reezekeys

Hi all, I had a little incident with my 2001 300GS the other day – the driver side front ball joint broke. Luckily I wasn't going too fast and was actually just down the road from my mechanic. I needed a flatbed to take the car there, thank you Geico Roadside Assistance coverage.

$750 later I have my car back. New upper & lower ball joint, control arm & tie rod. The car drives nicely but the ABS, VCS and VCS OFF warning lights are lit. I'm guessing there is a sensor that was damaged OR it's just a connecting wire. I mentioned it to the mechanic. He assumed those lights were on before the accident. What he said was that I probably did not have ABS brakes or VCS anymore. Now VCS has, in my opinion, not been that helpful to me – it's disconcerting to press on the gas pedal and have no engine response when there is the slightest hint of the tires slipping. We had a snowstorm here in the northeast USA around Thanksgiving and I almost didn't make it home – I had to turn VCS off and gently work the accelerator to make it up a hill. With VCS I would have definitely been stuck. As far as ABS - that might be a different story. One Q I have is that, with the sensor or sensor wire damaged, does that disable ABS completely?

I am a little conflicted about getting this taken care of if it's gonna be a big expense. My plan was to nurse this car along until (hopefully) June, then sell and probably lease or just buy another used car. It has about 228K and I am not into big repair bills anymore (this has been a bad year, I'm close to $4K - and I paid $5K for the car a few years ago!). I'll probably have an issue passing inspection too, the CEL is on with the cat codes getting thrown. There's hope though, the light does turn off for a day or two once in a while.

The mechanic said that if I want to take care of the sensor, "it should be around $80", which sounds reasonable, but he is not a Lexus specialist and it was obvious he was spitballing. That sounds VERY optimistic. I'm wondering what the cognoscenti here think I should do. I love the car but it's definitely on the back nine, if not the 18th hole. TIA for any tips!

captainva

iTrader: (1)

If those lights were off and then turned on after the accident you likely broke the wheel speed sensor on that corner so ABS and VSC will not work. As far as the cost of a sensor depending on what brand you go with the price can vary quite a bit. Used OEM would also be a decent option. Also the front lower ball joints are a weak point on the 2GS. Make sure that your mechanic checked the other side of the car as well to make sure that that ball joint is not about to fail. If one side goes the other side will probably go soon after.

reezekeys

Thanks for the reply, things are much clearer now. I remember hearing that about the ball joints. The other side was done a few years ago by the same mechanic – he reminded me of that today. That time it was caught before it broke - so I think I'm OK.

Yes those lights were off before the accident. Where does one find used OEM sensors? I googled and found a wide range of prices – like $25 for a set of two, to $171 for one. And I also found a thread here that seemed to say labor could be more than one might think.

It's still possible only the connection broke – well, I like to tell myself that! When I get a chance I can crawl under the car & take a look, though I'm not exactly sure for what or where I'll be looking (somewhere on the inside of the wheel I assume!).

It would still be good to know the general consensus regarding driving the car in this condition. I don't think I'll miss VCS, and the few times I've activated ABS it increased my stopping distance pretty substantially. And yes, I do know how & why that happens, and why it's considered useful.

lexo98

iTrader: (2)

reezekeys

Yes I see a trend! So, what can I expect if I get those cheapo sensors? Anyone do that?

captainva

iTrader: (1)

You could try it but I would order from somewhere that you can easily return it if it doesn't work like rockauto or amazon. Changing the sensor is pretty easy.

reezekeys

Thanks a bunch Muffinizer! Very good advice to order from a place I can return. And the replacement does look uncomplicated too. Really appreciate this.

Rob

shaheedGS

what brand of ball joints did you use ? moogs ? if so what do you recommend i am about to order mine

reezekeys

Not sure if that q was directed to me or lexo88 who also described a ball joint replacement. Sorry, I have no idea what brand is in my car, my mechanic took care of it.