sambu Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Hi All, I test drove an '01 GS430 with 68kmi on it. I took it on the highway and found 100% repeatable steering shimmy ~62 to 65 mph. The shimmy was very noticeable and happened both while accelerating and decelerating through that speed range. Is there anything can be done to fix this? I've scoured the forum and it seems to be a small% problem. I also scoured the LS430 forum and it seems to hit them as well. Any insight would be great before I buy this car. It is beautiful black-on-black with the 17" chrome wheels. Do you need more info? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Tang Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 i'm surprised that you did not find any info online. it's well documented that the 2nd gen GS has a front end shimmy issues, mostly resulting from worn out front suspension bushings. a mechanical inspection should determine if this is the case for your situation. if it is indeed worn out bushings, you have to either buy new oem arms (cannot buy the bushings separately), or go with aftermarket replacement bushings from daizen. in either case, it's expensive because it's very labor intensive to do, so factor in these costs if you are going to buy the car. other factors could be bent wheels, out of round/balance tires, wheel spacers, or missing hubcentric rings/non-hubcentric aftermarket wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sambu Posted September 21, 2006 Author Share Posted September 21, 2006 i'm surprised that you did not find any info online. it's well documented that the 2nd gen GS has a front end shimmy issues, mostly resulting from worn out front suspension bushings. a mechanical inspection should determine if this is the case for your situation. if it is indeed worn out bushings, you have to either buy new oem arms (cannot buy the bushings separately), or go with aftermarket replacement bushings from daizen. in either case, it's expensive because it's very labor intensive to do, so factor in these costs if you are going to buy the car. other factors could be bent wheels, out of round/balance tires, wheel spacers, or missing hubcentric rings/non-hubcentric aftermarket wheels. Thanks for the update. Is this a safety issue at all or is it solely convenience? What is a typical cost for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Tang Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 i was just on clublexus and someone over there is talking about getting the dealer to readjust the steering rack pretensioner... i don't know much about it because my 99 dosen't have it, but i think yours does. if it's bushings, it's not cheap... not sure of the exact prices (don't have time to search), but i think it's in the $500-700 range w/parts. again, it's very labor-intensive to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new big400 Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 i was just on clublexus and someone over there is talking about getting the dealer to readjust the steering rack pretensioner... i don't know much about it because my 99 dosen't have it, but i think yours does. if it's bushings, it's not cheap... not sure of the exact prices (don't have time to search), but i think it's in the $500-700 range w/parts. again, it's very labor-intensive to do. Yours absolutely has a pre tensioner and is likely the culprit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sambu Posted September 21, 2006 Author Share Posted September 21, 2006 Thanks for the great and quick feedback. Is this a safety issue at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex01_430 Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 i've had this problem for almost 2 years...thought it was warped rotors at first (replaced them with brembo discs) but the problem never went away...i just ignored it. if it is a safety issue i haven't had problems yet. if it is, someone please let us know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new big400 Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 Thanks for the great and quick feedback. Is this a safety issue at all? i've had this problem for almost 2 years...thought it was warped rotors at first (replaced them with brembo discs) but the problem never went away...i just ignored it. if it is a safety issue i haven't had problems yet. if it is, someone please let us know... Not at all and its a pretty easy and quick fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthonyiez Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 i have 90k on my gs400 and every time i start to get a shimmy i just balance the tires and it goes away. before digging into other expensive repairs, find someone with a good wheel balancer, that's designed for stick-on weights. don't be afraid to ask them if you can see their balancer. that being said, they also have to know how to use it. my local lexus dealer has a kick !Removed! balancer, but they couldn't balance a go-cart tire. this is the one i have and its awesome http://www.accuturn.com/wheel-balancer-1450.html granted i've had a few years and there's newer ones out now, but like i said, you can have the best equipment but it comes down to the operator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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