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2015 GS350 Vibration Gremlin (And some other things)!!! Need some advice!

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Old Yesterday | 07:23 PM
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PNW4GS
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Default 2015 GS350 Vibration Gremlin (And some other things)!!! Need some advice!

Hello everyone! Brand new Lexus owner, so obviously new to the forum as well. Been lurking for a while on various subjects as well as looking for answers for my particular problem. But, I thought I'd make my own post to describe the exact issues I'm experiencing! As well as explain some other minor things I've noticed that may or may not be a normal thing for these vehicles.

So, I just purchased a 2015 GS350 F-Sport AWD with 60k. I absolutely love the car except for this one thing lol.
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The car has been meticulously maintained, Carfax had every single maintenance performed and it was obviously loved by the previous owners. Unfortunately it did have two minor damage reports on the Carfax. One from 2018 and one from this year. Both of the reports are for minor cosmetic damage. One to the rear, the other was undisclosed .The cars front end was PPF wrapped in 2017 (found the receipts) and all the wrap is still intact and unblemished. Which leads me to believe no damage was done to the front of the car whatsoever. My guess is very minor blemishes or scratches. Possibly a minor fender bender on the rear end. But even then it still has the OEM Lexus bumper PPF wrap on the lip of the rear bumper, so again I'd assume the bumper is still OEM and no major collision damage was fixed. Previous owner was an older gentleman who obviously took time to love and protect the car. Thing is in tip top shape. Even the leather was conditioned and taken care of. Looks BRAND new.

I went over it with a fine tooth comb and found nothing out of the ordinary . I got under it after purchase and found nothing to note as well. Checked the shocks as I know they like to go out these cars, no oil on the shock bodies, no fluids leaks from the engine or transmission, CV axle and rear axles healthy with no oil residue nor torn boots.

​​​​​Now, the reason I bring all the history up is because I recently discovered a random shake that did not show up on the test drive, albeit I test drove it in peak rush hour so I couldn't get it to 70+ mph but I did drive it pretty damn hard where I could.
​​​With the damage reports, I feel it's worth while to mention as I know to issues that can arise if a car is not repaired correctly, and Carfax can obviously be wrong, but in this case I highly doubt it.

The shake happens in two ways. First is a VERY mild shake at higher speeds. Can mostly feel it at 70+ but it does show itself occasionally at lower speeds at random. One morning I was going 30mph down a hill and felt a wobble that quickly went away after a few turns.

Second, is a brake wobble. Again at higher speeds, if you press the brake on the highway it has a faint shake, which gets more pronounced the harder you press. I can feel it in the steering wheel, throughout the entire body/floor boards/seat and the pedal. But, since the entire car shakes, the pedal feel may just be from the rest of the car shaking.

This obviously has me concerned. My first though and the most probable, it a combination of a bad balance and/or a warped rotor. This would also be the cheapest to fix so I'm hoping it's the culprit.
But I also know that since this is AWD the CV axle can cause some vibrations as well.

I don't feel the shake getting worse under acceleration, and both the brake shake and high speed shake is still present with the car in neutral. I've checked to see if there is any abnormal heat coming off a single rotor, in case it's a sticking caliper, and have noticed nothing.

Today, I tried to "re-bed" the brakes as a last ditch effort before digging into it. No noticeable improvement.

Tires are Michelin MXM4's purchased in 2020 with about 7/32nd left on them. Both front and rear pads are at or above their half life. I did notice the passenger rotor has some grooving, which can be an indicator of uneven pad wear.

Another thing to note, which may just be a "me" thing, is that when I drive the car harder, I feel that the issues show themselves more. But, obviously driving the car harder means driving faster and braking harder. But I do feel like after I finish having some fun, the issues become more prevalent and stay that way until some time passes. But, again that may just be me hyper focusing on the issue since I'm more "in tune" with the car at that point and not just mindlessly driving around on autopilot. So, that may not be something of importance and could be purely subjective.

My previous car was a 2014 Scion TC with 72k, purchased it with 9k miles and had it for 8 years. Road noise galore, noisy interior, cheaply made, etc. Just a basic daily driver, which I became extremely accustomed to. So, getting into a car like this was QUITE the change. Which I feel it makes these issues I'm experiencing more noticeable as everything about this car is SOOOO different than what I had. So, when I "feel" something a bit off, it really bugs me as I feel it becomes very VERY noticeable.

Now, onto the other little random observations.

I will say I feel the suspension on this car is fairly stiff, which I was expecting due to it being the F sport. But it seems l like I can feel every little bump and crack in the road, even with AVS off. Something I didn't experience with the TC. Not to say this is an issue, just more so a further explanation of how the ride of this car almost makes other "normal" things feel amplified due to its nature. It's so damn quiet and smooth in every way that it almost feels jarring at times. Not sure if that is something anyone can relate to, just something I thought I'd note.

Another thing I've noticed is the transmission. It feels a tiny bit... Clunky? When I'm on and off the gas, i feel like I notice the SLIGHTEST bit of shudder when it engages. Something I've had other people try and feel while driving to no avail. So, again it may just be me over examining the car. It shifts smooth, doesn't make any abnormal noises, and seems to perform fine. It's just the initial engagement that feels a bit noticable, whether that's normal or not, I have no clue. Which, may just come down to me driving a 180hp FWD fart box for 8 years and getting so used to how that specific car drove.

Lastly, I noticed at full lock while turning at low speeds, I feel some roughness in the front of the car. No clicks or clunks. Just... feels a bit rough around the edges? Hard to explain really. The last AWD car I owned was a 2005 Impreza about 12 years ago. So, this could just be me not being used to have all 4 wheels being powered and the front wheels are grabbing the road a bit more aggressively due to power also pushing from the rear. I know these cars are mostly rear bias, so it would make sense. But, it's still something I noticed and thought I'd ask for input on.

​​​​​I know this post is a big one, so if you read it all. You're a saint lol. Advice on any of these particular issues would be greatly appreciated. The main concern being the vibration obviously.
I appreciate you guys! This forum has already proved useful beyond belief in the short time I've owned this car for useful info!
I will end this by saying I am the type of person that notices all the small things, something all my friends give me **** for. I like my belongings to perform the way they are intended to, or even better. So, many of these issues may be just be me nitpicking, but again I'm not familiar with this car and do not yet know what is considered the standard. So, apologies in advanced if this seems very nitpicky.

Thank you all for reading this book of information. Excited to have some conversations and hopefully deduce what is going on and get some clarity on this car.
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Old Yesterday | 10:14 PM
  #2  
Lanson's Avatar
Lanson
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Joined: Jul 2009
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From: Missouri
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Many, many things are floating in my head but the most pressing one I can think of to bring up is to look at your Lower Control Arm bracket/bushings. I had weird little extra sensations and sure enough, those needed replacement, and I went with and recommend GSF replacements. Could be more stuff, need to think on it.
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