Banshee365

Last year I replaced alot of expensive front end suspension parts due to the higher mileage and alot of clunks and clanks. I bought all OEM parts except for the LCA bushings because they are not available seperately, you have to buy the whole LCA to get the bushings. I'm very pleased with the OEM upper arms and strut rod bushings.

The ASUS poly bushings are such a freakin' huge waste of money. If this was a rusted out off-road truck I may consider them again. They are nothing short of a headache, literally. They squeak so loud and in order to keep them any sort of quiet I would have to grease them almost bi-weekly. I have tried white lithium, super-lube, and regular bearing grease. The lithium and bearing grease tie for last place as they last a couple of day's and the super-lube lasts a week or two. The design sucks. One side of the bushings is completely flat and has about a 3" diameter they makes contact with crossmember. This part is the part that ends up squeaking really bad. They should make the bushings to where as little poly as possible touches the aluminum crossmember. But they didn't so you have to drive around sounds like an old rickity wagon. It's so bad that people turn around from a hundred feet away when I pull into a parking spot.

I'm very close to spending the close to $500 for 2 new OEM LCA's so I don't have to worry and think about the front end anymore for a long time. Who else hates their poly bushings. In my experienced opinion, NEVER buy anything for OEM bushings for your Lexus. If you want to keep the Lexus ride, quietness, and maintenance ease just buy OEM. You'll be wasting your money with the ASUS bushings. When my rear end bushings start to knock I'll only be buying OEM parts. Maybe I just need some super NASA grease but I'll gaurantee that it won't stay quiet for more than a month or so no matter what grease you use.

JD1

Thanks for the info. I need to replace my ball joints and rear knuckle bushings, I hadn't even thought of looking into aftermarket parts, but I'll just avoid that temptation. Have you ever replaced your struts. I've never driven a new lexus so I wouldnt know what new oem struts feel like. I would like less body roll, but I dont want the ride to become harsh.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

its not just ASUS, its any poly bushings you put in the control arms! i used to tell the same thing to everyone buying Daizen bushings back in the day.

poly control arm bushings are wayyy to harsh for a car you want to ride smoothly and quietly.

Banshee365

I think I meant to say ADUS? ASUS may be a flashback from my desktop gaming machine building days as a young teenager. Anyway's...

My '96 LS has 211k miles with, I'm pretty sure, the original struts. They ride fine for now are are quiet as can be. I'm luck enough to have the non-air suspension. As far as struts go I may or may not try and go OEM. I wouldn't mind using a good quality aftermarket strut if it compares well to the OEM. I do want OEM specs on the strut though. Totally not interested in performance upgrades. To each their own.

To grease my bushings I just drive the car up on ramps, jack it up a little more and install jack stands then pull the ramps out so it's a bit off the ground. Then I mark the cam adjusters on the LCA's. Then remove the LCA bolt. Make sure the key is out of the ignition so the steering wheel can lock. Then I just have a helped toe the tire out and the LCA pops out of the crossmember. Then I just relube it and toe the tire back straight and reinstall hardware and realign the marks. It's quiet for a week or two tops after that. I contemplated drilling 2 holes at the top and bottom of the rear crossmember where the back of the bushings sits and installing 2 zerk fittings per side. I really don't want to go drilling a critical component of the car like that and feel that it should not be necessary, therefore the bushings are haunting my dreams at night. I was spending enough money on OEM UCA's and strut rod bushings and read alot about the ADUS bushings so I decided to try those. Bad idea, should have just coughed up some more coin and did it right. Most parts I replace now should last the rest of the life of the car. Now after a year I'm about to pull the front end apart again. They squeak so bad that you can actually FEEL them squeak. You can FEEL the high frequency vibration through your entire body when you hit a big dip or intersection in the road. Much like a shuttering papertowel across a window after windexing. When you hear and feel that loud squeak noise and it almost numbs your fingers somewhat, that's what you feel. It's not very "Lexus" feeling let me tell you that.

JimsGX

The OEM LCA bushings are available for the first gen separately. Not sure about the second gen. Poly bushings are junk in our cars, I ripped all of mine out. Even the sway bar poly's. If you want the best all around lube, buy a jar of 3M Silicone Paste. It's a bit pricey but it actually works...

http://www.amazon.com/3M-08946/dp/B0...6898281&sr=8-1

Jim

amcdonal86

Banshee, if you get the Lexus LCAs, I'd recommend getting them from Sewell Lexus. I think the coupon code CLUBLEXUS gets you a 15% discount there.

BTW, how is the ride quality with those poly bushings? And doesn't having them get flat on one side or something ruin your alignment and the tracking of the car?

Banshee365

Thanks for the recommendation of Sewell. I havn't looked around much for the parts because it's more of an annoyance than an actual issue right now. But it's getting to the point where I just can't stand it anymore. I've got popping the LCA's out and regreasing them down to about 15 minutes but it's still a huge pain.

Honestly I really didn't notice much of a ride differance with the poly bushings. They may be a little stiffer but it's hard to tell. Even the weight redistribution the occurs from a stop to pulling out into the street makes a loud SQUEAK! I don't think the bushings cause an alignment issue as cam washers put the center of the bushings where it needs to be to align the car but I do bet money that one part of the bushing has more pressure against the crossmember than the other side does. To The LCA goes into the crossmember just a smidge crooked. I think that's normal but the bushing is flat on the back and it does not give as easy as the rubber bushing does.

J_LS

iTrader: (5)

after reading this thread, i definitely am going to reconsider getting poly bushings... sigh!