ES300TX

Due to time and equipment constraints, I wasn't able to replace my struts, however, I bought what I thought was everything necessary to outfit the car with a new ride.

At the advice of several contributors, bought KYB replacement cartridges, rubber stops and "isolation" mounts, and springs from Moog. All were purchased from Rock Auto. I did not buy the "top hat, strut mounts" as I thought the old ones would be okay.

After replacement, the car rode a bit firmer than a new one would but was in line with my expectations. I like a stiff set of leg muscles on a car. It inspires confidence when cornering or getting out of a tight spot. It also marginally aids in high speed stability. I am a quick driver when on long distance trips, so top notch suspension is a must.

It turns out that not putting on new strut mounts was a terrible mistake. I have to take it back and have new ones put on.

In retrospect, I would have simply have purchased all KYB quick struts instead of trying to save my old top mounts.

I hate the way that automakers design these damned things with bearings in them. This seems to be a relaitively new phenomenon. I helped change struts on a 90's japanese sports car and it didn't have fancy bearing plates on them. Less crap to break down.

The big lesson again is to buy the KYB or Moog quick struts and don't worry about the mileage you will get out of it. I would rather not have had to reinstall the front to replace the bad original mounts. My car only has 136,000 miles on it, so I would have expected more mileage out of these high cost factory items. Factory isn't what it used to be.

LeX2K

What makes you think the mounts are bad? FYI there have been many complaints of the all-in-one struts everything from riding too high, clunking mounts, odd noises even broken coils. Best way is to go OEM on the mounts Lexus on the struts or KYB struts if you don't mind the ride. Every other combination I've seen has a high failure rate.

Oro

+1.

Inadequately tightened top mounts will, among other things, mimic bad mounts. Did you suspect that before, and are you sure the upper nuts are done correctly? it is a little tricky.

ES300TX

You might be absolutely right. I believe that. I am not 100 percent sure about that. All I know is that my car drove like crap after the new struts were installed. I believe that the shop did not properly tighten the mounts. I know I would have messed that job up easily. If I wasn't totally dependent on that car, I would have done the job myself as I would have kept trying to get it right.

I installed the KYB mounts with a recommended mechanic (whom I should have used). A couple of observations. After he installed the mounts, the steering issues I was having went away. I also noticed that the steering was a lot lighter than before. I think that is because they are using lighter components and a lighter bearing. The KYB's also have a lighter, I daresay tinnier feel than the OEM equipment. I don't think that they will last terribly long, but I ought to get at least 20k-40k out of them. (I hope)

Because of that, I have retained the old mounts. Since I believe that the bearings were somehow damaged during removal or installation, I am going to purchase Toyota part number 90903-63014 -Genuine-Toyota-BEARING-FOR-FRONT-SUSPENSION-SUPPORT-RH-LH. I believe that If you are going to retain the strut mounts, it's best to at least purchase bearings and replace as a precaution. They run about $25.00-30.00 if you buy online and don't buy them from a full priced toyota dealer.

It's certainy appreciate the helpful insights gained by individuals like speedkar, Oro and others who have a lot of experience with these cars.

I generally like the ride of the KYBS. They have given the car a set of stiffer leg muscles along with the Moog rear springs. In general, I feel like this has brought the car back to how it should perform.

ES300TX

I have had the front struts on this car installed and reinstalled three times by three separate shops.

The first time, I installed with the orignianal strut mounts. Upon re installation, the struts would sound like they were popping when I tried to turn. They also made noise going over bumps.

I took them to another place and installed new KYB strut mounts to match the struts. They popped and groaned all over the place. It was a spectacle. When I installed theses struts, they continued to bind, but the steering effort was a lot easier. They stopped going everywhere and stayed in place a little better.

The third time I had a new bearing put in at the suggestion of a third shop. Nothing has changed.


I am about ready to throw in the towel and get a strut replacement kit.

I am thinking about going with MOOG instead of KYB as I think that KYB uses low quality strut mounts.

I will not replace the struts unless they are in a whole assembly as I have very little confidence in repair shops. I could do it myself, but I'm afraid of screwing the job up.

I may attempt to put the entire assembly in, though. I can screw it up but not as badly...