DUMSI

Took my 2011 IS 250 with 35000 miles to the dealer for tires and alignment. The dealer says that my caster could not be fully adjusted to spec because the caster bushings (made of rubber) have hardened and there is no room to adjust. They told me the caster was adjusted as much as possible and is only 'slightly' off from the desired range. They recommended that I replace both caster brackets for about $550 (parts and labor), however, they told me that this is not going to wear the tires but may cause the car to pull in future.

Is this normal in a 35000 miles car? I am not a harsh driver and the car has not been in an accident. I already over 48 months so its not covered by warranty. I am just not sure if its usual for caster to go bad way before 50,000 miles? If this is not usual, shouldn't Lexus be responsible for fixing it because you don't buy a LEXUS and expect to be replacing your suspension parts in 35000 miles?

Please advise.

Thanks in advance.

mojo08m

I assure you that you are thinking way too much into this. I would say that 90 percent of IS 250, IS 350, and GS 350 models are not within caster specifications. that's just the way they are. Unless your car pulls AND the pull is bothering you, there is no reason to replace your bushings.

MWIS350

They say if it don't break don't fixed it

cruzinZ

You will get this from ALL rubber bushings. Being from Central Valley of California we have one thing in common & that is triple digit temperatures all summer. Rubber parts degrade over time with age. With extreme heat it increases the aging process of turning soft rubber to cracked and hard state. Our vehicles suspension is set on the sporty side with little margin for alignment. I personally would have liked more adjustment in this area but that kind of engineering/designed for more track day type of production vehicles. What we have is a sports sedan. It wasn't ever intended for this type of suspension adjustment.

Also look at the people trying to push this onto you. The DEALER will always tell you that they have to replace, fix, adjust your vehicle to squeeze as much money out of you as possible. More often than not their mechanics half *** the repair process as they get paid by the job. If they take a shortcut and finish your car in 1/2 the 'book' time they bill you for the full amount. These mechanics are able to squeeze a few extra cars into their daily schedule and make more money. It's in their best interests to turn over more vehicles in a day versus doing things the correct/right way. The old saying that goes if you want something done right do it yourself fits this scenario perfectly.

If you can turn a wrench you should be able to do this repair yourself. Just go and have the car aligned after you replace the bushings.