Thanks for the before/after pics BobsGX. Sure looks like the same rear control arms to me too (comparing new one with your before pics and my June '06 original equipment pic). Gotta wonder if those really needed changing unless it was with the rubber like you suggest. So it appears that the running change that was made sometime in '06 may have just been to replace the rear control arms but not the driveshaft (PNM5 remains). My clunk ('06 GX) is pretty rare (4500 miles) and not a big deal when it happens so I am sitting tight without the change for now.

Would be interesting to know what exactly changed with the driveshaft from PNM5 to PN00 to determine if there is anything to what Max707 suggested about strength of the new part. Especially if indeed Lexus made the running change to only the rear control arms but not the driveshaft...

Hopefully someone will post a "before" pic of the rear lower control arms from an early '06 or an '05 or earlier GX so we can see what a "thinner" one looks like.

 

I'll get on that this weekend.

 

Hopefully someone will post a "before" pic of the rear lower control arms from an early '06 or an '05 or earlier GX so we can see what a "thinner" one looks like.[/QUOTE]

When someone does post a photo of the lower control arms from the earlier vehicles, you can easily see the difference in diameters between the old and the new lower control arms.
While I was at the dealer yesterday, I saw a new 07 GX (Window Sticker still on it) up on the lift so I went over and took a look at the driveshaft. This GX was built in May 2007, and it still had the old driveshaft. I wonder if Lexus will change them for the 2008 GX? I doubt it. They probably have a barge of the old style driveshafts sitting offshore near the Tahara assembly plant in Japan, so they would need to use them all up first. Just kidding as I know they use the just in time delivery assembly line method.

 

Our '07 with 1,500 miles was manufactured on 3/07 and has the PNM5 driveshaft. I can already feel the "clunk". Gotta call the dealer tomorrow...

 

hello, the difference is the rubber bushing is cocked 45degrees allowing better flexability. I have installed several kits and could not fill the kick in the rear anymore. Im not sure why they recomended the drive shaft but i know the old fix was to grind the drive shaft spindles smooth to allow the trapped air to escape faster which they thought was the cause. I guess it was to hard to find all the cars that had the drive shaft grinded on and just replaced them.

 

shawnjohn9, thanks for that info. Why do you think Lexus would make a running change in production GX's to the larger rear control arms and yet not make the running change from the PNM5 driveshaft to the PN00 version?

 

Here are some pictures, starting with the infamous rotating clunker.

 

Picture 2 of the skinny control arms.

 

Picture 3 of the longer trailing arm.

 

im not sure, I can physically see the difference on the control arms. couldnt really see anything new with the drive shaft.

 

the control arms look exactly the same shape and size, its the part you cant see when all the bolts are in is whats different. the rubber bushings are cocked 45 degrees instead of straight. The originals were straight.

 

Sorry, when you said "hello, the difference is the rubber bushing is cocked 45degrees allowing better flexability." in your original post I thought you were refering to the driveshafts.. but now I see on the post just above this one that this comment was for the control arms.

 

gettin my clunk fixed today. hopefully all goes well

 

ahhh.. all is good

 

Got mine done yesterday for free under the warranty but the bill would have come to $1,003.41 for parts and labor. The clunk is dead