C Pillar Rattle Noise Located (1 Viewer)

[Caiya]

First some complaints:
The dealer didn’t fix the problem properly. After removing and reinstalling my headliner, they made a bunch of mistakes that are totally unacceptable for a Lexus: 1. They left out a lot of clips and screws (7 trunk clips + 1 fixing screw). These were hidden under the container cover below the trunk floor mat—something no customer would ever notice unless they took it apart again. 2. Many weatherstrips weren’t pressed in at all, just loose and falling off. Got cut once by the bare metal when vacuuming the trunk. 3. The overhead light and sunroof control map light came back with tons of scratches. 4. When I picked up the car, the rear dome light wasn’t even installed—it was literally hanging down from the roof. Long story short: I will never go to dealer to fix any rattle sound ever, just pay 25 bucks to Toyota TIS, get the repair manual, and do everything myself.

Back to the topic: The noise is coming from the upper water pipe bracket behind the passenger side C-Pillar. It may be broken, or possibly a quality control issue. The bracket is difficult to remove, so I placed a foam pad between it to prevent movement. When it moves, it creates a terrible metal-to-metal contact noise.
Now, the noise is pretty much gone, but I can still hear one or two clicking sounds when driving on poorly maintained roads since the foam pad is not a permanent solution.

 

[munkeeboi]

sorry to hear about your dealership experience. Not all dealerships are the same.

Can you explain or circle where you put the foam?, Did you put it behind the tube, around the tube, or behind the brackets?

Thanks

 

[Caiya]

sorry to hear about your dealership experience. Not all dealerships are the same.

Can you explain or circle where you put the foam?, Did you put it behind the tube, around the tube, or behind the brackets?

Thank

I put it behind the bracket to hold it from moving, and also dark tape.

 

[Guest787]

Good information, thank you for sharing

 

[Austin GX]

First some complaints:
The dealer didn’t fix the problem properly. After removing and reinstalling my headliner, they made a bunch of mistakes that are totally unacceptable for a Lexus: 1. They left out a lot of clips and screws (7 trunk clips + 1 fixing screw). These were hidden under the container cover below the trunk floor mat—something no customer would ever notice unless they took it apart again. 2. Many weatherstrips weren’t pressed in at all, just loose and falling off. Got cut once by the bare metal when vacuuming the trunk. 3. The overhead light and sunroof control map light came back with tons of scratches. 4. When I picked up the car, the rear dome light wasn’t even installed—it was literally hanging down from the roof. Long story short: I will never go to dealer to fix any rattle sound ever, just pay 25 bucks to Toyota TIS, get the repair manual, and do everything myself.

Back to the topic: The noise is coming from the upper water pipe bracket behind the passenger side C-Pillar. It may be broken, or possibly a quality control issue. The bracket is difficult to remove, so I placed a foam pad between it to prevent movement. When it moves, it creates a terrible metal-to-metal contact noise.
Now, the noise is pretty much gone, but I can still hear one or two clicking sounds when driving on poorly maintained roads since the foam pad is not a permanent solution.

Thanks for this information. I have an intermittent rattle in my passenger side C pillar and wonder if this is what it could be. It’s been very intermittent, but pretty loud when it happens. Was yours like that? Also, if it was in the C pillar bead the seatbelt anchor, what was the need to remove the headliner?

 

[Caiya]

Thanks for this information. I have an intermittent rattle in my passenger side C pillar and wonder if this is what it could be. It’s been very intermittent, but pretty loud when it happens. Was yours like that? Also, if it was in the C pillar bead the seatbelt anchor, what was the need to remove the headliner?

My noise is happening exactly like yours, it was at the top of the C pillar. The dealer might have wanted to take the whole thing apart to look for suspicious signs of loose screws, I’m not sure. However, even after securing that water pipe bracket, the rattle couldn’t be stopped. Later, I applied double-sided foam tape between the trim that secures the headliner to the C pillar and the C pillar body, and also added sponge pads to the mounting screws of the roof rack on the C pillar. It’s been two days now without any noise, and I hope it stays that way (if the noise comes back, I’ll continue to update and address it).

 

[Austin GX]

My noise is happening exactly like yours, it was at the top of the C pillar. The dealer might have wanted to take the whole thing apart to look for suspicious signs of loose screws, I’m not sure. However, even after securing that water pipe bracket, the rattle couldn’t be stopped. Later, I applied double-sided foam tape between the trim that secures the headliner to the C pillar and the C pillar body, and also added sponge pads to the mounting screws of the roof rack on the C pillar. It’s been two days now without any noise, and I hope it stays that way (if the noise comes back, I’ll continue to update and address it).View attachment 14838

Thanks @Caiya! Do you happen to have links to the double-sided tape and foam pads you used?

Appreciate your post. I’ve been trying to work with the dealer for a few months on this but because it’s intermittent , they have not been able to replicate it. And I’ve also been afraid they could make things worse if they don’t take care (which seems to have been your experience). I hope this solution permanently resolves this for you.

 

[quiet is only wish]

Hi！I am so appreciate your post and happy to see that you have fixed it! is it sounds like this noise? This kind of rattle has been bothering me for a long time, but every time I take it to the service center, the noise disappears dramatically. This recurring noise has caused me significant mental distress. Every time I drive, I find myself overly focused and anxious about whether it will occur again.

 

[Caiya]

Hi！I am so appreciate your post and happy to see that you have fixed it! is it sounds like this noise? This kind of rattle has been bothering me for a long time, but every time I take it to the service center, the noise disappears dramatically. This recurring noise has caused me significant mental distress. Every time I drive, I find myself overly focused and anxious about whether it will occur again.
View attachment 15572

Yes, that’s exactly the sound! I was troubled by it for about two months, and eventually it made me lose all interest in my GX. For a week, I didn’t even want to pick up the car keys because the noise made me so irritated. The methods I shared with you can surely reduce the noise, but I am not 100% sure where the noise coming from(maybe there are multiple areas) you can also place some sound-absorbing cotton in the gap between the side airbag plastic bracket and the body. The roof rails, side airbags, and the joints where the trim connects to the body are all important areas to check. I’ve now driven 2,000 miles without any noise. Hopefully, you can get it resolved too.

 

[eurospek]

Yes, that’s exactly the sound! I was troubled by it for about two months, and eventually it made me lose all interest in my GX. For a week, I didn’t even want to pick up the car keys because the noise made me so irritated. The methods I shared with you can surely reduce the noise, but I am not 100% sure where the noise coming from(maybe there are multiple areas) you can also place some sound-absorbing cotton in the gap between the side airbag plastic bracket and the body. The roof rails, side airbags, and the joints where the trim connects to the body are all important areas to check. I’ve now driven 2,000 miles without any noise. Hopefully, you can get it resolved too.

This is a common issue on the LC250 as well. And I had it on my Land Cruiser as well. Bought new in January and started creaking with hot spring weather, all summer long and up until yesterday when I traded in the car for a brand new Raptor F150 37 Performance Package. This noise along with a few other issues have left me regretting the platform and ultimately got rid of it. Ripping into an interior of a brand new 70K vehicle was something I was not looking forward to doing with to have them reweld the spot welds on the C-pillar which is the route of the issue.

 

[Guest787]

Lemme mention something that just happened this week.

I have been dealing with the same issue since March. Lots of dealer visits and days without the car hasn’t yielded much in the way of a fix, however…

On Sunday, I began removing the roof rails in order to install my Gamiviti roof rack. It’s a super easy process to remove them, and Tim even has a video of the removal on his website Gamiviti.com. When I popped the first bolt cover off, on the passenger rear, where the noise was coming from, of the two bolts, the one closest to the rear bumper, was very loose. I went ahead and removed everything and prepped for the install on Monday. It did not occur to me until AFTER I got the rack on, that the noise was completely gone.

It is also worth mentioning that, in my frustration of desiring to fix the rig myself, I stopped at a headliner shop in town, to ask about removing mine so that I could diagnose for Lexus, that one of the installers mentioned that “a lot of times when we are asked about noise in that area, it has to do with oem roof rails being loose…blah blah blah”. On the way to work Tuesday morning, I realized all of the noise in completely gone and began putting the pieces together…

It could be part of the problem or it could be all of it or none of it. I think it’s worth checking into yourself.

Good luck!

 

[SFLGX]

Also adding that I took the rail off the passenger side and reinstalled it and the noise has been gone since then. I’m keeping fingers crossed to make sure, but seems promising. This is after taking the interior trim panels off and adding felt tape to the plastic bits where the headliner meets the c pillar which didn’t reduce the sound.

 

[tackGX]

Thanks for posting about this, same boat.

 

[Matthew@LC250Mods]

Unfortunately this is becoming par for the course at dealerships. Not just Toyota/Lexus but many manufacturers. Smart call going the DIY route next time and I hope you're able to get some recourse through the dealer who messed it up!