My car is NOT fixed. I heard a very similar noise multiple times over the weekend... it's definitely a more subdued sound, but it happens on nearly every start now.

 

Took my car back in yesterday... it was just a lose bolt and washer that was causing the new noise I was hearing. Haven't heard the noise on startup yet.

 

I just officially joined this site today. This is my first time posting here and the whole reason I searched for anything dealing with a Lexus discussion in the first place was because I have the start-up rattle. So I have to first thank BUDS for posting his work order on here. I printed it and dropped it on the desk at my local Lexus dealer. I also printed out some of the discussions here on ClubLexus and the first thing my service rep said (which he was filling in for my assigned rep) was..."wow, you came prepared. I'm glad to see that". So thanks to all the "posters" too, for taking the time to talk out any joys/problems you might be having with your Lexus'.

So I went on the explain to him that the time I had my car in previously(over something that turned out to be nothing legitimately), I had voiced my concerns to my assigned service rep and she said she knew nothing about any kind of "noises" or anything of the sort and kinda moved me on my way. He immediately apologized. I went on to tell him that I came prepared THIS time I had my car in(which is for the 30k service) so there is no confusion. He was impressed to say the least.

**IMPORTANT** I ALSO recorded my car making the sound with my iPhone. He said that will save a lot of red tape time because they HAVE to hear the sound. He asked me to forward the sound file to his email. I did and he began searching for the TSIB. It took about two seconds for the TSIB info for this exact problem to come up in Lexus' system. I took my car in last Friday(six days ago today) to have the 30k done, the pedal recall for the 250 AND the TSIB for the "cold engine start up rattle". I haven't gotten it back yet but he assured me it WILL be taken care of. The rattle work is absolutely covered within the 70k warranty. So...you guys have no worries there. I do know the TSIB for it is like...49 pages I think. He offered to print it for me so I knew exactly what was going to be involved. I said...uh, nah. Hahaha

I just wanted to say thank you to ClubLexus and all of you guys/gals that discuss things on here. Without both of you...I wouldn't have figured this out as fast as I was able to. So thank you By the way...he looked at the discussions I had printed out and said, "ah cool...ClubLexus is a great site". Just remember, it helps to be as prepared as you can when sitting down across the desk from your service rep. It helps you and helps them be able to complete their job efficiently. BE PREPARED! It makes something that would've been a headache, into something much easier.

I'll keep you all updated!!!

 

I would have little confidence in a dealer who was unaware of this problem. My dealer fixed mine the same day and has never made a noise since, no questions asked.

 

I had this issue also 2006 IS350.

Dealer changed my "cam gears" (thats what I was told) ...noise gone...all warranty work.

 

will changing the cam gears. lower the cost on ur vehicle? in terms of resale value? Can changing the cam gears in anyways dmg your engine will it still feel the same?

 

UPDATE - Just wanted to come back to this thread at least one more time to tell everyone how my visit turned out. I've gotten my car back. It took six days for my dealer to do my 30k service, pedal recall and the "cold start-up" issue. Everything is great and I think my car could actually be showing an improvement in the "get up and go" area. Not sure if it was the cam gears or not but it feels great. I told my service rep that I was VERY happy to be getting bak behind the wheel of my car...and returning their RX loaner. The '10 loaner was nice...but it's quite a change to drive a SUV for a week. Plus the fuel mileage is absolutely terrible vs my IS.

> sincity - I completely understand what you are saying. But me taking the time to actually look for the TSIB was worth it to me. All the info is here and I figured it would make things easier. And I feel it did, and not just because my service rep said it did. My preparedness might have been overkill...but I suppose I didn't wanna take a chance on them having to take additional time diagnosing the problem. I didn't wanna spend a lot of unneeded time on this issue. Plus, I don't expect to sit down across from my service rep and give a generic description of what the problem "sounds" like, and them just know off the top of their head what it is. I bought a Lexus, not the space shuttle. With that said...I do have, and will always have, high expectations from my Lexus dealer. But they're not so high that I'll be disgusted with them if they appear to be human. I have nothing bad to say about my dealer...they were great.

And finally...I hope this helps some of you!

 

Mine doesn't happen at cold start. If I let the car sit for a couple hours after being warmed up to operating temp it will rattle. Now almost everytime I start up after recently being run. Will try and take it in this coming week. Although I dread taking my car in with all the mods I have. I fear they will destroy my wheels

 

i have this same exact problem on my 08 350. is there any IS in South Florida has this problem because i dk no dealer i can take it too

 

I am so relieved there is a TSIB for this.. I was worried that I just got a lemon. Actually, I'm not sure if relieved is the right word, since after reading through this, I'm pretty sure it's just a workaround, not an actual resolution. Like changing "wearable" parts, these gears will just wear out (prematurely) again.

Also, to people mentioning "free oil changes," this is an upper engine service, meaning they don't need to drain the oil. They'll top it off after they're done, but that's it. (The fact that there's no oil listed under "Parts" on anyone's invoice confirms this). You only need to drain oil for lower-engine work (crankshaft, pistons, sleeves, etc.), and pretty much the only time you'll see it in a shop is when they're doing performance mods. If there's something actually damaged in the lower engine, it's almost always cheaper to replace the engine than try to repair it.

@Allst4r: Having the repair done shouldn't affect your resale value at all, though the problem might affect the resale value of the IS in general. It's fairly unlikely that they'll damage your engine, but even if they do, they're still responsible. The main things you would want to look for after this sort of work are:

* Bad headgasket seal. Signs include an otherwise unexplained drop in coolant over a short period, milky white oil (water in the oil) and, usually later, white exhaust (steam).
* Loose rocker arms. Signs would be more rattling than normal, usually a loud "chattering" sound. (Not the normal clicking sound we're all used to).

If you experience either of these, bring it back in immediately. Don't get freaked out though; those are amateur mistakes. They test everything pretty thoroughly before they give the car back to you, and they would specifically be looking for more subtle signs of either of those problems.

If engine work was rocket science, mechanics would get paid a lot more than they do. As far as I've seen by browsing through this thread, there have been no serious issues, and everyone's engine has performed *better* after the service. I'm taking mine in ASAP.

 

Bump.

I'll be taking my 08' 250 awd for this problem tomm. I didn't find any TSB for the 08' models so hopefully the dealership can still fix it.. The rattle sounds happen on start up and not necessary on a cold start..

 

Is it a general concensus that no Lexus dealer will warranty the repair unless they hear/experience it in person?

My '06 hasn't done it at all, yet, but if I can get a dealer to fix it under warranty before it expires than I certainly will. I am at ~67,000 miles.

 

Dealer would not touch it cause it's not acting up in front of them... But they willing to give me a loaner and have my car sit over night and do a cold start in the a.m.

 

I just got my 08 fixed for free about 2 days ago. Guy at dealership asked me to leave my car overnight so they could cold start it in the morning and see if there was any sound. They gave me a loaner car too.

 

Hey guys, I'm not sure which sound you guys are talking about but, I get this weird metal hitting on metal rattle on cold starts too. Do I have the same problem?