Notabot10

Should I change the transmission oil in my car? I have an IS300 2016 with about 75k miles. Transmission oil was never changed. If yes, which fluid should I use ? Link? I'm bringing my car Monday to a shop to change the oil and they said that I should change it every 60k miles. But Lexus dealer says that oil should never be changed so I'm not sure which one is it.

What other major fluids should I should change around this age? Brake flush was done recently.

davyjordi

there is a pretty narrow temperature range during which the transmission has to be refilled in order for the fluid level to be correct. have a lexus specialist shop do it or take it to the dealer.

arentz07

In North America, Lexus say it's not required to change the transmission fluid, but in some parts of the world, Lexus say it is. So, I am going with: yes. I would use Toyota Genuine ATF WS fluid.

For 75k miles, I think if you've done brake fluid in the past 3 years you are good to go. Other than transmission and engine oil, I guess maybe you'd consider taking a look at spark plugs or the drive belt, but that's me trying to think of everything lol. They probably are okay.

Notabot10

oh yea I did spark plugs too last year.

im just concerned about changing the fluid and then start having transmission problems.

Notabot10

dealer said they can’t work on it since it’s a sealed transmission and they don’t change the oil on that.

arentz07

That's lame. They could easily do a drain and fill if they wanted to.

davyjordi

yeah, my local dealership will do it. so will the next closest lexus dealership to me.

Notabot10

any recommendations of places who’ll do it in New York ?

davyjordi

start calling dealerships.

GNS

'Sealed' transmission simply means that there is no dipstick. There is an internal straw (that sticks up vertically inside the transmission oil pan) that overflows when the transmission fluid is up to temperature and at the correct level. Go on Youtube and look up 'CarCareNut' and his videos on transmission fluid changes, he mentions the terminology 'sealed transmission' and explains what it really means in Toyota speak.


Bottom line is, these transmissions can have their fluid drained and refilled, you just have to pump in enough that when the transmission is up to temperature, the fluid expands and then overflows into that internal straw, which will tell you when the transmission is correctly filled. I recommend finding another dealer.

davyjordi

so, update on my car: today i went in for service at my local lexus dealership and they performed a multiple drain and fill on the transmission, replacing 10 quarts of fluid, changed the differential fluid, and flushed the brake fluid.

did it need to be done? yeah, the car is four years old at this point, so i'd say so. also, it needs to last quite some time and i do like it, so i feel accomplished in taking preventative care of the car. it wasn't terribly expensive, either.

swaangin

How much did you pay? When I did my 2/3 drain & refill at the dealer, it was around $500

davyjordi

all three services totaled 703$ at the dealer.

edited to say that the transmission fluid exchange alone was 359$.