Liftgate & Window Wind Noise

[JimsGX]

Hi,

Has anyone had problem(s) with wind noise around the rear tailgate on their RX? Or wind noise coming from their side windows? If so, can you share your problem(s) and solutions.

Thanks

[Jim Clark]

Haven't noticed any unusual noise. Actually, at highway speeds, the 400 is the quietest car we've ever owned.

[JimsGX]

Hi All,

Since I got my 2007 RX400h a year ago, I’ve always thought there was an inordinate amount of road/wind noise that comes into the cabin at the rear of the vehicle. I’d brought it into Lexus before, and they installed some type of insulating kit, but whatever fix they did, it wasn’t visible and it didn’t make any difference. I figured from that point on, that it was probably the tires (Michelin) that were transmitting the noise into the cabin, and I was going to have to live with it at least until I replaced the tires.

Well, I had the tires replaced a couple of weeks ago at 16,000 miles, only because the Michelin’s aren’t that great in the snow. I replaced them with Bridgestone Alenza’s. The noise at the rear of the vehicle persisted, so I decided to look deeper into the cabin noise.

The rear liftgate/hatch on these vehicles only has a single gasket, unlike the doors, which have double or triple seals in some areas. Using a rag, I applied a liberal amount of 3M polishing compound (the product is liquid but has a paste-like consistency) to every square inch of the rear hatch gasket, then closed the rear hatch (electric) and opened it again. I checked all around the perimeter of the hatch where the gasket makes contact with the door to ensure there was a complete transfer of the polishing compound. Low and behold, all along the top of the hatch, from one hinge to the other, there was absolutely no transfer of the compound!

I bought a couple rolls of very thin, ¾” wide, highly compressible, self adhesive gasket material at Home Depot, and applied it to the rear hatch all the way around where the gasket makes contact with the hatch. This eliminated the wind noise that was obviously coming through where the gasket failed to make contact. The hatch still operates normally both manually and when closed using the electric closer.

I would assume that my vehicle isn’t unique in this regard. I have other comments I can make about the windows, but I'll stick with this topic for now.

Jim

[Gryphon]

Good information, Jim. Can you provide some details on the Home Depot product? Brand, UPC, department?

Tom

[JimsGX]

Good information, Jim. Can you provide some details on the Home Depot product? Brand, UPC, department?

Tom

Hi Tom,

The product is Frost King Rubber Foam Weatherseal, 5/16" x 3/4" x 10' Roll. Black: Part #: R534, SKU: 77578 01222. If you go this route, you'll need two rolls. It took a 10' roll plus two or three feet of the second roll to go all the way around, which is what I did. I think the cost was $3 per roll. The package states "minimum compression" but I didn't find this to be the case. It's only 5/16" thick and compresses very easily.

Frost King's web site describes the product this way: "Extremely tough, durable and long–lasting. So shock–absorbing, it also has many applications on car and truck hoods and trunks, etc."

Jim

[Gryphon]

Thanks, Jim. I actually want this for a non-automotive application and haven't found it in a Home Depot. But, then, Home Depot's sales force has declined drastically over recent years.

Tom

[jimbeam]

New owner here - purchased a used 400h back in September. I have been very satisfied except for the wind noise issue. In my case, at any speed much above 35-40 MPH, there is significant noise from both the driver's side window and from above. As best I can tell, all the seals are fine (windows, doors, sunroof) - I think the sources are the side view mirror and the roof rack as the wind passes over them (they don't rattle - it's clearly wind noise). Has anyone else had this issue, and if so, can anything be done?

Thanks.

[Jim Clark]

When I first read this thread, I thought the cause could be the elephant ear mirrors. It's the wifes car and I don't drive it much, I'll listen more carefully when I drive it in the future.