HarrierRX300

Happy holidays everyone...

I need some advice/part number if available for something that was supposed to be a quick 4 wheel alignment became +$1000 in parts and labor.

I just put new wheels and tires on my car. I was told that I should do an alignment just to be sure everything is straight. So, being that it's New Year's Eve, it'll be slow and quiet. I bring my car to the tire shop and they connect my car to the Hunter alignment machine. I told them that new brake pads were replaced (with original rotors) and that it shakes a little when I brake slowly to a complete stop when I drove fast. They said they'll do a quick diagnostics since the car was already up in the air.

The mechanic came back and showed me the computer monitor. He said the right side wheels are slightly off and that the left front is way off due to worn bushings and ball joints. He said it's recommended that I get a camber kit, 2 new sway bars, new ball joints, 2 new rotors and 2 new brake pads totalling $1000+.

Does anyone have those part numbers that I can email Carson Toyota so I can get an estimate? Perhaps I can maybe even think about aftermarket rotors now... Any suggestion?

Thanks again for any tip, part #, or diagrams...

maorsela

This one is a great resource: http://www.lexussouthatlantaparts.com/

They have many diagrams to help you find the correct part.

http://lexus.sewellparts.com/search.html is another great resource with diagrams and search capability.

jnovak01

go to RockAuto and look up the suspension parts you need.
Sewell has good parts as well, but you can get OEM quality without the cost on RA.

You don't need a sway bar, you need a sway bar linkage and most likely bushings.
Also, with the RX get the lower control arms with the ball joints installed as those bushings are most likely shot as well.
This will give you a picture of what parts will cost.

HarrierRX300

Thanks for the suggestion for RockAuto and Sewell... I was just nervous that perhaps the mechanic was trying to upsell on the bushings and rods and other things. It was supposed to only be a quick 4 wheel alignment for $95 and it ended up no charge because he said if I did pay for the alignment, I'll end up paying for the other stuff and an alignment again so he didn't charge anything. I was just surprised because I said my car only has 63K. He said the bushings are probably shot and can't be adjusted and also because of age, a 2001 car (13 years)...

Thanks for the links....

HarrierRX300

So I've done some research comparison with dealerships pricing and rockauto's pricing. Some of my friends are recommending Brembo's which are slightly cheaper than OEM toyota rotors for $54 (25533) then OEM toyota blanks at $63.

My question is should I purchase OEM pads at $53 or are there other brands of pads I can use with Brembos?

Brake Kit FWD Front Brake Rotors (Akebono) with Brake Pads Brembo for $128
or
Front Brake Rotors with Brake Pads Kit Brembo OEM for $182 (Both Brembo pads and rotors)

#2. Do i really need a front shim kit for $35 or can I just reuse the shim's on the originals?

Much thanks guys!

jnovak01

I have a 2011 Toyota Sienna, and a 2001 RX. On both I have put PowerStop front rotors and pads. On the pads you have to break them in following the mfg directions. It's easy stuff....really. I have done many a brake job on my cars, and others for that matter. The PowerStops work VERY well - for me and my family.
I have had the PowerStop vented rotors on the Sienna for 2 years now and they are excellent. I tried them at the recommendations on the Sienna forum due to some people having problems with the OEM pads/rotors. Not familiar with the name I tried them. I like them very much.

For calipers I went with Raybestos remanufactured professional for the RX and have never looked been sorry. I can tell you I tried lower cost calipers on the RX and had problems. When it comes to my family and stopping I don't skimp or cut corners.
Good Luck

HarrierRX300

Thanks for the info. Anything else I should change while the wheel is off and a 4 wheel alignment will be done after it's all completed?

JAB

My 99 RX300 has 224,000 miles on it and I have never had to replace parts in order to maintain alignment. Whenever I develop shudder under braking it is always fixed by replacing only the rotors.

jnovak01

Check that the caliper pins are lubed correctly. If they are stuck they can cause shudder as well. I typically have never had an alignment done after replacing brakes. I always do an alignment when replacing the struts either front or rear on an AWD vehicle. And of course always replace your struts in pairs. At 13 years old and 110K miles I replaced struts sway bar linkage/bushings, lower control arms and ball joints. The 2001 RX drives excellently and quieter than my 2011 RX. It is the best vehicle I have ever owned. If Lexus still made them I would buy one today. I like the 2011 RX, so don't get me wrong, but the 2001 RX has been great for us. Good Luck.

HarrierRX300

Thanks for all the tips.
I will look for aftermarket rotors and pads. New-part.com has pretty good prices for rotors, pads, lower ball joints, stabilizer links, etc.

The whole reason why I needed an alignment and found out that the joint bushings were leaking is because I changed wheel/tires for the winter. People said since you're changing out to new wheels/tires, they recommended that I get 4 wheel alignment. That's where the mechanic brought me over and shined a light at the lower ball joint. He said it was leaking fluid and that the alignment couldn't be done. He said he couldn't adjust the camber/toe because of the lower ball joints, stablizer links, etc. So I said might as well change the rotors since it's pulsating when I gradually brake to slow down.

In all, thanks for all the recommendations and sites...

HarrierRX300

Does anyone know what torque the mechanic is tightening to in the video around 5:20 mark? I'm familiarizing myself so I know what to have the torque ft. lb. to when I put everything back together.