sailor95

Hey all, 99 ls400, now the rack is going I think on top of the other front end problems. On passenger side, power steering fluid is pretty much pouring out of the boot. Am I looking at a new rack and pinion replacement? Can't keep fluid in it anymore and its ruining driveways all around town. This is only the passenger side the, the opposite side is dry as can be. Slowly finding out the previous owner, while he gave me all the service records, was probably putting **** parts on such a nice vehicle. This is my girlfriends car so i gotta get this fixed fast

Sin1UZFE

Reman off rock Auto or used off of lkq

sailor95

Will a reman off rock auto be good quality or will i be dealing with this again in 3 years?

sailor95

Has anyonw had experience with Detroit axle parts? This seems like a good deal for a lifetime warranty.

https://www.detroitaxle.com/shop/ste...exus&vmd=LS400

YODAONE

You are lucky if a rebuilt lasts 2 years.
If unsure, tead the aftermarket horror stories on these forums
The rebuilt units do not specify what parts used...and rarely have OEM parts .
Contact Dealer for rebuilt unit.
All internal.parts replaced with OEM.
Request a discount.

Sin1UZFE

Lotto, that's why I said junk yard usually oem or like yoda said....dealer reman.

sailor95

So noone has had any experience with the detroit axle racks? Seems like a good deal for lifetime warranty. Lexus dealer said i can get a new rack for 630.xx befofe the core charge

Sin1UZFE

never heard of them. The dealer said new rack or reman? new would be nice

spuds

All that gaurantee means is you can replace it every 2-3 years. Maybe look into rebuilding it yourself,it cant be that hard.And can use OEM seals and tie rod ends.Its just a hydraulic ram,any equipment repair guy could do this in his sleep.

We need a good thread on doing this repair,somebody with Yodaones skill,time and obsessiveness could do something like that to really help the community.Hint hint Yodaone.

BTW,630 for a rack from Lexus sounds like small money well spent for a quality repair.That will last 20 years and not kill ya.Thats the route I would go without giving it a second thought.Sounds dirt cheap to me to fix this high end luxury car.

AleksLZCR

If the price is no object, there is no reason not to go with an OEM solution. However, if a $600+ repair is financially stressful, the cheaper reman is a viable option to keep the car on the road. Yeah, it might not be OEM quality work, but the warranty means that you aren't going to be scammed, the inconvenience of potentially bringing it in a few years from now notwithstanding. Just my 0.02, OEM is always the right choice, but not always the best choice.

spuds

I disagree.If you cant afford the car the answer is get a car you can afford.What is the benefit of a LS400 hoopty?

Sin1UZFE

He can afford it tho

AleksLZCR

The point I was making is these cars are old. Aside from the collective group assembled here, these cars do not appeal to most grown adults with comfortable salaries. What these cars do appeal to are younger kids looking for a first car. Not saying that is the case with OP, but when you are in college living on $50 a month, a 3rd party remanufactured part is the difference between keeping and selling the car.

Selling the car isn't a viable option, you'd get maybe 2-3 grand and what car could you possibly buy with that sum that could compare to the LS400. As solid as the powertrain may be, Lexus does not have magic rubber that exempts itself from the laws of physics. As these cars continue to age, more and more of these inevitable repairs will need to be made. Seeing as the age of the demographic that the majority of owners fall into is steadily decreasing, along with the availability of OEM parts, recommending an AutoZone part for example isn't something to decry.

Yes, OEM is the right choice, but if it's OEM or junk the car, it is not the best choice.
I've had my gripes with this somewhat elitist mentality for awhile now. Yes, I know my power steering pump will likely fail before a Lexus OEM one would, but if it gets me through college and into my career then it wont matter now will it.

sailor95

Well im a college student and graduate in december im stressed enough as it is lol. I can somewhat afford it, itll be a chunk of my savings but im lucky enough to have a good buddy whonis a mechanic and works for beer and food. I just feel like im dealing with the PO going cheap on stuff now and dont wanna kick myself for it later. Looking at the paperwork i got with the car, the guy bought a rack from Rack Doctor for 427.xx in 2014, i feel like six years is still too short on that life span. I have an lx470 with 377k on it so i know these cars are built to last. Just a huge headache at this point in semester. But gotta fix bc this is my girlfriends car and we have very different schedules

deanshark

Noone said he can't afford the car.
Everyone owns an LS400 for different reasons. Maybe your LS400 is the car you want to die with, and you drive alot, you will go all OEM, but some "younger" people don't think that way. Like college kids that want a decent car to just last til they finish college and then get something newer or new. Or someone that wouldn't mind changing the same part in a couple years, IF the first one does go bad. (no guarantee that it will) What about the high school kid that just wants to impress the ladies? Or maybe someone that doesn't drive too much doesn't need to put thousands of $$$ of OEM parts into their car to have it last.
I used some aftermarket parts in my car but I wouldn't consider it a "hoopty".
Sure, new OEM is better quality most of the time but some times aftermarket or reman will do just fine for some.