Left Rear Shock Leak @ 140,000km 2015 LX570 (1 Viewer)

[Frosties]

When I went in for an oil change, I noticed my left rear shock was wet. When I asked the mechanic about it, he told me it's nothing to worry about for now and that if I were to change them, I'd have to change them in pairs anyway.

Is this cause for concern? Should I replace the rear shocks now or just wait till I notice a difference in ride quality? Any estimates on how much I would be looking at to replace them?

Edit: I added two more pics from today.

 

[KLF]

Both of mine looked like that when I pulled them off to do the BP-51 upgrade a couple weeks ago. 80,000 miles. They still felt stiff though. I think it's normal, but am interested to hear what others say.

 

[Madtiger]

That’s a significant leak IMHO.

 

[bloc]

Is fluid making it all the way down to the point it is dripping off?

 

[KLF]

OK, now that I see the photo on a real computer screen instead of my tiny phone, yeah that's a lot wetter than mine were.

 

[tbisaacs]

That’s a big leak. All 4 of mine were replaced due to leaks but weren’t as significant as yours.

 

[linuxgod]

Not sure about the LX but rear shocks for an LC are cheap, like <$100 per pair from the dealer. I could swap them in under an hour, and I work slooooooow.

 

[bloc]

Whether it is leaking enough to drip and make the reservoir low is the critical question now. OP does NOT want the pump to draw air.

 

[Frosties]

Is fluid making it all the way down to the point it is dripping off?

No, I don't think so. I just went and took another picture now, and it looks like the leak is smaller now(?) I did take the car for a wash after that pic was taken (about a week and a half ago) so maybe the leak is slow.

 

[Frosties]

Not sure about the LX but rear shocks for an LC are cheap, like <$100 per pair from the dealer. I could swap them in under an hour, and I work slooooooow.

But don’t you also have to bleed and replace the AHC fluid if you do that? I unfortunately cannot work on my own car, so I will have to pay for the labour. A $50 part could easily turn into $300-$400 if I change both rear shocks and AHC fluid

 

[Frosties]

Whether it is leaking enough to drip and make the reservoir low is the critical question now. OP does NOT want the pump to draw air.

Is there a warning light that comes up on the dash if the AHC fluid is low? I tried looking at the AHC reservoir (even dropped the spare tire down and pointed a flash light at it), but I couldn’t tell.

 

[Frosties]

That’s a big leak. All 4 of mine were replaced due to leaks but weren’t as significant as yours.

At what mileage? I think I read somewhere on this forum that the shocks can easily go 200k miles without changing, so if mine went bad at 80k, that would suck

 

[linuxgod]

But don’t you also have to bleed and replace the AHC fluid if you do that? I unfortunately cannot work on my own car, so I will have to pay for the labour. A $50 part could easily turn into $300-$400 if I change both rear shocks and AHC fluid

I pulled the FSM doc and yes that is part of steps 9-10 (see attached PDF). The bleeding procedure looks simple like bleeding brakes but I've not done it

 

[tbisaacs]

At what mileage? I think I read somewhere on this forum that the shocks can easily go 200k miles without changing, so if mine went bad at 80k, that would suck

Mine started leaking around 100k. Changed them at around 125k

 

[bloc]

Is there a warning light that comes up on the dash if the AHC fluid is low? I tried looking at the AHC reservoir (even dropped the spare tire down and pointed a flash light at it), but I couldn’t tell.

I don’t believe there are any lights until the system can’t operate correctly.

I think the best method is to back light the reservoir and view it through the hatch behind the tire. Could be wrong though.. others here have more experience with AHC than I do.