My 2009 ES 350 makes a ticking noise under the hood especially in the morning. Can someone tell me if this is normal? The dealer says it is normal. Says, fuel injectors? Anyone else have this issue and been told the same?

 

I never liked to hear that noise described as "normal" but for a lot of 2007's I guess that is what it is. It usually goes away in a short time as the car warms up and seems to do no harm. It has been discussed a lot here but right now I can't remember what it is that causes the noise.

Dave Mac

 

I sometime have that problem with my Legend. In my case it is the valve lifters that are making the ticking noises. But it goes away after a few minutes.

 

No, it is not normal. Lexus believes it is not necessary to include the ES in one of the most recent recalls for this problem. Aww, performing as designed. Love the quality.

 

I have had my 2007 since November of 2006. It has made this noise since the beginning. The car runs perfectly. No issues at all. It goes away after a few minutes. Honestly, I don't even notice it anymore. I wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy your car.

 

There have been other posts about this issue. And, as depicted here, folks describe it as normal. My wife's 2008 ES had the same issue. On the first oil change I switched to Pennzoil Platinum 10W/30 synthetic. Since I live in Arizona, I have used a 10W/30 in all my vehicles. Anyway, the cold ticking went away with the first oil change and has not returned.

Lou

 

My "07 still has it at 40,000 miles, Mobil One oil since new. I was told and still have the written work order by the Lexus dealer, stating my complaint and the response was "direct fuel injection noise". Kept it in case the engine went out in the future.

 

Both JD Power and Consumer Reports give the '07 ES350 ('08 too) high ratings as a used car, especially in mechanical/drivetrain areas. That would indicate that the the ticking sound is probably more of an annoyance than a problem.

 

That's funny. I was told the same thing by my Lexus dealer. The only problem is that the ES350 doesn't have direct injection.

 

Funny, my partner and I were just talking about this... he's an engineer that works with heavy duty trucks and he just commented the other day about how quiet the new Ford diesel is.... he said he was impressed how well it didn't sound like a diesel - this was being discussed one morning as we were driving along in my '07 gas engine Lexus - in its warm up cycle and was making the "normal" diesel engine noise. My response was "haha".

Same with Garsano, nothing but Mobile 1 since first oil change. This may be normal, but the car never sounded right when cold from the get go. Sounds like an old engine when cold - but goes away after warmed up.

People at work have made jokes about this - the best one was from this new kid "have you ever considered an oil change" jokingly implying that I've never bothered to change the oil.

We'll see how this plays out.

 

People at work have made jokes about this - the best one was from this new kid "have you ever considered an oil change" jokingly implying that I've never bothered to change the oil.

We'll see how this plays out.[/QUOTE]

I HAVE A 2007 ES 350 AND A 2007 RX 350 AND HAVE HAD COLD START NOISE SINCE NEW ES HAS 60,000 AND RX HAS 14,000 MILES.
HAVE LEARNED TO IGNORE IT.
LEXUS SAYS ITS NORMAL, SO BELIEVE IT OR NOT IT CAN'T BE SERIOUS.


NICK

 

You could ask your partner if the Ford diesel will do 0-60 in 6.2 - 6.8 seconds (depending on the mag and still get 30+ mpg on the highway at anything under 70 mph or so. Tell him it may be noisy but also efficient.

 

I had same problem when new. People at church would ask me if something was wrong with my car. I told them it was a Lexus and thats the noise it makes. Swayed two of them to a BMW 5 series.

 

That's funny right there!

Interesting to see this problem still exists. One of the few my '07 does not have...

Had dinner with a buddy who is a tech for Lexus. He was lamenting over all the issues they are having to deal with these days. And how it is not like it used to be. Most recent is they just put a stop sell on the LS460 due to valve issues. (I think that is what he said.)

Dayum!

 

Nothing is like it used to be.