WolfyLS460

My Bilsteins will ship January 5 according to shockwarehouse. I will let you know if it's a successful install, then you can order yours - how about that?

Sweeks2020

Wolfy ... Thanks for the offer. I do appreciate it.

Based on the rear shock oem part numbers cross reference your posted sometime ago ... there were different. (My oem rear shocks part numbers are: 48531-48080, 48531-48101, 48531-48103, 48531-0E221)

My oem front shock part numbers are : 48520-80300, 48510-80580.

My vin# usually don't show up in the US electronic parts catalogue/database because it's a RHD European model.

WolfyLS460

My Bilstein A4's finally arrived and were successfully installed at my local indie shop today. While on the lift they found the strut mounts cracked...$780 + tax, Ahh the joy of buying someone's old car with no PPI.
All told, Bilstein struts, shocks, mounts parts and labor = $1940. Yikes!

I hope this car will last me 10 years with minimal maintenance cost. The thing about Lexus and Toyotas is, while they're reputedly reliable cars, once something breaks it's very expensive to fix especially if you don't DIY.

MattRX

I'd like to see their explanation / proof on how a strut mount "cracks". There's rubber, but I have yet to see it ever fail or separate and still have the original 228k mile ones on my 2008 RX. There's the studs and I've had them crack in half on me with crap aftermarket mounts, but I have never seen an OEM one snap.

carguy75

Yes, rubber parts can be cracked with high mileage and still" function", but it is in the owners best interest to changed them when they are old and cracked before they fail on the road; especially if installing new parts around them like the OP.

The mechanics was just doing what they supposed to do when they see old worn out suspension parts.

carguy75

Hell, I spend about $1900 on new wheel and tires for my RX350. It always cost money to buy new parts for a vehicle, but what can you do if you want the best ride and look for your vehicle.

I also have a car(non-Toyota) with adaptive suspension that have shocks that cost about $600 each; so that will be a great day when I have to replace them. But the car rides like a dream so I will spend the money to replace them when the time comes. Just enjoy your ride and do not worry about how much it cost to make ride smoother or like new again. You will spend money whether your car is new or old regardless of brand. Car note, lease, or maintenance.

MattRX

I have yet to see one of these mounts even show any cracks at all, my original RX ones are spotless and as firm as can be. Similarly, nearly every one I have seen in the junkyard is also crack-free. So that raises suspicion. We would always show customers proof of a failing part and explain before swapping it out.

carguy75

I understand that many people believe in holding onto old suspension parts as long as they can, but it does not hurt to change worn out suspension parts before the parts completely fail or due to having less than ideal ride quality.

I do agree that a shop should be able to show proof of a failure or defect, but many times old rubber mounts and bushings could use a replacement after about 5 years or so of use; even just for better ride quality.

WolfyLS460

Yes they did show me the cracked mounts and some loose metal rod thing whose name I forgot. You guys must have nice smooth roads over in Ontario Canada. Here in L.A. County suspension parts have shorter lifespan thanks to all the potholes (Orange County much better). Hopefully the new Bilsteins will last me 50k miles if not more.
And yes the car now handles better and rides like new. So I will stop whining

MattRX

Touché. I'm one to replace stuff preemptively but I'd rather put in something equal to or greater than OE quality. For strut mounts, I have had nothing but trouble with aftermarket ones and the OEM ones seem to last well in this application so I just stick with them, everything else (incl the bearing) gets replaced though. In this case it sounds like Wolfy got some nice new OEM ones so that's good to hear.


Our roads here are a joke, not to mention construction is always been done on them (and never being completed either). Here's to hoping your Bilsteins last! Mine are doing good so far, they are soaking up the bumps a lot better than stock despite being the stiffer B6.

carguy75

I agree than many aftermarket suspension parts will probably fail much sooner than Toyota OEM parts, but even Toyota suspension parts succumb to wear and tear eventually as time goes and need replacing.

I am a DIY'er myself and would probably go with an quality brand aftermarket suspension part to save money, but understand that I will be changing it in about 3 years or so compared to the OEM part that would last about 15 years but cost four times as much. So I would probably pay the same price as the OEM if not more overall by swapping aftermarket parts every 3-4 years.

In reality; I would probably not keep a car long enough to get to the point where the aftermarket replacement cost exceed or match the OEM part cost.

Sweeks2020

Hi Wolfy ... now that it's done, is it possible to get a detailed breakdown (part name, part number and price) for each item changed?

I ended up going OEM all the way and currently awaiting my stuff to ship in. Should be here in February.

Sweeks2020

Fair enough.... but what after market suspension brand would you recommend?

carguy75

My go to aftermarket suspension parts are MOOG, Bilstein, Detroit Axle, and Dorman. I DIY my own suspension work so that I can replace the parts every 3 years of so if the parts show some wear fairly cheaply. I never had to replace any of the suspension parts from those brands before I traded my old cars I installed them on. However those cars were high mileage cars that I only owned for a few years anyway before trading them for a newer older car.

My 2007 Highlander V6 4WD that my son drives has MOOG suspension parts and Detroit Axle brand power steering rack and Detroit Axle brand front quick struts that has been doing well for a year now without any issues.

Sweeks2020

Thanks for the update. I have a 2005 landcruiser prado (equivalent is the GX) that's bone stock and I would love to try some biltstein on it whenever I change out the shocks.