Front left air shock absorber - loud fail

[Feckless Mancunian]

I knew it was coming as I could hear the compressor running every few minutes and it was starting to sag after a few hours. This afternoon I was in a MacD drive thru and as the waitress was serving me, the strut failed. Very loudly, like a tyre had burst. It instantly dropped a few centimetres. And frightened everyone in the restaurant.

So... Is it most likely the shock absorber? Could it be anything else, like somewhere along the air line from compressor to suspension? 

Is there a part of the shocker that can be replaced or does it have to be the entire unit?

And what will the unit cost?

What about changing both fronts to conventional shockers? Simple changeover or a software nightmare?

It's a 2004 RX300.

Advice will be most welcome. So will good news.

Cheers, Dave.

[SLACKBLADDER]

It's an expensive replacement strut they are anything between 5 and 700 each new plus fitting you cannot replace just the fronts with conventional it has to be all  I had the same with a rear left  I bought a full set air struts second hand fitted one for £100 I have sold the car to get a sc430   mmmmmm    oh sorry got carried away     and I have three shockers left in my shed to sell  if your interested regards les 

[Feckless Mancunian]

Sorry, yeah, I have the LS430 which seems all ok, it's the RX300 that looks wonky with the sagging strut. 

I've been reading about the 'bag'. Are they separate from the strut? Is it the bag that has failed but the strut is fine...?

 

[SLACKBLADDER]

Mine are off a 04 rx 300 s-el you cannot replace the bag on its own  if your mechanically minded it will take you an hour or so to replace the strut. And my way of thinking was if I put a new strut on it would not drive the same and possibly force the opposite one to break  

[Feckless Mancunian]

Now I'm learning...

So you have two front air struts for an RX? Interesting... good to know.

I have to rush off for the evening but can continue this tomorrow.

Cheers Les

Dave

[SLACKBLADDER]

Your welcome 

[Feckless Mancunian]

I'm limping it over to the garage next week, he's always looked after mine for the last few years although he's usually busy. I'll see what he says.

If it is that strut (most likely I guess) I'll let you know and go from there. 

Cheers Les

Dave

[SLACKBLADDER]

Not a problem the ones I got are ok they came from a car with a compressor fail I was going to get round to putting them on eBay cause they are in the way now   

Les

[Feckless Mancunian]

Well, it's booked in on Friday so I'll soon know exactly what it needs. It's a total pig to drive in that condition.

Lucky it's only four or five miles.

Cheers

Dave

[PCM]

On 04/10/2017 at 6:05 PM, Feckless Mancunian said:

Well, it's booked in on Friday so I'll soon know exactly what it needs. It's a total pig to drive in that condition.

Lucky it's only four or five miles.

Cheers

Dave

How did you get on?