user 732022

Hi all. I want to share what happened with my transmission. Some background: I bought this car at a used dealership with 120,000 miles on it back in 2011 where the two previous owners were elderly and kept it parked inside. It now has 150,000. I put new tires on it this last summer and a new battery last winter. Until this event my most expensive repair was replacing a stupid little sensor that amounted to about $120 for labor.

For a little over two years I was putting my car into drive before I was in a complete stop in reverse. I did this because I park in a garage for work and people can get pretty crazy in there. I shouldn't have let them bother me, but I did and rushed my car into the ground. It all went wonky when I decided to take it on a 4 hour road trip this last summer. The night of my destination arrival I went to reverse and it wouldn't go. It made that scary revving noise. I was able to make the 4 hour drive back the next day but within the following week my car was rapidly declining to where it started to rev in drive! Within a week I had to park my car for good until I could maintenance it. I saw three different mechanics and all said I needed a new transmission. Weeks of towing here and there and finally a new trans with the total of (not including towing costs and diagnostic fees to the different mechanics) $3661.74.

I know. Its a huge number. I decided to go ahead and fix it because for one thing every mechanic I took it to I was upfront about not using them to fix the transmission and they still told me its worth fixing because these are excellent cars. Not one mechanic told me this, but three AND my local Lexus dealership.

I just want to say all in all it was a tough and trying experience but I believe it was worth it. I have watched my family and friends go through used car after used car in the few years I have had mine and I have always come out on top. My 1998 ES300 truly is worth putting my money into and I anticipate having this car for another 20 years.

hypervish

Thanks for sharing!

And, yes not coming to complete stop before changing gears is detrimental to the life of the transmission. It's a shame you found out the hard way, but now you know!

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

Try some basic things first before. I had a scare like this once in mine. It did it randomly, and I always came to a complete stop before switching gears.

I took it to my mech, no codes nothing. It just sat there. Removed terminals on the battery, scanned it again, nothing more nothing less. No codes.

Turn the car on to go for a drive, and it shifts into reverse just fine.

Almost a year later my trans died, unrelated or not? Not sure.

OceanView

Ouch! That's an expensive lesson.

I too did something like this on my Mercedes and paid dearly for a new transmission.
Now I take my time and shift slowly at a complete stop just to make sure I don't F it up.

funcrusher

Geez. Were you doing that every day? And were you reversing fast. I wonder how long it takes before this happens

user 732022

Every weekday when I went to work I parked my car in a parking garage. When I backed out of that space at the end of the day during rush hour (which was rush hour in that garage too believe me) I would shift into drive while still rolling in reverse at a medium speed. I did this for almost 3 years straight.

Stupid stupid stupid. I didn't know, though! I was trying to be as quick as I can for the other cars waiting for me. Since I've had my car back with my new trans I am proud to say I am a grandma behind that wheel now and couldn't care less if someone is waiting for me.

user 732022

Oh man I can't even imagine the bill for a new Mercedes transmission. Oh my goodness.

user 732022

I know that for me knowing what caused my trans to go out has been a great relief during the whole ordeal. If I didn't know the cause like you I'd say that would have been significantly more stressful... mostly because I would be in a dilemma of whether the car is worth fixing or not.

user 732022

Ah yes, it was indeed an expensive lesson. I'm just happy that it was because of me and NOT because I just have a bad lemon car haha.

BDSL

Questions for the OP:
- how often do you replace the transmission fluid?
- do you ever check the transmission fluid level (and other fluids)?
- do you use the correct transmission fluid?

I had a 97 ES300 with more than 280k miles in this Canadian road (with salt) and crazy traffic. At 280k miles, the transmission was still good. I changed my fluid every 15k miles as per owner's manual.

user 732022

Hi, I just saw your reply from a few months back. Interesting I am reading it now, because just yesterday I was talking with my local Lexus dealership about transmission fluid change. I have to look back in the notes about when the last time it was changed (if at all). I've heard to not change it if it has never been touched. Do you think this is correct?

JDMSteven

I'm glad you posted this because I have a wickedly bad habit of changing gears while still rolling! Lesson learned!

BDSL

Read your owner's manual!!