Lolrax

Well, we will find out today. I had a test drive and the shop foreman did confirm that the sound happen and we were able to replicate it a lot (thank god). So, we should know very soon!

Lolrax

Okay! We have a diagnosis, I guess it took the techs some time to find it. The local Lexus dealership sent me packing with the explanation that it was my spare tire. Thankfully the Toyota dealership put a bit more effort in. Parts and labor will be about $430, it could have been much worse! Picture of the dealership's diagnosis in the link below.

http://imgur.com/8Bu05VJ

T4Fun

why are u paying for that? take it back to lexus dealer and get it fixed by them.

Lolrax

I am out of warranty, so I don't have to bother with them much. I'm disappointed that they couldn't be bothered to diagnose the problem.

patgilm

That sucks since you just got the GX a few months ago. At least the fix doesn't cost too much.

Quadro

There are rubber bushings on the stabilizer bars which are known to produce the clunk on the GX460 (can happen in both front and rear) which is solved by replacing the bushings. It seems like they want to replace the whole stabilizer link and I guess the bushings will be replaced at the same time. It's hard to say what exactly they did based on the descriptions but I would ask them to explain why do they think the whole link needs to be replaced. Thought it very well may be that that is how the part has to be replaced by the dealer -- many replacement parts come as larger assemblies.

What you can do yourself (if you have time and are willing to bother) is get under the GX and ask somebody else to rock the car from side to side by pushing it and see if you can pin point the noise yourself.

Lolrax

Exactly, its irritating that it took this many appointments and screwing around to fix it but its done and now we have something on the books for future GX owners that might run into the problem!

There is a good chance you are correct, but I am just going to go ahead and do what the dealer recommends. If the clunking stops I will be a very, very happy man. As much as I want to be a DIY guy, I don't have the space or the patience to do a lot myself. One day when I get some space I hope to get a hoist and some tools and learn a few things.

amccaulx

My 2006 GX470 with KDSS has a front and rear clunk (driver and passenger side) when going over potholes, but not speed bumps as well. I wounder if this is from the Stabilizer bar bushing. For the GX460, is it the KDSS or non KDSS models that have this problem? Is there any sign of failure when these go bad?

Can you tell me which piece goes bad on the diagram below?

Quadro

For GX470 I believe you would be looking for these but the part numbers might be different depending on the model:

48815-60200 (BUSH, STABILIZER, FRONT)
48849-60040 (BUSH, STABILIZER LINK, FRONT)
48818-60010 (BUSH, STABILIZER, REAR)

the best way is to contact your Lexus dealer and find out part numbers for the bushings based on your VIN#

GX460 all come with KDSS standard.

Quadro

You may also want to look for aftermarket bushes made out of polyurethane - these supposed to be much more durable though they cost way more too.

Lolrax

Well, I got the car back yesterday and the clunking still exists. The dealership called me and said that they the sound was much better (it is) but there is still a very notable clunking noise. It no longer rattles but it clunks. This makes sense to me because the sound becomes less noticeable when I switch it to sport mode from comfort.

Further investigation by the dealership showed that the shocks in the rear are cooked, and I'm sure the ones up front aren't far from cooked. So it looks like I am going to have to replace them. Mine are the adjustable ones, are there aftermarket options for this?

So much for certified pre-owned

tecman

This site may be an option for you. I had them quote a complete GX air suspension kit for a little over $2000
http://www.airbagit.com/

tgergen

I bought a new '14 GX460 Luxury and mine makes that noise too. LOL I guess I will have them check the rear stabilizer links during my first oil change.

amccaulx

Lolrax, are you still having this issue? It is weird tgergen's new GX would have the same noise. Do you guys think it is possible this is just a normal noise/feeling of the KDSS working? Have you test driven a new one to see if it does the same thing? The similar noise I am having on my GX470 also isn't as bad when you put the suspension in Sport.

tgergen

There is no way the noise I have is "normal". It sounds like a loud clunk....as if something is loose under there and hitting the frame or something. It was so loud I visually inspected everything and could find nothing. However, I have a ride height issue in the rear as well. The RR sits 1" lower than the LR. It looks like I have a load of bricks in the RR of the car. lol I tried messing with the ride height, etc...thinking it may then level when returning to neutral, but no. I had the same issue with my '04 and they adjusted the ride height sensor, which fixed the level issue. This one probably needs the same. How a brand new car could have this is puzzling....something aint right.

At any rate, I am not sure what the noise is at this point, or if it could be related to the ride height, but something is amiss.

edit: The noise only happens when taking a hard left turn over pavement with a bump (when making the suspension work hard)....putting a good amount of stress on the RR. Maybe because the RR is lower than the LR it is putting a high load on the RR causing the noise, I dunno.