Och

iTrader: (3)

So my 2001 GS430 is pushing near 70K, and I wanted to change the tranny fluid on it, however the local dealership advised me that I should never change the fluid unless the car was driven in harsh conditions and the fluid is dirty. They said I should just add fluid if level is low. I also looked throught Lexus maintenance manual, it has no mentioning of chaning tranny fluid.

I bought the car with 63K, no idea if/when the previous owners ever changed the fluid. What do you guys think?

lexusondubs

iTrader: (9)

my lexus dealership recomended me to do a flush and fill they hook up a machine to flush the old fluid and refill with new fluid some say the tranny shifts better with this done they also give you a 10,000 mile warranty with the flush (i think its 10k) and it is a BG flush ...hope this helps

3dog

iTrader: (1)

Look at the fluid on the dip stick. If it looks new don't change it.
Otherwise go ahead and change it. I would do the commplete flush.
It will give you peace of mind and I would bet it will shift better.
I did it to my car at about 50K
Ivan
3dog

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Did the dealer hire some guy off the streets???

Changing transmission fluid is never a bad thing. Those problems about people having trouble after changing fluid is a myth. If something is wrong after changing fluid, then the problem lies somewhere else, not the tranny fluid. Changing the tranny fluid only if you drive in harsh condition makes as much sense as only changing the engine oil when you drive it hard. Doesn't make sense.

I know people who change their tranny fluid every 3k miles. Yes, 3000 miles. Overkill? Yes, but the shift is like butter (acura legend; they're known for hard 1st to 2nd shifts).

chuckb

that's just silly. on a car like ours with 325lb torque, AT LEAST drain and refill every 30k. I go about 15k. Some say the flush can cause problems.

btw-use only Toyota fluid.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Ok, I'm just going to change the fluid - now many qts do i need to buy?

johnee78

iTrader: (4)

Only 2 quarts (1.9 to be exact) with a drain & fill..

3dog

iTrader: (1)

If you do this you are only diluting the dirty fluid that still remains.

A complete flush is the only way to get rid of all the old fluid


Ivan
3dog

johnee78

iTrader: (4)

By doing this you are gradually flushng out the old tranny fluid with out disturbing anything thats built up inside the tranny..

lexusondubs

iTrader: (9)

some say its bad to flush cause it could break the contaminets loose but with the high pressure and the BG name and warranty they offer i say you have nothing to loose and everything to gain

salimshah

Make sure folks who offer warranty stand behind it.

Pressure flush [not always but] can be detremental. You want all the metal filings etc remain near the magnets and not get back into the fluid flow channels.

Trnasmission fluid is stressed but unlike engine oil no contaminents get in to it.

So a drain and fill is the most unobstrusive way. You want to take it a step further, remove the pan and clean it and add fluid. Next step might be disconnecting the low pressure pipe and feeding fresh fluid while collecting the old [Tricky and potentially desasterous if you fail to provide same volume as being pumped out.[needs to be zeo net gain in the volume]. In this process you are using the pump of the transmission to flush the system.

Next step is to use external pump and cleaner fluid. This can be bad for the stated reasons above. Just make sure the warranty is genuine and you will not be short changes in case of trouble.

Drain and fill is simple, but be careful in reinstalling the drain plug and rember to put in a new crush washer and torque it to the right setting.

Salim

lexusondubs

iTrader: (9)

do you think the dealer would offer something harmful to your car that would cost them costly repairs for a service they recomended ? yes it might be harmful but with the 10k warranty i think your in the clear

salimshah

My dealerhip relationship has been excellent so what I am about to state should be taken with a grain of salt. By no means I am trying to trash talk about dealership service or gouging practices. I am simply stating how things work and how a potential extra profit can be made. As consumers we should be aware.

Service revenew is brought in by keeping the bays full and all workers working all of the time (preferrably only a few master techs and mostly the hired help). So dealership will be eager to sell you all sort of service(s). An honest one will keep this to minimum, customer request or prescribed maintainence.

Warranty is a cost borne by the manufacturer or the insurer. It does not cost the dealership any money, if they have to replace the transmission. They will simply forward the bill to the manuafcturere/insurance/owner.


Back to reality.
The service manual states the reccomended time to drain and fill. New transmissions may soon be available with synthetic ... sealed for life. Prior GS's are not.

Salim