I was having trouble with my AHC suspension system on my 2003 LX 470. I decided to replace my oem spheres with aftermarket ones. Twelve months later the front spheres went flat and luckily they were replaced within the warranty period (non-prorated). Eighteen months after the rears were installed they too went bad. This time the pro-rated warranty bill would have been around $500 (not counting my labor) for the warranty work, AHC fluid and shipping. Checking the best places that I know of to get Lexus OEM spheres I actually only saved 25% in the first place when I bought the aftermarket spheres!! I've given up on the aftermarket spheres and have gone back to Lexus OEM. Hopefully this post will save someone else the hassle and expense of going with the aftermarket suspension accumulator spheres. It's not worth posting the name of the outfit because I think they really do mean well. It's just that their spheres didn't hold up on my vehicle over a very short time period and they failed within 8000 miles after installation. I hope this helps someone else with their decision.

By the way, my original AHC problem turned out to the hydraulic pump, which I replaced as a sub-assembly for little money. I have now reinstalled the original OEM spheres back onto the LX and they are still just fine. I have around 65,000 miles to date. My fingers are crossed! Cheers.

A short follow up: The aftermarket manufacturer has stepped up to the plate and is going to replace my accumulator spheres! I applaud this turn of events and my confidence in this manufacturer is restored. He explains that there was a problem with the supplied raw elastomeric material that affected not only him but Lexus parts as well. I'm told that the problem has been corrected and he stands behind his product. I will install the replacements and restart the clock. I will be back with updates, good or bad, as time goes by.

That's Great! Maybe I can go that route and not worry...