Year to Year Changes to Make the RX Quiter?
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Lead Lap
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 479
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From: New England
Year to Year Changes to Make the RX Quiter?
I have RX330 2004 made sometime in 2003. Its not noisey, but it in not as quite as I would expect from reading all the Magazine reviews. Was the insulation changed from year to year or windows made thicker? Do you think its possible to have my car dealer to add more insulation to the car?
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 7
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From: IL
I agree with you, we just bought ours and I expected it to be more of a quiet ride. We sold a Honda Pilot thinking that its just a Honda and Lexus can do it better but there is not much difference. I drive a Ford F350 diesel truck daily and besides the cricket sound of the diesel engine no road noice can be heard. Ford can make a work truck quieter then Lexus can do their luxury SUV, shame... 
Pit Crew
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 156
Likes: 4
From: International
Couple of comments since I also own one of the early 2004s (purchased in spring 2003):
1) there was muffler replacement that made the RX330 sound a bit better. I got a letter from Lexus saying that my car was one of where the muffler would "occasionally make a funny noise" (or some vague words to that effect). Since I was one of those who complained to Lexus about muffler/engine noise, I was keenly aware of all the noises the car made. The replacement changed the tone of the engine/exhaust sound. The car was lightly quieter but more importantly, the TONE of the exhaust sounded more like a car, less like a truck engine. The original owner of your RX330 should have had this done if yours was affected but you might want to check into that.
2) our dealer here has RX loaners when customers take their cars in for service. I have driven an RX350 loaner and had not noticed that it was appreciably quieter. If others have noticed a quieter car, then I too would be interested in hearing about how Lexus did this. For example, I didn't think it would be possible to make the glass any quieter other than making it double-glazed like some cars.
3) Tires make a big difference. I had briefly tried Bridgestone Alenzas and I exchanged them for a variety of reasons, one of which was that they were noisier than the original Michelin LX4 tires that came with the RX. Road noise gets transmitted from the tires through to the car's cabin easily and you'd be surprised how much of car's "noisiness" comes from the tires. In fact, most tires get noisier when they wear and simply changing tires to new ones of the exact make and model makes a great difference. [Relatedly, I take with a grain of salt whenever I read end-user tire reviews from sites such as Tirerack.com. Some of the reviewers say "Wow, these new tires I bought are much quieter than the old pieces of crap I had", when in fact it was just the fact that they were newer; if they had simply replaced their "old pieces of crap" with newer versions of the same tire, they could be equally happy.]
1) there was muffler replacement that made the RX330 sound a bit better. I got a letter from Lexus saying that my car was one of where the muffler would "occasionally make a funny noise" (or some vague words to that effect). Since I was one of those who complained to Lexus about muffler/engine noise, I was keenly aware of all the noises the car made. The replacement changed the tone of the engine/exhaust sound. The car was lightly quieter but more importantly, the TONE of the exhaust sounded more like a car, less like a truck engine. The original owner of your RX330 should have had this done if yours was affected but you might want to check into that.
2) our dealer here has RX loaners when customers take their cars in for service. I have driven an RX350 loaner and had not noticed that it was appreciably quieter. If others have noticed a quieter car, then I too would be interested in hearing about how Lexus did this. For example, I didn't think it would be possible to make the glass any quieter other than making it double-glazed like some cars.
3) Tires make a big difference. I had briefly tried Bridgestone Alenzas and I exchanged them for a variety of reasons, one of which was that they were noisier than the original Michelin LX4 tires that came with the RX. Road noise gets transmitted from the tires through to the car's cabin easily and you'd be surprised how much of car's "noisiness" comes from the tires. In fact, most tires get noisier when they wear and simply changing tires to new ones of the exact make and model makes a great difference. [Relatedly, I take with a grain of salt whenever I read end-user tire reviews from sites such as Tirerack.com. Some of the reviewers say "Wow, these new tires I bought are much quieter than the old pieces of crap I had", when in fact it was just the fact that they were newer; if they had simply replaced their "old pieces of crap" with newer versions of the same tire, they could be equally happy.]
Moderator
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: FL
Beginning in 2007 Lexus added an acoustic glass windshield, supplementary sound insulation, and redesigned front fascia to reduce turbulence near the A-pillars and door mirrors. Google ACOUSTIC GLASS WINDSHIELD for more info.
Driver
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 121
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From: CA
The right new tires will make a big difference.
There are shops that will add sound reduction insulation. If you are mechanically inclined you could remove the seats/carpets and put in some insulation yourself. I used "Frost King" thermal insulating foam product to help my Corvette reduce the road noise.
There are shops that will add sound reduction insulation. If you are mechanically inclined you could remove the seats/carpets and put in some insulation yourself. I used "Frost King" thermal insulating foam product to help my Corvette reduce the road noise.
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Rookie
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 87
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From: Ma
I had two 2008 RX350. One of my largest complaints was noise. Both of my RX350 had Dynamat installed and it helped a lot. The issue is the Junkxus body panels are very, very thin compared to a German (European) or even American auto. (I posted this awhile back) The front windscreen glass on 2007 models onward is acoustic, (good for 1-2 db reduction) the side glass is not. The issue is these cars are renamed economy class cars. If you move from a Honda or Toyota then they will seem quiet. If you move from a BMW, Benz or Jag as I did they are just a loud tin box. Tap your hand on the doors and rear quarter panel of your RX then try it on an American or European one. Remember the average age of a Lexus buyer is 61 years old, that said they probably can not hear well any way!!! Lexus took the first one back (many problems). The second one had issues so I traded it for a BMW X5, no comparison. the BMW is solid, quiet and has been problem free!!!
Lead Lap
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,189
Likes: 16
From: NY/NJ
What are people comparing here for quietness? RX to 7 series? The RX is no concert hall for quietness, but it's not any louder than an X3. Also, Lexus are still one of the quietest, if not the most quiet cars out there class to class. I've riden in the 750Li and it's not quieter than my LS430. The RX is a big vehicle with a lot of "surface area" for noise to penetrate the car.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: FL
Is that muffler replacement can be done covered by powertrain warranty?
Couple of comments since I also own one of the early 2004s (purchased in spring 2003):
1) there was muffler replacement that made the RX330 sound a bit better. I got a letter from Lexus saying that my car was one of where the muffler would "occasionally make a funny noise" (or some vague words to that effect). Since I was one of those who complained to Lexus about muffler/engine noise, I was keenly aware of all the noises the car made. The replacement changed the tone of the engine/exhaust sound. The car was lightly quieter but more importantly, the TONE of the exhaust sounded more like a car, less like a truck engine. The original owner of your RX330 should have had this done if yours was affected but you might want to check into that.
2) our dealer here has RX loaners when customers take their cars in for service. I have driven an RX350 loaner and had not noticed that it was appreciably quieter. If others have noticed a quieter car, then I too would be interested in hearing about how Lexus did this. For example, I didn't think it would be possible to make the glass any quieter other than making it double-glazed like some cars.
3) Tires make a big difference. I had briefly tried Bridgestone Alenzas and I exchanged them for a variety of reasons, one of which was that they were noisier than the original Michelin LX4 tires that came with the RX. Road noise gets transmitted from the tires through to the car's cabin easily and you'd be surprised how much of car's "noisiness" comes from the tires. In fact, most tires get noisier when they wear and simply changing tires to new ones of the exact make and model makes a great difference. [Relatedly, I take with a grain of salt whenever I read end-user tire reviews from sites such as Tirerack.com. Some of the reviewers say "Wow, these new tires I bought are much quieter than the old pieces of crap I had", when in fact it was just the fact that they were newer; if they had simply replaced their "old pieces of crap" with newer versions of the same tire, they could be equally happy.]
1) there was muffler replacement that made the RX330 sound a bit better. I got a letter from Lexus saying that my car was one of where the muffler would "occasionally make a funny noise" (or some vague words to that effect). Since I was one of those who complained to Lexus about muffler/engine noise, I was keenly aware of all the noises the car made. The replacement changed the tone of the engine/exhaust sound. The car was lightly quieter but more importantly, the TONE of the exhaust sounded more like a car, less like a truck engine. The original owner of your RX330 should have had this done if yours was affected but you might want to check into that.
2) our dealer here has RX loaners when customers take their cars in for service. I have driven an RX350 loaner and had not noticed that it was appreciably quieter. If others have noticed a quieter car, then I too would be interested in hearing about how Lexus did this. For example, I didn't think it would be possible to make the glass any quieter other than making it double-glazed like some cars.
3) Tires make a big difference. I had briefly tried Bridgestone Alenzas and I exchanged them for a variety of reasons, one of which was that they were noisier than the original Michelin LX4 tires that came with the RX. Road noise gets transmitted from the tires through to the car's cabin easily and you'd be surprised how much of car's "noisiness" comes from the tires. In fact, most tires get noisier when they wear and simply changing tires to new ones of the exact make and model makes a great difference. [Relatedly, I take with a grain of salt whenever I read end-user tire reviews from sites such as Tirerack.com. Some of the reviewers say "Wow, these new tires I bought are much quieter than the old pieces of crap I had", when in fact it was just the fact that they were newer; if they had simply replaced their "old pieces of crap" with newer versions of the same tire, they could be equally happy.]
Lead Lap
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 513
Likes: 3
From: QLD, Australia
I had two 2008 RX350. One of my largest complaints was noise. Both of my RX350 had Dynamat installed and it helped a lot. The issue is the Junkxus body panels are very, very thin compared to a German (European) or even American auto. (I posted this awhile back) The front windscreen glass on 2007 models onward is acoustic, (good for 1-2 db reduction) the side glass is not. The issue is these cars are renamed economy class cars. If you move from a Honda or Toyota then they will seem quiet. If you move from a BMW, Benz or Jag as I did they are just a loud tin box. Tap your hand on the doors and rear quarter panel of your RX then try it on an American or European one. Remember the average age of a Lexus buyer is 61 years old, that said they probably can not hear well any way!!! Lexus took the first one back (many problems). The second one had issues so I traded it for a BMW X5, no comparison. the BMW is solid, quiet and has been problem free!!!
I've found the opposite actually. As an ex- Audi and BMW owner, I have found the Lexus (I've had 3) to be far superior in quality and refinement.
Getting back on topic, you will find that any vehicle becomes noisier with age due to widening tolerances through normal wear and tear. This is quite normal.
Thread Starter
Lead Lap
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 479
Likes: 2
From: New England
Must be the only German Chevy to be problem free then (particularly as they are made in Alabama).
I've found the opposite actually. As an ex- Audi and BMW owner, I have found the Lexus (I've had 3) to be far superior in quality and refinement.
Getting back on topic, you will find that any vehicle becomes noisier with age due to widening tolerances through normal wear and tear. This is quite normal.
I've found the opposite actually. As an ex- Audi and BMW owner, I have found the Lexus (I've had 3) to be far superior in quality and refinement.
Getting back on topic, you will find that any vehicle becomes noisier with age due to widening tolerances through normal wear and tear. This is quite normal.
Lead Lap
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 513
Likes: 3
From: QLD, Australia
only Mercedes SUVs are made in Bama and it shows. Mercedes are unreliable, but they seem to be better engineered higher quality cars. Quality and Engineering are different from reliability. Quality when referring to their E class and up to. But surprisingly the C class is quieter then E class on the highway, but the E rides better while the C is more fun to drive.