trhs75

It sounds like the strut/spring assembly (front and rear?) came out as a unit, rather than having to be compressed and disassembled on the car as on my daughter's Olds Intrigue? I wonder if it would be easier to start compressing the springs before removal of the unit from the RX. Some compression would have been accomplished already by the weight of the vehicle, I suppose. I appreciate the replies and the advice, guys!

salimshah

trhs75:

Here is the DIY on struts

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...need-help.html


Salim

kalali

Not worth saving $20. I would let a shop do this part. I did this two weekends ago on my BMW using those archaic spring compressors and said never again. The strut/spring comes out in my piece and don't forget the top mounts.

fastnoypi

If there's a next time, borrow a MacPherson strut compressor kit from Autozone. They are pretty heavy duty and the safety catches are built in, unlike the ones at HF.

2KHarrier

Fastnoypi; There will not be a next time. If these struts last 80K miles, that would put 240K on the RX.. I'm guessing it will be long gone by then.

@TRHS75;

When you get the car off the ground to remove the struts, they're already extended to full length, Inversely, there's not a safe way to get the compressor on the spring with the car on the ground and the tire in the way, so, back to the point about removing them and having a shop do it...

fastnoypi

You never know! A member just posted last week she said goodbye to her RX at 382k miles, with no fault with the engine when her transmission blew up.

2KHarrier

No, I plan on moving into a Volkswagen CC next year, or the year after. I love the look of the CC. I also like the Pontiac G8 GT. Nice big sedan with a huge V8... The RX is good for now, but if and when the trans fails, or if the engine develops problems, it's going to the auction...

We'll see.....

hypervish

Toyota for a Volkswagen, oh boy!! I wish you luck, and lot's of it!

2KHarrier

Now, now Hyper....
The new ones aren't that bad... the ratings/reviews for the 2010-2013 models are as good or better than the Lexus

And this won't happen for at least a year or more..

hypervish

Not to take this further off topic, but that's hardly the case. Lexus has been ranked highest in Vehicle Dependability year over year, Volkswagen is near the bottom of the list.

But to each their own! It's your hard earned money! Purchase something YOU enjoy and the heck with everyone else (including me)!

jimbug

I thought I wanted a VW Toureg until I read the VW forums. Oh my!!! I love the look of the CC as well. Good luck with whatever you end up with.

trhs75

I'll have to look at that Autozone loaner spring compressor and see if I trust it enough to use it!

2KHarrier

Thanks Jim, but again, I have to reiterate, the RX is not going anywhere for at least 2 years, or when the engine/trans dies

timmui

Nice work 2KHarrier! I also like the way those LEDs look on the bumper. Time to go fishing on eBay!

2KHarrier

Yeah, it really sets the car apart from the countless other RX's around Milwaukee....

For those who are following this, my average fuel economy has gone up a tick since I finished all the work a week ago. I haven't seen ANY oil consumption at all, so my fingers are crossed. I've also not seen the dreaded plum of smoke from the exhaust when starting a cold engine. I'm amazed that the redesigned VC really made that much difference!

I'll be monitoring.......