Mallory H I too have done all I can do after 4 trips and one with the dealer tech. supervising. I have ordered the BMW 535XI. It's not as good a ride and not as quiet on the road as the LS460 by any means but it does not have wind turbulents at any speed. I have made my decision.

 

I wouldn't be concerned. I have one of the last 2007's made and there is no wind noise. I've heard the same from other late 2007 owners.

The only thing you have to worry about is ponying up an additional $550!

 

That's to pay for the wind noise abatement...

Oh, oh, now I'm getting cynical...

 

Mallory, please let us know your decision and how arbitration goes of you do it. I am too deciding if to go to arbitration. I have made a demand on Lexus to replace or repurchase the LS460 and I am waiting their formal decison. In the arbitration program that Lexus participates in California arbitration is binding on the them but not on the consumer, I have the forms ready just waiting for their decision. I have owned LS models dating back to 1992 and have been happy with Lexus. I love the LS460, but want one without the wind noise.

I too was subjected to the spin control the factory is dishing out on how this is not really a defect and we just notice it because the car so quiet. Frankly I am surprised at the cavalier corporate arrogance from a company like Lexus - they were the example of the opposite. Perhaps they are taking this position to avoid wider repair costs or a recall. I am surprised the press has not picked up on this story (I have not read anything).

The dealer did a clean repair job that somewhat mitigated the wind noise. But it is there - and it was not on my LS430, LS400 or GS400.

 

Just wondering: would one of you please explain the arbitration
procedure in detail? (I’m not involved; just curious.)

Where do you get the form?
Does the dealer HAVE to agree to arbitration?
Are both the manufacturer and dealer involved?
Any lawyers involved?
Who - and how many - are on the arbitration panel?
Is arbitration state-by-state or is it a national thing?

It’s very interesting. But, sad that owners have to go through this.

Doubtless, the reason Lexus “appears” to be dragging its feet on this
wind fix - and an overall recall - is to keep it suppressed as much as
possible to prevent a big deflation of their reliability reputation. This
is unfortunate. But, it’s THEIR problem; not the customers.

Toyota is an outstanding company. It has deservedly earned an excellent
reputation. But Lexus and Mercedes Benz buyers pay thousands of dollars
for a premium car. The FIRST attribute of a premium car is “quietness.”

Big Jimm

 

Some answers from experience, but I am not an expert on this.

It varies by State & by manufacturer

See here for California: http://www.dca.ca.gov/acp/arbprocess.htm

Toyota voluntarily participates in the above. You call the number on the web site, and they send the forms. The decision is binding on Toyota but not on the consumer. If unfavourable and you still want to pursue it, you can still go to court.

Arbitration is cheaper and faster, and you can learn where you stand. It is always preferable to try to work it out with the manufacturer first.

 

Ok, here is my story. I never though I'd be posting in this thread, but oh well...
I have LS 460L that was delivered on Dec 16, 2006. It currently has 6K miles. Up until recently, I have not experienced any wind noise what so ever so I figured my car must of been done on Wednesday . Recently, I started hearing a slight wind noise and have also started having random transmission problems. I took it to the dealer last Tuesday and the Service Manager had informed me that there are 2 TSIB's for the wind noise on the 460L. 1 - was mirror fix and 2 - replace/repackage door seals. He told me he would be happy to take care of that for me in 2 days. Anyway, to make the long story short, I picked up the car last night at 5:00 p.m. It took them over 1 week to fix it, or shall I say "Screw it UP BIG TIME". The little wind noise that I was hearing before turned into a Wind-Tunnel noise. The car is unbearable to drive now. I took it back to the dealer this morning and SM was speechless. He test drove the car with me and agreed that there is a wind noise problem. What's funny about this fix is that now if I lower the window a bit, noise gets better. It's not completely gone, but better. I know some of you have had this in the past before or w/out the fix done. So, now I'm in the same boat as Mallory and others that are very frustrated and can not enjoy this expensive NOT trouble free car.
Thanks for reading.

P.S. Lexus Field Tech is coming tomorrow to look at it.

 

sorry to hear that dimapb. i hoe the field tech can find the problem and help you completely fix the car. it's really sad when dealership tech can't fix a problem but instead make it worse....

 

Oh, man, what a nightmare. Definitely do not want to make things worse.

Hope they can fix it and actually improve.

 

Went to my dealer today to get the wind noise fix for the SWB. They are going to ask Lexus corporate to release the parts. Apparently, this fix is considered an 'upgrade' by Lexus and dealers need to get approval from corporate to apply the fix. They said the parts should be in sometime next week.

 

Unbelievable, what Spin! The wind fix is an "upgrade"...give me a break! Well I certainly hope they apply that upgrade to all the cars on the assembly line.

 

The TSB was 34 pages long. As I read through it, I just figured that they would never get it back together again the way it was. I decided that the slight noise I was having wasn't enough to bother with until folks were reporting more assured successes for the effort. The problem is defining what is acceptable wind noise. We were spoiled by the 430's, but the 460 is pretty quiet--we can talk in a normal level voice at 70 mph, and with the radio, I really do not notice the wind. So I decided to forgo it. I did have them adjust the rear deck panel which was a visable 3 mm out of alignment. It took 10 minutes and now, I have only one inquiry left on the new car punch list, which is a noise that is heard in the front end as I go over wide speed bumps. It occurs just as I am cresting the bump and starting down the other side. The service manager and the shop forman were both accomidating and rode with me while I demonstrated it-- again one of those things that is borderline. They are going to drive a few more vehicles over the same bumps and if they do not have the same sound, they will investigate mine further. This occurs only under those circumstances, and the car is under warranty, so we will see how we are doing in another 5K miles or so. Right now, I am satisfied that the 460 even with all of its web traffic this first year is still ahead of the rest of the pack. Most people do not post unless they have an issue, so we are probably a small group for the most part.

 

woppenhe, where do you get your car serviced? i think these info are beneficial to members

 

I bought the car in Santa Monica largely because of the service that I had received on my LS430, as well as their location. Although at times I have had some difficulty communicating, but in the end I have always been satisfied. This particular dealer has recently relocated their new car showroom physically apart from thier service receiving area, and the actual shop is located yet away from the service entry point. It is a logistical challenge, to be polite, but it will be over in a few months when their new consolidated service area is opened along with an expanded parts facility. Life will get much easier for customers and staff at that point, and for customers, they have done what they can to minimze the inherent delays. At least they recognize the challenges and are moving to streamline their bottlenecks. Thier new car facility is worth seeing just for the ambience. I believe that I received a reasonable deal (I had told them several months earlier what I was willing to pay, and when the vehicles came down to that level we did the deal). Their new building is a restoration of older building in Santa Monica, and could double as a event hall complete with piano, fireplaces, valet parking, etc. Not to mention room for perhaps a dozen new cars. Hopefully their new service area will maintain the same ambience. Their capital investment must be large, but they seem to be doing a ton of business. I think largely because of their service reputation, and their sales people who seem to understand their customers. The coffee and cookies don't hurt. Many of the service personnel know me and my vehicles by name, and that goes a long way as well. There is mutual respect for what we all do to keep our vehicles in tip top shape. The other day, when I was there for a routine service, I noticed that my daughter had dropped a little makeup on the front seat. One of the service writers went to the parts department, obtained a small bottle of upholstry cleaner, and cleaned it for me so I could relax while they checked out the car. I think it must be a difficult job to deal with owners who are complaining about something or other virtually all day long, but they seem to rise to the occasion.

 

Actually got an email today that the 'upgrade' has been approved and parts should come in sometime next week. They are also doing the aux port filter and the transmission software upgrade at the same time. BTW, they fixed the glove box perfect as well as disable the seatbelt chime. Now, I'm happy.