charley95

Thank you sir!

bclexus

Glad I could help.

Now if I can only get on my horse...I'll ride off into the sunset.

richard203

iTrader: (1)

too bad i changed mines at 60k, and didnt do the test. mybe i'll do it when i hit 120k mile i like to change my diff and tranny every 60k mile when i change out my spark plug and etc too.

bclexus

You wasted both time and money with everything you did, but if it made you feel better then...

richard203

iTrader: (1)

the labor i did it myself and most of the stuff like ws and etc i got it from work since i work at toyota. so it wasnt that bad its like every 5 years job not like every year.

azipod

Good decision and I'm sure you enjoyed working on your own car. Despite what others may say, there's no such thing as wasting time and money on your vehicle. It's your car. Some people just can't accept that.

RuninRoach

Posted this to the IS forum by mistake, but still beneficial to those who need it:

so...i was having vibrations in the transmission...it was trying to upshift and would just shudder at certain speeds. Most posts i read, told me my torque converter is going....that is one expensive thing to go on this car. I came across another post that the guy fixed his by changing his transmission fluid, so i thought why not.

While i was at it, and after reading all the 'don't flush your transmission' (yeah i'm going there) and viewing the videos i made a decision. I was going to flush my transmission because with only 65,000km (verified), it shouldn't be that bad. Also i was NOT going to go with toyota type iv atf, but rather the penrite full synthetic world standard. So it took it to the guy, and he was like no worries! come back in a few hours and you'll be all done. Now comes the train ride to work, where you doubt yourself.....why did i do this....what was i thinking...what if it ruins the car...oh no, and then you go to youtube and search 'what can go wrong if you flush your transmission'......and Ping....message from the mechanic. He sent me a picture of black, horrible fluid so i asked him i didn't ask for oil change, it was transmission fluid flush. He goes, that is your transmission fluid mate.

Now, this is a 65,000km car which spent most of its life in hot Singapore followed by now super hot in the summer hong kong (we are having 22 degrees celcius all december and Jan as well this year, but i digress). Lifetime fluid, my black a...fluid!

So i go back after work to pick up my car; the guy has brought it all the way to the train station for me (which was nice of him). I do a test drive, pay him his dues and i'm on my 45 minute drive home. i am going through the city to get onto the highway, and as i approach the highway i get sort of anxious (butterflies in stomach sort)....will this be the last time i drive this car, cause the transmission blows up? I can't notice any shudder as its pretty busy and i'm only going about 30 - 40 kph , the shudder comes at 55 and at 78 (going into 4th and 6th).

The final bend, and there is the on-ramp. I slowly press on the accelerator and the car gets going, 30, 40, 50 and OMG.....this can't be! 60......70.....80....90....100....110...120...130...145....(i'll stop there as anything documented further is jail time)! Where are the gear shifts, i can't feel them....i cannot tell when this car is going up its gears whereas before there was a 'here's 2nd....there's 3rd dude....urggggghhh f f f f f f fourth! I could not believe it, this is the way this car was supposed to shift...there is that sporty nature of the beast.

At this point, i am gaining confidence so i try to paddle down shift and see how it behaves.....No shudder, no lockup. i then slow down to see if it picks the correct gear, lo and behold it does. Now its time for that S+ feeling. But as i get onto the stretch of final highway after the bridge, to my home...guess what. From the side on ramp i see a police van coming to join me on the drive home....so the rest of the 20km was spent following the speed limit on cruise control (anti-climax).

I was dreading that ATF flush, but when i had issues that could be an expensive torque converter i had to try the cheaper method before i saved up 5 or 6 paychecks for that torque convertor. Yes flushing on old cars is bad, as all the videos have told me. Drain and fill is the way to go, but i live in the city with expensive mechanics and a language barrier. I had to make the call on Risk vs. Reward and i pulled the trigger. Did i make the right choice? its now 71000km and its still shifting sweet but i have figured out that there still are times when (not a shudder, but more of a confused machine) the car doesn't know what gear it should be in.

I'm wondering if Lexus should have stuck to that dynamite proof 5-spd that has gone to hell and back, without any issues. I think as technology progresses, its the 'good ol times' mentality that makes me think that. The 8 spd is a better transmission for Greta as it is supposed to give better fuel savings, but they are only realized when the car Knows what gear to be in.

Cwang

​​​​​​My transmission specialist uses the Penrite WS synthetic fluid too, my tranny contains mostly WS from my changes with a little Penrite from his too. Works beautifully, it shifts like new unlike my previous American sourced 6 speed at equally high mileage.

That's why I change my fluid every 75000KM to book, it's almost like Lexus engineers (when unencumbered by bean counters) know how to keep their vehicles going and going. When the 4GS gets old and starts to play up, changing the fluid could make the box shift even poorer due to crunchy fluid disguising wear with replacement fluid causing slippage.
If the fluid is always clean you a) won't get as much wear and b) you never reach the point where new fluid fixes one problem but causes another! At $15 a litre and $70 a filter it's not exactly an expensive exercise.
​​​​​
​​​​​​​It's a shocker, isn't it. Only experienced it in the RC but my next GS will be pre-facelift or a Hybrid.

GSRockstar

​​​​​​​just fyi, all the AWD models come with the 6 speed

Spartanlol

So in my previous thread about how long can a GS last someone mentioned changing transmission oil more often than recommended.
I asked my dealership service lady about this today and she made eyes at me like I was a ghost.
"oh no no no in these cars the transmission is sealed, it's one unit not meant to be opened, if we have to open it there would be trouble..."
I was like ... oh ok.
So yeah, find a different shop and do it or nah?

swat1727

iTrader: (2)

A drain and refill is good. If lifetime means 100k miles then sure. But if you plan to keep the car longer, I would change every 50+60k miles. If it's a sealed system, why would they have a drain bolt and fill bolt?

LSSAH

i am at 90k now but I am not sure if original owner ever change transmission fluid. Do I just do a drain and fill or a complete flush of transmission fluid?

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

My 450h 106k miles with original transmission fluid and I never plan to change it, zero issues, shift smooth. Will report back at 232,505 miles. There is no scheduled maintenance for transmission fluid and I think the service book goes up to 150k miles. There is also no dipstick, so drain and fill is not as easy. If you do it the most important thing to make sure is the level is correct, otherwise you'll do more harm than good. Lexus also recommends not touching the transmission fluid ever. You'll have to go to a independent ship or do it yourself. If anything goes wrong it probably voids your warranty.

Chiadon

If the service manual says don’t change it then don’t change it. It’s amazing how many people know more than the manufacturer. It’s one thing if you’re heavily modifying your car which then would require a chance because of heat. Just my 2 cents....

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

To each his own, for some people changing it gives them piece of mind, but Lexus doesn't recommend it and they don't do it.