BlueCrabby

I did the usual test on my 160000-mile RX300. Push down hard on each corner with my body weight, release... that corner goes up and comes back down, then stop immediately. The handing/ride also feel normal to me.

should I replace them or not? the only reason i'm even thinking about is is that I saw a good deal at the local Toyota dealer. They have a special on shocks replacement. I have to bring the parts, since they can't order those shocks from a Lexus dealer. The service writer did some math and said all I had to pay them was the $235 in labor.

AKBimmer

You will be surprised how worn out they are. Everything feels normal because you are used to it. Shocks wear out slowly so your normal always feel normal until they fail, leak or clunk. The springs is what you are testing when you push on a corner, they hold the weight of the car. A shock just determines how far the springs go down and fast they come back up making for a nice ride. without them the car would bounce on every bump.

I changed the shocks in my wife's MDX with 120k on them and the difference was night and day.

mshumack

reach into the wheel well and feel around the top of the shock near the boot (where the shaft comes out of the body). If there is any oily residue on it, it is leaking and due for replacement.

BlueCrabby

my money-grabbing blood-sucking local Lexus dealer told me that my shocks were "looking fine" and "don't need to worry about it for another 20 to 30 thousand miles... at which time, it will be about $1100 to replace all four"

which was a major surprise to me because they try to get me to replace my air filter for $55 whenever I go in for a simple oil change($14.95 because i bring my own Mobil 1).... or ask me if I want to have the $79 induction service(I clean the TB and other related stuff every 6 months myself)...

mshumack

Maybe they're not as "money-grabbing-blood-sucking: as you think,
$1,100 is a lot of money. As a former (retired) mechanic, I still do most of my auto repairs myself so I don't really know what others are paying at dealerships/shops. I can see why you would be upset over the cost for repairs these days.
back in my day, you could change all four shocks on Dodge Dart for the cost of a cabin-filter today (that comment shows my age).

fastnoypi

slightly off-topic... when hitting the 160k+ mark and having clunking struts, for those who have replaced your struts...how many of you replaced your springs? Would they still be good at such high milage?

yakev724

I replaced my 200k struts with new ones and kept the springs, everything's been fine. Just get new spring seats.

BlueCrabby

I was at another Lexus dealership today and stopped in to get oil/filter changed. I'm a cheapskate, so I brought my own Mobil 1 5W30($22.99 for 5-quart jug from Walmart across the street). Also brought the filter that I ordered from Sewell. The Lexus dealer also had a postcard coupon for $24.95 oil change. Since I had my own oil and filter, the service writer took off $15. It also came with free washa and vacuum, so a pretty good deal. The wait was 2 hours. However, I enjoyed a free cooked-to-order brunch in the waiting lounge.

Sorry... starting to get off-topic here.... I asked them to check the suspension on the old RX300 and the technician came out ans spoke with me. He ask me if I noticed something wrong. I said I was only wondering if they need to be changed because of the 160000 miles. He then drove with me around the block a few times. He said everything felt fine. When we got back, he raised the RX300 and looked at it again from the bottom. He said there is only one issue, which is a slightly worn/flattened spring pad on the right rear corner. He said it would be about $40 to replace it. He recommended that I get KYB shocks if I insist on replacing the shocks. He said the KYBs are 4 times chaper than Toyota shocks. Never heard of this KYB company.... but if a Lexus tech recommends it, I guess it must be ok?

fastnoypi

Yes Kyb makes good quality struts. I'm planning on the GR2 model when the weather is much warmer. However, reviews on this board seem to express the Kyb front strut tops are junk, more specifically the bearings they supply them with.

yakev724

Not just the bearings.

I've replaced the damn things 3 times since replacing my struts. Non-OEM strut mounts aren't machined to the same spec (apparently), don't seat perfectly and end up making noise when turning.

I've gone through 2 cheap rockauto sets, KYB, and now finally going OEM when I get back home in a couple weeks.

Part nos. 4860933121, 4860333021, 9090363014 (x2). Cheapest on eBay I think (~$150 total).

As for shocks, KYB are the logical choice, Sensen are about 2-2.5x cheaper and work fine as well.

fastnoypi

thanks for the qualifier, i haven't come across any reviews yet regarding the seating.
Per one of my other posts, I'm leaning towards using my OEM front strut mounts and pressing in new bearings from Toyota unless I get more feedback that that would be a bad idea.

salimshah

Personally I am against all elective changes. If there is a problem then it should be addressed. Any work you do has potential side affects and collateral damage and not a proper fit.

I feel like football coaches who are not gungho about airing the ball.

I must be getting old

Salim

BlueCrabby

that's what I told my girlfriend when she wanted to get a boob job. I said "what if the doctor makes
them too BIG?" I never found out how the boob job went because she broke up with me after my
stupid remark.

JohnLX300

iTrader: (2)

I replaced all four struts on my old 99 RX300 with KYB all around. Only had around 101k. Even then it was like night and day! I even test drove some newer RX330 at the time with only about 45k. My RX's ride was quite amazing. So amazing I wish I had done it earlier. Didn't realize the ride quality was effected so much at such mileage. Money well spent. I replace them myself so I incurred no labor charges.

trips1

Please can someone comment if changing struts a DIY job for an average DIYer?
Also is $235 a good price for labor charges to an independent or to a Toyota dealer as indicated by the person who posted this thread.