mine finally went in for surgery....
i hope this turns out good...
i will keep you guys updated.

 

i'm an IS250 owner from U.K. and have also been hearing this intermittent cranking noise on startup. my dealer has discussed with Lexus GB and has agreed to do the fix. The parts are on order and when i had a look at the list of the part numbers that they ordered it all matched the list of parts that is mentioned in the TSIB found here: http://faqlexus.com/attachments/53/E...%20Startup.pdf

Does this TSIB solve the problem and are there any risks on having such major work carried out? the price of the parts for this TSIB seem to be quite cheap than I imagined it would be

 

make sure your tech guy has done few of those before.

 

So what has been the outcome on this issue?
My car was built in June 2007 and I just started hearing this cranking noise, sounds like a bunch of loose chains or metals rubbing, can only hear it for a few secds after starting it and doesnt happen all the time.

What should I do? I'm thinking of trying to capture the sound on my digi cam but I have to be quick cause the sound is really quick at start up only last 3 or 4 secds and goes away after it's started.

 

Everything is good so far...

 

Out running errands today, must have started my car about 8 different times during the day and never heard the crank noise. It doesn't do it all the time, sometimes I might not hear it all week and then one day I will hear it, it's so quick though but when it happens you hear it.

Still trying to capture the noise on cam, gonna wait before rushing to dealer see if it gets any worse.

 

UPDATE:
Finally took my car into JM Lexus for this startup crank noise, brought in the TSB (thanks club lexus), service rep said they already knew about this issue. Got an 09' RX350 as a loaner never drove the RX before, it was nice ride, like the height on the road but couldn't wait to get back into my IS350, my IS feels like a sports car compared to the RX. So far it's been 3 days and no more crank noise anymore,
My service rep was telling me about the cam shaft and how it works and that this TBS will correct this issue with the crank, he also told me about how it affects the VVT-i. Dealer can fix this in 1 day, mine was 2 because I dropped off on weekend.

The first thing I noticed driving away from the dealer is my car is faster, I swear I never had this much power before, it is a noticable difference. I think others have noticed the power diff too that had the TSB done. So glad I had this done. Great Customer Experience with Service and Free Loaner. Only complaint is lost all my memory presets seats and radio, took me 10mins to get the seat back to the way I like it. After 1 yr I am falling in love with my car all over again with increased hp.

 

^^ hmmm is it possible the ECU was reset during the fix? may explain the difference in performance

I had this done last week and didn't lose any of radio and memory seat presets...

 

No probably cause you were driving a much slower car for a couple of days just my 2 cents.

 

i felt the same way xanadu after i got my car back but i thought what accelerate mentioned. I had a rx350 as a loaner so maybe that's why it felt fast.

 

No it wasn't the loaner. Seriously from 0-40 my car feels faster than it was, I felt it immediately and I knew exactly how my car felt before and after this TSB there was a difference.

 

You're feeling the "extra" power because your ECU got reset when the TSIB was done. It'll re-learn your driving habit. I'm glad that you got it fixed.

Terrance

 

Dont know if it has been discussed exactly, but just wanted to clear some things up:

-The engine does not have to be removed for this TSIB.
-The job is a big job and involves taking the timing chain loose to remove the camshafts.
-I do not see this causing harm to the engine if done properly. You should have the right to request an ASE/Lexus master tech does the job on your vehicle.
-The cam gears are updated parts, not exact replacements of the original gears.
-The TSIB was revised to add more vehicles into the VIN ranges. This is probably why some of you believe the vehicle doesnt fall into it, but when you arrive at the dealer you find that it in fact does.
-The ECU does not get reset with this TSIB. The 'more power' thing is probably in your head, but hey, it doesnt hurt.

Ive done a few of these. Its definitely a big job, but I dont think its anything to trade the car in over.

Hope that helps.

 

Does my car vin# JTHBE262362001251 fall under this? Its been making this noise the past week.

I tried to video tape it with my found, but this time that I videotaped it, it didn't make the loud noise like usually when its cold, it just did a small noise.

http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/share....tate=RETRIEVED

 

I would say that your vehicle falls within the revised TSIB.

The revised VIN numbers are: (only 2006-2007 model IS350)

TMK Plant: JTHBE262*72012616
Tahara Plant: JTHBE262*75016710

If the second digit after the '*' is a 2, its TMK, if the same digit is a 5, it is the Tahara Plant.