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If you have any clunk try the bushings first, before spending thousands of dollars on other suspension parts. At $100 it makes no sense not to do the bushings regardless.
Another success story to share; I too just installed new bushings on the rear sway bar and my clunking is 100% gone! A very special thanks to Lolrax for his dedication to finding the right diagnosis AND sharing his solution on clublexus.
On a side note, I had a very similar experience to that of Lolrax. I purchased this "certified pre-owned" 09 KDSS about a month ago. Of course after the purchase was complete, I then noticed the clunking. When I took it to the dealership for repair, I got the same run-around. They told me the spare tire was loose and that they 'tightened the rear suspension', charged me $65 and sent me on my way - this obviously did not resolve the clunking issue. The dealer indicated they could not charge the cpo warranty because no part had failed. So much for a cpo warranty, huh?! I must say, I'm pretty disappointed in Lexus after my personal experience and reading about the others on this thread sharing the same issue. With some very light google research on 'suspension clunking', sway bar bushings are pretty much always the number one culprit - this issue is not isolated to Lexus or the KDSS GX470. So the question is, why are Lexus certified technicians struggling so much with such an easy fix?! I am certainly no mechanic however, I was able to swap out both rear bushings in my garage in about a half hour.
My previous Lexus purchases have all had remaining time on the factory warranty (4yr/50k). If there was ever an issue, no questions were ever asked and I was certainly never charged for improper diagnosis. Sadly, this will likely be my first and last Lexus CPO purchase.
I am glad they figured it out for you! I may have to try replacing those first before I do the shocks!
I looked up the part number they replaced (48818-60020) and it looks like it is the bushing on between the KDSS piston and swaybar they replaced, not the Endlinks (Which would be hard to replace)
#16 in the image below is 48818-60020
That is kinda messed up they charged $37 for that part when it can be had for $14 online...
I wounder why this bushing failed within 50k miles, and why they just replaced that one, and not the other side in the rear? Maybe because the side with the piston sees more movement...I am not sure. I would think they would replace both though since they are already down there.
I think I will replace both of those rear ones, since there is only 2 to replace, and it will only be $30, and see if that fixes the clunk in the rear for me, then replace the 4 in the front and see what that does.
Lolrax, thanks for taking the time to update us! Hopefully that will help some of us in the future from waseing time and money getting the runaround with Lexus Techs!
I am glad they figured it out for you! I may have to try replacing those first before I do the shocks!
I looked up the part number they replaced (48818-60020) and it looks like it is the bushing on between the KDSS piston and swaybar they replaced, not the Endlinks (Which would be hard to replace)
#16 in the image below is 48818-60020
That is kinda messed up they charged $37 for that part when it can be had for $14 online...
I wounder why this bushing failed within 50k miles, and why they just replaced that one, and not the other side in the rear? Maybe because the side with the piston sees more movement...I am not sure. I would think they would replace both though since they are already down there.
I think I will replace both of those rear ones, since there is only 2 to replace, and it will only be $30, and see if that fixes the clunk in the rear for me, then replace the 4 in the front and see what that does.
Lolrax, thanks for taking the time to update us! Hopefully that will help some of us in the future from waseing time and money getting the runaround with Lexus Techs!
Yes you're right about the part, that sounds a lot more like what they told me in the shop. The work order doesn't accurately reflect it. I did have the other one replaced a while back but it made no impact on the sound at all, this part was the culprit 100%.
I also have a brand new 2014 GX460 Luxury with just over 500 miles now. It is doing the EXACT same thing as what TGERGEN mentions when making slow, left turns over bumpy pavement. It is not a normal sound by any stretch. Something is not right. Mine will be going back to the dealer ASAP.
Originally Posted by 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.
Changing my sway bar bushings, in the repair manual it only gives directions on how to change the rear sway bar and that involves draining the KDSS suspension oil which is very involved.
Does anyone have any tips or advice on how to change just the bushings without draining the suspension oil? the four bolts on the bottom of the bushings are easy to access and I am hoping there is an easier way to change just the bushings. Thank you for your help!?
Great thank you! Do you know what they mean when they say support the KDSS piston with a secondary floor jack to prevent it from over extending. Seems if you undo the bottom clamp to let the sway bar drop before you can get a jack under the pistion it would drop? Obviously im not an expert!
03-17-14, 09:37 AM
Rear sway bar bushings are shot