NYDesi80

2005 RX330 and looking to replace all my struts (front and rear). Can someone tell me to this job throughly which parts I need to order and replace and the best source to purchase? I want to keep it OEM. Basically going to take the parts to my mechanic.

RX330inFL

Like many such topics here at Club Lexus, this one has been discussed previous on several occasions. You just need to use the search features of the forum. Here is one thread, there are many more:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...truts-diy.html

stevesxm

well... i can't speak for your mechanic but i would be a bit surprised if he was happy to see you show up with your own parts... and the answer to your question is directly dependant on what problem you are trying to cure...

if you simply believe the damping effect of the shocks is/are bad then what you need are the struts alone and if you want oem then you walk into the dealer with your VIN # and buy them over the counter. i have heard of people replacing the bearings at the top but i have never seen one go bad ever.

the trick with strut replacements is making carved in stone certain that the alignment is correct when you are done. there is enough play in all the hardware that the alignment suffers quite badly if the positions aren't jigged or scribed before they come apart... but im sure you mechanic knows all that...

just out of curiousity... how would you handle a warrty issue if you bring your own parts ? surely he is only responsible for installing what you bring him ... suppose they are wrong or defective ? will you expect him to absorb the extra fitment time or redo the job if there is an issue ?

when clients wanted to bring their own parts, i made certain i did two things ... first i told them that their invoice would reflect a higher labor rate to offset the loss of parts profit that is included in my overhead calculation and job cost, and second i told them in no uncertain terms that it was an hourly job and that they were responsible for any additional labor resulting in the parts being wrong or defective... and the ONLY warrantee was on my labor.

i was not philisophically opposed to their shopping their own parts but i was not going to be repsponsible for them in any respect.

NYDesi80

Yes I am well aware that warranty work only applies if there was something wrong with the parts. Plus my mechanic is my old high school friend of 20 some odd years... so this is ritual for us. Didn't realize this had to be clarified or part of the question I asked. And from that thread that was posted it was stated KYB is OEM.... how did one verify this info? I searched but couldn't find that.

The problem I'm having is that there is too much excessive sway now and the car nose dives on braking, plus the ride of the car has just become very harsh. I feel like the rear just bottoms out on any decent dip in the road, making a loud bang.

SteveCraig

Another option is available to consider. I went thru it this Summer with my son's Civic.
Looked at buying rear struts on-line, removing the assembly myself, having a local shop change the springs & then re-install myself.
I found a complete strut & spring assembly available for less than what I would spend on the parts & spring change. This turns the entire operation into a 4 nut/bolt job. Install was very easy if you are comfortable turning a wrench.
Made such a substantial difference I ordered a pair for the front the same way. These were all set-up for stock ride height & spring rates.
Different car now. For the Civic I spent about $ 350.00 for all 4 corners. Checked the vendor but no assemblies available for the RX. Search on-line & I'm sure you will find something.
Same assemblies locally at Carquest would have set me back about $270.00 + 13% tax per corner.

RockfordRX

NYDesi80, just like RX330in FL said, follow the link to the thread (I did a writeup about purchasing and installing my rear struts on the second page of that thread) https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...truts-diy.html
There are several other RX330 owners who did the job, so SEARCH function certainly helps.
If you can do your own brake job, you can handle this DIY easily. There are also YouTube videos on the subject. If you do the front or all 4 corners, I would strongly recomment to do 4-wheel alignment ($89). If you can't do brakes (rotors/pads) on your own, then leave it to the mechanic, but be prepared to pay $1200-$2400 depending if you do front ones only or all 4.

Good luck!