My experience has been the same as yours. Just yesterday we were out on the highway doing 60-70 mph, and it was extremely windy with gusts over 40 mph. Things were quiet inside the car. You could hear wind rushing outside the car and buffeting it a bit, but nothing inside. After 8 months, I'm still very happy with the car overall.

 

I wonder how much is expectations. I was driving between 60-80 today, bringing the car in to get the XM radio installed. It was raining and the wind was a bit gusty. I could here wind outside and at times here noise around the A pillars, which I assume was gusts. Between the gusts, I could still here some noise, but it is still AT LEAST on par with Cadilacs and BMWs I have driven in. I have not been in my Father's LS460L at highway speeds, so I can't say how it compares to that, but it is much quieter overall than most cars I have ridden in.

 

I'd say your car is absent the wind noise issue or you would have never said it is on par with other vehicles if it was present. If present as for many who have posted on it on wind noise threads, it will be to a degree you would describe as totally unacceptable for any car.

 

I just don't understand how these cars can be so different in regards to the wind noise and dieseling upon start up. Mine has neither. Zip nada none.

When I took delivery of my car I drove it on the interstate with the radio off. Mind you, this was back in May...well before these complaints surfaced on CL. I was very impressed with the quietness inside the car compared to my '98 ES. And I certainly don't have the morning knocking.

I just don't get it!

 

I know the feeling and do not understand it at all.

I had a 99 ES300, and there is no comparison at all, the 99 ES was light years quieter than any ES350 I have driven, except cold started demonstrator at purchase of first ES350 which had no diesel at all and was as quiet as my ES300 in that regard.

I have no clue about that demonstrator as to wind noise for two reasons, I did not get it over 40 mph due to the test drive route and I was like a deer in the headlights, glossed over in pursuit of brand new car and might not have caught it anyway even if it was present as I never knew to check for that in a new car before now.

 

Trying to figure that out myself. I don't know if the cars are that much different, or if people's expectations are that much different.

I would be nice to meet up with someone with a trouble 350 and compare the wind noise and some other things.

 

I think you hit it right on the head. It's a combination of varying owner expectations, as well as some problematic cars.

 

I think the nail is being missed by a country mile.

Take steering clicking post, never had that in any ES350 I drove, yet I accept it exists and is not some owner expectation driven annoyance and I do not need to drive one with it to understand it.

I do not have to have rattles in my car to accept that others do and it not require that I must drive their vehicle in order to accept rattles are an issue.

Same for transmission slipping, excessive diesel engine noise and excessive wind noise or NAV complaints, I don't have to have them to believe others do and accept it without having to drive any one with any one issue because my particular car is absent that issue. Especially when literally dozens of people on this poll indicate the various issues. One does not require driving a vehicle with any of these issues to simply accept they exist.

Maybe Wanderer will dust off the photos of the dealer applied shims to his window gaskets if he still has them, a dealer who understood the wind noise is excessive in these as for owners who are reporting this issue here.

 

You must have missed the end of the sentence, "plus some problematic cars"....

 

my loaner took a lickin and never started tickin.

I have no doubt the ES350 is the best ES ever, there are just some first year bugs to work out.

 

LOL..chuck, a poet and didn't know it..

 

lol... Bob strikes again.

Why is it so hard to accept that while you complain about every single thing, not everyone does? It is quite easy to understand that field tech never heard anyone complain about wind noise. It is an big country you know.

But no, he is an bold faced liar... are these other people on the forums liars as well?Complaints on the forum ! = complaints in real life. Why is that so hard to understand?

I dont think I ever heard anyone complain about wind noise in our dealership, for any car, even for the models that were very problematic and forums were full of wind noise problems. Number #1 Toyota Avensis problem at UK forums is wind and road noise, and we have at least 50 cars that have done over 80,000 miles with us, and never an single noise report.

Now, someone like YOU going over forums, and then asking our service manager if they ever heard of wind noise problems, would accuse poor guy of being an liar, just because he doesnt frequent same website as you do.

I am not saying that your problems are not valid, they certainly are valid if you are unhappy, but I think you are way, way off base, if you think there are loads of ES customers going back to Lexus telling them they have same problems you have.

 

This is the same type of response you posted to me when right in the middle of issues with my former ES350 that was missing body weld, had a hosed up transmission, wind noise and engine noise only then I did not know you worked for Toyota/Lexus, now that I do know, it makes sense this response is offered. This is typical.

 

OK.....

Planet Earth to Lexus Field Technicians: If a customer complains about something it means there is a problem - perceived or otherwise. The customer didn't just get in their car and visit your dealership for fun - they are there as they believe they have a problem. The customer may know their vehicle better than you do, as they get to drive it all the time.

I've had my Lexus technician agree there is a problem on my vehicle with wind noise. After 8 months, Lexus still has no fix. Thanks Lexus!

I've had my Lexus technician diagnose 3 times there was no problem with my trans. Was I imagining this? No - as I then demonstrated it personally what the problem was. So they performed the TSIB and my Lexus tech declares my vehicle was fixed. Umm.... no, its much, much, much worse now. More trips, more diagnosis, new transmission installed. Again, my vehicle is declared in perfect working order. Umm.... no, its not - its slipping again and continues to slip. Just another complaining customer?

So if a customer comes into your dealership listen to them. Its your job. Investigate what they're saying. My tech dismissed my trans issues over and over again, and look where we are at now. It's your job to investigate thoroughly to fix this problem. What we are seeing members report on this forum here is ongoing "its normal behaviour" for everything from trans issues to wind noise. Do not dismiss others because you perceive they're complaining.

 

When your local Lexus Service people can't find a solution to your problem, they will sometimes have Lexus factory technicians come down to your dealer and check it out, and if need be, file a formal complaint. I've seen it happen in the past, and I feel that this is the way to get much better results.