mrbeyer

Recently one day before I went on vacation I had a slight rattling sound in the engine area. I brought my 2014 ES350 Lexus into the Lexus dealer which I had my service work done regularly and found out later that day the transmission needs to be replaced completely. I've been quoted $7,800 plus $2,000 for replacement, hard to find used Lexus transmissions. I even had the transmission fluid changed as prescribed by the maintenance schedule less than a year ago. Anybody have the same experience? Is there a difference in getting a transmission rebuilt vs. replacement? Has there been any Technical Service Bulletins published by Lexus regarding this problem?
Highly disappointing as I owned a Toyota Camry for many years with no major problems. Any help would be appreciated.

bc6152

I don't think that the dealer would "rebuild" your tranny. They want to replace it at an exorbitant price. I would search around and find a transmission rebuilder in your area and get a quote.
I would think the price would be less than half of what the dealer wants. There are probably many good parts remaining in your tranny that Lexus would discard. Get it rebuilt and not replaced and save a lot of money. GOOD LUCK!

rmak

bc6152 is correct, find a reputable transmission shop and have it rebuilt with a warranty. A good shop should be in the 2k to 3k price for a complete rebuild. That transmission is used by millions of cars between toyota and lexus.

I would also have a professional transmission shop troubleshoot it. Just because it is making a noise does not mean the transmission is shot. That is just a Lexus technician, not a transmission specialist. Go to a shop that strictly does transmissions. All the dealership techs are trained to do is remove and replace the entire unit, not do work on it internally. Most will not even change the fluid. It could be a cracked flywheel, bad torque converter, or several other issues.

The difference between a rebuild and replacement is dependent on the prices that the shop can get a trans vs wholesale parts. Labor will be different as well but a rebuild is generally 1/2 the cost overall.

Does it still run and shift? Does it slip between gears? Any smells or getting hot? How many miles on the car? How long ago was it serviced?

Good Luck

L3XUSFAN

Is the car no under powertrain warranty anymore? If a 2nd opinion does show that its a transmission maybe lexus customer service can work with you to cover some of the cost.

Nelexus88

No issues with my '14 ES 350 transmission or any other parts for that matter.
Most 2014 model year ES cars are past the 6 year power train warranty if not the 70k mileage limit. I would also agree that a transmission shop would be a wise choice over the dealer. Also used Toyota U660E transmissions are easier to find than one in a Lexus if you want to go that route.

Mike728

Say what???

Jasones350

Wow, that's crazy. My 2014 es has 130,000 never changed\flushed anything. If I was you I would look for a transmission in a junk yard from a totaled car..... Maybe short money?????

websurfer

At what mileage did you get that transmission fluid changed? Who changed it?

Some transmission rebuilds aren't as good as a complete replacement.

It also depends how long you want to keep the vehicle after the repair.

If you don't want to spend the money, maybe it's time to part ways for another vehicle.
If you plan to just drive it 1-2 years more after the repairs, find the cheapest route.
If you plan to keep it for long, a replacement maybe better.

As Scotty Kilmer say, the rebuild transmission is only as good as the people that rebuild them. 1/3 of the rebuilds are not done correctly nowadays. (not sure how accurate he is about that but I seems rebuilds transmission will fail again in 1-2 years again)

bc6152

If you decide to go the rebuild route please let us know how you make out and the cost vs. the dealer estimate. I don't know about Canada, but here in America the recommendation is to NOT change transmission oil. Wondering if that was done incorrectly and started the ball rolling... GOOD LUCK with whatever you decide...

norakat

I would be very suspicious of this mechanic.

Slight rattling does not sound like a transmission problem.

Furthermore you didn't say how many miles but your transmission is not old enough to go.

Also, if there really is a sound coming from your transmission, why don't you have the oil replaced again by the dealer. It is not easy to set the correct level on the transmission and maybe the guys who did it screwed it up.

I would def get a second opinion.

Tootsall

As there are only 4 Lexus dealerships in the province, how about mentioning which one it was. Might help someone else down the road.

st1800

I’d be that someone. Let us know. Thx.

websurfer

Almost sounds like there wasn't enough transmission fluid in the vehicle or wasn't done right.