Grouchy

iTrader: (1)

If you still have the issue after getting the control arms replaced, I'm almost certain its a tire issue. After I got my tires and alignment, I still had the radial pull to the right. Turns out my front right tire was defective. It took over 5 trips back to the tire shop to convince them it was a defective tire. They tried to blame everything else on my car before finally acknowledging it.

johnshew

Got the LS back after the work on the control arms and alignment.

Big improvement in cross cambers and the left caster is back in spec.

Thanks to all the Club Lexus members who guided me through this process. And a big thanks to Tim Rebaldo - the service manager at Lexus of Bellevue - he really kept on top of the project.

Hard to believe the LS is driving much smoother now - especially as before all this it was better than any of my other current or previous cars. The combo of new control arms, the alignment, and new AS 3 tires is impressive.

There is still a very slight pull to the right that I probably would not notice unless I was really looking for it. One of the tires is a little low or maybe there is some radial pull - not even sure I will try to hunt this down.

Note that the "before" column in top image isn't the real before... see the second image for the original numbers.

woppenhe

[QUOTE=johnshew;8162151]Got the LS back after the work on the control arms and alignment.

Big improvement in cross cambers and the left caster is back in spec.

Thanks to all the Club Lexus members who guided me through this process. And a big thanks to Tim Rebaldo - the service manager at Lexus of Bellevue - he really kept on top of the project.


I had the same issue. There is apparently a service bulletin out and a fix short of replacing the 'arm' which used to be a very expensive fix. Until I prematurely wore out a set of tires, and noticed that the camber was off on the printout, they performed three alignments, and then stated that the problem could not be fixed. Because they could not adjust the camber. I told them I cannot purchase any further vehicles that cannot be fixed, so if they want to sell these cars they needed to fix it. The next day they came up with the fix. They really ought to contribute to the set of prematurely worn tires. They were worn at the edges with 5mm of tread left in the center.

BTW, if you replace the tires, which I had to do, do not let them sell you the original Bridgestones. There is no tread wear warranty, whereas the Michelin Pilots have 45K to help ease the aggrevation of who is responsible for the tires when they cannot fix the problem. Also don't let them tell you that you can knock the alignment out two seconds after you leave the dealership and they have no culpability. They have the vehicle and check the car every 5K miles, and ought to know the alignment is off by the tire wear. The idea that it is unfixable is laughable but that is what they will claim. Anyone think that Lexus service has deteriorated over the years beside me? Cannot buy them if they cannot fix em.

johnshew

Do you know what they did to fix the car?

woppenhe

They obtained a bracket or shim to reseat the original part to compensate for the tilt. About as good as I can do without talking with the shop manager who may be avoiding me because he was supposed to look back and see if the vehicle was left misaligned all this time. As I mentioned they did two or three alignments over the past year. The service manager said that it used to be a $3000 repair so they developed this alternative. The warranty repair ran about $400 from what I could see on the invoice that they had me sign to prove they did the work. On the positive side, I had the rotors replaced instead of turned for the third time, and have new brake pads. With new tires, brake pads, rotors, and a proper alignment, the car drives like new. Smooth, quiet, tracks perfectly, and even stops more smoothly. In the end they could fix the problem; they just chose not to until I pointed out that putting tires on each year was getting old real fast. My core belief is that the Brembo brakes are not really designed well. They get red hot and warp the rotors almost routinely even though I am a 69 year old reasonably conservative driver, though I do a little mountain commuting at this point. I am on my fourth LS 460, and each of the proceeding three required just one full tire change; this one has required two so far. Consumer reports shows the car better than average in every category (2010 model), except for brakes and suspension. Here it is average. But you do not invest in these cars for 'average.' By 2012 the brakes were still a problem, but the suspension was better than average so perhaps they addressed the issue. Anyhow I hope this helps.

nsaldanh

I had trouble with a 2008 LS460 where the rotors warped. I had to have them turned twice in the 30K miles I owned that car. I have since moved to a 2012 LS 460L. I have 12K miles on the car, no problems with the rotors so far and the brakes are very good.

woppenhe

Glad to hear that This would have been the third time in 48K that I have had the rotors turned. The first was at just 10K or so. Right now I have new rotors, so no current problems. I was told that when the rotors heat at higher freeway speeds, they may warp for the moment, but when they are back in the shop and cooled may not manifest the warped condition. Did not know that.

As to the suspension issues, there is a tech service bulletin, and that is what was done for my vehicle. I did talk with both the service foreman and Service Director today, and went over the alignment data dating back two years and three alignments. The one prior to this week was done in July of 2013 and was within tolerances. My vehicle with the help of the tech service bulletin and the shop foreman is now within tolerances. I was told that the weight of the LS and the normal design is to sit slightly on the inner threads. If you corner quickly, the treads may wear more evenly because the car wears more on the outer treads. However they service the vehicle every 500 miles and are supposed to rotate the tires. That may or may not be enough to extend the tire life. If necessary, they may need to both reverse the inner outer positions and remount the tires. Once such a tire is remounted, they suggested that it ought rotate in the same direction as previously, so the position must be chosen accordingly. I tried to visualize this and it seems it just needs to go to the opposite side of the vehicle. I will be more watchful in the future, but I was satisfied with their explanation today and the fact that they did respond when I queried them.