DavidinCT

Hey all,

I picked up a really shockingly nice looing 2007 LS460L from Mercedes-Benz of Manchester, NH, a pretty high end dealer. I heard this on the test drive, as I live 2 hours from the dealer, it's not a quick hop, I asked them to adress it, or I would not be buying the car. I was told that the issue was "better" and he had others test drive the car and they could not hear or feel anything. From a higher end dealer, I expected more.

I posted one of the videos to youtube (too big to up on here)


It does not sound like tires because I get the sound at 25mph and at 65-70mph it gets really loud.

What is this sound so I can invest a cost, if it's minor, not a big deal but, I need know what people think.

GHARP57

That is some hellacious road noise, Definitely rotational, I would say either a wheel bearing or the tire is out of balance.

DavidinCT

The dealer said they balanced all the tires (as he said it was adressed). Could it just be a bad tire ?

I looked at 4 LS460s, and this one was BEYOND beautfull and flawless shape (it was hard finding a mark on this car).

Think this is a big deal /expense ? IS this a safey issue ?

Trying to rule it out before going to the next step with the dealer.

GHARP57

This video was done AFTER said re balancing? If so you have a worn tire that is cupped or something or the damn mechanic is tone deaf.

DavidinCT

As I posted it to Youtube, I sent it to the sales person, the manager of the location called me they offered me a full refund for the car.

I like the car. If it's reasonable to FIX, I will keep it...the body and inside is such nice shape, it's going to be hard finding another one like this (I have been searching for a 2007 L for 2 months, there are 4 within 200 miles and otherwise too expensive or bad shape but, none were in this shape)

GHARP57

Well it sounds to me like they are willing to own up to whatever is wrong with the vehicle, Explain to them you would like the issue resolved because you have been searching for a vehicle like this for a couple months now and would like to stop searching since you like this vehicle.

Sweatshop

iTrader: (11)

Let the car go and get a refund. The noise is obviously going to bother you and require some kind of money to fix. And the dealer will lose patience quickly trying to troubleshoot it for you if you keep it. I don't know of any Lexus that makes that much noise unless it was an F series with a snarling exhaust note.
If you found one THAT nice-you can find another one. G/L

DavidinCT

Trying to avoid that step, I sold my 2001 LS, so I am car less. Was borrowing my wife's car to get for work, trust me, she's not happy at me.

If this is a small fix (few hundred), I want to fix it to keep.

This is why I posted here to see if anyone knows what it could be. It's got a full size spare (same tire), I will swap them out, that should rule out bad tire.

I forded the email I got from the manager there, she is already giving me crap

GHARP57

I think you can definitely get the angle of them fixing the car since it was an unresolved issue when it was sold to you. That is a good idea to swap the spare out just to make sure it is or isn't a wheel.

DavidinCT

The manager called, he was VERY CLEAR, they are not going to fix the car, their techs "could not find the issue" they will only give me a refund. I have till Monday at 10am. I am thinking they just want to send me away. One video on Youtube with the name of their high end dealer ship made that happen I am sure.

Could also be a minor warp in the rim(with this noise it would have to be a bigger one), I had a honda years ago and it was one issue that was driving me nuts, after 4 places, no one saw a reason for it, got ONE guy who knew their crap, took the wheel as it was on the lift and spun it...."there's your problem"

roadfrog

I don't have access to the video here at work, so I'll only go by the info I'm reading from the others here. IF it is a wheel bearing (easy enough to diagnose), then your looking at a simple and cheap fix. One of our fine members here DIY'd it (can't remember who). So rule that out, and go from there.

GHARP57

Wow that is ridiculous how they are handling the situation. I would take it to Lexus or your favorite Indy for a diagnosis and go back to the Mercedes dealer with that info. If they continue to be nasty I would leave reviews on all forms of media especially if they are not behind what they sell out of the used car department. I do wish you the best of luck David.


Also if the repairs are very expensive then I would totally give them the car back. It pains me to say that but keep searching for someone who stands behind the product they sell.

Also I will throw this out there, I do not know your budget but Carmax has a couple L's out west. You may need to do what I did if they are in your price range

https://www.carmax.com/cars#Distance...y=14&Zip=02920

greg3852

I would change the tire to the spare and see if it goes away. Easiest and fastest possible solution. From there we will see what it is.

DavidinCT

What is the wheel bearing test ? I did a search and could not find it. I am just trying to rule out as much as possable.

It looks like tomorrow morning, I will swap the rim and check everything I can.

roadfrog

Any competent mechanic can diagnose a bad wheel bearing in just a minute. Basically, they'll jack up the front end and spin the wheel and check for a droning or grinding noise. Is the noise coming from the front or the back? The only other possible noise could be from the diff. This isn't an AWD is it?