Suspension Arms For Ls460 Advice Please

[Himack]

I have a 2007 LS460 4 door saloon and a new CT200h. I live in Jersey in the Channel Islands and I took my LS460 for a service. It has not yet done 40,000 miles. The garage rang me and said that I needed 4 x top arms and 4 lower arms at a cost of about £2,600. Reading on the forum I checked eBay and can get top arms for £49.99 plus delivery. A massive saving on the parts of about £2,200.

My garage had ordered and paid for the parts to a lexus dealer although they have not yet been dispatched. Has anyone knowledge on whether my garage could cancel the order and ask for a refund and has anyone had experience of ordering this type of part from what appears to be a reputable company A to Z Motors.

I realise that these parts are probably made in China but if they last even a year or so less and I need to change again it is still a massive saving. Thoughts, advice and comments would be great.

[ManicMark]

These parts from a to z are very poor 3 to 6 months at least on the ls400 wishbones I had supplied, I cannot imagine that you need 8 wishbones after 40,000 miles unless you have used it as a rally car.

Is it a regular garage you know & trust (if not get a second opinion).

[The-Acre]

These parts from a to z are very poor 3 to 6 months, I cannot imagine that you need 8 wishbones after 40,000 miles unless you have used it as a rally car.

Is it a regular garage you know & trust (if not get a second opinion).

I agree with the above. Several times people have said these cheap parts fail very quickly.

[ManicMark]

I have been having a think I would take the car to a lexus dealer for inspection, 40k seems way to short for these components to last unless you are driving up rough tracks every day.

The original post could also be a wind up.

[Himack]

Just sent a long reply which seems to have disappeared.

[Himack]

I will just try again. Firstly, thank you guys for letting me have your thoughts and advice and I can assure you that it is not a wind up. I live in Jersey which is relatively flat and only 45 miles square. The top legal speed anywhere in the Island so I can assure you that the car has not been ragged and I certainly do not rally drive. I use the car for work every day but as you can tell by the mileage for a car that is getting on for 7 years now, that is not a lot. I do know the garage and largely trust them and to be fair they kept the car on the ramp so that I could see for myself that the bushes are knackered. I did take the car to the main dealer last year to have a failed front bulb changed and they quoted me nearly £600. The cost of the part was excessive and they said that to get to the bulb they had to remove the front bumper with the sensors and other bits just to get to it. That is when I went to this other garage and he ordered the part from the main dealer, removed the front wheel and got in through the wheel arch. Total cost with the part £140. So, you can see that I think that they are genuine and in fact his quote for labour on this one is £160 which is 4 hours work, all the cost being for the parts, although I guess that he will have a percentage in there.

From what you have said it looks as if I will have to bite the bullet on this one as if the cheaper parts did not last for 2 or 3 years then I would take it as a false economy.

So, unless someone comes up with a credible option I think that I am stuck.

I would like to thank you again though guys for taking the trouble to reply, I appreciate it greatly and can see myself making good use of this owners club forum. Cheers.

[Himack]

Apologies, I missed the part that the top legal speed anywhere in the Island is only 40 mph.

[steve2006]

I've just looked up the parts on Toyo.diy and the price for OEM parts is about right, infact cheaper than UK prices but that may be due to the VAT difference in the C.I.

This would suggest the garage are doing you a good deal and not marking up the part prices apart from probably a small trade discount plus good labour charges at £40.00 per hour.

One thing I didn't realise is the front top arms are 2 pieces each side unlike the earlier models which have a single wishbone, at around £260.00 each I can see why the cost soon mounts up!

I know on earlier models the actual bushes only can be replaced but I doubt they yet exist for the LS460.

What does surprise me is the time it has taken for the bushes to fail, my LS is approaching 20 years old and is still on all its original suspension apart from 2 front lower ball joints.

[The-Acre]

For the price of the parts you could buy a superb MK4 LS400!!!

Hope you get it all sorted, maybe it's possible to source the parts from the States or from a Japanese parts supplier?

BTW, Welcome to LOC.

Phil

[Lexmanic]

Only 40,000 miles & it already needs new bushes. I'm sorry but other than the bushes something else is wrong with this car. I suggest you complain direct to Lexus & have them explain why its only lasted for 40mls before needing such major work

[ManicMark]

Only 40,000 miles & it already needs new bushes. I'm sorry but other than the bushes something else is wrong with this car. I suggest you complain direct to Lexus & have them explain why its only lasted for 40mls before needing such major work

My thoughts exactly thats why I thought it might be a wind up (sorry) worst case they should last double that mileage. I would expect around 150k before these sort of issues. Its a prestige motor car (in pursuit of perfection) 40 k for wishbones is far from perfect ( a 7 year old Dacia with 40 k maybe but not a top of the range Lexus)

[Malc]

And I thought us diehard LS400 owners only had to steer clear of the Ls430s !!!!

Wot on earth has happened to the Lexus ethos with the production of these " prestigious " post LS400 cars ? :eerrrmm:

As mentioned above, you could get one of the very very best LS400's for the cost of your premature failure repair.

Malc

[ambermarine]

The original poster does not say wether he as owned the car from new,it could have been badly treated or driven on a rough road for considerable periods by its previous owner.

I have always maintained that the Lexus Ls400 was and still is the best car Lexus made and if it turns out these parts have failed so quickly it confirms my belief.

[mikeyv]

These cars, like other LS models before them, are primarily motorway munchers.

As such, despite the considerable weight of the car, components like ball joints have a fairly easy life, travelling mostly in relatively straight lines.

I've only been to Jersey once, in the early 70s, but doubt the tight and windy roads will have changed much, so giving the ball joints a much tougher existence over their 40k miles.

Still seems a bit of a short life for such an expensive car, but maybe the above is a contributing factor?

[Himack]

Hi Ambermarine and thank you for your reply. I bought that car when it was 1 year old and had done 7000 miles. The previous owner was a retiring accountant and was therefore even less likely than I to have ragged the car. The car was registered in Jersey therefore apart from brief trips to the European mainland and its motorways, it has just been doodling round Jersey roads.

I think that I will take your advice Lexmanic and contact Lexus to get their views.

[Himack]

To keep you in the loop, I have contacted Lexus customer relations, explained the issue and asked for their thoughts. Watch this space.

[ambermarine]

Hi Himack

I concur ,you must get an appraisal from Lexus, this even by my criteria for excellence is abysmal I expect that bushes on any presige suspension should last at least double that mileage before showing wear let alone failure.

[messi]

Wow 40,000 miles and you need new wishbones, I had a 99 ls400 with 40,000 miles on it, and I drive carefully through through the crap Birmingham roads, yet no problems with the wishbones, yep you better take it back to Lexus dealers

[Parrot of Doom]

Unless the bushings are showing excessive play, and causing other problems, such as poor tracking, or crashing and banging sounds, or MOT failure, I'd leave them.

Don't buy the £50 arms, they don't last very long.

[steve2006]

Just for interest below is the exploded view of the LS460 front suspension showing the 2 top arms instead of the single wishbone fitted on earlier models. Twice the parts and twice the cost!

[mpkayeuk]

Hi folks, what is known about the cheap arms on eBay?  Do the ball joints fail, or the bushes, or the arm itself?  Feedback would be hugely appreciated.

[Tulpen]

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I suggest you look in the US Lexus forum, there is a LOT of advice on this.