About a week ago my 1999 RX300 AWD displayed a new behavior. I slowed down to make a turn and when I accelerated for the turn it first did nothing and then slammed into gear with a thunk, creating quite a jolt for me.

So into the transmission shop it went for a diagnosis. Shop said no codes displayed but that transmission needed a 'soft' rebuild and that the transmission fluid had a burnt smell.

Got the car back today with the following bill:
Banner Kit $648.55
Filter $22.45
Ring Kit $120.50
Fluid $$37.50
Ex Torque Converter $326.11
Electronics $342
Labor $985.15
Total with Tax $2596.03

Any knowledgeable folks who can confirm this is in fact now a rebuilt transmission with the above work?

The ABS light is on and when I questioned them about that they said it would go off by itself but had come on because of being on the rack. Anyone know if this is true or just a brush off?

I'm taking it back to them tomorrow for the following items:

• The steering wheel is no longer centered when driving straight. I called them about this and they said they could fix it but said they didn't think they had done anything that would cause it.
• The steering column seems to vibrate at about 50 mph.
• The shift points seem rough.

The asked me to drive <65 mph for the first 200 miles and then bring it back in at 500 miles for a free check-up. They give a 2 yr or 24,000 mile warranty on their work.

I'm all for trading the car in at this point but since we had already done the shocks and brakes last Dec. and the 90K mile service about a year and a half ago (timing belt replaced etc) it seemed like it might be a good idea to keep it. However since it doesn't 'drive like new' I'm wondering if maybe we shouldn't have traded it in. Before taking it to the shop I took it to a dealer who gave a $5K trade-in value. Thoughts?

 

If those things were in fact not that way before you took it in, you and I both know that's not normal. I worked in automotive most of my life and can tell you for a fact, many times people would claim things weren't that way when the car was brought in, when in fact you could prove to them irrefutably that it had to be. They were looking for something free and were willing to lie to get it. I AM NOT saying that is the case here. If those things were in fact not that way before the repair, hold their feet to the fire, there are bad technicians and bad outcomes too. Good luck!

 

Maybe when they took it for a test drive after rebuild,they might have struck a curb,or hit a big pot hole or something.

 

The dealer offered you $5000 trade in for an RX300 with a dead transmission? Was this off full sticker price on a new car?

 

No, the transmission was not dead. It had slipped that one time. I wanted to see what it would get for a trade in so when I saw the cost to repair it I would know whether to put the money into it. On-line I had seen others repairing their transmission for $4K-$5K. The place I took it for repairs said it only needed a 'soft' rebuild because it had not broken down completely causing damage to other parts.

I take it your thinking I was crazy not to trade it in and go from there. I'm wondering that myself...

 

i would have traded it!

 

You only did what you thought was best at the time.

 

If the steering wheel is not center, I'd check the bolt and nut in the locations shown below. I had a similar issue when I was in Mexico and we tracked it down to a single bolt on the passenger side. The bolts are right near the boots.

ABS light could be on because they had to take the axle out when they did work and it is a sensitive thing. However, my uncle, cousins and I took mine out and not an issue. There are some advanced scanners and diagnostic equipment that can verify where the issue is.

With shift points being rough, wonder if they put enough ATF into it. Also when the axle is out, fluid could also spill out a bit in the transfer case (which takes gear oil).

 

Agree. Check transmission fluid when it's hot. Dont rely on the cold indicator at all. I find japanese transmissions to be very sensitive when it comes to fluid level. If you have a bit too much or not enough, the transmission will be shifting less than idea. Also, make sure you get at least Toyota fluid.

 

Thanks for the input. I will, hopefully, get it back to them tomorrow for the steering wheel fix. I did take it to Costco today to have the tires rotated, rebalanced and filled just in case a low tire pressure was causing the ABS light.

The transmission shop performed a complete computer diagnostic prior to working on it so they know there was no ABS light on. In fact they said it was a by-product of the car being on the rack. They attempted to clear the light using their diagnostic equipment, restarting the car multiple times, pumping the brake etc. I hope that they didn't damage the ABS system while working on it and they can clear it next time I take it in.

Today I drove it with the over drive off and it shifted wonderfully in that mode. Perhaps that is where the shift points are programmed to be optimum. I also noticed that the more I drove it the better it seemed to behave. Perhaps things were just settling in.

Trading in this car wasn't something I had planned on, hence my hesitancy. My plan had been to keep it a few more years and watch for the new alternative fuel technologies and/or more fuel efficient cars. I have to say that over the 10 years I have owned it I have been really impressed with the quality. But I don't like having an unreliable car so I'll have to see how it goes from here. I am in discussion with a couple of dealers I contacted regarding buying a Toyota Sienna. However, now I can take my time and do my research. I figure the $2.5K is nothing if it prevented the car from going dead on the expressway or in an intersection and causing me to be in an accident.

My worry when having my car worked on is, "Did the work get done that needed to get done, no more and no less?" Also sometimes they do damage other thing when they are in there and problems can cascade from there. I loved it when I had my shocks and brakes replaced. I got the car back and it drove wonderfully. I could really tell that the new brakes and shocks made a difference and nothing new was wrong.

I just hope that if I do end up buying new I can get a great deal. Everyone is predicting the dealers will have little business after the cash for clunkers rush so that may work in my favor when negotiating. Unfortunately my car picked a really poor week to have a transmission problem.

Another factor in the decision making was that the Lexus is now at $50 per year registration fee. Really cheap to keep!

 

Gotta love that old car registration fee. That was a pleasant surprise when we got our 99 for our daughter!

 

shift points can be adjusted, if it shifts hard that may go away after a short "break in" period. I personally would have opted to have the planetary gear upgrade done at that point.

 

Hopefully they inspected the planetary gears. They did mention if such and such broke it would have been alot more expensive to fix. I just don't remember what 'such and such' was.

In terms of the rough shifting it does seem to be smoothing out. I've now got about 50 miles on the softly rebuilt transmission so it may have just been things settling in.

We just replaced the cabin air filter this morning. Yuck! If you haven't done this, do it right away. We got the new filter for <$20 at an auto parts store. I can't believe I haven't been doing this every year.

The ABS light is still on and when at the previously mentioned auto parts store I read about how to clear the light. It didn't work so I'm suspecting they didn't align the sensors right or broke something.

 

I finally got my car in yesterday to have the steering wheel adjusted and the ABS light looked at. They fixed everything!

The mechanic was saying in the back 'its not our fault', the front office guy said 'we weren't in that area' but the owner said 'it wasn't on when it came in and it was when it left so keep looking in the area where you were working'. He was my advocate, I didn't have to get in there and advocate for myself. I was really impressed!

It took them a few hours to track it down but a wire had been pulled loose. They resoldered it back on and all was good.

I was very impressed that they took responsibility and kept at it until it was fixed.

Also after the first 50 miles or so everything settled in and shifted much smoother. They will reinspect it at 500 miles for free. So if anyone in the Denver area is looking for a transmission shop I can highly recommend www.advancedtransmission.com.

 

I just paid $3500 to rebuild my tranny!. The dealer wanted >$5000.