Has anyone changed their transmission fluid on your LS 430?
I need to change tranny oil in my 2004 Lexus LS 430. I don't think the
tranny oil has ever been changed. It currently has 50K miles. Will that cause
a tranny problem if i change the oil 19 years later? Does the age of the transmission oil a factor or just
the milage? Called the Lexus dealership in San Antonio Tx and they said they don't
provide that service since its a sealed system. In my opinion, that unacceptable. I heard
the 2004 transmission already has some type of problem with the Transmission but i get mixed
reviews. Anyone in San Antonio tX have their transmission oil changed? If so, where?

 

I changed it myself in my 2006. I did drain and fill. I do not see a reason why what I did could cause any damage as long as fluid level is correct.

 

how many years had past before you changed the transmission fluid? How many miles before you did the first change?
Trying to figure out if its to late to change the oil and just leave it alone.

 

This is the 1st transmission fluid change since new, 47K miles. I had the same concern as you do before I made the decision so I did the drain and fill as opposed to drop the oil pan. Each drain and fill I put in approximately 1/3 new oil. I did it twice so after the 2nd drain and fill approximately 4/9 of the transmission fluid is still the original. I found small amount of metal particles in the drained fluid, less in the 2nd than in the 1st. Overall the transmission fluid was quite clean. No difference in shifting was noticed. I would do it again in 30K miles but based on how much I drive it that would be years away.

That was about 3 months ago and at the same time I did the same for a 12 year old Tundra. Looking at the drained fluid, the Tundra’s fluid was quite clean as well but I did notice the truck shifted better after the change.

I changed the 2006’s rear differential fluid at the same time and was surprised to see there was quite some dirt collected by the magnetic drain bolt.

 

No promises, but I changed mine at a Lexus dealer around 90k miles / 9 years old in 2014. They also do not service via proper process or drain/refill, but they did have a fluid replacement machine. I had some issues some time later (I don't exactly recall the timeline) where my trans hesitated from a stop or especially a rolling slowdown. Made left turns scary. It was after I started as primary driver on the car from my wife, so probably around 2017. I was thinking of going to a specialist but it 100% resolved itself after a month or so. Maybe a relearning issue? Who knows? Now at 150k miles it is still perfect. I'd recommend it as fresh fluid is probably better long term and the LS430 transmission is not fragile. Anything has some risk... Other fluids too, if you haven't... I've done brake fluid every 3/4 years, coolant with timing belts, differential fluid at 60k and 120k (just because) and even power steering at 140k just because of age... car has had its issues (tires/wheel leaks/too many batteries, etc.) but no major systems problems. I spend more on maintenance than I'd like (not a DYI'er much) but even newer cars require upkeep, if perhaps a little less.

 

Don't overthink it, just change it.
The two most important things to consider are 1. correct fluid and 2. correct fluid level.
1. Toyota WS period. Don't fall for the one fluid fits all marketing ploy of Valvoline or Castrol.

2. The fluid level has to be spot on. Any Toyota dealer will have the correct tools for the job.

 

You have started 2 unnecessary threads. I addressed your inquiry in my response to your other unnecessary thread.
Sorry, I mean not to be a jerk; I know people are busy, but Google is your friend and we are all busy. Don't use the search here. Use Google and start the search with either "LS430 blah blah" or "clublexus LS430 blah blah".

 

Thanks for the good Advice. Glad to here someone else was in the same situation and it turned out OK. I will will do the drain and fills. Sounds like the best thing to do. The lexus dealership quoted $13,000 to replace the transmission. Highway robbery. Probably why they don't want to change any so called sealed transmissions. I will contact the Toyota dealership to get drain and fill done. Will let everyone know how it turns out. Thanks again for the positive responses.

 

I did 3 drain and fills about 3-4 days apart at approx 75k miles. I carefully measured the drained fluid for each drain and replaced with exact same amount of new fluid. each drain is approximately 3 quarts. The old fluid looked OK at 75k miles. By the 3rd drain and fill, the fluid look clear and very clean. Car currently has approx 147k miles. Zero issues with trans. When it hits 160k miles and if I still want to keep it, I'll probably get Toyota or Lexus to do a complete fluid replacement.

 

Yes just do it. Did mine at 190000 miles, shifts and runs better. Not cheap. I am not a mechanic, and had a really good shop do it. $500. But I plan to drive this car for a long time and bugeted for it, a good long term investment.

 

Drain and fill. You may be able to find Idemitsu WS transmission fluid on clearance at AutoZone. Last two times I got 12 quarts total for $2/qt.

 

Check this thread:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...-04-ls430.html

Also check this thread:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...ispreloading=1

 

I honestly don't know what is going on. I just stumbled across this thread. I have a 2004 LS430 with 60,000 miles on it. The transmission works/responds just like the day I purchased it in 2006. Whenever I brought the car to a dealer for whatever they always told me just to leave the transmission alone, don't touch it. Here I'm reading that everyone is having their transmission drained every couple of years or so ? Now I have another major costly situation to deal with in addition to having to change the timing belt. If I read anymore threads I'll go broke.

 

The reason why they say it is:

- the moment they service transmission and something goes wrong, they need to replace the whole unit.

- they don’t have qualified people at most times who know what they are doing when it comes to transmissions.

 

They take risks yet do not make enough money for the service. Lexus recommends services for the same transmission in countries other than US. In some cases Toyota recommends services for the same transmissions Lexus uses and Lexus dealers do not want to touch. The owner pays for transmission replacement if it breaks down, they do not. It is really up to the owner to make the decision. I did not see a lot of dirt in the replaced fluid but I do not see a risk as long as one can make sure fluid level is correct.

Drain and fill does not have to be done very frequently. One recommendation is 60K miles followed by every 30K miles after that. I did it for LS430 at 46K year 16, Tundra at 55K year 12.