Stumped! LS400 Mk4 knock from front suspension/steering

[Razor61]

23 hours ago, J4ck100 said:

Additionally, postage seems expensive at GBP 30 for two units from Japan to UK.

I don’t think it’s expensive to be honest but the more stuff you buy the more cost effective it is. I buy enough bits to make it worth while, my last order was around £600 for lots of stuff. Landed cost was around £800 I think, to buy in the UK would have been around £2k plus I reckon.

[Malc]

On 4/16/2020 at 7:07 PM, J4ck100 said:

Amayama

I've imported a few bits from time to time and found their system to be very efficient, correct and timely

After paying the carriage, Customs Duty, VAT and UK handling fees the landed price is about 100% over their cost book price of the parts BUT about 50% only of the Toyota / Lexus UK price .....  a considerable saving on say UCAs 

Malc

[Baldguy]

I've found this great site in Holland (Winparts.co.uk) and have just ordered a complete front suspension setup for my GS430 Sport - I've gone for best quality Febi products, as good or better than OEM - price up your parts.... Great service....

[J4ck100]

I forgot to update this but a while back I ordered the BAR ASSY, STRUT cushions from Amayama and it sorted my front clonk under braking 100%. Thanks for all suggestions. £50 plus fitting vs £660 for the full arms from UK!

[Mikaelse]

Great. 

These bushings are a bit strange. Looked ok ish on both my LS400 when i fiddled with a crowbar on them but Advice from this forum was that they are the shudder and clonking culprit and they were!. I am not surprised that people describe that even experienced general car mechanics have a hard time finding the problem.

Good advice is NOT to spend money changing out old but perfectly good LEXUS parts for new 3d party cheap stuff unless needed. This forum is a very good place to ask for fair advice in my opinion. On my 1995 these are the only rubber bushings I have changed . Every other rubber bushing OEM to my knowledge and works fine. 

I have though changed lower balljoints in front to new OEM (from AMAYAMA) after a friend had a scary expereince with an older (non Lexus) SUV where the balljoint snapped with the family in the car in traffic folding wheel to an impossible angle. Extra scary in a high SUV.  

A lot of pulling going on on these lower balljoints. You may not notice it is going bad. I once exchanged one on of my cars that had 2 to 2.5 mm play in it. 
It did not really warn me much that it was going bad.