Transmission Service?
06-15-18, 03:32 AM
#46
Pole Position
Moderators please do not close this thread. It is way to entertaining. You have members posting comments about the need to change the transmission fluid as a must even though my local Lexus Service Manager told me "no it does not need to be changed and could cause more harm than good". These are members who have no experience and many who have never changed their own fluid. Than the thread goes to the conspiracy theory that Lexus is setting us all up by not changing the fluid so as soon as it gets past warranty they will fail. I will bet many of the conspiracy theorist have posted comments on other threads about how the stealership is always trying to take their money with useless service needs. Hey guys keep the hilarious post coming. I think this whole transmission fluid change thing is Russian collusion. They have hacked Lexus computers and reworded their manual from the transmission fluid needs to be changed to it does not.
The following 3 users liked this post by Freds430:
06-15-18, 10:13 AM
#47
Lead Lap
i know i will get attacked for this post
but
the lexus engineers are smart to engineer the transmission and fluid to last the 70000 miles of the powertrain warranty
after that the lexus dealership service departments, part counters and new car sales need to make money and stay in business
if lexus transmissions are lifetime how come they have so many of them to repair and replace?
but
the lexus engineers are smart to engineer the transmission and fluid to last the 70000 miles of the powertrain warranty
after that the lexus dealership service departments, part counters and new car sales need to make money and stay in business
if lexus transmissions are lifetime how come they have so many of them to repair and replace?
" how come they have so many of them to repair and replace?[/" Uh, don't think so Heidihidin... More fake news...
06-15-18, 04:07 PM
#48
Pole Position
Trump was right. Watch out for the internet and it's fake news 
06-25-18, 03:36 PM
#49
Pit Crew
There are actually some reviews that says to avoid cabin air filters with baking soda because it leaves a white residue on all the vents!
Anyway, nobody other than people on the forums would care about stuff like this.
The following users liked this post:
xBROKER (06-25-18)
06-25-18, 09:40 PM
#50
My vote is leave it alone.
Considering a transmission is a closed system, it's not crazy to think if really can be lifetime. The oil in your car's AC compressor is also lifetime. Same with your heat pump at home.
Like 3 dealers turned me down to change the transmission fluid on my previous Lexus LS that had lifetime fluid. They're afraid to change it. It's very sensitive to the exact right amount.
I just remember in the LS forum, it seemed the only people with transmission problems were the ones that had just had the fluid changed.
Considering a transmission is a closed system, it's not crazy to think if really can be lifetime. The oil in your car's AC compressor is also lifetime. Same with your heat pump at home.
Like 3 dealers turned me down to change the transmission fluid on my previous Lexus LS that had lifetime fluid. They're afraid to change it. It's very sensitive to the exact right amount.
I just remember in the LS forum, it seemed the only people with transmission problems were the ones that had just had the fluid changed.
08-07-18, 11:17 AM
#51
This sure seems to be a divisive topic, but here's my 2 cents - Recently bought a 2018 ES 350 and was looking through the maintenance log book and Lexus now says to change the transmission every 60k for "Extensive idling and/or low-speed driving for long distances, such as police, taxi or door-to-door delivery use" - essentially heavy duty use. No fluid is lifetime - sure, advancements in manufacturing tolerances and advancements in the fluid chemistry have resulted in higher change intervals which is good for the customer. What I've noticed is that if the initial transmission fluid was not done early enough, most shops (dealers included) will not change out the transmission fluid in a working transmission since there will be issues once the fluid has been changed. This could be due to the old fluid "keeping alive" or "holding in place" whatever internal damage that has occurred - a liability issue. If there's vehicle history that the transmission fluid has been changed out at proper intervals, then transmission fluid changes are a good thing.
This being said, if you're leasing your Lexus, don't change it, but keeping it for 100k+, then surely look into timely transmission fluid changes or at least at 60k intervals as Lexus recommends (if you live in an urban area and do rush hour traffic, the extensive idling would apply).
This being said, if you're leasing your Lexus, don't change it, but keeping it for 100k+, then surely look into timely transmission fluid changes or at least at 60k intervals as Lexus recommends (if you live in an urban area and do rush hour traffic, the extensive idling would apply).
Last edited by lji; 08-07-18 at 11:28 AM.
08-07-18, 12:17 PM
#52
Driver School Candidate
Do the same arguments apply to a Prius? I’ve read all sorts of opinions but little that seems knowledge-based. I’m closing in on 200k and will have to have my mechanic and the dealership tell me if and when they did it! My records folder is MIA.
08-08-18, 10:49 AM
#53
This sure seems to be a divisive topic, but here's my 2 cents - Recently bought a 2018 ES 350 and was looking through the maintenance log book and Lexus now says to change the transmission every 60k for "Extensive idling and/or low-speed driving for long distances, such as police, taxi or door-to-door delivery use" - essentially heavy duty use. No fluid is lifetime - sure, advancements in manufacturing tolerances and advancements in the fluid chemistry have resulted in higher change intervals which is good for the customer. What I've noticed is that if the initial transmission fluid was not done early enough, most shops (dealers included) will not change out the transmission fluid in a working transmission since there will be issues once the fluid has been changed. This could be due to the old fluid "keeping alive" or "holding in place" whatever internal damage that has occurred - a liability issue. If there's vehicle history that the transmission fluid has been changed out at proper intervals, then transmission fluid changes are a good thing.
This being said, if you're leasing your Lexus, don't change it, but keeping it for 100k+, then surely look into timely transmission fluid changes or at least at 60k intervals as Lexus recommends (if you live in an urban area and do rush hour traffic, the extensive idling would apply).
This being said, if you're leasing your Lexus, don't change it, but keeping it for 100k+, then surely look into timely transmission fluid changes or at least at 60k intervals as Lexus recommends (if you live in an urban area and do rush hour traffic, the extensive idling would apply).
08-08-18, 10:57 AM
#54
Lead Lap
08-09-18, 06:01 AM
#55
Sure, open to interpretation. What about the rest of the statement ".... and/or low speed driving for long distances"? This is open to interpretation as well. What are 'long distances'? Is it 10 miles or 100 miles? Looks like the 60k heavy duty use AT fluid replacement was put into the maintenance schedule log for MY 2016+. Toyota/Lexus felt the need to add this in MY 2016 and going forward after this wasn't mentioned in earlier MY maintenance schedules. The fact that so many Toyota/Lexus transmissions are marching on with degraded fluid speaks to the engineering design quality of these transmissions. But no fluid lasts forever, and it gets to a point where the fluid does not do its job anymore and eventually the transmission fails - this could be at 200k or beyond, and a majority of original owners may not keep it that long and could be a probability game that Toyota/Lexus decided to play in not mentioning transmission fluid replacements.
08-09-18, 08:18 AM
#56
As I have stated on other threads, I have a 2008 ES 350 with 210,000+ miles on it. Never changed the tranny fluid. Don’t intend to. Runs like a brand new one! Just bought a new 2017 ES 350 UL last year. Don’t intend to chang it either. I’m betting on the Lexus mechanics to be right!
08-09-18, 11:36 AM
#57
Pole Position
As I have stated on other threads, I have a 2008 ES 350 with 210,000+ miles on it. Never changed the tranny fluid. Don’t intend to. Runs like a brand new one! Just bought a new 2017 ES 350 UL last year. Don’t intend to chang it either. I’m betting on the Lexus mechanics to be right!
08-29-18, 08:40 AM
#59
Driver School Candidate
Guys, there is no such thing as a "lifetime" fluid. If you drive a non-hybrid vehicle and you have a valve body (your car shifts gears), you will have metal particles from the wear or the aluminum valves as well as the steel from the clutch friction disks. The magnets in the transmission oil pan will catch most of those particles, but once they load up with them, they lose their effectiveness. The next place for the dissolved steel powder to deposit is the electromagnetic solenoids that control the shifting. This can create hard shift scenarios and accelerate the wear of transmission components. With age and repeated heat cycles, fluids do tend to lose their viscosity and lubrication properties. It varies by fluid and driving conditions, but I don't think I'd trust ANY fluid in my transmission longer than 70k miles.
I don't know much about the service intervals for the CVT transmissions, but I imagine it would get replaced at least as often as the CVT belt. Now Hybrids are a whole other animal. They claim to be "CVT" but not in the traditional centrifugal clutch way that all the gasser cars have. I bet the hybrid CVT (eCVT) needs fluid changes just like all the rest, as you have steel gears wearing, and electromotors that generate magnetic fields attracting those metal particles. Curious to hear form anyone who knows about the service interval for those fluids. The Lexus maintenance interval doesn't say to change it, but maybe I missed that part.
I don't know much about the service intervals for the CVT transmissions, but I imagine it would get replaced at least as often as the CVT belt. Now Hybrids are a whole other animal. They claim to be "CVT" but not in the traditional centrifugal clutch way that all the gasser cars have. I bet the hybrid CVT (eCVT) needs fluid changes just like all the rest, as you have steel gears wearing, and electromotors that generate magnetic fields attracting those metal particles. Curious to hear form anyone who knows about the service interval for those fluids. The Lexus maintenance interval doesn't say to change it, but maybe I missed that part.
08-29-18, 08:48 AM
#60
Guys, there is no such thing as a "lifetime" fluid. If you drive a non-hybrid vehicle and you have a valve body (your car shifts gears), you will have metal particles from the wear or the aluminum valves as well as the steel from the clutch friction disks. The magnets in the transmission oil pan will catch most of those particles, but once they load up with them, they lose their effectiveness. The next place for the dissolved steel powder to deposit is the electromagnetic solenoids that control the shifting. This can create hard shift scenarios and accelerate the wear of transmission components. With age and repeated heat cycles, fluids do tend to lose their viscosity and lubrication properties. It varies by fluid and driving conditions, but I don't think I'd trust ANY fluid in my transmission longer than 70k miles.
I don't know much about the service intervals for the CVT transmissions, but I imagine it would get replaced at least as often as the CVT belt. Now Hybrids are a whole other animal. They claim to be "CVT" but not in the traditional centrifugal clutch way that all the gasser cars have. I bet the hybrid CVT (eCVT) needs fluid changes just like all the rest, as you have steel gears wearing, and electromotors that generate magnetic fields attracting those metal particles. Curious to hear form anyone who knows about the service interval for those fluids. The Lexus maintenance interval doesn't say to change it, but maybe I missed that part.
I don't know much about the service intervals for the CVT transmissions, but I imagine it would get replaced at least as often as the CVT belt. Now Hybrids are a whole other animal. They claim to be "CVT" but not in the traditional centrifugal clutch way that all the gasser cars have. I bet the hybrid CVT (eCVT) needs fluid changes just like all the rest, as you have steel gears wearing, and electromotors that generate magnetic fields attracting those metal particles. Curious to hear form anyone who knows about the service interval for those fluids. The Lexus maintenance interval doesn't say to change it, but maybe I missed that part.