Lexus suspension

[MeLex]

Hi all

Just wondering - I have a 2010 RX450h which is weeping a little from the rear suspension. MOT tester said it was just a small amount and was an advisory.

Is this something to really worry about or do I need to get them done?

Also best quote was £550 for two rear suspensions fitted. Is this any good?

Getting a bit fed up with everyone saying they dont want to touch a lexus for repairs. Before I bought it I did research and not a soul ever told me this was the case!

Thoughts?

Cheers!

[GeniusOfLove]

I assume you mean from the dampers?

By the time they're weeping they've long since stopped damping properly, they degrade slowly so you won't have noticed but changing them will improve the car a lot and you should do it. Anyone who "won't work on a Lexus" is someone to avoid like the plague, they're not even remotely weird or complex to work on.

If it's not the dampers it'd have to be an oil filled bush on the subframe or something, which absolutely needs replacing!

With a quick look I can't find any aftermarket dampers for your car so they might be Lexus dealer supply only, and they may well be adaptive dampers too, in which case £550 fitted is probably about right with £400+ of that being parts!

[Watcher of the skies]

As it's just an advisory I'd just keep an eye on it but not worry too much. It could soldier on for years.

[gavsdavs]

GeniusOfLove said:

I assume you mean from the dampers?

By the time they're weeping they've long since stopped damping properly, they degrade slowly so you won't have noticed but changing them will improve the car a lot and you should do it. Anyone who "won't work on a Lexus" is someone to avoid like the plague, they're not even remotely weird or complex to work on.

If it's not the dampers it'd have to be an oil filled bush on the subframe or something, which absolutely needs replacing!

This. Sort it, the car will feel better

[GeniusOfLove]

Watcher of the skies said:

As it's just an advisory I'd just keep an eye on it but not worry too much. It could soldier on for years.

Yeah driving like a soggy underdamped bag of st!

[Watcher of the skies]

How do you know? It could just be an over zealous tester. He obviously doesn't think it's dangerous.

[GeniusOfLove]

Watcher of the skies said:

How do you know? It could just be an over zealous tester. He obviously doesn't think it's dangerous.

Dampers need to be absolutely fked beyond all functionality before they fail an MOT, if the OP is curious he could use his eyes to look at the dampers and see if they're damp and oily. As I said by the time that's happening they're well past there best.

If the car is on over 80k and certainly if it's approaching 100k it'll benefit from new dampers even if they're not weeping, that and engine/transmission mounts are the two things you can do to a middle aged car that'll make the biggest transformation to how it drives.

Of course most people just drive around in soggy cars with the engine and gearbox wriggling around and are fine with it.

As a rule anyone who has to ask PH for basic car maintenance advice is better off just listening to their MOT tester/mechanic and fixing their car rather than trying to second guess about something they don't know anything about. OP is clearly not mechanically minded so he's not going to "keep an eye on it" beyond driving the car until the things are so shagged out they actually fail an MOT. As I said before they fail gradually so it's very easy not to realise how poor body control has become as the dampers age.

Edited by GeniusOfLove on Thursday 7th August 12:59

[MustangGT]

GeniusOfLove said:

I assume you mean from the dampers?

By the time they're weeping they've long since stopped damping properly, they degrade slowly so you won't have noticed but changing them will improve the car a lot and you should do it. Anyone who "won't work on a Lexus" is someone to avoid like the plague, they're not even remotely weird or complex to work on.

If it's not the dampers it'd have to be an oil filled bush on the subframe or something, which absolutely needs replacing!

With a quick look I can't find any aftermarket dampers for your car so they might be Lexus dealer supply only, and they may well be adaptive dampers too, in which case £550 fitted is probably about right with £400+ of that being parts!

To be fair, the hybrid models are a lot more complex, and there is always the danger of electrical mishaps. My brother has an IS hybrid and his local mechanic won't touch it.

[GeniusOfLove]

MustangGT said:

To be fair, the hybrid models are a lot more complex, and there is always the danger of electrical mishaps. My brother has an IS hybrid and his local mechanic won't touch it.

I'm sure you're right, but a mechanic who, 28 years after the first Prius was introduced, is scared of Hybrids and hasn't bothered upskilling is a mechanic who is likely to become a lot less busy over the next few years.

[Watcher of the skies]

I'm making an assumption here, but as the op is driving around in a 15 year old Lexus hybrid i would guess that his priorities lie in low running costs and reliability. The dampers may well be due replacement, but then they may also have another year or two's safe life in them.
By all means, go ahead and replace dampers, suspension bushes, engine mounts etc. The car will undoubtedly drive better, but since the op was concerned about costs is that his best course of action?

[donkmeister]

MeLex said:

Getting a bit fed up with everyone saying they dont want to touch a lexus for repairs. Before I bought it I did research and not a soul ever told me this was the case!

Thoughts?

Cheers!

The difficulty with Lexus isn't that it's a Lexus, it's that there aren't many Lexus main dealers (and IME they price jobs assuming you are an idiot) and possibly zero independent specialists. Whereas with BMW and Mercedes there are a lot.

You'd think that you could take it to a Toyota dealership, but no. I have had to lie to the parts desk at Toyota when buying parts that are common to both marques. They'll sell me coolant for a Yaris, but they won't sell it if they get wind it'll be poured into an LS460.

I've also found that the trade motorfactors don't sell Lexus parts, so if you go to a garage they'll say what's broken but can't quote for parts.

So, if you don't want to use a main dealer then you are left with a few Jap specialists or you need to persuade an independent mechanic to fit customer supplied parts.

[uktrailmonster]

MeLex said:

Hi all

Just wondering - I have a 2010 RX450h which is weeping a little from the rear suspension. MOT tester said it was just a small amount and was an advisory.

Is this something to really worry about or do I need to get them done?

Also best quote was £550 for two rear suspensions fitted. Is this any good?

Getting a bit fed up with everyone saying they dont want to touch a lexus for repairs. Before I bought it I did research and not a soul ever told me this was the case!

Thoughts?

Cheers!

Are you happy with the way it drives? If yes then just forget about it. The dampers will certainly be well past their glory days, but unless you are unhappy with the ride quality and handling then it’s not a big deal. It won’t suddenly leave you stranded

[P675]

donkmeister said:

I've also found that the trade motorfactors don't sell Lexus parts, so if you go to a garage they'll say what's broken but can't quote for parts.

So, if you don't want to use a main dealer then you are left with a few Jap specialists or you need to persuade an independent mechanic to fit customer supplied parts.

I found this with my GS450h, a lot of parts you could only get from Lexus and they cost a fortune. Was bulletproof though luckily.

[donkmeister]

P675 said:

donkmeister said:

I've also found that the trade motorfactors don't sell Lexus parts, so if you go to a garage they'll say what's broken but can't quote for parts.

So, if you don't want to use a main dealer then you are left with a few Jap specialists or you need to persuade an independent mechanic to fit customer supplied parts.

I found this with my GS450h, a lot of parts you could only get from Lexus and they cost a fortune. Was bulletproof though luckily.

The legendary reliability of Lexus/Toyota is certainly no myth. However my LS has required some refreshment over the years to keep it up to snuff. Well, it keeps me off the streets.

Amayama are my parts supplier of choice for my Jap crap.

[andy43]

donkmeister said:

MeLex said:

Getting a bit fed up with everyone saying they dont want to touch a lexus for repairs. Before I bought it I did research and not a soul ever told me this was the case!

Thoughts?

Cheers!

The difficulty with Lexus isn't that it's a Lexus, it's that there aren't many Lexus main dealers (and IME they price jobs assuming you are an idiot) and possibly zero independent specialists. Whereas with BMW and Mercedes there are a lot.

You'd think that you could take it to a Toyota dealership, but no. I have had to lie to the parts desk at Toyota when buying parts that are common to both marques. They'll sell me coolant for a Yaris, but they won't sell it if they get wind it'll be poured into an LS460.

I've also found that the trade motorfactors don't sell Lexus parts, so if you go to a garage they'll say what's broken but can't quote for parts.

So, if you don't want to use a main dealer then you are left with a few Jap specialists or you need to persuade an independent mechanic to fit customer supplied parts.

About 10-15 years ago there was a very good Lexus specialist on the Wirral - no idea if he’s still there - I always wondered if being a Lexus repairer was a good business model. Now they’re doing the ten year warranty it probably makes even less sense.

[daqinggregg]

Even a 15 year old Lexus needs maintenance, they don’t go on infinitum, parts need replacing, probably likely to get more common as it ages.

No need to worry, £550 sounds reasonable, it wasn’t a cheap car in the first place. Best to keep on top of things like this, will make the car an all round better experience.

Check if there’s anything else in the vicinity that might need changing (bushes) at the same time, makes sense when it’s already dismantled.

[BrettMRC]

£550 is a pretty good price - if it had been on the front you'd be looking at two or three times that...

[SuperPav]

I've never had a car fail an MOT on shocks, even ones which were literally doing no damping, which echoes the above comments that they're long gone before the MOT man/woman condemns them.

A car with knackered rear dampers will drive horrendously (i've had a few of those!) - strong banging over undulations, but also very dodgy handling on any uneven roads esp mid-corner... Replacing them with even pattern parts always transformed the car for the better.

[J4CKO]

Buy these, for £159.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394767168112?_skw=lexus...

Watch this,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGL8b6kLOE8


Crack on, its two bolts to change it.

[donkmeister]

andy43 said:

donkmeister said:

MeLex said:

Getting a bit fed up with everyone saying they dont want to touch a lexus for repairs. Before I bought it I did research and not a soul ever told me this was the case!

Thoughts?

Cheers!

The difficulty with Lexus isn't that it's a Lexus, it's that there aren't many Lexus main dealers (and IME they price jobs assuming you are an idiot) and possibly zero independent specialists. Whereas with BMW and Mercedes there are a lot.

You'd think that you could take it to a Toyota dealership, but no. I have had to lie to the parts desk at Toyota when buying parts that are common to both marques. They'll sell me coolant for a Yaris, but they won't sell it if they get wind it'll be poured into an LS460.

I've also found that the trade motorfactors don't sell Lexus parts, so if you go to a garage they'll say what's broken but can't quote for parts.

So, if you don't want to use a main dealer then you are left with a few Jap specialists or you need to persuade an independent mechanic to fit customer supplied parts.

About 10-15 years ago there was a very good Lexus specialist on the Wirral - no idea if he’s still there - I always wondered if being a Lexus repairer was a good business model. Now they’re doing the ten year warranty it probably makes even less sense.

Good shout, looks like he's still there. Glyn Jones, if it helps anyone.

Also Westfield Motors in Essex.

Maybe I just live in a Lexus Indy desert? I have all sorts of other marque specialists nearby so maybe there simply wasn't room for Lexus.