swaangin

I see a lot of mixed reviews on this and the answer in "kilometers" I know it's easy to convert but I'd prefer it the answer be given in 'miles' unit. I am at 40K miles. I was thinking about getting both transmission and rear diff fluid changed at 50K.

Lexus is asking: Thoughts on this???

Transmission - $553 -- 3 hour labor (they don't do a flush, they pump out a 3rd of fluid so I'd have to do a drain refill 3 times = 3 hours)

Differential fluid - $124.30

For the transmission fluid change, they drain 1/3 of it, then I have to bring the car back after I drive, drain another 1/3 and repeat this process again to completely get the fluid out. I asked the service advisor 'won't the new fluid mix with the old and essentially you might be draining the new fluid" he said "yeah it mixes a little"... I don't know what that meant but can someone explain? lol

Edit: Talked to a second dealership, they want $340 for transmission fluid change and do it all in one go...? The first dealership said that's how Lexus manufacturer wants it done by 2nd dealer says they do it this way..?

NickCaesar

Do everything with an independent. Diff fluid change is easier and faster than an oil change... get the fluid and washers yourself and have a mechanic do it for what shouldn’t be more than $25 in labor.

Transmission same thing. Get the the washers for the bolts and fluid yourself, have a qualified independent mechanic do the job. It’s only about an hour of work.
Sasnuke has posted the factory procedure for the job, let me know if you’d like it.

swaangin

Yeah please send it to me. Thanks for the reply

NickCaesar

See the 2nd last post of this thread. The documents are there.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...l#post10654632

also remember any decent mechanic who follows the procedure should be able to do it relatively easily.

im at 75,000km mileage...maybe 50k miles or so..,
i did 1 drain n refill at 55k, another a few months later, and I have an appointment Thursday to do another one.

Make sure you don’t overpay. Differential is literally easier than an oil change and the transmission seems complicated (it is in a sense) but really it’s not.

HOMER350

I had 2 drain and fills done. They drove it around the block in-between drains and when it was done.

They let me know they go a new machine to do flush on these (and other sealed transmissions) and said he'd do it for either $266 or $366, can't remember.

I'll have to go back and look at my invoice, from the drain and fill, I will cause it's bugging me now. But to the OP that's too pricey. Any real mechanic should be competent in taking on this task for you at a lower cost.

Biggeek

On my 2016 IS350 F Sport The Transmission & Diff Fluid was Changed at my 30k Service, last week.
I only had the Transmission drained 1 Time but I’m thinking about getting it done again maybe next week.
I went to a Independent Japanese/ Lexus Shop and it Cost me $400 for everything.
Lexus wanted $750 for the 30k Service and that didn’t include the Transmission &Diff Fluid. I could only imagine that it would have been $1000 at Lexus for the same work.
The question might be did I notice any difference with my Transmission? Yes using the paddle shifters I noticed right away that the Shifts are Smoother. So to me it is definitely Worth it. I was telling my new Mechanic that I don’t believe in Forever Fluids. He totally Agreed and said Lexus just wants the Transmission to eventually fail and it’s usually after the Warranty runs out.

jkonquer

Is there a reason why you guys are getting the tranny and diff fluids changed so early?

NickCaesar

Because there is no such thing as a lifetime fluid. It is an incredibly cheap assurance vs the cost of a new transmission to ensure maximum performance and longevity for the time you have your vehicle.

I’ve never heard of someone NOT changing their differential fluid. Do you not change yours?

Sasnuke

I would say that "early" is relative to environment.
When you live in a climate where the temp. swings from -35 to +35C, and sometimes beyond those extremes, it really takes a toll on the vehicles.
And especially the diff. fluid which is just regular old gear old...the same gear oil that we used to put in vehicles 20 years ago and recommended changing every 12K kms...or about 8K miles.
Sure the formulation has probably gotten better since then, but it's still gear oil...it's not like they created some new magical lubricant made from milking 1000 squirrels lol

And with the tranny fluid, since you can't drain and fill the entire amount in there...or even close to it, then even some of the processes with multiple changes back to back only replace so much...so as much as you replaced the fluid early, it's not like you got all of it.

It's really just to get the max out of the vehicle if you plan to keep it long term.

HOMER350

I got me some of that squirrel milk oil

sunamer

There is a big difference between replacing those fluids every 80k-100k, and replacing them every 20k-30k. The first one is a precaution (mostly), the second one is an expensive exercise in futility and a very effective way of wasting your cash on a useless job.

sunamer

It is not the same "old gear oil". It is manufactured to different standards and with the knowledge gained in the past 20-40 years. Sorry, but it is like to say that just because we still drive cars, just like people did 50 years ago, they perform the same, and have the same comfort and safety standards as they had 50 years ago.

NickCaesar

If by “expensive” you mean approximately $120 (the cost of 1 hour labor and a couple quarts of fluid) than you definitely bought the wrong car. That’s what I paid for my trans service.
And if by “useless job” you mean ensure the transmission operates at maximum performance and efficiency and lasts until you get rid of the car...

Extreme climates, driving style, towing etc all cause fluids to deteriorate rapidly.
So someone, like myself, that lives in an extreme climate...a place where its +40 Celsius in the summer and -40 Celsius in the winter, drives hard and likes to use the paddle shifters is going to change his fluid a hell of a lot more frequently than a 70 year old woman, who’s not considered in an extreme climate and who drives 20 under the limit and probably has never taken the car past 2.5k rpm.

If it was “lifetime fluid” the transmission warranty would be a heck of a lot longer than 70k miles because a well maintained, modern auto trans from a reputable company like Lexus will easily last 3 times that.
At the end of the day a few hundred bucks over the course of a few years is an incredibly inexpensive assurance considering Lexus charges about $5000 for a new transmission.

sunamer

you are making too many assumptions.
1. Do you have any evidence suggesting “lifetime fluid” degrades so much in 20-30k miles of regular or occasional spirited driving that it needs changing at 30k miles? not some anecdotal evidence, but actual stats/measurements..
2. It is not just 1 hr of labor and couple of quarts of ATF though, as was stated here previously. It is 3 hrs of labour and 3 quarts... that quickly goes from 120 bucks to 300-500 dollar territory per flush. Now, 75-90k flush I can understand, but anything shorter will be a waste of time and money. it will bring you zero benefit long term...
3. My point was that you can replace it at 5k miles also, but just like 20k, unless you track it every day, there is going to be zero difference...

Sasnuke

@sunamer Yeah...I would agree with you, that's why my post has this line below in it that you didn't include when you quoted me:
"Sure the formulation has probably gotten better since then, but it's still gear oil...it's not like they created some new magical lubricant made from milking 1000 squirrels lol"

The gear oil recommended for the vehicle is regular gear oil...it's not synthetic or some crazy weight that none have seen before.
Feel free to rebut any of my posts...but don't leave stuff out like you've discovered some flaw in the post.