Hi everyone. I've had my 01 UL for a year now and I love it. We just crossed 111k miles. I've put a lot of maintenance into this car over the past year, but I am committed to my baby. I am wanting to start planning preventative maintenance moving forward and would like some advice. Right now I am most bothered by the ride quality and squeaks. Are there suspension components I can start replacing to help ride quality? I know I will need tires in about a year and will ultimately remove the air suspension, but that's a lot of money to do both.

Any advice would be great!

 

you got a UL which of course is good but check the repair history on the air struts. If they've never been done, "jump" on each corner of the car and see if it pogos up and down....it shouldn't at all. Check those struts for oil seeping out the side. And if they've never been done and they're fine....pls report back here so all the naysayers can hear that UL air struts can go 100k+ not a big deal....ha

as to squeeks, check the sway bar bushings, those get a lot of stress constantly, cheap and easy to replace. I would do stock rather than funky stuff like polyurethane...

 

Thanks I will look into that. The air shocks are ok, I think they are old and on their way out. The car just doesn't take bumps smoothly at all. Maybe tires?

 

Tires usually aren't responsible for harsh impacts, unless you have larger aftermarket rims. I would first suspect the air suspension.

The LS is a smooth riding vehicle when everything is working properly, so it sounds like something is wrong.

 

Yes I have no doubt the air shocks are needing to be replaced. We just had a new stretch of road repaved and the car drives like a dream, quiet and smooth. Probably 15 year old air shocks, older tires and rough roads all are a factor.

 

Air-shocks fail in very specific way. Their usually leak hydraulic fluid down the body of the shock or developed a rattle. Anyway, if you have not done them already I would look at front lower control arm bushes, sway bar bushes (front and rear), possibly front lower ball joints, and steering rack bushes. I have replaced all these on my 04 with 137k now and the ride is fantastic even with horrible NJ roads. One of the most common is front lower control arm. You can purchase the OEM bushes and replace them without doing the whole arm.

 

Agree with Lav. Check bushings, you'll most likely need to replace them with new fresh ones. As it is about their time to be cycled out and bring new ones in.

Air suspension doesn't really do the noise you are describing when they are about to fail. One corner may sink noticeably. Your car may feel very unbalanced. etc. Stuff like that.

Plus, those bushings really make the car more comfortable to drive, and everything just feels smoother. Lower control arm bushings, steering rack bushings.

And it is always smart to start less expensive parts, and build your way up. I am pretty confident you'll be satisfied after you replace the bushings.

 

Ok just did the lower ball joints. Car feels a bit better but still clunky. The lower control arm bushings were done about 30k miles ago. Sway bar bushes are next I guess. Trying to start with easier/cheap fixes and work up. While is was doing the ball joints I was able to clearly examine the air suspension and saw no leaks.

 

Check your tire rod ends as well.

 

Though not as common, check the sway / stabilizer bar links for extra play when you replace the sway bar bushings.

 

Thanks Lav. Yeah as I was doing the ball joints I wished I had done the tie rods as well. Maybe next time.

Am I being too picky on a 15 year old car? On smooth asphalt, the car is a perfect. On my crappy country roads its just clunky and everything squeaks.

 

I don't think so as mind rides great even over rough road. Definitely do the front sway bar bushes. Would not hurt to do the rears too. You may need lower control arm bushes again. Also, make sure everything is torqued down properly to spec.

 

Ok I am going to replace the outer tie rods myself this weekend. Should I go for the inner rods? For some reason those look more difficult.

 

Just because the air shocks are holding air and not leaking any sort of fluid, that doesn't mean they are still doing their job and aren't worn out. Think about something like the support struts on your hood or trunk, I've had those completely fail on cars and didn't find a drop of fluid.

I wouldn't throw such an expensive guess to address your issue, but considering it's the original shocks and the car is around 15 years old, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they are simply clapped out. I've replace struts on cars that didn't have the obvious signs that they were done like they were leaking fluid (just really old and a lot of miles) and the ride is night and day different.

If you want to try the outer tie rods, jack your front corner up and grab the tire on each horizontal side and shake it back and forth, if there's play you know they're gone. Usually though new tie rod ends "tighten" up sloppy handling more than making a ride smoother. At your age and mileage though, it wouldn't hurt regardless to replace them.

You also might just want to drive it back to back against another sedan (or an LS if you can find one) on the same road and see if you're simply expecting too much. Roads can get bad enough where even a great luxury car can only do so much.

 

Assuming I purchased all the bushings, how many hours of labor would it take to replace them? I would have to pay someone to do the work.

Thanks