Nixsun79

Hey guys,

I am on a tight crunch here so sorry for the lack of research on my part.

I just took the car to get an oil change and they are telling me that my front strut is blown and leaking fluid. They are also telling me that it will be $1100 to replace the two front struts with labor.

This seems a little high to me and wanted to see what everyone thought. Should I just roll with it for now and for the amount spent get a more sporty suspension installed as opposed to the stock ride.

I def. do not want to lose the float feel though as I love how smooth the ride it.

The place said they are replacing with Monroe struts also.

One more thing to add, I am driving to St. Louis tomorrow which is a little over 1k miles.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks!

caddyowner

This is the LS430 forum. Are you asking about a LS430 or a GS300? If it is a LS430, do you have the air suspension or normal?

Nixsun79

LS430 with normal suspension, Sorry about that.

edit* 2004 LS430 that is.

CarGuy89

Having bad struts is just going to make the car ride a bit worse. Take it to Toyota and see what they charge you (usually half of Lexus according to many members). If you want to go with a sportier aftermarket setup (ie coil over kit) then hold off on the strut replace and buy a nice set after your trip. Struts definitely won't leave you stranded if that's what you're concerned about.

jimbosr1

years ago i went to a firestone tire place and got a oil change for my 86 camaro which was in warranty in 87.the guy says i have leaking rear shocks so i look at them and it looks like he squirted some dirty oil on them.so i said you got a rag and he gives me one and i wipe it off and say its fixed now.i know that alot of bad people trying to rip you off at the service centers.i would be very suspicious of struts leaking in pairs.if one is leaking i would wipe it off and see if it continues to leak.even if it is leaking i think you would have no problem making a 1k mile trip.i kept that camaro for 5 more years and never had any problems for the struts or the shocks.

Nixsun79

Thanks guys, I know that there is definitely a strut problem. When I drive over a speed bump I can hear the drivers front tire hit the top of the well.

The guy told me that it was taking chunks out of my tire and I could not see any signs of that though. Overall the quote they gave me for 2 new tires and 2 new struts with 2 new bearings and alignement was $1830.01.

I think for that amount of cash I could get a really nice set of coilovers. I told them to just leave it as is and I will drive it to STL tomorrow as planned.

Now to do some research on coilovers. !

GeorgeT

Replaced the front struts in my '02 LS430 last year by an Indy for $750 - Lexus OEM struts.

monkeybutt

Not quite clear why you would need new tires and bearings because of a bad strut.

I had all 4 oem struts replaced and a 4 wheel alignment done for $630. I got the struts from My Lex Parts and the Tire Pro guys charged me $260 labor and that included installing Tanabe springs as the labor charge was the same.

If it were my front tire hitting the top of the wheel well on a bump and I had a 1000 mile trip ahead of me, I would probably rent a car just to be safe.

Jabberwock

Never trust the oil change guys who find expense repairs. If this happens to be NTB or any other various national chain tire or repair places - run away as fast as you can..they use the lowest skill cheapest labor techs they can find.

Definitely get a second opinion from Lexus or Toyota or a good Lexus/Toyota independent specialist. To save money order the OEM struts yourself at a discount price from Lexus online from a place like Sewell and then pay labor locally to have them installed.

vollandt

FWIW - I had a local shop that specializes in suspension work change mine with parts I purchased. The total for labor came to $350 (130 for the fronts + 170 for the rears + 50 for an alignment)