snakehead

iTrader: (1)

I tried to get my trans fluid changed on my 04 LS430 and over here at Wood Land Hills ,Ca Lexus they told me , That they do not ever change the fluid because it is a sealed trans and they do not have the know how.
This was after i made the appointment and dropped my car off for an hour

SteveM

Yea this was the issue prompting me to make this thread. Others have said that they too were told that Lexus doesn't do the fluid swap. But as with any fluid, doing it's function makes it dirty eventually and you might want it changed. Some places will do it and I think it's just a question of at what mileage should it be done. Any other Lexus dealer or Toyota dealer around?

LS430inDE.

When I told the service writer all the fluid changes that I wanted changed (tranny, rear diff, brake oil, & coolant), he said they would be $150 each for labor/materials. When I requested those services, it was "a la carte" meaning just certain things I was requesting service on.

The service writer came up with the idea of doing the "30k" service, then adding those fluid changes to it, because the labor rate is reduced when they write up a ticket for a "30k" or "60k" etc scheduled service.

As I didn't need a tire rotate or air filter, oil change, or other stuff that I do myself, but they are supposed to be done on the "30k" serivce, the service writer credited me some $$$ for NOT doing those services, then added my fluid changes to the requested work order.

It kinda annoyed me, but the total bill was not broken down item by item. It just had the total--- $520 if I remember correctly, and all the services that they performed.

GeorgeT

When did Lexus seal the transmission? My dealer has changed the transmission fluid in my '02 every 25,000 miles since new.

LS430inDE.

You must TOW with your Lexus or powershift the tranny (lol)...right? If not, I think every 25k is pretty darn excessive!

snakehead

iTrader: (1)

In 2004 they sealed them.

GeorgeT

Not as expensive as a new tranny!

ejthomp

See...but then why not every 10k miles? Every 5k miles? Nothing is as expensive as a new tranny.... How about taking Lexus engineers at their word and changing it at the intervals they recommend?

I just object to waste.... If everyone was changing oil at 3k miles...that is a lot of oil changes for absolutely no environmentally or FINANCIALLY sound reason.

Automotive engineers don't just pull these numbers out of their ****. Some study goes into setting these guidelines.

campisi

Indeed! Post of the Day.

V8_Fan

The WS fluid is only "lifetime" if you believe the life of the car is 100K mi like in the old days (also when 3K mi oil changes were the norm). While modern engines can go a lot further than those of yesteryear, if you plan to keep your car for a long time, it's better to change the fluids at a reasonable interval. 60k mi for the ATF and super long life coolant is long enough. Ditto if you live where there are temperature extremes (below 32F, above 90F). OHOH, if you plan to sell it, then I wouldn't bother changing it.

Besides where, you have to also consider how the vehicle is driven. If it's mostly city/stop & go like in most metropolitan areas, that is the same as "severe" condition driving. Stop & go forces the tranny to shift a lot more and the torque converter doesn't fully lockup until about 48mph, so you are wearing the clutch material, and that goes into the ATF (just like brake dust coats one's wheels as pads wear). The "normal" driving ratings are more like conditions in rural Japan...virtually no traffic lights, constant 50mph. When I lived in Yokohama, during the summertime, people go "driving" by the seaside, which means sitting in a car w/ AC on idling in a huge traffic jam on a 90F day with 90% humidity. That's why they recommend 1K mi oil changing intervals there...the engines are constantly running, but the wheels aren't turning! Cars rarely see more than 30K mi in their lifetime, so they get stripped down for parts which are sold abroad.

bigcory

So whats the real answer? Should we be changing our fluids in the sealed transmission, more often then the recommened.

How much are you guys paying independent shops to service this? drain, refill and seal?

warminwisc

90 bucks at Yota.

tsslaporte

Lots of places wont touch your transmission fluid if its over 80k miles. I do a whole flush on my car every 30k. My Dads LS is almost at 76k and I keep urging him to get it changed

bigcory

AFTER 80k miles? Whats the reasoning they gave you behind that one? I could understand them saying that it does not need to be done BEFORE.

For those that have changed their fluid, I read on another post that you can either drop the pan or the fluid lines. If you drop the pan you only get about 2quarts out, where you can get the majority of it by going through the line. What have you guys had done when you had your fluid changed. I don't think I want to pay for a partial fluid change.....

Jabberwock

Don't know the origin but I have also heard this advice/story many times - not from trained mechanics just word of mouth mostly, for the last 30 years - "If you haven't changed Tranny fluid on a car ever and it has 80k or more its better to just leave old fluid because changing the fluid would cause clean out the old tranny and cause it to fail.