2008 Ls460L, Bad Lower Control Arm Bushings

[LS460LGA]

Found to be bad in my car, dealer wants $5,130.00 to fix, known problem and Lexus is not helping. to make it worst they also found the water pump leaking the car has over 80k miles.

a world class dissapointment from Lexus. what is sad is that I also own an IS300 and IS250 which are the reason I purchased my supposed to be dream car. not living up to it.

[lenore]

They must have needed a down payment on their yatch....serious, the parts are like $1200 in parts, they sure are charging a lot of labor.....Weird suspension, cant tell exactly what the lower control arms are in the drawing. Is it a pair of arms on each side? Sewell Lexus has the parts for around $328 each...I need a better drawing to see if their are 2 or 4.....

At lexus parts.now the parts are only around $260 apiece....I would get an independent to install them...probably 1/3 the cost....

[James Horning]

I can't believe this. A loyal customer , IS300 a IS 250 and a LS 460 L and we are COMPLAINING of parts and labor prices??

Parts prices are governed by Lexus and yes a profit is made, too keep people employed and dealerships open. Shop labor rates are governed by Lexus and by the average repair rate in your area. The warranty labor rate is also governed by Lexus. All dealership technicians are paid flat rate it's not by choice it's been this way for 50 years plus. The time quoted is also governed by a pricing guide followed by all repair centers adjustments are made for diagnosis and age of vehicle. Do you think it's " easy " to go in Monday drive your car around determine the noise and hope that you'll get time for your labor ??

All of us good guys are almost gone , moving on, new kids don't like to work hard , good luck getting precious fixed then.

This is very hard to accurately diagnose even with chassis ear being used , if you have air suspension the shocks have been known to make noise ( L-SB-0138-11) or the suspension ( L-SB -0021-12) and yes your vehicle is out of warranty. Really how much more is a manufacturer liable for ??

Sit down with your dealers manager and specialist, confirm what will be repaired and why , have them show you so you can accurately understand the complexity s of this suspension and all the areas that a " noise" can originate from. The service bulletins above are a reference I no way does it me it will fix any car, it is a possibility that it would apply to your concern.

Giving the tech ample time to do his job and a complete set of instructions on how to recreate your noise help minimize misdiagnosis.

Sorry for the rant, but I fix cars, I am professional and a raving perfectionist i treat your car like its my own, but it always comes down to price, that's out of my control.

[lenore]

I can't believe this. A loyal customer , IS300 a IS 250 and a LS 460 L and we are COMPLAINING of parts and labor prices??

Parts prices are governed by Lexus and yes a profit is made, too keep people employed and dealerships open. Shop labor rates are governed by Lexus and by the average repair rate in your area. The warranty labor rate is also governed by Lexus. All dealership technicians are paid flat rate it's not by choice it's been this way for 50 years plus. The time quoted is also governed by a pricing guide followed by all repair centers adjustments are made for diagnosis and age of vehicle. Do you think it's " easy " to go in Monday drive your car around determine the noise and hope that you'll get time for your labor ??

All of us good guys are almost gone , moving on, new kids don't like to work hard , good luck getting precious fixed then.

This is very hard to accurately diagnose even with chassis ear being used , if you have air suspension the shocks have been known to make noise ( L-SB-0138-11) or the suspension ( L-SB -0021-12) and yes your vehicle is out of warranty. Really how much more is a manufacturer liable for ??

Sit down with your dealers manager and specialist, confirm what will be repaired and why , have them show you so you can accurately understand the complexity s of this suspension and all the areas that a " noise" can originate from. The service bulletins above are a reference I no way does it me it will fix any car, it is a possibility that it would apply to your concern.

Giving the tech ample time to do his job and a complete set of instructions on how to recreate your noise help minimize misdiagnosis.

Sorry for the rant, but I fix cars, I am professional and a raving perfectionist i treat your car like its my own, but it always comes down to price, that's out of my control.

James I know how you feel, maybe someday you will venture on your own and service lexus vehicles from your own establishment. I have met mechanics that got fed up with the stealership and become very successful with a loyal clientel that only take their cars to them. Thank you for your professional perfectionist ability, that is how I ran my job when I worked for a large company, and I had to butt heads with idiot managers, but in the end my customers loved me and I had very few callbacks. By the way my work always saved money in the end, being proactive and preventing future calls and failures. Good luck. by the way I only input the cheaper alternatives, because quite frankly everybody that buys a lexus cant afford the fee's while their cars are in repair mode. I try to give alternatives, and a little education to at least let them make decisions based on knowledge.

[LS460LGA]

_{James, not complaining about the prices, not expecting the manufacturer to assume liability forever, but this is not my first rodeo, I have owned toyotas since 1983 when I purchased my dream car a 1979 Celica a 474 brown hatchback, from there I went to the 1984 Supra,1984 Camry, 1990 Camry, 1987 Truck, 1991 Tercel, 1991 Corolla, 2002 Camry, 2006 Camry, 1993 4Runner, 1996 Camry, 1996 4runner, 2001 Rav4, 2002 Tacoma, 2001 Avalon, 2007Tundra you name it I had my share of Toyotas, but I never had something like this go bad in any car I have owned and you dont go out and pay over $90,000.00 for a car to go and start replacing parts like this 4 years later especialy driving in the city with nicely paved roads.( I understand if I was driving in unpaved roads full of pot holes)}

_{James the 1992 Camry went from my to my oldest son to the youngest and it finally died due to lack of maintenance and him neglecting to replace a leacky front crank seal, instead he chhose to add oil all the time, the car had over 330k miles, so I know my Toyotas. Listen on my LS460 first the radio while playing CD if you go over a bump it shoot the radio off, this happen while the car was under warranty, brake actuator making some noise, replaced under warranty, engine valves, done under a recall, wind noise due to some deffective mouldings, a clunk in the transmission as you slow down ( intermitent) I can wait to see how much this will turn out to be? and the latest my lower control arm bushing issue, the leather wering our worst than on my older Lexus. not feeling it. I religiously take the car to be service either at a Lexus dealer or a Toyota dealer ( who told me about the arm issue) religiously, they sell me some service and I just get it done because I drive a lot and know that in order for the car to do what it is supposed to do I have to do my part.}

_{like I say before not what I expected from this car, considering the S550 and the E350 to replace my 2 nicer cars seriously. furthermore do you know I have over 120k miles on my 2006 IS250 and the only actual repair was a bad air fuel ratio sensor, under $ 400, that is what I am talking about, the rest maintenace on the clock, no complains on this baby and this is why I purchased the nicer Lexus I expected better. that is all.}

[drummr]

Sounds familiar. I bought a 2008 LS460L in Mar 2013 w/ 66,000 miles. Just turned 89,000 miles and was told last week by Lexus dealer that it needed $11,000 in repairs including all 6 of the upper & lower control arms, plus 2 fuel ratio sensors that just happened to go out at the same time, a water pump and an oil accumulator and a brake accuator among other items. Lexus only felt liabel for $2000 despite a raft of complaints about these items and redesign in the case of the control arms. My previous car was a Lexus LS430 on which I put 134000 miles. I believe in don't get mad, get even. I can't sell the car because it won't pass inspection. So if you see a Lexus LS460L with lemons on each door of the car, wave.

drummr.

[lenore]

I would take it to an independent and get a more reasonable estimate.

[sktn77a]

For what it's worth, the price quoted ($5130) to the OP is more consistent with the dealership replacing ALL of the front control arms. Still a heck of a bill. Add $750 for the waterpump and the Easter bunny ain't coming to his house this year!

[kimseongjae62]

As with any car and dealers- Especially high end cars, you have to be smart in terms of what you take to the dealers. For the most part, dealers will be approx. 60% more for parts and services. Also, dealers don't always trouble shoot problems 100%.

For example, I've always had problems with rotor warpage as long as I've had my car. I've always had a really extreme inside tire wear. The dealers had no answer. I've just installed new front drilled/slotted rotors, front upgraded pads, rear upgraded pad and a new pad sensor. For example, the dealer wanted $140 for the rear pad sensor. I was able to get the same part from rockauto.com online for $17 out the door. Also saved $300 on a brake job by taking it to a outside mechanic. I am hoping that I don't have to deal with rotor vibration again with upgraded rotors.

I take my M1 oil and filter to my mechanic. He charges me $20 for labor. Overall cost, $75. The dealer's cost, $180. My 2007 Ls460 has 105,000 mi. Still going strong. I'm not saying the car does not have any glitches. Like:

Cabin wind noise by faulty side mirror design; Fixed Neg. camber/ sagging rear suspension adding to premature inside tire wear; Valve stem recall; chronic rotor vibration. However, I' been resolving my car issues and at the same time saving money mostly through on-line research sites such as - lexusownersclub.com. and taking my car to a outside mechanic.

I would recommend people to pick their battles with their dealers. Meaning not everything has to be seen by a dealer. Electric issue- dealer. Engine- dealer. Suspension- not necessary. Regular maintenance- not necessary. Brakes- not necessary..... Also, not all dealers and on-line retailers charge same price. It varies. So, shop around.

[dcfish]

Press out the old bushings and press in the new ones...

[lenore]

Love your sayings DC...nice so how much would all of those bushings cost without labor?

[tonyt2008LS460]

Check Rock Auto http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php?carcode=1445201&parttype=10401

they are aftermarket parts---but at least you aren't getting raped!

[tonyt2008LS460]

I have a 2008 LS-460 with 72K miles and it starting making a popping noise in the front right when braking at slow speed.

Dealer said the control arms are bad and need to be replaced. Dealer estimate $over$ $9,200.00.

I searched around and found the parts on Rock Auto--$538 for all eight control arms.

 

I gave my son and his buddy-(who has access to a lift) $1,000.00 to replace all eight pieces---took them about 4 hours.

It is amazing how much smoother and better handling the car is now. And saved $7,700.00

Now all I need to do is get a 4 wheel alignment and I am good to go.

 

[Jesse.D]

Thank you for your research and sharing it. I have the same problem with my 2008 LS 460 as well. I will talk to my mechanic and have him replace these parts as well. THANK YOU!!!

[Boatpix]

If you have brake problems might want to get the Japanese parts and not the less expensive Chinese parts.  Got some Chinese tires on Amazon prime for $69 rather than $250 Michelin's at Costco(did just two) and they seem fine. 

[tar heel guy]

Great info! Happy to see the aftermarkets are working for you.

[DaBerger]

For those that might be hitting this problem now, I purchased just the bushings for under $100 from 1A Auto website, and had my local shop install them for about $800.   I had this problem at about 100K, fixed the handling and rattling issues under the hood, that lasted until about 146k, and now I am replacing them again (only two went bad but I'm doing the whole set).   This is the only real problem my LS has had so I'm still happy with it...

Also, 1A Auto has a limited lifetime warranty so they replaced the parts for free...

[Alex_sea]

On 8/12/2015 at 12:33 PM, tonyt2008LS460 said:

Check Rock Auto http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php?carcode=1445201&parttype=10401

they are aftermarket parts---but at least you aren't getting raped!

Hi Tony, how are the aftermarket control arms going on your car? Are they still good?

I’m looking at the options for lower control arms - ~$550 for 2 arms for OEM vs ~$175 for 2 aftermarket control arms on rockauto:

Aftermarket: https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/lexus,2007,ls460,4.6l+v8,1434552,suspension,control+arm,10401

OEM: https://www.lexuspartsnow.com/parts/lexus-arm-assy-front-suspension-lower-rh~48620-50070.html?Make=Lexus&Model=LS460&Year=2007&Submodel=&Filter=()&Location=pd:,

[lex72]

Seems like the same old story. It's a bit like going on a expensive holiday, and you meet people that don't venture outside the hotel because they don't have spending money to venture out, so they stay in their room watching tv and eating sandwiches 😐

 

No point on going if you cannot enjoy yourself when you get there ...

[M.Yasir]

Strange no one is talking about the rear bushings?

 

[sha4000]

I've checked my bushings while back there and they seem to be ok. The rear doesn't do as much work as the front so I guess they last longer and by the time they need to be addressed most ppl have moved on from the car.

[LSobsessed]

Control arms can be replaced by any competent independent shop.  After market parts are also available WAY cheaper than Lexus.  I have seen no evidence that after market parts are less durable than OEM.  Independent parts and labor are less than half what Lexus charges.

It is also not REQUIRED that the arms be replaced.  The only part that wears out is the rubber bushings that can be replaced separately although it requires bushing press equipment.

[jfkova]

2009 LS 460 AWD, 98k miles, RH upper control arms need replaced.  Will go with aftermarket arms because it is the bushing insert material not the metal arm that wears out. Question is which after market control arm brand name to buy (many names and prices at RockAuto, e-bay, etc.).  Since the bushings are the only part that wears out and Lexus does not sell just the bushings, who makes the best replacement control arm bushing?  I do not know and am looking for advice.  I intend to replace the OEM control arms, save the old arms and re-bush the OEM arms for next time at 150k (+/-), I intend to keep this LS for ever!

[M.Yasir]

Hi jfkova

From what i personally believe, all brands in Rockauto are equivalent or are higher in specs than the OEM, so you can go with any suiting your budget, i would also recommend to replace not only RH but also LH so that you have all 10 bushings brand new which will also give you good alignment and ride quality, also check your inner and outer tie rods while you are in there.

I always had bad experience from ebay because lot of sellers are selling cheap counterfeits (back in the time i purchased the knock senors for my 98 LS 400, Denso all 100% original as advertised, huge labor was spent to remove the manifold to install these sensors and within few weeks they got fried and my car started drinking petrol, so had this bad experience)

PS: 98k miles is not a lot of wear and tear, wondering why & how your bushings got brushed up so quickly!

Keep us posted

Thanks

[Actuarius]

New to forum and don't know if this is the right place for this question.  I'm replacing the upper and lower control arms on my 2007 LS460.  However, the rear lower control arm that I removed had a hole with a diameter of about 1 3/32" that fit over the lower ball joint and the replacement part has a hole of about 13/16".  At first I assumed the aftermarket parts were bad but when I searched for other lower control arms they all seem to have the 13/16" hole.  What am I missing?  Thx.