kwu

Hey guys,

I just joined CL after lurking around for awhile. I drive a 2003 LS430 with about 115,xxx miles. So far, I'm loving it! All except one little annoying issue...sad it's on my first post.

I'm from Chicago, so it's cold here. When i'm driving over bumpy surfaces-gravel, potholes, etc. there is an audible clicking noise that I feel like is coming from the dash. However, it happens in warm weather too. 50 degrees+ It's not so much of a problem as it is an annoyance, a big one at that, though :P. Anyways, I had my local dealer get a tech to take a ride with me and he heard the noise too. He proceeded to take apart the nav unit and insulate it with felt, and it worked for a little while..but came back.

basically, I'm wondering if anyone else has this issue. I heard that the nav/dash has clips in it? Maybe one is loose?

Sorry for the long post!

Vpanin

I get a clicking sound on the trim piece on top of the nav screen. If i put pressure on it, it goes away. For me it only happens in cold weather

kwu

Good to know I'm not going crazy. Do you think there's a fix for it? There's where my noise is, too.

combres

same here, top right nav corner, left is quiet. It only really creaks when I hit uneven roads, but ruins the quiet cabin feel of the LS. I have tightened the Nav bolts (removing the temp controls) and the top right still creaks.
I am thinking of maybe using some silicon or something to lessen the movement of the trim..

kwu

Hmm...do you think maybe I could ask my dealer about that? and I agree about the quiet cabin thing!

Vpanin

i have no clue about how to fix it......if any of you guys figure it out make sure you post it up.....lol

slclexus

To the OP: I may be all wet here, but the GF's 430 had a similar clicking sound the stealership couldn't diagnose after three attempts. I finally located it in the oscillating vents in the center stack. Turns out when the vents got to the end of one "circuit," a tiny nib of plastic was hanging up and causing a very consistent "ticking" sound about every 4-5 seconds.

I used an old stethoscope I had from my medical days. Which, by the way, is a great diagnostic tool for these sorts of problems. And since the car was still under warranty at the time, we had the dealer's techs open the vents up and shave the plastic down. Viola! Sound gone.

I could be way off on your problem, but it might bear checking out in your sitch if you don't get anywhere.

Best,

Doc

ancdmd

There are four clips/tabs that hold the nav surround to the dash, each of them has a felt isolator. If the surround is taken off, the felt can be damaged or lost, and after reinstalling the surround you'll have a rattle.. Take the surround off and put a piece of electrical tape on the clip/tab thing to isolate it from the dash so that when you reinstall it the clip/tab thing is not in contact with the dash (the electrical tape "cushions" it).

Jabberwock

Assuming all the clips and attachment screws are in good shape, present, and tight, the repair/remediation on misc dash rattles usually involves adding pieces of felt and foam to potential rub points and attachment areas. You can get adhesive felt and foam from HD or Lowes and then start experimenting. Two things to help trouble shooting - have someone else drive teh car while you listen to dash while you are pushing it or support it in different areas. Also you might want to drive it with parts of trim dissembled to have better access to hear/see what may be rubbing or flexing and causing the sound.

kwu

I'll be sure to try that out and post an update!

kwu

Yes I have tried the pushing the trim thing, that works. The other thing, I have yet to try

how do I go about removing the trim...is it hard?

Jabberwock

I'd Google and/or search the forum for "LS430 Radio Removal" or some variation of that - you should find several sets of photos and various instructions that will at least get you started. Some examples below -

http://www.sound-repair.com/index.ph...-instructions/

http://www.pro-fit-intl.com/Adobe/MV-50-03-L-p18.pdf