Tiborsky

Hi Folks,

I've searched the threads but couldn't find anything on this issue and was hoping someone could help out or at least make some recommendations.

My wife's car started vibrating, in the rear, as the steering wheel does not, about 6 months ago. We replaced tires, to 80k Michelins, but vibration didn't go away. Then we took it to Lexus dealership and they said it's the CV joints. I asked them how the rear could vibrate if the CV joints are out? no answer....

Went back to Discount, where we bought the michelins, and they swapped to Pirellis, just to make sure it was not the tire. No dice, vibration stayed.

Shocks/springs seem to be holding up, but still made me wonder if this is what needs to be replaced, however, not the Lexus Dealer nor another import garage could give me a straight answer.

So i'm about to pull my hair out as i don't know what to do to fix this besides trying to dump a lot of money into this car. i have no idea what to do or where to even go to get this diagnosed.

Looking for ideas, thanks.
T

JetsonES

There aren't any cv joints in the rear so that's a load of bunk. Best I can figure is that either you have a bushing that has gone out or a bent suspension component or wheel. Since your car has a full size spare the easiest way to detect the bent wheel would be to swap out the spare wheel one at a time with the ones currently being used. If the vibration ceases then that is your problem.

BDSL

Things that can cause vibration (but not limited to):
- wheel imbalance
- ball joints
- knuckle / hub
- bad strut / strut mount
- loose lug nut
- wheel alignment

Tiborsky

Thanks guys for the replies. I'll try the spare idea. When I typed the suggestion the dealer gave me about the CV joints, it wasn't about the fact that the CV joints were in the back, but that they were causing the vibration. However, what didn't make sense about their suggestion was that the steering wheel does not vibrate and i'd think that would be the first indication.

I'm also looking at other components to see if i can see something bent, or otherwise out of place.

thanks
T

JetsonES

You can check the condition of the ball joints when the tire is off the ground by rocking it back and forth and up and down to check for play. I forgot ball joints in the initial comment but they are also likely as a cause. You would hear or feel the cv joints going bad while the car is turning, but you're right that they should have no impact to the rear suspension. I hate shady dealerships.

speedkar9

I'm assuming you've already rotated tires front to back to isolate an imbalanced wheel, bad tire or bent rim.

Michelin tires love to flat-spot, I get that on cold mornings on my 05 ES330. See if the vibration goes away after a long distance drive or on a warm day.

Check all the rear trailing/control arm bushings for cracks of if it looks deteriorated.

Next inspect the brakes. A warped rotor and/or sticking caliper can sometimes cause a vibration at high speed because its not planar. Check that the parking brakes are not sticking either.

Finally check the rear bearings for play. Any looseness could also cause vibration. They're fairly easy to replace on a FWD drive car. Do you hear a humming sound at high speed?

Generally the suspension components such as struts, coils or stabilizer bars don't directly lead to vibration issues, they just make noise and clunk when they're worn. The least you can do is make sure everything is tightened.