Lower ball joints - when to replace?

[br1anstorm]

I have a 2002 IS300 SportCross.  I'm just the second owner.  The car had done about 60k miles when I bought it as a warranted used car from a Lexus dealer in 2011.  It has now done 115k miles, mostly long distance motorway journeys.  I now have it checked by my local independent garage (there is no Lexus dealer in my part of Scotland) and it passes the annual MoT with no issues.

But I'm beginning to think hard about the front lower ball-joints, because serious experts posting on the forums suggest that they are a well-known weakness and they can fail disastrously with little or no warning.  I'd rather take precautionary action before that.

As far as I can tell there is no sign of an imminent problem.  I had the suspension adjusted to the Tony Bones/WIM recommended settings some years ago, and the front tyres no longer wear excessively on the inner part of the tread.  I've just replaced all the tyres anyway and they are balanced.

The only issue I have noticed is a very slight steering-wobble or transient vibration when braking lightly at cruising speeds.  It was evident both before and after I replaced the tyres.  I suppose this could just be the result of uneven wear on front pads or discs, but it set me thinking....

So the question is:  at this mileage, should I get the lower ball joints replaced anyway?  And if I do so, will the suspension settings have to be re-done?  My garage has a Hunter machine, but would (by default) probably rely on the standard Lexus specification, which we know to be inappropriate.  My problem is that I don't have a record of the Tony Bones/WIM settings to pass on to my local garage.

Any advice on the need for replacement LBJs - and comment/info on the suspension settings - would be appreciated....

[steve2006]

They are not a routine service item like oil and filters and you will certain know when they fail either at MOT time or you start to get knocking on the front suspension.

Potholes play a large part in their demise so avoid as much as possible.

I’ve never heard of one failing and resulting in immediate catastrophic failure like the hub detaching as the warning signs mentioned above come first.

Keep an eye on the dust covers for holes or splits and if you really want to confirm serviceability a pry bar between the lower arm and hub will show any play when lifted up.

The old adage “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” comes in here, same applies to UCAs and other suspension bushes.

[Cdn296]

Lower ball joints for the IS are a well known issue , I have seen pictures of failed ball joints with messed up wheel wells and fenders . If your not sure or comfortable checking yourself get it professionally checked and they'll tell you whether or not your ball joints need replacing