Hopeful

When I went to Lexus to get my oil change (yes, yes, why did I go there....) I was told that since it was my "15K" service, I needed to get my transmission fluid changed for a total cost of over $200. I balked and just had my oil changed and all the other minor checks they do. However, the service guy told me that if I didn't do it, it might void my warranty. (2001 RX with extended warranty.) Is he right? Should I get my transmission fluid changed? Should I go back to Lexus to keep the warranty valid or can I go to another service station and have it done?

Linda

HarrierAWD

According to the manual, the transmission fluid need NOT to be changed, ever. So the service guy is full of horse shiite. If you tow a trailer, you should change it at 60K, again according to the manual.

I personally would do it every 60K to keep it going, but there's no need to change it to maintain warranty.

If all you need is oil change, go to a Toyota Express Lube. The RX is mechanically identical to Toyota Highlander, so they know what they are doing. Mine does a good job. They have a 30-minute guarantee so they don't have time to come up with stuff to fix.

Hopeful

Is the 60K recommended change in the manual or this website? (I guess I could go out to the car and look but I'm too lazy.)

I wish I could go to the Toyota service department. But here in Hawaii, the Lexus and Toyota dealerships are all under one company so Toyota won't service Lexus'.

Linda

flipside909

30k is usually the best rule of thumb for tranny fluid flushes. Yeah unfortunately, if you're in a territory or vicinity of a Lexus Dealership or distributor group with Toyota on site or nearby...Toyota will not service your Lexus due to conflict of interest and sales issues.

bob2200

Actually, I think your owner's manual and maintenance schedule in the ClubLexus library say to check the transmission fluid every year or two and change it when it is no longer the original red color.

There have been recent threads advising not to do a flush, but rather drain and refill with Toyota trans fluid every year ot two. $200 is ridiculous for just a drain and refill and I'd do it myself instead of paying that much. It takes about 2 quarts, and just make sure to use the special Toyota fluid.

Hopeful

Is that different from "Lexus" fluid? Where should I buy the transmission fluid? Is the cap and drain easy to get to? No special equipment needed, right? Just unscrew the drain and the cap?

Linda

Booyah

Even though Lexus says never to change your fluid, I think that is crazy! I would do it every 60K regardless.

If you wait till your fluid is no longet red, well you have waited to long to change it and may have already done harm??

Also. just to change out 2-4 quarts of fluid, you are not even getting half your fluid changed out...you have your torque converter full of old fluid, its best to get it flushed out, that allows all your old fluid to be replaced with new fluid---thats what I have learned anyway

flipside909

Lexus fluid is all Toyota Genuine Parts i.e. Toyota ATF Type T Fluid is used for majority of Toyota & Lexus models. Draining the tranny fluid is not an amateur DIY job like an engine oil change. Because a drain and refill only drains a portion of the fluid in the tranny, you are not getting any of the fluid out of the torque converter. It is best to send it to a mechanic to do a full tranny power flush and fill. This way you can get all the old fluid out and run fresh fluid after. To answer your question, this is not an unscrew and drain the cap job.

Booyah

Thats exactly what I said Flip.......Glad you see it my way too

bob2200

I have to admit that I haven't done the transmission drain/refill myself, but I urge reading previous threads on this subject.

Several CLers have observed that a certain percentage of transmissions fail shortly after flushes, whereas draining/refilling every year or two accomplishes the same thing (i.e., keeping the transmission fluid clean) without the risk involved with power flushing. This sounds reasonable and I tend to believe it. None of the Lexus dealers I know of do transmission fluid flushes.

One CL DIYer made the practical suggestion of catching all the fluid that you drain out and measuring it in dedicated plastic measuring cups to estimate the amount of fluid you need to refill. It looks to me like it is a simple drain via the transmission pan drain plug (see page AX-9 of RX300 service manual), and refill via the transmission dip stick.

flipside909

Alot of tranny failures happen because people don't regularly keep the fluid clean or change the tranny fluid on a regular basis. You have people flusing their tranny after 60k or more then do a power flush. Obviously the tranny fluid's viscosity has broken down for that amount of miles, and flushing it at that time probably has done more wear and tear causing it to fail. The certain percentage that's been observed can be attributed to poor maintenance practices...which is why they fail. I've done the power flushes on all my Toyota and Lexus models at the same intervals...and they have yet to break down or cause rough shifting. The Lexus & Toyota dealers in CA know what the flushes are and offer specials to do it with.

flipside909

Also, alot of these tranny failures were due to people or shops using the wrong fluid. Dexron II or better was the standard ATF that was used in many Toyota & Lexus models in the past. More recently, Toyota has implemented Toyota Type T-IV fluid for alot of trannies. Most people fail to read their manual for the required fluid which is another reason why people have had problems. A simple drain and refill will not get rid of the old exhausted fluid that's in the torque converter.

Hopeful

I hear two points of view...just drain and fill periodically (which I could do myself, correct?) or do a complete flush once in a while (which I couldn't do myself).

I don't want to do the wrong thing and have my car fail. Maybe I should have had Lexus price gouge me and done the transmission fluid change....I'm so confused!

flipside909

Take it from a Toyota enthusiast and owner of several toyota models from the past. Do the flush at 30k intervals. Drain and refill in between at 15k intervals if you may.

mikey00

Your RX has lifetime fluid in it. Just check the owners manual or read the label on the dipstick. This is from Lexus/Toyota engineers who are more knowledgable on the subject than any of us here. Your service advisor at the dealership is a salesman out to sell you as many services as possible.
Just to be safe I do a drain and fill every 60K, but I really question if this is necessary. It is an easy DIY service. There is a drain plug on the bottom of the transmission pan. I think it is a 10mm allen. Measure the amount you get out and add the same amount to the tranny dipstick tube. It should be 4.1 qts. I've done it a few times. I only use Toyota type T-IV as recommended in the manual. It cost $3.79/qt at the Toyota dealer.