I talk to the manager and the senior tech at Sewell Lexus, they said that the design of the A pillar. there was a very small gap between the plastic and the pillar. that was where the wind got in. so I hope lexus come up with something for it asap.

 

.
.

 

But this flaw affects other Lexus models. I have an IS and I hava a lot of wind noise in my B pillar near my head. So Lexus must correct the design in all of their models.

 

There is more than sufficient evidence there is an issue of wind noise in a significant number of LS460.

It seems insisted that owners are not hearing excessive wind noise simply because a vehicle of another owner is absent it, and has no idea what the others are experiencing because their vehicle is absent it.

As opposed to understanding there is something in the processing/manufacturing that allows a significant volume of defects and the variables involved need to be identified and to be closely scrutinized in order to find a complete solution so that all are quiet and none are afflicted with what has been repeatedly described by many owners near to, or actually as horrible wind noise.

If I ate at a restaurant and did not get food poisoning, but dozens did as widely reported in the (auto forums) news, I would not insist those complaining they did get it could not have experienced it simply because I did not. I would know something in the processing worked for my experience, but not for others, similar with wind noise.

 

Well....now you're comparing wind noise to possible death....I think that is a stretch. However, if you ate at a restaurant and you liked the food, but if I ate at the same restaurant and found the food "HORRIBLE", that might be a better comparison here. Besides, all it would take at a restaurant is for some bad meat to cause your food poisoning problem...thus allowing you to escape that issue if you didn't get that bad meat. With a car, and I'm no expert on assembly lines, but seems like every '08 model would be the same unless they caught the issue and made the correction....thus eliminating that problem from that point on. Could that have occurred?

I have never said owners aren't hearing noise or that they shouldn't be bothered by it....but....if it doesn't seem to be bothering other drivers the only explanation could be that our tolerance for the noise is higher. I have never driven in a car that is as quiet as mine. Maybe other folks have driven in a car with less noise and that is what they compare it to? So, maybe it's as simple as what some people have as their "point of reference". Between my wife and I, this is our 7th Lexus (yes, we don't keep cars very long) and none, including my wife's new RX350 (or is is 360?), is anywhere near as quiet. I was in my wife's car yesterday and was thinking about how much noiser her car is compared to my LS. I'll also add that a friend who rode with my on a recent trip made no comment about the "horrible" noise, and trust me, this guy would have loved to have thrown a negative comment out there about my new car.

 

There are other explanations that have nothing to do with owner tolerances, sensitivities or lack thereof. As one example of many: You have seen in this thread where plugs can be missing, a certified tech that stated that is the first to look for when an owner comes in complaining about wind noise.

At the same time it is entirely possible your car is and could be absent it, while many are not, be it due to missing plugs, or differences as a function of variables/tolerances in the manufacturing process or combinations of both.

 

Okay, I'm breaking my promised silence - again.

Bob, the difference is this: If you ate at a restaurant and got sick and I didn't, I wouldn't deny that YOU got sick. And no one is denying that SOME LS owners have wind noise. After all, one of our resident techs has acknowledged wind noise in at at least one car.

What most of us are saying is that NOT ALL LS's have some kind of design flaw that makes them have wind noise. And furthermore, I firmly believe it's not as widespread as some people are trying to make it sound. There are tens of thousands of LS's out there and really only a relative handful of owners complaining ... they just complain very loudly on forums like this. (And while this is a long thread, few of the posts are from owners who have the noise.)

Which makes me wonder ... if we're to believe your username and profile, you don't even own an LS. So what's your stake in this whole thing?

.
.

 

I have never said all LS have this or that it is a design flaw.

I will say that the exact type of comments about who is complaining were said to ES owners about the transmission problem, exact comments about what a forum is as to supposedly hyping an issue...small few, simply a few vocal forum members, and yet it is now widely accepted it is a widespread issue.

As to my stake in the whole thing...I simply offered my observations and DIY remedies to those afflicted with it, but have to admit I see the same type of discounting attempts as to volume involved on the issue as I did over ES transmission and ES wind noise for that matter.

The only thing that lessened the attempts on discounting of ES transmission it seems was Consumer Reports, but long before it hit the stands you could rely on Club Lexus owner input, after all it is a group of consumers who are reporting.

Up until CR came out on the issue, it was repeatedly offered by those who did not even own one, and some who claimed they did not have the issue, as somehow only a few, a few vocal owners.

During my experiences with ES, several LS owners back then were very encouraging and supportive and not one of them was asked what their stake in it was.

 

I'm interested in being supportive and encouraging, too, Bob, but I have to wonder how helpful it is to perpetuate and magnify a problem that apparently affects only a relatively few owners.

As for my wondering what your stake in this is, a quick search shows you have made over 30 posts about LS460 wind noise just in the last 12 months. That seems like a lot of interest in an issue affecting a car you don't even own. Especially given that many of those are 'gloom and doom' type posts.

And since you apparently had some pretty bitter experience with your ES, it kinda makes me wonder if that bitterness is a factor in your interest in this issue. As in, you had a bad experience and ah-ha!, here's another Lexus flaw.

I'm not trying to get personal with this. It's just that I came into the discussion with no pre-conceived notions and your posts stick out to me as being a bit negative and basically "egging it on". You even make it sound like those of us (who actually own the car, BTW) who don't have wind noise are somehow covering up the issue, or that we just don't want to admit it, or maybe even have bad hearing. T'ain't so. We just don't have wind noise!

A few people obviously DO have wind noise, and it's apparently due to poor sealing of the windows, and/or wind passing over or through voids in the A-pillar and/or the side mirrors. I wish those folks all the best in getting it fixed.

For the rest of us - apparently the vast majority of LS owners - the LS is a blissfully quiet car and we're enjoying the hell out of it.

Again, nothing personal - just trying to maintain perspective.

.
.

 

Mike; I would ask you take a "Chill Pill" on this thread and let us owners with the wind noise VENT.

I have it documented and will post it if need be to shut up others. It's a real problem that LS's, SWB & LWB LS"s suffer from. I was told that Lexus is working on a update to the wind noise TSIB hopefully soon.

Don't care if it's one car or every car, it's an annoying problem if you're experenceing it. It is a design and or material problem.

 

OK everyone, yes this is a heated topic, but let's all try to refrain from being too personal here. Hopefully there can continue to be a productive discussion. Thank you.

 

As for my posts on the subject totaling 30, I'm guessing quite a few of them are in direct response to you. So let's not even count those, balance are to share ideas or encourage folks to go back to dealer, other.

As for implication I have aha moments, I'm a realist, I do not engage in that, and here is the last sentence of a post on the subject by me on page 40 this thread on this subject. Hardly something a person would post behaving in the manner you imply.

""On the whole wind noise certainly is within the means of Lexus to address and should afford many happy LS owners."""

Prior to the above from page 40 I told a guy, thread location don't know, not too allow fear of wind noise from buying one, test drive it and rule it out. And have consistently suggested the LS should be ok.

As for taking it personally, never will happen, seen and experienced the exact same thing from those attempting to discount ES350 issues.

 

No problem - I'm chilled. By all means, owners with the wind noise, vent away. Non-owners, please don't vent for others.

Gary, I've stated repeatedly that I feel for those owners who actually have a wind noise issue. But you need to insert the word "SOME" above - "It's a real problem that SOME LS's ... suffer from."

Again, you have my complete sympathy, as I've said before. The poster I was addressing does not have the car ... OR the problem.

.
.

 

As an actual owner of the LS460....I'm in complete agreement with you Mike! I had another wonderful driving experience on the highway this afternoon....what a great car....just sorry that others aren't able to apparently enjoy theirs.....I hope y'all get the issue(s) resolved!

 

Vi,

I have a friend who has an 08 SWB with wind noise, his plugs are missing, all 4 of them. You will see holes in underside of your car where drawing indicates and not see black rubber plugs filling the holes if they are missing.

See page 4 of the link below, you don't have to download it to read it but you can download it if you want, and have them confirm to you that yours are present and also properly seated, or when time and circumstance permit, look under the car yourself to see for yourself if they are present. Otherwise it is likely same tolerance problem in manufacturing causing wind noise in the 08 as indicated by Lexus about parts tolerances on page 1 in the TSB for 07.

SWB
http://www.lambros.net/tsib/2007LS/L-NV009-07.pdf

LWB
http://www.lambros.net/tsib/2007LS/L-NV010-07.pdf