trhs75

Good idea, Thomas. There was a great independent tranny shop here which AAMCO bought out. I don't know that I'd go there anymore -- there's another well-respected independent shop my mom used to use before I wouldn't let her drive anymore. They don't specialize in trnsmissions; do you think that's a concern?

code58

Where in Ia. do you live? I would go to a TRANS shop, not a general mechanic shop. The RX is essentially the same as a Camry (to R&R it and overhaul it) so it shouldn't be a mystery to any decent trans shop.
I definitely 2nd Thomas's warning about AAMCO!!! Stay far away from them!

hypervish

x3, stay the eff away from Aamco. They are trash, I get chill's just thinking of Aamco.

trhs75

That's what I hear! I'm in Des Moines, Iowa. Our best known shop is gone. I found several in the phone book, but I'm not familiar with any of them. Our local Lexus dealer today quoted $5200-5400 for an installed Lexus-rebuilt tranny. I'm not saying it's unreasonable, but it kind of "totals" my daughter's '99 if the tranny goes out.

buset

hey !! yeall !!! my sisters car have the same problem, she went to independent mechanic and what they did is they plushed the old trans fluid put new one drive 3-4 times around the block , plushed again , put new one again drive again they did four times doing this. don't use the one you drained ( note you can use the wallmart brand for plushing ) and final refill use the rx trans fluid from lexus and change the filter too. she spent less than $ 600 for parts and labor. if you DIY it will be cheaper.. let us know the update .......

KA8

iTrader: (1)

Getting tranny work done at Aamco is like getting engine work done at Jiffy lube. Please avoid them. If you find an independent you should be able to get a used one installed for $1500 tops.

Carver

Has anyone ever used one of the remans on eBay? A FWD runs about 1500 plus 150 shipping. Even with extras you could probably get out for 2500 with a two year warranty.

twa2k

because I was talking with my wife the other day and she asked what the shop did to the RX to determine that the transmission was shot. I stated I didn't know, but only that the mechanic I spoke to over the phone stated he checked the dipstick and the fluid was black, burnt, and was covered with shavings. Remembering back to the morning when I was stuck on the side of the road, - I checked the tranmission fluid. At that time it was still pinkish and did not have a burnt smell.

Well yesterday (being Sunday), I swung by the shop and popped the hood on the RX to check the condition of the ATF. Pinkish, no smell, no shavings! After reading a few posts by those who had similar situations and were lucky to find that it was just a clogged filter - I've decided to have the RX towed to my home where I plan to do a complete drain, filter change, fill...in hopes that I can get my RX driving again.

Is this just a pipe dream or is there a good chance (considering the fluid's condition) that I might be one of the lucky ones?

hypervish

I think there's a very high chance that your tranny is fine, just do another 2 drain and fill's soon. Just to be on the safe side!

twa2k

Well...after dropping the pan I found about a half dozen BB sized chunks of metal and a ton of sludge in the pan so I knew the transmission was shot. There really was nothing for me to do but change the filter and fill with new fluid which was a waste of resources but I wasn't going to start the engine with the transmission pan dry. I was left with 2 choices...

1. Sell the RX as is and get possibly $3500
or
2. Fix the RX

This RX has been a perfect vehicle since we drove it off the Lexus showroom floor 9 years ago...So the search began to find a reputable mechanic that could rebuild the transmission for the best price. Most shops I spoke with seemed oblivious to the idea that a RX could have transmission problems and of course, had never worked on one. Those that had done RX transmission just pulled the broken one and replaced with a rebuilt one...never really knowing what was failing internally. These shops were quoting $2500 and up. To cut the the chase...I was referred to a shop in Lewisville TX called "Texas Transmissions" (1301 S Stemmons Frwy)...who works on RX transmissions all the time. There were a few negative comments on-line about the shop...but mainly had to do with delays. He (Rafael) claimed most failed RX transmissions can be repaired for about $800 (and that includes a warranty). Well...4 days after having the RX towed to his shop...my RX is back on the road and runs as good as new...he even installed a tranmission cooler!

If you're in the Dallas area and your RX transmission is starting to give you concerns...google search this shop.

thomas1

That is fantastic...great find in Texas...

Carver

Incredible, I just put that in my contacts, very good information!

JAB

Lucky you. I was out about $3,500 when mine crapped out. And that was at a Toyota, not Lexus, dealer.

bufferdan

So did it cost $800? Did they say what actually went bad/what they replaced?

mattbatson

sorry to dig up an old post...but I was looking back at old posts to try and find an answer to my throttle cable question, when I ran into this...

I'm also curious what the 800 dollar fix was? If there were metal chunks in the oil, you had an internal mechanical part fail.

This means pulling the trans and splitting the case