I know, there are dozens of AHC threads to read but we are not mechanically inclined and have to pay mechanics to do our bidding. Here goes...
The LX is my son's dream truck. We found a bone-stock example in Colorado a year ago, without any rust. Did the usual baselining stuff to make sure we knew when the oil was changed, brake fluids etc. Recently, the ride deteriorated and it started making rear-seat passengers nauseous. I call it "hobby-horsing". We live in the rolling hills of Connecticut north of Fairfield County. No Lexus dealer here but a solid Toyota dealer that kept my FJ80 going for years. The techs diagnosed bad rear shocks so they changed them and flushed/bled the fluid. No change. We brought it to Lexus of Greenwich (Greenwich being one of the wealthiest towns in the US) and they said it needed accumulators and sub-assemblies. Now I know how Greenwich got rich because they want $6700 to do the job. Not happening.
My son decided to do an AHC delete to avoid major suspension costs going forward. I normally would try to keep things stock but I agree with his decision. We haven't been able to find anyone remotely near Northwestern Connecticut who has performed the delete. One Toyota specialist has done one on a 4-Runner and is willing to do it. Here is the advice I need to assure he gets it right -
My son is not an overlander and doesn't plan on starting to climb mountains. He likes to camp and to visit national parks and sleep in his LX. He lives in Brooklyn, New York where the streets are paved with potholes so a nice ride is important. He has stock wheels and relatively new Michelin tires. So what delete kit should he install and what should the installer know before he tackles the job? I installed a lot of OME suspension bits on my FJ60 and 80 but that might not work for a daily driver. Should he just replace everything with Land Cruiser OEM parts? How much of the AHC gets binned or disconnected? Don't sell it 'cause it took him years to find this one.
The LX is my son's dream truck. We found a bone-stock example in Colorado a year ago, without any rust. Did the usual baselining stuff to make sure we knew when the oil was changed, brake fluids etc. Recently, the ride deteriorated and it started making rear-seat passengers nauseous. I call it "hobby-horsing". We live in the rolling hills of Connecticut north of Fairfield County. No Lexus dealer here but a solid Toyota dealer that kept my FJ80 going for years. The techs diagnosed bad rear shocks so they changed them and flushed/bled the fluid. No change. We brought it to Lexus of Greenwich (Greenwich being one of the wealthiest towns in the US) and they said it needed accumulators and sub-assemblies. Now I know how Greenwich got rich because they want $6700 to do the job. Not happening.
My son decided to do an AHC delete to avoid major suspension costs going forward. I normally would try to keep things stock but I agree with his decision. We haven't been able to find anyone remotely near Northwestern Connecticut who has performed the delete. One Toyota specialist has done one on a 4-Runner and is willing to do it. Here is the advice I need to assure he gets it right -
My son is not an overlander and doesn't plan on starting to climb mountains. He likes to camp and to visit national parks and sleep in his LX. He lives in Brooklyn, New York where the streets are paved with potholes so a nice ride is important. He has stock wheels and relatively new Michelin tires. So what delete kit should he install and what should the installer know before he tackles the job? I installed a lot of OME suspension bits on my FJ60 and 80 but that might not work for a daily driver. Should he just replace everything with Land Cruiser OEM parts? How much of the AHC gets binned or disconnected? Don't sell it 'cause it took him years to find this one.
