1. 2017 GS350 F Sport AWD - 65,000KM
2. Nope, removed stock ones at 34,000 KM
3. RSR Coilovers compatible with the AVS system
4. 34,000 KM

Never have a car long enough on original suspension for them to blow.

 

Some of the 4th Gen GS struts were bad and leaking with as low as 30k miles and less.

I also have a feeling that there are currently many more leaking right now, that just have not been on a lift inspected to be able to see it. The leaking is normally covered in grime, is dark, and not so easy to see sometimes.

 

Miles vs KM is a big difference. My OEM's are fine and sitting in storage. I personally can feel when suspension issues arise, but wasn't why I removed mine.

 

Yes everyone knows miles are different than KM.

My point was they can go early. If they just start to show minor fluid leaks, you won't know it until you inspect.

 

I had the rear passenger AVS shock replaced at just 5,000 miles. The tech noticed it at my first oil change and told my service advisor who immediately ordered a new one to be overnighted - two days later it was replaced.

I think some of these AVS shocks have seals that for some unknown reason fail soon after being assembled and packaged, and they can actually fail without the shock being routinely compressed by miles of use.

My 2018 GS 450h sat practically undriven in a temperature and humidity controlled private airplane hanger for months and had been driven only 5k miles when I got it. The failed shock off my car exhibited practically no resistance (dampening ability), so all things considered, in my opinion, that shock failed without really even being used. That said, It wouldn't surprise me to learn that a brand new AVS shock has totally become defective and useless by its seal failing while laying unopened and unused in the manufacturer's box, sitting on a shelf in a warehouse somewhere.

 

2018 GS 350 Fsport AWD
Blown at 41k
Oil on the shock body and immediate poor ride quality at the point of failure. Also, I started rubbing on turns after being lowered and never rubbing at all..
1 front and 2 rears failed
Lowering springs were RSR downs
Installed at 16k and at that time I had a leaking rear shock. Replaced all 4 at the time of spring install at 16k just to be safe

 

So this was fresh OEM 2018 shocks with 25k miles on RSR Downs?

 

Want to know this also. Factory or KYB after's? I'm sure the Downs helped go bad fast.

 

2012 GS250 Luxury
173k km
Still on original AVS shocks.
Northern weather with cold winters and salt.

 

My bad, There was a typo in my original response which should have read 16k. When I put the RSR springs on back in the day at 16k, I already had a rear shock leaking with the OEM springs. At that time, I purchased the RSRs, and I changed all the original struts with brand new KYBs which as I wrote only lasted to 41k (1 front and 2 rears went bad) so I just recently put new kybs on all four corners and I am still on RSR downs.
These were installed:
KYB 7210003 (Increased Handling/Stability) Gas-A-Just Monotube Strut
Front Left; AWD; w/ Adaptive Control Suspension
KYB 7240001 (Increased Handling/Stability) Gas-A-Just Monotube
Rear; AWD; w/ Adaptive Control Suspension
KYB 7210002 (Increased Handling/Stability) Gas-A-Just Monotube Strut
Front Right; AWD; w/ Adaptive Control Suspension

 

So this is your second round of these same KYB dampers. Fingers crossed you get more than 25k out of them this time. I have RSR Downs too, with KYB fronts and OEM rears. I'm about to swap my rears for KYB rears because the OEM 2018 dampers are just too soft.

 

Yeah, exactly. Hopefully this round and yours will be better than my initial experience especially because i am not on super downs. RSR downs are a mild drop. Next time this happens down the road, I am going to install cks coilovers.

 

I think when these go I switch to RSR Basic-i coils - I want to be able to keep AVS and have no need to individually tune dampers.

I'm actually happy with the rear height and would not bother changing the rear spring at all, as the RSR coilovers come with a virtually identical spring rate in the rear, just in a shorter spring with an adjustable spring perch.

 

So one thing I noticed I forgot to mention. These grey Kybs are what I just installed and the markings are different. In my third gen when I’ve replaced struts they looked like this. These are rear shocks specifically. The ones I just removed after a short life are on the left. These gray ones on the right side look similar to what I would typically replace when I had my 3GS and they were great. Meanwhile the ones on the left side blew super early. I wonder if somehow these gray 4GS KYBs are spec’s different in some way. Of course the kyb 4GS part numbers are the same so I don’t know. Just food for thought.

 

The black ones are OEM - 48530-30E00 is the Lexus part number. The Aftermarket Grey KYB rears may not have been available when you last did your suspension. I recall they only became available in the last few years. I currently have aftermarket Grey KYBs in the front of my car and factory Black KYBs in the rear, which I am replacing with Greys for additional stiffness. The front Grey KYBs had better dampening than factory 2018 KYBs I removed, and I'm expecting the rears will be the same.

EDIT: The rear Grey KYBs felt blown out of the box. Very little control at all in the rear, slightly more in S+. I went back to stock after 200 miles. My headlights were bouncing up and down on the highway at night.