RCMike

Hi. I have a 2016 RC350 AWD F-Sport, 2500 miles. When I turn right, I hear a constant metal grinding noise. Seems like it's coming from the front driver side wheel. No noise going straight or turning left. Called the dealer and the service rep said it could just be a rock stuck in the brake heat shield. He said if that's the case, I would be charged since it won't be under warranty. I'm going to remove the wheel today after work to see if I can find anything. Anything else that would cause that noise?

tfischer

Why would remove the wheel?
Let the dealer's shop guys do that stuff. If it's a Lexus problem, they will fix it under warranty. If it's a little rock stuck in there, they will remove it while causing as little damage to the brakes and heat shield as possible. Pay them for their work, and keep your $50-60,000 car in top working order. Unless you don't have any money left after buying the car, in which case you bought a car you cannot afford, which seems far too common a problem these days.

yardie876

I had a grinding noise in one of my wheels and suspected a pebble was lodged in there somewhere. A jet nozzle on my hose took care of it. Nothing wrong with attempting to fix it yourself before taking it in.

RCMike

I'm a very handy and mechanical guy. And I have no problem paying for a repair that I cannot perform. However, I would not want to pay $120 for them to remove a piece of rock that would take me 5 minutes to do. If I cannot find anything obvious, I will go to the dealer. Affordability has nothing to do with this.

tfischer

I do a lot myself on the car, but I see so many owners on this forum that seem overextended and can't afford to have repairs done correctly, and sometimes not even routine maintenance.

lexual_rc

Hey Mike,

I would suggest using the advice the dealer gave you as a start by checking yourself. I certainly agree that paying for something like a stuck rock has nothing to do with affordability but frustrating if anything. But they have a right to charge you for maintenance outside their warranty...and trust me, they love to do it...they love to charge for things within the warranty sometimes too. It all depends on the dealership/area you work with. Similar thing happened to my car as well regarding this noise, and sure enough it was the heat shield brushing up on something. Inspect both sides of the rotor/caliper breaks etc for anything out of the normal and yes you should take your wheel off to do this. You can compare with the other sides if you are unsure. Alternatively, if you have local shop or friend that is a mechanic, try getting their help as they may have a better eye for this than you. If the noise is really bad or you are worried, then def take the car in right away. Hope this helps.

grandspt

My RC300 AWD Fsport had only 2,100 miles on it and I got a grinding/squealing noise on the drivers side when turning. I checked the rotor dust shield by tapping it rather hard and I heard something that sounded loose. I was able to turn the wheels and pull back slightly on the drivers side rotor dust shield, a decent sized piece of asphalt came out! At least it was an easy fix.
There was a pot hole that just got patched close to where I live and I went around it but apparently I caught the excess asphalt pebbles. Road debris must end up go through the front duct work near the grill area and go directly to the brake rotors.

RCMike

I took off the front wheel last night and had a good look at the brake shield/rotor area. And just like some of you have said, there was a little pebble stuck between the shield and the rotor. The size is just perfect where it's big enough so it doesn't fall out and small enough that it doesn't rub all the time. I fished it out with a hook and no more noise driving in this morning. Thanks for all the suggestions.

tfischer

Nice work.

yardie876

Excellent. Now go spend that money you saved not going to the dealership and treat yo self.

thebigos1

That happened to me last week. Rear drivers side brake had a pebble stuck between the rotor and heat/dust shield. Took a pencil and gently push the heat shield and the pebble fell out. Saved a trip to the dealer. Seems like every spring I get a rock stuck there. Happened with my RSX too.