drwaldo69

I need some help. Just got an '03 GS430 certified with 13K miles. Really impressed with the car. I have a few rattles that drive me nuts. I guess I'm glad to see I'm not alone but it does puzzle me why Lexus doesn't change the design of their benzels or vents. Anyway 1) popping noise that seems to come from the defrost vents on the dash. Almost like the dash rubs the windshield. Erratic. Can happen on smooth roads or rough, can be warm or cold outside. Thought about spaying a dry lube in between windshield and dash. 2) Dash benzel cluster creaks around the tach side and the fuel gauge. Is felt the way to go? 3) Creak around the ashtray. In general if you push anywhere on the console wood parts or vents it sounds like plastic made by Mattel toy company. If I could somehow fix these 3 things I would be 100% happy. I am a little leary of taking it in to the dealer. You guys probably know more than they do. Any advice would be appreciated.

bluelex

well 1st congrats on the new purchase as far as the rattles sorry i wish i could help, it seems like like each they fix one rattle and loosen another mines its the sunroof and glove box that erk me 2 death

mmarshall

Some of them may go away with the warmer temperatures as we get into spring and summer.....and Arizona can get VERY hot. It is more or less normal for more rattles to occur in cool weather....as the temperatures warm up, the inside parts expand, seal against each other, and you generally get much fewer rattles and squeaks. The last 4 or 5 cars I've owned have all been like this.....just like new from April till October, with a few small rattles popping up during the cooler months.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Congrats on the new car drwaldo I've heard from other members that if they found noises and rattles from that exact area, they then added felts around the area. Lots of times it could be from loose nuts and bolts. For me, I had gravel-rattling sound coming from the center vents everytime I accelerated. I brought my car in for some major service. I replaced the timing belts...and water pump. They had to drain out the fluid so that might have helped the "gas bubbles" that other members were talking about. The mechanic also found that my glove box was loosened and tightened that for me also. Either way, no more gravel sound for me. Oops, didn't really address your problems but for others out there with similar problems like mine and maybe yours if it does pop up on you someday.

Where in AZ are you from? We used to live somewhere by the airport.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Although not directly related, if you have rattling in the glovebox. I recommend this thread:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=101708

Armed with this thread, the various TSBs for the glovebox rattle, and a $1 page of sticky-back felt from Walmart (or craft stores), my rattles from the glovebox are gone. I remember the first time driving after the fix. I forgot that I did it and heard a few minor creaks and groans (probably from the stiffness of all the bracing). I was thinking "Oh no, more noises." And then I realized that maybe it has been there all along, just masked by the loud rattling of the globebox.

I am sure, felt in a few other strategic places will help with the other rattles.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

You also might consider adding some braces, because that makes the car more rigid, which reduces squeaks and creaks. A front strut bar, and a rear lower chassis brace would help a lot.

mmarshall

That's an excellent idea.....one of the best I've seen in the forums here in some time.
Moderator, take note

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

GAUGE BEZEL SQUEAK

To fix this, it's rather simple:

1. Lower your steering wheel to the lowest position. Then tap the adjustment stick down a few more times (or hold it down) and it will lower even more.

2. Grab your gauge bezel at the 2 major points of bezel plastic (between the left window and the central window, and between the middle and right window), and pull it outwards, towards you. You may have to wiggle it back and forth, but it will come out--the bezel is held in by 4 clips. There is also a harness you'll have to unclip on the right side.

3. With some thin strips of felt (you can get this from the dealer's parts department for free, if you ask nicely--a sheet contains around 20 strips that are about 5mm wide, 1mm thick, and about 24" long), put a strip around the outer edges of the bezel, where it contacts the dash plastic.

4. Reattach the wiring harness, and replace the bezel back into the dash. It will snap back in place via the 4 clips. Check to make sure that your felt isn't exposed (I did mine, and it barely shows), and it fits fine--else take it out and redo the felt so it fits and looks OK.

That should do it.

As for the glovebox, that fix mentioned above works great--it doesn't give me any headaches any more. I'll be back with more info on the central wood console noise--Blanco (who did the sunroof noise fix) sent me some pics on how to do it, which I need to do next. . .

However, if you dont' want to tackle this yourself, and as you have a warranty, have the dealer take a shot at it--you can always do it yourself later.

drwaldo69

Thanks for all the info. GS3Tek, I live in Scottsdale. Seattle GS 400 thanks for the detailed instructions. The gauge cluster creaks are about 75% of the creaks. I'll probably try the fix soon. Glove box seems to be OK. No problems with the sunroof either. I love the car. I test drove the 540i and E-series and kept coming back to the GS. It does everything so well. I got it tinted today and noticed 99% of the creaks went away. As you guys know they pratically hose down the inside of the car putting on the tint and then park it outside. Kind of make a humidor out of your car! It does seem the car does better with cooler temps and humidity. They also put a protectant all over the dash. Who knows. I finally got to fill it up for the first time with premium. Seems to run even better. I'm sure the car dealer put 89 octane in it. Thanks again.

Cadd

Excellent tips guys!!! I went on a 40 mile test drive on the car that I'm supposed to pick up in about a week or two. I too heard rattles coming from either the dash or glovebox. I thought it was where the front windshield meets the dash, but can't figure out exactly where it's coming from.

The other rattle seems to be coming from the passenger side (glovebox huh?).

Both rattles are more like crackling noise. Very very very soft, but also very annoying.

Does anyone have a pic of what "felt" looks like? Can I just goto Walmart and ask for "felt"? I'm not sure what that is......is it like double-tape?

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

One more thing that I noticed. When driving with the windows down, I noticed a loud "Click or tick" sound on the passenger side. The noise kept clicking. I finally closed the window whenit got breezy and coincidentally, the sound went away. This may sound weird but it was actually coming from the locking tabs of the seat posts. So after pushing the headrests all the way down and with the window open again, the clicking sound went away. Hmmm....strange

redgs4

In my personal experience, while the TOM's braces got rid of the chassis/suspension related noises the increased stiffness/rigidity resulted in a whole plethora of new squeaks and rattles in the interior. My personal fix was a mean exhaust and the nak played just loud enough. One of these days I'll get around to fixing these noises at the source [been saying that for over two years and counting]. And yes, I actually have gone through most applicable TSB's with nothing more than temporary satisfaction.

LXOGOOD

drwaldo69: I just recently had the rattle between the dash and windshield fixed which was coming from the passenger side. The dealer put a special foam type material between the dash and windshield which caused the strange niose to disappear... May want to have them try that. Now my latest noise is coming from the Sunroof shade. I can't stand that tapping noise I'm hearing.... urgghhh

I also agree with Bit & redgs4 about the braces. They do help some of the niose flex in the car but may add more roof and dash rattles.


mmarshall: huh? Care to explain your "Moderator, take note" comment!

drwaldo69

Thanks LXOGOOD. I went to Home Depot and bought a dry lubricant called RD-50. It doesn't collect dust like silicone based lubes can and it is for autos among other applications. It says it will "reduce sliding friction" and "eliminate squeaking". There web site is rd-50.com. This could be placed between the windshield and dash. I'm going to try it first. If you notice things like armor all make the dash much squeakier. Myy car was preowned and who knows what has been put on it before. I am also considering spraying a tad around the gauge bezel. BUT, I'm going to do a test spray on some similar plastic first just to be safe.

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

The glovebox rattle, it's more like a series of creaks. To test if it is making that noise, just open up your glovebox, then twist it back and forth. If it makes the sound, do Blanco's fix to it--gets rid of about 99% of it.

Here's some info on the sunroof (it's not complete but it might help out):

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=100926

As for the felt, I'll get you a pic of it later tonight--again, check my description of the felt sheet (it contains around 20 black felt strips that are about 5mm wide, 1mm thick, and about 24" long). I actually have 2 sheets--1 is of really thin felt (1mm thick), and the other about 2mm thick. It's only available from the dealer (and maybe a body shop)--again, they should provide to you for free if you ask.