After finally reading my manual and reading more and more posts on here, my concern du jour is now the eventual replacement of the front upper and lower control arm bushings.
My car is a 2007 L with 45k miles, and I don't hear any strange noises and the ride IMO is super smooth with the air suspension.

In reading all the threads about the control arm bushings, does having aftermarket / larger wheels reduce the bushing(s) life? I plan on sticking with my stock 18" wheels.
It's tough for me to get a good gauge on whether or not the people needing the replacement primarily have the 19" or even larger wheels.

My car is out of warranty completely due to the age.

2nd question - what's the highest mileage anyone has on their LS that hasn't had the replacement arms/bushings done? Other than a degraded ride and noises, this isn't a safety issue correct?

Thanks,
Shawn

 

I have 80k miles on mine and no bushings so far. FWIW, it's no big deal to repair unless you choose to go the full-fledged Lexus approved repair which involves REPLACING entire arms which is unneccessary. for a few hundred bucks and 4 hours labour, you can replace just the BUSHINGS.

 

Good to hear. I called my local import only specialized shop and he said it's no problem - they have a press - in the past on some cars it's been hard to track down just the bushings. I think I'll cross that bridge when the time comes - funny I had 165k on my 04 LS430 and never had any trouble bushings-wise.

 

The bushings are on Ebay. 284 dollars for upper bushings and 94 dollars for lower. Full sets.

So basically under 400 dollars to do the whole front end.

 

Just about to hit 60K and the dealership checked them last week said they were good to go. My right rear strut has been replaced once, and I have a suspicion it is on its way again.

 

Greg do you have the air suspension?

 

No, regular suspension. 1st one was replaced at around 45k miles. I have a very slight knock when I go over bumps. I can only hear it when I have the radio off, but it is enough to drive me insane.

 

I had my bushings checked by Figs Engineering around 40k and he said that they are starting to crack. I haven't gotten them replaced yet, but I am going to replace the whole arms with some that are adjustable. I know that he was trying to get his bushing manufacturer to make some for those as they are a big problem with our cars. I'm not sure how far he's come so far though.

Also, I have air and still haven't had any shocks replaced at 65k. I have a controller and have been messing with them since ~40k miles.

 

Granted a stiffer ride and roads traveled may increase the bushing life but I also think there is one other factor to consider and that is the weight bearing on the front end. It would be interesting to see how many that have bushing failures have both the AWD and the air suspension.

 

I have 134K on my 2007 LS460, I had my mechanic who had 15 years experience with a Lexus Dealership, check my uppers and lowers and he advised they are fine with only normal wear cracks...

 

Do you have AWD, air suspension or both.

 

Also I would be curious how many people have aftermarket wheels...

 

It's going to need them sooner or later ... They all do ! That's why the new arms are a different design . The original design was flawed and fails

 

I've heard this from others on this forum. Does anybody have pictures of the new vs the old arms?

 

rear wheel drive, regular suspension and original tire size.