I've just been told by a Lexus dealer that my trans is toast. I'm writing all of this out to not only seek advice, but as therapy because I'm so pissed off.

Here's the history:

Caution... Long story below...

I bought the car in Jan 2013 with 144,600 miles and knew that the trans fluid was dark brown. After reading the posts here I knew that I had to use the Toyota fluid and not have a power flush done. So every week or so I drained the pan and refilled with Type T. The trans shifted ok when I got the car, but not as nice as it did after the fluid was eventually exchanged.

March 2013 @ 144,990 miles - Loud whining noise started emanating from the trans. At the time I was using an independent shop that supposedly specialized in Toyota and Lexus. They dropped the pan and claimed that the filter needed to be replaced. Little did I know at the time that the filter is cleanable. Anyway, when it was done the trans was Lexus silent and shifted better than it ever had. The only problem was the pan leaked. They swore that they used the Lexus approved sealant. As a courtesy they dropped the pan and resealed. It still leaked a little bit but not as bad.

Sept 2013 @ 146,620 - Tired of the leak and pissed off at the first shop for other reasons, I had another shop reseal the pan. Again, leak was better, but still there. They did another pan drop and reseal, but it still leaked.

June 2014 @ 149,550 - Again tired of both the leak and crap work from independent shops, I took it to the dealer. They said the last guy used the wrong sealant so I had them do a pan drop and reseal. Surprise! It still leaks! They did the now familiar pan drop+reseal, plus said there was a leak on a shift shaft seal.

July 2014 @ 150,400 - $260 shift shaft seal replaced, but still a tiny leak from the pan. I decided to live with the leak for a while.

Late December 2014 @ 151,200 - The leak got worse, so off to the dealer. They say that the pan must be warped and has got to be replaced for $375. I suck it up and go for it. On the drive home the trans is quiet and shifts normal. FINALLY NO LEAK!!!

+++ Through all of the above ordeal, the trans shifts perfectly, and the fluid is now as clear and pink as new. +++

+++ Note that I've only put 7000 miles on the car in 23 months. +++

January 2nd I start up the car to go on a few local errands. The trans is now making that hydraulic whining noise! WTF??? I brought it back to the dealer and they say that the fluid was a teeny bit too full. On the drive home, the whining is still there but very faint.

Last week I pack up the car for a drive from Mesa AZ to Vegas. I've only driven the car about 15 miles since the new pan job. The faint whining is still there. I pull out of the neighborhood and drive the 2 miles to the freeway on ramp. I get on the gas and the motor winds up to about 4000RPM and the car barely moves. CRAP! The trans is slipping so bad that I can just barely get it back home.

The dealer says the trans pump has failed. There's a "Shift Solenid E" code error and they tell me that it's probably due to low or no pump pressure.

Now they want $3300 for a Lexus refurb trans installed. SH/T!!! 20 years ago I had the space, tools, and energy to replace my own trans, but not now. I'm at the mercy of these guys, but I'm not going to just roll over and write a check.

Thoughts?

 

I feel your pain, but it's not really the mechanics' fault if the trans was abused and ignored for the first 15 years of its life before you got it. If you want to keep the car, you're going to have to bite the bullet and get it fixed.

Try to find an independent mechanic that knows Lexus cars well instead of paying stealership prices though. Often times you can find a Lexus-trained guy who did his time at the dealership and now runs his own shop.

 

read through the whole ordeal. sorry to hear the headaches but this sounds like an isolated issue. even with abuse and lack of fluid changes, these transmissions last! possible the indy mechanics got sealant into the ATF and clogged stuff up after all the pan seals (which was a lot making this more probable).

what i recommend you do now is to check your ECU for leaking capacitors. do the ripple check and see if you're in need of replacement. also check the fluid level yourself, not the dealership. usually better when the fluid is hot. measure the 'hot' side of dipstick on level ground.

 

Sorry to hear your troubles...if you were here Id help you remove your transmission.

 

Wow that sucks. Did the car ever show an error code and if so what was it? In my opinion the dealer tends to try to replace the part when they can't figure out what's wrong? I'm not saying that's what is going on but you never know... I would Investigate a little further. If all else fails I would try to find a trans at the junkyard before buying a new one. At that price you can just go find another car IMO. If you do change out the trans make sure they put a new rear main seal in there too.

 

Thanks for the input guys.

I just got off the phone with the head honcho service manager. I'm headed to the shop now. They're going to drop the pan with me observing. He didn't deny fault, sounded genuinely concerned, and willing to resolve the situation so I end up happy and not paying full price.

I'll report back after the meeting.

 

And are they sure the pump isn't sucking air and cavitating? That sometimes happens when trans filters aren't installed correctly.

 

They dropped the pan and it was easy to see that the fluid left inside was full of metal shavings. An amazing amount considering that the pan was replaced 15 or so miles ago.

The service manager offered to eat all of the labor and install the Lexus-rebuilt trans with a 12 month warranty for a total of about $2100 out the door. After I told him that a local trans rebuilder offers a 24 month warranty, he didn't flinch and said he would match the 24 month warranty.

So I'm saving $1200 off of their original retail quote, and I'll get the car back this Wednesday. Not too bad a deal, but it's still a huge expense that wasn't planned.

 

Good to hear you will have you car back soon...and ask if they can replace the rear main seal while they are there.

 

So wait. What happened that all of a sudden your trans has a ton of metal shavings floating around?

 

That's a really good point! I'll call them first thing Monday to ask about it.

Thanks!

 

They say that all of the pan re-seal jobs and new fluid shocked the trans and caused a pump failure. I think that's a line of BS, but there's no going back.

 

It is BS. And are they changing the radiator too? The transmission oil cooler will have metal in it since the trans made metal.

2100 is an okay deal.

I wonder if one of the outfits didn't introduce something to cause the failure, you know turn a simple fluid change into a rebuilt transmission, more $ for the later.

 

They tell me that they flush the trans cooler in the radiator separately whenever they change out the whole unit.

I have a hard time believing that a shop would sabotage it. I had good relations with each of the shops before the Lex dealer - even though one was run by a guy that had the brain power of a walnut.

The dealer I'm using has redeemed themselves by admitting their errors, eating the labor, and working at basically zero profit on this job. Plus they're doubling the normal warranty on the rebuilt trans. I'm comfortable with using them in the future.

 

Actually I feel the dealers are not priced too bad, considering you also get a loaner car. In my area they quoted a much cheaper price for work than did all of the independants. Also your dealer transmission is a much better risk than going to a national transmission repair outfit.