pvo

iTrader: (2)

Does your car vibrate or shake a little bit when warming up the car?

Mine seems to do it a little bit but it's not continuous. It vibrates, stops for a few seconds, and then vibrates a few seconds....When the engine is warm, it seems to be fine. No warning lights or anything and the dealer says it's normal.

Thanks.

MJA1951

Mine does too. I've noticed since it was new in November that during the cold fast idle at about 1200-1400 rpms in neutral it is slightly rough. I've taken it to two different service departments, one didn't show any interest, but the other one did. The first dealer gave me the must be bad gas BS. I told him I only use Shell Premium, which I also use in my wife’s Acura with no problem. The second dealer sat in the car with me at cold start and said it was not smooth but did not consider it a problem.

I only notice it when it is at fast idle and while it isn't bad, it is very disappointing. I wouldn’t expect this in a car for much less money and you certainly should not expect it from the Lexus LS 430.

Another odd thing I find in my car is the outside temperature seems to cycle by jumping by 2 degrees for a while, then jumps by one degree one time, and then back jumping by two degrees. For example, after pulling out of the garage in the winter, it will show 45, 43, 41, 39, 37, 36, 34, 32. . Anyone else notice this?

A very small thing, but if this is normal, it seems like more work to engineer the temperature readout this way than just showing every degree.

carguyay

Mine idles the same way and temp is the same. Idle seems to be trans or computer related ? Email Lexus maybe they don't know . Dealer is'nt going to tell them when they tell us its normal.

pvo

iTrader: (2)

In a way this makes me feel a little better because at least it's not just my car. It is disappointing though. I'll try to email lexus to see if I get a reply.

About the temp gauge, I haven't paid attention to it. If I see something, I will post.

Thanks guys.

stanatl

I think that the outside temperature example that you give could be caused by the speed you're driving and how often you're stopping while it is coming down to what is actually ambient temperature. The temperature sensor I believe works on moving air.

eblue

The engine does sound a little noisy at cold start but progressively becomes quiet as it warms up. I'm in CA so the lowest it was here was 40-50 degrees F in the mornings. Needless to say, I expected a smoother engine start up than my LX470.

I'll bring it up with the dealer next time I see him.On a separate point,note that they use non-synthetic oil as default for oil changes.

usermel

Hi guys what you notice in your 2004 LS430's is normal. I own a 2001 LS430 and it does the same exact things your describing but im not alarmed at all. Ive owned 4 other Lexus. I had 1 1997 ES300, 2 GS 300's 1998 and 2002, and 1 GS400. Never had but one problem with the GS brand and it was the fuel gauge in the 1999 GS 400 I had. As for my LS only had a problem with car not shifting from park and that was a problem with 2001 Model in general. As for temp changes, thats just because the temp adjust depending on the climate where car is at certain times and garages tend to be a bit warmer than the normal outside kept car will be which explains why it changes as car gets exposed to outside air. And the warm up vibration is normal when car warms up it will have less shaking. These cars are so smooth we notice small things other people wouldnt. I have 40,000 miles on my car know and have no problems with this car trust me expect smooth sailing when you get miles on your LS 430. Though they have changed to the 6 speed and some other great changes the one thing we know as Lexus owners is the quality is #1 ask J.D Power they can vouch for Lexus.I know that you guys 2004 LS 430's are something special also and congrats on the new rides enjoy.

XeroK00L

My ES300 with V6 displays the same characteristics.
usermel is right... We Lexus people are so spoiled that we notice things that owners of other cars wouldn't. I guess this issue is normal after all and you just have to give it time to warm up first.

pvo

iTrader: (2)

Interesting...We have owned 96 ES300, 97 SC300, 2001 IS300, 2001 RX300 and none of them vibrates when warming up...I talked to another service consultant at noon and he asked me to bring my car in on Monday for them to check. I'll let you guys know if they find something.

MJA1951

I agree that the Lexus is such a great car that minor problems become noticable and I really am impressed with the overall quality of mine. That is what makes it frustrating to me because if they could do such a great job on most of the car I wonder what made them accept less than acceptable quality in some small areas.

My previous car was a 97 Mercury Grand Marquis with typical American poor quality, but it never idled rough and the temperature gauge moved by one.

One of my main reasons on giving up on American cars was their bad attitude regarding issues like these; "they all do it", "it's within specs", "we didn't notice anything", and the dreaded "we didn't find any codes".

With the rough idle, it's hard to believe an engine that runs so smooth most times could not be engineered to have a smooth fast idle.

While the outside temperature issue could be caused by issues as stated above by others, I noticed it always shows the same numbers, such as it always goes from 37 to 36, 34, and 32. It's hard to believe it always is 37, 36, or 34, but never 35.

And for those of us in cold snowy area, the tire pressure monitor is going to be an on-going problem.

If Lexus wants to avoid the same quality issues facing Mercedes, I believe they need to address problems and resolve them. As far as I am concerned, "they all do it" or "other cars are worse" makes them no better than the other manufactures.

Lexkost

It maybe a defect in the Torque Converter, but lexus will never admit it if it is......

pvo

iTrader: (2)

I just got back from the service. They said they couldn't find anything wrong. I'm not surprised but still disappointed...Hopefully the issue won't get worse...

Seattle IS300

Hi ALL,

I "was" experiencing the same problem, but it seems to have gone away (a bit) after having my 5K service done and using Syntec Blend. It's not as noticable anymore.

Has anyone changed motor oil and used synthetic or blend?

DZ

LS430inTX

My 2003 LS shakes on cold start as well. It feels like the engine is out of balance when it does it. But like everyone is saying, when the engine warms up, it's flawless. Sorry, I don't buy into "spoiled" bit. My LS did this right from the moment I drove it off the lot with 5 miles on the ODO and I noticed it right away. This is my first Lexus so there was no time to be "spoiled". However, one could make the argument I was spoiled by my previous car - a '99 Honda Accord V-6 - whose engine ran without so much as the slightest quiver regardless of cold or hot.

usermel

I agree with you on the point about the Honda Accord.They are the best cars next to the Toyota brand.I owned both 1997 model and the 1998 model until I traded for a Lexus.My mom owns a 2000 Camry also great car.I own a 2001 LS430 and dont notice any vibration when starting my car I have 41,000 miles so engine and all parts are well broken in.I hope its not a real problem for those having that vibrating happening to them. GOOD LUCK if this is happening to you and hopefully its no future problem.