I need clarification on what are struts. Are front struts a component of the steering mechanism? That is, are the struts different from front shock absorbers?

My 2011 GX 460 has 120 K miles on it. I recently bought new tires and the tire shop said the front struts are "leaking" and should be replaced. The tire shop quoted a price of $1,600 for this replacement.

Am I understanding struts correctly? If leaking, does it affect driving/riding performance? Do the replacement cost above sound ball park if I go to my Lexus dealer for the work?

 

Struts are a type of front shock absorber that are an active part of the steering mechanism (that is, they turn with the steering, typically with a bearing at the top mount and a ball joint at the bottom - though often on newer designs the strut will bolt to the spindle instead of being integral). Your GX does not use struts in the front, it uses a double wishbone design with shock absorbers.

That said, because struts almost always have the springs mounted on them and because the GX uses a similar setup for its shocks (which are not struts), many people incorrectly call them struts. Most of the time people don't correct them. This is also common terminology among some mechanics as well.

If the shocks (or struts) are leaking, yes it can affect the ride/performance of the suspension as well as affect how the steering feels when cornering.

The price for the shocks on the GX isn't super cheap, and can vary depending on if yours is equipped with AVS.

Jeff

 

For whatever its worth, if you have the premium GX460 with adjustable suspension, you have 2 options.

​​​​​​If you want to keep the adjustable shock, well you're gonna pay dearly. However it doesnt have to cost $1600. The front shocks themselves cost like $500 each, and pretty much any decent mechanic can install them if you dont want to try yourself to save a few bucks. The rears are about $250 apiece and are even easier to install than the front.

If you dont want to keep the adjustable shocks you can go with aftermarket ones and save a lot of $$$. The consensus seems to be that bilstein are the best you can get (rear 24-187558; front 24-188401) for under $400 for all 4. Those will probably last for the remaining life of the car and have lifetime warranty.

If you have the GX460 Base, well you can go with original lexus shocks which are relatively cheap (R $50 & F $130) and go to an indi mech as well, or also with the bilsteins.

There are other brands of aftermarket as well, like KYB, but if you do some research youll see why bilstein is the way to go.