MD350

My car has the rattle in the headliner. I am going to have the TSIB performed at my 10K service. Has anyone had this performed and were the results successful? Was the job done "clean"? Is the headliner back in place to factory specs? It worries me to have the whole headliner dropped, as I may be opening a can of worms.

Also, wanted to have the windshield pin TSIB performed as well, as I do have the snap/crack noise when the car flexes on turns into the driveway. Any feedback on results of that TSIB as well?

Thanks in advance.

dunnojack

i had the headliner removed 3 times. they don't really break anything.

Just make sure the stupid techs don't use their fingers and press too hard when putting the headliner back. it leaves finger indentations you can't get out.
warn your service consultant and tell them to be careful. Those nuts have pissed me off more than once.


Is your rattle as loud as mine? Mine turned out to be a bigger problem than just a replacement antenna. They removed my antenna and headliner, and the rattle is still there while both were removed. My car is in the body shop right now.

onsknht

FWIW - I had the windshield TSB done on my Clamry and they didn't reinstall the passenger wiper on the correct spindle tooth... Obviously, some techs will take the time to mark the wipers before removal, in my case they didn't.

djr

I had the windshield TSB done last week and it has not made a sound since

MD350

My rattle sounds exactly the same as yours, just less frequent. I have a UL and the sound seems to be coming from the area of the rear sunroof glass. I first thought it was the sliding shade until I read the TSIB.

rocco

Just had it done yestereday. They did an excellent job and everthing is like new.

dunnojack

my rattle is still there after my 4th repair attempt.

This is a tricky one. If you lightly pound the glass, the top middle part makes a metal sound along the edge of the glass. It sounds like the glass is loose.

I dont know why the tech's can't just get rid of that metal sound. It's a common design or materials flaw. I've heard it on a few cars. A few others don't have it.
All the tech did was stick some felt tape somewhere near the window. that bandaid fix didn't fix anything.

I have noticed that under very hot/cold temps, it does not make a noise.
Under moderate temps, 60's-80's, it makes the metal sound.

ES350Bob

You are missing a at least one or more spot welds, felt won't fix that but i think you already know that yourself.

I tested my current before accepting it and it did not have it, only after the boom and shake of the car does that metal on metal with scratching glass sound happen in my two experiences.

Twice now to me with first ES350 and now second, first the boom, shake of the entire car and afterward the metal on metal glass combo noise.

Do the rear window down 35 mph test and that will help you isolate exactly where the welds are missing, that is if you can hear over the bass sound that is normal when doing that test. Or a body shop owner can isolate for you while you are doing the pound test for him.

To duplicate the boom shake expereince, here is something that is oddly very similar to see if you ever remember this type of thing happening when you first got the car. Start car, put in reverse, put right back in park without backing up and then put back in reverse again, a similar boom and shake should or likely will happen. When the welds let loose in back of car or metal first starts slipping back there it is much louder and more sig a shake to the car.

dunnojack

es350bob, your replacement car makes noise during the pound test too?

If this noise is common in the es350, then there is no point getting a replacement car, as the replacement will likely have this rattle after several thousand miles.

The only thing I don't understand is that under direct sunlight, is the metal supposed to flex? Even though it's hot, I can still rest my hand on it without getting burned or pulling my hand away. So it's not THAT hot.


I was thinking that if heat makes the metal sound go away, then maybe the glass isn't glued to the frame properly.

Next time I'm at the showroom, I'm gonna pound on the IS, GS, LS, and see if they have any noise. The ES350 is the only car I've heard with this metal noise.


i think they call this "oil canning" noise. some acura TL owners have heard this. After listening to my video again, it does sound like oil/soda cans be pried.

ES350Bob

Yeah my second one ended up with it too but NOT present when I reviewed it before accepting it because I did the pound test on it, and no loaner had it either, last two anyway when I knew I could test for it.

It is in no way normal for the car to do that and that is why your gutter stripped popped up back there and it will keep popping up on you if you go over uneven surfaces with right side higher than left or lower than left like angled drive approach or low curb one side no curb other side.

Your's will get worse more time/more miles I assure you because your recordings are darn good and sounds like mine, both started shortly after that boom/shake expereince I mentioned. You either had it happen first few days/week and did not notice it or it happened when off-loaded your car at dealer is my guess.

My former when turning it in to dealer I demonstrated pound test for the guy and I am not joking his eyes did just like the character

And he said THAT is not good at all!!!

After Lexus stiffed me and left me stuck in trans hosed up car dealer took pity on me so I would not call my 2nd car a replacement, I ended up having to pay some money to get out of that former Lemon and will lose $$$ to get out of this Lemon too and close to a firm deal to exactly that.

dunnojack

I just went out for a test drive.

I went for the uneven surfaces, specifically those dips/gutters between perpendicular residential streets. Sure enough, there were popping sounds in the top of the back window. Seems like the body is contorting too much.

During this 4th repair, they used felt tape. I have no idea what they taped. But it is making it harder to duplicate the rattle. The only time i can make it crackle & pop is when driving over gutters.

So it looks like the only way to keep an ES is to send it to the body shop. Perhaps adding a few extra spot welds will strengthen the frame.
I test drove the GS, and that thing is way too small for me. No head room, less passenger room, useless trunk space. There is no other Lexus that fits me.

I think I read that the LS460 has a crapload more welds than the typical lexus. I wonder if extra welds will prevent the existing welds from breaking.

My 03 ES300 has a solid back window frame. no sound at all after 70000 miles.


oh yeah....., besides the glass pounding test, you can also do a roof pounding test 4" away from the glass area. It will produce the same metal noise.

2007es350

bob,

are you getting out of your 2nd es350? what will you get instead? it sounds like you paid to get out of the 1st es350. i'm surprised that lexus corp didn't pay the full cost of a replacement into your 2nd es350. you shouldn't have to pay to get out of your 2nd es350....lexus corp should just issue you a refund.

josephlee

does anyone know where are the two missing weld spots are? Any picks?

ES350Bob

Lexus stiffed me on the first one, I saw firsthand just how initmidated dealer service can be by Lexus corporate and just how devious Lexus corporate can be to get out of their responsibility, it is all about dollars. Just like buyers are lied to and told only the newer cars have issues, I was lied to and told my first car had it's TSIB in Japan, bold faced lie to get out of repairing the car and that either way my car was learning.

After that everything deemed normal about my car, it's "learning" transmission, it's diesel engine noise, it's wind noise, were used against me in assigning a trade allowance on the car when it's VIN was supplied to Lexus dealer to make an offer on the car.

That is the most SHADY aspect to all this BS people are given on the ES, it is later used to devalue the car at trade time when Lexus dealer runs the VIN and looks at service history. That actually happened to me, they know none of this stuff is normal and they devalue their offer on the car accordingly.

This car, no, I'm not even thinking Lexus will refund my money after what was pulled on me the first time. I had decided to wait till there was a real transmission fix before even mentioning to dealer service pertaining to my VIN. As you know there seems a new approach of sticking people in them by telling them 3/4 slipping is a normal characteristic or the witchdoctor approach of topping off the ATF. I am so glad I waited because I know better than to mar my car's service record and devalue a trade allowance by reporting it's transmission, no fix, means severe negative fiancial hit at trade if forced to stay in car. If I tried to get my money back, in order to do that, it's service history would then look just like former and I'd lose another 2,500 or more at trade time once left stuck in the car and needing to trade to get out of it.

That may still happen anyway as I made the mistake of giving my personal info to a corporate person who had PM'd me on here regarding my former car. Doing that, the info was not used to help me, quite the contrary.

ES350Bob

Joe,

I'm sure at least the California regional office of Lexus has pics and ceratinly has experience in dealing with missing welds back there from Riley's input and almost dunno's because Lexus Field tech had originially instructed his car be sent for body work until that was overruled by someone. The Canadian division of Lexus likely also has pics of these per NGG's ES350 taken to body shop for welds.

The body shop owner who reviewed my former car indicated, in his opinion, to right of midpoint at top and if you continue over and down about 3/4ths way, there also.