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My RX350 exhaust heat shield came loose and is now rattling on top of the exhaust.
It broke off the bracket that supposed to hold it in place at rear end. See the pictures.
The original screw is not even stainless steel, all rusted. It is impossible to unscrew - if you try to unscrew, the bracket bends.
Picture 1: the shield cracked around the connection screw, made a big hole, so the screw no longer holds the shield in place. The screw is rusted.
Picture 2: The bracket that supposed to hold the shield is made of flexible sheet metal.
If you had this problem - appreciate any info on how it was resolved, before I take it to the mechanic or the dealership. Thx!
PS. What a piece of ****. You can see their cheap choice of materials and poor design on part of Lexus. Shame. You pay $70K car and they save on the screws and take shortcuts wherever possible.
Last edited by Maertens; 08-01-17 at 09:49 AM.
Reason: Picture comment formatting
I had the same problem with my Gen 1 RX at around 120K miles. not sure how many miles you have. it's like iron touching aluminum (metals of different chemical properties touching each other is a "no-no"). My indy guy made a new sheet metal around it and used non-corroding screws to hold it in place. it didn't rattle anymore since that time.
The screw might be possible to unscrew when the exhaust is hot. Try unscrewing it after you get back from a trip. Stuff down there can get really hot so be careful not to give yourself 3rd degree burns. If that doesn't work the screw will probably have to be drilled out.
I cleaned the bolt head and heat shield with a wire brush, then pushed a bunch of epoxy putty over the bolt and heat shield.
The dealer looked at it and said that was working well and leave it until it falls apart again. It has held since last February.
I broke down and took mine to dealership, mine was a PNA Y-Pipe heat shield clamp that needed replaced, cost $122. I was tired of dealing with the noise but wish I had just taken the info to my local repair shop for a cheaper fix however they could never find the noise.
Hi - my 2011 RX350 had a terrible rattling noise when the car was on but idling at a stop sign or light. It was driving me crazy so I took the car to my local repair shop. He said it was the heat shield and that he would replace it for us. When we picked up the car he told my husband that he could not replace the heat shield because he couldn't remove the original one because the bolts were rusted. He then told my husband that he cut around the bolts and just removed the heat shield and did not replace it and said it was not a necessary part.
We are getting ready to drive across the country and want to know if it is important to get this heat shield replaced by the dealer.
Hi - my 2011 RX350 had a terrible rattling noise when the car was on but idling at a stop sign or light. It was driving me crazy so I took the car to my local repair shop. He said it was the heat shield and that he would replace it for us. When we picked up the car he told my husband that he could not replace the heat shield because he couldn't remove the original one because the bolts were rusted. He then told my husband that he cut around the bolts and just removed the heat shield and did not replace it and said it was not a necessary part.
We are getting ready to drive across the country and want to know if it is important to get this heat shield replaced by the dealer.
Heat shield is important. It has a purpose. Without it, the area that it trying to protect will get warm-hot and damaged. Dealer doing the replacement may not be necessary and I sincerely hope the mechanic has not discarded the old shield. New shield may not be cheap from the dealer ... you may like to try salvage yard.
Just had exactly same problem and saw someone fixing in with coat hanger in the other thread.
try to make it in "upside down umbrella" shape and hook it on the bracket from picture 2 from the original post.
I had the same problem a few months ago and found the bracket bent too easily to remove the screw. I purchased a a tube of JB Weld 5 minute SteelStik epoxy putty, put on some rubber gloves, mixed it up and shoved in and around the hole and bracket. Problem solved. JB Weld SteelStik is available at most big box hardware stores for less than $6.
You can look up the part number at one of the online Lexus parts dealers. Most of them let you enter your VIN to find the exact parts, however being in Canada your VIN is probably different and you need to find a Canadian online Lexus parts dealer. Or call your local dealer parts department and ask about the heat shield price. They may have one or can order it for you. There may be more than one heat shield so you need to be specific about which one you want to replace.
Or do one of the work around fixes mentioned above.
Does anyone know where we can find any technical document about that heat shield??
I am looking for it but don't fin any part number.
Thanks
What exactly do you mean by technical doc? And most important is which heat shield. "Heat shield" is a generic term, and you have to narrow it down to where the shield is located. Technical document is typically published by a manufacturer for the supplier to provide/bid for the item. This document can be specific [particular to a certain heat shed] or even general where each shield must conform to. That document [if it exists] will not be in public domain.
Do you need the part number?
Call the Lexus parts in your area and give then the vin number. You can further help by guiding the discussion to proper assembly "exhaust system" [my best guess] and then work your way from the engine side back. If you are physically present at the sales counter, the parts sales person will flip the screen to you to identify the part you need. My experience is that the fasteners are listed there as well. [You don't start the search from fastener and try to work your way to the part you need].
Had the same problem on my 2013 RX 350. Dealership had a quote with multiple hundreds of dollars to replace the heat shield. Independent mechanic McGuyvered it with epoxy and charged me 30 minutes labor and no parts for low double digits dollars. Been 18 months and no problems. It’s a design mistake.
Had the same problem on my 2013 RX 350. Dealership had a quote with multiple hundreds of dollars to replace the heat shield. Independent mechanic McGuyvered it with epoxy and charged me 30 minutes labor and no parts for low double digits dollars. Been 18 months and no problems. It’s a design mistake.
I would like to learn how you reached that conclusion. Did the heat shield snagged on to something on the road and got deformed? Or it wad not secured properly and rattled itself free/broke. Reason I ask is that if the issue is with improper attachment, we (members) can get to it before it breaks off.
Dealer will replace the assembly and not try to patch it up. That is not how their business runs.
I would like to learn how you reached that conclusion. Did the heat shield snagged on to something on the road and got deformed? Or it wad not secured properly and rattled itself free/broke. Reason I ask is that if the issue is with improper attachment, we (members) can get to it before it breaks off.
Dealer will replace the assembly and not try to patch it up. That is not how their business runs.
Salim
Oh, I thought it was agreed earlier in this thread, the fastener is of a different metal from the shield, which causes corrosion on the shield, meaning the fastener no longer works when the contact point corrodes off. This causes the shield to come loose and rattle with a moving vehicle. They shouldn't be mating different metals together, aluminum heat shield should get an aluminum fastener.
So, to handle this proactively, I would expect the options to be: 1. replace the fastener to the same metal as the heat sheild, or 2. add a non-metallic washer, o-ring, or some kind of non-metallic buffer to separate the fastener from the heat shield, so they are no longer in contact, and no corrosion will happen.
The newest of this generation of vehicle is coming on 8 years, I'm wondering if it happens only to some and not everyone? Or if they fixed it in later years. My 2013 had the issue in 2022, so took me 9 years.
08-01-17, 08:58 AM
Exhaust heat shield loose and rattling
