Just got back from hot springs in SoCal, trip of about 340 miles, on my way back I pulled over to use the restroom & my friend noticed the front passenger side of my car was running low. I thought it was possibly because I was in the driveway for a few & suspension had adjusted(has happened before) started the car & raised back up. Continued driving for about another hour without noticing anything odd in the drive quality, got home & car started to slowly go down. So sad this happened, but I was expecting it. LS has around 137,xxx & two weeks ago when my car was on the lift I noticed the strut was wet & probably leaking.
Now I’m left with a dilemma, do I just replace the one strut & call it a day. Do I replace them all? Do I just bag it & slap some wheels on? Coilivers?
has anyone used refurbished suspension? Worth it or not?

 

Sorry to hear that this happened and at least you made it home. I say swap out the pair with Arnotts can be had for a reasonable price on eBay. I think it’s worth the investment for air ride.

Were you able to fix the camber arms? My car is in the shop for the rears.

 

Yeah I would pass on the Arnotts also.

Typically you need to replace struts in pairs, but FunFact can probably correct me if I'm wrong that isn't as big an issue with air struts as it is normal struts...

I would shop around for a replacement, if you look you can find some pretty good deals on the OEM struts.

 

ive seen some nightmare threads with people trying to replace the air struts with arnott/refurbished/ebay struts

for me I have a set of regular KYB spring struts and tannabe lowering springs under my bed waiting for my airs to go out

I simply don't have the temperament to fiddle around with a replacement strut, the system seems more complicated then we think

I tried lowering the front of my 460L just 1 inch to bring down the high nose and it was a headache.

The system is at least somewhat "intelligent" it will try to compensate , in my case it OVER compensated for the slight adjustments I was making.

theres height sensors, pressure settings, damping settings, computers and the struts themselves all working together , if one thing is slightly off it will cause issues , I just cant deal with it persnally

In your case id look thoroughly for 1 strut you need, if its cheap and seems worth a shot go for it, if not available id probably go with coils , but your resale value will tank dramatically

 

I just went through this same dilemma with my front air shock, except instead of leaking and lowering it was rattling. Ultimately, I decided to replace just the one with the problem. In my case, I was planning to do the install myself and figured it is half the work and cost, and figured that when the other shock(s) fail, or rattle, then I will deal with them then. Now if you are looking for maximum reliability, and don't mind the extra expense, then there might be an argument to having the pair done. For that matter doing all four if they are all original, could be argued for. That said, I've notice no issue in the ride after only doing the one. My recommendation is to check the other air shocks for proper operation and signs of failure, and base the decision on that.

Here are links to my eBay purchase, and the replacement. The new oem shock ran me $650, and if you already have a floor jack, stands, and wrenches, a front shock is not terribly hard to do. In my case the only tool I needed to purchase was a ball joint separator for $20 at Harbor Freight, though the risk of going in there is that you find other tools you "need". I have the same problem at Costco, but I digress. Good luck, and here are the links for reference:

Ordering Air Shocks from United Arab Emirates
Do Air Suspension Struts Rattle?

 

Here is the thread that I took into consideration for Arnott air suspension.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...pension-2.html

Looks like even some that have posted in this thread have had a change of heart since their last post I have included the link for which is a bit dated. Good to know in the case any of my air struts go out in the future to order OEM through AE for the big discount.

 

Thanks everyone for the info & your input. I’m going to have to wait till next week to see my mechanic as he is gone for the week on vacation.

 

This is the first time I've seen that failure mode of the air suspension. Usually (in my case too) the air springs are fine but the shock itself loses pressure.

 

Interesting...
I haven’t driven the car since this happened, but started it up yesterday to move it a few feet.
As soon as I turn the car off it airs down at a pretty rapid rate.
Also forgot to mention the drive side airs almost completely out. Wonder if that is normally what would happen or is it possible I have another issue? Again I won’t know till my mechanic is back in town.

Driver side

Passenger side

 

So it’s finally fixed! Ended up replacing both front air struts with Arnotts.
When we started to take off the old OEM suspension I noticed the top of the strut had oil & rubber pieces. Also the damper was completely off the strut. Not sure if that happened when I pulled the cover off or had blown off when the bag deflated.
Pretty easy to diy replacement struts. I definitely think more people should attempt to DIY. Rears will be a tad bit more work because you’d have to remove the back seats, but still not hard. Especially if you have a lift in the right tools
Just curious what is the average price is for 2 front Arnott air strut replacements with install go for?
As far as ride quality, feels good. Don’t notice much of a difference between OEM.

 

The difference is that you lost the ability to modulate your front struts between 'Sport' - 'Normal' - 'Comfort' modes. If you don't mind they way their valved then that's of little concern, but you definitely lost functionality going with the Arnott replacements over OEM.

 

so front are the ones that up with high and the various modes, what about the backs then? why do they have the air hose?

What do you think about only converting the back to OEM coilovers?

Also the factory air struts have the mounts built into it, my mount tore or broke, I wonder if there is a way to jerry rig a fix...