Is 250 Se Auto - Vibrations When Driving

[ahmed24]

Hello,

This is my first time on LOC. I had a question and was hoping someone can answer.

I have a Lexus IS 250 SE AUTO with SATNAV and Multimedia manufactured in December 2005. It drives really well and I have no problems with performance or anything. However, when driving on some roads, i can hear some little vibration noises from what sounds like glove box door vibrating or door vibrating (cant tell where its coming from) but these vibrations only happen on roads that have bad surface, and its not very loud or anything. Is it normal to have these noises?

Thanks

[Tel]

Abmormal.

Ask a Mate to ride with you & confirm source.

Tel

[Exiled]

It's frustrating ahmed, most cars at some stage develop the odd rattle. If Tel's advice doesn't work, get your mate to drive, have a pull at this and a push at that, if that doesn't find it then turn up the music or get a pair of earplugs. Alternatively go and see your uncle Lex.

[Steve ( West Mids )]

Favorites you can try and touch are glove box, speaker grill, seat belt in the "B" pillar then there are a couple you can't get to behind the dash. You don't put anything on your passenger seat do you, as that cause some really mysterious noises !!

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

It's normal on some of the cars. As Steve states, check those areas and the passenger side grab handle and dash heater vent.

Have you had the car from new? I once had a car (BMW) that apparently had a rattle in a rear door....it was broken glass (I reckon the car had been broken into previously and glass was left behind).

[ahmed24]

thanks for all your replies. i have been trying to find the source of the vibrations but its really irritating because i cannot always hear it. Everytime i'm driving home from work and now that the weather is cold i let the engine run for about 5-10mins and when i'm driving i hear some strange vibrations that really annoy me and they definately sound like they coming from passenger side. Towards the end of my journey home, the noise calms down and i cant hear it much.

I've tried to get my wife to listen out for the noise while i'm driving but it seems if theres a passenger on the passenger seat i just cannot hear the vibration. it's really strange. could it be the seat? it doesnt sound like its coming from the seat though.

How else can I determine the vibrations? I was thinking of taking it to Lexus but if i cant locate and describe where it's coming from what am i going to say to lexus?

Exiled mentioned something about putting the music up to determine vibration, how exactly do i determine using this method?

thanks

[Parthiban]

Exiled mentioned something about putting the music up to determine vibration, how exactly do i determine using this method?

I think he meant turn the stereo up to drown out the rattle!

Which dealer do you use? They're usually very helpful, I'd book it in and take someone out in the car with you (maybe with them sitting in the back if sitting in the front stops the rattle) and let them listen out for it - as the rattles seem quite common with early ISs they may know straight away where it's coming from and what the fix is..........

Welcome to the club and hope you get it sorted soon!

[oldcro]

thanks for all your replies. i have been trying to find the source of the vibrations but its really irritating because i cannot always hear it. Everytime i'm driving home from work and now that the weather is cold i let the engine run for about 5-10mins (snip)

Ahmed, It is bad practise to let the engine run for 5 to 10 minutes before driving off, unless you are using the time to clear the windows. Best way to warm it up is to drive it without using high revs.

[Exiled]

Exiled mentioned something about putting the music up to determine vibration, how exactly do i determine using this method?

thanks

Sorry Ahmed, didn't mean to confuse you.

[ahmed24]

Ahmed, It is bad practise to let the engine run for 5 to 10 minutes before driving off, unless you are using the time to clear the windows. Best way to warm it up is to drive it without using high revs.

Ooops i wasnt aware of that i was always under the impression that letting the engine run for a few minutes specially in cold weathers helps the engine. I do sometimes drive off straight away after starting the engine in very cold temperatures, i notice that the engine sounds much noisier and you can hear the hum of the engine working as opposed to when driving in normal conditions. Because of this i started using warm up method which to be honest does exactly the same thing as the engine temperature doesnt really increase much.

Why exactly is it bad to leave engine running for a bit before setting off as opposed to driving off straight away?

[ahmed24]

Exiled mentioned something about putting the music up to determine vibration, how exactly do i determine using this method?

thanks

Sorry Ahmed, didn't mean to confuse you.

it's cool, i am a bit slow sometimes :P

[oldcro]

Ahmed, It is bad practise to let the engine run for 5 to 10 minutes before driving off, unless you are using the time to clear the windows. Best way to warm it up is to drive it without using high revs.

Ooops i wasnt aware of that i was always under the impression that letting the engine run for a few minutes specially in cold weathers helps the engine. I do sometimes drive off straight away after starting the engine in very cold temperatures, i notice that the engine sounds much noisier and you can hear the hum of the engine working as opposed to when driving in normal conditions. Because of this i started using warm up method which to be honest does exactly the same thing as the engine temperature doesnt really increase much.

Why exactly is it bad to leave engine running for a bit before setting off as opposed to driving off straight away?

I was always taught that leaving the engine idle for too long wastes fuel as it it is not under load so produces less heat for the fuel used. Also by driving off all the rotating parts of the vehicle get a chance to warm up and lubricate themselves as necessary. Oil in gearbox and differential and the bearings need time to get warm as well as the engine.

Not sure if these points are relevant today, but it is how I was trained to drive and never had any related problems. It also stops you driving away like a bat out of hell once the engine is warm but the rest is freezing.

I try and drive off after no more than a minutes idling, although it is not always possible if ice needs scraping from windows etc. I'm sure others will contradict this and may be right, so it's your choice in the end.