snamvar57

I took my 2007 Lexus GS 350 AWD with 98000 miles to my local chain for tire rotation and oil change. They told me that the lower control arm bushing is cracked and a grand total of $2900 for replacing the breaks plus fixing the bushing. Their estimate is attached.
The problem I see with my breaks is when I drive at higher speeds in the highway and I break, the breaks feel/sound like a pulsing noise. The breaks are not as effective as they should be.
This is a huge expense for me. Can someone clarify for me as what a "Control arm Cracked bushing" is ? What the symptoms are, and will the work suggested in their estimate fix my breaks for good ? I like to educate myself a bit, before I take it to my Lexus Technician. Thank you.
-Sam

Gs3500

jack up the wheel, put your hands at the 12 and 6 o clock position of the wheel, and pull/push back and forth. see if there is excess play/click and if so, something like a bushing may be bad. try comparing to a good wheel to note any difference.

Sodium

Hi Sam,

Briefly, the control arms (upper and lower) are the components that connect the front wheels to the chassis, and constrain the wheels so they only move in the vertical axis (up and down). If your bushings were cracked, you would likely notice some vibration in the steering wheel, and maybe bump steer depending on how bad the bushings were. However, I don't think you would have pulsating when braking. Also, I don't recall seeing anyone with a cracked lower control arm bushing on this forum, so the fact that they want to replace both of your control arms is a bit suspect. They may be right, but I would definitely get a second opinion before going ahead with the control arms

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

98k miles I would just slap some brake pads and call it done, unless you feel suspension rattles or anything out of the ordinary.

See if your able to have your rotors cut, or if its really close to spec just roughed up and throw the pads on. Thats a lot of money to spend on brakes if you must replace the rotors look on ebay you can find oem very cheap and many times a branched tire shop will use aftermarket parts.

ArpusTT

lower ball joints and lower inner control arm bushings. please don't pay almost 3k for simple work. independent shops should charge nothing more than 1500 for parts, labor.

chuyrobles

Are you in southern CA? There is a mechanic in the San Diego area that is a certified mechanic and used to work for Lexus. He does good work and does no charge stealership prices.

Almost all rubber bushings crack a bit due to exposure - most are in the open facing the ground. They become an issue when the car swerves sharply when you drive over uneven ground surfaces like along the seam between the emergency shoulder and a freeway lane.
https://www.yourmechanic.com/article...l-arm-assembly

The pulsating braking is very likely due to a warped rotor. A simple dial caliper can be used to locate the culprit rotor. You likely have only one that is causing the pulsating but they should be replaced in pairs. With that much mileage the front rotors are likely at or below their minimum thickness; so, I would definitely replace the front rotors. If the pulsating remains, do the rears. I didn't' have to replace our ES350's rear rotors until they hit 180K; whereas the car was on it 3rd front brake rotor set by 150K.

speedkar9

They're charging 5 hours labor to replace two control arms. I think that's a bit high.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the GS isn't like the ES, where the motor mounts have to be removed to get at the control arm bolts right?

You can find aftermarket control arms for a fifth of the price on RockAuto.

snamvar57

Thank you all very much for sharing your knowledge and experience. I live in San Francisco Bay Area and even with high costs here, this estimate and "required work" is mind boggling. I must correct myself. When I break, there is vibration in the car. The higher the speed, more the vibration. I also have noticed that when I drive at very low speeds, in particular when I come to stop, if there is uneven road surface, the steering drastically turns if I let the steering go ! Is it supposed to be like that or could it be the Cracked bushing ?
Anyways, I am going to take it to my Lexus guru who is reasonable and have him take care of it. Would it be dangerous to drive the car in this condition (Cracked bushing) ? Thanks for educating me enough, so I can talk about the issue intelligently. This forum is a god send.
I will keep you posted with the second opinion and the cost, so this thread would be useful.
-Sam

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

The shaking at low or high speed to me sound like a out of balanced wheel or maybe bent wheel. Did the tire shop try to balance the front wheels? If not have them balance the front wheels, and check to see if the wheels have a bend in them. See if it goes away

As far as the swerving goes the GS is normal to swerve at uneven road surface to a point. There is a small bushing on the rear lower control arms that do go bad. I have had this problem on my 08 AWD aswell. Once I replaced the round bushing it went away. The part is cheap and takes 20 min tops each side, but you will have to have the car aligned right away.

If prices are high you can try toyota dealer or any mechanic if your not mechanically inclined. Its very easy!

This is the part that I would replace instead of the lower control arm as those hardly go as bad as this part
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEXUS-OEM-IS...NXqYZH&vxp=mtr

Sodium

The vibration is likely because the front brakes need replacing, or maybe one of your front wheels needs to be balanced. The steering at low speeds on uneven pavement is normal.

As for the putative cracked bushings, I'm still not buying it. You're only at 98,000 miles, and I've not yet seen one cracked control arm bushing reported by anyone else (and some members have twice your mileage or more on their cars), and yet they want to replace both your control arms

If you have a jack, you could take a look at the bushings yourself. They're right at the front, and you don't need to take off any panels to get a good look

snamvar57

Just want to update as my tires are fairly new. They gave me this estimate with their inspection when I took my car to have the wheels balanced, rotate and aligned.
-Sam

snamvar57

Thanks Sodium for your input. I am planning to take it to my Lexus guy day after tomorrow. I will update this thread.
Thanks.

man0fsteel

My local brake/suspension guys put my 2007 GS450H on the rack and took a look and said the noise coming from my steering when cranked all the way over was due to a cracked bushing. I've got 148k on my baby and this is the first bit of mechanical wear I've really had (knock on wood).

I hope I can buy the individual bushing from ibidu1's post above to solve the problem. There is another bushing on the lower control arm as well that probably cannot be replaced.

chuyrobles

Update is due!