piratemike

Hey Everyone. I have a situation that I would like some advice/suggestions about. I have a 2013 RX350 F-Sport, AWD. The car has just turned 108K miles. About a month ago while I was driving it(this wife's car) I noticed that during very slow acceleration, somewhere around the 2-3 or 3-4 shift I felt a slight shutter. Under normal to harder acceleration it is not noticeable. I took it to the dealer for a regular maintenance and asked them to check it. That was 3 weeks ago. They still have my car. They have said that they cannot determine what is causing this issue and have deemed it "an internal failure", stating that the transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of $8k. I have contacted Lexus customer support to complain that the transmission should not have failed that prematurely. I have basically been given the run around by the dealer and Lexus customer service. They have offered me $1k off the price but stated that it was out of warranty and basically not their problem.
Does any of this sound right? Any ideas what could be causing the trans problem? Who else could I contact at Lexus to complain? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

RX in NC

Did you ever refresh the transmission fluid or were you still running the factory fill of ATF when the transmission failed? No such animal as "lifetime fluid" regardless of what any manufacturer tells you.

Where are you in North Carolina and what dealership are you using?

piratemike

Hello,
We were still running the factory fill. I have asked the dealer about this and was told there was no maintenance required. I live in Hillsborough and use Johnson Lexus in Durham.

RX in NC

Johnson Lexus in Raleigh provided several major after-factory-warranty-expired repairs (including a replacement transmission at no cost to us) on my wife's previous 2000 RX300 way back in 2004. They did this as a goodwill gesture, possibly because it was our first Lexus and I made it clear that I was not happy with the herky-jerky shift characteristics of that vehicle. We worked through Candice Rassette in the service department there. Fast forward to today - she is now known as Candice Ramos and she is the service manager at Johnson Lexus in Durham. Have you spoken with her?

That 2000 RX300 experience taught me to do an ATF drain-and-fill every 30,000 miles as an extra measure of insurance for preserving the transmission. We replaced that vehicle with a 2004 RX330 in February 2007, and I followed that same ATF drain-and-fill schedule on it. No transmission issues at all on that vehicle during our more than five years of ownership. I sold it at 130,000 miles in July 2012 to a guy who was delighted to get it. I plan to follow the same ATF drain-and-fill schedule on my wife's current 2015 RX350 which we acquired in late October 2018. I am convinced that not changing the ATF on a regular basis on these Toyota transmissions is a recipe for disaster. Granted, changing the ATF in the 2000 and 2004 RX models was easy. These newer 3rd generation RX models have a "sealed" transmission with no dipstick / fill tube so it is a much more cumbersome process. But in my opinion, it still needs to be done.

14RX350

I would at least try to change out the fluid before replacing the transmission. Also, you would need to do about 5 drain and fills to get most of the fluid exchanged... Either that or a flush, which is generally not recommended. That would be the first place I would start. If they haven't done that, then that tells you something. And again, doing one drain and fill only gets out about 1/5th of the fluid. So they would have needed to have done more than that

heshamos

Mike, I'm sorry to hear about this.

I'm suggesting to take it to a better shop. I'm thinking a Toyota dealer should be as competent but less pricey. Let them diagnose it and better drop the transmission fluid for refreshment and visual inspection.

piratemike

Thanks for all the replies. I will call about the service manager tomorrow. We were told it was a lady named Tonya.

Clutchless

I agree with those above regarding changing the fluid. I think it is worth trying a transmission fluid exchange, or several drain and fills to see if it improves performance considering the high cost of a new transmission. Maybe it would at least improve shift performance enough that you could dump the vehicle at CarMax and get something else!

However, folks confuse flush and fluid exchange when talking about automatic transmissions. Almost or maybe all of the transmission fluid machines used at reputable shops do a fluid exchange not a flush and are safe to use. What they do is use the vehicle engine running on its own to pump ATF out of the transmission and through a machine that measures the fluid out and exchanges it with new fluid going back into the vehicle. No fluid is pushed through the transmission under pressure. It just circulates what you have.
The machines are sophisticated and can precisely measure the amounts to maintain the correct fluid level. Some shops will use the complicated Toyota/Lexus fluid measurement procedure and some just rely on the BG machine to measure the fluid.
I had one done at my local Toyota dealer where they used a BG brand machine and the vehicle shifts perfectly afterward. This was my niece's 2010 ES350 which has the same transmission as the RX. It only has 50,000 miles and we did it as preventive maintenance.

BG also makes cleaner chemicals that can help in cases of stuck valve bodies etc. What they do is add the cleaner chemical, then run the engine/transmission the required amount of time to clean things up. Afterwards they run the fluid through the exchange machine using the transmission cooler hoses. The hoses are usually clear so you can see the fluid out and in as they are different colors (brown vs red).

On my RX I have always done cold drain and fills which replace about 2 quarts of ATF at a time. I started at 25,000 miles and have done about 6 so far at 68,000 miles. I also replaced the Toyota fluid with MAG 1 full synthetic low viscosity multi vehicle ATF and it shifts even better than it did on WS which is not synthetic.

Good Luck.

piratemike

Again, thanks for all the replies. We also have a 2004 rx330 with 250,000 miles. I do the drain and fills on that one regularly. The problem with the 2013 rx350 F-sport is, it is an 8 speed transmission and in does not have a dipstick tube to refill it. As far as I know, it is impossible to do a drain and fill at home. At least not unless there are some kind of special tools that I obviously don’t have.

14RX350

It just has a bolt on the side that is removed to fill it. It is getting the right fluid level that is difficult. It can be done, but I'd recommend just taking it to a reputable shop. The "fluid exchange" procedure clutchless recommended sounded like a good idea to me. I'd recommend giving a reputable Toyota dealership a call, confirming that they do the fluid exchange... not the flush... not the drain and fill...(unless they're gonna do 5 of them). People seem to get it done for about $150 to $300. Definitely worth giving that a shot. Maybe even ask to speak to the shop foreman and ask if he will do it. It's obviously important that it is done right. If they do help, consider giving them your future business. If your prior dealership didn't change the fluid before recommending a new transmission to you, then you know they aren't looking out for you. That is always the first thing to try before replacing a transmission.... Especially if the fluid is over 100,000 miles old.

azhusker

I
would follow the advice given above regarding changing the trans fluid. On a local weekly radio show emceed by the owner of the best trans shop in Phoenix he recommends changing the fluid every 50K nikes on any trans. On a recent show he specifically mentioned some Toyota vehicles woth around 125K miles woth unusual shifting issues which disappeared after aa fluid change.

piratemike

So here is the latest update. The Lexus dealer has agreed to provide new transmission at no charge if, I Agree to pay the labor. So, it looks like I will be getting a new trans����

heshamos

Right on!!
Congratulations, Mike. I'm still curious about this kind of failure. Do you mind chatting with them and understand the basis of their diagnosis?
btw, how much is the tranny installation?
Thanks.

RX in NC

Did you deal directly with Candice Ramos?

Gonzo4ever

Hi all, realize I'm a bit late to the party but I just had the exact same issue (stuttering or faltering when accelerating through lower speeds, generally 25-40 mph). Mine is a 2015 RX350 fSport and the issue started the day after it was serviced at a Toyota dealership with oil change and coolant flush. Took it back and they diagnosed it as a faulty(?) torque converter. Essentially also transmission issue and quoted somewhere north of $4000 to replace/repair OR the less expensive option of back-to-back transmission flush as a potential fix. Looks like the comments reflect these flushes as beneficial for some cases so I'm going with that option first. Will update on success or failure after the service is completed.