As the title says, does anyone know how to check the tranny fluid?

I'm used to doing my own checks and can see no means to do so.

I noticed in the manual that it suggests seeing the dealer to get this done but I'd much rather do it myself on a more regular basis.

Cheers and TIA.
C.

 

Sealed transmission. No traditional transmission fluid dipstick and fluid is considered a "lifetime" fluid.

 

lifetime fliud? what is this suppose to mean? that the fliud never needs to be changed?

 

Toyota/Lexus considers "WS fluid" to be a lifetime fluid.

Under normal operating conditions, the fluid should be inspected via the fill/drain plug, level surface, and warm fluid. I recommend checking the fluid at least once a year or every 15k miles, which ever occurs first.

Based on the information I have gathered since '05. The main reason for the sealed transmissions has been due to misinformed consumers placing the wrong transmission fluid in their transmissions.

 

Thanks, T-2000......That's the info I need.

 

Manual says to change out at 100K miles.

 

i had accident while back they had to put some more tranny fluids in for my car at the dealer.
from what i heard, Tranny Fluid only can be accessed from underneath the car and they have to be at about 95 degrees. once they open up both bolts on the tranny they fill up the oil from one side until it drops from the other side. or something.. i dont know what they do exactly... but its some idea...

 

Lifetime vs 100k

I wish the "Designer" would make it more easier!

 

The documentation does not support either of these recommendations. The maintenance guide shows inspecting the transmission for leaks every 30k. It never recommends opening the transmission. There is no change interval in this document either. As Twinkie2000 said in the first post - WS is a lifetime fill, there is NO change interval, and the only inspection required is to determine if the transmission is leaking and repair the leak.

Setting the fluid level is a PITA and has it's own special procedure and it's own SSTs. Without the Techstream tool to plug into the car it's a bit of a challenge just getting the fluid to the correct temperature unless it's summer in the desert.

 

so this means if you wanted to get a fluid changed you have to go to the dealer to do so? and prob. get raped. urghhh.

 

raped... yes for sure
theres no way they would do it under the proper temperature
and if u know any dealer that actually cares enough to do it properly in the toronto area
please let me know
because I havent met one yet

 

I would trust Heffner Lexus in Kitchener to do it right, but cost would probably he high. You'd have to phone for a price quote.

C.

 

ive been to them for service 3 times
and 3 times they have screwed something up
never going back
too careless
watch out for the oil being overfilled
happened twice now
i should be able to leave my car with them and get it back better then i left it
and this is far from reality with them

 

I've not had anything but good experiences with them but will certainly keep your comments in mind.
C.

 

NO, it does not mean this at all.

It means there is NO PROCEDURE in the factory service manual for changing the fluid at all. If your dealer says they can change the fluid, they are lying. They can't. They can drain a small amount of fluid and replace it. That' ALL they can do.

If they tell you they'll hook up their machine and do a transfusion through the lines running to the cooler, they MIGHT be able to accomplish this, but they'll still have to deal with setting the level correctly which means they'll need to let the transmission cool so they can get the fluid to the right temperature to set the level. And yes, they will charge a small fortune for this because WS fluid is not at all cheap and they'll have to completely flush their machine of all Dexron before they do this.