sxa67

Hi all,
I've had my 1995 ES-300 for about 2 months now and I took it into Magnussen Lexus in Fremont to see if they figure out why the car has so much wind noise at freeway speeds (>55 mph). The advisor there says it has to do with adjusting the windows, which he says is a trial and error thing and in a car "this" old i shouldn't complain about minor annoyances. Looks like they only like helping the "rich" lexus owners! The car has only 62000 miles on it, so i don't think it's very old and that can't be the answer, so i iwas wondering if anyone here has experienced anything similar and knows what to do? Thanks for the help..

XenonES3

I do have the same problem, but I don't know what to do besides taking it to the dealer...I also have a '95 but with 90K (mostly highway miles).

Above 25 mph there is howling from the moonroof.

Above 55 mph there is howling coming from the left front window. It is clearly a problem with the gasket.

Above 115 mph I have to pump up the sound system just to keep from being bombarded with wind noise.

meZoom!

i have a 95 ES, 93,000+ miles on it. i have noticeable wind noise at about 55-60, and considerable road noise on some occasions at 75-80+mph. i personally dont mind it much because it makes me feel like i am driving fast (i am). otherwise, i have the radio on loud. and yes, lexus dealers *do* act like they don't want to help us older model ES owners...unless we start talking about selling it to buy a new Lex or something....i hate that.

zexen

in this envelope... i hold the answer.

:: opens envelope ::
whoops sorry it's empty...

no i'm just kidding. the real reason for the wind noise is the sealing of the door and the rubber on the upper door frame connected to the car frame. our cars contain no door frames, so the window has to seal to the car somehow, but over time and heat, the rubber doesn't do its job anymore. don't mind it too much, my 93 is nearing 100k and it doesn't bother me too much. its an older generation thing.

blux

hmm, its werid that you guys say you dont notice wind noise til about 55...are you saying you have a completly quiet ride until then? because at about 30 to 35 I start getting some noise
but at 55 the only noise i get is my antenna, and some wind noise...It must be sweet to have like a badass 03 ES with like no noise what so ever..once again I am jealous

I do like the noise tho, it reminds me to slow down. it is so easy to speed in a lex. You dont even realize that your going 10 - 15 over. its crazy. like in other cars you can tell...hmm haha

DIrEctQL

So what's the fastest you guys can go in a ES300?

Chris

1loudlex

Sorry Mr. Supra wannabe... We all cant take turns and get tickets at 140 MPH!!!! One day I might be able to catch you, but not any time soon..

Adam

DIrEctQL

Actually I didn't get the ticket at 140 mph. It was 120 mph.

Chris

Lex Diamonds

I had the same problem - and if you have a connection at the dealership - you can probably get someone to re-seal the door for you. I had this problem with my front windshield, driver-door, and moonroof! It Can Be Fixed!

XenonES3

Excessive wind from highway travel puts pressure on the gaskets, twisting the shape and often forming a slight gap between the glass and gasket.

From there, sealant is probably the best solution to eliminate the gap.

zexen

it really doesn't bother me that much. i just drive with it. as long as my music is playing, the wind noise is never there.

lexusk8

I went to the dealership today to get a quote on replacing the window seal on the driver side of my '96 ES. I couldn't believe the price the parts dept told me... $80 for just one rubber seal, not including labor :eek: I always find it hilarious how outrageous the Lexus parts cost!

Lvangundy

Same here..passener side door at apex..

Excessive wind noise at highway speeds. If you push on the apex part of the glass the noise gets extremely loud. hah

XenonES3

Damn, I dunno. Hearing engine noise doesn't bother me but hearing wind noise is just flat out annoying. Lexus better do something before they acquire a reputation for poor window sealing.

DesertRat

As far as I'm concerned, Lexus already HAS a reputation for poor sealing! My '96 ES has only 70k miles and the wind noise coming from the passenger door window is terrible. The noise becomes noticeable at about 40 mph and then just gets worse. The dealer said they would have to replace the window guide track, the seals, and other stuff to fix it right. They didn't correct the wind noise problem on the redesigned '97-2001 models either.

I've been reading this forum for awhile, done some reading elsewhere, and talked to some other owners, and now I know that Lexus, in spite of its great reputation (and to my chagrin), has some real quality problems. My ES has some other little problems that a car with only 70k miles (and a real creampuff, too) just should not have!

When I first got my ES, I went through a "Lexus Lust" phase. At this point, I'm pretty sure my next car will probably be an Acura or an Infiniti.