reg331

April 2015 I purchased a 2013 CPO LS 460 with 7,700 miles. Immediately, I noticed the wind noise from all 4 doors. Dealer said nothing can be done.

Then we started hearing a whining noise from the transmission at low speeds. Dealer checked it out and determined it's the Transmission Pump and there is no fix for it. Filed a complaint with Lexus and was told they are aware of the problem but since it does not pose a safety or mechanical concern, they do not have a replacement part in the works.

Is anyone else experiencing this issue and if so are you aware of any solution.

Thank you in advance.

SW17LS

Have you tried taking the car to another dealer?

retlex

I bought a 2011 LS460 L with 29k as a CPO. As far as the wind noise, it has dual pane windows for all four doors and it is very quiet. I did notice, however, on my 4 hour drive home, a whining noise from the transmission. This moderate whine was mostly noticed at acceleration, but never completely went away quieting down to a faint whine when reaching cruising speeds. I complained to the service manager and I was told it was normal. Now, I will fast forward my 2 1/2 month story to give you the end result - Lexus did replace my transmission with a new transmission.

After all was said and done, and after meeting with the Lexus Regional Representative, the service manager who initially claimed the noise was normal, now said, “this is a process”. Basically, what the service manager was saying is that the noise from my car was acceptable and within the noise tolerances of Lexus, however, because I was persistent and got the Lexus Regional Representative involved (who agreed the whine from the transmission planetary gears was noticeable and could be quieter, and for customer satisfaction) Lexus agreed to replace the transmission. Persistence is the key, be patient, document, and don’t get upset.

I am glad I made the effort to ask to meet with the Lexus Regional Representative. The transmission upon acceleration is very quiet and at cruising speeds absolutely quiet, the way an LS should be.

reg331

I have been to 2 different dealers and they all say that the noise can be found on a few LS 460s. I requested a claim to Lexus be initiated which will require a Lexus Rep to meet with me. After waiting 4 weeks, I contacted the dealer to inform them I am still waiting for the Lexus Rep at which time I was told the Lexus Rep understands the issue and told the dealer there is nothing Lexus can do until a new part is ever engineered. I was insistent that the Lexus Rep meet with me directly. I was told it could take up to 4 weeks but I agreed. My point is if some LS 460 are quiet and others are not, tells me the problem can be fixed.
Thanks for the advice and I will continue to work this out with Lexus.

SW17LS

Yeah, if the problem is found on "some LS460s" then it's not found on "most LS460s" and should be fixed on yours. Mine has no such sound.

retlex

In my situation, Lexus Corp first set up an appointment with a FTS (Field Technician) who works directly for Lexus. His job is to diagnose and fix the car if he can. The FTS is usually requested by the Lexus dealership when their technicians are unable to solve the problem, or the problem is simply beyond their expertise. Here is the catch-the FTS is not allowed to speak with he public, and therefore the owner is unable to articulate their concerns to him. However, the Lexus Regional Reps job is to meet with the owner and listen to their concerns, take a drive with the owner and get a feel for what they can do for you.

In my situation, I was not able to talk with the FTS. His recommendation after 4 hours with my car was that the noise was within the tolerances of Lexus. I was not happy. I insisted on meeting with the Lexus Regional Rep. I further insisted that the Lexus Regional Rep telephone me first so that I could explain what I was experiencing with my car, and he did.

If an FTS is scheduled to see your car, make sure the Regional Rep will be there also. Be polite and firm in your position. The Regional Reps job is to make you happy if he can. It should be also noted that the Regional Reps have a annual budget under 'Good Will' and the closer it is to December, can make it harder for them to accommodate. Keep in mind Lexus Reps sometimes slant their position that nothing is wrong with the car, but as a matter of 'Good Will', they will do what they can. That what basically happened to me. FYI the FTS saw my car in December of last year. The Regional Rep met with me in February. The transmission was replaced in March.

The Lexus Rep was a former FTS, and after driving the car he did feel the transmission was whining, but he said it was within Lexus tolerances. He then added, "as a matter of good will and customer satisfaction Lexus will replace the transmission".

reg331

Thanks everyone for the advice. We'll see what happens. I have a difficult time to understand the LS 460 is the Flag Ship of Lexus and I have to say my 2005 LS 430 had no wind noise, engine ran quietly and the transmission shifted smoothly. What happened to the LS 460?

SW17LS

My LS460 has no wind noise, engine is quiet, transmission shifts great...you just need somebody who will work through your issues with you.

roadfrog

Ditto. Just passing 100k miles on my 08 and so far so great.

OkieBoy

reg331 did you get your issue resolved? I believe I also have this same problem on a 2013 LS 460 with 22,000 miles. I recently purchased the car pre-owned from a Toyota Dealership, I didn't notice the whine during test drive. I recently had my local Lexus dealer look at , first response was "we couldn't replicate the condition described", the service advisor did arrange for the shop foremen to ride with me, when I pointed out the noise he stated this is normal however some may be more noticeable than others. I plan to make several test drives of 2013-2015 cars and compare and proceed from there.
Thanks for any help or suggestions...

Rhambler

Kind of curious if those experiencing this issue has AWD? I had a transmission whine issue in my previous car that drove me nuts. After researching it a bit, there were a few known "whines."

One was the propeller shaft whine that was part of the AWD system. It only occurred during higher speeds and was intermittent. It sounded like a high-pitched tea kettle letting off steam. The fix: replace the entire shaft unfortunately, or live with it. This was my issue and the most common issue with the RL "transmission whine."

The other was a differential whine that occurred when the car was cold mainly and at lower speeds and dissipated as the car warmed up. The fix: live with it or new differential. Not too common from what I've read.

The last was a bearing failure around the main shaft that caused a whine. Well, wasn't a failure so to speak, but enough to cause a steady whine. The fix: rebuilt transmission or live with it lol. This was the least common.

A transmission oil pump would make noises in all gears and at all speeds I think, even in park? This was never reported in Acura's case.

In any case, I was just curious as I went nuts with whines in my previous car. I ended up "living with it" as it wasn't very noticeable and based on what I've read, did no harm, although eventually that propeller shaft will have to be replaced if it got worse. I wonder if changing the fluids would help? Although I know in some cases it could actually make "whines" worse.

retlex

I drove about seven or so LS 460's before deciding on my 2011 RWD, which I purchased. I would say that three of seven cars I test drove had a whining noise, especially upon acceleration. I can tell you the first car I drove the whine was really obvious-the car appeared to be really neglected cosmetically, so who knows what was going on inside the engine and tranny. I was not attentive to whether these cars I drove were RWD or AWD, so I can't comment if that had anything to do with he noise. When I test drove the LS I ended up purchasing, I thought it was really quiet. On my drive home (a four hour drive) I did hear some whine noise that ultimately Lexus determined to be the planetary gears. (At least that is what the paperwork said- who knows, maybe it was the transmission pump) They did replace the transmission and torque converter and it is now very quiet.

Rhambler

I was griping in another thread about the needlessly overly-complex transmissions. This kind of reaffirms my "gut" feelings: more gears, more problems! And the gear count is sure to grow I'm sure, for marginal or even negligible gains.

Chrysler and Honda/Acura are going through severe pains with their new 9 speed. New cars with less then 3k miles needing a new transmission.

I wish they would just shove a nice four speed with overdrive in these cars sometimes lol. Thankfully I have no problems, but I hope you folks get your issues resolved.

SW17LS

To be fair, Honda/Acura has a fairly long history of transmission Issues in general.

Rhambler

Yeah, Hondas had a slew of bad transmissions in the early 2000s I think. Not sure if those were in house or outsourced, but many Hondas and Acuras required new trannies. May have been a reason why they looked outside for a lot of their newer cars and picked the German ZF 9 speed that is causing tons of problems. Lol, hindsight is 20-20, but I think they made a huge mistake just so they can just say "9-speed" in commercials and brochures. Bah humbug!

Sequentials, dual clutches, soon our cars will have more gears than my "12-speed" Schwin lol.