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I have a 2004 GX470. 197k miles, had it since 143k and I’m the second owner.
Was thinking about giving the car to my wife, and it was time to do struts, brakes, etc.
I usually do everything myself as I have a lift in my shop/garage but I’ve been swamped with work since COVID...
So I decided to let a shop do them. I bought OEM struts (Lexus dealership online and bought by VIN #) and let them replace them.
10 miles after pickup I have a rattle on bumps that sounds metallic and like a suspension part coming from driver side.
I take it back, they spend 4+ hours on it and hear the same sound but canT pinpoint it and suggest I do a warranty replacement on the strut. (They charged $0 for the 4 hours they spent on it and the labor to replace it again)
Immediately have the same problem...
I take a day off work, spend a half a day on it, and put it up on the lift and I can’t find any issues... I didn’t remove/reinstall the struts though. (Still assuming they are fine)
I drive it to work today and it get a little louder, and I’m beginning to hear the same sound on the passenger side...
Get off work and peek under the wheel well and see the pictures for what I see... the bad side is the driver side but I’m starting to hear the noise on the passenger side as well...
The struts are now the obvious problem, but what went wrong!? What would cause this to happen?
Even though the shop is a highly reputable shop, shouldn't they have noticed something was bad enough to cause this? Was a part left out?
I have not dealt much with struts in the past, so I’m just trying to find out what’s wrong here...
I have stopped driving it and I’m driving my truck until I decide what to do about it.
Any help/ideas?
Thanks!
Are those the correct shocks? Did you verify the # on them?
Looks like the shock nut has not been tightened down correctly. Can probably be fix on the vehicle, but it should have been done off the vehicle.
Are those the correct shocks? Did you verify the # on them?
Looks like the shock nut has not been tightened down correctly. Can probably be fix on the vehicle, but it should have been done off the vehicle.
It seems to be pretty solid, is it that or my last theory was failing strut mounts?
??
Solid how?
The gas in the shock is pushing up, you can't wiggle it by hand, but when the wheel hits a bump and compresses the shock and wheel (spring) unloads faster than the shock can rebound, that's probably when the noise is happening. Your two pics show they are not the same, looks like shock is not mounted correctly in the hat.
The mount rubber is not even compressed. You can see where it was compressed before.
Solid as in the nut is very tight and not moving.
The top piece can be rotated by hand.
i can shake the car and it moves some so I am pretty sure that’s where the noise is from.
just trying to figure out exactly what they did wrong? Or was it just a failing mount?
Excuse my ignorance when it comes to suspension work, I’m much better with engine and electrical work.
Last edited by 2004GX; 10-10-20 at 02:09 PM.
Reason: Adding detail
Solid as in the nut is very tight and not moving.
The top piece can be rotated by hand.
i can shake the car and it moves some so I am pretty sure that’s where the noise is from.
just trying to figure out exactly what they did wrong? Or was it just a failing mount?
Excuse my ignorance when it comes to suspension work, I’m much better with engine and electrical work.
Well, it should never "move some" when "shake the car".
It's goofed.
They should look like this, so maybe they installed the wrong shock or something.
I can’t figure it out, I ordered the part by VIN #, then even replaced and re-ordered for another one (3 new ones and 2 old ones) and all 5 struts all look the same? I’m wondering if it’s possible they left a part out when they re-installed the new ones?
I can’t figure it out, I ordered the part by VIN #, then even replaced and re-ordered for another one (3 new ones and 2 old ones) and all 5 struts all look the same? I’m wondering if it’s possible they left a part out when they re-installed the new ones?
I can’t figure it out, I ordered the part by VIN #, then even replaced and re-ordered for another one (3 new ones and 2 old ones) and all 5 struts all look the same? I’m wondering if it’s possible they left a part out when they re-installed the new ones?
What part #?
These are the OEM #'s (I don't know what "mark" means).
48510-69195 RH
48520-69195 LH
48510-60120 "MARK" (listed like this for both LH and RH)
Cushion 48597-60060
When shocks are very old and need replacing it's a must to replace the upper & lower rubber/plastic parts (from spring perch on up, etc). Look in the PDF in post behind this one, that "cushion" on top should be new, and the rubber on the hat should be replaced. Sometimes the rubber/plastic on the hat is molded onto the hat, so in those cases I replace the hats. There is no OEM # for just the hat rubber. Otherwise when those already worn parts fail, have to do it all over again, etc.
You either have the wrong parts or installation was bad.
In post #4, that aluminum looking piece just below the red line, looks like the alignment bushing, should not even be seen. Those fit down through the hat hole and keeps the shock shaft form moving laterally banging the hat, etc. I don't see that item on the OEM diagrams though. Or what I see there could just be the shock shaft itself, but it should look a bit more chrome like. But maybe it's been banging around so much the chrome no looks like aluminum?
Just double checked the part numbers, everything is correct.
This is a strut mount kit by KYB, I’m thinking I probably should have ordered this with it when I replaced everything. It seems to come with everything I am apparently missing... Think this should fix it?
Think it’s worth shelling out the money for these parts OEM or this kit look okay?
I looked at the diagram that was uploaded and this seems like it should cover it.
It just seems crazy to me that something this simple can immediately fail when the connecting parts are replaced...
I just went and pulled the first strut out that they put on and said was bad.
This is how it was returned to me, and I’m shipping it back... hopefully it’s accepted as a return...
Would those bad parts make this thing look like that?
I just went and pulled the first strut out that they put on and said was bad.
This is how it was returned to me, and I’m shipping it back... hopefully it’s accepted as a return...
Would those bad parts make this thing look like that?
That KYB kit looks good. I use KYB stuff all the time, never had an issue.
And no, on a 1st Gen GX I rarely use OEM parts, unless there is no quality aftermarket to be had, etc.
What is that pic of, the old item, or the new one? The lower metal washer looks like the shock shaft pushed right through, hence making the shock rather useless at that point. Worn out or wrong size metal washer, etc. That shock as-is would have been slamming the top mounted controller into the top of the wheel well.
I don’t have it anymore, but the old one that came out didn’t looked screwed up like that one, it was just causing my front end to bounce 3 times after a bump. That is the first OEM that we put on that started rattling within a few miles. Then we replaced it again with a new OEM and immediately still have the same problem. Hence it sitting in my shop trying to figure it out...
correct me if I’m wrong though, that piece comes on the shock and also holds the dust cover up, so the dust cover shouldn’t be below it?
I definitely think that’s what’s rattling yet again...
Last edited by 2004GX; 10-10-20 at 08:22 PM.
Reason: Added info
I don’t have it anymore, but the old one that came out didn’t looked screwed up like that one, it was just causing my front end to bounce 3 times after a bump. That is the first OEM that we put on that started rattling within a few miles. Then we replaced it again with a new OEM and immediately still have the same problem. Hence it sitting in my shop trying to figure it out...
correct me if I’m wrong though, that piece comes on the shock and also holds the dust cover up, so the dust cover shouldn’t be below it?
I definitely think that’s what’s rattling yet again...
The shock will 1st get a perch metal washer, it's ID needs to be "tight" with the OD of the shock shaft, it rests on the shaft shelf, followed by a rubber, then you install that up into the hat.
On the top side an alignment spacer is inserted over the shock shaft, it slips down into the hat hole and should fit just about flush, then a rubber, then a top metal washer, followed by the nut. Torque to spec. When done right it should look like post #6.
You cannot do any of this w/o a CO compression tool !
Also, taking out a CO from the vehicle that had bad assembly from the start can be dangerous ! Most CO's are pre-loaded when the top hat is installed, etc.
I appreciate all of the info guys!
I think I finally have my answer on what went wrong.
In your opinion, if I provided the struts, should my shop have installed it like it was or should they have suggested/supplied the rest? My fault for not providing new pieces; or theirs for failing to recognize the something isn’t right TWICE?
10-09-20, 08:16 PM
GX470 Struts
