When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
about two weeks ago I started to notice a rattle coming from outside. It seems to becoming from the roof-so I suspected the roof rack. What I found out was that the cross bars had a bit of play. They were able to be moved up and down. I dont know much about them, but after some intense researching I found out that what is causing the rattle sound is the air that is flowing over and under them at higher speeds. the air actually lifts them up and down causing the rattle.
Well, every shop I went to, including Lexus dealer said the cross bars need to be replaced. I decided to see if they can be fixed another way before I go spend some ridiculous amount of money.
Rather than bored you with lots of fancy words I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
first part is removing the back cover of the rack. they slide right off towards the back of the vehicle. just wiggle them back and forth and pull at the same time. dont be shy to put some force.
this is what you get. the circles is were the tabs going into from the cover
the cover tabs
next you will need to unscrew the retainer screw from both bars -which you will need a 8mm socket. then you can slide the bars towards the back of the vehicle.
now the shaking was coming from the side were you can make adjustments. the other side there is no adjustment. These are the screws you will be working with. they are hex screws and you will need size t25 hex head for this. take note that the pic is of the underside of the bar. the arrow represent the front of the vehicle.
now the fix. the main problem is -that over time the locking mechanism cover wears out between the cover and the bar (see above Pic). At first I tried a slim plastic washer between the two but then I remember that the Florida sun would melt it in no time. Well my next solution was rubber o-rings. They handle vibrations and weather pretty well. The ones I'm using are actually from an old A/c kit I had stored away.
the o-ing I used are about 1/2 inch big for the first bar.
you will need a tooth pick or really small screw driver to wedge the O-ring in the screw hole.
for the second bar I had to use a smaller O-ring because it had less wear.
Its was a little bigger than 1/4 inch. you can see the comparison from the 1/2 to the 1/4.
Now tighten the screws back up-snug. dont over tighten or you will crack the cover. once finished slide the first bar in to tracks. pay attention to the arrow on the bar. the arrow needs to point towards the front of the vehicle.
next slide the covers back on to the tracks. make sure that the covers slide back on to the yellow grommet as circled below and also make sure the tabs in the front of the cover(second pic) slide into the tracks. this might take a few attempts-be patient.
I took it for a test drive and no more rattles.
I hope this helps anyone with the same situation I had. This post is for entertainment purposes only. if you follow the instructions -you do it at your own risk.
And to think the roof rack were an option when I got the RX300. Mine was naked from day one. I did remove the crossbars on the 330 to make clearing snow off the roof easier. The 450h has rails but no crossbars. I'll keep it that way.
Most likely the problem is not the roof rack, it is the plastic gas tank liner under the car and the sound radiates to the top. there is a simple quick fix onother posts.
The fix is on bottom of the car not the roof. Placing a small piece of foam pipe insulation on the tank protector and using a little duct tape will solve the problem . This fix has lasted about six years.
<br >
<br >
07-31-10, 09:17 AM
08 Rx 350 roof rack easy fix less than $20
