nivla

Hi Everyone,

I purchased a CPO 2010 RX 350 last week and absolutely love this vehicle. I do have a couple of issue that I’m returning it to the dealer service dept for tomorrow and thought it would be great to hear input before it’s taken back.

The RX emits a loud ‘hollow’ sound when accelerating. I’m not sure if the sound is coming from the engine or directly underneath the vehicle. I owned a 2006 Ford Explorer Limited prior to purchasing this car and the Ford was quieter on acceleration than the RX. The sound is not as bad once we reach cruising speed.

There is also a fair amount of cabin noise when driving that I had not expected with this vehicle. I have a 2010 ES and didn’t expect the ride on the RX to be 100% identical but definitely not as loud as it is.

The RX 350 has 30K miles and shows no reported accidents or incidents on the Carfax.

Thanks for helping.

MX5NES350

Hi. Since the redesign in 2010 more noise has been a constant complaint. Now my new 2012 engine is actually quieter than my 07 ES so I am pretty pleased. It seems they have been able to solve the diesel engine sound when cold. As far as cabin noise I find it to be on par if not quieter than the ES. Road noise has been reduced fairly well - I test drove a few 2010 CPO's and the 2012's are quieter. I would still take it back to the dealer and see what they can do (insulation or something of the sort)

JellyBean

Your symptoms appear similar to this recently updated thread. Good luck.

UCSB

Sometimes increased noise is just and indication that your tires are getting a little old. With 30k on the car, I would look at this first. Are your tires original? What brand / model? One other thing that I have noticed is some road surfaces are just noisier than others. The roads around my town are pretty good. But, once a month I will take a short trip to shop at some factory outlets. There is some freeway on this trip that is much louder than my normal roads.

nivla

Hi Everyone, thanks for the replies and sorry for the late response.

The tires on my RX are Bridgestone Dueler H/L 400. I took it to Tire Kingdom to have them examine the tires and was told the tires are very worn and that they are dry-rotted. I was also told that I have about 5K - 7K miles before they will need to be replaced. I took delivery of this RX last week and would appreciate any help on how to handle this with the dealership. Thanks again for the help.

MX5NES350

I would talk to your sales rep and the service advisor. If they truly are in that bad of condition the vehicle should not have passed inspection much less been delivered to you. Ask for the service tech's report on tread depth prior to delivery. All aspects should have been gone over. My local dealership throws a new set of tires on almost every trade-in they get. Granted, maybe not the highest quality tires but at least they are new.

MichaelPea

Wow. I'm surprised the vehicle could be certified as CPO with tires that badly worn. Perhaps that's the discussion you should have with the dealer.

nivla

Yes, so am I. Just hope I'm not too late to have them replace it. One other shop said they don't expect that I will get more than 3K on the installed tires. Will update when I have a conversation with the service manager this week.

kwbuggy

Maybe you got the RX that Marty E (also a Florida resident) traded in for his Town & Country! See the post referred to in #3 above for the lack of support he got from Lexus in resolving this noise issue.

The G Man

nivla, was the tire thread below 5/32" , thats the minimum tire thread depth during the CPO process. Even if its a bit more, I would still complain to the dealer about the dry rot and try to have them replace the tires or at least pay part of the cost. If you get no satifaction from the dealer, I would call up Lexus USA and complain about the dealer's CPO process and the condition of the tires.

Good Luck

nivla

Sharing a quick update. The dealership rechecked and says the tired are a bit worn but are in spec to be sold as CPO. After some negotiating, they agreed to 50% off the next set I purchase,whether they are Bridgestone or Michelin. Hope this helps the hollow sound issue when I decide to change the current tires out. Thanks for all the help.

CapeDave

FYI, on various cars I have had, tires do make a HUGE difference in quietness.

nivla

When you say tires make a difference, would that be a new set of the same tires I have (Bridgestone Dueler H/L 400s) or a different brand/make of tires (ie, Michelin)?

CapeDave

I have usually gone to a different brand. Researched on Tirerack as best I could. On my X3 which is what I currently have, I went from Pirelli Scorpions to Michelin Primacy.

On my previous Honda Accord, I went from their stock crap to Bridgestone Turanza. the car was practically silent after that

But new tires of the same type also make a difference. How much is anyone's guess.

kwbuggy

I wouldn't mind knowing which Florida dealership you bought the car from, since I spend at least a month in Florida each winter and am trying to find a good one. No one seems to answer my question which I have posted in several threads on Club Lexus and Lexus Club forums. Does this mean that no one is happy with Lexus dealer service in Florida?