2002 IS300
139K Miles
No Mods
Automatic Transmission


I hardly every drive with my windows down and I NEVER use the sports shift mode......... so the other night it was feeling good outside late night so I decided to drive with the windows down

I started to hear a strange "whinning/squeeling" type noise coming from the front-passenger wheel
at first I thought it was something scratching the brakes or something. I recently had my brake pads replaced

Here is a short clip of the noise. This clips is WITH the windows down so ignore the wind noise


Thing is....Once the windows are up...you can't hear it at all, but once you have the windows down..you can kind of hear it

I brought it to a local Lexus shop yesterday and they said it might just need a transmission filter replacement and fluid change

I called them this morning to get an update and they said that I need my whole transmission replaced

The car hasn't had any problems at all since I've own it for almost 8years AND has shown NO signs of transmission issues AT ALL... It doens't make any grinding noise and it doesn't lag AT ALL when switching gears... so when told me it was my transmission..my reaction was like "Uh...wtf??"

Anybody else familiar with this issue? Is this a common problem? is it really the transmission? They said I can still drive it, but it's just going to get worse and eventually needs to be replaced. Thanks in advance!!

Video:

 

FULL DISCLOSURE: I do not own nor have I ever owned a Lexus IS300.

It's hard to hear anything. But I would at least get a second opinion. Is the noise at least relevant to the transmission? Let me clarify the seemingly dumb question:
- Do you hear anything when you rev the engine in neutral?
- Is the noise associated with a particular gear?
- Any sounds in reverse?
- What kinds of sounds occur when you coast in neutral?

You need to ask more questions. Get more info from the diagnostician:
- What do they think the source of the noise is?
- Can they demonstrate the defect to you while the car sits in their garage?
- Why would a transmission replacement eliminate the noise?
- Why is there no decrease in performance?
- What are the next failure symptoms? First it's the noise, second it's ...[gear slippage, improper shifting, transmission falls out the bottom, etc.] "Noise getting worse" is not a good characterization if you don't know the cause of the noise.

There's not enough information here to convince me that it's a transmission-related problem. How do we know it's not a warped rotor, loose belt, alternator whine, or wind noise against some torn plastic guard? There are a zillion potential explanations here. Even your claim that it comes from the front-passenger wheel is rough...you're listening from the driver's side and placing the noise location is difficult; this is why I want you to have it demonstrated to you while the car sits in their garage.
If you don't want to go through all of the above questions, at least get a second opinion (or even a third). The second opinion will cost you <$200 and it could save you from buying a new transmission.