yogregb

I own a 06' gs 300, 6 mos. 2200 miles. I've had the same dash rattle/tic that all of you have discribed in recent months, seems worse in cold temps, sounds like coming from windshield/dash etc... I have discovered that if I apply pressure to the upper left corner of the head unit with my thumb and fore fingers, on the brushed chrome plastic bezel to be exact, and hold pressure there, THE RATTLE COMPLETLLY DISAPPEARS! My theory is that these rattles/snaps/ticks are coming from the plastic at the top of the head unit and the two center air ducts due to improper clearence, maybe too tight or something, or maybe the bezel itself. My idea for proving this would be to temp remove head unit and test drive, however I am not comfortable with removing mine without accidentlly doing damage! So my bros, maybe someone who's had his unit out before and still has rattles can do the experiment for us all and then we can tell Lexus how to fix all the GS third gens! I don"t want the dealer to do unnecessary TSBs while my car goes in for the 5k service in the near future. Thanks for all the info you guys have shared in this forum, yogregb

GS2006

The noise I hear is way over in the corner by the speaker. I suppose it could be bouncing all over the place.

I have found if you push on any dash board place on the passenger side it will mute, not stop the sound.

Jace7

same exact problem I "had" fourth time taking it in, watching them and giving them advice, and now no more rattle.

I'm pleased

GS2006

Jace, I’m getting jealous. Well, I’ve only taken it in twice. Two more tries is depressing me.

ES350Bob

GS2006,

I wish I knew there had been people with rattles in this exact area you describe as I have a DIY tsiB.

When wife or other authority figure is not looking, take a butter knife out to car to use as a tool...

also a slip of notebook paper and several, preferably wider (1/4 inch wide) rubber bands in hand, not thicker just wider rubber bands, if you don't have them, regular width could do as well or some material you wish to try rather than a rubber band such as thick yarn.

What you will be doing is wedging the bands between the A pilllar and dash junction to start, not yet between speaker grill and A pillar but very close to junction of dash-speaker grill and A pillar.

See rough schematic below and I mean rough schematic____Fold a slip of notebook paper in V shape, this paper should be half again as wide as width of band, then place end of rubber band inside this V. Place butter knife inside both with end of knife against band material and add pressure to pint where you just begin to wedge the band down between dash near speaker grill and the A pillar. End of rattle there to then be confirmed by a test driving period. The paper is only to allow less friction and ease of getting band in between, once down in there hold pressure on band with the knife and slowly remove paper AFTER you have driven around and are thrilled the rattle is gone.

You want any pressure when doing this more on edge of dash material than the felt-like A pillar material.

Once you are certain this did the job, CAREFULLY cut away excess band sticking up in view. You may need to do this twice depending on degree of rattle with one near speaker junction and one away from junction toward you right at edge where A pillar and dash meet. For really awful rattles in that area try very carefully wedging between speaker grill and A pillar.

Best I could do for schematic is below. The first v like shape is your paper, the second the edge of the band and the dotted line is the butter knife.

<<-------

yogregb

THANKS ES350BOB,


If I ever get that type of rattle on the rt side dash, I'll sure give your remedy a try. However I'm fairly positive my rattle/tic generates from the center head unit. I'm posting this in the hope it helps other gs owners with this frustraiting problem and to also confirm my suspions as to the source. Overall, this car is hands down the best car I have ever owned and when I get this issue resolved I will be 100% satisfied! yogregb

ES350Bob

No problem, it works for rattle like sound where you feel it is at junction of A pillar and dash or A pillar and speaker grill. You just have to be real careful of any pressure toward that feltlike stuff of A pillar.

Also I noticed a rattle like sound I think in area you are talking about, if you would describe it as near headliner at rearview mirror area and it may be a very simple fix.

Right at junction of rearview and headliner is the top of a plastic outer housing that is part of the mirror assembly and it can be loose and rattling up there.

Try grabbing the very top of the plastic housing that covers the area where the mirror is attached to the glass for lack of better way to describe it or this housing and very lightly pulling downward same angle as windshield glass. If it is loose or I should say seems way too easy to move downward it may be the source of some folks rattle up there when it is up against top at junction with headliner area. A buzz like rattle sound is best to describe sound it makes when on the loose side. There are several ways to deal with it if that is the source which you can tell by driving around with it pulled downward from it's junction with headliner area to see if buzz like rattle stops or is far less.

GS2006

Thanks Bob,
Think a piece of bicycle tire intertube would be too thick? I was thinking of using that in some other places. Sounds like a easy try and if it works great!!!!!! And if not looks like it can be removed.

I tried something similar with rubber wedge awhile ago (the one I used to put my clear bra on). I put it between the windshield and the dash by the speaker cover. I did not wedge it in there very far and it did not work. The A pillar I was worried about interfering with the air bag. They already took my dash apart and I think that may have created some more noises . I will give this a try. I told both places that the A pillar and the dash was the area. And they go off and cut tabs under the hood. If it is this simple, why can't Lexus get it right instead of TSBs that require dash board removal and do not do anything?

Oh, the fist Lexus dealer put a piece of rubber fuel line between the speaker cover and the windshield. That did not do anything and the second dealer laughed and said he new what he was trying to do (push the dash down and force the pins that hold the dash down) and he removed it.

Oh, anyidea where this is located? Inside the dash?
Cause: Servo Damp. Vib. on climate box
Correction: Removed servo to add insulation.


Thanks
Mike

ES350Bob

The innertube might work better than rubberband because I think it's thinner and would be easier to wedge down in there, and you could double or triple it's thickness if need be.

I think a wedge as far away from speaker grill toward inside of car between dash and A pillar is best to try if some effort has already been made at grill and between it and windshield. Mine happened to start on driver's side of my car and pressing on junction between dash and A pillar which silenced it gave me the idea of adding a wedge there.

Not sure on the climate box but my guess is it would be inside and in rear of glove box area. I saw a thread on one of the forums where a rattle had something to do with AC filter cover and plastic panels in back there in glovebox. So maybe climate box is what that is.

yogregb

My local dealer is Newport Lexus. Anyone have a good contact there to address this issue? Anyone having info would be appreciated, thanks yogregb

hempqc

HHahaahaahhaahhhahahahhahahaha

ES350Bob

The best tool to use is the one they are even more emotionally attached to as a rule, the thin pliable cake frosting spatula, but fear of getting caught using it might cause most not to even try a DIY solution.

You might get an azz chewing for using the butter knife, that pliable cake spatula is worse when caught with it using it as a tool.