I had my 2005 LS430 in the local shop for an alignment. They said my left rear camber was out and needed a shorter control arm to correct. They picked up the part at the local Lexus dealer and made the corrections required.
I picked up the car at closing and took for a short road trip to test the alignment, It drove like it should.
When I pulled into the garage I noticed the unmistakeable smell of gear oil and looked under the car. Sure enough oil is all over the left side of the differential. The boot on the diff has been pulled a quarter of an inch away from where it should be. Is this an easy fix or should I consult a dealer to make sure it gets done right?

2005 LS430 luxury package

 

Both rear wheels on the LS have lots of inverse camber, making the tires splay outward. It's by design. By using a shorter control arm, it probably nearly yanked the driveshaft out of the diff. Personally (and this is just me), I would recommend using the dealer over non-dealers. At least they are familiar with the vehicle's specs. When I had a 2" lift installed on my old Toyota 4Runner, I had a tire shop near the suspension shop do the realignment, thinking that I could save $60 over the dealer. The local tire shop for the life of them couldn't get it to align properly after two attempts. When I got on the freeway and hit the first overpass, I felt a "pop," and found I had to drive the remaining hour home w/ the steering wheel at 45 deg to keep the car straight. Next day, I brought it to Toyota to have it realigned. Not only did they get the alignment correct the first time, they said the tire shop didn't properly torque the bolts, which came loose (the pop I felt). That lesson told me to only use a dealer (find a good one...not all dealers are equal). Sure, they cost more up front, but in the end, you save a lot of time and headache and maybe even $$. I don't know if it makes much of a difference w/ domestics, but for Toyota/Lexus, it certainly does.

And, yes, I would have the dealer fix it, but make the local shop pay for it!

 

The technician had pulled the half shaft far enough to pull the base of the boot out of the differential, and as it turns out, the boot just popped back in. Problem solved.
Over the last year and a half I've had it in two other shops plus the dealer I bought it from, but no one was able to come up with the proper alignment resolution.
Thanks for the tips!