I have a great new car with one small but annoying bug. It appears that all of this year’s units are built with rearview mirrors that are hypersensitive to the stock stereo. I’ve read a ton of forum posts with complaints, but have yet to come across any remedies. Google indicates this problem has happened to other cars too, so perhaps there is a known solution. I’m thinking some sort of insulation behind the glass, but I’m open to ideas. The insulation think might be a problem because my car has a ton of gizmos in the mirror (its auto-electrochromatic, has a compas and garagedoor opener all built into it).
Just for kicks make syre it’s tight. Where it connects to the window there should be a screw. Try tightening it. It if’s still a probelm, take it back to the dealer and let them worry about it…under warranty.
Joey: They’ve made other models with the same problem, its definitely not a loose screw or anything.
I am happy to throw as much money as necessary to fix it.
Since it is a new car have you tried taking it to the dealer, and asking for a fix / replacement?
they can’t “fix/replace” it because thats the way the factories make every mirror. I need to figure out a ‘hack’ so to speak at which point I can get the dealer to do it or do it myself depending on the complexity.
I’m thinking of trying some kind of “dampening” to fix this.
If the dealer can’t get problem fixed, maybe you could try affixing some extra weight to the mirror? It might slow down things, or change the harmonics, or something.
Note, I’m not suggesting you lower the volume, or hanging weighted fuzzy dice from the mirror, nor anything else cute or snarky.
I mean like temporarily taping something like lead fishing weights to it and seeing if that helps. If it does, then glue them on the back of the mirror, or something like that.
Suddenly it occurs to me maybe this is the reason for all those fuzzy dice?
Then complain to the car company. Trust me I work for a car company. If enough complaints come in parts get re-engineered.
If you mickey mouse it, they will have no incentive to fix their screw up.
Is this what the dealer told you? If so, it might be simply an excuse to get you to accept it. If I were you, I’d check out other cars of the same model, perhaps at a different dealer. Do they also vibrate?
My car is a 2006 Lexus IS350. When I first test-drove a similar model, the 250, I noticed the problem. I have also noticed it in a number of ES330s, however my old lexus (LS400) did not have this issue.
Meanwhile I’ve read lots of lexus-owner posts about the same problem, but no one has any ideas how we can fix it 
I don’t know what the geometry of the mirror attachment to the windshield is in your vehicle, but I had a car with a vibrating mirror that I managed to fix by cutting a one-inch length of stiff black rubber tubing and wedging it between the windshield and the arm that connected to the mirror. The tubing was under some compression, so it pushed on the arm, which kept the arm and mirror from vibrating. No glue or permanent alterations of the mirror were necessary.
You can do what you want, but for a car that has an MSRP of 36 Large, I would be all over the factory technical specialist that this condition is absolutly not acceptable for a car that costs that kind of money. Take copies of web pages and other owner’s rants. Show that yours is not an isolated problem.
If the rep balks at fixing it, I would ask if Lexus has given up on the relentless pursuit of perfection. 
Remind them that a rear view mirror is a safety item, and the vibration could be the basis for a buy back.
Why would wetting it with water do anything?
I think you mean damping. 
Crafter_Man: According to the OED, dampen can mean “1. trans. To dull, deaden, diminish the force or ardour of, depress, deject;”
I guess bugging lexus is certainly a viable route, i just wonder if its the fastest and simplest. Perhaps I can bounce it off my salesguy and see what he thinks.
I work at a Lexus dealership…I’ll ask if they’ve come across it and what can be done about it, then get back to you. 
And, yes, I’d definitely get in touch with your salesguy. If he’s not in, try the Parts Dept. They’re very knowledgeable.
::: sigh:::
The sale guy probably could not care less. He rolled your car across the line at the street and got paid. Plus in my 20+ years at dealer and factory level, I have found that about 98% of all sales guys are idiots when it comes to technical details about the cars they sell. Sad but true. It is very likely all they will do is refer you to service.
The parts wenie might have a clue, but even if they do, you will still have to go see the guys in service to get it fixed under the warranty.
Why not just short cut the process and go see the guys in service to start with?
This strikes me as a quick, cheap, and practical fix. Automotive fuel hose should work just fine.
I’d still bitch and moan strongly (but politely, of course) to Lexus for putting out crap like this. Every other carmaker can make mirrors that don’t vibrate, why the hell can’t they? Are they that incompetent at designing cars?
I’ll see your Dampening and raise you a Dampening Effect. 
Wikipedia is nice as far as it goes, but it’s largely inconsistent and not a useful replacement for a good dictionary. I’ll take the OED over it any day.
You can lower the frequency and amplitude of vibration by increasing the mass of the mirror, and stiffening up the stalk won’t hurt either.
My favourite mechanical damping frig is adding lumps of Blu-Tack - it’s just about the best readily available damping material I’ve found, and I use it for everthing from reducing reflections in speaker cabinets to wrapping round quartz crystals to reduce vibration-induced jitter. And it’s relatively cheap, as well as being an electrical insulator at low voltages (don’t know about HT).