mrshyvley

I called my dealer and documented with them in their computer who I was.
I spoke with Service, and explained my situation with a once when cold flare.
Was told by Service that "it will get better over time as it learns". (which I don't believe) Then he went on with the stock "these transmissions shift different and people need to get used to it" routine.
I'm not going to get a satisfactory fix at this point, because nobody knows what's wrong or what the true fix is.

I must disagree with you that it's better to get another transmission now.
I would most likely end up with a worse transmission than I have now.
I just don't see the point in having a new valve body put in, which won't fix anything and make my car worse, then have a new transmission put in that won't fix anything and make my car worse.
All I gain is the bragging rights to say Toyota is wrong and can't fix my car, and now it runs worse than when I first brought it in. Then my only alternative is a lawsuit, or arbitration or trying to get them to take back my car so I can get another one that will most likely run no different and maybe worse.
Additionally, my car has a pretty good build quality in terms of fit and finish and lack of rattles and other annoyances. I want to stick with this one and not mess it up having it majorly torn apart having useless "fixes" performed on it.
If there was ever a "discretion is the better part of valor" situation, this is it.
When they have a fix, I'll push to have it done, and I'll point out that I was told there wasn't anything wrong with my transmission.
Gee....now I find there IS? Wow. :-)

I've been researching this issue since mid October, and I'm just not finding people who have the valve body replacement, or even a new transmission fixing the problem longterm. In the few cases I see where people get their car back with a new transmission, thinking it's fixed, the problem comes back in time.
As it is, I could live with my transmission the way it is now, and I'd rather do this than end up with a car that works worse than it does now.
Nobody has even established that the problem is with the physical transmission yet.

When I begin to hear of it being commonplace that people with a once when cold 3rd-4th flare are actually getting their cars fixed, and they stay fixed, I'll pursue getting it fixed.
But as it is, I reported it, and my service department said there's no reason to think it's not working "correctly". So for now, I'll go with this until a real fix comes out. (and have a car that runs great except for one cold shift that's not getting worse, in the meantime)

gpension

Just an update on my situation -

The day after my transmission was replaced, I believe I saw it flare a small amount. However, it really hasn't happened since (maybe a couple of blips, but nothing significant).

I still look at the RPM needle every day, and I push it when it's cold (expecting the worst), but for now, it looks like things are better than they were.

That's not to say I don't expect the flare to return. I hope for the best (but expect the worst).

As to my dealer and corporate's reaction - I have not heard from either. Corporate tried to call me back once, but when I couldn't pick up (I was on a call), they hung up without leaving a message. I called them right back, and still have heard nothing. My dealer has also not called to check in.

I agree w/Wanderer - if you have a trouble-free car, Lexus service seems great. But for me, this has been the same as dealing with any ther car brand or dealer.

Also - as a relatively young person (early 40s), you would think they'de focusing on brand loyalty. They could have had a custumer for life if the product was good, or if they handled the problem correctlly. Now, it would take a miracle for me to consider another Lexus.

twister

@mrshyvley: forgot that you are dealing with Camry. FYI, I had tranny replaced in my ES350, dealer decided not to even bother with valve body fix. Second tranny went belly up with the same flares. Lexus bought back the car, and I got GS350 AWD instead. End of story. I agree, if Toyota is not offering buybacks, you will not be able to use 2nd tranny replacement as your way out of the car.

mrshyvley

Actually, from what I'm reading, Toyota does do buybacks if you push the issue after the new transmission fails. I don't know how universal this is though.
But even if it was the case that they'd replace my transmission, then do a buyback without hassle if it didn't fix it, I'd still wait.
My car has good fit and finish without any annoying build issues, and I only have this minor once when cold 3rd-4th flare that I avoid. It NEVER ever flares other than this, and is a great running car.
Whether I'm in town going stop light to stop light, or on the interstate, this car holds it's own pretty well.
I really like this car, and don't want to take a chance on another car that with my luck, will have the same tranny issues, and worse fit and finish.
I still at this point think the best percentage is to wait until the answer is found.

Macklin

mrshyvley, you can apply ALL of your above statements to me. Uncanny! This is exactly how I feel about it. It is documented and I am basically being told the same as you. My flare is so intermittent, maybe a dozen times over 6400 miles now, and the car is flawless otherwise, I am anxiously awaiting a real fix from Lexus on this issue.

06GS300

I have been reading this thread with great interest (although I have not read every single post).

I own an 06 GS300 now, but I have to tell you about an '02 Acura TL Type S that I owned. Many of you may have heard about the transmission failures in V-6 Honda/Acura vehicles for the models from '00-'03 and the subsequent class action lawsuit that was brought against Honda America that was recently settled.

Anyway, all of your symptoms were EXACTLY the same that I had in my TL. I belonged to an Acura Forum back then and we all followed each others' experiences with our dealers and Honda America regional offices.

Most of us had trannies replaced. Some had them replaced twice. My dealer ended up buying my vehicle back at retail price after the tranny was replaced, and the 'new' tranny failed in the middle of rushhour traffic on the freeway in 6 lanes of full traffic. This was not a fun experience to suddenly have your tranny dis-engage, slam into gear, and dis-engage again.

TSBs were issued and all sorts of 'fixes' were applied and none seemed to work.

Many of your symptoms sound the same so I want to warn you all that this is not a safe vehicle as this could happen to you in heavy, highspeed traffic. The Honda lawsuit was brought on after a horrible accident in CA with a TL driver being rear-ended in heavy freeway traffic when the tranny failed. Fortunately no one was killed in the accident.

I'm sorry that this is happening in a Lexus now. My experience with Lexus has been very positive so far, although the tranny in my GS does act a little clunky at low-end speeds sometimes. I expected it to be much smoother.

I hope Lexus gets this problem straightened out. They have far to great of a performance recorde to have it sullied by this. I also would like to hear more about dealer experiences and and regional manufacturer rep experiences. I know with Honda, the regional rep was a jerk and was basically telling people that they did not know how to drive. The dealer was much better though.

2007es350

06GS300,

Thanks for your input. I am in the same boat as mrshyvley. I thoroughly enjoy my ES350 except for the tranny flare issue. However, dealing with Lexus can be a frustrating experience with a bunch of denials that the problem exists and/or that we should all be happy with the TSIB (which doesn't work).

I also want to keep my ES350. But if Lexus keeps up with their BS response that the problem is already resolved, then I don't have much to lose by having them start with their TSIB and then proceed with tranny replacements. At that point, Lexus can keep fixing my car until the car is actually fixed or the car is bought back under the Lemon Law.

I hope other prospective ES350 purchasers will make an informed decision prior to purchasing a ES350.

06GS300

Have you guys been told where these trannies were being manufactured? In the Honda situation, they were using another supplier and the tolerances in the materials were not to standard...that was the ultimate problem that was being reported in the press. Honda of course denied it all.

06GS300

This is really a shame because the new ES is really a beautiful car.

garsarno

Picking up our new "transmissionized" ES350 and anxious to see what the difference will be. Processed the new transmission order 12/12 and will pick up later today. Funny incident happended yesterday - I just parked our Lincoln LS at the local post office and a white ES350 pulled in close to my parking space. A lady walked out and as we bothed approached the post office, I asked her if she had any problems with her ES350. She said "why do you ask?". I related the need of a replacement transmission at 2,000 miles and she told me her car is one month old with 1,000 miles and it hesitates when shifting. She said she knew something was wrong with it and, as a previous Lexus owner, was disappointed with the car already. She did not have the cold engine knock noise but I am sure she will be listening for it now.

2007es350

Why is this poll closed? I don't think the issue is resolved yet. Do we need a new poll?

ES350Bob

I think Wanderer is aware it was going to close. As for a new one, it seems we know the TSIB is not working, the thread is still active though for any additional new info.

wanderer99

Hi Guys - back from vacation. I messaged 1sicklex two weeks ago about the poll showing a closing date. I don't remember selecting that when I posted the poll, so I was a little confused. It would make sense though if the TSIB was being withdrawn that we should end the poll though, but I'm not sure why it ended! 1sicklex was going to look into this.

I do think we can conclude that "this" trans TSIB was a complete failure

I've been following the 'a', 'b' and 'c' transmission build posts in another thread and obviously I had an 'a' build as my car is an 04/06 build. As my trans was replaced around the beginning of December and the parts were in stock in Canada I'm sure I probably got a 'b' trans installed as the replacement... which explains why I'm still slipping.

Mlawler

Hey I have a question that I cant figure out, if there is an a, b, and c version of the tranny and the "c" isnt availible yet or just became availible how do we explain the fact that some of us dont have this problem. This leads me to one thing since Im an IT/Software guy, this very much appears (no data to prove it ) like a software problem and not a hardware issue.

I know this has been floated before.

Again mine is a 10/06 build. It would be cool if we could get the software and compare the different versions or even do a Differential check to see if there are any variances.

Mlawler

since I have a pretty sick sense of humor, just saw a Camry commercial and couldnt help but start laughing out loud....