The G Man

Mcukier, sorry to hear that, too bad you not moving to Floride or something Just wondering, what did they put on the invoice for work done?

bozer

I'm going to go out on a limb and say this problem will never be fixed. It sounds like (to me anyway) that the dashboard's insides are made of plastic.The only solution would be an entirely new dash. It seems like all this crappy plastic is just expanding or shrinking when it gets cold

Keep in mind I know nothing about cars and this is just my guess =(

The G Man

I feel the same way bozer, my GS was quite for a summer after the fix, next winter, the squeaks and rattles came back. Which seems to me that those fixes are just band aids, not permenent fixes. Any permenent fix would have to involve different parts and different design from the factory, which Lexus refuse to do for the GS.

bozer

Yup. So that's it really. Just deal with it for the rest of your cars life, and hope when the time comes to sell it, you can sell it to someone in the summer, lol.

What sucks for me this is the first car i've bought. The rest were leases. So I figured Id buy this car since its a lexus (it will have no problems!) and I'll make it last forever. Meanwhile I returned my Honda Accord lease which had no problems ever. And my wife knows all of this, and loves to remind me of it. Yay

gs9351

I know there will be some disbelievers out there...as I was...but I have been living with the winter windshield snap, crackle, pop sounds, in fact this is my third season the my 06 GS300. It has been driving me nuts. As you, I have read the nightmarish tales of our poor friends who have had their dash ripped out multiple times, in search of the elusive pop and rattle sounds...I've read countless tales of TSB's addressing the issue...everything from felting all wires, grinding back windshield clips, owners stuffing everything from old socks to black felt down their dashboards...but I chose to wait it out in search of the ultimate solution. What I will present here may sound unbelievable to most, and shocking to most others, but it 100% works, and you can do it yourself in less than five minutes!!!

Step 1: Obtain a can of silicone spray lubricant
Step 2: Obtain a super large drinking straw, e.g. "big gulp"
Step 3: Affix the straw to the cap, in some cases, you may have to split the end to fit over the aerosol cap / OR / align the nozzle so as to spray "through" the straw
Step 4: Carefully spray the lubricant deep into glass / dash interface ...careful not to get into defrost vents, and apply for entire seam of dash, sweep back and forth for approx 3 minutes
Step 5: Clean dash and interior of windshield thoroughly...I recommend "Invisible Glass" on the windshield and a good, low gloss vinyl cleaner for the dash, to remove any mist or settling fog
Step 6: Let sit for at least one hour
Step 7: Drive and enjoy...the snap, crackle and pops are gone!

So far this has lasted me a few weeks, as temps dipped below the 40's and 30's...this weekend it should be even colder in the 20's...the true test.

I am happy to share this with my fellow Lexus owners! I hope those still plagued by this issue will try it and share their experiences!

rkb43

Many of us have had the problem fixed. In my case 12K miles and 2nd winter. I think the key is to find a dealer who is willing /able to take the time to do it.

Cut-Throat

How did your hear of this 'fix'? - Did you come up with it yourself?

I am guessing that it lubes the various parts, and will probably silence them until the lubricant dries out. Then you'll have to re-apply.

echelon

Well I just scheduled our GS to go in Wednesday to get the dash rattles fixed at Lexus of Madison. It's early in the winter so I'm hoping that if they don't fix it we can get it fixed before it goes out of warranty next summer.

I'm pretty confident they can get it fixed. The tech that rode along pointed out the rattle before I even did and said they've had a lot of issues with the GS and the dash rattling. The service manager also said they wanted it for the majority of the day so they can fix it then let it sit outside to ensure the rattles are gone so he knows they are worse when the car is cold. We'll see I guess I'm crossing my fingers.

The tech that rode along had a good point. Lexus made too quiet of a car, by shielding the car from all the road noise they open themselves up to the smallest of squeaks and rattles that "normal" cars don't experience because they are drowned out by road noise.

bozer

GS9351

Did you just squirt silicone into where the windshield meets the dashboard? Like on the top of the dash, right where they meet?

I would love to try this...

Last night I was driving home from Manhattan and the squealing brakes were driving me and my wife insane. Then we started hearing the dash rattles... We were both infuriated .Its like every time I get in the car now, it puts me in a bad mood because I start thinking "why is it the one time I buy a Lexus, the car sounds horrible when I drive it?". It just puts me into such a bad bad mood and I want to drive my car through the showroom window. My wife said "I bet if we just bought a Camry this wouldn't be happening. Its not like Toyota hasn't been making cars for years". And I cant disagree with her. I have no idea why this problem is still existing. There should be a recall imo. I wonder if the 2008 GS's still have this problem (I bet they do)

gs9351

The application of silicone "fog" made sense to me...so I tried it...it's what you'd do for any squeaky part...in this case we have glass, metal, paint, plastic, etc. each with different coatings, which can and will squeak in cold environments, given the tight tolerances in the parts. I set out some old towels over the dash to protect the best I could. Then I sprayed deep into the seam / interface where the dash meets the glass. Seems simple and harmless enough...and it lies within an invisible area of your car...just a light coating will work fine. As for me, so far, so good...and should another application be needed...no big deal. Much less painful then pulling the dash and being without your car for a few days, right? And what will it look like when you get it back from the dealer? And what else will they break? Any how many dealer "repairs" didn't work first, second, or third time?

SNiiP3R

iTrader: (3)

It seems like as the temp. goes down, the noises become more louder. When its 40F outside the squeaks and rattles are not that bad actually. However, when temps reaching 30s, ehhh! I dont even want to imagine 20s and 10s Sometimes I just want take the dashboard out and drive without it till Spring!

The G Man

I know exactly what you mean bozer, my blood pressure use to go up 10 points everytime I drive my GS

As for the other poster who claim that Lexus is too quiet, thats why you can hear all the squeaks and rattle. I said thats a load of crap, the rattles I heard was so loud you could have heard over a diesel engine. There are other sedans out there that are quieter than the GS and with no rattles and squeaks.

drpepper

Well, I'm unfortunately in the club. Pure joy since April and when the temperatures dropped, I found I was among the unlucky.

Strange thing this morning is that it was the coldest it's been yet--reading 25 as I was driving to work--and the clicks were barely there. This scares the hell out of me because I feel like I have to see if the dealer can fix it before the original warranty is up (not covered under extended), and now I'm worried that it might not perform at the dealer.

mmade22

The temps have dipped into the teens in the south and so I have gotten bitten with the nasty "dash/windshield rattle." Time to bring this thread back from the dead and show all the guys that these tips should minimize or eliminate the noises in the dash. I have to buy more felt and will post pictures on here to help anyone else out. This car is a great car in so many ways......just not so great when it comes to body integrity!

username32

So if i am reading this right, this happens with cold, so it has something to do with material expansion and contraction from heat and cold then? Maybe the dash material expands size when its heated to close the gap of squeaks. I have the same rattle when temps get down in the 50s, but in the day nada, quiet as a house mouse. I wonder if sticking a foam strip along the dash/windshield seam help quiet the rattles.