Hi everyone, super-big update time with GOOD NEWS from my recent dealer visit!
On Tuesday, I took my FR-S into the dealership to have the following issues reviewed: the chirp at idle, the A/C idle, the rear deck tapping, and buzzing in the passenger door (door panel vibrations).
Problem #1 Idle Chirp
The dealer had the local Scion rep on-hand to investigate the chirps and determined it was the high pressure pump shaft chirping. They replaced the pump, manifold, throttle chamber, fuel delivery pipe, and fuel pipe (basically, the entire system). This fix eliminated the chirp (though we've got to give it a few hundred miles to see if it rears its head again).
BTW: I got a glimpse of the dealer's copy revealing over $2,000 in parts for the fuel system replacement. This is quite the goldmine for your local dealer (they get paid from Scion for these repairs).
Edit: This is the repair from the
newly-released TSB.
Problem #2 A/C Chirp
The fuel delivery replacement also remedied the A/C chirp (where the car would emit a loud single chirp every 15-20 seconds when moving with the air conditioning on).
Problem #3 Passenger Door Buzz
In a first, ever, for a car dealership (for me, at least), they tore down the passenger door and reassembled it with additional soundproofing foam. It is as tight as a drum, now. Excellent work!
Problem #4 The Rear Deck Tapping
The moment you've been waiting for:
Diagnosis - direct quote from the dealer docs: "Noise caused by rear deck cross member spot welds and panels shifting causing popping-type noise. Excessive spot weld slag rubbing on panels internally. Inspect trunk body seam spot welds, OK. Inspect quarter body seams and spot welds, OK.
Roadtest confirms noise. Remove rear interior deck cover, and third brake light assembly. Adjust rear deck cross member spot weld seams on upper and lower section. Apply HHS-K to all adjusted spot weld seams and panels. Roadtest on various road types - noise is gone."
And they're right! The noise IS gone. In layman's terms, they re-welded (so not a word) some spot welds and applied HHS-K, a high-pressure lubricating oil. Similar to our home remedy fix of white lithium or silicone grease, this did the trick. For the moment, the noise is gone.
I've only had the car for a day, but I can say that it is the most silent it's been since I've gotten it. My recommendation - if you can, try and schedule your appointment so the local Scion regional representative can be on-hand.
P.S. I'm still waiting on the ECU for the Daytime Running Light delete. When they say "back-ordered," they really mean back-ordered!