nevermind

Hello,I am taking my 2014 is350 to the dealership next week to examine some of the issues that I am having with it. I would appreciate if someone else who had similar issues let me know what was done to resolve them so that I can point the dealer tech in the right direction. This vehicle has factory warranty till April 2018:

1. I feel a rubbing noise coming from the front tires when I am reversing in a parking lot (with the steering wheel turned all the way left or right ). I've also noticed that the inside edges of the tires are wearing faster than the rest of the tires.A Toyota dealer checked this issue by Test driving, doing visual check by removing wheels and checking the wheel alignment. They suggested that the issue may be in the tires OR the differential (something to do with timing) and recommended me to go Lexus.
2. On the highway in Sport S or S+ mode if I have to slow down due to traffic the vehicle gives harsh jerks when stepping down the gears. It feels as if the vehicle won’t stop. I have noticed this in Sport S and S+ modes only.
3. The lid of the arm rest inside the cabin is loose and creates tapping noise every time I put my arm on it. It is silly but very annoying.
   Thanks in advance.

jkonquer

Is your vehicle modded at all, lowering springs and etc?

A. From what I've heard it is tires scrapping or skipping against the ground during a full lock in reverse and completely normal. As far as the front inner tire wear goes, it is well documented issue with RWD IS or other models that shares same suspension such as GS, RC and older IS models. It is due to soft Lower Control Arm bushing that causes dynamic toe while driving, causing the front wheels to toe out. The dealers know this issue and will tell you that it is normal due to the IS' aggressive alignment setting when it really is not. Solution is harder LCA bushings. Please search since there are plenty of threads regarding to this.

B. It sounds like the gears are down shifting hard. Which should be normal. That's why I only use manual shifting mode when driving on Sport or + mode. which should help.

C. I would take it to the dealer to get it repair. I have 2014 is350 as well and I don't have that issue.

ziggman

Exact same 3 issues with my 2015 350 fsport
1) changed front tires from factory Bridgestones to Mich pilot sports 3+, issue gone
2) Downshifting normal in sport + at high speed, harsh (over revs) I think its the rev matching feature, maybe a little rough ( not refined) but normal on mine as well
3) Dealer put these little crappy rubber feet on the rim on the arm cover, did not last ore than a week. do it yourself with some rubber stoppers, I will go in again and complain again as well. Should not happen to a Lexus.

Sybaritic

For problem 2, is there a fix? You guys hear a clunking sound on the downshift too, right?

jkonquer

No clunking sound here.

arentz07

The OP didn't mention any sound, just a jerking sensation from the sound of it. If you hear a clunk, please take it in right away.

I think the "jerk" of the downshifts is just normal behavior of the transmission when downshifting. The other day I had to do a panic stop (some idiot turned left in front of me), and the car downshifted a couple of times, which felt somewhat jerky.

nevermind

Thanks a lot for sharing guys. All of these problems should not happen to a Lexus. I had a 2008 RWD is350 before this car and absolutely loved it (except during winter driving). So, I bought this AWD is350 but I am a bit disappointed with it built quality. Problem #2 is the worse one. Hard downshifting may cause the transmission to wear out faster, wouldn't it?
I don't hear any clunky noise. It is just the jerks that are sometime scary.

Panzer126

Sports + mode will shift more aggressively and later as it tries to keep you in the power for longer. I'm constantly adjusting which mode I'm in based on where I'm driving, it's part of the fun of driving this car.

I also have the armrest issue, but I'll just fix it myself as it's not really difficult.

You have OEM tires still? They're garbage, the ones on my AWD 350f had a 140 or 150 treadwear. I switched to pilot sport as3+ and the car feels much better.

arentz07

If you're describing it as "scary", I would probably take it in and have it diagnosed.

Also, don't play fast and loose with "hard" in terms of shifting. If it doesn't rev-match the downshift, it will jerk somewhat as the revs come up to speed. This is normal in most automatic transmissions with a manual mode, especially older ones. My recommendation would be to go for a drive and play with the shifting a bit - observe the difference in D drive mode versus M manual mode, across Normal, Sport, and Sport+. They all will give slightly different behavior. For me the shifts are just fine if I am in manual mode. In D, it's going to jerk more because paddles are really intended for engine braking in that application. For spirited driving, just don't use the paddles or use M mode.

twixx007

For C: I had the same issue and it was annoying to me as well. I took it to the dealership and they added a few round rubber feet and felt pads. This fixed my issue and is still holding up over a year now. This was covered under my factory warranty.

nevermind

I got my car checked with the dealership last week and they said all these issues are 'normal' which I didn't believe specially the loose lid on the arm rest. These are responses from dealership rep (who apparently has the same car):
a. The dealership rep said not to turn the steering wheel all the way to the right or left while backing up. I disagree with this, I was never told by any dealer of all the other vehicles I have owned over the years. I am doing a seasonal tire change next month and I'll see if my winter tires do the same. If the issue still exist I am taking it back to another Lexus dealer.
b. This is normal which I am beginning to believe after hearing from some of you guys here that you have noticed it as well. It's just that I didn't notice this issue in my 2008 RWD is350. But that didn't have S+ mode.
c. The dealership rep argued that 'her car has this same issue so it is normal'. I'll try and fix it myself.
Thanks for all the responses guys.