Dropped my 2022 Gx460 with 46,977 for a transmission flush (they use BG) at the dealer at 8AM this morning. At 4:30 the service manager called me to inform me that they needed to keep the car until tomorrow because they suspect that the calibration is off on the tansfer machine and they aren't sure that they put enough or too much fluid in my rig. I tried to keep it together, knowing that the service manager or advisor probably doesn't know much. From what I know, the BG system uses the rigs on transmission pump to exchange the fluid in most cases. My fear here is that the trans was over or underfilled while it was running at temp. I pressed the service manager as to if they had follwed the FSM procedure and he didn't really know much. I am going to ask to talk to the tech tomorrow. Exceptionally nervous that they may have run my trans with low fluid. When I look a that unit, it seems pretty simple with just pressure gauges and a sight glass to determine if the fluid is "clean". I know on the A750F you really don't want to run it much more than a quart low.

Thoughts? Opinons? Anyone familiar with the BG flush on the A760F?

 

You really can’t do a flush on the A760 as I understand. The coolant is brought back to the trans, not the trans fluid taken forward to the radiator. No atf cooling lines to tap into/open like on most transmissions. Only option I know is to just drain/fill the thing multiple times.

So I think they realized that only at the end of the day when they rushed to do it, now are scratching their heads. Don’t panic or worry. Also, I have seen these start having problems when they were ONE GALLON low on fluid. Then refill them, and they suffered no damage. If you are at ~50k, just do 2x drain/fills in one sitting. Repeat that every 30k miles and it will run forever. MaxLife will be more robust and reliable than WS (Mobil JWS3329 re-labeled), but without hard use and with service, WS will be OK.

 

Thanks.. the service rep stated that the BG guy was coming in the morning to repair the machine...

I thought the GX Fluid was heated by the lines from the Radiator but that the radiator had a "cooler" build into the bottom of it like the 100 series landcruisers.

 

never a trans flush, never. Document it it with the dealer if you end up with a trans issue down the road

 

Depending on the dealer, some only do a drain & fill while others go a transfusion. The latter requires a machine where there is basically one resevoir where you dump the new fluid and an empty resevoir. You disconnect the ATF lines that enter/exit the ATF cooler at the bottom of the radiator (or at the ATF cooler if you have a dedicated cooler) and plug them into the machine. Start car and let engine run. The return line from the cooler (now plugged into the machine) sucks in the new fluid while the old fluid (that would normally enter the ATF cooler) dumps into the empty resevoir. Run engine until the prescribed amount of fluid is ingested. The Lexus dealers where I live now (No. VA) and in Tucson had the machine. In NM, they didn't have the machine, so only drain & fill option. I believe the changing intervals (30k mi for Type T-IV transmissions, which is '03 or '04 toyotas and earlier) assume a drain & fill, so you are partially changing the fluid every 30K mi. I generally buy the WS ATF fluid myself and have the dealer do the labor, but they still charge like $500 (2.5 hrs) or 2 hrs for just a drain & fill. You can buy the OEM ATF fluid for like $5/bottle whereas the dlr will charge like $12/bottle retail. When I owned manual transmission cars, I would do the drain & fill myself with Redline (just like an oil change), but automatics are finicky, need to get fluid to proper temperature, blah, blah. I've always used OEM ATF, engine coolant, brake fluid (still original radiators on my '03 and '05), aftermarket engine/transfer case/diff oil.

 

The lexus dealer uses a PETRA Looking online, the petra seems to work similar to the BG except that the PETRA seems to make a volumentric measurement, but still requires the car to be running. Frustratingly it appears that they did not use Toyota WS but used the PETRA branded fluid (spec sheet states it is WS compatable). As they were trying to find my tech, two service advisors were talking in front of a customer (who approached me later). I quizzed the tech on the the procedure. He also infomed me that he can see how much is coming out of the car and how much is going in (via containers) and he noted a discrepancy so they called the vendor to calibrate. Looking online, that doesn't appear to be the case. He did state that they had overfilled the trans by 3/4 quart. I then quizzed him on the FSM and he had it down pat. He said he shut down the overflow at 115.3 and I believe he did follow the FSM because he did call me later to let me know that he had left his trans thermostat pinning device in my car (it was there when I crawled under this AM and removed). I'm frustrated that they didn't use OEM fluid.



I was told they needed to leave it overnight so that the transmission could cool down and they could get an accurate measurement. I buy that.



I was told that the speaker grill (front window driver side) requires the dash to be removed.



The other customer came up to me while I was waiting for my vehicle and said "man, you had them scared". He said that his service advisor stated to another service advisor "that guy knows more about his car than I do, make sure he gets XXXX tech".



I think I am just going to have to bite the bullet and do these myself. I'm not sure what to do about the fluid. The invoice says just 12QT's of PZ ATF for $5.68 a qt.



Spec states among a bazillion other types -

–Toyota/Lexus/Scion: Scion FZ, Type D-II, Type T, Type T-III, TypeT-IV, Type WS (JWS 3324)



https://petraautoproducts.com/wp-con...-ATF-Fluid.pdf

 

I asked Grok about that fluid there isn't much info out there but no negative feedback. It's a less known fluid commonly bought by service shops in bulk. Since it is a fully synthetic fluid and meets spec I'd keep using it.

 

So weird how different dealerships do and don't do certain things. Local Lexus dealership to me told me they don't touch the transmission in GXs as they require no servicing. I called the Toyota dealer as well and they said the same thing. I'm sitting at 150k miles with towing a 28' travel trailer for the past two years several times a year and a smaller TT the two years before that. So far 0 issues *knocks on wood*. I did have a shop install the OEM Tran Cooler this past winter as I do tow on the heavier side.

 

You really should start pan drain and refills to migrate fresh fluid into it. This is typically much more successful than knocking on wood.

 

Speaking of dealers not wanting to change these supposedly infinitely-good fluids: does anyone in the far northern DFW area know of any dealers who will change fluids on request, or if not, a good indee shop specializing in Toyota/Lexus who will do a great job?

 

FSM states changes if you tow, down to 60,000 miles I believe. You can probably just point to that.

 

This seems a very good Lexus repair shop in DFW area, according to their google map reviews

Davenport Motor Company - Plano

4010 W Plano Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093

 

I bought a 2019 GX with 74K miles on it in March and it had been mostly dealer maintained. I did the first oil change at 80K at Toyota of Richardson because they were running a special on Toyota and Lexus vehicles. I had noticed that other Toyota dealers in the DFW area offer BG fluid replacements, so I asked while I was there, about the cost of doing the differentials and transfer case, and was told it is typically $189 each or the 4WD Service for all three is $449. The transmission is a flush (he confirmed and said it's not an issue with these if they've been properly maintained) and it's $399. I still have misgivings about doing a flush, as I've heard so many bad stories about other cars, but I suspect mine will still be in good shape even though there is no evidence it's ever been done (mine doesn't have a tow hitch, so nothing to worry about there). However, The Car Care Nut recommends drain/fill every 60K miles and ever 50K for the diffs and transfer case. I'll be doing all of them very soon, because I think the recommended service interval is too long. The more I think about the price, the more I'm inclined to do it myself...

 

Three weeks ago I did the first ever transmission service on my 2011 GX at 160,000 miles. My local Lexus dealer had refused to do it over the years saying it didn’t require servicing.

After much research and consideration I decided to use an Independent local shop with a very good reputation and have a DRAIN & FILL and filter replacement completed.

The service went without a hitch and the transmission shifts beautifully over the last 800 miles since the service. My wife, the primary driver on the GX, mentioned to me she thinks it shifts a bit smoother now. I drive the vehicle on the weekends and I believe she may be correct.

I was incredibly nervous to do the first ever service at this high of miles but my drain and fill, NOT a flush, worked out beautifully. If you can find a good local shop with experience I would change the fluid and keep doing so every 50K -60K miles.