Ls400 Rear Upper Suspension Arms

[frankie boy]

Have just failed MOT on rear upper balljoints (both sides), so will have to replace rear upper suspension arms. Any suggestions as to where I can get these at a reasonable price (LS400 Mk4 2000/W)?

Thanks

Frank

[maneesh]

Try Sewell's of Dallas in Texas, USA. For me it worked out 50% cheaper than buying from Lexus dealers in the UK. You need to speak to Darrel Diller there, remember it's 8 hours time difference (behind).

IIRC, I paid less than 100 quid for each arm.

[frankie boy]

Thanks Maneesh.

I emailed Sewells but got no reply. However, I have now managed to get these wishbones from: http://www.cheaptoyotaparts.co.uk/ They cost £139 each incl delivery. They're for a MK4 but I notice that they're selling earlier ones for £99. Might be useful to know if anybody else is looking for them.

I wonder if anyone has fitted these themselves and if so, how easy a job it is?

Frank

[lutonmatt]

i fitted new arms on my mk3 and they were the easyist ones i have done the hardest bit is getting the bolt around the spring

[GoldfingerLS]

Hi Frank,

I noticed that you said that you car is a W reg MK4 LS400. How come they need replacing so soon ? Out of interest, how much mileage has your car covered ? Is it mostly town or motorway driving your car has done ?

Only reason I ask is because I have a T reg 199 MK4 LS400 with 61,000 on the clock. Is this something I will need to get replaced on my car anytime soon ? If so I better start doing my homework on how to replace these.

Many thanks.

[frankie boy]

Hi Frank,

I noticed that you said that you car is a W reg MK4 LS400. How come they need replacing so soon ? Out of interest, how much mileage has your car covered ? Is it mostly town or motorway driving your car has done ?

Only reason I ask is because I have a T reg 199 MK4 LS400 with 61,000 on the clock. Is this something I will need to get replaced on my car anytime soon ? If so I better start doing my homework on how to replace these.

Many thanks.

I was surprised too! I wanted to treat myself to a luxury car that would also prove to be reliable. I've got a reasonable knowledge of car mechanics and for various reasons discounted a number of other options e.g 7 Series BMW, E Class Merc, Audi A8. For the record I bought this car a couple of months ago and it seems very genuine. It's my first Lexus and I can now understand why people rate them so highly. It's done 99,000, two previous owners - each for around 3 years. It's very, very tidy inside and out and doesn't appear to have been abused in any way. It's got a complete set of Lexus main dealer stamps in the service book and all paperwork plus lack of stone chips, seat wear, etc, etc, indicate the mileage is correct. YET, both rear upper suspension arms needed replacing because the ball joints were shot. As I mentioned, they cost me £139 each and a local (ace) mechanic I know fitted them for £102 all in. Having said that, he also noted that the bushes in both rear tie rods, which anchor the independent rear suspension, were worn too (I'd be grateful if anyone could advise on whether these bushes can be bought separately and pressed in). In addition when I first bought the car it had a clunk and judder when braking at higher speeds which I now strongly suspect is down to the front upper control arm bushes and certainly the ball joint on the nsf control arm has wear in it too. I guess in part, the answer to your question is to do what I did and get the car mot'd early and if there are problems you've bought yourself some time to get them fixed! Beyond that, and being a new boy on here myself let's throw it open... does anyone have any views on this? Is it realistic to expect to have to carry out major suspension surgery at around 99k miles?

Frank

[maneesh]

yes, depending upon wear and tear, but the LS400 is a heavy car, and the suspension wears out from around 100k. very, very expensive to fix!

[Ian R]

i fitted new arms on my mk3 and they were the easyist ones i have done the hardest bit is getting the bolt around the spring

Dragging this one from the past. Did you remove the hub, drive shaft, exhaust etc. as per the manual or is there an easier way? Am I correct in thinking the mk3 is identical to the mk4 for this job?

Thanks.

[kendr]

I to have failed an MOT on both sides due to the upper ball joints (thanks for the link). only I have a 93 LS400 which I have just passed 268,000 miles in without any problems with the rear suspension (apart from the trailing arm bushes, and a wheel bearing). Infact the car has been outstanding, and still has the same shocker, exhaust, etc.

I have heard of a proceedure that can recondition the ball joint, by drilling a hole in the ball joint and injecting resin. Dont know if it works, but the MOT garage sugested it!

Thanks again for the link, another good US site is thepartsbin.com

Mike