49erGS460

Hi all, I've been following this thread for the past couple of weeks as my 2001 RX300 FWD with 124k has developed the same symptoms as mentioned here. P0770 code, car running rough between 1-2-3 gears, etc. I took Rezman's advice and opened a ticket with Lexus corporate (doesn't seem to be going very far as they are claiming that the tranny is well beyond the expected life)

I finally got it in to my local dealership a couple days ago and their diagnostic confirmed the following:

- tranny indeed needs replacing ($3850 OTD)
- valve cover gasket (rear?) needs replacing along with new spark plugs ($899 list price)
- oil pan gasket leak ($399 list)
- battery ($199 list)

The dealer has come back with an all-in cost (including taxes, but excluding the battery) of $4950. Would appreciate additional feedback on how involved the two unexpected leaks actually are and what a fair counter price would be. Thanks in advance!

VegasRX300

2 year Old thread..... but I did a quick search on Craigslist for you.
I found a couple of transmissions and engines, right in California too.

This trans was for an AWD but I'm sure they have others. It was a JDM for $900 complete. Again it was for AWD.

JDM Engine Pro
760 E. Lambert Ave. Unit D
La Habra, CA. 90631
(no phone number listed, would have find the listing and email them or look them up)

Another listing I saw was for an JDM engine. Also AWD. $1199 complete with guarantee.
In their ad they also stated they had transmissions too.
Also in California:

JDM of California, Inc.
1505 S. Dupont Ave. Suite E
Ontario, CA.
909-390-9992
www.jdmcaliforina.com

I know nothing about these 2 companies. I just saw them on Craigslist.

Its hard to go wrong with a low mileage JDM and that would be the way I would go myself if my trans or motor went.
For about 1/2 the cost of what they want to fix your trans you would have a newer engine & transmission depending on installation costs.
Just my 2 cents

Rezman

I would say 124,000 miles is well within the expected life of a Toyota transmission. What I told customer care was that if I expected a transmission to be dead by 100,000 miles I would have bought a product from GM or Ford. I told them I bought a Lexus because of the stellar reputation of Toyota drive trains and engines, a reputation that told me I could expect at least 300,000 miles out of this vehicle. They offered $1000 initially, I countered with $2000 and we met in the middle.

The total cost of the repairs you listed, at the dealer price, is about equal to the value of the car at this point. If you can't get Lexus to pony up, based on the mountain of evidence about the early failure of this transmission, then I would either go with VegasRX300's advice, or sell the thing for parts and be done. (My repair was definitely worth it - I work at home so only drive it around 5 or 6k miles per year, if I get another 4-6 years out of it I'll be in good shape.)

salimshah

Now the first gen RX are so old (16yrs) that this discussion is academic only.
Legal liability for Lexus corp is till the warranty run out. [about 60k miles]. Then if a customer has extended warranty, that gives them extra miles and years. Beyond that it is purely goodwill. Your dealership can bat for you, but that usually depends upon the relationship you have with them (service history as an example). The third factor is who is going to do the repairs and if the service dept will then they can defray some cost and still bill Lexus for the goodwill. The nice part is the warranty after repairs. I personally wish Lexus was more generous, but heck it is a business. At 120k you are twice over the promised warranty.

20-25 years ago 100K miles of trouble free ownership earned you a gold-star in auto business.

Salim

49erGS460

Thanks so much, VegasRX300! Unfortunately, I'm in Northern California and these are a bit out of reach for me.

Thanks Rezman! I unfortunately had no such luck with my dealings with corporate. I'm in the same boat as you, working from home and not putting that many miles on the vehicle. Looks to be a worthwhile investment (fingers crossed!) Got the dealer to budge a little on the cost, and the idea of springing way more for a new (or used) Lexus pretty much rules it out.

Thanks as always for your input, Salim!

EnzoRX

Hi all,

I started this thread a couple of years ago. Just an update...

I just passed 107,000 miles on the RX300. I took it in for the drain and fill at the transmission shop that rebuilt the transmission. The fluid came out cherry, cough syrup red still. It was replaced with Type T-IV.

The transmission is still performing great. No issues whatsoever. The RX is now closing in on being 14 years old and I intend to keep it until I run it into the ground.

I have a 18 quarts of Castrol Transmax ATF sitting on the shelf of my garage. This will be going into the RX when I do my own drain and fills.

I believe that I made the right decision in rebuilding the transmission. It is strictly a weekend vehicle/family-vacation-long-drive vehicle now and I do not put much mileage on it. I believe it will last me a few more years and when it finally quits, I will be shopping for another RX.

matts6887

wow; only 107,000 miles!; and i thought mine was a spring chicken at 136,---- miles(136 and change). I hope to not have to do that(drain and fill) for awhile yet as mine still looks pretty fresh like it was changed just before we bought my rx back at the end of january.

Unsober1

I just recently sold my AWD 2000 RX. It treated my right. I bought it as a CPO in 2003 with 40k miles. I sold it with 180k miles. Unfortunately I too had the tranny die. That was at 140k. It was a daily driver at that time and went to AAMCO for rebuild. I paid a little over $3k and was offered 36k mile warranty. Happy with everything. This car served my family well. Only real out of pocket expense I had. Besides of course general maintance things. I have had three lexus vehicles. All have treated me well. Yes lexus, shame on you for these issues, but still a great ride never the less. A lot of the parts and engineering for the RX is based from the Toyota camry. Maybe this should have been a bit more tougher for a larger vehicle. My second lexus was a LS430. This too was a great car. And with minimal flaws. My current Lexus is a LS460. Which I love, but has its flaws too. We can say shame on you lexus about many things, but there are so many things they do right. Especially when you compare it to the other luxury companies out there. We by a lexus for many reasons. Own some of the lexus competitors vehicles, and you will appreciate the things lexus does right, and forgive some of the wrong. I do agree it's hard to forgive a transmission.

NateJG

I made the mistake of telling my new S.O. (we're both widowed) that I've had to replace the transmission in nearly every car I've owned -- and she doesn't like me to drive her cars.

When looking for a new vehicle, she wanted a Prius -- so I bought the Prius on Steroids.

The car it replaced was a loved Passat - and that car started forgetting to keep the torque convertor locked up -- which resulted in a factory remanufactured 5-speed auto at around 92K miles. Surprised at that failure, I drove it like an old man (well, I almost am that - but surely not so at heart) until I sold it at 145K miles.

The new owner drove it for several months and 20K miles - and that transmission went out. Now get this:

VW was unable to come up with a factory remanufactured transmission for a 13-year old flagship vehicle! The new owner was presented with a $5,000+ estimate for a NEW transmission!

My son had an amusing observation/suggestion to me when I was shopping for a car a couple summers ago: "...You Lease a German Car; and you Buy a Japanese Car...". I had to laugh - then gave it some real thought - especially since the transmission in my Z4 is a ZF-manufactured sibling to that which was in my Passat.

So, while looking and driving dozens of cars (literally) that summer, and with my son's comments in mind, I kept wanting to go with the Top Two Japanese cars (Honda/Toyota); and after a lot of reading/driving/listening - decided on the '13 RXh AWD.

I love the car; and sure hope that I changed my transmission repair trend.

trips1

Sorry for reviving this old thread, but hoping to get some advice from folks on this Transmission specific thread.
My 2001 FWD RX was making a noise when starting from cold and changing to Reverse gear. The noise went away once i changed the Transmission filter and oil, even though these had been changed only 12-14K earlier last year.
The gears were shifting pretty normal before as well as now with the ATF change.

Pasting my question that i had put on another thread. The thread was related to squealing noise as in the beginning it was not confirmed that the noise is from the transmission.

Performed the full Transmission pan/filter/oil DIY and the noise has gone away.There were metal shavings on the magnet and two very small pieces of metal in the pan.
Have been performing this DIY on my 2001 RX FWD almost every 15-20K since it had 80K miles, but i guess at 151K end of my Transmission may be coming soon. The gears were shifting pretty normal even with the noise at all the different speeds.

Anyways any suggestions to get more life out of my Transmission? Or something that i can get done on it by any Transmission specialist which is going to be cheaper than the full transmission replacement if it fails.
I am planning to driver it for another 3-4 years (hopefully)!

Bill Dowd

Something I heard is that you can weld the ends of the planetary gears to make them last a lot longer this was told to me by Tustin transmission here in Southern California. This is what they do to make the Toyota's and Lexus RX 300 to go the distance on a rebuilt transmission.