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Instructions for replacing rear wheel bearing hub assembly on Lexus LS430, 2000 - 2007. Hi all. Having read so many threads of how to replace rear wheel bearings, but none with any real detail, I tackled the job myself and thought it may be helpful to give detailed instructions. (Before I forget them...) To ascertain which side is noisy, take a test drive. Pick a smooth surfaced road so you can clearly hear the bearing noise above tyre noise. When going around a right hand bend, the weight of the car shifts to the left, so the left hand bearing will load up and start its classic "wooooommm, wooooommm, wooooommm" noise, which will revert back to just an audible, low pitched consistent growl, which varies in pitch with road speed, when you're going straight. Ditto for the right hand bearing. It will make the noise when going around a left hand bend. Having determined which wheel bearing is at fault, time to replace the bearing. Buy a complete hub assembly. Don't bother trying to replace just the actual bearing out of the assembly. Not worth the hassle. I trawled the net and got a genuine Toyota one for $94.50 delivered. You will need:- Torch or leadlight. Mirror 10mm socket 17mm short socket 19mm socket 32mm 12 point socket (1/2" drive) and either a breaker bar or impact gun. ratchet wrench and a couple of short extensions pliers Medium sized 2 or 3 claw puller (even a relatively cheap one will do the job). A short length (6") of flat steel, say 1/2" wide, which you can bend the last 1/2 " to make a hook at 90 degrees, and the other end to about 1" at 90 degrees the opposite way. Sort of making an elongated Z. Procedure:- Jack up the rear wheel with the noisy bearing, and remove road wheel. Put axle stand under subframe mount at front of wheel arch for safety. Remove brake caliper (2x19mm bolts) and tie up to take strain off brake hose. Remove brake disc (not held on by anything other than roadwheel. Remove split pin from end of axle and remove castellated locking cap. Using 32mm socket and breaker bar (or impact gun) undo axle nut. Remove 10mm bolt from ABS sensor and pull sensor out of the way. Look in the hole and you'll see a hole in the sheetmetal cover over the ABS cog. Spray WD40 into axle splines in hub. You may have to give the end of the axle a gentle tap with a hammer and copper drift to loosen it in the splines. Place puller claws around hub and position threaded part in centre of axle. Tighten puller to push axle towards differential. It will move about 1" to 1.5". Note that you DO NOT have to remove the CV joint rubber boot. (Experience..) The hub assembly is held in place on the hub carrier by 4 x 17mm bolts. They are partly obscured by a round pressed sheetmetal cover protecting the ABS cog wheel. Using the strip of steel which you bent earlier, manoeuvre the end which you've bent 1/2" in behind this sheetmetal cover to hook under it, deep within the hub carrier. You'll need the torch and the mirror to see what you're doing. I used a drift pushing on the other 1" bent end and gently tapped at it towards the centre of the car, in a couple of places around the cover, and it popped out and came loose. This enables you to manoeuvre the 17mm socket with short extension onto all 4 bolts behind the hub carrier. They were not excessively tight, so were relatively easy to undo. Once all out, manoeuvre the drift inside the parking brake mechanism to tap the old hub carrier (which you're replacing) to loosen it. It will eventually move and come away from its circular recess. Carefully pull it out, and clean the circular recess with a fine wire brush or similar. Replace with new bearing/hub assembly and as they say, installation is a reversal of removal. Partly tighten the 4x17mm bolts in diagonally opposite sequence to ensure the hub sits straight in its housing. Then tighten securely. Be careful to align the hole for the ABS sensor on the sheetmetal cover in the same place you saw before when you removed the sensor. Release the puller and let the natural tension in the axle poke it through the new hub. This will push the sheetmetal cover into position, but give it a GENTLE tap from behind to ensure it's seated. Axle nut on & tighten with impact gun or bar. Castellated cover and split pin in. ABS sensor back in and bolted. Brake disc on. Caliper on and tighten 2x19mm bolts. Axle stand out, wheel on & tight, jack out and clean up before touching upholstery..... Job done. Lexie's all quiet again. Old bearing showed signs of rust, hence the noise. Hope this is helpful. Total job time approx 2 hours. Time for a coffee (or a beer...) Regards, Nodding_Dog

I personally think main dealer skills are massively over-rated and would much prefer my car was looked after and serviced by a competent and trusted independent mechanic. I think when your car is new it is good to have it serviced by a main dealer because of your warranty but when it is out of warranty I wouldn't entertain a main dealer. My experience of dealing with Lexus Cheltenham/Swindon in the past doesn't fill me with confidence-I asked both branches for a price to change the automatic transmission fluid on my car-both said it is a sealed unit and cannot be changed?! I took it to an automatic transmission specialist who changed the fluid. When my dash lights started going out ( a common fault) I was quoted a stupid price (£1000+) by lexus to replace the whole unit as they said it couldn't be repaired-yet I had it repaired for about £50(simply replacing a few diodes) and it is still working perfectly 3/4 years later. Lexus Cheltenham were also responsible for wrongly diagnosing a gearbox fault on a LS430 as being a wheel bearing noise-resulting in the gearbox totally failing. I have heard it said and I agree that main dealers don't employ mechanics, they employ "fitters"-as in that they are capable/willing to fit new parts but unable/unwilling to try and "repair" your car. Most independent mechanics have to have the skill to repair your car whereas main dealers will just replace parts without any concern for the cost. When I have my air con serviced/topped up I take it to an specialist as to me they are much more skilled than a main dealer is. My other car is a 1991 Cadillac and I regularly speak to a guy in USA who was the foreman of a cadillac dealership for a number of years before leaving and going independent and he is always advising people who have problems with their cadillacs to never ever go to a main dealer but go to a competent local garage who will most times be more capable of repairing your car and at a sensible price. I've had my Lexus 8 years now and I don't think Lexus could service it any better than my independent garage has in all this time??

If it helps anyone Tesco has oil offer again. Oil dates 02/2016

Low batteries seem to be a frequent source of problems, so you really need a very cheap but effective way of testing them. When you first open/close the car doors or open/close the bonnet all sorts of things are going on for up to several minutes later.. So if you check the battery voltage or current it will be all over the place ! To get an accurate battery voltage reading you need to measure it at least one hour after everything has settled. This means opening the drivers door and releasing the bonnet so you can lift it from the safety catch. (No need to fully open it until you need to access the battery check terminals). On the 400h this is easily done once the battery cover is removed. I understand there is a battery check point on the 450h, where you can connect an external charger without going directly to the battery terminals in the boot. So then, having released the bonnet, make sure all the doors are closed and nothing in the car is switched on ... and wait for at least one hour before fully opening the bonnet to access the battery check terminals. In this way I have measured an eventual standing current of around 20mA on my Rx 400h. At this load level, the open circuit voltage of the battery will be almost the same as the voltage measured with the car left in the above state for one hour. As a useful approximation, the battery is around 25% discharged when the voltage reads 12.40 volts and even at this level it may start to lose capacity due to sulphation, if left in this state for any length of time. At 12.20 volts it is around 50% discharged and poses a significant risk of problems arising in the near future, unless it is quickly recharged. A suitable multimeter for this is available from Maplin for under £10. Using this simple check regularly, I have kept the new replacement 12v battery for my 400h in a good state for over 4 years now. I do not use the car much in the winter so I connect the car battery to an intelligent charger every week the car is unused. Whilst this is connected it keeps the battery voltage above 12.80 volts, once it is fully charged. Hope this helps.

My 1st wife didn't like my Lexus either.

That's ok mikeyV, George and Stella my German Shepherds are looking forward to your visit. I'll not feed them their raw meat and biscuits on Saturday in readiness. Ha Ha madasahatter: The firm is called Silchrome Ltd, Leeds, it's the only place in Leeds who can plate and polish all sorts of metals in different finishes. I paid their minimum charge of £60 + vat as it was such a small order.

Bit harsh on her, just cos she doesn't like your car!!

I've just copied that pattern, and will be coming for your wheels in the early hours of Sunday morning, if that's ok? Just so I don't waste my time, can you confirm that they will fit a LS400 please?

I live in Carlton colville near Lowestoft and have been going to roys for over 30 years now ever since I bought a Toyota Camry from them, they have been brilliant and have never let me down, always honest and some times not even charged me !! They look after my Rx, my MR2 my RAV4 , sons fiesta, daughters Mini Cooper s and mother in laws Lexus LS and IQ , tried Lexus Norwich a few years back and had to complain about service I recieved , no brainier for me worth a trip to Norwich.

I must admit that the rear camera on my rx is a real godsend! Now I just have to keep reminding myself that the foot operated 'handbrake' isn't a clutch. When I finally get that nailed it'll be perfect! Hahahaha!

If you do decide to change your wheel size remember that your insurance company will see this as a modification and will happily lighten your wallet accordingly! If you have a particularly unhelpful insurer then they could even cancel your policy! In my humble opinion tyre choice is a much better option to play with. Tyre pressures can be easily played with at home and hopefully it shouldn't take you too long to find the sweet spot you're looking for! Out of interest, what tyres do you have fitted at the moment and do you recall what tyres you had fitted to your previous car?

I'm no mechanic so take from this what you will. A few weeks ago my Nissan Maxima QX 3.0 SE + Auto wouldn't start and, just like you, everything seemed to be right (fuel, spark etc). It turned out to be the Mass Air Flow Sensor, which was completely unexpected because, usually, if that goes the car still runs but lacks power, whereas ours was a complete non-runner. Got a brand new replacement from Ebay for £25 instead of the £303 that Nissan wanted and it fired up and ran like a dream after that.