barathank

I am pretty new to LX (2013 with 52k miles) and it is an absolute piece of machine and when I took my buddy in the car and he quoted "It like riding in the Tank!".

My question is: When I start the car is cold start the car rides smooth over the potholes and bumps but soon after 10 minutes of riding I could feel the potholes and bumps more with road noise. My tires are 5/32" and the previous owner replaced just two tires, is this the problem or it has to do with the Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS). The car have 52K miles and the next service is not due until 55K, I have read the forum and people talking about bleeding the suspension and refill is this something they do in the 60K miles service?

Another question is if I ride in a bad road, the suspension automatically goes up and it comes back down when I stop at the lights. I read the owner manual that the car will be lowered when driving in high speeds unto 0.8 inch in front and 0.6 inch in rear to help with aerodynamics but will this also do this automatically when driving in bumpy roads?

Please share your expertise advise on this.

mcomer

One feature that the LX will change on its own while driving is Ride Height.
Is your Lexus heavily loaded which would cause it to raise by stiffening the air
suspension?

barathank

I am the only one riding in the car most of the time.

amphibia

1. I will put it this way, the front shock is about $200 each and the rear shock is about $50 each. The AHC fluid is about 30bucks per 2.5liters. These parts do start to age after 4-5 years. Any complaints? replace them.

2. I don't think auto raising is the issue. Auto lowering slightly does happen after, I think, 40-50mph. Then below maybe 30-40mph, it raises itself back up to normal height.

3. I think you probably have 20inch wheels. I replaced them with 18inch wheels. They are are much comfortable than 20inch. But if you do decide to go to 18, you might as well get the rays forged wheels.

yardie876

What PSI are you running?

barathank

Thanks @amphibia, I did not realize the cost of parts to replace shocks were 330$ in total to replace. Any idea on how much the Lexus dealer charge to replace them? I am not a DIY guy

barathank

The Dash display shows all 4 wheels to be at 33 when I start in cold and 36 after I ride for 10-15 mins.

jat0223

iTrader: (1)

You don't need to replace the shocks unless they're leaking. Unlike regular shocks that wear out over time, the lx shocks are more like hydraulic cylinders. If the fluid level is good and if there are no leaks then everything should be working properly. So if there's a problem I'd start by checking for leaks and checking and/or replacing the hydraulic fluid.

amphibia

In my case and for those in my local club, these shocks do start to leak after 3-5 years. Due to the relatively cheap labor and cheap parts, we just replace them and flush the system.

The beautiful thing is even if they leak at a slow speed, they still work because the reservoir replenishes all the leaked out fluid.

In my understanding, even the LX shocks have sealed high pressure gas chambers inside them (Only the fluid chambers link to the AHC system). The pressure in the gas chambers will gradually drop due to aged seals. They will then lose resistance and the ability to absorb bouncing energy. My 130k km rear shock had at most half the bounce-back speed when compressed, compared with the new shocks.

For science, I do intend to break open one LX shock to find out the exact structure.

amphibia

Get a quote first from the dealer first on how much for flush and how much for shock replacement. Let us know the prices. If they are ridiculous, then I will help you locate the parts and send you the precedure. They are not that difficult to replace if you go to a regular mechanic who specializes in Toyota.

barathank

OK, I called couple of Lexus dealership to get quote on following and they both stated they will do a 60k service which covers the replacement of (Replace active height control system fluid) and they quoted following

Lexus Dealer # 1 (5miles from me) - 1260$
Lexus Dealer # 2 (30miles from me) - 960$

I am not sure to decide if doing the 60K service now make sense or just to quote on AHC fluid replacement.

hankinid

I thought about the 60K thing and passed. As swob's DD it only does around 10K per year...I will not leave any fluid in a car, truck, or even one of the tractors for 6 years. My personal schedule is 2 years or 30 K. The LX gets the AHC fluid drained, flushed, and replaced per the FSM.

As fate has it I did the AHC service earlier today. Took about 40 minutes start to finish. I used a single 10mm wrench, about 2 feet of clear plastic tubing, and a drain pan to catch old fluid. Old fluid was just OK in appearance, but there was a bit of moisture mixed with the fluid...it came out looking milky with a reddish tint. As the suspension dropped about halfway down on each corner, fluid cleared to new.

OT transmission, diffs, transfer case, prop shafts and u-joints get serviced every 2 years or 30K.