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Sedans Lexus IS Lexus IS 300
3003 messages, Last post on Aug 16, 2008 at 10:14 PM
You are in the Lexus IS Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Well, it appears as though I have now encountered the first problem with my 2002 IS300. It involves a popping noise that is obviously coming from the brakes. Whenever I shift from Drive to Reverse or vice versa, the first time that I apply the brakes while rolling in the new direction, there is a highly audible, metal-to-metal clink or popping noise. It's as though the brake calipers or pads have to shift within a certain tolerance zone of a metal envelope. Admittedly, the car did this to a slight degree even when it was brand new. But once it had about 27,000 miles on the clock, the problem started to get progressively worse. I've heard a couple of other IS300 owners, as well as current generation Toyota Avalon owners, complain about this very same issue with their brakes. And back when mine wasn't producing a loud noise I even responded to those folks with comments like, "Oh, it's normal for these particular Toyota products." At least that's what I had always been told. I have an appointment to take a test drive with a Lexus service technician on 12-26-2005. Can't wait to hear what he has to say about this problem. I'm sure it will be described as "normal". My car only has 30,590 miles on it at the moment, so it's still under warranty. Any other IS300 owners experienced this same type of brake-related noise when changing directions and applying the brakes for the first time in the changed direction? Although I am a bit frustrated with this brake noise at the moment, overall, the car has been otherwise bulletproof for over three years now. Thanks in advance for any information that you can provide me with pertaining to this issue. Best regards, Ron M.
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Anybody have any suggestions regarding brand/installation of satellite radio for my '05 IS300 Sportcross? I want to use the factory head unit and no FM modulator.... I would also like to do it myself - but that is negotiable..  Thanks
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Replying to: ron_m (Dec 17, 2005 8:24 pm) Thanks, Greg Furneaux Fremont, California
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Replying to: gfurneaux (Jan 03, 2006 4:13 pm) Here's the story on the IS300 brake-related noise that we have both experienced. According to two different service technicians at local Toyota and Lexus dealerships here in N.C., the noise is produced by the metal clips at each end of the brake pad holders. They can produce some noise early on in the vehicle's life, but it's usually after they have become fatigued that the noise becomes highly noticeable. "The Lexus engineers deliberately designed in some additional float for the brake pads, so when you change directions and apply the brakes, the noise that you're hearing is the metal brake pad holder clips coming into contact with the metal surface that they are adjacent to when they stop floating within the tolerance zone. I know it sounds terrible and leads the driver to think that their car is about to fall apart, but that's just the way that these cars' braking systems were designed. Toyota Avalons have been known to have the exact same problem. Every single IS300 that I have worked on here has had this same issue with the brakes. We can replace the weakened metal clips with new ones while your car is under warranty, and also install some spacers at one end of the brake pads to reduce the amount of float to some degree. This will help to cut down on the noise whenever you shift into reverse and then apply the brakes for the first time. And it will also help with the noise in the forward direction to a lesser degree. This procedure won't completely eliminate the noisy brake issue, but it will indeed help for a while. But the problem will eventually reintroduce itself over time." By the way, I had one of the local Lexus dealership's service technicians to perform this procedure on my '02 IS300 and it has helped tremendously! The Toyota dealership's service technician said that one Avalon owner complained about this issue so much that he demanded that something be done about it or he wouldn't take delivery on his car. So the technician used some sort of "gasket maker"(comes in a tube) to create a seal around the outer edges of the brake pads. He said that the Avalon owner has never complained about his brakes since then.  Just picture a rectangular object with a metal clip at each end that is centered within a slightly larger metal slot. If you shift the rectangular object to the left, or forward, the metal clip has to eventually come into contact with the left end of the metal slot. Same for the reverse direction. There's the noise we're hearing. Personally, I have never had any other vehicle to produce this type of noise right after changing directions and applying the brakes for the first time. It's actually not that bad of an issue, but I would prefer that my brakes be 100% silent. On the positive side, my IS300 has the best brakes that I have ever used on any vehicle. So, there is a bright side to this story. Actual braking performance is unaffected by this 'additional brake pad float'--by design. Hope this helps. Ron M.
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Replying to: ron_m (Jan 03, 2006 8:49 pm)
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Replying to: gfurneaux (Jan 04, 2006 8:07 am) Overall, I have been extremely pleased with the IS300. And now that the Lexus service tech has my brake-related noise under control, I have zero complaints. The build quality on these cars really is good when compared to many, many other makes/models. Take care, Ron M. |
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 I just bought a 2004 IS 300 from Foreign Motors West-Boston,MA (dealer steven Jutkiewicz). I completely regret buying the car from this dealership. They overcharged me for the vehicle and yet keep telling me the check is in the mail after 3 months!!! This dealer was very dishonest about the vehicle. Has anyone else had the same difficulties with this Dealership?? They sell many vehicles online.
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Replying to: linds3 (Jan 20, 2006 3:04 pm) This board is deader than dead, so you'd do much better to post your query elsewhere. There are a number of boards devoted to buying/selling vehicles regardless of brand. Possibly Pat will direct you to the most appropriate one(s) -- I don't know them well enough to try to do it myself. Good luck. |
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I disconnected the battery (didn't intend to use the car for a while) and then discovered I had accidently locked the doors. Any idea on how can I open the hood to connect the battery?
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Replying to: ili1 (Mar 14, 2006 5:34 am) Kyle |
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