was exposed to it at many events and shows before its official sale. So two years ago on this month, I caved in and joined the “F” club. Believe me, it was a difficult ordeal for me to decide, but with some hard work and determination, I did it. To this day, I never get tired of listening to the sounds of that Yamaha co-developed 5.0L V8 growl.

I’m proud to say that the additional 7k miles I put on my IS F for 2010 have been trouble free. Although I have greatly slowed down the mileage collection game, I recently drove my IS F to attend the 2010 SEMA Show. I did find some time evaluate the Tokico HTS Dampers with Eibach Springs on this latest long haul trip. During my stay I also had a chance to do a photoshoot at Red Rock Canyon with my good friends from Nor Cal, So Cal and Las Vegas. All of them happen to be fellow Club Lexus and my.IS members. After our early Saturday shoot, a handful of us traveled across town to check out the all-new Lexus of Henderson. It was just a coincidence when I first arrived in town for the SEMA Show that I needed to do some routine maintenance on my IS F. What perfect timing as I was able to check out the new facility while my IS F was being serviced. I will report on the new Lexus of Henderson in an upcoming write-up.

Surprisingly, I am still riding on the factory Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires that originally came with the car. It’s a known fact that PS2’s are soft compound tires that have exceptional grip but have a very short lifespan. Despite riding on a non-rotatable staggered tire setup, I still have plenty of tread to spare and I’m not even close to the wear bars that show up at 2/32″. I’m not too hard on my IS F as most of the mileage racked up are long distance driving done on the freeway. Stopping on a dime is still no problem as I still have plenty of brake life with the original Brembo rotors and pads. Despite the heavy dusting, the brakes still bite, without fade, as if they are brand new. I am fortunate that the brake groaning I briefly experienced has not come back. The intermittent interior trim rattles that haunted me early on are now non-existent as well.

The fuel economy has slightly improved to an average of 25 mpg thanks to the use of Eneos synthetics. I have been regularly changing out the nearly 10 quarts of oil along with the Toyota element filter at the recommended 5K service intervals. The IS F still pulls hard when you drop the hammer. It never has no problem hitting triple digits. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t feel like you’re doing in triple digits in the F thanks to the great sound dampening of the interior and the acoustic glass windshield. Also, the great stability of the IS F aids in driving confidence at high speeds. Here are some additional photos taken during our photoshoot at Red Rock Canyon after SEMA 2010 in Las Vegas.

Lexus IS F: 2 Years, 30k miles Trouble Free!