magnificen

Hello fellow LS owners! I have been pondering this question of whether or not to repair my suspension/struts and strut mounts after some 15 years of my Dad owning this car in bone shivering North Carolina. When he gave up his Lexus to me after he purchased a new mercedes, I noticed that the suspension system, particularly in tse front, was very bad off. If i go over a hump, i would have to take my time because the gas charged struts are so worn out, the car bounces on the front right mount and you can hear and feel a loud knock going over a speed hump. I knew this was going to be a pretty pocket clenching job so i put it off. That was three years ago and it is really bad now to the point where my mechanic has said that the tie rods are also giving out and i could lose steering eventually. He quoted me for both the rack and pinion assembly and the front struts. It does not feel comfortable driving on the highway so i stick to back roads and avoid pot holes at ALL costs lol.
struts: $452.04 Labor: $382.79
Strut mounts: $150.46 Labor: included in the mounting of struts.

As for the steering rack and pinion assembly:
Tie Rod End-Left out- $47.89
Steering Rack- $783
Tie Rod End-Right Out- $57.11 Estimated labor for whole job 382.79
year
This is a big job but with the condition my car is in, i dont think i have much of a choice. And I am not looking to purchase/lease for a newer car especially when i replaced the engine and transmission and other major components in the car a while ago. It still has some years left in it and would like to keep it running.

So my question is should i go for the replacement of the struts and mounts or go down a different path such as a coil over kit looking at price.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

coilover is only an option if you want to lower the car significantly. it will be a much more stiff ride quality which is not consistent with the lexus comfort you've known (even with blown suspension). keep this in mind if you want to still consider coilovers.

you are on the right path looking at replacing the struts and there are many threads here to show what brands are best for your budget.

as for the steering rack, how do you know it's bad? did you go down there and inspect? did a shop tell you so?
the knocking could be as simple as a sway bar endlink or the more common issue is a worn out strut rod bushing (search these forums for more).

my last question is what possible issue caused a complete engine and transmission change on the car?! how many miles are on the clock today? what year is the car?

magnificen

This car, before I aquired I, had been through a lot. My dad got remarried and I guess gave his LS to his wife after her car went caput. Before he gave it to me, he had the engine replaced because of engine failure due to SOMEBODY (hint hint) using regular unleaded fuel in the car. When it was replaced, it had 296,xxx some odd miles on it. The transmission was replaced shortly after with 302,000 miles on the odometer.

As for the rack and pinion quote, my car is out of alignment. No matter how many times I go to get an alignment, the steering wheel goes right back to a 5 o'clock position to the right. I think this is also what contributes to my uneven tire wear on my rear tires. The right rear tire's threading is significantly reduced as compared to the left rear tire. When my car is out on the lift, you can literally see the tire wobble as it goes up. It does not feel like it is firmly secured to the axle (I suppose).

magnificen

Hey all. I am reopening this thread because I have made a decision but still want to get some more feedback from you all. I have decided to go down the road of replacing the worn out shocks with aftermarket kyb shocks since coil overs seem cool but not practical to my driving habits. It is hard finding a shop to do the work with my own parts so its looking like a diy job but seems like a big job. I know there are posts on here about this type of work already but I just want to hear from anyone that has done the job themselves (coil over/shock change) how long it took, tools needed, etc.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

suspension swap is pretty straightforward but if you're not comfortable with a spring compressor I highly suggest you take it to a professional.

I think the hardest part is getting access to the rear top hats which are behind the rear seat backs (which require removal of the seat bottoms first).
the rest of the suspension is simple (relatively). it was still a good 5 hours for me with hand tools and a floor jack.

here are steps from an IS...if you think this is daunting, please save your $ and take it to a professional.
there has to be some indy shop that can do it with parts you bring.

note: I found it easier to remove the two bolts holding the front knuckle to the lower ball joint, rather than remove the upper a-arm as shown in the link.
unbolting the front knuckle is how the FSM dictates how it's done.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sus...our-isx50.html

RA40

iTrader: (6)

A lowered suspension will go in easier due to the reduced 2-5" less length to deal with the assembly. I was slower than timmy, going over 6 hours. The shops local to me will install each corner at $50-$100 with customer supplied parts. Shop around. One of the shops I had called relayed a 2 hour turn-around when doing shock replacement. They had a really sick spring compressor so getting each shock in-out was like 10 minutes.

Similar to this one:

If you want to DIY and not have to deal with compressing the springs which is slow with hand tools and dangerous, take them to a shop. They will probably charge $25 for each unit and have it remounted in under an hour. That will save you a good amount of time.

magnificen

Awesome. Thanks for the feedback. The shop i went to wants 900-1000 for a pair. However I get a 2 yearcwarranty on all the work done and I get 100 dollars off for replacing the steering rack that's leaking. So im looking at about 2400-3000. Wish me luck.

magnificen

Update:

Hey all! So i decided to make the choice and go with the repair. The total came up close to three grand but it was well worth it! My LS rides like a dream. The handling has improved tremendously and i no longer have uneven tire wear which was killing me. The repairs were done in 2 days and was well worth it. Thanks again for all the feedback.

spuds

What all did you have done?

magnificen

I had the left rear wheel bearing and wheel hub replaced and, the steering rack and pinion, and the front struts replaced this go around at the shop. Rides beautifully.