MDames2

iTrader: (1)

...... a 2010 Ford Explorer with 35,000 is rattle free and my 2010 RX350 with 12,000 miles is not. I recently rented the Ford Explorer for a week, and drove it about 600 miles. This is a very good vehicle. It drives very well, has a ton of technology and has no rattles. Although I truly enjoy my RX350when I got back into it this past weekend, I was shocked at how much more noise it makes with the interior rattles than the Explorer. I don't understand how Lexus can't create a quieter SUV. Ford seems to be able to do it. I know that I'm only comparing one sample of each vehicle, but I think it is still surprising.:

Evitzee

Our 2010 RX350 has 38,000 mi on it (Japanese built) and haven't had any squeaks or rattles. Where are the offending noises coming from?

markrivers

What's your definition of rattle?
It could be something inside the glove box or THE tonneau covers.

On a different note, i have more " Quiet Time" with our lexus vs. my Land Rover.

corradoMR2

No car is perfect and all cars have some level of "rattle and squeak" noises. And the quieter the cars, the more you'll notice the slightest squeak where in noisier cars you wouldn't. The RX is tight and only on some rough roads do you hear a tiny squeak in the door area (in my RX anyway). If you haven't removed the tonneau cover and ensure your rear seats are tightly latched as those are known sources for rattles, do so. Other than that, anything else besides loose items you have in the glove box and console, take it in to the dealer and under warranty they'll add felt to plastic interfaces as those are the common sources of squeaks.

GoGiantsNJ

I agree about how quiet the RX is. When I drive my daughter's 2010 Civic,I can't wait to get back to my Rx! I did have to remove the cargo cover also to prevent my only rattle on my '12 RX Japan built.

m1964

it is at least two samples of RX, because my 2012 is making subtle noises as well. None of them is loud enough to go to the dealer, but all of them together make for noisy interior. I was disappointed at first, but then RX350 is a Toyota Harrier (as it is known in the rest of the world beyond NA), and for a Toyota it has very quiet interior. However, Lexus RX350 has reliability of a Toyota, which is a very good thing

UCSB

My 2010 450h has taught me one thing ... I will never buy another Lexus without specifically test driving the exact car I am getting on an extended test drive. Lexus has this delivery process for new cars where the car is perfectly prepped and you go through this in-dealership process to take delivery. Since my car was straight off the delivery truck with all of the shipping plastic on it when I selected it, I thought it was a safe bet. After taking delivery, I begin to notice small annoying sounds that I felt did not belong in a luxury car. After a while I convinced myself that regardless of the 50 something sticker on my car, it really was not a luxury car. When talking about a subject like this, you have to realize that one person might rave about how quiet the car is while another might hear a noise and find it annoying. My daughter and I started taking the car out on drives to isolate each noise. I found and fixed a few right away. But, it took me something like 17 months to find and fix them all. My car is now acceptably quiet for me. I think most people would find it very serene. But, it took some really great work by another forum member to discover one of my last problems and allow me to fix it ... thanks because I doubt I would have ever found the cause. He took the door apart and put each piece back on it until the sound was isolated ... thanks again for the super human effort. I also had to take apart an area of the interior to fix another problem. I purchased an extensive kit to remove interior pieces without damaging them. It is possible to get the car to a very quiet point. But in the end, I feel that the basic design of the vehicle lends itself to rattles ... especially the back seat.

Anyway, I would encourage you to fix as many noises as you can in your RX. If you are lucky, you might get them all. You might want to read some of the threads in this forum for ideas about what others have found and fixed. I would say that I probably put about 30 or 40+ hours of my time into this over 17 months. I don't know if that is truly absurd or if I am just a little to obsessive. Now if I can just get rid of these OEM Dunlop tires, I just might have the car I thought I was purchasing in the first place.

MDames2

iTrader: (1)

I have removed the tonneau cover. I've made sure there are no loose items rattling in any of the storage areas. The seat belts are secure and not the problem. There is a general, non-distinct "rustling" sound that comes from the back area. It's very hard to pin point just where it's coming from. I actually don't mind that noise so much. It has become like "white noise" to me. But there is a significant rattle that sounds like it's coming from the dash area around the NAV screen. I can hear it quite clearly from the driver's seat. But my wife says it sounds like it's coming from the back area. So, it's really hard to say where it's coming from. Sometimes noises originate in one area and then ricochet around the vehicle. I really don't have the time or patience to spend 40 hours working on rattles. So, I guess I'll just live with it. I understand that a tighter, quieter interior will make any noises more noticeable. I also know that the Explorer is not as quiet as my RX. But it was nice to be in a vehicle that didn't make a lot of annoying noises. Thanks for all the replies

Sevn86

My RX350 is very quite compared to my other vehicles. There is a driver door rattle that comes a goes. Other then that I dont really have any rattles besides things that are in my glove box and stuff. I will say that my 08 Jeep with 137k on the odo is pretty darn close to quite too. My new Optima how ever is super loud and it has rattles with only 4500 miles on the odo. The road noise is crazy (super cheap tires from factory dont help either) When I drive that, I cant wait to get back into my RX350 for its quiteness.

rayaans

Something ive noticed from experience. Its not the car that makes the rattles, its almost always the things YOU put into the car. However, as with everything, there is always one exception somewhere. Mine is totally rattle free

chuckGS350

I have at least the two rattles in my 2011RX350. One comes from the tonneau cover. The other rustling sound comes from the back seat which I couldn't locate it. If you fold down the right back seat, the rustling sound would go away. I am sure my back seats are latched tight.
I just have to live with it.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...langing-2.html

m1964

I, like the OP, expected more from "luxury" automaker Lexus; I did research before buying my RX, I did read that Lexus is/was a "dressed up Toyota", but decided to try myself.
I cannot say that I am totally disappointed by my RX350 - I am disappointed by the ride "quiality', and somewhat noisy interior and engine under acceleration;
I am very satisfied with the fact that in 1.5 years I did not have to take RX back to the dealer except for maintenance. After I traded my LR2 for RX, I look into my records and counted visits to LR dealer - 18 in 4 years not counting maintenance...

Comparing Lexus to Kia is not fair unless you comparing $50K Lexus to $50K Kia.
I would compare Rx350 to X3, Q5, GLK, MDX - they all are in the same price range.
Our Q5 is still very "quiet" after almost 4 years of ownership, and its engine is very quiet too even under acceleration. Audis do have a thick felt-like fabric under the plastic door panels.

Q5 did have two or 3 problems so far, but the ride quality and handling/cornering is superior to RX's.. (IMO)

ericsan13

While driving I held the right rear seat metal adjustment bar for sliding the seat back and forth and the sound went away. Try that yet?

chuckGS350

Tried it but not while driving.
Slided back and forth with different positions, the noise is still there. Folding the seat down, the noise went away. It's telling me the seat track might have a slight vibration.

hypervish

That's not an excuse. All of the Lexus' are called by their Toyota names elsewhere:
Celsior -LS
Windom - ES
Altezza -IS
Aristo - GS
Soarer - SC
Harrier - RX
Land Cruiser - LX
Land Cruiser Prado -GX

The Lexus LS, is a Toyota Celsior. So, then I guess for a Toyota it's way too expensive...