Hello, I have a 1999 Lexus GS300 (rear wheel driven) which span out of control and hit the street curb with its left front wheel only in a snowing day last winter. Since then my local Lexus dealer has changed entire left side suspension including upper control arm, lower ball joints, lower strut rod assembly, and left front strut. Plus, they also did all four wheel alignment. The grinding noise and vibration still exist, so I brought it back to the same dealership. They resurfaced both of my front brake rotors and recommended me to change both front tires as they are wearing out. But as you guessed, the vibration and noise are still there. This time, they just greased some pads and slides. Needless to say, after eight month, three different visits, and a few thousand dollars later, the vibration and noise are still there.
I turn to you as my last resource to figure out the problem. As the car is rear wheel driven, there is no CV joint in the front. The grinding noise and vibration go stronger as the car moves faster, but won’t happy if you just increase the engine’s RPM. The grinding noise and vibration are more severe when the vehicle is cold and slightly turning to the right. You can feel it more when the car is not moving very fast. Of course, when you move faster, the road noise and wind noise will cover them up better. But sometimes you can feel and hear them terribly strong even when the car is moving at highway speed.
I still think it’s some bearing problem. Is there any bearing inside the front brake assembly? Could it be the carrier bearing since this is a rear wheel driven vehicle? Please help me!!!
You sure just described a bad wheel bearing. And yes, there is a bearing in the front hub. And hitting a curb with a tire can damage a wheel bearing.
Have the wheel bearing replaced to see if the noise and vibration are eleiminated.
Tester
That’s what I suggested to the Lexus dealer here everytime that I sent the vehicle in. I have just talked to the dealer who agreed to take it in for another check. If it did turn out to be the bearing, should I ask for refund or credit for the previous jobs? God, I’ve spent more than three thousand on the same issue with them already.
As a follow-up, just sent the car in to the same dealership. Everytime, they send a different technician to ride with me trying to experience the same grinding vibration and noise. Of course, the vibration and noise is not always noticeable, especially during busy traffic hours and with a warm vehicle. They also insist on not a bearing problem if the vehicle has lasted 10,000 miles since the initial impact. Do they have a point there?
You could complain about the missed diagnosis and get some credit but those suspension parts could have needed replacing from the impact even though they weren’t the direct cause of the noise. The subsequent visits are a different story.
The dealership now kept the car for a couple of days now and needless to say they still wouldn’t confirm any vibration nor noise. What should I do?
Take the “technicians” for a ride with you. I also bet that a wheel bearing is kaput.
A refund is in order.Paying for repairs that are obviously not is BS.
BTW…do you really need to deal with a dealer with the repairs? Consider a mechanic you can trust.Ask around