Feel like I am going a little crazy. Not sure if I am hearing things or if my car no longer sounds normal. Looking for feedback. The link below is to a YouTube video I just posted, couldn’t figure out how to reduce the size for this forum.

https://youtube.com/shorts/r5gBAg5Dcwg?feature=share

To me, my car is making a very weird humming noise that goes up and down (cyclic) and gets drawn out when I am turning the wheel around a bend. It kind of reminds me of driving on grooved pavement. I have taken the car to my Lexus dealer twice in the past 7 days. The first time, I was told I had a nail in my tire which was making the noise. They plugged it. I returned two days later and that time the technician told me I was hearing normal wind noise when we went on a test drive together. After we got back, they told me my tires were wearing unevenly and causing the noise. I ended up taking the car to a tire shop and put 4 new tires on and the car to me is still making noises but Lexus keeps telling me it’s normal.

Some background, I loved my ES 300h up until last Wednesday when I struck a 5in diameter steel exhaust pipe that fell off the truck in front of me while I was going 70mph. The dealership is aware of this. I went up and over the pipe with the left front tire which is where I am hearing the noise. When the tire shop replaced the tires, they rotated the wheels as well. They informed me, not Lexus, that the front left wheel has a slight bend to it and put it in the rear. The noise however is still coming from the left front.

As other ES drives, does it sound normal to you?

 

I'm sorry, but I'm not hearing anything. How long have you owned the car - in other words, how much time did you have to become acclimated to the normal ES sounds before the debris strike occurred? These recorded videos don't necessarily provide the best audio for an evaluation such as this because it will depend on the quality of the recording device and the quality of the playback devices as well. I would think your own ear is going to be the best tool to evaluate this. I also think it can be human nature for something like this to cause us to pay closer attention and "hear" or "see" things that have been occurring all along. We begin to just take the car for granted after getting used to it, and an event like this causes us to evaluate it in a a more critical fashion.

If I struck a 5" steel object with a wheel at 70 mph, I would certainly replace the wheel (given the tire shop stated it was slightly bent) but I would absolutely get an alignment as well. I would worry about a suspension component getting bent during a strike with a 5" object, but I don't know something like a bent strut would necessarily manifest itself as a "strange noise"? I would take it to a good alignment shop (not necessarily the dealer - especially after they have essentially blown you off) and explain what has happened. Let them inspect it and align it. Uneven tire wear also supports the need to have the alignment checked.

 

Thank you for the response. I have had the car since this May, it is a 2020 ES300H with about 21,000 miles. Bought it with 10,000 miles…I do a lot of driving. When I had the new tires put on they did a balance and alignment as part of the package. I agree, it is very hard to record audio of the car. I own 2 other Lexus’s, a 2020 RX-350 and 2021 LC-500 Convertible and don’t hear anything like what I hear in the ES in either of those cars. The ES was just as quiet as the other two before the strike. The dealership wants me to bring it in for another test drive so I will see what happens.

 

Tell them to check the wheel bearing.

 

Wait wait wait hold up. You admit you have a bent wheel installed on the car?

You need to get the wheel taken care of first. Perhaps install a spare wheel temporarily and go for a drive. Until then, it's moot discussing any other matters.

 

Yes, the tire shop said it was a very slight bend, not very significant though. It will be getting replaced. When Lexus throughly inspected the car the two times i brought it to them prior to going to the tire shop, they mentioned nothing about a bent rim.

I went back to the dealer yesterday and went on a test drive with the diagnostic technician. He agreed the car doesn’t sound normal but was unsure of what could be causing it. He did not think it was coming from any of the wheels as he didn’t feel any vibrations. He also didn’t think it was a bearing issue. Glad at least they agree with me that the car doesn’t sound right. They kept the car and I am in a loaner.

 

The best thing about this is that they admit there's a problem. That's big in showing they're at least acting in good faith.

The worst thing is that a tire shop can spot a bent rim and they can't.

He can't tell you what it is, but he seems awfully confident that he can tell you what it isn't. In my mind, that squanders about half the confidence he inspired by admitting there's a problem.

BTW, I agree with you that if the problem wheel in in the back and the noise is in the front, most likely the bent wheel isn't the only issue here. I'm suspecting either a wheel bearing or, as you said, a front end component bent or damaged in the mishap. There's not an infinite number of these components—this shouldn't be impossible to find like, say, a part-time electrical short. If they can't do it, you might want to try another dealer (if your warranty is factory).

 

All what you typed is moot until you fix the bent "rim." Ask them to show you. The slightest bend will magnify in amplitude at speed. Could manifest itself in sound or vibration or both. Any other discussions or theories are moot until you first address that. There should be no damaged parts on your car. That's the required baseline before diagnosing any problems within a system.