Here's a story that proved to me just how quiet this car is. I had a guy I know install paint protection film on the front of our car; when he did the mirrors he remarked that I might get some wrinkles or bubbles since he had to WORK the material to make it conform to the side mirrors. About a day later I noticed a very slight whistling noise. At first I thought it was something I'd just missed, but after thinking about it I realized there was no way the car had been making this noise for the first 500 miles or so; it began the day after I'd had the film installed.

Checked the mirrors and -- sure enough -- the trailing edge of the film had small wrinkles in 2 or 3 spots. Bloody car is so aerodynamically clean -- and incredibly quiet -- that you can hear things that would be obsured in other cars...

 

Wow that's pretty amazing. And good thinking to protect your car...

 

That is why so many geniuses want this bloody car.

Some of the best engineers in the world (including some at Boeing) have owned the bloody car.

Some of the best software engineers (including some at Microsoft) have owned this same bloody car.

Some of the most creative film-makers (including some at Dreamworks) have owned this same bloody brand.

The list goes on...

 

amazing, guess the car is really a step (or more?) above what lexus had done before

 

I think the whistling noise is from something else and not from the a few film wrinkles/bubbles on the mirrors. We get bugs and other stuff on the mirrors all the time. Also, the side mirrors themselves are like giant "bubbles". Maybe the noise was there before that you just did not notice until now? Unless the noise generates by the film bubbles is so loud that it overshadows the noise from road & tires, engine, wind and other noise associated with a moving vehicle.

 

Well, I'm open to being wrong -- but I'm willing to bet I'm not. I spent the first couple of days driving the car with the radio OFF, to be sure I'd hear anything that might need attention (a habit from many years of buying other brands). The whistling started about 24 hours after the film install. I will know definitively when I have the film replaced...

 

yeah, that would be a good way to prove whether that's the cause or not

 

Actually wouldn't that be the other way around?

I have a ton of wind noise (yes, by a ton I mean some which is too much for a car that prides itself on being perfect) and I was told that it's there because the car is so aerodynamically 'fine'.

If the car weren't as clean you wouldn't hear the whistling, but more of a racket. I dunno.

Either way, I'm confused.

 

Which car model do you have? I come from an audiophile background, and would explain it this way. When you have a higher level of background noise it is impossible to hear small details. This is one reason the ML stereo is so fantastic in the LS460L; the car is so quiet that you can really hear the dynamic range of the system.

Which takes us back to the question, "If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one there to hear it, did it make a noise?"...

 

LS430.
I understand what you are saying, but it's a significant amount of wind noise. Also the seat fans make a whining noise that is very noticeable.

 

I've never owned an LS430, but I have driven them on many occasions. I would like to see a direct comparison of sound meter readings (430 vs. 460) taken at different speeds, but I bought a VW Phaeton after driving an LS430 with the Sport option; I felt the Phaeton was quieter with better isolation from tire, road, and wind noise (IMHO).

I've been in a LOT of high end cars; Phaeton, Bentley, 7-series, S-class -- the LS460L is just amazingly silent. Like the old RR ads, where they claimed the only thing you could hear at speed was the clock ticking (or something like that, if memory serves)...

 

please do and let us know if that is the cause.

I am confused about the "aerodynamically fine" thing also. If it is aerodynamically clean, I would think that it eliminates/blocks noise from the outside like a sealed vault and I would start to hear noise from the inside that I would not normally hear from a typical noisy vehicle. But if I can actually hear the outside noise because of this "aerodynamically fine/clean", then what is the purpose of it"?

 

I couldn't think of a better word. I just know the drag coefficient is lower than most sedans at this range and I remember seeing a commercial where an LS was placed on a rotator, flipped upside down and then air streams were shot from the front of the car to the back on the underside as a testament to how much testing and research they do on making the LS430 as quiet as possible.

I'm going to go to the dealer soon and I'll demand some kind of fix, if my old LS sounded perfect, the 430 should as well. I'll also try to get some time in on a LS460L and try to give you guys a subjective reading.

 

Lexus makes quiet cars. The other day I was in my GS (and it has the L-tuned exhaust) and I kept hearing a crimpling sound and I was like "great a damn rattle" or something...
Ends up it was the styrofoam plate my food was on making noise. I was shocked I could hear that in the car.

 

Just be careful you don't accidentally leave the engine running...this has happened to us before in the LS 430. Forgot it was on, couldn't hear...LOL