pbxcomm

So I’m killin’ time.. But I would like to share a few experiences with my recently purchased 2008 GS 350.
I was limited to local streets (granny speed) for my final test drive(s), no offense to the grandmothers that may be reading this post.
Anyway, I purchased the car because there was an instant affair. The next few days I began to critique that car and all of its riding nuances. I found there was unusually harsh damping of the front end when cruising on rough roads, this didn’t seem characteristic of the ride I expected. Then out to the expressway @ 80 to 90 MPH (speed limit, right?), I noticed some drifting of the front end and some oversteering, no major issues, but I was annoyed. I have an engineering background so imperfections don’t sit well with me, particularly if I know the vehicle is more than capable. Ok, so, I slept on this and decided to take a look at the entire suspension, what I saw was ball joints, bushings strut mounts etc. Were lightly “contaminated” with road “grime”, Oil residue from leaky cars ahead, diesel and various other chemicals from 8 years of travel. My solution? Degrease. GUNK spray. Soaked ALL moving parts that were associated with suspension, rubber bushings, sway bar, struts, ball joints, everything..
Then, Rinsed with hot water, repeat twice and rinse. Left the car dry for a day in the hot sun and overnight, took it out on the expressway for a drive the very next day, then to the same rough roads. The result? Darn near brand new car feel. Handles and rides like it anyway. I thought I was looking at a suspension upgrade, but I’m not now… My thought is that there are undesirable lubricants work their way into suspension parts and create lubrication that’s not normally required from the factory, most suspension parts are of a composite rubber that requires no outside lubrication, when lubrication is applied these parts become loose, soft and over lubricated, they lose their design properties. So, try this before tearing into suspension parts and upgrades, you may be surprised at the results.Gotta run.

Thanks for reading.

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

Interested. I will likely try this. Won't hurt as a anti-rust measure as well.

Gs3500

Interesting.... So "over lubrication" caused you to oversteer and harsh damping? Wouldn't damping be smoother assuming they were all lubed?

pbxcomm

I'm not clear on the question(s) (and I've read them twice).
Oversteer is a cars characteristic (usually a negative characteristic) not something I personally would do or know how to.
Damping is typically the strut/shocks job..
Suspension parts do not require lubrication unless there are aftermarket parts installed with a grease fitting (although I see no use for this).To be clear, I live just outside of Chicago.. Driving here, you will encounter every type of road condition, highway spills, leaky vehicles (that leak every fluid imaginable). It only makes sense to keep the suspension clean by degreasing all associated suspension parts once a year. The first thing I noticed
was an oily film prior to de-greasing on every suspension part all the way up to the upper strut bushing.I was shocked at how contaminated the suspension and it parts were, now they look nearly brand new.