I've been having my 155K 2007 ES350 repaired at the local Toyota dealer and they said my transmission pan gasket was leaking on the inspection report. I've been putting it off since I've seen no sign of a leak yet...well today I noticed a small puddle of red fluid. The dealer quoted me $1400..does this sound reasonable or would be better off finding a local shop?

 

That's ridiculous. The pan gasket costs 20-30 bucks, you can replace it for 1h.

 

That price is insane. You should not be taking an old car to the dealer for repairs, you are just asking to be ripped off, over charged and sold unneeded repairs. The service writers work on commission and have quotas.
They constantly lie to customers to take advantage of them. The service department is the main profit center of any car dealer.

This should be a couple of hundred dollars and they should change your transmission filter at the same time and know how to set the fluid level as it is a complicated procedure.

Find a reputable local independent repair shop, hopefully a Toyota specialist or a transmission shop as this engine and transmission are shared with a few very popular Toyota Models, such as the Camry, Highlander, Sienna.
Use Yelp and Google reviews in your search.

To help you:
Here are 2 Phoenix area shops recommended by listeners of the old Car Talk Radio show. Cross check them on Google as some of this data may be old.

​​​​​​Ultimate Imports
5.0 of 5 stars
1900 N Mcclintock Dr, Ste 20, Phoenix, AZ 85281

(480) 305-5756

Japenese Auto Service
4.7 of 5 stars
1501 E Apache Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85281

Here are 4 shops in the Tucson area

​​​​​​Dan's Toy Shop
5.0 of 5 stars
2502 E Fort Lowell Rd, Tucson, AZ 85716

(520) 620-1957

NIHOTO
4.9 of 5 stars
560 E Fort Lowell Rd, Tucson, AZ 85705

(520) 838-9550

J&A Quality Automotive LLC
5.0 of 5 stars
550 East Fort Lowell Road, Tucson, AZ 85705

(520) 549-1250

Nippon Motor Service
4.5 of 5 stars
4630 E 1st St, Tucson, AZ 85711

(520) 881-8976

Here is a link to the Car Talk Mechanics file site

https://www.cartalk.com/mechanics-fi...sort_order=ASC

 

Ya I just got in the habit of taking it to a dealer as I had a bad experience and a local shop.

Thanks for the list!!! I'll definitely be checking them out!

 

Upon further inspection it looks like this is just a radiator leak - so calling around for quotes. Just browsing google..looks to be around $700 for a replacement?

 

Prices vary depending on a few things. Call a few of the shops on the list. However when you take it in just tell them about the leak, don't diagnose for them. Let them figure it out and see if it matches your diagnosis and if not ask them to show you where it is leaking.
Both the coolant and ATF are red. There may be a transmission cooler in the bottom of the radiator. It may be more likely that your leak is from a hose rather than the radiator itself. I found it strange the transmission pan was claimed to be leaking. That is extremely uncommon.

 

Got your point..pretty sure its the radiator as there is fluid on the top part of the radiator seam. I just called Toyota just for a baseline and they said $1,200 for radiator replacement..calling a few local shops.

 

Is this the same gasket that hold together transmission fluid filter? If so, it means the gasket is exposed when transmission filter is changed?

 

The transmission gasket is on the pan at the bottom of the transmission and that pan must be removed to get to the transmission filter. The transmission filter is inside the transmission and you get to it after removing the pan, it is separate from the pan.

Here is a link to a photo of both the pan gasket and filter as they are often sold together.
https://www.autozone.com/filters-and...xus/es350/2010

The transmission filter, with the transmission pan is part of the transmission, which is a separate component from the cooler.

The transmission cooler is only on cars with the tow package.

The transmission cooler is separate from the main radiator and the transmission but is contained inside the bottom of the radiator. See the photo below.
It circulates transmission fluid to cool it off. 2 hoses bring ATF to the bottom of the radiator and return it to the transmission. You can look down and see them if your car has a transmission cooler.

See this Rock Auto listing of radiators and that Denso (an OEM supplier) lists 2 different radiators, one for the tow package, and one without it.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...,radiator,2172

Your possible coolant leak at the top of the radiator probably has nothing to do with the transmission. Although sometimes internal radiator failure will cause the transmission fluid and ATF to mix, which is very bad for the transmission and engine.

This photo is of a 2007 ES350 showing one of the transmission cooler lines going into the radiator. The white plastic thing is the radiator drain plug bolt.

 

Since it has to come off to be replaced, this would be a perfect time to replace ATF filter. Should be no additional labor charge, just pay for the filter.

 

Yup, and just to add, the transmission filter is something you replace maybe once in the lifetime of the vehicle, it's not a regularly serviced part.
So anytime you have the pan out, would be a good time to replace the filter, and then just set and forget for the next 10-15 years.