Mr Pitbull,

Shocks are designed as a " wear item ". It used to be " replace every 30k miles " these days the roads and shocks are better so they last longer.


Tdvlexo,

How much ?????

 

I think the system is pretty reliable for an air ride system. It really depends on where you live and how you drive.

Hopefully another company will start selling re-manufactured struts to lower the high cost of new ones, but my doubts are high since demand isn't great yet (maybe in a couple of more years.)

The system offers a lot of advantages, and failure is one of the disadvantages that come with the package. You can replace them with regular struts and springs from any similar year LS, should be plug and play. Or purchase a Lexus extended warranty to help lower costs slightly (thats what i did).

 

search for GRACE PARK she stars in galactica station or something like that..... she had this one photoshoot (believe for maxim) in which she looks AMAZING....!!!

 

Just a quick question for those who have had their air suspension go out. Could you tell a strut was about to fail? If so, how? Some people have complained about air leaking but I don't know if that was a sign that the suspension was about to fail.

 

Shocks are a wear and tear item. They can go at anytime. I didn't get a UL because I didn't want to deal with the cost and having the chance of my car not being level, etc.. I don't see how people expect them to last 100K+. Sure it's a Lexus but nobody has really perfected an air suspension setup that I know of. MB, Lincoln, and others sure had it sets of problems too.

 

exactly. Like I said, it's basically pumping air in and out of a bag. Over the life of say 100K, it's probably gone through over 1M flex cycles around the seams, without even having changed the ride height.

If I had a UL, I would honestly not expect anything over 80K and if I were to get 120K? I'd be running to church to thank the lord.

 

So far I have a little over 140K on them without any problems. *knock on wood*

I just wish I could tell before hand if they were about to fail.

 

mine just started to feel really funny. i have an 05 UL lowered on datasystems controller (ride around on 8 normally) plus lowered on ss kit which really shouldn't bother the air susp at all. anyways i first noticed last week that my rear right started to be a little higher than normal, then the rear left started to sag a little lower than normal. then whenever driving down the highway and hitting any bumps instead of the car going up and down like normal it has a large roll left to right feel as well as an off balance up and down feel only in the rear. i feel like i'm riding in a bouncy water bed now that is all sloshing around instead of solid and firm like it used to be. when the road is completely flat it feels fine but any bumps or dips make it slosh around left to right so i think my rear is letting me know its almost time to replace.

if it hasn't gotten any better when i pick it up this saturday (magically fixing it self by sitting for a few days) after getting bumpers repainted, i will prolly be getting some bc coilovers to replace the air susp and then selling my controller and ss kit.

btw car had exactly 60k when i started noticing this.

 

I didn't have any indication on my 04 UL. Recently, at 56,500 miles,I had the car in for service at my Lexus dealer and they detected oil leaking from the left rear shock. It hadn't leaked enough to see anything on the garage floor, so I had no indication of a failure. I don't think this helps answer your question, as early detection and replacement didn't allow me to experience any difference in how the car handled because of this.

I have the Lexus Platinum Warranty and it was done at no charge, although they listed the shock at $1098 and labor at $260.

There is more than just air bags in the air suspension that can fail.

 

It blows my mind how people can write off problems with some sort of excuse. Why not EXPECT the best in reliability and then demand it, instead of finding ways to excuse it. Yes I do realize that the Lexus brand, particularly the LS series is without a doubt THE MOST RELIABLE CAR EVER MADE, but at the same time don't be so quick to dismiss an EXPENSIVE issue like air suspension and relegate it to merely being a problem of inflated forum statistics, or standard wear and tear due to mileage.
Nonsense! It is NOT too much to ask for an air suspension, especially on a Lexus, to last 300,000+ at the very least. But finding ways to excuse the problem won't come close to helping the cause for improvement.

 

The LS430 Air suspension IS much more reliable them any manufacturer I can think of. The reality is, rubber air bags degrade and fail over time. Nobody makes airbags that go 400K and last for 20 years. They don't exist. Some people have tremendous mileage on the on the air suspension in both the LS400 and 430 section. You also rarely hear of other issues besides the bags starting to leak. Normal shocks do not last 300k miles. Most don't even last half that long. Personally, I don't think Lexus dropped the ball at all. Air shocks do not last like you suggest. Not in commercial applications (tractor trailers) and not in the LS430. It's not realistic of the technology and how they are made.

 

I whole heartily agree that the air suspension is very reliable when compared to other vehicles that employ air suspension (i'm thinking mostly of Mercedes). I believe driving dynamics and road conditions also dictate how soon the air struts will go bad. Non-air suspension struts, generally speaking, usually should be replaced @ 100-150k mark to maintain the OEM suspension feel. Granted, when air suspension fails or starts leaking, I think the effect is more dramatically felt in everyday driving. The car was almost unbearable on rough roads with 2 bad front air struts and LCA bushings. I think of air suspension as almost a preventative maintenance measure to prepare for every 100k miles, maybe a bit sooner or a bit later. LCA bushings, I prepare for every 100k miles or 8 years.

Nearly all suspension is a wear/tear category. With age and mileage, the suspension will eventually wear down. It doesn't stay in a brand new OEM condition. If they're not wear and tear then are tires, brake rotors, brake pads, LCA bushings, or tie rods?

Pamperme, it seems like you had an 04 with 168k miles in 2012. How's it holding up?

 

Their is also plenty of other issues you could potentially have but time have proven very good so far. Height sensors and relay switches. Compressor and ecu to control everything. The air lines and extra electrical wiring. You rarely hear of even a height sensor going bad let alone the much more expensive control system. Lexus did a great job.

 

Once again, nothing but excuses, pacification, and settling. I'll not agree to any of such thinking! It reminds me of the way the car manufactures wailed with excuses or how they tried to present comparisons of other crash tests where they fared better when the IIHS was failing cars left and right because of poor crash performances in the "then new" offset crash test in the mid 90's. Automakers threw a fit, and complained that a positive expectation from such a crash was unrealistic, not possible, too expensive and so forth. But guess what, now a manufacture wouldn't be caught with a vehicle that couldn't withstand it. Customers demanded better and low and behold, they got it! Now all the naysayers are reaping the benefits (free loaders).
An air suspension CAN be designed to last 300,000+ miles. But it DEFINATELY won't so long as a pessimistic attitude stands in the way.

Regarding my 04, the car is an absolute pleasure to own. I can't see myself going anywhere else. Thanks for asking!!

 

You are just going to have to come to terms with it... I would love to see some kind of example of an aftermarket or oem product that CAN be designed to last this long.