owbatm

Hello everyone, I just purchased a 03 LS430 UL package with 70K miles and am wondering about the ride. When at hwy speed the car will sway or undulate if you hit a dip in the road. I had a 4-wheel alignment done and they replaced the right front lower control bracket and the rear lower suspension arm. They said that all is good now concerning the wheels and tires and that I should have a Lexus dealer check out the air suspension. I’ve been reading the threads on air suspension and am getting concerned about cost. Any help on how to proceed is greatly appreciated.

caddyowner

Welcome. Do a quick search on "suspension" and you'll find plenty of threads about the cost of air suspension repairs and the option of replacing it with a more standard setup.

Lust4Lexus

Welcome to Club Lexus! Congrats on the new car. When I was looking for an LS430, I really wanted ta UL too, but The air suspension scared me away. It can be very costly to repair, especially with dealer prices. Not too sure of how many people have brought there car to some independant to save a few bucks, but with something like that I would want Lexus to do it. Shocks and springs would be an easier job, and I would not worry about it as much. I would take caddyowner's advice and look into the threads about replacing the air suspension with a standard setup. I don't think that the car would feel that much worse than with the air setup, and it would be alot more reliable.

pacinitaly

I too have an 03 UL and since I got it @40k it has always been all over the road.
I have had the lower controlarm bracket thing done too and had new tires, aligned 10x since I got the car and it's still all over the road ( I have to always adjust the car will never just ride straight.


but I love my car, I have driven lots of other cars in the past 3yrs and can't wait to get back into mine.

V8_Fan

Did you have the ball joints, CV joints, and bushings? Are your anti-sway bars tight? (loose bars will cause the vehicle to feel like it has little lateral stability in a turn/bump). I drove from Tucson to Phoenix going 80mph in my UL, and it was rock solid steady. What tires are you using? I have Bridgestones, installed by the dealer when certified in Sep '09 (decent, but supposedly not as good as the michelin primacy mxv's).

Griff48

In one of the UL threads awhile back someone mentioned the ULs as having different alignment settings from the steel-spring cars. I wonder if shops other than Lexus (or even Lexus shops) pay attention to that. I haven't seen "wandering" complaints from other than UL owners, and the only difference is the air ride. I have had two alignments done on my '04 UL with 60K miles (with Michelin Primacy tires) and it still wanders. I have an 06 F350 and an 05 Pacifica, both track like they're on rails.

pacinitaly

CV joints ???? rear drive
right bushing done
aligned 10x
anti-sway bars checked 4x, all good
What tires new bridgestone serenity


and it still wanders. I have an 06 F350 and an 05 Pacifica, both track like they're on rails.
ever since I got car (40k) now has (86k) always drifted all over the road

stanell1

Wandering is my only complaint with my 06 ML and when I started a thread about this problem I found out its a wide spread issue with different LS trims. I think it's a minor issue but when you own other cars that are cheaper drive true and straight it can be a litle frustrating. I think getting new tires and multiple alignments are the ususal response to this problem. I would beware of getting major front end work. It can be be quite expensive and has the the potential to make things worse if not done by a experienced lexus mechanic.
Check out this thread for more comments.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...-question.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ng-wander.html

pacinitaly

very true stan

owbatm

Hello everybody again, sorry about the long delay in answering but thats another story. Thanks to all the posts everybody, I have been researching the suspension problem of the UL(amazing what the ride feels like before and after the purchase) am going to take the car to the Lexus dealer in Evansville IN(Kenny Kent) for a checkup and see what they say. Anyone have advice on them? Thanks again.

pacinitaly

yup, get rid of it