CBsLex

Anyone can help would be great...I had humming sound from rear of my car, took to dealer and found rear left wheel bearing bad..they replaced it under L-Cert. Since I have had my car, about a month, intermittently, the car starts to vibrate and gets louder when i hit the gas around 50-70 mph and lasts for about 45-60 seconds. The vibration is bad and trembles/shudders the entire car with it getting worse as i hit the gas. After 45-60 sec, it stops and doesnt repeat. It is very random. Had lexus check the car for 3 days, no fault found and cannot duplicate during drive with tech. I take the car, a day later, it happens again. Again car in shop for 4 days, they drive over 100 miles on it and still nothing. The couple of times, it was bad...the 2nd time around after few days..it is not as bad but still can feel car shaking. Feels like flat tire.
Had 40k mile service done on car at time of wheel bearing and since I had the car, the vibration has happened 4 times and im losing about 4 miles per gallon (full tank, range shows about 290-310 instead of 375 as it used to). What Did they DO or not do...all this happened after the last service at 40k and wheel bearing replace. BTW, i have taken videos of the shaking and determined it is from the rear..i have shown these videos yet they cannot fix it...does it have anything to do with the wheel bearing?

Links with sound:

bclexus

The #2 video sounds like something is vibrating or flapping (resonating/reverberating) rapdily. If so, this vibration or rapid flapping sound might only happen when the car's speed gets to the point where there is enough air flow to separate or lift the component that is loose ... and then the loose piece slams back into place, and then it separates again - doing so rapidly causing the flutter sound. Have you checked your undercarriage/engine plastic covers to see if one is loose? Maybe the plastic wheel well inner fender liners? Possibly something as simple as a forgotten shop rag caught underneath the car and flapping against something?

CBsLex

Ive had at the dealer off and on for 7 days...the techs drove it for 35 miles, then had the advisor drive over 100 miles during Christmas break. I decided to pick up the car yesterday even though he was going to test drive 1 more day. They found nothing wrong with the car.
Do you think when installing wheel bearing, they couldve torqued incorrectly or not correctly tightened ujoint, driveline, etc?

Stewart350

If you haven't already, I would have that left rear rim and tire checked. The rim could possibly be bent or need to be rebalanced.

CBsLex

Hi Stewart350
Brand new tires 2 weeks prior to wheel bearing replacement...have had all rims and tires verified and checked. When not vibrating, runs smooth as butter.

bclexus

A video doesn't provide the exact same sound frequency that you hear in-person. Also, it's impossible with a video to know what direction the noise is coming from. Have you opened your sunroof shade to see if the sunroof is vibrating?

CBsLex

At the time, sunroof shade was open the 1st time it happened. 2nd time, shade was closed. I normally drive with sunroof closed but shade open. 1st thing tech asked me as well about the sunroof. If sunroof was vibrating it would happen more often..hard to tell in video but its like driving fast on flat tire that has come apart and hitting the inner wheel well.
I understand the video would not be exact, but it was to better explain the sound i was hearing. It was from the rear of the car..rear left behind driver seat to be more precise. I cannot duplicate the noise at dealer and they can't either since it is soo random.

Stewart350

I could only guess they didn't reassemble it correctly or forgot to tighten something. Hopefully someone else has more useful input.

CBsLex

Thanks Stewart350. I believe the same thing...but i couldnt get dealer to re-trace their steps and take apart and check. Im taking to another dealer today to have it looked at.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Most driveline balance or coupling issues occur above 35mph and it doesn't matter what gear the car is in. I have not listened or watched the videos but find it unlikely to be an assembly error of the hub if it can not be reproduced. That said it **sounds like** it only happens when you ride alone. Maybe? What if anything was the same the four times it happened?

Have you taken it to an independent shop? Maybe get a different set of eyes on it?

bclexus

A soft or torn suspension bushing can cause a vibration to take place at odd times and speeds, or only when the car hits a small hole or crack a certain way that starts the shimmy happening. Even a faulty dog bone engine mount can create a vibration resonance at certain times.

CBsLex

Havent taken to independant shop as car is L-certified and covered fully by Lexus..so i think Lexus should figure it out... i will take to another lexus dealer to have it looked at with diff eyes.

SpicedRum

This is my thoughts as well...a torn bushing creating intermittent shimmys under the right conditions. The techs might have used on the multi-links as leverage when removing the rotor or hub and damaged the bushing.

It might seem obvious, but what about wheel weights? You just got new tires..perhaps the weight wasn't installed well and already came off?

CBsLex

Thanks for all the input. I thought about the wheel weights, can still see them on there, but still having the wheels re-balanced today. Drivin the car for about 150 miles so far, nothing has happened...just odd intermittent issue that will not reproduce. Only thing...its documented with Lex and so only thing i can do, drive it till it gets worse and can make it happen more often to reproduce...hope not at the cost of my tires if it is something wrong in that area.