RX450h - annoying noise

[CVLex]

As a new RX450h owner, (2015 F-sport gen3) I'm still getting used to the car but even after just a couple of weeks, really enjoying the drive and the indicated 36.1mpg... and I've only covered about 250 miles to date..

Just one minor niggle being a fairly dull knocking/pinging noise. I did originally think it was coming from the rear NS seat area but having tried to listen closely over a few miles, it could be anywhere between there and the NSF (passenger) door area. Only get it at about 33mph and above and I can only describe as something like you might hear by knocking a wooden table top lightly with a single finger knuckle. Fairly random in frequency but generally continuous at the 35mph and above. Its not excessively loud and a radio volume around 12 on the Mark Levinson system masks it.

Just wondering if any one has experienced anything similar before ?

Thanks in advance all.

 

Carl.

[Spottedlaurel]

Welcome to RX ownership. 36+ MPG is a pretty good start.

Noises are difficult to track down, that one isn't something I can recall hearing in mine. Did you buy it from a dealer? Could be worth taking it back and seeking their assistance if so.

Is there any debris trapped underneath? With the recent storms there's a lot of rubbish on the roads.

I would say that the back end of the RX450 isn't as tight and quiet as it could be. Mine certainly isn't it, I had to put some felt pads around the tailgate latch to stop squeaking there and the rear seats don't seem to be particularly rigid.

Good luck in getting it sorted and keep us posted on the outcome.

[olliesgrandad]

11 hours ago, CVLex said:

As a new RX450h owner, (2015 F-sport gen3) I'm still getting used to the car but even after just a couple of weeks, really enjoying the drive and the indicated 36.1mpg... and I've only covered about 250 miles to date..

Just one minor niggle being a fairly dull knocking/pinging noise. I did originally think it was coming from the rear NS seat area but having tried to listen closely over a few miles, it could be anywhere between there and the NSF (passenger) door area. Only get it at about 33mph and above and I can only describe as something like you might hear by knocking a wooden table top lightly with a single finger knuckle. Fairly random in frequency but generally continuous at the 35mph and above. Its not excessively loud and a radio volume around 12 on the Mark Levinson system masks it.

Just wondering if any one has experienced anything similar before ?

Thanks in advance all.

 

Carl.

Try moving the rear seats into a different position on the forward to rearward adjustment. Seem to recollect that being mentioned on the forum previously. 

Oh and another issue which has been mentioned recently on the NX forum is the rear number plate causing a knocking noise at certain speeds. The member concerned had stripped out the interior trim before someone suggested that simple remedy. 

[CVLex]

Nigel, Les, many thanks for the replies .. Yes, main dealer acquired and I went for the additional 2 for 1 extended warranty..

I'll have a look into those suggestions..

Cheers,

Carl

 

[F.A.]

Snapped Coil Spring or the latch that fixes the middle ‘20’ of the 40 20 40 split seats. Try putting some felt tap around the   bar it latches on.  

[CVLex]

Thanks FA, I'll have a look at the '20' of the rear seats tomorrow..

Excuse the ignorance but how do I go about looking for a 'snapped coil spring' and would there be any other symptoms if this were to be the cause of the noise  ? Thank you.

Carl.

 

[F.A.]

IIRC you could actually see that the spring had separated in to two pieces towards the top when you crawled under the car with a torch. However it was the dealer that first diagnosed it and sent me a video to illustrate the problem.  The was replaced under the extended warranty. 
Good luck finding the cause. 

[m4rkw]

Best thing is to have someone else drive the car so you can pinpoint the sound. Press on things to see if the noise goes away. Things that have caused similar noises for me in the past:

- Passenger seat headrest

- Passenger seatbelt buckle

[CVLex]

I've left it a while just to make sure but …… the noise seems to have gone.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I did move the rear seats between the various positions and that does seem to have coincided with the noise disappearing so hopefully that was the cause of the issue.

Cheers all,

Carl.