skperformance

iTrader: (6)

So i am getting my car cleaned up before i install my air suspension when it finally is available. SO i take it by a tech and get him to change my tensioner and inspect the RR as i think i have a bearing worn.
I ordered a new rear bearing a parking brake cable and some other parts from a friend at Toyota head office who is kind enough to help me out. Ordered parking brake shoes from ebay 6 months ago for all 4 for $20. So i go there this morning and realize i left the shoes at home. Oh well get what i can done now as it is not close to me to go home.

Analysis after is

The good:
The tensioner is good but the bearing on the wheel is bad , so it is good i wanted to replace it to finish all the front end bearings and tensioners.

The bad: The rear wheel bearing is fine and the play is coming from the rear lower knuckle bushing being disintegrated .I will probably need to buy a whole knuckle just to get that one stupid thing.
Both my front upper control arms are bad , both strut rods blown after 8 months , FL bearing shot. So right now i have more play than the guys in the AXE commercials. Also all of my sway bar bushings have enough play to see through them , luckily i already ordered those over priced pieces of crap.

The ugly now i have to wait for more parts to come in to fix all of this stuff and pay out through my ........

The best part my car will drive great after all this work again as it has become excessively sloppy over the past year since going to lex fest in Atlanta .
Also noticed carson has a line of bushings to replace my dead ones but they are $24 each ($100 total )and i need 2 per side. Do they know what a rip off that is. I Bought my full urethane kit for my Civic for $120 and it replaced everything but my engine mount. Never mind the other bushings they have which add up to a small fortune. I will probably be replacing them if they give me a deal on buying the full set as well as the rear torsion bars they have. Also i will get new strut rods for free and an alignment as the strut rods are under warranty from the dealer. Problem is i asked them to check the car 6 months ago and they said everything was fine. Know you know why i use a new place to get work done.

So hopefully by next weekend this will all be done if i get them in time. Then in 2 weeks the suspension kit will be ready from easy street and i will have my car bagged.

Oh well my wife did get a new bedroom set ,to top it off she wants a new car , a GS400 of course and i will only buy one if it is in spectra blue mica.

AHHHH what a headache.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I've come to realize that for Lexus to get that nice cushy ride the rubber bushings pay a price. I came from an SC400 so I know all too well about worn upper and lower control arm bushings, steering rack bushings, and pretty much any rubber engine/trans or suspension bushing or mount. Because this is common on the SC and early LS, I assumed the same for my 94 ES when I had it. Sure enough, I had about 110K on it and the front lower control arm bushing was all cracked. Not destroyed like the SC/LS, but getting there. I just automatically now assume all Lexus cars will need suspension bushing replacement at 100K or even sooner. Look at the 2nd gen GS. Same thing.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

that sucks about the bushings im lucky mine are still good right now

so ur getting ur air setup!! havent talked to you in a longass time man, hit me up, i think u got my no.

or just PM me some details i got some questions for ya too

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Having the Lex ride comes at a price...those bushings wear out and in some instances too quickly. The price for multi-link.

When we had the Cressida, the suspension on it felt as tight when we sold it at 180K as the day I fist drove it. I did change the sway bar bushings but nothing else in that McPhearson showed any signs like the LS does.

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

Well it looks like i may get a few bushings pressed in and out to save on parts and switch to urethane.

CK6 my car has 312 000 km on it so it should have a few worn here or there.
It is a heavy car and is made to soak up bumps through the bushing play to make it cushy. Toyota makes soft bushings ,if there was only more support from the aftermarket for the world's largest vehicle maker to get more replacement upgrades.

PD i don't know where i put your number drop me a line when you have time and I'll get you up to date.

I am not the biggest fan of putting urethane on my LS but it will stiffen the control of the car up and the air suspension will be taking in the bumps in the road. So it will be rougher but is going to stay the same forever and not break every other year. Lexus could atleast step up and sell just oem bushings for most of this stuff in a kit or to be even better have different levels of softness to the bushing dependent on the consumer.

trukn1

Man, sorry to hear that beauty of yours is having such problems. I know it is growing pains and all but still. Yours is still one of the niceist LS's here on the forums; even if your eyelids are not quite "Tammy Faye Baker's"!! ROTFLMAO!!!!!

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

LMAO @ trukn1
I don't pull it off as smoothly as you do though. LOL

I don't think i am the only one with poor bushings , i actually think most of us have bushings cracked just no one can tell unless it is really well inspected for play to show the cracks. I knew something was wrong and the dealer told me my strut rods were fine on visual inspection. I got them to pull out a pry bar and move it out of tolerance and up popped up the cracks. They were surprised as even i admitted it normally always shows but this one is so hard pressed in that it seals itself.

jasonm

iTrader: (5)

Urethane bushings are great. The factory ones are too soft, that's why they fall apart so easy. I did my rear trailing arm bushings and carrier bushings and they feel great, more solid. It will keep everything firm a lot longer.

VipDout

iTrader: (4)

I recieved a quote today ... Did you guys know upper control arms have to be replaced if the joint is bad ...

463.75 each arm .... what price have you guys heard of ?

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

I found the upper arms online for $306 each , my ball joints are bad and the bushings are fine on both of my upper ones. It is truly an absolute waste of money to buy a bar in my case but i have no choice. I am tempted to buy after market ones .