DUMSI

Took my 2011 IS 250 with 35000 miles to the dealer for tires and alignment. The dealer says that my caster could not be fully adjusted to spec because the caster bushings (made of rubber) have hardened and there is no room to adjust. They told me the caster was adjusted as much as possible and is only 'slightly' off from the desired range. They recommended that I replace both caster brackets for about $550 (parts and labor), however, they told me that this is not going to wear the tires but may cause the car to pull in future.

Is this normal in a 35000 miles car? I am not a harsh driver and the car has not been in an accident. I already over 48 months so its not covered by warranty. I am just not sure if its usual for caster to go bad way before 50,000 miles? If this is not usual, shouldn't Lexus be responsible for fixing it because you don't buy a LEXUS and expect to be replacing your suspension parts in 35000 miles?

Please advise.

Thanks in advance.

mike33

iTrader: (1)

Does the car pull at this time? If not, then there is no need to mess with the "caster" bushings. The bushings are not adjustable from the factory. They do make offset bushings that can adjust the caster, they cost about $65ea from the dealer and most likely you would only need to adjust one side to correct a pull... At 35k miles the rubber in your current bushings should be fine... imo, It sounds like the dealer is fishing for business.

DUMSI

Thanks Mike.
After the tires replaced and alignment, the car drifts to the right. There is .1 degree difference in caster from side to side (7.2 left, 7.3 right). Is this difference enough to cause a drift to right even if the caster is lower on the left? Below is a picture of the before and after alignment specs. Does the specs look right?

mike33

iTrader: (1)

Your alignment specs look good and will not cause adverse tire wear. The car will track to the side with the lower caster, the left side in your case, but most roads are crowned in the center and that may be causing the drift to the right. Generally you want the right side caster to be .5 degrees more than the left to offset the effect of the crown of the road... Did the car drift to the right before you replaced the tires? If not then I would cross the front tires, lf to rf, rf to lf to see if that corrects the problem, a tire can cause a pull due to the radial plys. If it drifted to the right before the tire change and its bothersome you can look into replacing the "caster bushings", but i would not spend the $550 the dealer is quoting.

DUMSI

Appreciate your feedback Mike. The car did not drift before the tire replacement. I test drove the car after on flat roads and freeway but the drifting did not subside so I don't think its because of the crown. The technician was pointing out the drifting to be caused by caster being out of spec, but like you said if that was the case then the car would be pulling to the left. They said they crossed the front tires and that did not help either. Any other suggestions?

mike33

iTrader: (1)

At this point you may need to replace the lca bracket assembly, what the dealer called caster bushings... They come in +/- 20 (.33*)... You would need to do at least one, maybe two... -20 on the left, and/or +20 on the right... Its a pretty easy diy if you are able... If not I would check with a local shop to see if you brought them the brackets($65ea from dealer) how much they would charge to install; or you could try an alignment specialty shop to see what they recommend.