You are going to insult my grammer now? oh good one. everyone one make sure to not mispell anything, doug well get ofended. man, what a let down, i was just trying to help. your car might not be normal, but when i originally posted it was to offer some help. Not to give you a hard time. but to ask why doesnt it happen to all lex cars? different models do have different motors? hello? or did you think a lexus is a lexus is a lexus??? eitrher way i dont even care about your situation anymore. Spell check that!

 

Relax elcassico, I'm not insulting your grammar. Always remember, "There is none who cannot teach somebody something, and there is none so excellent that he cannot be excelled". I do appreciate you trying to help - but posting "I think it is normal" really doesn't do much for my issue. Then to point out that Lexus dealers love people like me, um, I'm just not sure that's really helping. But thank you anyway.

and bit, I've thought about my response to you a little more. The fact is that there were four things about my Lexus that I could not stand when I got it. The steering, the suspension noise, the sunroof noise, and the engine tick.

Slowly, I've gotten each of these fixed (some with help of other board members) and I've posted my comments on how I fixed them to help other members who have had the same problems. Now I've got one last issue and I was looking to the board for help. That's all.

Doug

And to be honest, I do like a lot about this car.

 

Doug- If you are not happy, take it up with Lexus customer service...they will try to take care of it. If you can live with it, make sure you save all documentation for the problem just in case something happens down the road. BTW, how many miles on the GS?? It could be the engine breaking in and may go away. I do notice a tick from mine but it's very minimal.

 

Car now has about 6,400 miles on it.

Important to remember, it was driven by one of the dealer staff for its first 700 miles and I'm sure they were oh so gentile

Ticking is far worse when
1. Car is cold (noticeable)
2. Temp is below 50 (unbearable)

Once warmed up, it is there, but not terrible. Still in the other 2003 GS430 I drove, there was no sound whatsoever.

My thought is to wait until Fall again and bring it back - to another dealer.

 

Downgrade my butt. The 5 series ain't all that. Both cars are equals IMO. Just sell the car and get the new 545.

 

as the future supermod you should know better than to try and turn this into a GS vs 5-series thread.

 

Any ClubLexus time, any Clublexus place

I really wished your car would act right. Not sure if you have unreasonably high expectations or maybe u got a rare bad GS.

Hell, my car has ticked from time to time but it was no biggie. It's not like the car ticks and it would not start or the light would not work. It sounds like (no pun intended) it is for a functional purpose.

 

It was represented as a sports sedan, and since it will easily run with a 540i automatic, the earlier Mercedes E430, and beat an Audi A6 4.2, it's definitely in the same league or ballpark to use your term. The 540i offers a sport package which is a nice upgrade, and Lexus only weakly promoted their L-Tuned option which makes the car a considerably better handler. Of course there are other Toyota made (but not Lexus sanctioned) mods that made my GS able to run circles around my neighbor's 540i with sport package.

Then of course there's factors like the AWFUL stereo and UNUSABLE CD based nav system on the 5 series. And then there's the fact that they are clearly less reliable, particularly after the warranty period is up. 3 people I know with 540is have had significant problems requiring many many visits to the dealers. Then there's the dealers... hard to find a more condescending and pompous lot.

But Doug, I really am sorry to hear you're having troubles with your GS. If the dealer concurs that another GS does not do the same thing, I'd get on their case. Maybe it's the gas you use?

 

Here is how you can fix this.

The noise can come from two different places one is injectors, shevron fuel system cleaner
should help you should see any change (if there will be any) in about 2 treatments.

The other place are hydraulic lifters you can try to clean them with motor flush,
(probably not going to help you, you car has low miles) it might be that some of them are
defected and they can be replaced. You should not have any tapping noise from your engine,
its not normal.

Leo

 

Thanks Leo
They actually tried the cleaner and it didn't make any difference. The noise sounds like bad gas (which of course is what they accused me of). It is more of an engine knock. I think I agree with you that it is a bad injector as it only comes from one side of the motor.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Doug

 

Hmmm, I recently started getting the same KNOCKING noise from my engine.

Only difference is.... Mine doesn't knock at all when the car is cold or if it's cold out.

During the day when it's HOT out I get a BAD knocking sound from my engine during acceleration.
Lasts for about 2 seconds. Within those 2 seconds I'd say I'm hearing a VERY fast combination of about 50 ticks/knocks...
Again it's VERY quick and only during acceleration from a dead stop. (I'm assuming it's because of the large load on the engine to get it up and running from a dead stop)

Once I'm going it's fine.

One other thing.. I put 100 octane race fuel in my car the other day and NO Knocking noise at all.

After running through the tank of 100 octane and going back to 91 octane my car is knocking again. I've tried all kinds of gas and it still knocks on all of them including Chevron with Techron.

My buddy is going to bring my car into his shop this weekend and give it a throttle body flush/fuel system cleanout.
Also installing new spark plugs.

Hopefully this will help or get rid of the knocking but I'm not going to hold my breath just yet.....

 

we've got 2 1999 gs400 and it is almost always below 50 degrees here in seatlle when we leave for work in the am-------no ticking here good luck doug, i think it would make me mad too.

 

If it's a bad injector get the old stehoscope aka screwdriver out and place it on each injector and you'll quickly hear which one is bad.

 

Doug, by the way, the period goes before the end of the quotations.

 

Doug,
I have read all this.. And I understand your frustrations - it would make me mad too if my car was sounding funny and the dealer says it stock.. I used to have a Corvette and Trans am 6-spd made this rattling sound from the Trans. and the dealer would say it "Normal" while other friends cars -some did it and some were quiet (nil) not one sound..
Have you ever thought that all cars are made unequally - even for lexus. Have you noticed some cars are just quicker than others <same engines modds and eveything> Some cars rattle, tick, vibrate more -some silent. My buddy's Trans am same year as mine made this whining sound from his rear end and while mine was silent..

I'm not taking sides - but have you thought maybe that you just happen to get a car that is a little off.
It happens to all brands even BMW and Mercedes.. But Don't come in here and insult people and infact down your own car.. If you can't fix it or can't live with the sound - Trade for another one or another brand..

I had mine since it was 3 miles old. And have no sounds at all.. though my idle is alittle low sometimes.. No car is absloutely perfect. Even the best ones have some minor issues..

Peace....

QWK