SethKevin

She poured transmission fluid in the hybrid coolant reserve of our 2006 Lexus RX400h. The dealer says it will cost $17,000 to fix. The car only has 52,000 miles and "was" like new. What should we do? thoughts? offers? sympathy?

herbvdh

I would suggest getting a dealer to drain the hybrid cooling system totally and refilling circulate that through for a week or so then have it done again this should get all the tranny fluid out. That is why only the dealer works under my hood unless my son and I do something.

vj3

Sorry about that, how much ATF were poured in coolant reserve ? You need to totally drain your cooling system, I hope the ATF oil didn't circulate your cooling system & engine parts. Call some other dealer for opinion.

Carver

I would certainly attempt to clean out the mess before turning it over to that thieving dealer.

SethKevin

any suggestions as to how or who to go to to clean out the mess?

Carver

Open the drain plug and run fresh fluid in until clear for starters, a decent mechanic can probably suggest a plan of attack.

Did she drive it around until something failed or did she catch it in time, more detail would be helpful.

SethKevin

she drove it around until the "check engine" light came on and then the car wouldn't start. she said she poured less then 1 cup of transmission fluid in the hybrid coolant reserve. i certainly don't want to pay an insane amount to the dealer and welcome and thank you for your suggestions.

Carver

Ouch. If you haven't developed a relationship with a good independent now would be a good time to do so. Check in the Regional forums for some suggestions near you.

RuninRoach

Similar Problem with Highlander 2007
Toyota Hybrid Cooling System Diagram
GS450h Inverter cooling pump problem

Hi,

I tried to get a few links to help diagnose the problem.
One option would be to get someone who knows how to flush a hybrid coolant system and do a flush to see if that fixes the problem....
Another option would be to check exactly what codes the vehicle is throwing when you plug a maintenance computer into it....
Dealers have the habit of asking you to swap out a whole system rather than find the actual problem.....

infinirx

^^^ I am TOTALLY with Carver here. Calm down nothing can be done about what already happened. I would find a specialist shop and rely on some of the people here for their advise has saved me thousands. Dealership prob just said oh she did what? yeah that's $17K please.

I would however be prepared for bad news. However I think if you shop around long enough like I did with my Front differential problem you will find a cheaper solution than the dealer.

filmteknik

Just to clarify, we are talking about coolant for the hybrid electronics, not the regular engine/radiator overflow tank, right?

Steve

SethKevin

yes, that is correct.

Bluesjam

Why would your wife even open the hood. If I was you I would get a cable and lock and make sure she couldn't open that hood. This is a good reason to never let your wife drive your Corvette!

Adamjeeps

We've all done things we wish we could take back. What's done is done. Let's focus on helping him fix his Lexus quickly, properly, and at minimal cost.

Gregz_IS

One method for removing oil from a coolant system on a conventional vehicle is to flush extensively with water then add about 1/4 cup of automatic dishwasher detergent (like Cascade) to the system and run. Repeat till oil is removed then final flush and drain and refill with proper coolant. It may take 2 or 3 times flushing then running detergent till the oil is gone.

Automatic dishwasher detergent is good at breaking down oil and dispersing it when flushed with clean water. It also does not make suds.

Not sure if doing this is a possibility on the hybrid system but if its already toast you probably cant make it any worse and just may save a ton.



Good luck

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