Lexus Lawsuit - Transmission-VSC/P2757 Issues
01-17-16, 06:27 PM
#18
Newport Lexus also does a fluid "exchange" with about 4 quarts. The service advisor showed me his screen and i saw that a "fluid exchange" took 4 quarts and iirc a "drain/fill" was more like 1-2 qts. Strange.
01-18-16, 07:42 AM
#19
A drain & fill on the other hand, drains whatever fluid will come out with no pressure to release it. Then the unit is closed, and filled up with whatever fluid amount needs replacing and you're on your way. I just remember years ago when my dad did a tranny flush on our caravan ('88 Dodge) and the tranny about a couple months later started slipping like crazy. From that time I just remember thinkning a flush is no gusta lol
01-18-16, 09:43 AM
#20
Driver School Candidate
flush
I have no experience with tranny flushes, but the transmission shop who replaced my solenoid refused to do a flush. They have seen too many damaged transmissions as a result. Even though it doesn't always harm the transmission, it was a risk they didn't want to assume. Their advice was to leave the gunked on stuff alone, and to do a drain & fill every 10,000 miles until clean. Another mechanic recommended every 5000 miles until clean.
01-19-16, 02:49 PM
#21
I have no experience with tranny flushes, but the transmission shop who replaced my solenoid refused to do a flush. They have seen too many damaged transmissions as a result. Even though it doesn't always harm the transmission, it was a risk they didn't want to assume. Their advice was to leave the gunked on stuff alone, and to do a drain & fill every 10,000 miles until clean. Another mechanic recommended every 5000 miles until clean.
Yeah. A member here was doing a drain and fill with each oil change over the course of a year, which amounted to about 4 procedures done within 12 months. I normally do my oil changes around every 5,000 miles, usually under and never exceeding that mileage interval. I've always used synthetic oil in my cars whether necessary or not since I feel the engine should be able to have as best fluid in it as possible...even if it means forking over $20 extra per change compared to the regular stuff.
I think the shop you mentioned in your post saw the havoc a flush can "potentially" wreak on a transmission, or any mechanical unit most likely due to deposit build up and then the eventual dislodging which would create undo friction in the unit. Some here have done flushes, driven their cars for many miles with no issues so power to them.
01-19-16, 03:44 PM
#22
Lexus Test Driver
welp, if that's the case I guess all Ls400 owners should start a class action lawsuit about the power steering issues they all have, of, and a lawsuit about the failing hood struts too, right? SMH!
01-21-16, 04:43 PM
#23
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04-25-17, 10:29 AM
#25
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Faulty transmission
Include me in that lawsuit. I have a 2007 is250 with only 125,000 miles on it and now they say it needs a transmission. I took it in multiple times WHILE under warranty complaining that something was wrong with my transmission and they would perform recalls claiming that would fix the problem. All the recalls were a cover up to buy more time so the cars eventually fall out of warranty and they get out of doing costly repairs under warranty. My car is now out of warranty and now they admit it is the transmission but refuse to fix it because it is out of warranty. So I have a well taken care of lexus with only 125,000 miles on it that sits because I refuse to pay for something that lexus should fix.
04-25-17, 10:51 AM
#26
It's a ten year old car with over a 100k miles, you are owed nothing. Should they last longer, yes? Has Lexus goodwilled cars that are older and with more miles? Of course, but mechanical things do break.
The great part about Lexus is that well maintained ones often drive just like they did when they were knew, even after years of service and hundreds of thousands of miles, but people need to understand that anything mechanical can break at anytime. It's unreasonable to think that a 10 year old car won't have something go wrong with it.
The great part about Lexus is that well maintained ones often drive just like they did when they were knew, even after years of service and hundreds of thousands of miles, but people need to understand that anything mechanical can break at anytime. It's unreasonable to think that a 10 year old car won't have something go wrong with it.
Last edited by RXGS; 04-25-17 at 12:20 PM.
04-27-17, 12:14 PM
#27
I agree that NOT changing the fluid is a BAD idea. I also understand the unit is sealed and when I asked my dealer they acted like they didn't want to touch it, which didn't build my confidence in their shop's ability to change/flush it properly. I have read several tech's posts on here and I believe you guys recommend the BK? FLUSH service to be done at the dealer? Urban legend is that FLUSHing is bad, and instead should just be drained and filter replaced, is this not applicable to the GS trans? It sounds dicey and I would never attempt it myself. It's not a TURBO400!!! 
So with that in mind, my GS350 has 125k and to my knowledge never been serviced/flushed. TECHS and senior moderators: would I be wise to get the BK flush service done?
So with that in mind, my GS350 has 125k and to my knowledge never been serviced/flushed. TECHS and senior moderators: would I be wise to get the BK flush service done?
04-27-17, 06:44 PM
#28
^My dealer only does a flush, they recommend it at 100k and it costs $400. I would ASSUME they wouldn't offer to do flushes if they were truly harmful. That being said, I opted to do a drain and fill (at 111k miles) and got 3 quarts out. I will probbably do so again in a month or two. The only person willing to do it was a shop in Canada just outside Toronto. No transmission shop locally would touch it and the dealer said they don't do drain and fills.
04-27-17, 07:03 PM
#29
Lexus Fanatic
As to a lawsuit, I don't see that a lawsuit about a transmission failing in a 10 year old 120,000+ mile car is going to get anywhere. A vehicle at that age is well beyond what would reasonably be considered to be the period where a vehicle's manufacturer was responsible for a component failure. The only POSSIBLE argument would be that their assertion that the fluid is a "lifetime" fluid contributed to the components failure. But, you'd have to prove that changing the fluid would have extended the transmissions life.
Now, to a more pragmatic topic, what do you do about your transmission. So, Lexus says "you need a new transmission". You might, but I bet you actually don't. Lexus dealers have a "replace first" mentality, they don't fix things, they just replace components until they solve the issue. That approach is fine when Lexus is paying, but when you are paying and the car is old, thats not going to work lol.
What you need to do is take the car to an independent mechanic and get a second opinion. You need to be exploring remanufactured transmissions or used transmissions or rebuilding the transmission you have. No need to spend $5k on a new transmission on a car that old.
Now, to a more pragmatic topic, what do you do about your transmission. So, Lexus says "you need a new transmission". You might, but I bet you actually don't. Lexus dealers have a "replace first" mentality, they don't fix things, they just replace components until they solve the issue. That approach is fine when Lexus is paying, but when you are paying and the car is old, thats not going to work lol.
What you need to do is take the car to an independent mechanic and get a second opinion. You need to be exploring remanufactured transmissions or used transmissions or rebuilding the transmission you have. No need to spend $5k on a new transmission on a car that old.
02-06-21, 04:44 PM
#30
Driver School Candidate
Seems like an ongoing debate about the transmissions in the 3rd gen GS. While a lot of members have shared their gripes about tranny woes and it either being the fluid variance (too little, or too old) or solenoid malfunction, I find it odd Lexus chose a unit of this type, and offers no maintenance on the unit. If they "recommend" it be serviced by a Lexus certified tech (ironically a caveat so to avoid the one-off customer going to ABC Tranny's and then experiencing a malfunctioning unit -- think lawsuit avoidance here*) isn't this a game they're playing to avoid the initial post recommending a lawsuit against Lexus if someone were to go that route? If in the past they've had to bite the bullet for performing work on their own product with future problems shortly thereafter, then Lexus should step up to the plate, train their mechanics PROPERLY about their vehicles, and provide adequate maintenance servicing.
I mean the dealers refuse to even touch the unit as I've been turned away from even when I offered to pay out of pocket to have a drain and fill done at my local Lexus dealer (Bay Ridge Lexus) with the same response: it's a sealed unit with lifetime fluid lasting until 100K....so does that mean at 100K miles these cars went a "lifetime" and become sitting ducks? Was this generation GS intended to be a goner upon reaching this mileage? I think this is a poor method Lexus has instilled with this particular car's maintenance schedule because a member here actually had his tranny fluid drained and filled, and had the old fluid tested for it's effectiveness and low and behold -- the tests confirmed the fluid's viscosity and performance to be greatly decreased - at 60,000 miles!! Imagine what 100,000 mile old fluid would look like, let alone members' who've gone past that. That would be the same as implying the engine too can last until 100K miles without an oil change. Seem sensible? Doubtful.
To see someone pay $50K+ for a brand new car that won't last as long as a Corolla is another example of corporate ignorance. If the transmission has this "lifetime fluid" within them, then Lexus should stand by that claim with a warranty UNTIL that mileage and eat any issues that come their way with respect to these units should any problems surface before that mileage.
Maybe start a poll here to see how many people would be interested in going that route of applying for class action in order to make Lexus stand by their claim of the transmissions specs for any current owners regardless on how many times a car has changed hands. 100Kmiles is 100Kmiles, right?
**Since Lexus won't touch these transmissions which forces some people to go to an independent mechanic, if that shop doesn't follow proper procedure for this car (since it seems it has to be a very precise process) it seems underhanded that the route some people are forced to go is buy an entire new unit costing into the thousands since they would want something with a warranty so to avoid going through the headache of another multi-thousand dollar repair.
I mean the dealers refuse to even touch the unit as I've been turned away from even when I offered to pay out of pocket to have a drain and fill done at my local Lexus dealer (Bay Ridge Lexus) with the same response: it's a sealed unit with lifetime fluid lasting until 100K....so does that mean at 100K miles these cars went a "lifetime" and become sitting ducks? Was this generation GS intended to be a goner upon reaching this mileage? I think this is a poor method Lexus has instilled with this particular car's maintenance schedule because a member here actually had his tranny fluid drained and filled, and had the old fluid tested for it's effectiveness and low and behold -- the tests confirmed the fluid's viscosity and performance to be greatly decreased - at 60,000 miles!! Imagine what 100,000 mile old fluid would look like, let alone members' who've gone past that. That would be the same as implying the engine too can last until 100K miles without an oil change. Seem sensible? Doubtful.
To see someone pay $50K+ for a brand new car that won't last as long as a Corolla is another example of corporate ignorance. If the transmission has this "lifetime fluid" within them, then Lexus should stand by that claim with a warranty UNTIL that mileage and eat any issues that come their way with respect to these units should any problems surface before that mileage.
Maybe start a poll here to see how many people would be interested in going that route of applying for class action in order to make Lexus stand by their claim of the transmissions specs for any current owners regardless on how many times a car has changed hands. 100Kmiles is 100Kmiles, right?
**Since Lexus won't touch these transmissions which forces some people to go to an independent mechanic, if that shop doesn't follow proper procedure for this car (since it seems it has to be a very precise process) it seems underhanded that the route some people are forced to go is buy an entire new unit costing into the thousands since they would want something with a warranty so to avoid going through the headache of another multi-thousand dollar repair.