jon456

I have finally identified where the rattling is coming from. It is coming from the long strip of wood trim above the glove compartment. It rattles over most bumps and when I press it, it makes the same rattling sound. Are there screws behind the trim that are causing this? If so, how can I access them. If not, how can I fix this problem? It is driving me nuts!

plovell

Can you slide a very thin shim or screwdriver in behind it in a couple of spots? If so, you could squirt some silicone glue in behind. That should solve the rattle issue. This would be way easier than trying to remove the panel.

jon456

So is the wood panel not connected with screws, but rather it is simply glued on? My concern is that if it is screwed on, the loose screws behind the panel may be what is rattling rather than the panel itself. Please let me know. Thanks.

Kansas

Based on the attached schematic, it looks like the wood panel above the glove box is held in place by friction fittings/clips like many trim panels in Lexus and Toyota vehicles. You could try prying it out with a trim removal tool. Be gentle.

My favorite tool for prying out panels like this is a stiff blade 1 1/2 inch putty knife with it's blade well taped with slick electrical tape to prevent damage - seems to work better than my fancy specialized trim removal tools.

jon456

Thanks, this is very helpful. I gather from the picture that the clips are located only in the center of the wood trim panel? Does that look right? I just don't want to crack the wood by applying to much pressure in the wrong spot. Maybe I can just give it a couple taps and see if it locks back into place before I remove it anyway.

Kansas

My guess - and it's only a guess - is that there are six friction fit clips ... two on either end and two in the center. You might want to first completely empty your glove box and see if that stops the rattle before you go any further. A few years ago I was sure I had a dash rattle in my LS but it turned out to be something in the glove box. And I once searched all over for the source of buzzing sound in a previous Lexus until I finally realized it was a loose setting in a ring I was wearing. Things aren't always what they seem to be.

Megafast13

Yeah that particular trim piece on my ES is very solidly attached, and it is far too flashy and obvious piece to be prying at in my opinion. If you damage the piece it will instantly devalue the appearance and value of the interior.

toytrain13

The "wood" trim piece is actually a molded plastic piece, with 1-2 mm of real wood bonded on.