Dead transmission
#16
Well you have nothing to lose but some money by paying to have it done sooner, say at 30,000 miles. It is the first one that is more important to get the debris out from break in and initial wear. You could go to every 50,000 after that.
Sometimes there is just a bad casting of a metal part and it fails too soon for that or some other reason such as a bad bearing.
Back when I worked on defense of a Nissan and Mitsubishi lemon law cases we had a Mitsubishi that blew the engine and spewed oil all over the highway at only about 30,000 miles. It had a perfect maintenance history and the oil had recently been changed properly. We investigated and then hired Terry Dyson, a professional tribologist, or oil analysis expert as there was about a quart left in the engine to analyze. He found certain types of metal which made him conclude the oil pump had failed and there had been no negligent maintenance. We paid the owner for the car. So the lesson is, stuff breaks at any time.
Sometimes there is just a bad casting of a metal part and it fails too soon for that or some other reason such as a bad bearing.
Back when I worked on defense of a Nissan and Mitsubishi lemon law cases we had a Mitsubishi that blew the engine and spewed oil all over the highway at only about 30,000 miles. It had a perfect maintenance history and the oil had recently been changed properly. We investigated and then hired Terry Dyson, a professional tribologist, or oil analysis expert as there was about a quart left in the engine to analyze. He found certain types of metal which made him conclude the oil pump had failed and there had been no negligent maintenance. We paid the owner for the car. So the lesson is, stuff breaks at any time.
Last edited by Clutchless; 02-15-18 at 06:17 PM.
#17
The service manager at my lexus dealership said its better to change it at 80K km. Thats's 50K miles.
She also said the trans oil was in bad condition. Again the maintenance schedule says to change at 96K and I was at 101K so not so far away.
So who should we believe?
She also said the trans oil was in bad condition. Again the maintenance schedule says to change at 96K and I was at 101K so not so far away.
So who should we believe?
#18
The Warranty and Services Guide for the 2010 RX350 states at page 55 that for the 72 month or 60,000 mile service the transmission fluid should be replaced if driving while towing. It also calls for replacement of the rear differential and transfer case fluids at the same time.
Last edited by Clutchless; 02-15-18 at 06:33 PM.
#19
Yes, the 2015 RX350 maintenance schedule doesn't say anything in the booklet that's given to us, but if you go to the dealership, they'll tell you to change the transmission fluid at 96K km in addition to replacement of the front and rear differential fluids at the same time like Cluthless mentioned. The service manager was highly recommending to get the front and rear differential fluids changed even though its not in that maintenance guide. My Warranty and Services guide just says to inspect for leaks and have it repaired immediately if there are any signs of leakage. So I can only assume that every single maintenance job is not mentioned in that maintenance schedule... or maybe the dealership is just out to get the extra $$$.
#20
Genuinely curious as we are starting to see more of these transmission failure threads and they are failing way too early for a Toyota product. I changed the transmission fluid changed at 96k Miles and it was dark as night, even though I have the factory transmission cooler and the car does not have a tow hitch. For everybody asking for PROOF that you need to change the ATF, are transmission failures, burnt smelling dark fluid, and hard shifts not enough proof? You will never see enough proof if you keep your eyes closed. If not for it being my wife's car and her hating car shopping, I would probably get rid of ours...
#21
I just replaced my tranny fluid after about 82K km but already three years since I'd consider hot and cold temps here in Canada's capital as extreme driving conditions. C$170 every three years is cheap tranny insurance for me.
#22
Hope you dont have to collect.
Salim
#23
My car doesn't show the gears shifting on the dash. It just shows the max gear I have selected and leaves that on the dash while I'm driving.
#24
Just curious, what were the symptoms leading up to the transmission giving up? Was it sudden, or were there signs ahead of time? Did it leave you stranded, or without a couple gears, or something else? Was your car mainly driven City or mixed? Do you have the tow prep package, which has the transmission cooler?
Genuinely curious as we are starting to see more of these transmission failure threads and they are failing way too early for a Toyota product. I changed the transmission fluid changed at 96k Miles and it was dark as night, even though I have the factory transmission cooler and the car does not have a tow hitch. For everybody asking for PROOF that you need to change the ATF, are transmission failures, burnt smelling dark fluid, and hard shifts not enough proof? You will never see enough proof if you keep your eyes closed. If not for it being my wife's car and her hating car shopping, I would probably get rid of ours...
Genuinely curious as we are starting to see more of these transmission failure threads and they are failing way too early for a Toyota product. I changed the transmission fluid changed at 96k Miles and it was dark as night, even though I have the factory transmission cooler and the car does not have a tow hitch. For everybody asking for PROOF that you need to change the ATF, are transmission failures, burnt smelling dark fluid, and hard shifts not enough proof? You will never see enough proof if you keep your eyes closed. If not for it being my wife's car and her hating car shopping, I would probably get rid of ours...
Car is mostly highway driven. No tow prep package.
I was seriously thinking of getting rid of this car while it was being repaired (for 10 days). But my choice of alternative luxury SUVs are all premium gas and I would lose lot of money if I sold this car so I have decided to keep it for longer since I got brand new transmission now. I am really hoping this problem doesn't come back again though because I was told it would cost $7K CDN to do this job.
#25
What I meant was when in Drive and on the highway in (I trust) 6th gear, if you slide it over to S it will show the next lower gear (5th) and you should feel it. I do not recall if it shows different gears if you start selecting them manually.
#26
I made a mistake earlier- RX at 120kmh spins at 2400 RPM, my IS spins at 2900RPM
sorry for the confusion
as for the fluids I’m going to have a drain and fill done with my next few oil changes as I currently have 100k Kms and I want to keep this vehicle for quite a while.
the diff and transfer case fluids were changed at 64k Kms like my ‘05 RX and the fluid was in pretty rough shape, plus I changed to synthetic gear oil too.
great thread and I love reading everyone’s perspective on this issue as it isn’t black and white rather it’s ‘grey’. The transmission fluid of the 3rd generation reminds me a lot of the lack of service interval for the Power steering fluid in the 2nd generation RX.
sorry for the confusion
as for the fluids I’m going to have a drain and fill done with my next few oil changes as I currently have 100k Kms and I want to keep this vehicle for quite a while.
the diff and transfer case fluids were changed at 64k Kms like my ‘05 RX and the fluid was in pretty rough shape, plus I changed to synthetic gear oil too.
great thread and I love reading everyone’s perspective on this issue as it isn’t black and white rather it’s ‘grey’. The transmission fluid of the 3rd generation reminds me a lot of the lack of service interval for the Power steering fluid in the 2nd generation RX.
#27
Power steering fluid is an item that is very easy to maintain if at every oil change you remove as much fluid as you can from the fill container and then replace it with new fluid. Do that 4 times and you have essentially replaced all the power steering fluid as most systems only hold about a quart. A cheap fluid pump or turkey baster works to get the fluid out. Only takes a few minutes.
#28
Not sure if its a good idea to go in S while driving on the highway since the default gear is 4. Don't want another dead transmission.
#29
Power steering fluid is an item that is very easy to maintain if at every oil change you remove as much fluid as you can from the fill container and then replace it with new fluid. Do that 4 times and you have essentially replaced all the power steering fluid as most systems only hold about a quart. A cheap fluid pump or turkey baster works to get the fluid out. Only takes a few minutes.