View Poll Results: How did you try fixing the wind noise?
Black Tape
2
5.71%
Tire Dressing
4
11.43%
Dealer re-aligned windows
3
8.57%
New seals
5
14.29%
Turned the music up
14
40.00%
other
9
25.71%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 35. You may not vote on this poll
DIY: Window Seal Fix
04-26-06, 09:53 PM
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: ny
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
DIY: Window Seal Fix
PICS COMING SOON!
Most older es300's have problems with window seals, including myself, because the frameless doors suck and the rubber wears out and a million other reasons.
Problem: Window does not properly align with the window seals causing gobs of wind noise over 30mph
Solution#1: have dealer re-align windows (which doesn't even always help) ~$300
Solution#2: install all new seals ~80/side + labor
Solution#3: Tire dressing on the window seals.. Helps in almost all but extreme cases, but wears out quickly and it left a nasty black residue on the windows themselves. ~$8
My Solution: Stuff foam under the seals to ensure the that the windows touch the seal. (i've heard of people using double sided tape, but i just dont think that a few mm's is going to make a difference for really old seals) ~$3
Step 1: buy some grey 'frost king' insulating foam for air conditioners. Mine was 2 1/4" thick and 42" long.
Step 2: Using a utility knife, cut or tear the foam into 3 sections, 2 of them 15" each, one 12". Cut the two 15" sections in half again. They are going toward the horizontal areas on the drivers AND passengers side, on BOTH the front and rear doors. We'll use that 3rd section to fill all the tricky places.
Step 3: We're going to start with the vertical part of the seal on the drivers door. With a screw driver and a finger, dislodge the seal from the skinny metal rail that holds it in place(again, pics coming soon).
Step 5: Vertically fold the section of the foam you just cut in half, and stuff it into the hollow part of the seal. A flathead screwdriver really helps stuff everything in evenly.
Step 6: Fill in the top corner and the bottom end of the seal with more foam, and emphasize that top corner.
Step 7: Using your flathead screwdriver and not too much pressure, put the seals back into the metal rails that were holding them. This can be a little bit difficult because we used so much foam, so spread your fingers apart and apply firm pressure on top of the seal while putting it back under the rails. You want to be careful so that you don't tear the seals too badly. Just keep applying pressure until the whole seal is in. It took me a couple of tries, but i got it
Step 8: close the door lighty so that it clicks with the locking mechanism but doesn't really close all the way. Look for gaps in between the glass and the rubber, and try to fill them with foam as much as possible (it won't be perfect). You can also do the $1bill test where you fold a bill lengthwise in half, wedge it in between the glass and the seals, and wiggle it around until you feel more 'play' than there should be. Again, re-foam those areas if there's lots of 'play'.
I foamed my seals until you could barely move the bill.
Step 9: repeat for as many seals as necessary until you get a much quieter ride. I found that the horizontal areas of the seal on BOTH the front and rear doors account for the majority of the wind noise. Do those areas first. But if you're still not satisfied, stuff foam using the same method into the rest of the seals. In my case, the front doors were foamed completely, but the rear only had the vertical part and the corners filled.
All in all, i noticed a MAJOR reduction in wind noise to almost none and you can hardly tell that the foam is there. Not bad for 90 minutes of messing around with some foam. Finally, I can cruise on the highway without turning the audio halfway up!
This whole reduction in wind noise led me to just one question:
WHAT IN THE WORLD POSSESSED ME TO BUY THOSE LOUD-*** FALKEN ZIEX TIRES!?
Most older es300's have problems with window seals, including myself, because the frameless doors suck and the rubber wears out and a million other reasons.
Problem: Window does not properly align with the window seals causing gobs of wind noise over 30mph
Solution#1: have dealer re-align windows (which doesn't even always help) ~$300
Solution#2: install all new seals ~80/side + labor
Solution#3: Tire dressing on the window seals.. Helps in almost all but extreme cases, but wears out quickly and it left a nasty black residue on the windows themselves. ~$8
My Solution: Stuff foam under the seals to ensure the that the windows touch the seal. (i've heard of people using double sided tape, but i just dont think that a few mm's is going to make a difference for really old seals) ~$3
Step 1: buy some grey 'frost king' insulating foam for air conditioners. Mine was 2 1/4" thick and 42" long.
Step 2: Using a utility knife, cut or tear the foam into 3 sections, 2 of them 15" each, one 12". Cut the two 15" sections in half again. They are going toward the horizontal areas on the drivers AND passengers side, on BOTH the front and rear doors. We'll use that 3rd section to fill all the tricky places.
Step 3: We're going to start with the vertical part of the seal on the drivers door. With a screw driver and a finger, dislodge the seal from the skinny metal rail that holds it in place(again, pics coming soon).
Step 5: Vertically fold the section of the foam you just cut in half, and stuff it into the hollow part of the seal. A flathead screwdriver really helps stuff everything in evenly.
Step 6: Fill in the top corner and the bottom end of the seal with more foam, and emphasize that top corner.
Step 7: Using your flathead screwdriver and not too much pressure, put the seals back into the metal rails that were holding them. This can be a little bit difficult because we used so much foam, so spread your fingers apart and apply firm pressure on top of the seal while putting it back under the rails. You want to be careful so that you don't tear the seals too badly. Just keep applying pressure until the whole seal is in. It took me a couple of tries, but i got it
Step 8: close the door lighty so that it clicks with the locking mechanism but doesn't really close all the way. Look for gaps in between the glass and the rubber, and try to fill them with foam as much as possible (it won't be perfect). You can also do the $1bill test where you fold a bill lengthwise in half, wedge it in between the glass and the seals, and wiggle it around until you feel more 'play' than there should be. Again, re-foam those areas if there's lots of 'play'.
I foamed my seals until you could barely move the bill.
Step 9: repeat for as many seals as necessary until you get a much quieter ride. I found that the horizontal areas of the seal on BOTH the front and rear doors account for the majority of the wind noise. Do those areas first. But if you're still not satisfied, stuff foam using the same method into the rest of the seals. In my case, the front doors were foamed completely, but the rear only had the vertical part and the corners filled.
All in all, i noticed a MAJOR reduction in wind noise to almost none and you can hardly tell that the foam is there. Not bad for 90 minutes of messing around with some foam. Finally, I can cruise on the highway without turning the audio halfway up!
This whole reduction in wind noise led me to just one question:
WHAT IN THE WORLD POSSESSED ME TO BUY THOSE LOUD-*** FALKEN ZIEX TIRES!?
Last edited by element51; 04-26-06 at 09:57 PM.
04-27-06, 07:22 AM
#2
Lexus Champion
well, luckily (knock on wood), mine hasn't gotten real bad yet. My seals are still relatively new so almost every person who rides in my car doesn't notice the noise. However, being as **** as I am, it drives me crazy.
Great write-up... can't wait to see the pics.
Great write-up... can't wait to see the pics.
04-27-06, 09:26 PM
#3
Lexucanafer
Considering my car is now 13 years old, the wind noise is not that bad but it is somewhat noticable, especially at the driver's door. I agree, a great write-up and some pics will make it even better! ..Thanks! 
05-04-06, 03:57 AM
#5
Lexus Test Driver
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: NY
Posts: 995
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
yea my car is also 13years old and it seems like the majority of the windnoise is coming from the driver vertical side seal......when i press on it from the inside the noise goes away. Definitely something that drives me nuts!
also the sunroof has noise leak.........but i just close the shade and problem solved! =]
also the sunroof has noise leak.........but i just close the shade and problem solved! =]
05-04-06, 03:33 PM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
I've tried the following method to reduce the wind noise (which I read about from another member's post): Push in the side rear view mirror housing towards the body of the car, which in a way minimizes the air gap between the window and the rubber seal. It may not totally eliminate the wind noise problem, but it does chip away at it.
Trending Topics
05-09-06, 09:28 AM
#8
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: ny
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Leets
hey element... where are the pics? you're lagging. 
sorry guys, i've got finals to study for and like 5 papers due... i'll post pics by the end of the month
05-10-06, 05:44 AM
#10
Lexucanafer
Originally Posted by Pogo
Since my instrument cluster is in bad need of needle work, I use the wind noise as an aural speedometer...
You should post this as a DIY Sticky for the burnt out needle problem !
05-10-06, 10:29 PM
#11
for my 95 es, the windows seem to have moved forward and broke the rubber 'thingy' by the mirrors. Its digging very deep into the seals. Is there a relatively inexpensive fix for this?
by the mirrors. Its digging very deep into the seals. Is there a relatively inexpensive fix for this?
06-21-07, 11:14 AM
#12
Pole Position
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: GA
Posts: 392
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Whenever I leave my front windows cracked about 1 to 2 inches and then open my door, the top of the window gets stuck to the rubber seals because of they way it curves and rips the rubber away from the car. Anyone else ever notice this?
06-21-07, 07:33 PM
#15
If you want to save 300 bucks at the dealer for realigning your windows, you can download the factory service manuals for the 92-96 es 300, and you can do it yourself for (a lot of time) Free.
The front door window rubber piece (the one by the side mirror has ripped b/c the glass has gone up too far by 1/2 a cm). This is where the majority of the wind noise comes from, at least for my car.
I have used rubber protectant on the door seals (you should do this as a part of your regular maintenance anyways) and used a 1/2 inch wide strip of foam weather stripping to stuff the areas all around the window areas which reduced the wind noise.
The front door window rubber piece (the one by the side mirror has ripped b/c the glass has gone up too far by 1/2 a cm). This is where the majority of the wind noise comes from, at least for my car.
I have used rubber protectant on the door seals (you should do this as a part of your regular maintenance anyways) and used a 1/2 inch wide strip of foam weather stripping to stuff the areas all around the window areas which reduced the wind noise.