Chuckwagon

Hi all,

I may have an air cylinder going bad in the driver's side rear of my 2007 460L. It's making a subtle knocking noise at low speeds over any uneven pavement. Nothing loud, and it doesn't make clunking sounds at speed over bumps or anything. But the mechanic suggested it was the pneumatic cylinder assembly that is having a problem. I'm not sure, the suspension seems to be ok in every other way, height adjusts fine, drives straight, doesn't sag, rebounds and then damps fine if I lean on it, etc. For now I'm going to ignore it. But just in case it does have a problem, I thought I'd check here for options to replace the part.

The mechanic said they prefer to replace both rear cylinders at the same time, which I suppose makes a sort of sense. But they want $1,294.99 each. So I looked around the forums some to see if I could find replacement parts, but haven't had much luck. There are lots of threads talking about aftermarket air systems, but these seem mostly to be about systems folks want to use for changing heights and altering the overall function of the system. All I want is to replace a part, I'm fine with the factory system as it is. (I'm boring, I know.) For reference, the part is 48090-50153.

Any suggestions for who makes replacement parts compatible with the factory air system? If there aren't any parts only options, where's the current CL friendly price place to get OEM parts online?

Also, is this a DIY type of repair, or is it best left to a shop?

Thanks,
Chuck

wanderer99

MyLParts is now a sponsor and offers a good discount. You can read about it here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/clu...parts-com.html

Your part number comes up as $1035, but with that further 10% code applied it should be about $931 or so.

Chuckwagon

Thanks for the link. That will come in handy if I need to replace the part and have to go the OEM route.

Chuckwagon

One related question for folks more in the know about suspensions than I; how can test my car to determine if the suspension is not behaving as it should? I don't see anything obvious, no sagging, and the ride height seems to adjust fine. But, is it possible to have it look normal, and to raise and lower as should, but still have an issue? I'm wondering what has the mechanic thinking there's an issue with the air suspension and not some other simpler explanation like something loose on a connection. The noise sounds to me more like a loose item.

Any suggestions to help me verify if it's really a suspension issue would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Chuck

Dirteeboy

iTrader: (5)

Try these guys, I've been seeing good prices with them. I'm going to order a few clips and misc. items that are wearing out

https://www.parts.com/index.cfm?fuse...6-%20Liter-GAS

Chuckwagon

Thanks for the link. Their prices are sure better than the dealer. Now I just need to figure out what really needs fixing.

Chuck

Chuckwagon

Hmmm, so no ideas regarding replacement air suspension parts that are compatible with the factory air suspension? Bummer. That's a little surprising, usually there are raft loads of aftermarket bits available to save on the overpriced OEM stuff. Are the air suspensions in the LS just not very aftermarket friendly, at least where it involves repair and not replacement?

Also, no suggestions on how to verify if the suspension really has an issue? I've expended my very limited knowledge of how to diagnose if something is wrong. Any tips and tricks for how to determine if an issue exists would be greatly appreciated.

Chuck

Nat

iTrader: (1)

I haven't heard or read anything about replacement parts for OEM air. Lots of member replaced the OEM air for a full aftermarket setup.

If it gets to the point where you need to replace all 4 cylinders, I have 4 used one for sale. It came from a 2007 460L with 35k miles on it.

Chuckwagon

Thanks Nat, I'll keep it in mind. I'm still trying to figure out if I really have a problem, or if it's just the mechanic going overboard.

It does seem that there must be limited options for replacement air parts. I searched the threads a lot and found plenty on aftermarket setups, but no plain old repair parts. I'm going to check out some local shops and see what they might have. And try to get a few more opinions on if the setup even really has issues.

Cheers,
Chuck