heron5

IS 250 AWD = no rattles and much less tire noise and wind rush than the 1994 325i I drove and maintained well for 12 years. Several riders have verified that assessment.

lexoticus

I've noticed that the squeaks on my car tend to be from the heating and cooling of the car. After I hit a few bumps and the panels adjust, the squeaking/rattling subsides. I have taken my car in to the dealer to inspect a "tinny" rattle from the driver side seat belt fastener and they couldn't isolate the sound. Not always lucky to have the rattle manifest when the service advisor is taking it for a test drive. Their solution was to see if the noise progressed and that would help pinpoint the problem. Sounds like a loose spring to me. Oh well ... maybe I'll reiterate the nuisance at my 5K servicing.

Koz

I would not be caught dead in that vehicle, please don't insult me. Don't get me wrong, I love the 350 and feel there is nothing in its class. The drive train is phenomenal. I just was expecting it to be as quiet/quieter then my 4Runner. The tires don't last long so I will be doing some research on a quieter set. The Avons look interesting for being all-seasons. I’m in NJ and love to drive in all weather.

Koz

Koz

Take a new 4Runner for a test drive, you would be amazed. It even has rubber coated inner fender wells.

Koz

tgara

Koz, if you are looking for a quiet tire, I would recommend Bridgestone Turanza LS tires. They come in H, V, and Z speed ratings, and are very quiet. I had a set on my 2003 Lincoln and was very impressed. In addition, they handle very well in the rain and snow. When the Dunlops on the IS250 are worn, I'm definitely getting a set of these.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....l=Turanza+LS-Z

ff_

That's rust-proofing/protection. Doesn't do much to keep out tire noise.

We owned a 2003 4Runner, and it wasn't anywhere near as quiet as the IS is. Not even close.

sailing217

Nope, 17" wheels are not quieter. This fall I think I'm going to put some dynamat or brownbread under the carpet where I can. Not going to remove the seats though

webra

My only disappointment with the car is the tyre noise. Does anyone feel that the dirvers side is worse?

ahohnstein

I've heard rumor that the seatbelt recall replacement fixes the noises that we're hearing in the seatbelt mechanisms (lt & rt)

hv128

I had the same problem with my car, the rattle and very annoying squeak over bumpy roads or roads that are a little imperfect, especially on warm days. It was actually on the back window. I took it to the dealership a total of 5 times (each time was 80 miles back and forth) so I was really frustrated.

First time, they thought I was making it up, because the noise comes and goes. Second time, they heard the noise and just insulated the area where the noise was. Third time, they thought it was the window not sealed correctly so they resealed it. Fourth time, they thought I was making it up again, so they resealed it and insulated it again. Fifth time, they got tired of me calling and decided to do something else about it.

Finally my lexus guy contacted the engineer for lexus, and found out that the squeaky noise is from a pin that was not removed during manufacturing. They had to take out the window, locate the pin, and cut it off. Since then, I have not heard the squeaky noise again from the back.

Maybe you should ask about the pin thing. This may be the reason if you have taken your car back and forth for the same reason and it's still not resolved.

ff_

Unreal, hv128. I thought BMW dealers were bad about refusing to solve problems under warranty. I've been finding in my experiences that Lexus is even worse.

Cleric

Noise that I have observed with my IS350 w/sport pkg.

1. Tire/Road noise is a bit louder after 5k miles but this was totally expected. All the cars I previously owned with Ultra High Performace tires always generated more noise as they wear. Even all season tires will generate more noise as they wear too, but is not usally as noticeable. Also performance tires tend to be wider due to application which makes it more prone to perceptible road noise.

2. B-Pillar noise near the seat belt adjuster I finally isolated to the lower B-Pillar trim. When I put pressure on it the noise would disappear. This is easy to fix by pulling of the front and rear scuff plates then the lower b-pillar trim. You can place some thin foam to the contact areas (or a piece of gauze from your first aid kit ) to remedy this minor tick sound.

3. Windnoise from the windshield area at highway speeds may be do to slight lifting of the plastic trim found on the left and right side of the windshield (exterior side). I found that if the plastic trim is not sitting flush against the window it is easy for windnoise to be hear.

4. Slight low pitch rattle from passenger door I found to be from the map/paper/bottle stow away in the door. You can easily confirm this noise by extending it to see if the noise disapears. I simply cleaned the contact points for the rubber stoppers to prevent them from sticking.

5. Rear headliner noise (near the rear dome light) I fixed by pushing up against the headliner to make sure it is fully engaged to the roof at various locations. Becareful where you push so you do not put a crease in the not so rigid areas of the headliner. Obviously these areas are not fastened to the roof since it is not placed directly behind the headliner.

This is pretty much it....so far. All the noise I hear is really minor and easy to fix. For the first model year of a new generation of IS's I am not dissatisfied with the noises I hear. Besides, it gives me a good excuse to get out and learn about my car. I hope this is helpful for some of you.

suprafrank

Don't be jealous about bmw 330i. Lexus IS's quality if far better and the interior is far more good looking. The new 330i's interior is almost the same as the old 330i's (it's like they are trying to save money and use the same dashboard, etc, from the prior generation). IS exterior looks good also and it's fast. Well except the handling may be a little behind 330i. And BMW 3 series is almost like everywhere, too common.

Noise wind is not a major problem for me. At least it's much better than my previous 350z's.

lexoticus

I didn't receive the seat belt recall notice in the mail and asked if it applied to my car. They confirmed that it did not, so maybe I have to take Cleric's advice and mess with the scuff plates and pillar fit.

Koz

This not rust proofing, the inner wheel wells are plastic and the material is a 1/4" foam matting. Maybe the Limited 4Runner is better insolated, because mine is whisper quiet.

There is definitely something to the fact that when a vehicle is real quiet you hear every little noise. On my test ride I didn't here any other noise, except the tires. Maybe that's why it seemed so loud. Also the test car had miles on it so the tires were probably even louder. I definitely would not reconsider buying the IS because of the tire noise. Just in my mind, after reading so many positive things about Lexus cars, I was disappointed. My number one concern is (Luxury) POWER! I'm a power junkie. Even as a little kid (5 years old) I can remember telling my father to pass other cars and when he did I would get that warm and fuzzy feeling. Still to this day I get that feeling. I guess some kids never grow up. My wife says I would race an old women walking across the street if she egged me on.

Koz