Ball joints, tie rods, control arms, etc.
#1
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Hey mods -- could you please leave this up here for a day so I can have the benefit of hearing from the CL members that don't regularly frequent the suspension forum?
As many of our cars are getting higher miles, it seems that a lot of you are "freshening" up your front suspension components by replacing several wear items, including (but maybe not limited to) the lower ball joints, outer tie rods, control arms, castor arms, etc. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what any of these terms mean, much less what the parts actually look like. For those of us that have no intentions of going with Daizan "bushings" (again, I wouldn't know a bushing if someone threw one at me), I thought it might be beneficial to hear from those of you who have replaced stock suspension parts, which ones you replaced, what mileage they were replaced at, how much it cost, and how it improved the ride (if at all). Lexforlife comes to mind immediately as does 3dog (I believe he bought the parts, but I don't recall seeing a thread on his thoughts post-installation), but I have to believe there are many others out there who haven't reported in yet.
So, let's hear from you guys. Thanks.
e
As many of our cars are getting higher miles, it seems that a lot of you are "freshening" up your front suspension components by replacing several wear items, including (but maybe not limited to) the lower ball joints, outer tie rods, control arms, castor arms, etc. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what any of these terms mean, much less what the parts actually look like. For those of us that have no intentions of going with Daizan "bushings" (again, I wouldn't know a bushing if someone threw one at me), I thought it might be beneficial to hear from those of you who have replaced stock suspension parts, which ones you replaced, what mileage they were replaced at, how much it cost, and how it improved the ride (if at all). Lexforlife comes to mind immediately as does 3dog (I believe he bought the parts, but I don't recall seeing a thread on his thoughts post-installation), but I have to believe there are many others out there who haven't reported in yet.
So, let's hear from you guys. Thanks.
e
#3
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Originally Posted by LEXUS_KID
E-Man how
much do you want to spend $$$$
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#4
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funny how u start this thread cause my rear arms,, not exactly sure which one but might be a trailing arm just fell apart.. now my car needs to get towed,,, the arm is rubbing off my inside lip of my wheels... any ideas what went wrong,, ,, thought the car usually has problems with the front arms,,, dont recall any for the rear yet
#5
Lexus Test Driver
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I have done it recently, let me put it this way:
2x upper control arms $360.00 each
2x lower ball joints $61.00 each
2x caster arms $116.00 each
Shipping $20.00
All parts are brand new (OEM), i have ordered them from Carsons Toyota
Labor cost me nothing since i've done it myself, if you have any questions PM me so i can help you out, also i could inspect your suspention
Let me know what you think
2x upper control arms $360.00 each
2x lower ball joints $61.00 each
2x caster arms $116.00 each
Shipping $20.00
All parts are brand new (OEM), i have ordered them from Carsons Toyota
Labor cost me nothing since i've done it myself, if you have any questions PM me so i can help you out, also i could inspect your suspention
Let me know what you think
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#6
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Originally Posted by LEXSOOS
I have done it recently, let me put it this way:
2x upper control arms $360.00 each
2x lower ball joints $61.00 each
2x caster arms $116.00 each
Shipping $20.00
All parts are brand new (OEM), i have ordered them from Carsons Toyota
Labor cost me nothing since i've done it myself, if you have any questions PM me so i can help you out, also i could inspect your suspention
Let me know what you think![Thumb Up](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
2x upper control arms $360.00 each
2x lower ball joints $61.00 each
2x caster arms $116.00 each
Shipping $20.00
All parts are brand new (OEM), i have ordered them from Carsons Toyota
Labor cost me nothing since i've done it myself, if you have any questions PM me so i can help you out, also i could inspect your suspention
Let me know what you think
![Thumb Up](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
This is exactly the kind of first-hand experience I was looking for. I'm hoping this will benefit a lot of people.
#7
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e- man I'll start out since I replaced my lower ball joints ( one the straightest part connecting outward to the hub, unlike the control arms that are wish bone shaped) this past weekend. I don't have any pictures for reference but it was shown to me and probably the cheapest of the 3-4 suspension parts listed to replace.
Car: 99GS300 with 128k miles
Symptoms: A clunking noise when going over dips, bumps....
Fix: Replaced front left and right lower ball joints assembly
Cost: 2x $61 per side.
Labor: Couldn't say because other services were done. Roughly a close 1 hour job.
Feel: Steering is slightly tighter, less jiggly in the steering wheel and no clunking noise
going over dips, bumps, driveways.
Next: Upper control arm bushings are starting to crack, but front bilstein is leaking
Car: 99GS300 with 128k miles
Symptoms: A clunking noise when going over dips, bumps....
Fix: Replaced front left and right lower ball joints assembly
Cost: 2x $61 per side.
Labor: Couldn't say because other services were done. Roughly a close 1 hour job.
Feel: Steering is slightly tighter, less jiggly in the steering wheel and no clunking noise
going over dips, bumps, driveways.
Next: Upper control arm bushings are starting to crack, but front bilstein is leaking
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#9
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Originally Posted by rominl
e, you actually forgot about me? read my super long thread in the suspension forums on the daizen bushings i put in, that's all i can say ![Smilie](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
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Last edited by e-man; 01-17-06 at 09:37 AM.
#10
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Originally Posted by e-man
Hey Henry. Of course I didn't forget about you. Who could?
But, like I said, some of us "stocker" probably wouldn't go the Daizan bushing route. I was just looking for some first-hand experience from guys who went the OEM route.
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#11
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Originally Posted by rominl
well, the bushings are stock replacement. i personally don't see any reason why it's only for people with afermarket suspension
not like these will harshen up your ride bad ![Smilie](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
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#12
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LEXOOS,
Since you are from Illinois, did you replace your parts due to the rust and corrosion from snow and salt ? I live in California and bought my car in Arizona. I have absolutely no rust on my car anywhere, and all the parts you mention look great on my car. My alignmenti s checked every 3 months, and so far, no problems.
I have 102,000 miles on my 99 GS4, and don't think that I'll change anything unless I have a reason to do so.
Thanks again!
Since you are from Illinois, did you replace your parts due to the rust and corrosion from snow and salt ? I live in California and bought my car in Arizona. I have absolutely no rust on my car anywhere, and all the parts you mention look great on my car. My alignmenti s checked every 3 months, and so far, no problems.
I have 102,000 miles on my 99 GS4, and don't think that I'll change anything unless I have a reason to do so.
Thanks again!
#13
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Originally Posted by e-man
Hey LK. I'd like to spend $0. Seriously, though, I'm not looking to go aftermarket or anything like that. I want to keep her bone stock. I just want to know who has replaced these components basically with new stock replacement components, how many miles, how much they spent, and whether it made a difference.
#14
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Originally Posted by DetMich1
e-man, when I took my GS400 for alignment we found that the ball joints we pretty worn at about 125,000 miles. Had to replace those before going on to do alignment. Spent $80/ball joint (alignment shop sent courier to the dealer to get them) and 2 hours shop time for replacement. Then proceeded with four wheel alignment so its hard to say what the isolated effect of the ball joint replacement was. On my SC I replaced all the lower control arm bushing using the ones fabricated by Andrew Vlamos from Australia. They are rubber like stock not polyurethane like the Daizens. They press into the original control arms replacing the worn out OEM bushings. Lexus does not offer the bushing as a separate part (at least at the time they didn't) even though the control arm itself experiences no wear and does not need replacement per se as long as a new bushing can be installed. The ride and handling of the SC was restored to new car quality.
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#15
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Originally Posted by e-man
Well now I'm completely confused. Was it difficult to replace the bushings (like Rom described in his thread on the Daizans)? I was leaning towards a new set of shocks, but now I'm back to thinking about bushings. ![Uhh...](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/1387914497.gif)
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Even if you go with new Lexus control arms and the associated bushings, here is the website for the Vlamos replacement bushings. There is a lot of good info on there about the suspension and how it all works. I'm not even sure if he makes bushings for the GS. I can tell you he was very easy to work with when I ordered bushings for the SC and had them shipped to the US.
VFT Bushings website
Last edited by DetMich1; 01-17-06 at 01:31 PM.