garyr

This is the TSIB that was issued last August in reference to the wind noise, you can see the reference to the body plugs. http://www.lambros.net/tsib/2007LS/L-NV010-07.pdf

I was told they are working on an update to this soon.

garyr

Mike...no problem personally It's just driving me nutz having this problem and people chime in and say, well it may be all in your mind because everyone is not experiencing it and statements to that fact.

Personally I learn from some of your posts....

Glad you have the time to be so involed on this board.

topgun04

As a potential owner for an LS460, I read this topic with interest since this seems to be the only issue regarding LS. I think it is important for the owner who has this problem to share his/her experience so everyone know the problem. However for someone who don't have the car and try to make a big issue about what if and what should Lexus do is a big waste of my and everyone's time. It is like politics, everyone has an opinions. But you are forcing everyone to go over all your useless posts to find nugget of useful information buried in all the useless post. And those are posts that can help us decide if the problem is real or not and whether it is severe enough for my purchase decision. Have a little bit consideration for your forum-mate. If you don't like Lexus and think that they should do something, write them a letter, boycott them, write to TV station/newpaper/may be 20/20. But keep posting on this thread is not going to do a thing.. It is waste of your time and everyone else. If you feel so strongly about a problem that you don't have , then do something about it. Don't be a coward and just sit here posting and waste everyone's time.

onepointon

I think this thread should be more geared towards potential fixes and experiences with the issues.

Some cars have it, some do not. Its hard to read a forum about wind noise, then separate normal turbulence, with abnormal wind noise. Some people read things like this on the internet, then focus on hearing a wind noise, and confuse it with normal turbulence. If you have the noise, it will sound as if the door is not completely sealed. If you do not have a sensation of this, try sitting in your passenger or rear seats and compare.

I completed a LS460L the other day, and I was very pleased with the way it turned out after the TSIB.

Like I said before, its hard to tell abnormal wind noise due to the ambient cabin noise being so low on the LS. Its even harder to tell when you have never compared to a verified 'problem' LS with one that may not have a noise. I wish I could test drive with some of you guys and talk to you one on one. I know after doing this with some customers, they leave here okay with the 'issue'. I also wish I could capture a before/after sound clip of a noise, but I dont think it would show up in a sample.

ES350Bob

Well, from one potential LS460 (swb) owner to another if I were you I'd do as prior suggested on here.


Don't let concern over wind noise deter you, simply get the car the car up to highway speed on a test drive and rule it out, radio on lower setting AC fan on lower setting during the drive, if not present, proceed, if present make your decision accordingly.

That is exactly what I intend to do, as a result of the amazing dealer I would deal with due to their kindness in the past, particularly their service department, I would not be concerned about buying one having ruled out wind noise on a test drive.

I also agree with onepoint, this thread should be geared toward fixes whether from DIY, dealer effort, Lexus effort plus aforementioned other, and ACTUAL experience with excessive wind noise.

rjm

That's really a great idea, but as others have pointed out, the wind noise does not always show up right away. It is dependent on vehicle speed, wind speed, degree of crosswind, wind gusts, and other factors. From what others have posted it primarily depends on the direction and intensity of windflow over the hood and rearview mirrors and the sensitivity of the individual driver. It also seems to be related to the seal on the side windows and other factors. I have test-driven the LS460 3 times now at speed up to 90 MPH and could not detect any noticeable objectionable wind noise in any of them. But that doesn't mean the problem didn't exist in those cars. I suspect it is a design problem in the car and until Lexus aggressively addresses it, it is a cause of concern for me in the current design.

jlawr

I test drove my SWB before I signed papers, and found no wind noise at all. I only have 6,600 miles on it now, but even at 130mph, I can't hear any wind noise at all.

I would guess, if you test the actual car you are considering purchasing at 70 to 80mph, and there's no wind noise, I'd think you'd be wise to purchase it.

ES350Bob

Call me a risk taker but honestly if I get it up to 90 as you have done and it isn't there or isn't to a degree that I would object to, I'd have gone for it if I were you...LOL.

I am between a rock and a hard place on next car, I am VERY intrigued with new Genesis V8 coming out, too much so for my own good as it will be a new release as were my 2 ES350 and have my eye on LS (swb), 09 not 08. No matter what manufacturer though, the car will be up to highway speed on test drives and 6 months worth of owners reporting on appropriate forum to get the scoop on the vehicle. That's if I'm patient and can wait to see what others are saying before buying

onepointon

I have to kindly disagree with you. I believe (this is just me speaking now), the noise is either present, or its not. Most of our wind noise complaints are on low mileage vehicles, or from new owners of used vehicles.

Any vehicle is going to generate wind noise in a cross wind condition on the highway, there is simply no way around that. The mirrors seem to give off some turbulence, and as I stated, my dealership is placing 3M material over the puddle lamps on the bottom side.

There is a VIN break for updated parts implimented in production, which is problem contributing to some cars having it, and some not. The noisey cars are (read) more than likely earlier production vehicles. The foam, glass, and ect are already installed in the vehicles, which would make the noise, in my opinion, either present, or not.

Just my opinion though, take it with a grain of salt.

rjm

So, are you telling me, if I go out and test drive a new LS460 up to 70 MPH or so, and I don't detect any wind noise, I am guaranteed to not ever have the problem in the future? That just doesn't agree with the experiences of some of those complaining of the problem.


So, why then, are many new owners of late production '08 cars complaining of this same wind noise? Are these guys imagining it? Not trying to be argumentive at all, just looking for some clarification.

onepointon

I believe some 2008 vehicles were affected by the TSIB, although I need to double check to verify that statement.

My first statement was a generalized one. I believe, that you SHOULD not have a problem, but for liability's sake, I, nor any dealer, would be able to promise this.

The wind noise has contributing factors other than the vehicle, such as weather / ambient temp. , wind direction, vehicle speed, ect.

encore888

Thank you onepointon for your firsthand accounts of the wind noise fix. So most buyers who have the issue complain early on, this is like the first group of owners who had the problem and started this thread--most of whom have moved on after having it resolved, in one manner or another. There are some who have posted of it appearing later on--I suspect that the initial 'is it a problem or not' confusion may have contributed to a delayed conclusion.

garyr

Just to clarify, the wind noise is most present at 35mph-45mph. Any faster you just hear wind rushing by. It is right near the mirror area on the drivers and passenger doors. It happens from mile one, you just don't notice it because it happens intermittently, a lot more on a slightly windy day.

I can get mine to do it now any time, if anyone would like to hear it. It's like someone put a compressed air gun out side the window one inch away and squeezed the trigger. It will actually squeal and whistle at times. Please don't anyone be fooled by the quit ambient noise thing, it does not apply and just moronic response. If i were a politician or a billion dollar car company it makes a great spin, than lemmings start repeating it. A air noise whistle is a whistle from a poor seal.

After the fix it was 75% better. 3-4 months later after the fix it's back to the way it was. Now from stuffing the window gaskets with foam my window squeals while rolling up. Just had the 15k done and the dealers answer was spray silicone on the rubber gasket to stop it.

I try and ignore this thread now and ignore the problem or it will drive me to buy another car. Still patiently waiting for the new, new fix....nothing is perfect.....I guess.

Johnny

I suggest getting a hold of a dB meter and taking before and after readings in various locations like the driver's head, the window near the top sealing edge, near the mirror, and at various speeds. With data like this, you would have more than enough evidence to demonstrate to skeptics in here and elsewhere the results of the fix. And... if time and conditions permit, readings could be taken of other competing vehicles. I've had this fix performed on my car, and it worked for me - not perfectly mind you, but my experience indeed had some over-sensitization playing a part in this. I recognized this phenomenon, and wrote it off to the point where I now largely ignore it. Having driven other new high-end vehicles since has made me realize how quiet the LS really is.

Mike_TX

Yeah, oddly one of my car mags has an article this issue about how cars are getting so quiet that mfr's are getting lots more complaints about noises of all kinds, since they aren't obscured by other sounds like before. Lexus isn't specifically mentioned, but the phenomenon is real.

But the kind of noise Gary describes above is indeed "true" wind noise in my book, and that would be a pain in the *** for any owner.

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