I found a 2010 MT with less than 10,000 on it online. It is far away so i would have to buy it unseen, but I am buying it from a Lexus store and it is still under warranty. From what I'm seeing here, this tranny sucks. I enjoy a nice car with a manual. Is this as bad as I've been reading or is this just a case of the people with problems are the only one's posting? Because what I've seen online so far is thus, either; the tranny sucks and it rattles and fails quickly under mild to heavy treatment, or others justify the problems based on the fact that it's not as bad as some other brands.

Am I misreading this problem? Is it really this bad? I drove one of these years ago and all I remember is that it wasn't terribly fast and the interior was basic. This car I'm looking at is loaded with the 18' rims.

 

It's funny.....well not that funny :P

I posted a similar thread about gear noise and smoothness, etc when I first got mine. Can't really find the thread now but basically same idea. A lot of noise and in general, just not very smooth especially in first and second gear.

Just nature of the beast i think

 

Don't get me wrong, I love my car now. It just took replacing the flywheel and clutch with some faster aftermarket parts, dealing with the headache that came with uncertainty during the break-in period, installing the short shifter kit and f-sport ****. I had also installed the sway bars and chassis brace (which really, really improved handling; my car stays pretty flat in the curves).

If you want something that performs as a MT out of the box, I honestly would stick with Audi or BMW (get a used S4 or M3 or 335i or 335d). If you like tinkering with the car, then this car can be fun. Honestly, I had did my comparison shopping when I bought this car new and it was almost $7K less than a comparably equipped BMW 328i (this was back in 2006, I don't know what the prices are now). The choice was supposed to be a no-brainer. But I think I've spent at least $6K getting the car to where I want it to be, which would've made the BMW a more compelling choice had I known.

Oh, as for the interior: Wayyyy better than BMW or Audis. This thing is lux on wheels. I love the leather. Even though the dash is basic, it's held up in the past 6 years. I don't use a sunshade on the front. I do have tinted windows. The interior still looks brand new.

Another point to think about is that Lexus seems to use an unusually soft paint. That means that I have lots of rock chips If it doesn't have a clear bra, get one done after clay bar and smoothing. I wish I had done that when I first bought it too.

 

Good day guys,

Thank you all for this blog. I learned a lot and decided to join. Hopefully, this will help somebody, too.

I bought my 2008 IS 250 MT in 2010 with 17K miles (pre-owned dealer, not Lexus). However, I also started hearing the "noise" last year and because I had to take it to Lexus for a couple of recalls, I told them about a "motor noise." Of course, nobody heard anything and did not know what I was talking about. So, I took it to the pre-owned dealer and they said it was the clutch, gave me an estimate for $1400 (my local mechanic would do it for $850). I decided to go back to the Lexus dealer and start the whole Corporation call, seek legal advice, etc... (my car was still under warranty when I took it in back then). Well, to my surprise when I told them that it was the clutch, the Lexus dealer not only checked it, but called me back after a couple of days and told me that it was the transmission, and now I am getting a new one at no charge because it has a 7 year warranty. Asked them about the clutch and they said it was fine, but it will get replaced with the new transmission. I'll keep you posted on the outcome and "noises" to come.

Regards!

P.D. My car now has 45K miles. My bumper-to-bumper warranty expired in 2012.