mehran888

Hey folks,

Same issues I've mentioned in other peoples threads about rattles coming from the front left (interior) of my car. The dealership has taken it 2+ times now and fixed "other rattles" but either says they can't replicate the rattle (which I hear every day) or they can't fix it. It's been a few months that I've tried to be fixing it and finally got frustrated and contacted Lexus Corporate (in Canada).

I got a semi-automated response (semi automated because it felt automated, but had a person's name sign it) about two and a half weeks ago, but no follow up.

When do you guys normally get follow ups and how do they follow up? Phone, email or letter mail?

I know this could be a general "Lexus" question, but because of the 4GS rattle issues we're having I started a new thread here. Apologies to the ops if this isn't acceptable.

Tx in advance all.

ialexxx

I brought this up to my dealership the other day too. They can't seem to replicate the noise either, I am going to try to bring it in again because this rattling above the driver side is beyond annoying. Anyone else experiencing this?

onexcite

Try lower your driver window just a little bit to see if the rattle gone. If it gone then talk to your dealer see if they fix it.

Turn up your volume when park will help to isolate the rattle if something come up without driving around.

Sometime rattle sound like it coming from one spot but it actually from a different spot.

sydtoosic

they are never able to replicate the sound . i hate when they tell me that ****. is there anything in your coin holder, it could be the aluminum door trim, the piece over the window buttons, is there anything in your center console or trunk moving around? sometimes i turn off the music to see where the sound is coming from, sometimes i don't hear a damn thing . i thought i heard windnoise at one time and realized that the sound was coming from the seat belt moving in and out of the piece on the pillar whenever i made a turn and or moved my left shoulder . M, it could be a number of things, you just have to pinpoint where it's coming from and replicate it for them. Lexus Corporate will not contact you, what they will do is speak to whoever at your dealer, they'll go back and forth with the BS and figure out if it's worth having a rep come out to met with you. or to just go ahead and give them permission to fix your car. they are all FOS. they'll call you soon and say a rep won't be available until....... and make an appointment. The rep will speak to you as though you were born underneath a cabbage leaf. a rep came out to see me and tried to speak to me as though i had dumbass written across my forehead, i lit into him and started with the hand gestures, got in his face... i went ballistic, and before i left Lexus that day i had a new 2011 SGM ES350 to replace the 2011 DSM ES350 i was complaining about. just don't let them bull**** you.

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

I have always found the same issue with the dealers, it can never be replicated. I always make a video of a noise or problem and bring it or send it to my service adviser. Usually it works with no problems and they easily fix it based on the video, has to be good video. I have not had any creaks or squeaks from my car "Knock On Wood"

mehran888

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback.

While my car isn't messy, I do have a lot in there (carseats, change, etc). I have taken them all out and the noise is still there. I'll try the "window down" suggestion when the weather is better and I'm not driving my two year old behind me (which is 90% of the time I'm driving).

Frankly, I've lost the patience of going back to the dealership, particularly with how busy work is and having a toddler and newborn at home.

What's most frustrating is the "Lexus service". The reason I love Lexus (and Toyota) is because of the service the dealership near my parents home gave us and also the quality of the cars. While my current dealership is still superficially giving "Lexus" service (they have never turned me away to investigate the problem), I've lost faith in what they're doing (when they fixed some rattling on the right side of the car, they didn't fit the liner in properly, so I now have a plastic piece sticking out in the interior near where the door closes) and them actually trying to solve the problem.

Couple that with them turning off the GPS "tracing" function (I admit that there is a 90% probability it was accident, but that 10% has made it so I don't trust them any more) one of the times I took the car back to have them try to replicate the problem.

When I emailed Lexus Corporate, I told them that I'm open to ANY resolutions, as long as I don't have to deal with the same dealership, and as long as it doesn't require me to take any more time off work or screw up my toddler's daycare routine. In other words, we can do it on a weekend, or you can come to me to do it. It might seem like I'm being difficult, but I've already wasted some valuable work and family time trying to deal with this.

Honestly guys, I'm thinking of just selling the car. I love it, but hearing rattling/squeeking for an hour every day on my commute is driving me nuts, and is a stress I don't need to deal with. My wife (she's awesome) has already given me the ok to sell the car and buy a new car, even though there'll be a significant loss. I've almost given up..

SW17LS

I think you're going about this the wrong way. Contacting Lexus feedback directly isn't going to get you what you need, imagine the number of inquiries they get on a daily basis.

Do you have another dealership anywhere around you? How far away is the dealership near your parents' home? You're going to be a lot more successful working through the dealership...

if it has an issue that they cannot fix...they should replace it...

mehran888

I get what you're saying, but I just don't have the time (and if I did, I don't know if I can take the frustration) to go to another dealership. The one at my parent's place is 40 minutes away, but it involves taking a day off of work, taking my son out of daycare, asking a grandparent to babysit, etc.

With 12 professional dependents and 3 family dependents.. it's very hard to find the time. I'm hoping that they'll be able to send someone out to my house. If I don't get a resolution in two weeks, I'll just take some time off work and go to my parents.

It's pretty ridiculous what I need to do to get a rattle identified and fixed. Unacceptable. Which is why I'm considering just selling the car. To be honest, the headache and effort to get this addressed (with no end in sight) seems overwhelming compared to taking a $10-$15K hit on the used car sale and just buying another car.

SW17LS

Would the dealer near your parents do a pickup and drop off? All the dealers here do that, including the ones that are that far away.

Quite frankly, thats crazy. Its a rattle/squeak noise. The dealer you've taken it to can't find it, which is why its time to push it up the chain. Have them keep it and leave you in a loaner until they find it. Have the other dealer come out and pick your car up and drop off a loaner, and have them keep it until they find it. Tell them if they can't find it, have a regional rep come out and look at it. If they can't find the issue, they can replace the car.

$10,000-$15,000 is a lot of money, why would you just throw that up in the air when its something that can be rectified? Its just a car, don't let it frustrate you so. Theres nothing overwhelming about taking the car to another dealership...

mehran888

When you're OCD like me, and you look back on the past year.... the $10-$15K hit would have been worth it had I made the decision then. Right now I feel like it's a bit of a sunk cost. But you're right, I'll call my parent's dealership and see what they can work out. It looks like they have full service hours on Saturdays. I'll call them to see what they can do, and make it clear that if they can't resolve the problem they need to escalate to Lexus corporate.

LexusNN

iTrader: (5)

I agree with sw10es. Don't sell the car because of a small rattle. See what the dealership can do to help you, talk to the managers, get a loaner, ask for them to pick it up, record the sound, something.

SW17LS

I had an issue with a steering clunk in my old 03 ES back when it was about a year old. I had been having it serviced at one dealer, and they could never find the issue. I took it to another dealer, and at that point I was pissed and had a big chip on my shoulder about it. They took it in, found it and fixed it under warranty. The original dealer was just stupid. The service manager went out with me, he drove and we drove around until he experienced what I had been experiencing. The original dealer had been placating me, but not really trying to find what was causing my issue like the second dealer did.

Have they done that, actually went out with you on the road to try and hear what you are hearing?

I'm a perfectionist too, but at some point you gotta just have a beer and relax. Looking back on the past year, are you saying it would have been worth paying $1,200 a month to avoid a simple rattle in your car? Think about it that way.

mehran888

Hey folks, a few responses, excuse the bullets but it's been a long day

* Reached out to another dealership (the one whose owners we've had a 20 year relationship with). The service manager (who I've known for 20 years) said that unfortunately he can't give me a loaner because we bought from elsewhere, and that they can't look at the issue since Lexus won't pay them for it. Something about the original dealership only getting paid for work like that since we approached them about it first
* Disappointing, yes. Particularly since it was my "good" dealership. I was surprised he didn't try to figure out a way to help me out. He suggested I call Lexus Corporate (the roadside assistance line has an option to reach them)
* I did, and it turns out my ticket has been assigned to a rep, but it's been sitting there for two weeks and she hasn't touched it
* I left her a message, and will do so every few days until I get a response.

To answer the question of whether it's worth taking a $10K loss on the car... yes it is. While I know it's easy for you to say "chill and have a beer", this is one of those things that bothers me and I feel takes time off my clock. Trust me, I do try to relax, but hearing it for an hour a day during my commute is easily the worst part of my day. I'd compare it to going shopping during the Christmas rush (I haven't gone to a mall in October-December for over 10 years).

Frankly, as much as I love the car, I'd be much happier driving the used Civic I had previously, that had no squeeks. I love cars and the GS350 is better in every way, but driving a brand new car that I paid $60K for and dealing with a "little squeek" is more more stressful and frustrating to me than a $5000 Civic with bad alignment and a weak air conditioner. It's more about the value and expectations than anything else.

Hopefully this gets resolved soon. If it doesn't, I'll probably lease a base Pathfinder for a few years and come back to buying a luxury car after the lease runs out. With a Pathfinder I won't be expecting perfection....

(note, I'd get a 4Runner, but after this ordeal I need a break from Lexus/Toyota).

SW17LS

Um, can anybody else in Canada chime in on this? This is certainly not the case with Lexus in the USA. That doesn't make any sense to me.

Thats just completely absurd to me...but its your decision obviously.

The Lexus is a well built car, but it is still a machine, and machines have things that go wrong from time to time. If you expect perfection at all times, you will be constantly disappointed. Stand your ground and make the dealer fix the issue. Have they gone out with you in the car and heard the squeak?

I just can't imagine having the time or the energy to be as frustrated and stressed out about this as you are. Take the car to Lexus, demand a loaner, and tell them to keep it until they find the squeak. Bottom line. Talk of loosing $15k on a trade and driving a base Pathfinder or an old Civic with no air conditioning because your GS squeaks and Lexus won't fix it is just crazy.

mehran888

SW10ES: The issue isn't the rattle, the issue is the fact after 2 visits it's not fixed and they claim it's not an issue. In hindsight I should have taken them out in the car to replicate it with them in the car.

Cars are great, I agree and open to faults and issues, just like us or anything else in this world. But my time and frustration isn't worth the money. While I love cars and respect money, I put my own sanity and time with my family (even if it's just a day) ahead of any amount of money or car. To each their own I guess.