jmcraney

randomwalk,

Conveying templates electronically has all sorts of gotchas. The template in my procedure has two scaling marks to help you get it the correct size. If you are adept at print scaling you would scale your printing process so that when you print the template the printed vertical and horizontal lines marked 1" are exactly 1". For anyone who doesn't do scaled prints, you can contact me through the Private Message feature on this site and I will send you a PDF file of the template that you should be able to print directly.

As for the different shapes, the one pictured in the procedure was my very first try at that and it does look pretty crude. It would be troublesome to redo those pictures so I decided to just use what I had. The patches I make now look like they were made in the Black Forest by elves - sort of technically arrogant. Just about anything that gets good results is okay.

The patch template was developed using the trim and scanning it on a flat bed scanner and then cutting away part of it and reducing it 5%. It makes a pleasing and efficient shape but any shape will do as long as it covers the registration holes. Actually any thin, durable material to cover the holes would work fine, even something like three US dime coins although the 30 gauge material is better because it is thiner. I rounded the top to avoid that sharp end because it is sort of dangerous and doesn't contribute anything.

Please check the Private Message on this site for a message.

sgmorton

This looks easy enough... hate to bump an old thread but as a new 2008 owner in need of this thread ... it took me a bit of searching to find and wade through all of the other wind noise threads.

I can fab that up in nothing flat. Thanks go to everyone who did the research and the fixes! "If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."


Sam

I8ABMR

I had my windows replaced recently as well as having the dealership do the JMcraney fix and the car is totally fixed. I no longer hear any noise along the edge of the glass in the door frame and the car is noticeably quieter. I was out with my wife last night and she said my car was as quiet as a grave. Its like driving a library. I am very happy with the results and I have to thank jmcraney for his time, attention, analysis, generosity , and kindness. He went out of his way to send me the metal pieces in the mail. Thanks again buddy. Thanks to your help there are many LS owners who are now very happy with their cars. My issue was not as bad as some but it has really made a difference. The only draw back was a very mild door buzz with heavy bass and volume above 30 on the ML system. I had to take the car back and they fixed the door buzz for me. Thanks to jmcraney and the amazing Lexus customer service I am even more in love with my LS460

MeTrO

I don't want to be a bandwagon jumper here, but Mr. McRaney's generosity and helpfulness is amazing. I received my pre-cut triangle pieces today. This guy is a class act and a real addition to this forum.

Thank you, Sir.

Chad

CEOEngr

I totally agree with you. I was also about to ditch my 2007 LS460L very early on out of frustration. Jim came to my rescue, and then approximately a year ago, the fix was redone using the sheet metal provided by Jim. I am very appreciative of his generosity and persistence. Jim took the time/effort to analyze the issue and help others at his expense. He deserves kudos for dealing with all the frustrations at the dealer & corporate level, and above all, ignoring the "head on" winds from the Lexus legal department.

I8ABMR

Its members like him that make this forum and community very valuable. I have helped many members in the past but jmcraney has taken it to another level. We are very lucky to have him here. What blows my mind is that after he gave the "fix" to Lexus to look at they ended up revising the fix to add silicone insulation under the triangle pieces. He went even further with the metal piece. Lexus should put him on the engineering pay roll.

Luxofreak

jmcraney,

Even though they returned your papers, I'm sure they made copies. If anything you should send this package to Japan, just skip all these attorneys that know nothing about business.

BTW I have a 2007 LS460 too, and after the dealership wind noise fix (new front double pane windows) my car is as quiet as it can get. No issues for more more than 2 years now.

I8ABMR

I think I spoke to soon. I was out with the wife tonight and now my car is making a high pitched whistling from the drivers side mirror. I am frustrated because the car was fine for the last few weeks. WTF!!

jmcraney

If you are sure that it is the mirror whistling then it is related to the mirror.

But, it sounds like a classic case of "triangle trim separation." Of course it could be a number of things but based on recent events I would think that the trim would be a good place to start.

Your reported experience at your dealer was much different from any other dealer wind noise experiences discussed here. We have had numerous forum correspondents tell us that their dealer adamantly refused to do the trim repair in the manner that I suggested because Lexus would not allow it. I believe that the dealers have been told, by Lexus, that they must not repair the trim in any manner other than replacement with new parts. They probably have their reasons but it is beyond me. There have been a couple of reports here of dealer implemented repairs that did not produce good results and when asked directly they admitted that they did not use the metal pieces and had just discarded them.

It is possible that your dealer just replaced your trim with a new pierce and it separated again, for the same reasons that the original trim separated. I have said before that replacing the trim with a new part may give excellent results but it would probably not be durable.

Or, it may be that your dealer attempted the repair that I suggested but chose a different sealant/adhesive due to availability issues and that the sealant didn't adhere well. Or that an adequate sealant/adhesive was used but due to surface contamination it didn't stick.

Or, for expediency, they chose to do the repair in a one step manner instead of waiting a day for it to cure before putting the trim back on. It is possible to get good results by doing it all at the same time, however it may take several tries to get it right.

If it was my car, I would redo the trim repair before I thought too much about what to do next.

jmcraney

Luxofreak,

Your comment brings to mind an amusing sequence of events from the past.

Back a couple of years ago, when the wind noise fix had been discussed extensively and implemented successfully by several owners, we had a new member to our discussion who had great admiration for the Japanese approach to quality control and he was sure that if the word got to the right people then they would jump right on this problem and provide a solution for the masses. He was aware of my rejection by the Lexus legal department and asked if he could help by contacting Lexus in Japan. Of course I was for anything that would bring relief to those who were having such problems with their cars. So he sent an email to the head of Toyota quality control and when he failed to get a response in a reasonable time he followed up with a letter. This guy is a retired radio and television owner/operator/professional and his letter and email were very well written, the kind that would make an English or journalism professor proud, but very courteous and non-threatening. He did get an acknowledgement that his messages were received and that they were being forwarded to Lexus USA for consideration. Well guess what? He got a letter from the Lexus legal department that, except for date and addressee, was identical to the one I received about six months earlier. We were both miffed and amused by that outcome. So much for Japanese quality control. In retrospect and in their defense, they were probably preoccupied with the valve spring issue.
Congratulations on getting your car repaired. I am sure that Lexus would not have repaired the windows on all those cars if they didn't have some solid engineering data that showed that it was effective. I still think that the genesis of the wind noise problem was the triangle trim defect. Back when this was such a hot issue there were two factions to the discussion: those that thought they had a wind noise problem and those who thought the complainers were imagining the problem. Many of the ones without the problem had the original windows and then along came the 08s, which had the Lamisafe windows OEM, and they had the wind noise problems too.

I think perhaps your car didn't have the extreme problem that was caused by the trim problem and you benefited from the turmoil by getting your windows replaced and, you got an improvement in the noise isolation.

Madmiles

I actually met up with Jeff on Sat morning and he showed me a few things and fit me started with this wind noise repair. I finished it today and what a difference. SUPER quiet in the car now! Noticable difference. Didnt take long at all to do. Thanks souch Jeff!

GSP David

iTrader: (1)

Great write up. I'm going to give this a try because my ls460 has some pretty bad wind noise.

CJITTY

Did my fix a couple weeks ago, it made a difference for sure. My Lex Luthor is at Lexus right now for full repair (except triangles I already did). New weather stripping and Lamisafe windows going in up front! Lexus customer service came through for me!! I'll be riding in a 4 wheel tomb soon!

GSP David

iTrader: (1)

Are you still covered under warranty? What repairs are you getting done?

socallex

I believe that your service adviser hold the keys to what gets done. My friend has an 07 who uses another service department was told they don't know what he's talking about and blew him off. I have an 08 that has had both front window seals replaced and the front windshield had deflectors added as well (under warranty). It helped considerably but I swear i have some days that are better than others. I can't tell if it is temperature related yet, but do notice cross winds. I also believe that since the cabin is so isolated from road noise it make the wind noise more noticeable. I need to seal up the triangles but haven't got around to it.

Bottom line is dont let your service advisor to dictate your solution