'02-'05 ES Transmission Fix!
02-07-06, 11:26 AM
#106
Driver
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Texas
Posts: 174
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
pick up time change?
Originally Posted by steviej
Initial impression with about 100 miles of highway, backroads, and city travel.
I am very impressed with the most recent reflash (#TC003-04R).
The major problem we all hate, the push the pedal to the floor-watch the tach skyrocket and wait for the car to catch up is gone.
If I hit the pedal to the floor the tach goes up and the car accelerates accordingly. However, don't get hesitation and slow acceleration mixed up. The tach doesn't skyrocket as previously and the car does pick up speed rapidly. But guys, we are not in a turbo or supercharged ES, so the pick up is not gonna get you in the NHRA. It did get me in an out of traffic, on ramps and intersections like I expect.
I also noticed that upon rapid acceleration, the tranny found/dropped to the gear I would have chosen if it were a manual. Another plus.
As for shifting, 1st gear duration is very quick, you are there for seconds if that.
2500 rpm and it goes to the next gear under normal acceleration. 4000 rpm when I hit the floor quickly with the pedal. The gear changes are as smooth as before the reflash.
Red-lining is also possible, but the speed of the car is comensorate. I managed this when I was doing about 30 and smashed it. I was doing 60 in an instant. The roads were slick to so I don't know if the rpms went higher due to the tires slightly breaking traction. It barely gets over the begining of the redline and then the tranny drops to the next gear (putting you far from redline again). I am comfortable with that, if I ever have to stomp on it.
The joggle that I used to get at 40mph when it couldn't make up its mind for 4th or 5th is gone (or at least not noticed today).
Now, mind you the ECU is learning at step 1 again and the car only has 100 miles on the new program. I can say that the shifting is changed and from what I have seen today, for the better......MUCH BETTER.
I cannot make any prognosis as to what the operation or performance of this reflash is for the long term, but I will most definately keep you posted as to the what I see with my ES.
Lastly, as for driving the way that I previously adapted.........that still works as smooth as ever, too.
steviej
I am very impressed with the most recent reflash (#TC003-04R).
The major problem we all hate, the push the pedal to the floor-watch the tach skyrocket and wait for the car to catch up is gone.
If I hit the pedal to the floor the tach goes up and the car accelerates accordingly. However, don't get hesitation and slow acceleration mixed up. The tach doesn't skyrocket as previously and the car does pick up speed rapidly. But guys, we are not in a turbo or supercharged ES, so the pick up is not gonna get you in the NHRA. It did get me in an out of traffic, on ramps and intersections like I expect.
I also noticed that upon rapid acceleration, the tranny found/dropped to the gear I would have chosen if it were a manual. Another plus.
As for shifting, 1st gear duration is very quick, you are there for seconds if that.
2500 rpm and it goes to the next gear under normal acceleration. 4000 rpm when I hit the floor quickly with the pedal. The gear changes are as smooth as before the reflash.
Red-lining is also possible, but the speed of the car is comensorate. I managed this when I was doing about 30 and smashed it. I was doing 60 in an instant. The roads were slick to so I don't know if the rpms went higher due to the tires slightly breaking traction. It barely gets over the begining of the redline and then the tranny drops to the next gear (putting you far from redline again). I am comfortable with that, if I ever have to stomp on it.
The joggle that I used to get at 40mph when it couldn't make up its mind for 4th or 5th is gone (or at least not noticed today).
Now, mind you the ECU is learning at step 1 again and the car only has 100 miles on the new program. I can say that the shifting is changed and from what I have seen today, for the better......MUCH BETTER.
I cannot make any prognosis as to what the operation or performance of this reflash is for the long term, but I will most definately keep you posted as to the what I see with my ES.
Lastly, as for driving the way that I previously adapted.........that still works as smooth as ever, too.
steviej
example: 0-60 times when you bought the car vs. 0-60 after say 1,000-2,000 or so miles?
07-14-06, 01:30 PM
#107
Driver
Join Date: May 2006
Location: RI
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
as u all know by now, i just got my 02 es300 and there tranny seems fine to me. i did check on this tho and niether one of the 2 dealers i tried have a clue to wtf i mean when i say transmission update.
07-14-06, 01:44 PM
#108
Lexus Champion
Originally Posted by copy252
as u all know by now, i just got my 02 es300 and there tranny seems fine to me. i did check on this tho and niether one of the 2 dealers i tried have a clue to wtf i mean when i say transmission update.
If you're satisfied with your tranny, then enjoy the car........I sure as hell wasn't!
07-14-06, 08:14 PM
#109
Originally Posted by copy252
as u all know by now, i just got my 02 es300 and there tranny seems fine to me. i did check on this tho and niether one of the 2 dealers i tried have a clue to wtf i mean when i say transmission update.
If they do not know about it, then the service manager is not doing his/her job by keeping up with current Lexus TSBs.
steviej
08-09-06, 03:09 PM
#111
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by amf1932
Exactly what you described is what many owners are howling about.
From day 1 as I drove my brand new '03ES out of the showroom I noticed this crappy shifting. I waited a month until Lexus released an upgrade to alleviate this problem. The short story is......it didn't work!
This Spring Lexus once again released a new update, and once again I had this done to my car.
My first impression was that it was better then before, but after a few thousand miles of driving I feel this recent update is just a tradeoff, and I still feel that Lexus has a long way to go to fix it properly.
I have found:
1- For normal acceleration, the car shifts are delayed........In other words, the engine RPM increases to such a degree that it sounds like the engine is screaming before it goes into the next higher gear.
2- If you're on the highway in stop & go traffic you still have to nurse the accelerator to get it to downshift & upshift smoothly.......otherwise there's a jerkiness in shifting that can be very annoying. When I have passengers in the car they definitely feel this.
3- This upgrade has decreased my overall gas mileage. I was told that you needed to use Premium grade fuel, which I did for a few tankfulls.....but there was NO difference in the transmissions performance.
4- This is my 3rd. new Lexus, and I never had these problems with the previous two.
5- If you'd like to read somemore about Lexus owners dissatisfaction read this> http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX?14@@.ef14656/0
From day 1 as I drove my brand new '03ES out of the showroom I noticed this crappy shifting. I waited a month until Lexus released an upgrade to alleviate this problem. The short story is......it didn't work!
This Spring Lexus once again released a new update, and once again I had this done to my car.
My first impression was that it was better then before, but after a few thousand miles of driving I feel this recent update is just a tradeoff, and I still feel that Lexus has a long way to go to fix it properly.
I have found:
1- For normal acceleration, the car shifts are delayed........In other words, the engine RPM increases to such a degree that it sounds like the engine is screaming before it goes into the next higher gear.
2- If you're on the highway in stop & go traffic you still have to nurse the accelerator to get it to downshift & upshift smoothly.......otherwise there's a jerkiness in shifting that can be very annoying. When I have passengers in the car they definitely feel this.
3- This upgrade has decreased my overall gas mileage. I was told that you needed to use Premium grade fuel, which I did for a few tankfulls.....but there was NO difference in the transmissions performance.
4- This is my 3rd. new Lexus, and I never had these problems with the previous two.
5- If you'd like to read somemore about Lexus owners dissatisfaction read this> http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX?14@@.ef14656/0
But sadly, I regret having it done right after I got my car back.
What amf1932 said above are all true. The only positive to this "fix" is that the throttle response becomes much quicker, almost immediate. But up-shifting is delayed to a much higher RPM, down-shifting occurs whenever the slightest pressure is applied the pedal, and shifting is much more pronounced and clearly felt than before. The quietness is gone. The smoothness is gone. The luxurious feel is gone. The gas mileage drops rapidly. The car now drives like a econobox.
I'm very, very disappointed. 
I'd rather have my slow throttle response back than to deal with this nervous tranny. Unfortunately, once "upgraded", I can't go back. Sigh. 
Last edited by XeroK00L; 08-09-06 at 03:25 PM.
08-09-06, 07:26 PM
#113
Originally Posted by XeroK00L
The only positive to this "fix" is that the throttle response becomes much quicker, almost immediate. But up-shifting is delayed to a much higher RPM, down-shifting occurs whenever the slightest pressure is applied the pedal, and shifting is much more pronounced and clearly felt than before.
Originally Posted by XeroK00L
The quietness is gone. The smoothness is gone. The luxurious feel is gone. The gas mileage drops rapidly. The car now drives like a econobox.
With the original program, I couldn't stand: 1. the redlining with no acceleration when you had to stomp the pedal, 2. the shutter felt at 40 mph when it could make up its mind of 4th or 5th gear. Those dilemnas are gone.
steviej
08-11-06, 05:59 AM
#114
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Georgia
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
XeroKOOL, we have an 03 ES 300 (which I drive) and an 05 ES330. I never applied the fix to the 03 since I learned to adapt to the adaptive transmission by basically manually shifting the gears when I need power; I did not want to take a chance with a new program that I could not dump once installed. The 03 in our case drives better than the 05, but the driver of the 05 is not sensitive to the transmission's behavior the same as many other people who don't really notice the problems that we do.
These cars have good resale value. My best advice is to sell the car ( back to Lexus if you buy another Lexus or one of the superstores like Carmax if you buy another brand) and try something else or learn to live with it. Life is too short to suffer unnecessarily. Yes, it is unfair that the car did not live up to your expectations. This will help you appreciate your next vehicle more, even if it has some other shortcomings. You will likely feel that whatever issues your next vehicle has are nothing compared to the transmission behavior of the 02-05 Lexus ES models.
Lexus has a very good reputation. Use that perception to sell your current car for a good price.
These cars have good resale value. My best advice is to sell the car ( back to Lexus if you buy another Lexus or one of the superstores like Carmax if you buy another brand) and try something else or learn to live with it. Life is too short to suffer unnecessarily. Yes, it is unfair that the car did not live up to your expectations. This will help you appreciate your next vehicle more, even if it has some other shortcomings. You will likely feel that whatever issues your next vehicle has are nothing compared to the transmission behavior of the 02-05 Lexus ES models.
Lexus has a very good reputation. Use that perception to sell your current car for a good price.
08-11-06, 07:04 AM
#115
Driver
Join Date: May 2006
Location: RI
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
welp... just got my flash done. if i could go back.... i think i would. it DEF shifts harder now. I hate that crap. downshifting whenever the littlest pressure is put on the pedal is rediculously annoying. It doesnt make me want to run. and sell the car but it doesnt feel as luxery as it once did. o well!
08-11-06, 08:27 AM
#116
Lexus Champion
I really don't know why the people that had the last transmission flash done still insist that it didn't affect their fuel economy!! It stands to reason that shifting at higher RPM's, and all the constant downshifting definitely affects it. I also feel that the car no longer meets the ULEV specifications that Lexus is so proud of. Believe me when I tell you that after using this last transmission upgrade for 10 months I finally decided to dump this car and traded it in for the ES350. This ES350 transmission is beautiful compared to any of the 2002 thru 2006 ES's. As XeroK00L said after the flash was done to his car, "The car now drives like an econobox." I agree with his summation wholeheartedly! 
08-13-06, 06:43 PM
#117
So I would conclude that the flash didn't effect my fuel economy.
steviej
08-26-06, 11:13 PM
#119
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: CA
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am new to the forum and would like to add my 2 cents. I own a 2002 ES 300. I have battled with Lexus over my crappy transmission since it was new. I have had the ECM flashed each time there is a new program, with the latest one last spring. The trans behavior makes it a piece of junk to drive! It exhibits all the symptoms I've read in others' posts. At slow speed the trans can't decide what gear to grab, and most annoying accelerating after slowing to 2-5 mph caused the trans to jerk the passengers back in their seats.
I wrote to Lexus customer relations about the problem. They acted as if I was the only one with the problem. Moreover, they refused to help. After purchasing 4 Lexus' over the past 9 years and more Toyota's in my lifetime, I am not too excited about rewarding the company by purchasing another vehicle.
I looked at the 07 ES 350 today. They are very nice. However, mine is paid for and the thought of payments to fix a Lexus problem doesn't make me happy. Oh well....I vented.
I wrote to Lexus customer relations about the problem. They acted as if I was the only one with the problem. Moreover, they refused to help. After purchasing 4 Lexus' over the past 9 years and more Toyota's in my lifetime, I am not too excited about rewarding the company by purchasing another vehicle.
I looked at the 07 ES 350 today. They are very nice. However, mine is paid for and the thought of payments to fix a Lexus problem doesn't make me happy. Oh well....I vented.
Last edited by 909dude; 08-27-06 at 08:01 AM. Reason: typo's
08-27-06, 06:44 PM
#120
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: KY
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am new to the forum and would like to add my 2 cents. I own a 2002 ES 300. I have battled with Lexus over my crappy transmission since it was new. I have had the ECM flashed each time there is a new program, with the latest one last spring. The trans behavior makes it a piece of junk to drive! It exhibits all the symptoms I've read in others' posts. At slow speed the trans can't decide what gear to grab, and most annoying accelerating after slowing to 2-5 mph caused the trans to jerk the passengers back in their seats.
It has never had any of the fixes - Based on your experience would you recommend sticking w/ the original setup, or applying the newest fix. I know it doesn't get you all the way, but is it better than the original in your opinion? Trying to get as many opinions as possible...
Thanks -
jt