kalimski

Hello guys,

just wondering If LS460L owners still don't have other option than paying high dollar for strut replacement when air goes wrong.... I'm going to buy an LS460L in overall great shape this week, but there's no warranty and the Air suspension failure is my nightmare. I would be just fine spending few thousand, but some people are talking about even 10k.

Or, is there any good, reasonable priced aftermarket air suspension kit that could do cheaper than a factory replacement?

Thank you so much.

lbintab

iTrader: (1)

Almost all the aftermarket air options are cheaper than oem. You'd just need to scrap all the oem stuff including the management for a completely standalone system. If you want to swap out springs for your air that's an option too. Oem springs can be had for cheap on the used market and oem replacement kyb struts aren't expensive. You'd also need to purchase top hats from the dealer to make it all work. Oh and not all LS 460L'S have air. They were available without air. Mine was a non air suspension car.

kalimski

Thanks! I know there are conversion kits, but all of them are compatible only with LS460 SWB. None seem to be for LWB. The one I want to buy is definitely AS as it has height high button.

brianlin87

iTrader: (11)

If the height high button is solely you're looking for, then myself, lbintab and everyone else on the boards with aftermarket air can attest that height adjustment via aftermarket is significantly faster/effective than it was from the factory.

lbintab

iTrader: (1)

There isn't a difference in suspension with swb and lwb if it's apples for apples. Awd is a different story though.

RR601

The air is the reason I am considering the extended warranty. In case I don't get the warranty. Can you give me an idea of what my total cost would be for the aftermarket conversion.
Would I have to add any extra switches under the dash to control it.
Any cons you can think of?

thanks

brianlin87

iTrader: (11)

In the case you don't get warranty and want to switch over to aftermarket air suspension - you'd have a plethora of options. Air Runner, Aragosta, Bold World, Air Rex, Air Force, Universal Air, etc. to name a few.

It really comes down to what budget you have.

As for the extra "switches under the dash" - it depends how much air suspension management you want, but even in the most basic of kits, you'll need to access paddles/switches of some sort to raise the car up and down.

I can't really think of any cons for myself at the moment as I've never really had a problem since I've swapped over. I can't speak for everyone here, but my car has no dash lights, no error codes, and my Accuair key pad has worked flawlessly.

DJWLDW

I have a question that I asked on another thread but did not get an answer. I have a 2010 LS460 L RWD that does not have the air shocks. No sport/normal/comfort switch. However when I run the VIN Decoder up above it shows in the Tech Specs section that the suspension type-Front is Air, Multi-Link and the Suspension type - rear also is Air, Multi-link. Is this just some type of air bag suspension like my father had on his 1995 Town Car and not the "Air Suspension" that everyone has so many problems with?

Dennis

brianlin87

iTrader: (11)

It is a factory equipped air suspension. The air bags provided by the Lexus Factory suspension have probably evolved since the 1995 Town Car ones, providing the flexibility of dampening, etc; however the concept is still the same. Hope that answers your question.

is150

iTrader: (10)

I'm not following your question. You say you do not have air suspension but you ran the vin and it says you do? I'd Jack the car up and look to see if you have springs or not.

DJWLDW

is150 and brianlin87

Thanks for the response. I know that I do not have the adjustable shocks/struts as I do not have the switch on the consul marked sport/normal/comfort. I am assuming that these shocks/struts are driven by air and these are the part of the air suspension that gives folks so many problems. I am also assuming that al least the 2010 and newer LS's all have some type of air suspension even if it is just air bags? Brian I am sure you are right that the LS air bag system has come a long ways since my fathers 1995 town car. He had the Cartier top of the line model. I bought it from him in 2010 after his stroke with 99,000 miles on it. I must say it was still a very nice ride. I sold it back in March of 2012 with 125,000 miles on it and it was still going strong.

Dennis

is150

iTrader: (10)

Okay so you don't have the adjustable shocks. Do you have the factory air ride suspension? Or do you have springs?

DJWLDW

I do not know. I just went out and looked and as we do not have the solid rear differential of old, I did not see a big old spring nor did I see an air bag what I thought was an airbag. lots of links.

Dennis

is150

iTrader: (10)

Take a flashlight and look behind the wheel/tire. Should be fairly obvious. If not you may need to jack one corner up to get a better look.

Ascari_2

Do you have the strut assembly that looks like the one on the left or the right?