Thumping Noise From Front Brake System

bond 007 · November 5, 2010

hi all i have a is200 sportcross 03 that only has 46k on it.the other day i was out driveing. and now and again would get loads of thumping noise from the front brakes. so i took the car to my local garage. they took it out for a drive and said there was nothing rong with the brakeing system. and that it might be my abs . so i took the car to my local auto electic guy he olso took the car out. but he said there is nothing rong with abs as the light in the car goes out right away. so off i went. took the car for a 50 mile drive on the local motorway had to hit brakes hard. and then a massive bang bang from the front brakes again. had to pull off motorway and there was loads of smoke pouring from the drivers front caliper.. so i thought i had found the problem got a new caliper fitted.this helpt a bit but still the banging noise not all the time but on different sorts of brakeing. so i looked at the front disks the drivers front felt warped so i got both changed today. but still the dam noise is there.olso the car pulls up fine when going down hills is very odd can not work it out. maybe the pads need to bed in as he did not change these as he said they were fairly new. dam car is driveing me mad. any help would be welcomed thanks all...

kev dood · November 13, 2010

dunno if it would make a really loud bang noise, but you can sometimes here a clunk which is the pads moving in the caliper housing if the shims that go on the back of the pads are missing. Are the pads original OEM ones or aftermaket? Guess they are new if the discs have been changed?

Other thing to check is the front ball joints as they can bang.

mrbothered · November 14, 2010

I have a similar problem. Have a look here. http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=69819

Is this a common fault?

lexynik · November 14, 2010

id never put new discs on with old pads tbh as itll wear the new disks unevenly -

do you get the noise you refer to when you steer left to right and vice versa ? if so a massive dong can be a sign that something is wrong with your droplinks - from personal experience

GWilso · November 14, 2010

Sorry but what are droplinks someone suggested this might be the fault I have, potholes and speed bumps and heavy braking cause a sort of light bang/rattle from the undercarridge very hard to pinpoint where its coming from i've had several local garages have a look and its m.o.t done last week nothing shows howvever they all agree that they can hear it, I cant afford a lexus check up and most mechanics just say wait untill the problem develops...... i've found at motorway speeds the car seems unstable its hard to describe but she just does not feel as planted as she used to be, any suggestions...

id never put new discs on with old pads tbh as itll wear the new disks unevenly -

do you get the noise you refer to when you steer left to right and vice versa ? if so a massive dong can be a sign that something is wrong with your droplinks - from personal experience

keen21 · November 14, 2010

I had a similar thumping noise on my GS300 despite an expensive caliper and pad change; finally discovered it was the intermittently seizing lower slider pin... the easiest and cheapest thing to fix. Tigerfish has produced an excellent tutorial on this on this site...good luck.

bond 007 · November 15, 2010

i have gone to my lexus dealer today just for a chat and they said it sounds like the slider pins so i ordered all 4 plus the rubber boots. and the nice guy at my local lexus dealer gave me a free tube of the correct grease to use a silver oxide type. tube was even in jap writeing. i have seen tigerfishes post with the picture guide to change these pins. and it look,t like the rong grease he used!!! it is pink. not gray and is not copperease either. if this does not sort the problem i will take it back to my local lexus dealer. to have all the ecu codes reprogramed to do with the brakeing system at a cost £60 quid. plus labour not sure how much but i think it is £100 pounds an hour.not keen on lexus brakes though if i have to replace these pins at only 46k in my car....(i mean what are they made out of cream cheese).

bond 007 · November 19, 2010

changed these slider pins like everyone said inc lexus.!!! and still the dam car is makeing this bloody noise have got it booked in for them too look at now. at £58 quid for an half hour look. totaly amazed how rubbishley made these car brakeing systems are. if this does not find or sort the problem. i will have no choice other than to get shot of it what a joke a car with full lex his. plus only 46k on the clock. this will be the last ever toyota or lexus product i will ever buy. i mean for gods sake what are they thinking when they design these cars brakes?..i can now belive the horror stories on the radio earlyer this year about toyota lexus brakes.i had a 1987 ford escort diesel with 158k on the clock no problems with the brakes. although the front caliper when,t at 148k not bad seeing as the car was made in 1987 and my lexus needed one at 45k and is an 03 plate.hope i can sort this out soon. as it is like thowing money down a bottomless pit...

Davison · November 20, 2010

The Toyota stories where only so prominent in the news because they, at there own expense, owned up to using a product that wasn't up to the job in a few cases.

You seem to be throwing a lot of money into fixing this banging, from new calipers down to small pins.

The noise doesn't occur on mine or as it seems many others IS's, so not really fair to start calling Lexus bad cars for something that has more than likely occured from driver error. :tsktsk:

mrbothered · November 20, 2010

It may not be a 'common' fault but it certainly isn't a one off either. I have spent over £500 so far trying to get rid of the thumping noise on mine. Mechanics say there is nothing wrong and can't find the problem. I cannot see how it can possibly be down to 'driver error', whatever that may be, I have had many cars including two Toyotas over the years but I have never had anything like this.

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=69819

bond 007 · November 29, 2010

well it is finaly sorted. took car to my local lexus dealer found out this noise that everyone thinks is the pins has nothing to do with this . turns out that most owners who get this noise think it comes from the front of the car . in fact the problem was from the rear brakeing system. 1 back disk warpt and the other slightley warp,t causeing the banging noise though out the car and the slight odd feeling in the brakes. turns out lots of is 200 owners overlook the back brakes thinking they work less hard than the front. thinking that they are ok. but if the rear pads get low you may not hear them so much as at the front of the car. hence they seem to get warp,t..so always remember to take a look at the rears as the problem that a lot of u on hear. are getting maybe at the rear of your car not at the front. and olso there are no slide pins on the rear calipers of the lexus is 200.--- anyhow the service was top noch at lexus plymouth they found the fault in an half hour.!!!! the other garages i took my car too dident have any idea. and i wasted nearly 4 weeks trying to find the problem and £400 quid . the only thing that did need doing at the front was 1 caliper.the service was so good at lexus. i got free tea and drinks etc..plus they gave my car a free full inspection too. and olso wait for it they even jet washed the whole car after the work was done. total cost with labour and all new genuine lexus parts was only £365 pounds. the guy at lexus olso said you may have had all this trouble with the car as it has been stood up for long periods of time. (as my car only has 46k) . hope this helps some owners on this site. and thx again to all at lexus plymouth..5 star service..!!!!!

mrbothered · November 30, 2010

Thanks for that info bond 007. As I said, I have the same problem and was convinced it was coming from the front but... The other day our youngest son (17) was in the back and he said he thought it had got noisier and was coming from the back. Also, as the noise is in time with the wheel rotation I was fairly sure it must be related to the brakes. I shall take it to my local Lexus dealer with a bit more insight now. Thanks again.

bond 007 · November 30, 2010

no problem glad to help m8.... it would be nice if all members on here organised more meets. and talked to each other more seems a very cold owners club. (website)--- my m8 is a member of a website called ludebehavior for honda prelude owners they talk more and help each other all the time. and now they have a new calender with there own cars on it for every member to buy a copy. what a cool idea.!! what about this site organiseing stuff like this that would be cool. glad i have at least help,t another owner out ..

mrbothered · December 1, 2010

And you have. I know what you mean. I have been a member on a couple of forums where a real sense of community existed and was full of helpful, friendly people. If I know anything I will share it with anybody who wants to know but some come, grab the info and leave, ho hum, such is life.

lexynik · December 1, 2010

im on a few forums with different cars , got rid of my 200 for now but i wouldnt say this is a cold forum at all - loads of good people and knowledgable advice given out here - especially good for new 200/300 owners as soon as they get the shock that theres no haynes manual to fall back on

bond 007 · December 1, 2010

well there me be no haynes book.. but here is a link to download full workshop pdf file book. for the is lexus all for a tenner...!!!!! heres the link http://www.tradebit.com/tagworld.php/lexus+is200+pdf+service+manual

mrbothered · December 10, 2010

Victory! Armed with the info from this thread I went back to my regular mechanic and suggested it was the rear discs. I asked him to change them a few days before I took the car in so he could get new discs. He fitted them and took the car for a spin. The noise was still there but he wouldn't give in. Eventually he noticed this...At the edge of the drum part of the brake 'disc' there is a groove. The purpose of this groove is to help keep dirt etc from entering the drum, there is a piece that goes in to the groove. He noticed that the inner edge of this groove was shiny on one disc but dirty and dull on the other suggesting something was rubbing. He took a grinder and just took off the edge of the piece that fits in the groove, just a few thou, and took it out again. NO MORE NOISE!!!

Excellent.

Thanks all.