AHC issue - Body shop blunder?

[TmacLX]

I will keep this as short and to the point as possible, but a little back story so everyone knows where I'm at.

2006 Lexus LX470 73,000 miles

Some lady t-boned me on 11/2
I took the lx470 to the body shop later that day (2 hours later at the most) - no issues with AHC when i dropped it off
I needed a new right passenger door, quarter panel and rocker
The body shop finally finished the work on Monday 11/28
I get the truck home and realize Tuesday morning the light on the AHC system is blinking "off"
Thought it was just random, unplugged the battery...still blinking
I called State Farm on Thursday, told them what was happening and they said call the body shop
I called the body shop, they said bring it in and they could probably just re-set it. The body shop ran some diagnostics and found it was the right rear sensor.
Body shop said it isn't their problem (after calling a local Lexus dealership) and the part is $500, needs a new sensor.

Seeing as I have never had an issue prior, and only after I picked it up from the body shop after almost a month I am a bit suspicious.

Anything is possible, but I highly doubt this sensor just happened to bite the dust the day after I picked up the truck. I honestly didn't realize the light flashing when I picked it up, but in driving it the next day and the days after it does take a minute to start blinking "off".

Is it possible that the body shop fried the sensor while working on the truck? Maybe had it on the lift to long with the system off?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[uHu]

3 considerations:
1
There is no right rear sensor.
There's only one sensor for the rear axle, and it is located above the left link arm.
2
Just behind the rocker panel you find the actuators and gas spheres for the AHC. With cables and pipes.
3
The diag codes are not very reliable when it comes to AHC problems. But if you know the system it's not that difficult to figure out what the problem is.

 

[PADDO]

Being on a lift should not affect a healthy rear sensor/mechanism as such, or either of the two fronts for that matter, but it is conceivable that if you had a sensor/mechanism nearing the end of its life then being extended beyond its normal range whilst on the lift, as compared to when the wheels are on the ground, then it may have accelerated its failure. Two ifs and a maybe isn't exactly a smoking gun but it's possible. I've heard of of two cases where sensors that are failed kick the system back into life when the truck has been lifted and the wheels are off the ground. Maybe, just maybe, you're seeing the opposite? But as @uHu points out there is AHC control cabling and hydraulic lines running behind the rocker and any potential damage there needs to be eliminated. Claiming a "right" -non existent- rear sensor is defective is dubious.
I take it you don't have Techstream to analyze DTC and the system yourself, but if you're looking for something to do you can manually access DTC and more importantly you can clear them manually too - if you don't have a hard failure then clearing the DTCs may unhang the AHC ECU and get you sorted out.

 

[TmacLX]

Thanks for the reply guys. I did a little more research and it looks like the rear sensor, at least on some parts websites is labeled RR sensor, maybe that's why the shop said Right Rear. Anyway, the owner of the body shop called me at work, where we happen to record all of our phone calls so I went back and listened.

He said he disconnected the sensor that connects the body to the suspension. He said there is voltage going to the sensor, but nothing coming out of it which is disabling the system. He said that part is $500.

My insurance company is sending someone out to see if it could have been damaged in the accident or by the body shop.

 

[spaber05]

I think your biggest issue right now will be proving that it was damaged by the body shop. If it was functioning well when you brought it in, it is HIGHLY unlikely that the sensor called it quits in the narrow window it was in there (especially at 73k miles).

If any part of the AHC system is anywhere near where they were working, I'd be fighting pretty hard to have them cover this. The fact remains that it went into their shop functioning well and came out broken after they worked on it.

 

[TmacLX]

I think your biggest issue right now will be proving that it was damaged by the body shop. If it was functioning well when you brought it in, it is HIGHLY unlikely that the sensor called it quits in the narrow window it was in there (especially at 73k miles).

If any part of the AHC system is anywhere near where they were working, I'd be fighting pretty hard to have them cover this. The fact remains that it went into their shop functioning well and came out broken after they worked on it.

Right...that was exactly my thought.

State Farm just called and said it wasn't accident related or any fault of the body shop.

I'm going to call back right now. It could just have been the right time, but I think the odds of that happening are very very slim.

 

[spaber05]

Right...that was exactly my thought.

State Farm just called and said it wasn't accident related or any fault of the body shop.

I'm going to call back right now. It could just have been the right time, but I think the odds of that happening are very very slim.

If you have anything from recent services to prove that everything, specifically the AHC, was functioning as it should, that would probably add some value to your case. This is not an Italian made machine where things go wrong if you breathe on them, this is a Land Cruiser and sudden faults aren't all that common. From what I've seen, AHC is one of the slightly less reliable parts of our trucks but even if it was about to fail, there likely would have been signs beforehand to tell you something was about to happen.

I would have wanted to be there with a the insurance agent that decided the shop was not at fault, but that's just my initial reaction, I have trust issues when it comes to the LC

 

[uHu]

That sensor is the part of the ahc system with the highest frequency of failure, maybe one in 10 years on average ? Max. And, changing it is very easy and quick, so if that solves the problem, you're OK for the next 10 yrs

 

[mgoblue]

I know the answer:

 

[PADDO]

T

Thanks for the reply guys. I did a little more research and it looks like the rear sensor, at least on some parts websites is labeled RR sensor, maybe that's why the shop said Right Rear. Anyway, the owner of the body shop called me at work, where we happen to record all of our phone calls so I went back and listened.

He said he disconnected the sensor that connects the body to the suspension. He said there is voltage going to the sensor, but nothing coming out of it which is disabling the system. He said that part is $500.

My insurance company is sending someone out to see if it could have been damaged in the accident or by the body shop.

This sensor is a passive device, a potentiometer. If disconnected it has no voltage in and no voltage out. These components do fail. Stop guessing and speculating and test/check it iaw the fsm procedures.