farcry80

Hi all,
Have been searching though the forums and there seems to be a lot of advice for RX330 owners to change their fluid at 60k but didnt find much for the RX350.

I have my car at an indy shop for the 60k service and told him that I wanted the tranny oil changed. He just called and told me that it specifically says on the dipstick (I think) that you should not change the oil. Supposedly he spoke to his contact at Lexus and they tell him the same thing. Furthermore the tranny oil is clear.

Ofcourse he said that if I still wanted to change the oil they could go ahead and do that but he'd rather stick with Lexus's recommendations.

Thoughts??

lexus114

I`m not aware of any fluid that doesnt require a change at some point in time.Just like when clear coat paint became popular,they claimed it did not need to be waxed (yeah right!) Now the dealerships try and sell you a paint protection that last`s for a year or more,again yeah right.

phlfly

I'm not sure, but may be newer then 2004 models has last long fluid, Toyota called life time. If it's I would changed at 100,000, because it's synthetic, and last longer, but I'm not sure, you need to find out at the dealer or your manual.

mandyfig

Drain and Fill, do a search. We do drain and fill with Toyota T-IV fluid. I do it every 15K.

Never flush the tranny.

Just drain and fill, takes 4 quarts.

xfirechief

Never heard of a lifetime fluid, even a synthetic fluid requires a change at some point. Change the fluid or change the tranmission.

Nick T

farcry,

the RX350 uses Toyota WS ( World Series ) ATF . Technically this fluid is good for the lifetime of the transmission as the transmission is " sealed " from the factory.

If your transmission is similar to the ES350 / newer Camry the ONLY place to flush your ATF is at a Toyota or Lexus dealer as the Toyota WS ATF has to be heated to the correct temperature before being poured in.

If your transmission is like the 04-06 LS430 then the heat cycling step can be skipped and therefore you can have it done almost anywhere.. just be sure to use ONLY Toyota WS ATF.

Luck.

lexus114

oh boy,more lubed for life stuff.their is no way to change it?

farcry80

Hey Nick T,
Thanks for that very helpful reply on the RX350 tranny fluid.

It's not that I want to change the transmission oil, but rather should I?
So I guess you are saying that I shouldn't, right?

Mandyfig,
Thanks for the recommendation but the search with drain and fill ONLY brings up recommendations for the RX330. I am specifically looking for recommendations for the 2007 RX 350.

mandyfig

Should be the same. Just do a regular drain and fill using the T-IV fluid. Or the WS fluid which is the Toyota "Worldwide Standard." What does it say on your manual?

Nick T

farcry,

How long do you plan to keep the car? The transmission will last to 100k miles easlily without a fluid change. Personally I would change the ATF at either the 60k ( **** retentive ) or 100k ( less OCD ) service.

Just keep in mind I know for a fact that the ES350 requires heat cycling the WS ATF before you can put it in, if your transmission is similar it should NOT have a dipstick at all and service can only be performed by a toyota or lexus dealer. They will charge you 12qts @ $9-12/qt plus 2 hours labor @ $90-160/hr.

Luck

Rainbird

The 2007 RX350 and later uses World Standard Transmission fluid. This fluid is good for the life of the car. Check the service schedule in the maintenance section and you will see that no service is required. The only exception is if you are towing or taking the RX off road.

hypervish

This car does use the World Standard Fluid. I'd suggest not changing it so early, wait till around 100k and do a couple of drain and fill's.

farcry80

Thanks guys for all the great advice.

I am going to be taking my car to a Lexus dealer to do the transmission fluid change at 100k. I plan on keeping this till atleast 200k (knock on wood).

xfirechief

How many people go 100K before getting a new one? If they do, why do it at 100K & then trade it a short time later & loss the benifits of fresh ATF.

If u do it I suggest doing it around 50K to get all the contaminents out & then use a quaility 100% Synthetic ATF. That would be the last change you would ever need then.

Nick T

Toyota WS ATF is a QUALITY 100% Synthetic.

Farcry,
If you plan to keep the car to 200k miles then the 100k flush along the t-belt, water pump etc etc is where I would personally change it.

Regards,