Hi all

I drive a 2007 IS 350 and its approaching 97,000 miles. I bought it at 54,000 miles and have not had any custom work done on it besides replacing brakes, changing oils and filters.

So lately I've been hearing squeak sounds when braking. The squeaking is not consistent but it occurs here and there so I assume my brakes need to be replaced. However, I find it odd because I had just replaced all 4 front and rear brake pads, front rotors, and resurfaced rear rotors last year so I took my car to Big O Tires yesterday for a free brake inspection.

They inspected my brakes and told me that I had about 90% padding left on the front and 85% padding left on the rear. I was relieved but at the same time nervous because now I do not know where the squeak is coming from. The guy pointed out to me that my struts are leaking showing me that there's oil on them as he wiped it off with his finger. He also showed me that there is moisture on the inside wheel covers.

Since they were about to close, he said he would call me the next day with a quote for the replacement also stating that they had a promotion where if you buy three struts you get one free.

Today he called me and told me that he had to get the struts from the manufacturer which is going to cost $211 per strut. He also said that labor will be 4 hours at $115 per hour. He also said he will waive the alignment fee so I will be paying $1164 out the door after taxes and discounts. I told him i'll think about it and of course he responds by saying think fast because this deal will not last long.

After reading some of the posts on the forum regarding struts and shocks, a lot of people mentioned that the 2IS doesnt even have struts which leaves me thinking that he didnt even know what he was talking about? At the same time i feel that $1164 is a bit much dont you think especially with close to $500 in labor.

I have to admit that my car does not ride smoothly as it did when i bought it but I'f i'm going to be spending $$$ on this replacement what would you guys recommend? OEM or after market.

I am also in southern california (714) so If anyone knows a reliable shop I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!
Dan

As for the squeaking issue, anyone have a clue?

 

Struts is kind of a colloquial term that some people use for shocks, especially shocks that have spring perches like the shocks on the IS do, so I wouldn't really pay much heed to him not knowing what he's talking about simply because he referred to them as struts.

You can get the original factory shocks for around $180 each plus shipping from Sewell, so that might be a better way to go and then just pay the labour. I'm sure they probably quoted you aftermarket shocks.

You may be able to find someone that will do it for less than $115 per hour, but that will depend on the market in your area. If I was paying that much per hour, I'd probably just take it to Lexus and have it done there for peace of mind.

Jeff

 

you can get coilovers for less than that and it will have adjustable ride height and shock dampening.My shop charges $200 for shock/spring install.

 

Where is your shop located?

 

at that rate... time for coilovers.

 

In Nor Cal. Where are you located?

 

Had the same thing happen to be. Blew a strut and they quoted me 450$ for the strut itself. That's when I decided to get coils.

 

if you want to just replace the shocks order them from Sewell (supporting vendor) using the club lexus user name and get a discount and then find a local indy shop with lower labor rates. Depending on where you are located you might be able to find a fellow forum member who can help you out for some pizza and a case of beer.

 

What kind of coils did you get? How are the coils in terms of comfort and handling compared to what you had before?

 

I'm in So Cal, Orange county to be more specific. What vendor and brand would you recommend to buy coilovers or shocks in terms of most bang for your buck. I'm not looking for top of the line parts.

Also, I currently have a Curt tow hitch installed on the muffler bolts and I would like to keep it. Would this be a problem with coilovers?

 

Most bang for your buck would be Megan EZ's or look in the classifieds section. Your hitch will be fine.

 

You can get a gently used set of shocks in the classifieds as many members pull theirs off for coils. I recently replaced my luxury packages springs and shocks for sport package springs and shocks and to give you an idea I paid $260 cash (no tax) for a Certified Lexus Technician to do the install on all 4 corners (outside of the dealership of course).

 

Get Megan EZ coilover.

 

Might as well get coils. For a similar price (or cheaper) you can get height and dampening adjustment.

That's what I did

BC Racing coilovers are around 1k

 

I just replaced all four struts on my '04 RX330. KYB's were about $100 each, then I replaced the rubber boots for another $100 for all four, then I realized the front sway bar end links needed replacing, too, at $110 for the pair. I don't know about the parts for your particular model but you might find that there are associated parts to the shocks/struts that should be replaced at the same time. I do all my own work so no labor cost. Amazing how all this stuff adds up....