dotter

Is anyone having problems with total car vibration, especially after the car sits for awhile?
I am told this is normal, because of the type of tires on the car.After five returns to the dealer, Lexus replaced them and the car still shakes when driving?

GregCon

After 5 trips I would be using the term Lemon Law next time I visited the dealer.

Mikey100

TOTAL agreement. There is a BIG difference between "Reasonable" and "Unreasonable."
This particular situation appears to have crossed that line. Please keep us posted.

And if we read your post correctly, the NEXT trip to your dealer will be your SEVENTH on this issue.

Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

caha14

What year and model (i.e., LWB or SWB) is your LS? Also, can you be more descriptive - at what speed(s) does it happen, how long does it take to get better (assuming that it does in light of your statement about it being worse when the car has sat for a while), etc.?

dotter

I am writing a letter telling them I am assuming the car will fall under the Lemon Law.....will let you know their reply.
thanks

dotter

I will be doing that! We'll see what happens!
thanks

dotter

When you first drive the car after it sits for awhile it is really bad, you shake as you drive, but it never really goes away even after high speed driving. I met with one of their 'experts", from customer service. He tried to convince me this was normal and another rep asked me what my job was ?
Figure that!? I guess they are glad I'm not a lawyer.
thanks

Mikey100

Might I offer a suggestion ?

A) Take them for a ride. Let them tell you once again "it is normal."
Then
B) Ask that they take a car from THEIR inventory ....... and drive the SAME location(s) and
then ask since THIS ("not shaking") is normal, ask how can YOURS be "normal." ?

Hope this helps ya. Good Luck. Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

I8ABMR

Mine shakes too. In my case it was my 22" wheels but there is still a tiny bit of residual vibration even with the stocks. My car is in the shop as we speak. They are replacing the upper control arm bushings and rebuilding the parking brake assembly because they were thinking that maybe its not disengaging completely

caha14

Thanks for the extra information.

That sounds a heck of a lot like flatspotted tires and/or tires with excessive road force variation. For what it's worth, I just went through extensive - and I mean extensive - repairs on my LS for vibrations: driveline and suspension related as well as tires.

You say "new", so I assume it's a 2012 or at worst a 2011. If this is the case, while everything is possible, my money is on tires and/or wheels, as most of the other issues should have been addressed at the factory.

In your case, when the dealership replaced the original tires, did the problem change in any way whatsoever (intensity, etc.)?

To the extent that you can drive your car with tires and wheels from a brand new LS with factory-installed and balanced tires, that would be ideal for diagnostic purposes. This may be hard to believe for some, but having tires installed and balanced at the dealership is no guarantee that the job will be done right: outdated/out-of-calibration equipment, technicians in a rush, etc. (believe me, I could write a book just about past experiences at Lexus dealerships) can be issues, so just because a set of new tires did not resolve the problem, I would not necessarily give up on that as the culprit.

Nospinzone

I second everything caha14 said! If your dealer isn't using a Hunter Road Force that could be the problem right there.

As for the dealer's claim that it is "normal", tell him "let's take a couple of your demos out and see if they do the same thing". Betcha they don't.

I8ABMR

When they train doctors they always say " when you hear hoof steps think horses not zebras ", meaning look for the more common issues first. The wheels are usually the culprit but in my case the techs are dealing with zebras. I wish you luck. At least your car is still new. You can go the lemon law route in push comes to shove

GregCon

Here's why I don't think it is wheels or tires:

1) He said they replaced the tires and the problem is the same.
2) Wheels are made on CNC machines nowadays ( I assume he does not have steel wheels) and are very ....round.....and well balanced. I guess it's possible he has a dud set of wheels but I consider that a zebra.

caha14

Good points, Greg. I had not just a zebra but also a stampede of rhinos with my car. Some of the issues were addressed with redesigned parts, which is why I'd like to think the OP's car shouldn't have them (though many other things could be at play, naturally). Over and above that, even with good wheels, I've had multiple sets of bad rubber AND that has been compounded by installation issues. That's where testing with factory tires and wheels would come into the mix, IMHO.

I like the horse and zebra analogy, Tammer!

Craig B

A Hunter Road Force machine will tell if the wheels are out of spec. I think Lexus dealers are required to use a Road Force machine to balance wheels and tires...