Car Shaking - Help!

[HK1471]

Hi Guys,

got a little problem with my car been happening the last month or so. when i am driving around 50-60 my car shakes really badly. the steering shakes really bad and so does the car. if i go above 60 it is fine and there is no problem same if i am going below 45-50

Iv had it set by tony at WIM and also had it rechecked after this started happening but the set up was fine and nothing had changed. Iv had all the wheels re balanced. and the problem still happens.

Some people iv spoke to have said that it could be becuase my discs have bent/warped? or maybe the bushes?

I know that i need to change my front discs and pads could this be the reason?

dunno if this has happened to anyone before? any help would be good

Thanks

Hits

[redz_UK]

Hi Guys,

got a little problem with my car been happening the last month or so. when i am driving around 50-60 my car shakes really badly. the steering shakes really bad and so does the car. if i go above 60 it is fine and there is no problem same if i am going below 45-50

Iv had it set by tony at WIM and also had it rechecked after this started happening but the set up was fine and nothing had changed. Iv had all the wheels re balanced. and the problem still happens.

Some people iv spoke to have said that it could be becuase my discs have bent/warped? or maybe the bushes?

I know that i need to change my front discs and pads could this be the reason?

dunno if this has happened to anyone before? any help would be good

Thanks

Hits

sounds like balancing and tracking to me...

[HK1471]

I have had the tracking done by tony at WIM and also had all 4 wheels re balanced.

What else could it be?

[durg]

have you had new tyres fitted recently?

[Vyker]

I'm going to go with ball joints, I felt the same with mine, but not at any specific speed, took it to garage and the 2 front joints were almost dead, got them replaced, problem solved.

Good luck

[rig-pig]

i would check the tyres are not out of shape

[kevwatkins]

I'd say it's wheel balancing, some of the weights could have come off maybe??

[HK1471]

Most ppl seem to think it might be the tyres out of shape..

the reason i dont think its the tracking and balaencing is that iv had the tracking set by tony from wim and it was fine for about 2 - 3 months and i only took it back to him for a recheck after the problem was occuring and the tracking was the same as he had set it.

i also had all 4 wheels re balanced since the problem started occuring.

i dont understand why it only happens between them speeds tho.. if im on the motorwa at 70 its fine with no problems.

i have read on these forums that somtimes the breaks get warped could that be possible?

Thanks for the reply's

I'd say it's wheel balancing, some of the weights could have come off maybe??

[T22DLH]

Once you come back from a run feel the 2 front wheels if 1 is hotter than the other the piston in your caliper has seized, had the same prob with mine, also check to c if the sub frame is tight, if it is kind of slack it will amplify the vibration through the car.

Caliper repair kit is about 60 quid.

[kev dood]

I would say either tyres or possible a buckled alloy wheel or a balance weight has come off? Have you hit any potholes etc?

You could whip each wheel off or jack them up and spin them and see if any are sticking.

My dads old merc had a similar issue where it would vibrate/wobble at about 35. Turned out that one if his rear tyres was down to the braid on the inside!!

[HK1471]

Yea i did hit a pot hole so it maybe the alloy has buckled.

would this be picked up on a MOT?

failable?

[Gord]

Yea i did hit a pot hole so it maybe the alloy has buckled.

would this be picked up on a MOT?

failable?

No not really, the mot guy might see dent in your alloy from the inside when under your car, try using you wheel in the boot to see if your problem is still there.

jack the car up, spin the wheel to check if its buckled

[corsavandal]

i had this with mine, between the same speeds!

Firstly had the off side front lower ball jpoint replaced (cost £195.07 plus VAT) by Lexus Leeds, problem improved slightly but didnt cure it.

I was then told by them it was being caused by the caliper and would need to replace the O/S/F caliper (i thought sod this, if they didnt diagnose it correctly the first time and charged me over £200 for it, im not giving them another chance to change something that didnt need changing). Took it to the garage i used for my Corsa and the guy said he doubted it was the caliper but said he could change the pins to make sure the old ones werent worn causing it to move at high speed. He did it when changing the brake pads and the noise stopped but car still shook!

Bought a strut brace for the front it improved slightly again so went with the thought that it was the tracking balancing etc. bought 4 new tyres, had the tracking done the same day drove down to Hastings to pick up my mothers new car and it never once shook on the motor way and hasnt since! I must add that the un even wear of my old tyres was unbelievable, im pretty sure the old over must have had lowering springs or coilovers on it before he sold it which is wht the tyres seemed fine when i bought it but knackered after a couple of thousand miles.

[boddamloon]

Calipers could just need the brake dust cleaned out which causes pads to be sticky.

[TigerFish]

A sticking front calliper on my GS had similar symptoms as this. If I was doing under 40, no problem presumably cos they weren't generating enough heat. Between 40 and 55'ish, could wobble the stearing and car really badly, over 55 and the pads would wear quickly enough to release the pressure and problem would go away until I braked again.

[boddamloon]

This seems to be a big problem with the IS200 though i have never had this with any other car

[HK1471]

Right quick update... drove it today on a 15-20 mile trip into leicester and it was shaking really bad so i just took it to the first garage and asked them to re balance all the wheels again.

They told me that the back ones were off balance, got that done and drove it back without any problems. seems to drive better at the lower speeds and around 45-55-60 it was fine.

Gonna keep driving it later today to see if it happens. one thing i have noticed is that when i break my steering does vibrate but i know i need to get net pads maybe new discs.

also im not sure if anyone else has it but my gear stick shakes a fair bit at high revs and also when breaking?

need to get it services in the next week or so , hopefully with the breaks done and a service all these little niggly bits be sorted out..

Thanks for all the help guys

[HK1471]

spoke to soon

still shakes

[Mark W]

Get your wheels Road Force balanced on a Hunter 9700 machine.....had my wheels balanced 3 times because of a vibration issue - Seemed ok for a while but then back again. Got them balanced on a Hunter 9700 and sorted out the problem.

My wheels had also been cross balanced at a previous establishment - which can also create problems - check your weights on the wheels - they should all be together without any large gaps. WHen you have them re-balanced make sure all the old weights are removed prior to balancing to start afresh.

[ddadon112]

Hi Guys,

got a little problem with my car been happening the last month or so. when i am driving around 50-60 my car shakes really badly. the steering shakes really bad and so does the car. if i go above 60 it is fine and there is no problem same if i am going below 45-50

Iv had it set by tony at WIM and also had it rechecked after this started happening but the set up was fine and nothing had changed. Iv had all the wheels re balanced. and the problem still happens.

Some people iv spoke to have said that it could be becuase my discs have bent/warped? or maybe the bushes?

I know that i need to change my front discs and pads could this be the reason?

dunno if this has happened to anyone before? any help would be good

Thanks

Hits

I've got the same exact problem, I bought my IS200 a couple of weeks ago and i drove it down from Leeds to London without any problems. I was on my way to Reading last saturday when the steering started vibrating very badly when i was doing around 45 to 50 mph. At first i thought one of my wheels was loose but after stopping on the hard shoulder at the very start of the M4 i realised all wheels were very well secured. I continued my journey and the vibration went away.

On my way back to London on the same evening, I experienced the same thing again doing the same sort of speeds. I took the car to Kwick Fit where i had the wheels balanced and tracked. The problem was still there so i took it to a garage yesterday where it was discovered that the front passengers wheel is not completely free. It seems pinned down but the rear wheels push the car along. If you put the car in neutral and release the handbrake, the car is extremely difficult to push.

It will be going into the garage tomorrow for a thorough going over and hopefully whatever holding the wheel down will be replaced.

[Fusion Pete]

It's the brakes - no doubt about it! Your fuel consumption will have gone up at least 10% as well just to make things worse. It will come and go as the calliper seizes and releases. When the vibration is at its worst, pull over - if safe to do so - and feel each wheel with the back of your hand (so as not to transfer dirt to inside the car). If you haven't done any really serious braking in the previous few minutes wheels SHOULD all be cool to the touch. One probably isn't. That's the culprit! With the calliper off the disk, (preferably not at the side of the road where you stopped!?) working it back and forth over almost its full stroke length can help. A touch of non-silicone lubricant can also help. I've done this twice in 18000 miles but am considering stripping and relacing the seals when it happens again - which I'm sure it will as it appears to be a Lexus weakness. Good luck!

[ddadon112]

I've got the same exact problem, I bought my IS200 a couple of weeks ago and i drove it down from Leeds to London without any problems. I was on my way to Reading last saturday when the steering started vibrating very badly when i was doing around 45 to 50 mph. At first i thought one of my wheels was loose but after stopping on the hard shoulder at the very start of the M4 i realised all wheels were very well secured. I continued my journey and the vibration went away.

On my way back to London on the same evening, I experienced the same thing again doing the same sort of speeds. I took the car to Kwick Fit where i had the wheels balanced and tracked. The problem was still there so i took it to a garage yesterday where it was discovered that the front passengers wheel is not completely free. It seems pinned down but the rear wheels push the car along. If you put the car in neutral and release the handbrake, the car is extremely difficult to push.

It will be going into the garage tomorrow for a thorough going over and hopefully whatever holding the wheel down will be replaced.

I have just been hit with a £600+ bill.

Seems the Callipers has completely rusted and no longer moves hence the frequent seizure of the wheel. So i've been told i need a new caliper, caliper pump?, front brake pads and disc!

Does the quote seem reasonable?

[Fusion Pete]

Seems pretty steep? Is a Lexus agent doing the job? If not what is the source of your spares? And "Calliper Pump"? What's that? Never heard of of one of those in forty years of being in engineering? Is it the name for the mechanism that allows the calliper to float? Or did I just learn a strange form of English in South Africa? I'd shop around for quotes first.

Also consider signing up for Gold LOC membership which entitles you to some servicing / spares discounts - on £600 it could be worth it.

[ddadon112]

Maybe i got the name wrong but some sort of pipe was also quoted in the price. Nah its not a lexus agent, its my independent garage that i've been using for some years now. They managed to clean out the calipers and got it working again but the pads, discs and pipe was changed at £300. All the parts were ordered from Lexus.

[Hando]

I have just been hit with a £600+ bill.

Seems the Callipers has completely rusted and no longer moves hence the frequent seizure of the wheel. So i've been told i need a new caliper, caliper pump?, front brake pads and disc!

Does the quote seem reasonable?

I've just had the exact same problem - caliper seized up completely after wobbling badly for a while.

Had new caliper fitted, new front discs and pads at Lexus dealer - came to £550.

You'd expect a non-Lexus garage to be cheaper - so if they're hitting you for more - I'd go to a dealer.