One of the recommendations from the pre-purchase inspection of my 2010 IS350C is to change the tranny fluid. The car has 69k miles on the original fluid. The place that did the inspection does the "drop the pan replace the screen change 3 quarts" method but I would prefer changing ALL the fluid.

Does anyone know a reputable place in Central or South Florida where they change all the transmission fluid (aka flush)?

 

Hi Darefugee,

I am Just a noob here but I heard on the grape vine that its a lifetime fluid that doesn't need to be changed. however I believe that all fluid can be (and should be changed)

here is Marty Motoring's video on his IS350 transmission video -
This is ChrisFix's video on transmission fluid changes -
Im a DIY'er with a manual transmission so I wouldn't know a great deal about Automatics and im in the UK so I know even less about local garages.

I hope I've helped is some small way.

Let us know how you get on.

Your friendly noob,
Scoots.

 

Here's a decent one imo DIY: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...iy-w-pics.html

I looked at the utube from Scoots and it was okay but I added to it which, I believe was in more depth. It's an easy task to perform, gl. Btw, keep looking up the threads cause there's a lot of people on here with knowledge about the majority of issues/diy's.

 

Thanks, I saw this one. This is not a task I want to do myself, I'm kinda too old and stiff to be wrestling around under the car in my driveway. 20 years ago, yeah. But not now.

As luck would have it, my local Lexus dealer says they will do a total fluid exchange for under 300 bucks. I have an appointment tomorrow morning to get it done.

 

From what I have read, Toyota has said their lifetime fluid is good for 100k miles.

 

I've messaged "Red" to comment on your thread. I believe he had a full trans fluid flush done on his 2IS, and he is in the mid-FL area.

 

I paid about 300 to have Lexus of Memphis do a fluid exchange a couple years ago, this takes all the old fluid out of the system. All, or nearly all Lexus dealers should have the machine to do this and that +/- $300 is typically the rate for it. If you're quoted something under $200, you're getting a drain and refill, not an exchange. Unfortunately, they will not change the trans filter at the same time. Of course, doing a few drain and refills yourself over the course of a couple of months would be cheaper, and you can change the filter while you're at it, but I'm personally not a fan of playing around with the transmission even though I do all the other work on the car.

It's not a lifetime fluid, unless you consider your ownership of the vehicle as "lifetime". I'd say it's more of a 100k mile fluid, if you're not beating on it/tracking it often at least. There's been a few people here who've had their fluid checked by Blackstone after draining and refilling it. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...n-fluid-4.html

 

I had my tranny fluid flushed a couple years ago as well by Lexus. Any person that tells you any sort of oil is a lifetime fluid is out to lunch. I noticed the tranny being smoother after the fluid change and i consider it a worthy preventative maintenance task if your looking for longevity out of your car.

 

I had the transmission fluid fully flushed at Lexus of Orlando when my IS350 was at 81k miles. Total cost was approx. $300. Fluid was a dark brown but not black or burnt.

I also had a sample of the original fluid tested at Blackstone and here were the results.

 

Thanks Guys. I took my car to Lexus of Tampa and they quoted me $267 for the complete flush. I'm supposed to pick it up tomorrow.

 

Be sure to check the invoice for the amount of new fluid they pumped into the trans.

Did you happen to ask or if they recommended a new trans filter?

 

They used 12 quarts full synthetic transmission fluid at 10 bucks a quart and transmission cleaner that cost 31 bucks. They did not recommend a new transmission filter. They also flushed and replaced the brake fluid. I drove the car home about 5 city miles and 15 highway miles. Shifts perfectly, smoother than before.

They did a multi-point inspection and gave it a clean bill of health - same as the indy guy did on Monday. I'm all set.

So there you go guys. In the Tampa area, Lexus of Tampa does a full tranny flush.

 

Thanks for getting back to us and letting us know what happened!

 

Did they explain why not to replace the trans filter? Perhaps because of your relatively lower 69k mileage?

Glad it sounds like they did what they're supposed to and everything is running great!

 

I asked when I had it done at 92k. It's because they simply hook up their system to the fill port and pressure test port (that hockey puck looking thing on the passenger side near the trans) to flush out the trans, they don't drop the pan or anything like that. You can of course request it to be done, but I'm sure it'd probably add a couple hundred or so to the bill since it's extra work and parts. So I just let it be at the time.

12 quarts is about what is used for the exchange. Considering the fluid is around $13ish, you're paying mainly for the fluid and an hour or so of labor.