jskennedy

i haven't caulked mine as the felt is still working

i wouldn't think the caulk would come lose as long as you clean the surfaces well prior to application

rubbing alcohol should do the trick

DNC

Everton,

I don't think, nor would I care, if my dealer was getting "tired of me". You are the one who wrote the check for your car, the dealership did not give you your RX. I also would think Lexus wants to know about these kinds of problems.
You should not be taping and caulking a new vehicle together, much less one that cost$50,000+. If they cannot fix the problem I would want another RX. I would be looking at my state's lemon laws after giving them plenty of time to fix my car.
The problem you describe is why most of use defected from the Mercedes camp in the first place. Lexus came on the scene with a promise of quality and unmatched service. Give them the chance to do their job. If that doesn't work go to the next step, but don't give into living with a defective vehicle.

everton

Thanks to both jskennedy and DNC for your replies. In fairness to the dealership, they have been trying to solve the problem. I'll give them a bit more time to sort this out. I called them again today, and they scheduled it for Apr. 22. I'll post an update after that. In the meantime, if there're any other suggestions, I'd appreciate them. Thanks.

krypttic

iTrader: (1)

The felt stickers on the ribs (and many other places along the frame) eliminated about 80% of the noise for me. I tried double-sided tape in a few spots to get rid of the rest, but this causes the plastic to not sit close enough to the metal and I get wind noise.

Sigh... It appears there's no way to get this perfect.

everton

krypttic...Thanks for your reply. It's sad to hear that there's no perfect solution. I don't know how loud the wind noise is, but I'd probably take it rather than this maddening clicking noise. In any case, I believe that this problem must exist in every new RX because it's a design problem. Those of us who complain about it must be cursed by our good hearing.

krypttic

iTrader: (1)

Everton: Did you have any luck with your recent service visit to resolve the noise? You said you were going back on 4/22 to try again.

Also, did they give you any flack for putting felt tape on by yourself? I'm sure if I complain about the noise, that's the first thing they'll suggest is the cause.

everton

krypttic...I was re-scheduled for Apr. 29. So, last week I went there. I told them that the noise was still there, although not as loud as before. Obviously, they couldn't hear anything. Still, they put more felts on it. So far, it seems that the noise is further damped. But it's still there. You just need a right road surface for it to re-appear.

In any case, there are two other noises that now exist - one from the steering column and the other from the centre console (dashboard). Last week, they tried to solve the steering-column noise by (you guess it) applying felts to the area, but it didn't work. I told them that this problem doesn't appear to be something that felts can solve.

As for the centre-console noise, I unfortunately could not reproduce it when I was there. I'm starting to think that it's related to temperature. When the car is cold, I can hear the noise. But once the car is exposed to the sun, the noise becomes fainter. Maybe the problem is caused by an expansion and contraction of something in that area.

makalan

I had the same issue in my IS 250, I hear rattle from seatbelt adjuster, the rattle will stop once I apply a force to the door (push it outward). I had try remove all those part on the side and even a seatbelt and still doesn't help. At the end, dealer found out it is the locking mechanism, the latches is tapping on the lock ring to make up the rattle. So long, the dealer apply a foam on the latches, and myself put some clear tape around the ring and the rattle has gone away since.

Secondly, the noise around the center, guess what, I have some similar experience, I hear some noise when I make a fast turn or something, sound like something is sliding inside and hit a wall, but it was an easy fix for me, end up was my sunglasses left in the overhead compartment, the glasses slide and hit the side, and the sound transfer to the center console. dont ask me how ....

ziggy1

Diring the winter, I would hear a "snap" like sound that would occur after driving a bit and the car (interior?) was warming up. But the sound would not persist after it warmed up and I don't hear the noise now that the warmer temperatures are here.

umpalumpa

i feel like i want to chime in on this seatbelt clicking issue, not that i've found a fix - except for maybe applying pressure to the panel under the area. its happened on the last 3 lexus ive owned, and its been annoying at times but ive never done anything about it. perhaps now i will.

Keith0962

I have a 2008 RX350 and also have a metallic clicking noise coming from the driver's side seat belt height adjuster. Sounds like there are some small metal parts clicking into each other, typically at speeds under 55 in city driving. Drives me crazy. Any help?

Update: After 3 unsuccessful tries by the local dealer, each time telling me they had it fixed when it really wasn't, they finally replaced the driver's side window track and door seal. Quiet as a mouse now. Stay persistent and the dealer will eventually figure it out!

everton

Is the noise fiant or loud? If it's faint, it may be caused by the plastic shroud rubbing against the door frame.

tapau

What if instead of felt you could try some sticky foam, like the ones they sell at home depot to keep the draft out of a window? Maybe that will work.

UCSB

Here is a suggestion for the clicking/rattling sound that appears to be coming from the doors or seat belt units. I noticed an intermittent rattle/clicking. It was really hard to isolate, even with my daughter in the car to help track in down. I put black electrical tape on the U shaped part where the door is held shut. This is the part where the door attaches to the car when it closes. I did all four doors. Just be careful that whatever you do does not affect your doors ability to close and stay secure. It seems to have added a whole new level of quiet to the car and stopped the rattle/clicking. I am now thinking about what material I can use that will be more durable than electrical tape. My theory is that the doors are large enough that they might flex or move when the car hits bumps in the road.

MX5NES350

The latches in the doors have a failry sharp edge so I dount anything will hold up very well to repeated opening and closing. This trick worked on my Miata since (being a convertible) flexes a lot and the doors can have a tendency you rattle around.