Records show my transmission was flushed at 80k and 133k. I guess I forgot about it after that cause I haven’t done anything since 133k and I’ve got 191k right now. Given the age and mileage should I flush the transmission again or simply drain and refill? I’ve heard conflict ideas. What do y’all think?

 

Assuming the fluid color is OK, I suggest a drain and refill using OE T-IV.

 

Dont do a drain and fill. Change the pan filter.

 

You can buy a case of OE T-IV (12 qts) online/delivered for $75 and do a 3-time drain-and-refill in an afternoon. Run it in Neutral for about 3-4 minutes before taking off between refills and take about a 30 minute drive to give the new fluid time to circulate thoroughly between the gears and drain it and refill again. This gives the new fluid a chance to heat up and flush out some of the old “slush” that accumulates.

This is the next best thing to a complete flush if you’re not set up for it. BTW, “pretty fluid and color” can be deceiving.

 

Thanks everyone. I’ll go with a flush a shop. If just refilling I’d do it myself but I’ll pay to get it done right.

 

Take them the T-IV, or Mobil 3309 (same thing). Alternate is Idemitsu TLS (toyota-lexus-scion). These will give the best performance. 9oz of a 10oz bottle of Lubegard Red is a wise idea. Put the other oz in the PS resrevoir after you drain&fill it. Don't forget that, too.

 

Make sure your “shop” uses Denso or it won’t get “done right”. They buy bulk and most aren’t fitted to change to a one-time Denso flush. IOW, in many cases a shop flush isn’t up to OEM par. Don’t cut corners on these transmissions and do insist upon Denso.

 

Considering all the comments posted I’ll probably end up at the Toyota dealership in town (no Lexus dealer in town) just to make sure it’s done well. My shop guy is good about telling me if he has limits but I understand the concerns. I’m assuming the dealership would have all the equipment and knowledge to get it done to OEM standard yes?

 

The dealership is the dead last on the list if you're looking to get it done right.

Find any transmission shop in the area that's at least somewhat reputable and save yourself a ton of hassle.

 

No way to know beforehand.

EX: taking a used Civic back to the Honda dealership next week, the mechanics did not know how to properly install the driver's seat after doing the takata airbag recall and belt sensor repair (since they do them daily, you'd think they'd know...).

The dealership may just dump toyota WS fluid in everything (newer spec). Not a robust fluid and does not give as good a performance in these. If you ask for T-IV in particular and say you want it, they should have it. But you should not assume they will do the right thing w/o some coaching and double-checking.

 

y’all have given some great tips on how to approach and talk with a shop. Thanks so much.

 

Found on eBay the OEM strainer and gasket and 6 qts type T-IV... should be enough right? $130 all together.

 

6 quarts will be more than enough. If you drop the pan to get as much fluid as you can out of there you're going to drain maybe 5 quarts max.

I would also recommend buying 1 or 2 transmission magnets as well to put into the bottom of your pan.

 

ok sure... what do these do? And are they vehicle specific or generic?

 

Generic. Your transmission pan filter has magnets at the bottom of it (usually two or three) which hold the metal shavings in place which have broken off from your transmission over time. Most of this happens when the gearbox is brand new and still wearing in. It's recommended to change your pan filter every 60K miles because after this, the magnets in the pan filter cannot continue holding the metal shavings/ other debris and you run the risk of these shavings breaking free into one of your transmissions intricate passageways as the mileage accumulates.. Adding one or two extra magnets in there simply helps your new pan filter do its job.