Guides  /  2010 Lexus RX350

2010 Lexus RX350 Rear Shocks Replacement (DIY for ~$120, Dealer Wanted $400)

If your 2010 Lexus RX350 came back from its 50K service with a note that the rear shocks are leaking, you don’t have to hand the dealer $400 to fix it. The 2010 model was redesigned with a standalone rear shock — no coilover strut, no spring compressor — which makes this one of the more approachable suspension jobs on the car. The parts run about $60 each, or $120 for the pair, and the swap is genuinely quick once the wheel is off.

Here’s how to replace your rear shocks at home.

Before You Start — Safety Setup

Working under a lifted vehicle demands a solid setup. Take your time here.

1. Chock and level the car. Put wood blocks under the front so the vehicle doesn’t rock while you’re lifting it.
2. Lift the rear and set jack stands. Jack up the vehicle and locate the small indentation on the underside — that’s the designed jack-stand point. Set your stand there.
3. Keep the floor jack handy. You’ll reuse it to support the suspension arm during the swap, so don’t put it away.

Reality check: This was filmed on a humid North Carolina day — expect to sweat. More importantly, never trust a floor jack alone. The jack stand is what’s holding the car while your hands are underneath it.

Removing the Old Shock

The 2010 rear shock is held by two fasteners — one at the top, one at the bottom.

1. Place the jack under the suspension arm. Support the whole suspension arm with your floor jack before loosening anything. This keeps the assembly from dropping unexpectedly when the bolt comes out.
2. Remove the top fastener. There’s a 19mm nut up top. Back it off.
3. Remove the bottom bolt. The lower fastener is a 17mm bolt. The nut on the back side is welded to the plate, so you don’t need a wrench holding it from behind — it backs right out. In the video it “buzzed out super easily” and dropped straight out of the hole.
4. Pull the shock. Compress the old shock about halfway from the bottom, then work it out from the top. You move it up and down to clear it. It’s not hard to compress by hand — no special tool required.

When the old one is out, look at it. A leaking shock will be obviously oily and wet — clear confirmation the replacement was needed.

Installing the New Shock

The new shock goes in the same way it came out — just in reverse.

1. Slide the new shock up into position. Compress it slightly and ease it up into the top mount, then bring the bottom into place.
2. Start the bottom bolt by hand. Get the lower bolt threaded finger-tight first so the shock is captured but still movable.
3. Snug everything down. Tighten the top 19mm nut and the bottom 17mm bolt.
4. Repeat on the other side. Same procedure for the second shock — replacing them as a pair keeps the rear suspension balanced.

Wheels and Lowering

1. Mount the wheel and start the lug nuts by hand. A pro tip from the video: always hand-start and hand-tighten lug nuts before lowering — never hit them with an air ratchet, which can strip the threads.
2. Lower the vehicle. Release the jack stand, bring the car down, then do the final lug-nut tightening with the wheels on the ground.

That’s It

Two fasteners per side, no spring compressor, about $120 in parts — and you’ve kept roughly $280 in your pocket versus the dealer. The exact rear shock used is linked in the parts box above. If the dealer flagged leaking rears at your 50K service, this is a weekend-morning job, not a $400 invoice.