ZilverS351

Hi Guys,

So I have a 2007 IS250 with a 6 speed manual. It has 49k miles on it and just went off factory warranty. Before the warranty expired I took it into Bell Lexus in Phoenix for a Whining sound in 3-6 gears. It is loud and very distracting to me and gets higher or lower depending on the RPMs. The dealer told me they have only seen 2 manual transmission cars in 5 years that he could remember so they were not sure what it was. They said they called the guy at Lexus that designed the transmission for help. They dropped the transmission and replaced all the bearings and said that the clutch and flywheel looked great. They put it back together and it STILL makes the whining noise in 3-6. They told me there was nothing they could do and that was just the design of the car which is why Lexus doesn't make 6-speeds. I just can't believe that the car made this sound when it was new... I want it fixed since I take clients out in my car and some have made comments about it. Anyone have any ideas on what I can do to fix this issue?? Any help would be greatly appriciated!

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

"There's nothing we can do" is not an acceptable answer from a dealership on fixing a warranty issue. I don't have a manual, but I've also not read anywhere on CL that whining in gears 3-6 is common. It should be fairly clear to a dealership whether a sound like that is truly common to the 2IS or if it's out of the ordinary. It'd be as easy as driving a different manual IS250 to see if it does the same thing - call around to dealerships in the area to see if they have one and check it out.

In any case, if it's a problem that's covered by warranty, they should fix it. I'd continue pressing them, and if you get nowhere go to Lexus corporate and/or other nearby dealerships.

BamaIS

iTrader: (3)

My 2006 has 108,000 and has no whining. I have followed all posts on here concerning the manual transmission. There are a lot of complaints about this tranny, but I haven't seen any complaining of whining.

B16da9

iTrader: (7)

That’s definitely not normal. Also I find it very hard to believe that they took the transmission apart are replaced the bearing as every time I’ve heard of someone having an issue with a 6 speed gearbox the dealer replaces the whole box and not rebuilt it as they claim.

iRock

iTrader: (12)

That's soooo not acceptable

ZilverS351

They said if it was an automatic transmission they would just replace the whole thing. Since it was a 6 speed they could not replace it because the Clutch and Flywheel are not covered under warranty. They wanted $1,500.00 alone for the flywheel.

Sffd103

iTrader: (16)

so sorry to hear!!!! This can't be a normal sound. I have a manual also and have never heard this before. Maybe you can go back and talk to the service manager.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

I would push on this. I can't find the relevant documentation online, but I think that if a covered part fails, Lexus needs to warranty it otherwise they're in breach of their side of the warranty contract. If repair/replacement of this covered part requires replacement or repair of a non-covered part, then I would think that's still their responsibility. It certainly works in the reverse - if a non-covered part fails and causes the failure of an otherwise covered part, that part won't be covered.

Can anyone speak to this? I searched all my documents and online and I think the answer would have to come from someone who's had it happen or from Lexus themselves.

I can tell you that if a part on my car that was covered failed and they told me they couldn't fix it because they'd have to replace a piece of window trim to do it, I'd be livid and on the phone with Lexus immediately.

One caveat to all of the above could be the distinction of the word "failure". They might not term your issue a "failure" since it seems to function fine save for the noise which is just a nuisance. I'd still push though, because the noise might be a nuisance now but you don't want it to truly fail the day after your warranty expires.

Fuzzie

iTrader: (6)

i think i know the *Whining Noise* you are talking about. i notice it more when im crusing on the freeway. i sold my exhaust thinking thats what caused the noise but i was wrong. it was the damn car. the only fix i got from this issue was to slightly let off the gas pedal... i mean very very slightly and the whining noise will go away.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Now, I've got no idea what the inside of your Lexus manual trans looks like...but what happens commonly on the manual trans I've rebuilt/worked on is that a bearing will walk out of the case just enough to cause a noise and premature wear. With the change of the clearances due to the bearing not being in its correct orientation you will soon experience poorer performance in shifter and possible grinding in higher rpms.

The techs more than likely didn't open up your transmission, probably because they ARE NOT trained in actually fixing internal transmission components.

Your best bet is to push corporate that you were not satisfied with the less than BS answer you got after your service experience.

GL!

Jeff Lange

iTrader: (1)

Why wouldn't they be trained to fix transmissions? Any certified technician should have training for R&I+O/H on a manual transmission, at least around here. The SST's to disassemble the RA62 are (at least in Canada) listed as essential SST's and every dealer should have them.

That being said, I think if you are still having issues and are just outside of the warranty period, your best bet is to speak with Lexus Corporate, they'll probably the only ones that can help in your situation if the dealer isn't stepping up on your behalf. Often times you have a lot more power by talking directly with Lexus than the dealer would have contacting them on your behalf anyway.

Jeff