artbuc

Yes, I understand the procedure. Your advice was totally wrong…I was just trying to be nice about it. Yiu can not check level by simply removing fill bolt.

mikemu30

LIFETIME clear throat. They'll debate this one forever and ever. I also find it hard to believe that Toyota is underfilling transmissions but who knows. I generally don't keep cars beyond 100K miles so I don't change trans fluid. My buddy with nearly 300K on his 4Runner with original trans fluid convinced me

LS500Fan

According to many mechanics, if the trans fluid has been in there for like 150K+ miles and wasn't changed, NEVER change it. If you have changed it every 50K to 100K but did it as preventative maintenance, then it's OK to continue to change it at intervals.

kingofire

What I was trying to say is if you open the fill hole and fluid comes out then there is enough fluid in the transmission. If nothing comes out then you'd need to add fluid. Last I checked there is no transmission dipstick so literally no way to check the level.

patekwis

While I feel we are getting somewhat off-topic, as I was wanting originally to confirm the behavior of my transmission/RPMs with others:

I do not think I completely agree with this. I believe the procedure is to warm up the transmission after draining and filling, then opening the fill bolt but not removing the plastic bit, and any excess fluid will drain. In other words, you want there to be no fluid coming out after you have done the foregoing.

EDIT: I may actually be incorrect, as I see conflicting reports on whether to plug the tranny when fluid starts "trickling" vs when it stops coming out completely. This may be a job for a qualified shop now that I'm researching more and more. I just wish the dealerships allowed you to use synthetic ATF rather than this WS stuff.

patekwis

Update: I heard back from a mechanic shop who watched the video and their opinion is that:

"... it is looking more like the transmission is slipping into gear. This would most likely be caused by components inside the transmission."

I have scheduled it to be looked at by a different dealer and included the video in my booking. Let's see where that gets me (if anywhere, LOL).

artbuc

Yes, there is a way to check fluid. The procedure is well documented. Your advice is simply dead wrong.

artbuc

You should install drain plug while it is still trickling…it does take some judgement..watch a few videos. Do not wait until it stops or you will be under filled. As the atf warms up it will continue to expand and spill over the straw. It will never stop until temperature stabilizes at around 195°. By then you have removed way too much fluid.

AndrewLWSN

How does it feels when driving? Does it makes you move back/forward in your seat? I can see the RPM going down and up, but the speed stays constant. My father has a 2017 RX 350 F-Sport and there's some sort of lag/jerk that drives me insane every time I drive his car. It's when you press on the acceleration. Best way to describe it is like you are pressing on the acceleration and nothing happen. 1 second later, the car goes forward full blast. You might think that 1 second is nothing, but it will be very noticeable when it's every time that you press the acceleration (on highways, at a stop sign, etc.).

kingofire

If you're talking about the straw, it is not a good indicator of the level of fluid.

patekwis

The best way to describe it is that, immediately after the gear changes, there is a lurch forward (like the car rocks forward then back), even though your foot has not depressed more on the accelerator than before the gear shift. Super annoying in rush hour traffic. But I truly believe this low speed jerk is just one of many symptoms of a transmission shifting issue.

mikemu30

We also have a 2017 RX - that second or so lag is present in many cars these days. The ES even does it to a certain extent but I don't believe it has anything to do with the transmission.

artbuc

Ok, I suggest you tell Toyota to rewrite their FSM.

patekwis

UPDATE:

Took the vehicle to the only other dealer in the area. The SA called me right before I was about to come for a test drive (they had me drop it off last night) to tell me, pre-emptively, there was nothing they can do as the other dealer has looked at it and Lexus Canada had a case, so they presume everything was done right and I should go back to my other dealer. I was floored by this - I guess customer service is terrible across the board.

Regardless, I told them I want them to at least have the shop foreman look at it. The shop foreman was a great guy - he came out with me, saw the behavior, told me it didn't seem normal but, just to be safe, suggested we test drive a 2022 non-F-sport. We did so, and the jerk wasn't there. They verified that the transmission fluid was topped up perfectly, so it is now seeming like it is either another transmission component or software...

The SA sat down with me after and told me that they couldn't do any more "free work" for me, and I need to contact Lexus Canada. In other words, he treated me like a beggar notwithstanding they have now documented that there is an abnormality in the paperwork. They refused to do any more diagnostic or testing as they said the other dealer did it all with Lexus Canada and they don't get paid for it, so I need to go chase down Lexus Canada to get approval (or go back to my other dealer who refuses to answer my emails or phone calls).

I emailed Lexus Canada to see if they can reopen my case and I can submit the documentation now clearly stating that there is an issue, and it was not apparent in another sample.

So, still no resolution - but confirmation that those of us who experience this are not crazy and there is something wrong.

Sigh.

mikemu30

I guess what you are experiencing is different than most of us discussing the jerky downshift from 2 to 1. Keep fighting for a resolution.