Mut

My car is in bad shape. I'm a proud owner of my 99 RX300 but not proud of the condition it is in. My only excuse is that it's only been in my hands for a few years, and I don't think I've been part of the damage. I want to correct these issues since this is a car that needs to last me another good 5 years. With 118,000 miles on it and almost reaching a decade in age, I need to take care of my baby.

After getting my oil change, which has been done every 4,000 miles in the past year or so, I was told by the owner of the mechanic shop (which apparently specializes only in Lexus vehicles) of several problems that have existed but never gotten properly fixed.

To start off, the main exhaust pipe that runs from the engine to the end of the car has about a 2-3 inch long crack. I don't know if the crack is completely ripped open but there definitely is a crack. Cost to replace the exhaust pipe is $300.

Then, the crack in the manifold. I can feel hot air gushing out when the engine is revved. Cost to weld the crack in the manifold is $80 but if it can't be saved, then it will cost $280 to replace it. In case it wasn't obvious I outlined the crack in red. Both pictures' brightnesses have been raised and contrasts have been lowered by a lot to make the crack distinct. Total for welding the manifold, replacing the exhaust and labor is $880. Yes, $100 per hour for labor...




Another problem is the brown transmission fluid. I was told that it wasn't too bad as the mechanic has seen completely black ones. He showed me the Toyota Type-IV ATF and it looks like cherry colored cough syrup. Mine not so much. (Also, my finger looks really short) The cost to do a complete flush is $280. This picture has not been altered at all except for the size.



And... the missing cabin air filter. THE WHOLE THING. Long, long time ago before I had ownership of the car. The car was frequently serviced at Jiffy Lube. Hooray for ignorant average car owners. Well, I guess my parents never realized that the entire cabin air filter was never put back by those a-holes at Jiffy. Who knows how long this has been going on. Where can I get the whole thing and how much is it?



The cracking and peeling wood accent/panel. These have been replaced before but they just start peeling and cracking under the hot sun... Is there any way to prevent this from happening once I replace them?



Finally, the badly squeaky breaks. So bad in the mornings and so bad after a car wash. I don't remember exactly what the mechanic said but apparently either the rotor or the pad is still okay but something isn't good. To correct the issue by doing a whole replacement of either all four rotor or pads would cost $1,100. Ugh.

So here are my questions: Obviously I'm getting ripped off. The closest Lexus dealership is over 50 miles from where I live. Could I take this to a Toyota dealership? How badly am I getting ripped off for the cost of replacing and fixing these exhaust, manifold, tranny fluid, breaks and whatnot?

Is there anything I can do myself? I'm reading some DIY stuff on the forums about draining the tranny fluid but I'm still unsure if that's what I need to do.

What kind of long-term damage am I doing to my car and have I done by waiting until I can afford these repairs?

Oh my god, help me with everything above. I'm so confused and lost, I don't know where to begin.

salimshah

None of the items need Lexus to work on them .. if Toyota accepts your business you may be saving $10-20 per hour. Independent may be $25 less.

I am not sure by your description but the order of fixing things ought to be
1. Brakes
2. Transmission.
3. Exhaust manifold
4. Cabin filter
5. wood grain trim

Brakes .. Have them checked and post the findings and we will try to suggest.

Transmission .. just get under there and drain it. Get Toyota type iV and drain gasket. This is easier than changing oil filter on RX. Repeat after a month and after another month. Still cheaper than what you posted as a flush price. [if you want to be cheap replace the gasket on the last drain].

Exhaust manifold ... I would suggest weld it. You will be saving a lot of money on labor. worth the risk.

Call lexus parts or check with salvage yard for cabin filter + cover + trim. Original trim peace is very robust.


Salim

Mut

Thanks for the reply. I have some questions though. Is changing my transmission really that imperative? Is the color of my transmission fluid that bad?

Even worse, getting my squeaky brakes fixed is even more serious? I don't feel that my brakes are bad or anything just squeaky.

As for the transmission fluid change... Is there a difference between a flush and a drain? I plan on following this guide http://rx300how2.home.comcast.net/~r...id_change1.htm
and doing it probably 3 times total - draining out 3 quarts each time. Will this resolve the issue?

thomas1

Yes do the drain and fill method, there has been some bad luck with the flush, some have lost their transmission shortly after the flush....

salimshah

Squeak is not normal. Is it shims squealing, a piece of rock stuck in there etc etc.. I just moved it to the top priority as it could be a sign of imminent failure.

Drain does not dislodge/replace all of the fluid while the flush does. Regular maint requires drain and fill and if you want to catch up or concerned about the status of fluid, then multiple drain and fill is fairly simple and cheap.

Salim

code58

#1 I personally don't believe in professional trans. flushes. Creates more problems than it fixes. I myself believe in draining the trans., removing the pan and change the filter and clean the pan and magnets. Then disconnect the cooler line FROM the trans. and fill the trans with new fluid and run till line produces first signs of air. Shut off immediately and fill again and repeat (about 3 fills) until nice red fluid comes out. Reconnect line and your done! You know ALL fluid has been changed, not mixed with old fluid and your all done at 1 time.
#2 Any welder worth his salt can weld all of the exhaust with a MIG welder with regular steel wire (the exhaust is stainless) with no problems. I have welded plenty of stainless exhaust and it welds perfectly with mild steel wire. I would use 75% argon, 25% Co2 though, straight Co2 is a little too hot for a nice weld. Should be able to do that very effectively and quite cheap. Good Luck.

Mut

Alright, I'll take a shot at draining the transmission fluid this weekend. So, in short, since my car is AWD I need to drain 3 quarts three times to a total of 9 quarts drained?

salimshah

^^ the math does not work that way. Every time you add, you just dilute the old fluid in there. To get 98% new, some one said you have to do 11 drains and fill. 6~7 gets you in 90% new.

I would stop at 3.

Salim

UNOHOO

iTrader: (3)

im more inclined to agree with code58 on this one, im new to working on cars myself and just followed the DIY sticky i found on here for a full pan drop, filter replacement and disconnect of the cooler return line, then refill. Its not that difficult when the DIY guide is right there and MAN it really helped my rx. Considering the tranny is usually the first thing to go I decided to do everything i could to make it last.

artbuc

You get about 5 qts total when you drain both sumps with 9.4 qt total capacity. So, 3 drain & fill replaces 89% and 4 gets you to 95%. A 5th only gets you to 97%. So I would only do 4 (if your fluid is really bad) and drink the 5th.

Mut

Okay, I'm confused... I'm so dense. Please fill in the blank for me. You guys are telling me to do 3-4 drains. I'll do 4 to be on the safe side.

So the first time I'm going to drain 3 quarts and fill up 3 quarts, right?

The second time I'm going to drain __ quarts and fill up __ quarts...

Third time, drain __ quarts and fill up __ quarts.

Fourth time, drain __ quarts and fill up __ quarts.

How far apart should I do these drains? Weeks/months apart or miles apart?

Also, could I avoid draining it multiple times if I do "a full pan drop, filter replacement and disconnect of the cooler return line, then refill"? or would I still have to drain multiple times?

UNOHOO

iTrader: (3)

when i did the full pan drop i was able to get 4 quarts from the pan/filter, 1 quart from transfer case, 2 quarts from cooler return line disconnect, not to mention improving the flow of fluid by the replacement of the filter and cleaning off the magnets so they can be more effective of making sure no metal pieces get into the gears. Then im just going to do a drain/fill ever other oil change for awhile. Maybe its overkill but ive got 214k miles logged on my 99 rx awd and i wanna keep it for years to come

Mut

How do you know how many quarts you drain? Do you guys just use a measuring cup???

lexus114

just from doing it so many times.

HarrierAWD

Agree with this order. Though some can be done concurrently.

Brake squeak could be caused by aftermarket pads installed by the previous owner? Go to Lexus or Toyota for the real deal.

I'd advise against tranny flush. Do 3 drain-n-fill yourself with Toyota Type IV fluid (drive about 100 miles between each.) It'll cost you just $20 each time. I usually drain about 4 quarts each time.

Exhaust manifold - Try welding first.

Cabin filter - You can buy one at Lexus for about $25. Thereafter, buy a 3M HVAC filter and cut to size to replace the filter element. Use Scotch tape to seal the edge.

Wood grain trim - That's just plastic aftermarket stuff, not original Lexus part. If you like them, you may just have to keep replacing them. Buy a windshield sun cover may help.