salimshah

Varsity64:

You need to come up with an answer on your own. The base warranty is for 60k and infact you are getting closer to twice the base warranty range. Even Lexus will not sell you warranty beyond 100k and you will have to get a 3rd party insurance.

The questions you have to graple with are ... what is your expectancy of trouble free milage/service? How much risk you are willing to take? what is your cash flow situation? What is the cost of insurance and what does it cover? Is the 3rd party reliable or they are more intersted in the premium?

Keep in mind the insurance companies are for profit and simply manage risk among a pool of people.

I can't say don't buy the insurance as tomorrow you may have minor-to-major problem. On the other hand if you buy one, you may end up using only a portion of the premium.

Fern's quest has been (and all concerned as well) to establish how pravalent is the transmission problem. So please vote and if you have problems, have them logged with the right agency.

Salim

Lexmex

Changing the fluid is the major key. Make sure that whoever you service it with, including Lexus or Toyota, pulling and cleaning the pan on the drain and fill and also remember to drain the front differential. I would also recommend changing out the tranny filter.

Fern

Lexmex, I used to think the same, until the Master Tech that was working on my trani said he was going to clean the screen filter and reinstall. I asked if it was best to go with new, he just said.... "take my word for it, what I'm doing is the best."

What ever that means... I wonder if the fact the new filter media is paper and the stock one was a screen, ie: metal...?

Anyone have any suggestions?

Lexmex

I am not sure which type of one he was cleaning. It would seem to me that must have been the metal one, because I should tell you that the last time I played around with the filter, it was a paper-like material and I just washed it out (I think I have shown some photos of that before).

I found nothing in the pan nor anything pop out of the filter itself and the RX runs just fine for the commute and at the track.

parula

Does anyone know if the FWD has the same filters and how to clean them? Seems like everyone has the 4WD version. I had mine drained once and will query the dealer later this year when in for service what is recommended, seems like I should flush and clean all the screens etc.

Lexmex

I looked at Park Place Lexus' site and they do not show a difference between FWD and AWD filters. Only thing I am not sure of is if they are the paper or metal screen ones.

TunedRX300

Replacement transmission filter is made of paper, the one installed in the factory and came with your RX is metal. I totally agree with Lexmex that filter got to be changed or cleaned. Also replace as much ATF out of the tranny as possible.

Think about it, do you leave the old engine oil filter on after you change engine oil? Do you drain out only 40% of dirty engine oil at each oil change? Why would one expects transmission drain and fill a "safe" and "proven" method is beyond me. Just because this method is done x years does not mean it is a good method. Human beings live without Internet for thousands of years, how many of us think we should live without it NOW?
Transmission is 100% enclosed, and there is no bypass valve in ANY of the critical path, what is in that 60% dirty ATF stay in the tranny. When passages get clogged, not enough fluid to cool tranny down and heat is the #1 killer of transmission.

parula

LexMex, a dealer told me to follow the manual recommendations when I tried to get a drain/fill at 18k - meaning wait, but they did it anyway. Based on what I am seeing here I think I'll try to get them to do a flush/fill clean screen and filter at 40k, what do you think? Color of my fluid is not what I'd call bright red at 35k. Then I have a FWD so maybe it isn't so critical - there just doesn't seem to be any way to find out.

Do I have to request them change the filter and clean the screen or whatever or is that just regular practice? Answering m own question, I'll make them put it on the service order! Seems like overkill to get this done at 40k but better safe than sorry, I guess, it can do no harm if done correctly. And maybe if it fails later I'll have a shot at geting something from Lexus for it.

Lexmex

I had a flush only because I had metal particles in the fluid, but the flush did clean it out. Only time a flush is an issue is if the vehicle has not had any drain and fills in something like maybe 30k miles or something and then that can be a shock to the system...then better to do a drain and fill see how the vehicle feels and then do it again and a 3rd time.

In my experience and talking to others, you must ask them to change the filter...they won't do it unless asked.

TunedRX300

Transmission cooler disconnect and using transmission's own pump to circulate out old ATF is a method that apply no invasive external force and most of the ATF out. I got 70% of ATF out using this method.
If one is questioning whether filter should be changed, ask yourself this question: can I find another filter in the car that lasts the lifetime of the car? Engine oil filter? Cabin air filter?
The only filter that is closed to a lifetime is the fuel filter. It is a back-up filter since every gas pump is equipped with a fuel filter so every drop of gasoline is already filtered. In ATF's case, transmission constantly deposit metal debris into the fluid and there is no place for them to escape.

parula

Thks to all, I am going to ask the dealer what it recommends, then at least go with a drain and filter change. At 40k I would prefer a Lexus dealer version of flush/filter.
Had no idea what a filter looks like for a 2WD, found one on this site: http://replacement.autopartswarehous...ilter&dp=false that looks like paper in the port.
This one says AT Filter Kit but only shows the metal part with the seeming paper-looking filter. http://replacement.autopartswarehous...20Kit&dp=false

Fern

Hey Parula,

don't be surprised if the techs at Lexus or Toyota seam confused as to why your showing so much concern for the trani. They most likely will recommend a drain and fill every 30,000km...

This is unless of course you are noticing something unusual like darkening of the fluid very early or metal filings in drain plug after drain and fill.

The Toyota Master Tech which did my overhaul, seamed to feel the fluid should be good for 100,000 km before replacement and filter cleaning

He even called lexus technical dept and enquired into frequency of failures and he "says" they told him they only had record of 3 trani failures.

There has been a lot of hipe on this board about trani issues (I may be to blame for some), simply because their failures hit the pocket really hard. I would know, believe me.
At the end of the day, I would still not worry about doing anything more than the manual calls for...

I am however, interested in knowing why some owner's manuals say liftetime trani fluid if mine specifically calls for 30,000km service. My car production date was Aug 1998 as a 1999 model RX

With trani overhauled I'm sure I'm good for another 300,000 more km's.

For those interested, I will post a pic (when I get a chance) of the internal components which were replaced on mine. With focus on the #1 & #2 thrust washers (which appear to be made out of plastic )

Cheers,

Fern

Lexmex

Fern,

I also checked my production date and our RXs were born in the same month. I haven't seen anything in my manual or on the dipstick that says lifetime, but I have seen it on one other RX in the states when I was originally looking for mine.

TunedRX300

Lexus service manager probably will look at you funny, most likely you will get a repsonse such as "filter is lifetime, no need to clean or replace"

For reference that is exactly what Acura/Honda is telling TL, Odyssey, and Accord owners. But take a look at this 2002 Honda Odyssey's transmission filter cut open.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/644415/5
I understand it is a different car but decide for yourself whether this is a lifetime filter. In Honda's case, the tranny filter is better than RX's because it has a bypass valve...and Acura/Honda are extending the transmission warranty to 100K. Honda's reason for warranty extension is a design flaw: lack of lubrication of the 3rd gear clutch pack. Tech is advised to replace tranny if the the 3rd gear is scrotched due to elevated heat due to insufficient cooling by ATF.
Perhaps that is why RX's filter is only a screen to compensate lack of bypass valve so only bigger particles get trapped, finer particles are allow to pass so filter won't get clogged.

parula

Tuned, if I saw that filter come out of my vehicle I would be just utterly disgusted that I hadn't changed it earlier. One can't tell from that view if the flow and filtration ability is adversely affected but at some point the filter's filtration effectiveness is surely compromised as visible dirt accumulates. JMO, but if a filter is obviously grossly dirty then it must be largely in bypass mode that to my understanding means that a lot of fluid that should be filtered is bypassed around the filter without the cleaning of the filter.

I want to change my vehicles' filters at regular intervals to protect the designed functionality of the components the filtered fluids are designed to operate and protect, and do that filter change on a conservative basis.

I would like to know what is that optimal filter change periodicity? Just me, but I cannot believe that any filter is good for a "lifetime", what if I keep a vehicle 5, or 10 or 15 years?