wliu81

hey guys, long time lurker here. been waiting to post once i got my first gs. im happy to say im the proud new owner of a 00 gs400. unfortunately it came with issues to the front suspension. i have the exact squeaking/bad mattress sound referenced above. the sound however, doesnt go away when stepping on the brakes. ive done the bounce test and dont hear the squeaking but strangely hear it very clearly once driving. ive seen some people do a complete suspension refresh which isnt in my budget right now. hopefully i can fix from the cheapest part to the most expensive. the guy who sold me the car said that i needed to relube the bushings with synthetic grease which leads me to believe that he might have changed bushings out already.

Blanco

iTrader: (8)

How many miles? What front end work did previous owner have done? If you can't find out what definitively has been done, you must assume nothing has. I'm assuming pretty high miles, so based on budgetary constraints, I'd start with the lower ball joints (LBJs), since they're IMO the most important part. Then start with bushings, and/or arms.

How long since struts replaced? Don't know what your suspension plans are, but I'd probably replace the struts if you're not doing coilovers any time soon. Then castor arms, then upper control arms.

Also inspect the outer tie rods for play, as well as the sway bar end links. Those 2 aren't expensive to replace.

Find out as much as you can from previous owner first. Good luck, and congrats on your new (to you) GS!!