Air Suspension Compressor Noise

[mikesands]

Lexus Teesside are acknowledging that my air suspension compressor makes a lot of noise when it is working but they are saying this is normal. They say they have an RX in at the moment and it makes the same noise.

To give you an idea of how much noise, the other day it did it while my daughter was in the passenger seat and she said 'what the hell is that'. To me there is no way that someone would have paid £60k when it was new and tolerated that. Also I remember when I bought it 15 months ago with 75k on the clock, it did not make any noise. And it doesn't always make the noise even now, which I don't think squares with their idea of it being the normal running noise of the compressor.

So my question to all LS 430 owners out there with air suspension - does your car make a noticeable noise when it gets itself ready to go (ie adjusts the ride height)?

thanks

Mike

PS this fault was flagged up to them 10 months into the Lexus used car 12 month warranty and they didn't do anything about it, but it's got worse

[passman53]

Hi,

Sorry Mike but I can honestly say I've never heard mine. I don't understand how a noise can be said to be normal when one of the Lexus selling points is the quietness and refinement it offers. Nornal would surely be if all the cars made a noise, not just yours and a single RX which happens to be there.

Pete

[John N]

Mike

I’ve never heard any noise from my air suspension compressor at all; the car levels itself in complete silence when it starts up or you change the ride height.

John N

2001 - LS430

[SteveLS400]

Sounds like the bearings in the compressor. Don't know if its serviceable or replacement.

[mikesands]

update:

Lexus Teesside claimed that a senior person from Lexus was there while they checked my car and he said it was normal. So today I took it to a small garage run by an ex Lexus technician who has owned a succession of LS 430s and he has one now. His car did not make this noise and he noticed the noise from mine straightaway. We rang Lexus Teesside and fair dues to them the service manager drove round, heard the noise, acknowledged that it wasn't right and is now going to think about what to do.

As a side note. The service manager drove round in the £60k RX that they claimed made a similar noise to mine ... and he was right it was terrible. There's no way I would part with money for a luxury car that made a noise like that. The difference is it's at the back, and inside the car you don't hear it.

Mike

[mikesands]

Update on this. The answer looks like 'nothing'. Despite several calls and emails I am getting no response from Lexus Teesside on whether they plan to sort it.

Does anyone know where I could buy a second hand suspension compressor?

Thanks

Mike

[kurac]

Hi! mikesands I just read in another russian forum about that problem. and it fixeble. just need to give a good clean and lube internal parts of compressor.it will save u $$$$

[SteveLS400]

Hi! mikesands I just read in another russian forum about that problem. and it fixeble. just need to give a good clean and lube internal parts of compressor.it will save u $$$$

American dollars and Russian in one post, must be a 1st. Advice must be woth trying, mind.

[mikesands]

Full marks to Lexus Teesside. They seem to have sorted the problem and they haven't charged me. They lent me a car while they stripped the compressor in which they replaced a bush and cleaned and lubricated everything .... Kurac - I think they must read this forum too :-)

Thanks

Mike