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This is an area I hope Lexus improves in the nest generation (apparently for MY 2026) by putting in more padding. Finally, it seems, more makers, even lower end ones, are at last putting more cushioning in their seats after years of customer complaints about seats that are too hard for many. You can even see the difference in the interior shots of many cars in review publications like Car and Driver. It doesn’t take inches more of foam or a return to massive seats of years ago (which were actually super comfy), but there’s no reason for the hardness some cars have had. Perhaps in sports oriented models that firmness will remain as a desirable trait but we need to move away from the “every car needs to be sporty” thinking that has dominated the industry for too long now and lead to these seats and equally firm suspensions.
In a related area, and one I mentioned to Lexus in a survey after I got my car, is the, to me at least, overly aggressive front side bolsters. Getting into the seats was the topic of another thread recently, but on a non-F-Sport variant these seem too large to me and I brush against or bump into them often on entry. Related to the “sport everything” vibe, seat bolsters have grown a lot in recent years. Once again, we do not need to return to totally flat seats of the ’80’s but the reality is very few standard ES drivers are racing around so hard in corners and on curvy roads (which auto writers seem to think we traverse on a daily basis) to encounter the need to be “held in their seat” to this degree. Just my opinion, but I think both improvements will be appreciated by a huge swath of drivers.
. Once again, we do not need to return to totally flat seats
This comment reminded me of my 2004 Avalon XLS seats. I felt like I needed to be cinched in to the driver’s seat like Hannibal Lecter on a dolly to keep from slipping and sliding around. The F Sport seats are even more aggressive with the side-bolsters. I mean I don’t need a bear hug, a bro-hug will do!
Oh, and yeah, I also agree that in all of the seats in the modern-era ES line, I've had two ULs; hell, even my $113k MB EQS seats need more cushion. I'm not pointing out the cost trying to flex, but to prove the point that at any price point, modern seats are skimpy on the padding. I mean, they are comfortable, but after an extended period of living in them, you are wishing for the bygone era of plush seats. The one saving grace that my EQS has is Seat Kinetics, and instead of trying to explain it, I'll go even further off on a tangent and provide a pic and YouTube video.
When we talk about the seats, I have this strange clicking sound from the drivers seat when going over the corners or when I drive on rough pavement. Also the same clicking sound I can hear when I move the seat forward backwards. It looks like the noise is coming from the rail but I am not able to locate it. Anybody with this strange problem?
Did the white plastic bearing get detacched from it?
the white bearing is attached to the rail.
Compare your driver seat with your seat, you will know what i mean. The whole base mechanism needs replacing in that case excluding the trim.
Originally Posted by ESh
When we talk about the seats, I have this strange clicking sound from the drivers seat when going over the corners or when I drive on rough pavement. Also the same clicking sound I can hear when I move the seat forward backwards. It looks like the noise is coming from the rail but I am not able to locate it. Anybody with this strange problem?
You can just see it if you look around here:
You need to make sure the white bearing moves with that metal bit that is attached to the seat. If they are seperated, that will be your clicing sound.
I would also clean the lead screw with a microfiber towel and the put a tiny bit silicon paste along the lead screw and move the seat backward/forward a few times. That may fix your clicking issue.
Obviously clean/lubricate the lead screw on the other side as well so they both work the same.
Originally Posted by ESh
I don't see any plastic bearing. Where that bearing goes? Do you have any picture?
You need to make sure the white bearing moves with that metal bit that is attached to the seat. If they are seperated, that will be your clicing sound.
I would also clean the lead screw with a microfiber towel and the put a tiny bit silicon paste along the lead screw and move the seat backward/forward a few times. That may fix your clicking issue.
Obviously clean/lubricate the lead screw on the other side as well so they both work the same.
I removed the seat from the car, I disassembled the rails (which is a PITA) and nothing wrong there.
I think that the clicking noise was coming from the plugs on front/rear of the rail. I removed them for now and the seat is quiet.
Let's see what happens during the drive.
06-27-24, 06:53 AM
