Yeah I got a big honkin' m18 med duty impact with a 6.0 battery on it. Good for 800-1000 ft lbs. Makes things a lot easier/quicker/safer. I don't know how I ever lived without one. And finally broke down and bought me a jack yesterday. No more bottle jacks. Points to easier comment above.
I figure I'll mess with the springs later, if I still notice an issue. They seem fairly easy to change.
Took some vid. I think I will get the sway bar links locally. I'll never return them if I buy from Rock auto and it doesn't look like I am going to need them. Or at least might not. Things look great. I uploaded the front passenger side vid. I see one ball joint that might have blown out and an oil leak that I need the gasket identified... if yall don't mind. Also going to upload a rear vid to yt. Maybe you can tell me if I need to replace the trailing arms. But everything looks pretty good all the way around. Need to get OEM mount bearing. Don't feel like taking off wipers to check the mounts. I'm just going to take a chance. Looked at odometer yesterday also. At 173k miles now.

Watched vids myself just now. Looks like sway bar link is what needs replacing on passenger side. So maybe I'll rock auto them after all. The leak looks like it might be coming from and oil line? Plus some darkness up at the head. But I couldn't get phone up there to see for sure.
The rear vid I'm being told my dog is outside half way through. I raise my voice quite a bit. So don't listen with headphones on. And what are those bag things.... where the body meets frame? Those look like if I replaced..... I'd have a better ride. Even if they don't 'need' replacing. Probably cost more than worth though....

front - rear -

 

Looks like the sway bar links are puking a little bit of grease. Mine were doing that too but were still quiet and solid. I tried to save them but ended up having to cut them off because the allen stripped out and even vise grips weren’t enough to prevent them from spinning.

The subframe bushings and the rest look good. Lower control arms on this platform wear the fastest yours still have some life left for sure.

The leak looks like the infamous timing cover leak. I have it on my 2008 RX350 and it’s coming from the same spot. I would go under and look at where the valve cover is screwed down just in case it may be a VCG instead.

 

You're awesome. And quick. Thx Matt. Commented before I did my edit on the leak. I was high on the hog thinking it might just be that oil line. lol.

 

I agree it looks like the infamous not worth fixing timing cover leak (seep) or if lucky the VVT line banjo bolt leak. Spray it with brake cleaner then keep an eye on it to determine where it is leaking. Some have had luck tightening the timing cover bolts in that area and putting some RTV on the leak area. There is a spray leak stop RTV that someone used before coating that with high temp RTV. However most of the time it is just a nuisance leak that makes a small mess and you never have to add oil. It is not worth the trouble to remove the engine to fix it.

You do need front strut dust covers along with the new strut mounts.
One trick I use when replacing struts is to break the strut shaft center nut loose while they are still in the car. Then when they are in the spring compressor it is a lot easier to just unbolt them without trying to hold it down while breaking the nut loose.

You did not show the rear trailing arms as you really have to get under the car and look up to see their bushings. They are difficult to replace without a lift due to the access angles on the bolts.
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​​​​​https://www.partsgeek.com/lksrjg5-le...hoCZYUQAvD_BwE

 

Yeah the dust covers on the driver's side are actually crammed up in the bumper. Definitely getting those.
Cleaned the area. Got better vid. I see the mount bearing kit for $91 on one of those sites you listed in previous comment. Going to check with local Toyo place to see if they are close to price on Monday. And going to go ahead and grab the banjo bolt seals just in case.
Got the mevotech greasible links. The standard ones without allen inserts and the sachs cover/bumper sets in my cart. Will put order through as soon as you verify that the trailing arms look ok.
Again... can't thank you enough. I'll be squared away here shortly.
edit: and thx for the tip on the strut top bolt. That makes sense.

 

You made some excellent videos! Good luck on the project!
I would leave the rear trailing arms alone for now, the bushings are not that bad for your mileage. You will notice a clunk back there when it is time to replace them.

One more thing on the front strut mounts. Note very carefully how they are lined up originally, photograph it and mark it on the car. You want to put the new ones back in rotated into that exact position as it affects your wheel alignment.

 

HI Clutchless,
Thank you for your kind help. I've got the 2 Bilstein strut for the rear and replace my KYB. I can feel the ride is a lot smoother than before, not to the point where I'd like it to be coz I want a floating cloud feeling ride but soft enought for me to accept. I can feel the like the front shock is a bit stiffer now, i may look to replace them also with the Bilstein when the front KYB start to wear out. Once again, thank for the help and the details provided.

 

I never liked the way our 2014 RX350 F-Sport felt on the road or when carrying heavier loads, especially compared to my 2002 Highlander and 2008 RX350. Those two cars can carry more weight, handle a lot more competently and they ride better as well despite their age. I understand that our '14 RX is heavier and taller and has more unsprung weight (larger wheels), but I feel like the factory spring tuning is atrocious on these 2010-2015 models. The factory F-Sport shocks were terrible and resulted in an under-dampened, over-sprung feel, it's better now with the Bilstein B6 front struts and rear shocks I put on, but still far from perfect. The car feels like a heavy boat like you'd expect from an old Camry, except without the plush ride. The front springs are also super hard to compress vs. the older models.

I maybe thought that they revised the valving on the later 16-22 RX models, so I installed some 4th gen RX KYB front struts and rear shocks on a friend's 2010 (This base RX still has the same springs as an F-Sport), nada. It rode fine, but it still is a bit rough even with 17" rims. Felt lighter on its feet than our F-Sport due to the lower weight, though. That leaves me with the springs. The 4th gen RX still uses the same suspension architecture as the 3rd gen RX and 2014-2019 Toyota Highlander. We have a 2014 Highlander in the family as well, and while it feels a little ponderous itself for a unibody SUV, it rides better than the RX despite having 19" wheel/tire setup as well. However, due to the softer rear springs, it is easy to make the rear end sag even with 250 lbs in the trunk. It sags as much as my Highlander or 08 RX would with around 700 lbs.

With that, has anyone tried a set of all four springs from a different car on our platform (4th gen RX, newer HL) or a hybrid? Will report back here if I ever try some different springs

 

Not much you can modify to make the 3rd generation RX models ride better other than Bilstein shocks. These things are truly the textbook definition of "land barge" even though they are not that big.

 

Hi All, I am the original starter of this merged thread. Anyway, 2015 RX base only 59K miles. Rides bad/harsh/stiff etc. I had used and suggested putting in 2 Lowe's sand bags 50lb each over rear wheel well which definitely helped, but it got a little embarrassing and i had to take them out.
Finally last week i changed the rear shocks to B4 Bilstein per advice from @Clutchless and other experienced users. Not much if any change in the ride quality.. Mechanic says it is the front struts that need to be changed, but he will only do the stock brand and does not recommend any other brand for front. Is my only option at this point to get rid of this vehicle ? I am not sure changing struts and putting new stock brand will achieve anything, since i never liked the ride even when it was brand new. Any ideas ? Also, i was charged around $600 for 2 rear chocks and have an estimate of around $900 for front struts. its coming up to 60K miles tuneup,so thats another $1000 or so for maintenance. The brand is luxury + reliable and will last lot longer than any new 'computer/turbo cvt' made new vehicles, so i want to keep it, but the ride quality is a constant nightmare. any thoughts / suggestions ?

 

Get a new mechanic as you were grossly overcharged to replace the rear shocks. Even if that included the price of the rear shocks. It should not take more than an hour labor to replace the rear shocks. FYI the new shocks will take 500 - 1000 miles to break in and ride better. And check your tire pressure as it affects the ride!

The Bilstein B4 struts in front will help the ride and I am sure you can find another shop that will install them. Struts are the same on almost every car with them and they have been around for decades. Every repair shop knows how to replace struts and has a spring compressor. You need an alignment after replacing struts.
New front OEM struts may make the ride stiffer as your old struts have probably become softer with wear. Although with your low mileage there is probably nothing wrong with your front struts and you could leave them alone for another 40,000 miles.....

What do you expect to be done for the 60,000 mile service? Vehicles no longer get "tune ups", they get the required service at the mileage and time intervals recommended by the manufacturer.

At 60,000 I would change the transmission fluid, brake fluid, engine oil, engine air filter, cabin air filter, check brakes & suspension. If all wheel drive change the transfer case fluid and differential fluid.
Maybe lubricate the brake caliper slide pins, check tire wear etc. If you have HID headlights I would replace the D4S bulbs as they gradually get dimmer over time and at 10 years old it is time to replace them. Get the Philips bulbs from Amazon and see YouTube for replacement instructions or search this forum.


However since you hate the ride so much, I doubt that replacing the front struts will make you any more pleased with the ride and advise you to get a different vehicle that rides more to your liking. Save money by not doing any more maintenance and just get rid of it. You do not put much mileage on a vehicle, so it will have good trade in value.

 

You can replace every suspension part on your vehicle to make it like new again, but since you didn't like the ride when the vehicle was new what's the point?

Apparently, back in 2021 you got some satisfaction from putting sandbags in the rear but then removed them because you prefer a harsher ride to that of feeling embarrassed. What can anyone say to that?

Seems to me that a decade-long ride that you don't like is enough. Time for a different vehicle.

Good luck.

 

Some owners take off the 19" sport wheels and put on the standard 18" wheels that the base 3rd gen RX models come with and then install a touring type all season tire like Michelin Defender or Goodyear Assurance. I have 18" Defenders which I keep aired down a bit which gives a good ride on original suspension, low speed road bumps and holes can still be harsh but anything over about 30 mph is smooth, I've learned to avoid pot holes and road bumps with this car. I'll try that sandbag idea thanks.

 

Great idea and there are plenty of used 18 inch wheels on eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or Offerup that will fit perfectly from the RX350 or 450h, ES350 or 300h, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Sienna, 2008-2017 Toyota Venza, and the Avalon or Camry. They all share the same hub bore size, bolt hole pattern size and very similar offsets.