Socal858

Hey Gang,

I recently stopped by the dealer to get an oil change and to get a few small things looked at.

When driving the car in manual mode, the alternator or something else belt driven whines above 3000 rpms. I'm talking like RC car or belt driven supercharger style whine that'll wake the dead. Something is up with the sunroof too - it makes a decent amount of wind noise when closed and clunks over speedbumps when tipped open. My loaner does none of that.

The dealer called me back today and said these concerns are normal. My buddy (owns a 2015 GS 350 F sport like mine and has gone to this dealer) told me it was pointless going to the dealer because Lexus doesn't give a **** about rattles / noises and only steps in when there are mechanical parts broken.

Is this a typical experience? I searched this forum and it looks like a bunch of people have received repairs for both issues. Am I either not using the secret handshake or is the particular dealer incompetent?

jdpdata

You got to be persistent..keep coming back and complain about the rattles and squeaks. Ask to do a test drive with Service Manager and point it out to him.
If they still don't fix it..go to another dealership. If you still get no resolution, file a complain with HQ.

My GS that have a bad rattle near the cupholders. Dealer blame it on my JoeZ exhaust, which partially is true.
The loud drone exacerbate rattles even more, even though rattle was present before I installed the exhaust.
I'm pretty much screwed now..they made a note in my file. So any dealerships I go to, they'll blame on the exhaust.
I complained about windnoise from driver window..guess what they blamed that on..yeah exhaust..which is BS!
I took car to my personal mechanic, took him 5 minutes to fix the rattle with some electrical tape and felt pad. Didn't cost me a penny..though I did tip him $20.
Pretty sad that my Lexus dealership (Longo Lexus) doesn't go above and beyond for the customer.
I think it's because I didn't purchase my car from them, so they don't give a shiet about me.

dchar

I have had great service from my dealer (Lexus of Riverside) in getting rattles resolved. The service advisors are very helpful in getting things fixed the first time. They have very knowledgeable techinicians go out with you for a drive to make sure they understand what the complaint is. Not all Lexus service departments are like this though...I have also experienced Longo Lexus service department and wasn't impressed.

viperr

iTrader: (1)

For the driver side window windnoise, can you share some more information on where the electrical tap and felt pad were placed in order to fix the problem?

mirto

I don't have experience with Lexus dealers yet, but I have some experience with MB and Audi. Persist, keep mailing/calling, call/mail HQ and as a last resort fill the internet (use family and friends) with complaints. Companies really don't want bad PR on facebook and such. If you tried a second dealership and you really had to do all of this to get some help, never return to the brand again when you sell the car.

AJLex19

This advice is sound from other members: Go to a different dealership. I received much better service from a dealership that I didn't buy the car from...strange right? The old saying is that sales sells your the first car, but service ends up "selling" you the next car. Most peeps would buy another car from the same dealership if the service was good.

Sometimes I find that they don't want to spend time diagnosing a problem that is hard to pinpoint or pursuing a problem that they have no previous experience with/documentation. When i got the AWD whining noise addressed, they hesitated until I showed them a TSB. Once they saw the TSB I printed and handed to them, their entire attitude changed and immediately moved forward with the fix - no questions asked.

jdpdata

That issue was never fixed. It only happens occasionally. Seems to be more often when cold outside. Maybe the rubber insulation is contracting during cold weather causing air leaks.
I've also read about air leaks coming thru the black triangle piece near mirror, not sure if mine is affected with that issue. My wind noise seems to be coming from B pillar near seat-belt.
Electrical tape and felt was applied to fix rattle near the cup-holders.

Anyways Longo Lexus Sucks! They blame the air leak on my exhaust both times I brought it in for service. My sister works for Toyota HQ in Torrance, CA.
She said Longo have a lot of service complaints. but since they're the biggest Lexus volume dealer in the country, Lexus HQ turn a blind eye sometimes.
She told me to try Westminster Lexus, but that's a long-*** drive for me just for service. Maybe I'll try Riverside Lexus next time.

kingofire

I happen to be another unlucky person with rattles. I have really bad roads where I live and I literally had rattles everywhere. Sunroof, front passenger seat, both seatbelt fastners on B pillar would chirp, especially annoying was the one chirping right in my ear. Both the front dash and rear deck would vibrate and chirp consistently as well and all the dealer did was try to fix the sunroof and said everything else is within tolerance. They even went as far as blaming my tint stating that because tint puts weight on the glass then sometimes its causes creaks and rattles that seem to be coming from the rear/front deck/dashboard. At the end I got so tired of their lip service that I traded my car in for a Acura RLX within 6 months of owning it.

Davenlei

iTrader: (1)

I have always had good experiences from Newport Lexus with any rattle, squeak, wind issues I brought up. They document the issue and set me up in a loaner with no questions asked.

samsausage

I had a few rattles/squeaks on my 2014 GS350. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to rattles... I tend to track them all down and will even pull over to find them...
First time telling the dealer they didn't do anything. Second time I was more insistent and they did make a very good effort. So it really depends on your service person and how motivated they are to fix it... IMO they are obligated to fix wind noise/rattles under their bumper to bumper fit/finish clause. (As long as it's original and unmodified)
I was able to recreate the squeaks easily and showed the service guy. His response was: "It's because it's plastic on plastic". So I asked him if that is normal for a Lexus and if I should expect that? Because I'm not used to that from other luxury cars I have owned. I told him that I'm also under the impression that squeaks are covered by the warranty under fit/finish. He then agreed to address them and they did do a good job fixing the squeaks. Here is what was bothering me in mine:

1. Sunroof. Wind noise/ road noise. - They replaced the seal. Didn't make a huge difference, but I don't think there is much they can do... I think Lexus is using a Toyota sunroof here... For one, it's single pane glass, when I tap on it it sounds really thin and echoey. (I'm actually looking for a clear film to add that may add sound-damping similar to dynamat, but clear, if anyone knows of a product let me know, still looking.) I also noticed that there is only one rubber seal and one point of contact for that seal. In my opinion it's a simple design unsuited for $60k car, there should be at least two points of contact for the seal... my Benz uses double pane glass and two seals with two points of contact, making it much quieter. But even with that Benz design I can still tell a difference in noise with the visor open/closed at highway speeds.
What I ended up doing was add a wind deflector to the outside of my sunroof, it did help a bit, but I'm still looking for something to improve on the original design.

2. Driver and Passenger handle squeaked. (The handles above the door on the roof). They added padding and it's resolved.

3. The Center console lid squeaked when I put my arm on it. They replaced the lid and it's fixed.

4. The Center console where the mouse puk is was squeaking badly, they took it apart and added padding. Much better, still a little bit of a squawk when I wiggle it, but no squeaking while driving, so I'm happy.

If you are under factory warranty, then I would be persistent and polite in pursuing the squeaks, asking them to explain why it's normal and acceptable for a car in this class. Remember, you catch more flies with Honey than vinegar! The persona helping you will only go as far as they are motivated to, you have to find a respectful way that makes it important for them to want to get the issue resolved. If they still don't care after that, gotta find a better dealer.

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

Newport is pretty desperate for service work, when they opened around 2006 they had a dozen service writers, last time I was there a couple years ago there were 3.