Ride has been great, zero complaints. And yes, did the install myself in the driveway, just had to borrow a spring compressor from O'Reilly down the street from me.

 

Wanna do mine for a fee? lol
I live in Avondale.

 

Just get OEM struts, you have a flagship luxury car, and it's damn near a perfect design. Don't put anything aftermarket, especially struts that will change the overall feel of the driving experience.

I buy almost all my parts on Lexuspartsnow.com
Here's a link to each strut that you need.

(Front left & right) 48510-59805 Genuine Lexus ABSORBER Assembly, Shock (lexuspartsnow.com)
(Rear left & right) 48530-59845 Genuine Lexus ABSORBER Assembly, Shock (lexuspartsnow.com)

In total it's going to be around $1,000 including shipping.

This is only the strut assembly, not including springs. You would just transfer your old springs to the new struts. If you want to save couple a hundred bucks on some aftermarket struts that aren't going to last nor have the same ride quality, go for it. But it'd be a shame for a low milage and I'm guessing a clean example...?

 

Yep, look at my thread "OEM is not necessarily OE" or something like that. KYB made the original struts but that does NOT mean that you are getting the same strut that Toyota contracted. They went all out on this car. The after-markets will feel fine I am sure but never give you the longevity. It's like buying tires. Everything feels good brand new, but it's how they wear that proves their value.
The labor is high because they charge 2 hours per strut to compress and install.
Buy from Bell, sale or not, BUT****IMPORTANT*** there is a 3-digit code you will need off your strut, so a mechanic will likely have to get that when it is up on the lift. I think there were 2 different codes and I don't know what they mean, maybe sport and regular? Maybe your VIN will tell them which you need.

 

I am in the same boat with strut selection. My 2004 LS430 has a sport suspension. I have reviewed the forums, talked with numerous Lexus dealers, emailed kyb, talked with aftermarket suppliers. I am fit to be tied. Numerous Lexus numbers are all over the place. 48510-59805 is recommended by dealers but web site (MyLparts.com) indicates it is NOT for sport suspension. Talking with dealers the -59805 and -80131 are both FOR the sport suspension. KYB says there is only "internal tuning" that is the difference between aftermarket (Rock Auto) and Lexus. I installed kyb struts (aftermarket) in 2021 (20k miles) but the front is banging like there is nothing there even on any tiny bump or pothole. I just installed some coil-over strut aftermarket assemblies on the front but the car seems to ride higher than before. Is it the WRONG strut (meant for non-sport model) or is it correct and the coil springs were shot? (or are shot in the rear) Anyone have the correct height on the sport suspension-i.e.-ground to top of wheel well or ground clearance and where it is measured?

 

Most aftermarket strut assemblies either have additional coils or a higher spring rate giving the higher ride height. Original ride height is usually 27 1/2" to 28"(ground to fender arch)

 

If the car sat for that long 100% change all the fluids, they will have moisture that has built up on them also change the t belt as well as accessory belts.

 

Own my 01 for over 15 years. Had my front two struts replaced by Lexus about 12 years ago and they have been holding up fine since. Of course going to Lexus today would be prohibitive, but I'd go with OEM with just about everything for my car as it has always worked for me.

 

Thanks for the info pmesfun. That answers the question. Much appreciated. With the "new" coil-over in the front the distance is 29 3/8 inch (ground to wheel rim). The back (original) is 27 5/8 inch. Just doesn't feel the same when driving. Do you think a new strut and spring from Lexus would be "original height" or would they be higher as well?

 

Yes an OEM spring will restore the correct ride height.

 

I have ordered OEM parts (springs, struts, upper mounts) and will install when received. Thanks for your help. With your 04, have you changed out the UCA/upper ball joint and if so, what was the tell- tale sign it needed replacement? I have uncoupled the UCA and rotated the ball joint. It seems ok without any noise or restriction but it is not as "thick" or beefy as pictures of replacements. Thanks

 

On UCAs usually the bushings will go bad before the ball joint. I would get a thumping sound on sharp inclines in the road. It hard to tell the condition of the bushings while installed on the car.

 

thanks. I'm getting that clunking on bumps, etc. sometimes backing out of driveway. Since I will be changing out the struts, I may as well replace the UCAs at the same time. Want to eliminate possibilities. Will post results after replacing.

 

Strut replacement on 2004 LS430 sport suspension. Originally (2004) the car had struts labeled 48510-50200. I replaced them with aftermarket (Rock Auto) KYB struts #341392 in 2021. They lasted about two plus years (around 20k miles). This past month I've been wanting to replace them because of the terrible/banging ride but wanted to avoid the spring compression hassle (and safety concern) so I initially bought aftermarket assemblies. (KYB does not make an assembly for easy installation.) After installing these assemblies, the ride was noticeably softer AND the height at the front wheels was higher at 29 3/8 inch (ground to top of wheel well). The "assembly" had 10 coils versus the stock coil at 9. The ride was way too soft for my-or my wife's tastes, so I have pulled them off and purchased struts, coils, and mounts from Lexus. After much research I purchased these parts: Strut 48510-80131; spring 48131-50180; mount 48680-50110. Once the old struts were removed from the springs/coils, the KYB replacement struts from 2021 were found to be absolutely shot-no rebound or very slow rebound. The spring/coil that was removed seemed fine with a length of 15 5/8 inch standing by itself (no compression). The new spring height is 15 7/8 to 15 15/16 inches. I don't think the spring/coil was much of the problem but replaced them anyway. One of the inner strut stops on the mounts was destroyed as well. The spring compression was done using an Autozone loan-a-tool and, although you feel nervous using the device, it worked fine. The top ball joints on the UCA were not knocking but they weren't firm like they should be, so replaced them with Mevotech Supreme UCA/ball joint. The banging from any little bump is gone, firmness is back in steering, and the height is back where it should be...at 28 1/4 inch from ground to top of wheel well. Thanks to all who have posted comments on struts.