Oem Shock Absorbers For 95 Ls400?

Frank Zappa · May 2, 2010

Hey there,

So it looks like my shocks gave out on my 95 LS400 and I'd like to replace them with OEM parts. Does anyone know who made them and where I can get them cheap online? I'm seeing either KYC or Bilstein coming up in most of my searches but don't know enough about car parts to distinguish. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

1990LS400 · May 2, 2010

How's $151.59 each for OEM shocks from http://www.parts.com compare with the prices you are finding. They show that the retail price as being $219.26.

What's the sign that the shocks are worn out? The reason I ask is that many people have gotten several hundred thousand miles out of the original ones.

Frank Zappa · May 2, 2010

Hi there,

Thanks so much for your response! My car's got 188 kilometres on it. It doesn't take curves as tightly as it's supposed to and I hear a slight grinding when turning a corner, which tells me that the wheels are hitting the body. If I could get a direct link to where I should buy as well as part numbers, I'd appreciate it. Not a DIY'er as much as someone who buys parts online and then gives them to his mechanic, thus avoiding his markup. Thanks!

Frank Zappa · May 2, 2010

Hi there,

Thanks so much for your response! My car's got 188 kilometres on it. It doesn't take curves as tightly as it's supposed to and I hear a slight grinding when turning a corner, which tells me that the wheels are hitting the body. If I could get a direct link to where I should buy as well as part numbers, I'd appreciate it. Not a DIY'er as much as someone who buys parts online and then gives them to his mechanic, thus avoiding his markup. Thanks!

1990LS400 · May 2, 2010

My car's got 188 kilometres on it. It doesn't take curves as tightly as it's supposed to and I hear a slight grinding when turning a corner, which tells me that the wheels are hitting the body. If I could get a direct link to where I should buy as well as part numbers, I'd appreciate it.

kilometres? What part of Zappaland are you in? Not all suppliers in the U.S. ship internationally and the shippings costs can kill the deal on those that do.

I doubt if a grinding noise is from worn shocks unless you've reduced wheel clearance by "dropping" the car with aftermarket suspension components and/or are using larger wheels/tires. How long have you had this car and have you seen a degradation over time?

An LS400 of any year isn't known to take curves particularly "tightly". They're not bad handling cars but they are a little bouncy even when new. At 188K km (116K miles), your problem - if you have one, could be from warn suspension components. I not certain if the 95 LS has exactly the same design of strut bars as my 00 LS (I think it does), but the strut bar bushings on my car were thoroughly worn out by 80,000 miles causing high speed vibrations and steering looseness.

Frank Zappa · May 2, 2010

Montreal, Canada. Finding the LS400 up here is virtually impossible! I bought the car a few months back, fully knowing that I'd have to put some money into it in order to get it up to snuff. The car didn't initially grind when steering but the cornering was always quite loose and the ride spongy. I also thought that it had something to do with the suspension but my mechanic took it out for a ride about two months back and said it was the shocks. The grinding started only a few weeks ago so I'm no longer sure where I should be going with this. Thing is, I'm completely enamored with my car and have every intention of restoring to what the original ride was meant to be. Again, the input's appreciated as I plan to have this problem fixed as soon as I can determine what the deal is. This forum's been great, it's been extremely helpful so far.

1990LS400 · May 2, 2010

I suggest getting a second opinion -- maybe even take it to a Lexus dealer. Does your mechanic routinely work on Lexus LS400's? If he doesn't, he might think the normal very cushy ride is defective!

If your car is on the standard unmodified suspension and OEM wheels and tire size, there is no way the wheels are going to hit the body when cornering. It's possible, I suppose, that an LS400 shock could fail so early but that's not going to cause the car body to collapse and hit a tire while corning. If it did, I think you would be seeing damage or at least marks in a wheel well.

SLORICK · May 2, 2010

2 tips: I read on this forum that some guy said "Biggest single thing to keep original ride comfort is 4-Weel Alignment every 30,000 miles."

Shocks: I wondered about my 94LS400 shocks at 135K miles, and told my mechanic that in the 1960's and '70's I was used to Sears trying to sell shocks every 20,000 miles. He said Lexus is made better, its the new millenium, and use the bounce test. He pushed down on all four corners of my car, let go, and car settled within one bounce. He said shocks were still good. I drove a car once that broke its shock mounting stud: WOAH,,, that thing bounced like a pogo stick. If a shock is bad, you will KNOW it. Get a Lexus Mechanic to give your new car a complete inspection. Pay for his advice, and pick and choose your repairs.

New Guy Tip: Go to Lexus.com and Register your VIN as a new owner. It's Free, and you will be able to view all the past repair work done on your car by authorized Lexus Dealers.

1990LS400 · May 2, 2010

2 tips: I read on this forum that some guy said "Biggest single thing to keep original ride comfort is 4-Weel Alignment every 30,000 miles."

That may depend on the condition of the roads you drive on. I rarely have alignments done unless I'm replacing a suspension component ... decided it was silly to have alignments done only to discover the alignment was already correct ... been told that LS cars don't get out of alignment unless a suspension component fails or something gets bent.

Shocks: I wondered about my 94LS400 shocks at 135K miles, and told my mechanic that in the 1960's and '70's I was used to Sears trying to sell shocks every 20,000 miles. He said Lexus is made better, its the new millenium, and use the bounce test. He pushed down on all four corners of my car, let go, and car settled within one bounce. He said shocks were still good. I drove a car once that broke its shock mounting stud: WOAH,,, that thing bounced like a pogo stick. If a shock is bad, you will KNOW it.

Really true. Shock absorbers have become "lifetime" components.

Get a Lexus Mechanic to give your new car a complete inspection. Pay for his advice, and pick and choose your repairs.

Absolutely agree. People who work on these cars everyday understand them. I'd be lost without my mechanic Fred who worked at the local Lexus dealership and has now been with the indie Lexus repair shop I've used the past 14 years.

New Guy Tip: Go to Lexus.com and Register your VIN as a new owner. It's Free, and you will be able to view all the past repair work done on your car by authorized Lexus Dealers.

He's in Montreal. That's in Canada. Registering on the U.S. website isn't going to help. I don't think you can track past repairs on the Canadian Lexus website: http://www.lexus.ca

Frank Zappa · May 2, 2010

You guys have just confirmed what I was thinking: a second opinion is the way to go. I'd much rather spend some dough having a specialist tell me exactly what the real issue is instead of having a fortune's worth of work done that'll not only not fix the problem but affect the integrity of my car. Thanks so much for your help, gentlemen!