Bucketlist

I have a 2004 LS 430 ULTRA with air struts and 142,000 miles. Stock wheels and near new Michelin tires. All 4 air struts are original, they are NOT leaking oil and they hold proper ride height. Compressor operates and cycles properly. Bushings on both R &L lower control arms replaced at 110,000 miles. I had the car at a shop yesterday for inspection of possible worn front end components. Inspection came back (with me witnessing condition under car) stating all front end parts appear to be in good shape. Upper / lower control arm bushings are not cracked and visually appear ok. Bushings on steering rack are not cracked and appear ok. Tie rod ends and ball joints are tight. Amazingly the underside and suspension components looks like the car has only 1/3rd of the mileage shown on the odometer. Wheels and tires run true and are balanced with correct air pressure.

So here is my problem. Car drives near perfect on smooth road surfaces at moderate speeds (residential and city streets), with NO play in steering and NO front end suspension noises. Struts seem to rebound ok over minor uneven road conditions, ok in and out of driveways and ok even over parking lot speed bumps. However, when the car is driven on harsher and more uneven road surfaces, especially freeway driving, the car takes on a completely different character. Significant play / jarring in the steering wheel can be felt when driving over moderately uneven and wash board road surfaces. Some severe roadway potholes also can intermittently produce a audible "thud" sound from the front end, as if the car or wheel is bottoming out. So do I have a worn out air strut or are there other suspension components that are worn out that visually look ok on the rack. As many know, replacing the air struts are a fortune and will likely cost $1,200 to $1,500 per corner installed. I want to keep the car stock. So I am trying to diagnose the exact problem before giving up and replacing the struts.

volson

I would look for oily spots on components. My car drives very well but the outer tie rod ends look like they need replacing.

KING

iTrader: (1)

Since you already checked under the car, and everything looked good, I would check all 4 struts. They are cheaper to replace thank you think.

But what you are describing seems very normal to me. Better and newer tires will grab on to the imperfections on the toad(those black squiggly lines that keep the pavement from falling apart)
I rode in a friends Mercedes C63 after he just got brand new Michelin super sport cup tires. And the ride was worse than his older wheels. The newer wheels just seem to have a better grip on the ground therefore you feel more of the imperfections on the road.


Check your struts and go from there. Maybe also think and research about the rear sports sway bar, for around $100, users reported better handling on worse street conditions. Good luck.

toddmorr

142k on those struts...amazing but I would really focus on them, and do further diagnosis on the other suspension pieces too. Visual inspection isn't enough but I would assume your shop checked for play. Anyway, on the struts......is it possible the oil is entirely gone from them, and you're riding on just the air bags, thus giving you enough support for minor road bumps but anything more severe, which you'd experience at highway speeds, stresses the shocks and they just bottom out without the additional support from proper oil in the chamber.

btw, you don't need to spend 1000 a corner on those struts. A guy is selling a complete set near me in baltimore for 500....

put it another way, if all four struts are still good, then come on back here and shout that to all the naysayers re UL air struts.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I have 139k on all original air shocks except for one that failed early and was replaced by the previous owner at 86k miles.

What you are describing sounds much more like lower suspension issues. Keep in mind a bushing can look ok but be so worn and soft that they fail to dampen as the should. What I have done to restore excellent front end feel is the following:

New OEM lower control arm bushes (very important)
Beck Arnley lower ball joints
Beck Arnley inner and outer tie rod ends
OEM front sway bar bushes
OEM sports rear sway bar and sport bushes
OEM steering rack bushes (these were probably not really necessary but did help. You don't need to remove the rack to replace these if you pull the post out)
Alignment of course

I can pretty much guarantee this will drastically improve your ride. I suggest you purchase the parts yourself and pay for labor only. RockAuto is who I used for Beck Arnley and Lexus of South Atlanta Parts for the OEM stuff. I seriously doubt the problem is your air shocks. Also, the LS has shocks not struts.

There is also a known issue with a "ball joint" or something like that in the steering column that wears out and can transfer vibrations to the steering wheel.

Bucketlist

Thanks to everyone for thier replies. I did a site search on steering column issues and found quite a few posts on this subject. After reading about various column issues, i am now thinking that this may very well be where my problem lies. So back to the dealer I go for a detailed and focused inspection on the column. I will post back my findings after inspection.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Another trick to tell your lower ball joints are worn is head to an open parking lot, roll down your windows, and when turning in a tight full circle if you hear or feel like the car is pushing the tires sideways a bit its the LBJ's.

As far as the tie rod ends go, mine had some rusting issues and the lock nut was not staying tight as it should. What surprised me was the improved linear steering feel. It was worth the upgrade.

Don't forget the sway bar bushes. They are cheap and easy to do and make a big difference. Mine did not look bad but were way soft compared to the OEM replacements. Upgrading to the sports bar and bushes on the back is nice too as it helps with swaying motion without sacrificing any comfort.

LS430Lexus

How much did all that suspension work cost you? If possible, could you break it down? Thanks.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Sway bar / bushes I installed myself - very easy. The rear sports bar and bushes upgrade was about $120. Front bushes were about $30

Left and right LBJ's were $130 I believe - I installed them

Lower control arm bushes were the most expensive. About $400 parts and labor

Tie rod ends, left and right / inner and outer were about $150 - $200 in labor / alignment

Steering rack bushes were again about $30 and I installed myself.

Keep in mind this work has been over 4 years or so. About $1,000 for everything.

Bucketlist

My harsh ride and steering wheel vibrartion has been repaired. The internal hyraulic dampening of the right front air shock was determined to be worn out at 142,000 miles. The shocks were not leaking oil or air. So i had both front air shocks replaced with new factory part air struts......... and the result is astonishing. The car drives like it is new again!! I forgot how nice the car used to drive when new. I am guessing that i have driven the car for the last 20,000 miles since the shock began gradually failing. The lower control bushings had been previously replaced at 90,000 miles and they were still good and did not need to be repalced again.

Thanks to all who replied.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the reply. Not the typical way the air-shocks fail. I'm sure it was not cheap to have them replaced new.

BradTank

I think many people that have really high mileage on their struts (whether it's air or traditional) don't realize how worn out their suspension is until after it's been replaced.

LSDoc

I've been following this very interesting thread!
My most recent car is a 2001 LS430 UL. Naturally, I'm a bit concerned about the air suspension, knowing that when it blows, the bucks will be flowing!
It has about 161,000 miles and no problems at this time.

I just took it to an excellent indie shop that specializes in Lexus, where they did some work, and checked everything out. No problems found with the suspension. I'll continue to go back to this shop because of their quality and integrity of service. They also have excellent reviews. In addition, I no longer have a qualified tech that will just do labor after I buy the parts.

Lav, I'm curious about how you approach DIY:
-At what point do you draw the line to delegate the labor to someone else?
-Assuming you have a reasonable assortment of tools, what else do you have to facilitate the DIY process; i.e., a shop, lift, stands, etc.?

Again, your insights and those of others, are greatly appreciated!

Dan

Lexus084

​​​​​I have the same veichle same model ulra luxury...
Same description u provided I am facing exactly the same problem I
When I drive 130km/h on curves steering Vibrates strongly..i am going to replace the Sway bar bushing they look a bit loose...
.