Smity

Good morning,

I have a 2003 Lexus ES 300 and recently I hear a noise in the rear end suspension (thump) when going over bumps. Can someone offer some advice? Thanks.

BDSL

Check for free play of the ball joints.
Check for free play of the sway bar endlinks.
Check for free play of the sway bar bushings.
Check for free play of the lower control arm bushings.

llcoolpass

smity, I knew a smity on a dif site is that you

one more thing you can check, the bump stops on the rear struts

BoostedE21

it very well could be the bump stops. the struts on mine are so worn that even the smallest of speed bumps bottoms out my suspension. but if this happens on more modest changes in road conditions, like going over rail road tracks, you probably have a crapped out bushing.

llcoolpass

yeah i replaced struts and my car kept bottoming out. it was a loud bang. i was missing the bump stops [oops]

then i also upgraded my coils to TRW/Moog. they work well, better than stock at handling loads. not as compliant/cooshy, but only at the very begining. for example, when going over a dip in the road, the back end does feel like there 's no wheels and it's falling to earth anymore. the car seems ''flat'' in the downward motion... a good match to my front, OEM coils. actually im sure the struts are doing stuff to affect this too, but hey.

the before and after stuff that I noticed was the actual thing I experienced and hopefully helps you out.