NickJrv

Hi, I can't seem to find any forum posts about the various options to replace/refurb air suspension struts on Gen2 RXs... I have just bought a 2007 RX350 SE-L (UK car) with air suspension. What I'm not asking is whether to replace it with 'springs'... (I have an RX300 and want the difference between the 2 cars). The Rear right airbag has a clear and obvious leak of air and it collapses within about 2 mins of parking (though it seems to be able to inflate fine on start-up). To keep the air suspension, there seems to be several options: 1) Refurbish - somehow I need to take it off, send to Poland or Bulgaria, wait for the refurb and return. This'll cost £400-500 (GBP) for a strut 2) New Strut - Lexus original part - I can get one for about £800-900 (GBP) 3) New Strut - 'OE' Copy (supliers in UK, but parts originate from China) - I can get one for about £250-350 (GBP) depending on who I go to 4) Used Strut - Lexus part - can cost anywhere between £250-400 (GBP) for an item described as 'working' but obviously there's no guarantee that would be the case... So, does anyone have any experience of any of these options? Are the Chinese replicas as good as original Lexus parts. If so, I could buy 2 rear ones to ensure the corners balance each other. Should you always go 'Lexus' for this sort of thing? Are there any UK-based refurbishers of struts that people have used? Are 'used' struts as risky as I am assuming? Perhaps I'm wrong to think that...! Also, is it idiotic to only replace one strut (I certainly wouldn't do that with tyres..) or is it always best to replace front or rear struts in pairs? Any thoughts and experience would be most welcome - thank you.

This is the sort of thing I've been using (cheaper option): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mohard-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Adapter-Hands-Free-Black/dp/B09Y8HJ4NT/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?

I've used various Victsing (sp?) ones over the years (in the £10-15 region) and they're generally fine. Inevitably you'll stray into 'Horlicks FM' or 'Shank Respec FM' somewhere on a journey but it soon passes 🙂 Also, they generally come with fast charging sockets which is a bonus. On my RX I fitted a GROM device which is more expensive (about £100 if I recall correctly), but plugs easily into the back of the stereo and will play CD quality through your CD mode - when you press the CD button you just press it again so it shows as 'CD1' I think and then you're all set. They can come with AUX cables or Bluetooth connection for your music/calls, etc