Nospinzone

i wonder the same thing. From a charitable standpoint, maybe they are underpaid and simply don't put in the effort. From a cynical standpoint (who me) maybe their only concern is selling more services.

comotiger

The SAs I have dealt with seem to be fairly well-compensated. They have stayed with the same dealership for more than 10 years, and drive nice cars

The TSB-related service would be covered by warranty, so it would seem to be in the dealership's interest to do that service. On the flip side, if a customer does not have a vibration issue, why plant an idea in their mind that something could potentially be wrong with their car (by telling them about the TSB)? The customer may then insist on getting the work done even if there is no problem with their vehicle, and Lexus would be on the hook for a very large number of TSB-related services even when the actual defect may arise in only a very small number of vehicles. So, Lexus may actually direct dealers to not discuss TSBs with customers unless someone reports a specific problem.

Rhambler

Conversely, it could be unscrupulous dealers, especially towards cars still under warranty.

For example, an owner reports a problem. The dealer may be generally aware of the TSB, but since the description of the problem wasn't precisely described as such, they may do warranty repairs on semi-related parts, knowing it won't fix it, but still bill Lexus nonetheless, also knowing that they will come back for more warranty repairs.

I think Lexus might look the other way simply because if they did the right thing and notify everyone of a TSB, even though it might not effect everyone, the amount of warranty repairs would probably skyrocket, most of which probably isn't needed. So maybe they know the dealers are playing these games, assuming they are as they figured, as whole, it might be cheaper.

Of course, they are neglecting one part of the equation: us and extreme disruption and pain we endure.

comotiger

I would just hope that your "favorite" dealer is not unscrupulous and playing games with you and making you suffer.

2012LS460

Car still vibrates between 30-40 MPH (accelerating and decelerating). Takes away from the driving experience of owning such a car as an LS 460. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

comotiger

Jason, has your vibration problem been fixed?

comotiger

I am sorry to hear your problem has not been fixed. By decelerating, do you mean coasting or braking? Does the vibration frequency change with the speed of the car? If it does, then could this be due to warped rotors? Does the steering wheel vibrate/shake also? If the vibration frequency doesn't change with speed, could it be some resonant vibrations of the heat shield or other parts at certain vehicle speeds? I am not an expert, I am just wondering out loud.

In reading your earlier posts, you experienced this vibration issue within 5 days of buying the vehicle. It's too bad you did not experience the vibrations on a test drive.

2012LS460

Car vibrates/shutters when accelerating through 30-40 MPH and while decelerating through the same speed range. In reference to decelerating, no gas or brake being applied...just rolling through 40 to 30 MPH.

The best way to describe the vibrate/shutter is the sound and feel of running over the rumble strip on a highway. I really pick up on it because I rest my arm on the center console arm rest...feels like it emanates from below there, but that could be just my sense of what is happening.

Frustrating because dealer doesn't seem to know what to next (or doesn't want to do anything further). Thanks for responding.

comotiger

There are heat shields around the cat converter/exhaust underneath the car. Maybe one of those is a bit loose and vibrating only in that narrow speed range.

mdpresco

So this is about the frequency of the drive shaft? (I forget the differential ratio.) In my past I removed a drive shaft in my MB 300D and replaced the hanger bearing. I put it back together without lining up the timing dots on the u-joints. I had that same kind of shudder through a definite speed range. Has the car been put on a lift and tested with the wheels off the ground? Maybe the transmission tail shaft bearing is bad?
Good luck on finding this issue.

jasone36

comotiger, sorry for the delayed response.

Yes, the vibration issue in my late-production 2013 LS AWD LWB has been fixed by the dealer, under the new car warranty.

The dealer diagnosed the issue as "front axles found to be out of balance", and thus "replaced front axles". Interestingly, they coded the issue as "auto trans diagnosis" for warranty purposes.

The part Lexus numbers are 43410-50014 (Shaft Assy, FR DR) and 43410-50012.

The issue was more pronounced in "sport mode" (I do not have Sport++ mode as my LS is non-air equipped), but was also very noticeable in normal driving as well.

It's unclear if there's a formal TSB for 2013+ models experiencing this issue, but the dealer was able to easily replicate the issue and fix it at no charge under the new car warranty.

Hope this helps.

comotiger

Thanks, Jason. Glad to hear your problem has been resolved. Hopefully, your fix will help the OP with his vibration problem.

No issues with my car. Then again, she has been a garage queen for nearly a month as I shopped for Platinum VSAs before my new car warranty ran out!

droclex

Just wanted to add that my 2013 SWB AWD is in the shop right now for the same issue. They're replacing the front axle on the left side and going down the diagnostic chain from there. Hoping that the shuddering while decelerating is completely gone when I get it back later this week. Best of luck to the OP with your issue.

reamonn

Hello from Australia . I bought a 2008 LS 460 with 110,000 kilometres on the clock . It developed a vibration when driving at 100 kmh ( 60 mph) . It was not easy to tell where the problem was coming from, it felt very much like it was the wheels ( even though the steering wheel was not visibly shaking) so I took it to a trye shop to have the wheels balanced and a wheel alignment done . This made zero difference . I decided to replace the cheap Chinese branded tyres that came with the car when I bought it with the original tyres that were fitted ( Dunlop Sport Maxx 245/45R19) . Had another alignment done on the new tyres . Problem is now gone . Hope this helps anyone who is wondering like I was what are the options and possible fixes.

cpcc

i have a vibration that occurs ~40mph.
Tires balanced, twice. alignment checked, tires changed. front axles changed and still having the same issues. Any thoughts?