Wow, i remember being cautioned about buying a lemon LS, but man did my retarded stupid naive *** walk right into this one. LEARN FROM MY COSTLY MISTAKES.

a year ago i bought this 1992 ls400 for 2900, it was a little worn but since it was more than 1500 under bluebook i thought it was a decent deal. There was a little suspension noise which the owner told me was just "bushings"

I am so stupid and naive argh, here goes.

Turns out, the car needed

Full strut + strut mount replaced
Rack and Pinion replaced
Bushings, ball joints
And both upper and lower control arms
+power steering leak


Well, in my life, even with a list of problems that big, stuff still doesnt go right.

I order lexus koni struts, they dont send strut mounts and screw me over, i install anyays. 3 months later these konis are shot and i need to spend another 500 to get a whole new set of struts installed.
TOTAL COST for struts - 200 for konis, 200 for install, $500 for new struts 3 months later, total =900 on struts alone


Then i order the UCA, AND THE IDIOTS AT THIS WEBSITE SENT ME TWO LEFT ONES!! unfortunately my mechanic didnt even catch this, and now my car slides across lanes of traffic with not control, cant even align the *****, and now i gotta put my old UCA back on.
total cost for installing UCA, Rack Pinion, and other assrt- $350 + 200 for the UCA.

WHY CANT I CATCH A BREAK. whats next my rear suspensions falls out?!??!!? this car is a g0d d@mned curse ARGHHAHAKDWH. I really cant even explain my frustration right now i want to drive this thing off a cliff.

Now i am almost 5 grand into a POS car worth maybe 2500 on the market right now.

 

this is the website i bought the UCA from, shold i call them and try and get my money back?
http://www.arnottindustries.com/part...46_gid421.html

 

1-breathe
2-find a new parts source
3-find a new mechanic or buy some tools and get dirty!

 

This thread should be put in the archive for the all the people that post, "I just got my LS400 for a steal."

 

Get KYB G2-R for shocks and struts.

 

deng i feel bad for you

but puredrifter put it good.

im sure it will turn out better

 

Calm down and catch your breath. All of the problems that you mentioned are fairly common for the first gen LS. Gotta remember the car is now 17 years old, and if yours is anything like mines when I first got it, probably al original (parts and all). As far as shocks are concerned, KYb-GR2's are gonna be your best bet(aftermarket) to get that close to stock ride(factories are also KYB's but spec'ed a lil differently for Lexus). More and more people are using those arms by Arnott. I don't know much about them, so I don't really trust them, but from those here who have ordered them, havent read much of complaints. Definately find yourself another mechanic. The one you are using sounds as if he has little idea of what he is doing.

 

I second the KYBs. The only Japanese shocks that last a long time are KYBs on Toyotas and Showas on Hondas.

 

one simple solution to your problems....

expand your horizons... read a book, grab a wrench and start turnin. it may be a little more stressful sometimes but when YOU yourself get things done. youll know it was done to your satisfaction, at your pace and at your own quality so its only as good as you make it and theres no one to blame or point fingers. other than a unreliable source of parts there's nothing really stopping you budget wise if your willing to pay for someone elses labor.

 

Yea the first mechanic i took it to was an idiot i dont go to him anymore, my new mechanic is alot cooler, he showed me what was wrong, he even included bushings and lower control arms in the price, plus hes gonna put the correct control arm back on tommorow and align it for me.

 

Well you didn't pay 5 grand for a POS. You paid for a poorly maintained LS400. Since you have everything fixed, you shouldn't have anymore problems. THe LS400 is a tank, and will run forever as long as you maintain it. Any car of that age would still need more maintenance.

 

its just some suspension worn out components, don't worry about it. you will be fine onece you fix tis problem.

 

I understand the frustration. When the big stuff goes like tranny, engine, differential, ECU, those are major PITA. The suspension is a typical wear item and the better way to have peace of mind is take care of them all at once if possible. Do the struts, bushings, UCA, LCA and that way you pay for the one time in and it's all fresh.

A good service guy will get you on the road right. Some half-@zz guy will keep you coming back.

 

This is why you pay a little extra to buy a car that is up to date on maintenance.

 

^^ agreed. if i had the money i would buy a new car or a good used one

damn hope everything goes well for your problem