Threxx

The brakes, even though they are extremely effective and relatively smooth, have a very obvious whirring sound from about 20MPH until just before I come to a complete stop.

I mean, the car is so friggin' quiet while accelerating, cornering, going over bumps, idling, etc... then all of a sudden it gets noticably louder when braking. It's almost kind of the same noise as you hear on cars with very cheap tires going over noisy stretches of highway. Like road noise.. except ever so slightly more mechanical sounding.

I mean, they don't squeek, they don't groan, they work very well... but they just make a lot more noise than I would expect from a lexus. Heck, even my Chevy Silverado's brakes are more refined sounding than this.

Is something the matter, or do all Lexus GS400s just sound like they are using freight-train brakes to stop from 20 to 2 mph?

edit- oh, and the car only has 31k miles... and I don't know much about GS400s yet, but I somehow doubt the pads have already been replaced, unless Lexus brakes are much less durable than I had hoped. So that would hopefully rule out cheap replacement pads.

GS400_PUSHER

Sounds to me you are being alittle too picky..........LOL

GS4DOUGIE

iTrader: (6)

New car, new feel, senses alert...you maybe suffering from new car "itis". The brakes on your car should be tight and that may take some gettin used to. Noise? Maybe some new pads, scuffed rotors...dunno.

Your car is killer, I love mine, but take time to get used to it

D

PAULGS430

May be brakes are warped or pads worn,dust. Get it checked bro.
I got aftermaket rotors & after extreme track use & some rain they warped. Probally jus your pads though. JMO. let us know what happened.

Paul

mooretorque

Wear indicators?? Have the dealer or a brake shop look at it; suspect your pads are thin............

TQM_V8

Getting it checked out doed not necessarily mean having the dealer do any of the final work.

What I'm getting at is, depending on what the service dept. says, you may elect to do the fix yourself if you are inclined in that way. Carson Toyota (in CA) has incredible (wholesale?) prices on their Lexus parts. I've done a few comparisons and they are usually HALF of what my local dealer charges for parts. There is also excellent DIY guidance on this site to help you decide if you want to tackle whatever it is by yourself.

My guess is a new set of pads, but let comeone certified check it out to be safe..

TQM_V8

Guitarman

I've only had my '98 GS4 since October, and haven't noticed any noise from the brakes whatsoever. And I have pretty good ears.

Cheers.

LB Lex

How are your tires? Sometimes worn 17inch tires will make noise when braking.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

get it checked out, you shouldln't feel anything. what tires you have? if it's performance tires that's probably wire, with the tires i have on my car, when i brake i get that sound.

i had the same sound with my old brakes. sux... i came down the conclusion that the pads were really bad... but later i updated the whole brakes (everything), and now i don't hear anything except those from tires

Vlad_Stein

Hey, Threxx!

Mine are doing that too. I think it is related to:

1) 17'' rims (I used to have 16''s), or

2) Wider rims and tires

I am assuming you have 17'' on...?

MikeGS4PE

Are the rotors cross-drilled?

Ex996

warped rotors or bad tires.

Threxx

OK I just took it to the dealer.

He said the rotors had a bit of rust because the car had been driven on salted roads and then stored for quite a while.

He said I also need new pads in the front and will need pads in the rear in another 5k miles.

This is all kind of disappointing considering this car only has 34k miles on it. My chevy truck has 34k on it as well and the brakes feel absolutely 100% brand new, and they've never once been touched... not even inspected.
I guess I just expected more durability from one of Toyota's flagship models?

My friend's 92 Camry had 145k miles on it and the rotors were never once touched... not even machined, much less actually replaced.

So anyhow, he says $185 and he'll replace the front pads and machine the front rotors... he said that'll get rid of 90% of the noise and rough feel in the pedal.

I guess I haven't much other choice...