Pyrotech

i posted this to edmunds town hall too just to get a second opinion.

for those of you with the air suspension...what kinds of symptoms have you experienced in regard to wearing out of the air struts? i'm curious because currently the front tires are exhibiting uneven wear, there is a slight wobble, a little more bounce than i'd expect, car kinda wanders, and i've had three alignments since the end of last year.


when i bought my LS it had a bad front sway bar. i don't know how long it was bad before i purchased it. i'm wondering if lack of repair of the sway bar has damaged or caused early failure of the front air struts. as a preemptive measure, i got new tires and had them balanced and all that. still exhibits those symptons above. i just don't want to fork out those bucks unless it's a definite air strut failure. dealer says struts are fine but the car does have 90k on it which is what most people are telling me is the average time for failure.


my only other concern is that maybe the strut tops/mounts are rusted out. i'm wondering if i replace only the tops/mounts if that will correct the problems mentioned above. anybody got any ideas?

healerhand

well,

the air suspension is very expensive ($800 each). If you AS is bad, you will bottom out when you go over a bump and the car bounce excessively.

Pyrotech

that's part of the problem. The front part doesn't really absorb much of the impact force compared to the back. that's why i think the fronts are bad. but then again there are soooo many other possibilities with the technology level of this car. i'll know for usre i guess this wednesday when i take it to the dealer. i've been savin a little each paycheck for the air strut replacement. i know it's gonna make me hurt. i might just have my regular mechanic do it if he feels he can do it. i bought one of those lexus mechanic repair manuals for my make/model.

BkInBlk

We had a '93 LS that had the adjustable air suspension. When they started to go (about 120K miles), I was hearing a banging/clicking sound from the front of the car. I was told that this was the actuators that had worn out and the suspension needed to be replaced. Now I hope you are sitting down. The cost for the fronts to be replaced was almost $2,500 (including labor). Aside from the struts, all of the electronic components need to be replaced. Just as an fyi, the rear are a lot cheaper - only $1,600.

I now stay away from cars with air suspension. Basic suspensions are a lot cheaper to replace and upgrade.

Pyrotech

Well I got my 95 LS back today from the dealer. Just like I thought, the air suspension is shot. They recommended that I replace all four for a whopping total of $3800. They said they are still performing acceptably but are definitely worn. The excessive roaming and tire wear are because of the struts just like I thought also. I'm just gonna get the fronts done probably and then get the rears done a few months down the road since they're not as bad.

Even with the air struts "bad", the car rides a thousand times better than most other cars I have ridden in. When going to pick my car back up, I rode in a Pontiac Grand Am. My mother's cavalier is also no comparison. I know it's a real stretch of a comparison but the LS is quieter, smoother, and rides better even on 90k air struts than those newer cars with many less miles. But, my next car will definitely have a standard suspension. I've been thinking about getting an IS for the sporty feel. Maybe a GS400. The SC has never really been one of my favorites. But since I bought this 95 used a few months ago, I have to live with it for a little while longer.

dude74

The air suspension is a pain in the rear. My 90 has the air suspension. I had the fronts replaces when the car had 110k on it. With 146k on the ODO now, I think the rears are definitely shot.

What I am concerned about now is an annoying vibration that I can't seem to get rid of. I am hoping it is just an ot of balance tire, but it could be the balljoints in the front or possible even the rear air shocks. Even with the high miles, the car still rides very well.


Does anyone know if there are any aftermarket air shocks and struts or are they a dealer only part?

ncdogdoc

According to the service manual, there is no difference in the suspension between the two cars except for the lack of springs (air bladders) and the shocks (adjustable damping). IOW, remove the air setup, and replance it with Tokicos and Eibachs or Koni's if you like adjustability. Unless there is something in the brains that makes the car revolt, it is no different than the old air bag Monroes that we put on Camaros to jack up the back end, or the new Teins with electronic damping control. Now if someone would through their money away and try a set of GS400 RA's on there LS400 and let us know what kind of headaches they encountered, we could all ride in style like the new boys do!

Pyrotech

I complained about minor vibrations and the dealer told me that I may need new motor mounts and/or a new driveshaft. We're gonna try the mounts first cuz they're cheaper. They said this is only the second driveshaft they've ever had to replace on an LS but then again it's hard to believe some of those stories. I too wondered if the vibration was caused by the failing air struts. My fronts are bad too and that seems to be the part of the car that vibrates but it's hard to tell. I read a similar complaint in edmunds town hall about vibrations. It was fixed with analysis and then replacement of the rear halfshafts. Might want to have the technician check those out while he's back there looking at your rear air struts. And, it's amazing that you've gotten that many miles on air struts. I've heard that they usually go by 100k so those rears may have been "bad" for awhile. Car still rides better though than most others.

As for changing the struts to standard, I was told by the dealer that it is possible but is even more costly than replacing the air struts. I never followed up with another quote from a performance shop but every regular shop I've called in regards to converting the air suspension to the standard has said that they won't touch it. Guess they don't want to modify it from the factory or maybe they don't have experience with doing it. With 90k on the odometer now, i'll wait a little longer to get the replacement. probably 5k or so. then i'll just drive the car till it dies with the replacements. i put on average 25k a year on the car so it should be nearing that critical decision point in about 5 years anyway when the struts will need to be replaced again.