Hey guys,

I have a 2014 LS460 Fsport with 43K on the dash. Recently I began to hear clunking sound in the front driver side foot area whenever I braked or made a turn. Went to the mechanic and he said both lower rear control arms bushings are shot. He was able to wiggle them with just one hand. I dont know of any quality replacement parts so opted for oem control arms for $300 each and decided to do both front ball joints for $110 each because one had a torn rubber boot. Okay so I never expected these to go bad so early but my question is - do these have to be installed in a special/specific way so they are installed properly? im going to an indy shop and I stand next to the mechanic when he works on my car.


Part No.: 48670-59025 & Part No.: 48660-59025 For control arms

 

I thought, control arm problem was resolved in 2013+.

Yes, you have to release tension in bushings after installation. One of ways to do it is to tighten your control arms, lower the car. And then drive the car 20-30 feet back and forth. After that drive the car on ramps and loosen the bushing bolts. If there is any tension remaining, you will hear a snap of bushing going in proper position. Tighten the bots and nuts and go for alignment.

Just in case, to remove the lower front forward arms you loosen the nut. To remove the lower front rearward arms you loosen the bolt. In order to get out the bolt. you will have to move the wheel plastic shield out the way.

 

You didn't have to buy new arms, you could have just bought the bushings themselves......
Anyway, to continue with what Anfanger is saying, I thought you also have to have the control arms in their normal operating positions when you tighten the bushings, otherwise they will wear out super fast.

 

Make sure the correct arms are being replaced because the photo/part#'s above are for the lower forward arms.
Be wary of some of the parts sites that have inaccurate description of the part location. This thread may be of help with the part numbers: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...os-inside.html

Here's a couple of pics of the driver's side (left) from when I replaced all 8 arms this past April. Disregard the ball joint puller, as I used it to remove the rearward arm after I removed the knuckle (with both arms attached) from the car.

 

Thats what I thought. This was weird when it happened. I expected no suspension work til 75k the least..

so once installed. I can drive around the block then drive them onto the wheel alignment machine ramps. Then loosen the nuts with a hand tool till I hear a click?

thanks again!

 

i assumed the ball joints for the arms would be worn. I guess I’ll just keep the old arms and replace out with new bushings and ball joints and keep for the future.

So I used the vin number on my car to match these parts online. My vehicle is an awd so I assume the part numbers are slightly different?

 

Forgot yours is AWD. Although the part #s are most likely different (definitely the rearward arms as it's a different design) that pic still looks like the forward arms. Maybe use the search function as I recall thread(s) specifically for AWD arms. Easy to see the difference between the two: https://parts.longolexus.com/oem-par...RzJms9MQ%3D%3D

 

Part numbers look correct (front lower rearward) but the picture does not. I am not sure why you paid $300, if you can get OEM ones on Ebay for < $170 per arm shipped to US.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/39276199308...YAAOSw0Mpfg-Uq
https://www.ebay.com/itm/33261056750...QAAOSwTJ1fKgdr

 

why are they called forward arms? The link you shared actually looks like the forward arms on my car. The photo I referenced looks like the rear arms as they are behind the strut and closer to rear of the wheel well. Could it be they have different placement for rwd and awd?
Im confused now. Idk if they are forward or rearward. They look like the one in the photo I referenced. These actually sit behind the strut, closer to rear of the car inside the wheel well. Hope it’s the right part 😅

I’ve heard of fake “oem” parts on eBay and I actually need them ASAP. I have to drive upstate this weekend and eBay shows delivery date of 1 month lol

 

Yes, those are rearward arms. RWD and AWD front lower rearward arms look similar from a distance. But have a little bit different geometry and the bolt hole in rubber bushing is wider for AWD.

I heard about fakes too but I have encountered only "gray market" parts.

If you need the parts ASAP those guys probably will not work.

 

Thanks for confirming . I noticed a lot of members in this forum are mixing up the forward and rearward arms. Or they are in different places as lwphat66 showed them towards front of the strut in his photos.

Idk what gray market parts are lol either they’re real or really good fakes

 

They are real but remanufactured due to some issues. At least, that is how I understand it.

 

What do you guys think about these as a replacement option for bushings?

https://www.armstrongdistributors.com/collections/ls460

 

Terrible. You can get Figs for upper control arms.

 

Seriously? Why are they so terrible?