Newbie After General Advice!

[sc008y]

Hi folks. I've recently bought an MOT failed IS 200 sport off a mate. He's relocating and is getting a new company car so he didn't want to spend money fixing it up to take with him.

Anyway, it failed on ball joint and uneven brake efficiency. I've owned and modified Ford Probes for many years so I'm quite experienced but was Just wondering if there is anything I need to know specific to Lexus.

Any advice gratefully received.

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

Hi and welcome.

Ball joints are a weakness on this car, but they are cheap to replace. Only replace with OEM ball joints. If you use inferior eBay cheapy ball joints you're asking for trouble trust me! Lol

Also front brake callipers like to seize up, so check slide pins and slide bolts. Those are the two big weaknesses of this car IMO.

Also you say it failed on uneven brake efficiency. Where I used to get my 200 MOT's and also my 300 mot'd currently they don't use the brake machine because they say it will give a false reading because if the LSD so they road test the brakes. I don't know how true that is but my cars never got an uneven brake advisory or fail.

All the best :)

[sc008y]

Just noticed my reply never actually posted!! Ruddy mobile :megaangry:

I don't tend to get my parts from eBay, I prefer to use my local motorfactor tbh. I know where to go back to if I have a problem

You don't happen to have the OEM part number for an offside suspension arm do you? I figure it'll be the same as the Probe (Mazda built) in that it's easier to replace the whole suspension arm rather than try to replace just the ball joint)

Thanks for the info about the brakes, I'll see if I can find an MOT place that will road test them rather than using the machine.

On that note, does it make any difference if the TC or Snow settings are enabled/disabled?

I'm not planning on putting the car back on the road for another month or so as it's been sat for a few months already, so I've got time to strip all the callipers down anyway.

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

TC and Snow shouldn't affect it I don't think.

You're correct in the fact that it's way easier to change the whole arm rather than the bushes but I think the arm will be silly money. When I needed the front lower control arm bushes done on my old 200 the bushes cost me £40 plus i paid a mechanic mate a few quid for the use of his garage and bush press. The lowest quote I got for an arm was £240. £309 from Lexus!! Sorry don't have a part number.

[sc008y]

Looking at images it appears that the upper ball joint is held in place by a circlip. Is that correct?

I need to check on the car to see if it's the upper or lower joint that's failed too.

I think you're right though, replacing the whole arm may be a bit costly!!

[VLM]

I bought ADL Bluprint lower suspension arms from http://www.livingstonautoparts.co.uk/Service-Parts/Groups.aspx for about £90 each. They also have cheaper ones. I'm understand Blueprint to be a good part.

I had to have new arms prior to getting the wheel alignment changed to WIM settings, as the camber adjusting bolts (that go through the bushes) were rusted solid and it was not possible to get them out without ruining the bushes. Also needed new camber adjusting bolts, about £25 a side from Lexus.

Note the new arms/bushes improved the car noticeably, this was prior to the WIM alignment settings being applied. The old bushes were "fine" from an MOT persepctive.

[petayV8]

Uneven braking has to be pretty severe to fail 25% i think so im guessing a siezed caliper. Could of told you which brake tut lol

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

I bought ADL Bluprint lower suspension arms from http://www.livingstonautoparts.co.uk/Service-Parts/Groups.aspx for about £90 each. They also have cheaper ones. I'm understand Blueprint to be a good part.

I had to have new arms prior to getting the wheel alignment changed to WIM settings, as the camber adjusting bolts (that go through the bushes) were rusted solid and it was not possible to get them out without ruining the bushes. Also needed new camber adjusting bolts, about £25 a side from Lexus.

Note the new arms/bushes improved the car noticeably, this was prior to the WIM alignment settings being applied. The old bushes were "fine" from an MOT persepctive.

That is cheap, might look at these for my 300.

The lower control arm bushes are not part of the MOT so you can't fail on them and most won't even put on advisory. It's because even when they are completely perished they don't make the car unsafe to drive, they just make it a pig to drive

My 200 lower control arm bushes were completely shot to pieces and I didn't even know until I took it to WIM and they told me.

[sc008y]

They did! Both front and rear offside.

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

Rear bushes I've been advised on in the past and are fail able but not from lower control bushes.

Look at my thread from a while back

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/81690-completly-bushed/?fromsearch=1

The state of those bushes! They'd been through more than 1 MOT that's for sure and even Lexus didn't pick up on them or ignored them when they had the car twice!!

[VLM]

Rear bushes I've been advised on in the past and are fail able but not from lower control bushes.

Look at my thread from a while back

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/81690-completly-bushed/?fromsearch=1

The state of those bushes! They'd been through more than 1 MOT that's for sure and even Lexus didn't pick up on them or ignored them when they had the car twice!!

That looks like the No.2 arm bushes - the diagonal one. I replaced the No.1 arm - the track control arm I suppose, with the camber adjusting bolts. With the new arms and the WIM settings now applied, the car is rock steady on the motorway and very precise to steer. I'm on 18" wheels. Nothing seems to push the car off course, no bumps, no corners, no sidewinds. Recommended!