06 300 Awd - Finally Got Rid Of The Crap!

[GS996TTCayS]

I bought an 06 GS300 AWD about 4 months ago expecting a very quiet, well-built, reliable car...well, reliable it has been but it's been a very squeaky, rattly ride til i just couldn't take the little eeks and the cheap plastic sounds the car made at every little bump and everywhere i touched inside the car, like the middle storage area, the plastic on the doors, etc. The car felt SOOOOO flimsy. I even had the dealer wrap felt around every part of the front dash and it only made the noise lower in volume. I can't believe that a 3 year old Lexus that cost over $50k new should behave like this.

So after 4 months of this crap, i finally got rid of it. Went to a dealer and traded for a 04 E500 4Matic with similar miles for an even trade. The MB is totally solid. No squeaks or rattles, just that solid feel.

I don't think I'll ever go back to Japanese. Sure MB might be less reliable but I'll trade the daily serenity for a bit less reliability ANY DAY. The noises were driving me nuts and the passengers usually told me that i should take the car to the dealer for the noises.

Getting rid of a car because of these noises...is anyone else thinking the same???

[gs300awd]

I bought an 06 GS300 AWD about 4 months ago expecting a very quiet, well-built, reliable car...well, reliable it has been but it's been a very squeaky, rattly ride til i just couldn't take the little eeks and the cheap plastic sounds the car made at every little bump and everywhere i touched inside the car, like the middle storage area, the plastic on the doors, etc. The car felt SOOOOO flimsy. I even had the dealer wrap felt around every part of the front dash and it only made the noise lower in volume. I can't believe that a 3 year old Lexus that cost over $50k new should behave like this.

So after 4 months of this crap, i finally got rid of it. Went to a dealer and traded for a 04 E500 4Matic with similar miles for an even trade. The MB is totally solid. No squeaks or rattles, just that solid feel.

I don't think I'll ever go back to Japanese. Sure MB might be less reliable but I'll trade the daily serenity for a bit less reliability ANY DAY. The noises were driving me nuts and the passengers usually told me that i should take the car to the dealer for the noises.

Getting rid of a car because of these noises...is anyone else thinking the same???

yep, i'm almost in the exact same position. I bought the same car about 5 months ago, used, with 20k miles. Has ML/Nav/Vented-heated seats/rear sunshade/moonroof/ etc etc. Everything except radar cruise and parking sensors. I paid $35,500 back in may. seems like everyone here claims they have been getting the same car for under $30k.

anyway, i have the same irritating squeeks, rattles, and odd interior noises. Took it to one dealer, who did the right A-pillar fix, and that did silence a persistent rattle. But over the past few months, i'm getting and endless creak on the left side, the console rattle, and just like you describe every little bump sets off a cacophony of minor but noticeable noises. It's just so frustrating.

took it back to a different dealer, and they of course said "Nothing we can do. technician didn't notice anything unusual. The first dealer did the whole dash kit fix already."

A $50,000 2 year old Lexus with under 25k on the clock should not sound like this. It doesn't feel or look cheap, but it sounds cheap. I've driven rental Kias that rattles less.

cant sell it now, not in this economy.

i feel completely hosed, and *BLEEP*ed off. I hate Lexus, I hate driving it because my expectations were so high.

[gs300awd]

I bought an 06 GS300 AWD about 4 months ago expecting a very quiet, well-built, reliable car...well, reliable it has been but it's been a very squeaky, rattly ride til i just couldn't take the little eeks and the cheap plastic sounds the car made at every little bump and everywhere i touched inside the car, like the middle storage area, the plastic on the doors, etc. The car felt SOOOOO flimsy. I even had the dealer wrap felt around every part of the front dash and it only made the noise lower in volume. I can't believe that a 3 year old Lexus that cost over $50k new should behave like this.

So after 4 months of this crap, i finally got rid of it. Went to a dealer and traded for a 04 E500 4Matic with similar miles for an even trade. The MB is totally solid. No squeaks or rattles, just that solid feel.

I don't think I'll ever go back to Japanese. Sure MB might be less reliable but I'll trade the daily serenity for a bit less reliability ANY DAY. The noises were driving me nuts and the passengers usually told me that i should take the car to the dealer for the noises.

Getting rid of a car because of these noises...is anyone else thinking the same???

btw, what'd the MB dealer give you in trade on your GS 300? and how many miles were on it.

[GS996TTCayS]

Even trade, no hassle, just traded the plates. No rattle, squeak, just that old solid European feel. I love driving it!

Looks like there will always be other people (like me :chairshot: ) that'll be won over on the sleek looks and the electronics/options value and glaze over the actual driving experience...well, glad it won't EVER me again.

set yourself free from the car if you feel the same, you won't regret it! go test drive a BMW/MB that's 1-2 yrs older, say 04/05 and you'll see what i mean.

just imagine, for the next few years until the economy recovers...you'll feel this way about your car EVERYDAY :cries:

[GS996TTCayS]

same mileage too 38k vs 38k

[GS996TTCayS]

your expectations weren't high, like me, you probably expected the lexus to be at least similar to MB/BMW or other European cars. Hondas are the closest thing to Europeans in terms of putting together a tight ship.

[gs300awd]

your expectations weren't high, like me, you probably expected the lexus to be at least similar to MB/BMW or other European cars. Hondas are the closest thing to Europeans in terms of putting together a tight ship.

yeah good luck with the mb. I just hope you dont run into major repair hassles like it seems the German brands have been experiencing. a rattle free car isn't much good if it's at the dealer every other week. and when the warranty runs out, $$$$ out of pocket.

[GS996TTCayS]

hey, i totally agree with you, there's that risk of the repairs... on the other hand, the 2002 911 turbo i currently have - i only had to change the oil in that one, and the 06 cayenne S, i didn't have any problems either, the most i ever spent on a german car was $1,000 on my 01 740iL for emission sensor failure. i hope i don't have to be at the shop every other week but after the shoddy experience i had, i'm willing to put up with the risk at this point. maybe if the problems begin to surface, i'll give acura RL a chance...

[The G Man]

GS996TTCayS, I am in the same boat as you. My 08 GS350 AWD squeaks and rattles, every panel I tounch has a noise associated with it. It was driving me crazy. I just traded it in for a 08 Audi A6, solid as a rock, of course it too early to tell, but I have never driven a $50k+ car that has as many rattles as the GS. The last generation of GS has almost no rattle problems, I think Lexus quality is going backwards.

[GS996TTCayS]

wow, glad i wasn't alone in this. i sincerely thought i had a lemon...i used to have a 00 RX300, bought new and the car was nice initially. after a few months, the door panel started to squeak when i played the radio. brought it to the dealer and they didn't do a thing about it. another dealer told me that i'm playing my music too loud...i said m..th...f...k..r...i'm playing the g...d..a..m news channel on the am... i was innocent then so i put up with it for many years before trading it for the cayenne S. shouda learned my lesson...s...h..t

[The G Man]

Well, i had a 05 GX470 and a RX350, both of them are rock solid. It seems like only the recent Lexus sedans are rattle traps. I guess all that cost cutting is finally catching up to Lexus.

[SW03ES]

Must be the GS. My ES is still tight as a drum after 6 years and 120k miles, my dad's 98 was tight as a drum with no rattles when he traded it with 165k on the clock, and his 04 LS is still tight as a drum with 70k on it...

I had one rattle in my ES, which there was a TSB for and they promptly repaired it...and it hasn't rattled since.

Now our 2004 Prius rattles like an old Chevy...

[The G Man]

SW03ES, thats my point exactly. Go to the ES forum and read about all the rattling problem in the new ES. The new IS and the GS are the worst as far as rattling is concerned. Even the new mighty LS have some isolated rattle and wind noise problems. All of the last generation Lexus sedans are rock solid, so I know Lexus can built a sedan that is rattle since they have done it before.

[GS996TTCayS]

yeah, the older lexus cars were definitely better. just for kicks, i went to test drive a new GS 350 and felt a much more subdued, but nontheless there kind of squeaks, no rattles however. it certainly didn't feel as tight as the 4yr old MB E500 i'm now driving

[Captainbly100]

I don't know. I'm on my fourth Lexus. I had an ES 300, a GS 300, still have an SC 430 and recently bought a GS 460. When I traded in the first two they had over ninety thousand miles on them and a lot of that was in NY and NYC and if you come from there you know what those roads are like as far as potholes. My SC 430 has over sixty thousand on it and none of them had any unusual rattles or squeaks. Neither does my new GS 460 and I hear things as those of you who have read my brake issues on the GS 460 (which Lexus has resolved) know.

[Lexus GS430 Guzzler]

I have a 2006 GS430.

No rattles or noise. The only "cheap plastic" noise I get is from the center storage box thing, but I can tolerate that no prob. Dealer just too my whole dash apart and put it back together. Hope it doesn't start up any weird noises.

[Tomas311]

Getting rid of a car because of these noises...is anyone else thinking the same???

HMMM your all scaring me now. I just brought a 2007 GS 350 off lease. Funny thing is that no one every deleted the phone book so today when I bonded my phone I saw all the old numbers. I was tempted to call the previous owners home number and see how they liked the car, but I found this forum so no need to freak them out like that!!!!

Anyway I just got rid of a 2006 A4 2.0T. It was fun, has a great german ride for sure. But the issues were killing me!!! I cruised through the 50K coverage about 50K ago. I was up for a timing belt and my third set of tire.

The main issue for me was:

Coolant leak, not coming from the reservoir or the bleeder tube so that was going to be $$ to fix

Miss firing... I had the car back to two Audi dealers 3 times for misfiring in the engine. Initial starts the engine would pulse and stutter for the first 15 minutes. Then after that you could feel it on acceleration in the 2K-3K RPM range while you were shifting it felt like the engine was out of balance.

Good luck on the MB. We went the MB route but that was in the 2000 and it was also plagued with Chryslerish issues and the style changes every 2 years that they look out of date quick...

Got my fingers crossed for the GS it has 30,000 miles on it now so I was interested in reliability based on my Audi experience. Had the Audi been reliable I would still have it. It is an excellent ride, excellent handling, and great in the Snow.

[GS996TTCayS]

I'm not a very picky guy when it comes to road noise / engine noise / exhaust noise. I drive a 911 turbo as a wkndr and love all these noises because the car is like a bulletproof tank. Wife likes her Cayenne S for the same reason. When I got the GS, wife actually called me a wuss (kiddingly of course)...it made all the sense...good mileage, all the gadgets, AWD, current styling, and of course, that Toyota reliability. For all these reasons, i would have kept the car but for the incessant "cheap" feel i got from the car. Sure i started with economy cars when i was young (actually, i drove an IROC Z28 for a while in college...what a guido) and moved to european cars and you may say that i got spoiled but the solid feel of european cars made me feel like this is what cars were supposed to be. After all these years, i'd figured Lexus of all cars would have caught on. The "cheapness" was initially overcome with all the reasons i aforementioned. But over time, it took over the practicality issues. For me it made me feel like..........if i closed my eyes while driving, it felt like i was driving a 15 year old corolla that my grandmother used to drive. On the other hand, when you're in a 15 year old bimmer/mb and close your eyes, the car feels solid even after all those years. sure repair costs are more expensive in european cars than say a lexus but if that (money) was the main reason, in the future i'd choose to buy down model (say a 3 series, instead of the 5).

[SW03ES]

You should drive an LS...

[GS996TTCayS]

You should drive an LS...

i used to have a 2000 LS400...black on black, titanium edition i think. it didn't have the squeaks but i was too young for the car then...(30)...so i got rid of it after a couple of years but you're right, it didn't have the squeaks but only INITIALLY. After a couple of years, the car felt a lot less solid.

[The G Man]

Your are right GS996, the German bulit their cars like Lexus built their high end SUV...............Solid.

[djspawn00]

despite the abuse of NY roads, and me constantly ripping out the interior of my car... I've got no squeaks at all on my 02 gs200... no rattles either...

[GS996TTCayS]

despite the abuse of NY roads, and me constantly ripping out the interior of my car... I've got no squeaks at all on my 02 gs200... no rattles either...

hey, that's a keeper. unlucky meeee... :(

[SW03ES]

You should drive an LS...

i used to have a 2000 LS400...black on black, titanium edition i think. it didn't have the squeaks but i was too young for the car then...(30)...so i got rid of it after a couple of years but you're right, it didn't have the squeaks but only INITIALLY. After a couple of years, the car felt a lot less solid.

I think you might be a little hard on cars. My dad had a 98 LS400 for 160k miles and I've driven them with 400,000 miles on them and they are just as tight and smooth as when new. If they're maintained properly, the LS takes miles like no other car I've ever driven, including BMWs and Mercedes Benzes.

The only reason an LS would feel less solid after a couple years was if it had a hard life of potholes and being driven really hard. I'm shopping for '06 LS430s right now with 20-40k miles and every one I have driven has driven absolutely like new even if they haven't been that well maintained.

[KevES350-UL]

I'm not a very picky guy when it comes to road noise / engine noise / exhaust noise. I drive a 911 turbo as a wkndr and love all these noises because the car is like a bulletproof tank. Wife likes her Cayenne S for the same reason. When I got the GS, wife actually called me a wuss (kiddingly of course)...it made all the sense...good mileage, all the gadgets, AWD, current styling, and of course, that Toyota reliability. For all these reasons, i would have kept the car but for the incessant "cheap" feel i got from the car. Sure i started with economy cars when i was young (actually, i drove an IROC Z28 for a while in college...what a guido) and moved to european cars and you may say that i got spoiled but the solid feel of european cars made me feel like this is what cars were supposed to be. After all these years, i'd figured Lexus of all cars would have caught on. The "cheapness" was initially overcome with all the reasons i aforementioned. But over time, it took over the practicality issues. For me it made me feel like..........if i closed my eyes while driving, it felt like i was driving a 15 year old corolla that my grandmother used to drive. On the other hand, when you're in a 15 year old bimmer/mb and close your eyes, the car feels solid even after all those years. sure repair costs are more expensive in european cars than say a lexus but if that (money) was the main reason, in the future i'd choose to buy down model (say a 3 series, instead of the 5).

GS996 - Hey, I saw you post over at MB World. I also have a silver one ('05 E500), but not AWD. Actually, my wife drives that one, and I drive an '08 GS 460. Over all, I'd say I like the GS a little more. I haven't experienced any of the rattle you speak of. None in the MB as well. I really feel that you had a lemon when you purchased your GS. The one thing the MB is much, much better is the paint. We used to have a store in a pretty bad area, and it got keyed 3 times. I was able to buff it out completely all 3 times. My GS got keyed the second week I had it, and was only able to buff out about 75% of it. Had one bird dropping over lunch, and sprayed it off as soon as I got home, but it still stained the sealant. I waxed it 5 times, but the stain is still there. The MB had droppings on it for a weekend, and nothing happens to the paint.

Does your MB has the airmatic? I heard those things goes out pretty early, and the repair cost is $1400 for EACH corner. Our warranty has just run out, so now I am holding my breath every time the wife takes it out. Enjoy your new ride.