Eric CZ Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I bought a 2001 LS430 UL last October and the front wheel bearing had to be replaced and now they tell me that the right rear shock needs to be replaced. 75k miles. Do I replace the shock or wait until it gets bad and replace the air suspension with a standard suspension? I am really disappointed about this matter. The car was well maintained and in better shape than newer models which is why I bought the 2001. Less than 6 months and $2,000 in repairs??? I am not sure what I should do. I don't want to spend $1300 for a new shock only to have another one fail in 6 more months. Where can I get parts or what should I do? Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amcdonal86 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 You shot yourself in the foot by getting the car with the optional air suspension. As you have found out, those are incredibly expensive parts!!! If one is blown, the others will follow suit soon. I would probably switch the air suspension with the standard suspension--it's really still a fantastic ride and probably handles a little bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990LS400 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I like the air suspension. Knowing what I know now about the advantages of air suspension for the type of driving I do and the loads I carry, I wouldn't shy away from an LS430 with air suspension and I wouldn't convert to standard suspension unless the car had far higher miles on it. I suggest replacing just the one bad air shock. The other air shocks could last another 100,000 miles or more. There are a number of on-line sellers of discount Lexus parts in case you could buy the parts and have an indie repair shop install them for you. Do a search of the LS400 for the word "discount" and you will find a few. It is amazing how much the air suspension cost to fix. Back in 2000 when air suspension was last available as a separate option (on the LS400), it was a quite inexpensive option-- less than $2000 retail. If you don't do the work yourself, an LS can be a fairly expensive car to maintain but centainly far less than the cost of maintaining a large European car. I've dropped $1,000 to $2,000 at a time on maintenance or repairs a number of times on LS cars over the past 19 years -- it's just part of owning an expensive car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric CZ Posted February 12, 2009 Author Share Posted February 12, 2009 Thanks for the input. I contacted Lexus and they are supposed to get back to me and when I mentioned it to the dealer, they said that they would get a call regarding the issue. Hopefully Lexus will be willing to work something out with me. I realize that the car is 8 years old, but with only 75k miles and the Lexus reputation it seems a little odd that I have these problems already. Especially considering that car has been properly serviced by the same dealership that sold it. I actually bought it from one of the sales staff who had purchased it for themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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