So after taking my 05 LS 430 to a very reputable transmission shop locally, the technician did say that internal clutches are badly worn down and he was honestly shocked that this transmission needs a rebuild, because he rarely if ever sees these transmissions in his shop for repair not until the cars get way past 250k miles.

So he suspects that the previous owner drove the car hard, and never bothered to service the transmission. Which are all the exact same thoughts that I had.

That wasn’t even the worst of news, what the worst of news is that to get a factory rebuild where every part is brand new inside, since they don’t rebuild the transmissions there at their shop is going to cost $5900 out the door!!

My jaw literally dropped. The warranty is 3 years or 100k miles with these guys. Which is better than every other transmission shop that are willing to rebuild it. All the other trans shops are slightly less money, but they only offer 1 year warranty and 100k miles, which ever comes first.

Not sure what to do here. Another shop is $4600, but that doesn’t include taxes.

I could also opt for a used transmission for under $2,000 and have a transmission shop install it for another $800. But again, those transmissions will already have some wear and the warranty is only like 90 days.

What would you guys do? I honestly cannot afford $6,000 for a new transmission without going into serious debt. That’s only a grand less than what I paid for the car. 😢😩😭

 

You didn't mention how many miles your car has? I think that would guide me a little as to the decision if it was my vehicle. I would also factor in how long I had owned it, how many miles I have put on it, what other service items might come up in the near future. For me it's kind of a complicated algorithm that's very personal for most.

However, pragmatically, if you don't have 6k you don't have 6k. Depending on many other factors I would be thinking of selling it with the declared need for a transmission but of course that depends how much you have into it and then what are you going to replace it with? Isn't replacing it going to put you in debt also? And likely for a lot more than 6 k. There is no easy decision to be honest. If you have a 2k beater Camry waiting in the wings then thats probably the way to go. However buying anything right now is expensive and 6k hurts a lot but so does buying something you don't want and is going to cost you 900 a month in payments.
Are you in a sizeable city? If so I would get a 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinion on rebuilding cost. When I was looking at transmission work on an old Mercedes I found a huge variation from shop to shop. It's worth making lots of calls

 

Just out of curiosity, is that $6000 including the installation costs?

 

I believe it is, he said, $5900 out the door.

 

Pick up a low mileage transmission yourself then get it installed .
That's probably the best result for money spent .
Or sell it and buy another one where the transmission has been looked after , keep in mind if the auto has been treated like that what has been lacking on the rest of the car ??
Probably a good idea to get a better one !!

 

I don't think used LS transmissions are too expensive? Since I don't think these fail much so they aren't in high demand. Can you just get one off one of those reputable YouTube wreckers? J and j? And just install.

 

Yup, with taxes included.

 

The car has close to 158k miles. I spoke with the technician again late last night and he actually told me that it’s not necessarily the clutch packs that are burnt up, since after he did some further in depth diagnosing of the transmission, he said that the external part of the drum has a small crack at the weld, which is leaking transmission fluid, and that’s why it looses line pressure and 4th gear won’t hold and catch at times.

He told me it’s very rare to see these transmission fail like that. I asked him what could have caused the damage and he said it’s most likely a factory defect and a mixture of excessive heat buildup inside the transmission because of hard driving.

A fluke in many ways. The weld spot on the drum just failed.

So I am seriously considering purchasing a used low mileage transmission. That shop I took the car too doest’t install used transmissions like that, so I found another reputable shop that will install it and program the transmission for only a $1k.

The average rebuild price I keep getting for the transmission is anywhere from $3,000-5,000 depending on what the transmission needs, which in my case needs the entire clutch assembly to be replaced including the drum assembly which are all hard parts that take a lot labor to do which explains that most likely any transmission shop is going to rebuild it, is going to charge the upper end of spectrum. The cost could actually be even higher if only Lexus parts are used.

This is what I asked many shops, is “do you only use the Lexus factory rebuild kits” and they said “they can” but the cost of the rebuild will almost double the price of the rebuild!

So it’s a mixture of aftermarket and OEM parts which I am not too keen on. They do this to save money on parts, but then you don’t know how the quality and longevity of those aftermarket parts will last.

For around $3,000, I can have a nice used trans installed, which I can afford. The only issue is that the transmission shop won’t warranty anything, so I am solely relying on the company that provides the transmission to me for the warranty. This is the route I am going to take. The car is too nice to sell, and other than the transmission failure, it looks and runs exceptionally well for its age.

 

Of course the install shop won't warranty the transmission, you roll the dice with used parts, that's why buy off eBay or with your visa + reputable wrecker so you get some coverage for the part.

 

the "bad" transmissions on the 2004 LS430 actually included some 2005 models. Cars made in July and August of 2004 were sold as 2005 models.
I had one made in August 2004 and its vin number was included in the recall.

 

I am in the identical situation after 16 years of ownership with my 01 LS430 with 170,000 miles. Once we have transmission issues all bets are off of what will be the outcome of rebuild, replacement etc. A total gamble with a very old car with certainly other issues down the line. I’ve decided ( regardless of my attachment to this car) to move on with another car which I haven’t found yet. Old is old and no matter what choice you make your car will never be new again. In addition…. How much time after your investment are you actually getting? If you have no or little funds you are stuck. Think wisely as you maybe throwing good money at bad. Transmissions are super intricate and rebuilds are NOT new transmissions. One wrong adjustment and you have the same or even a worse problem. Replace with used?? Still a huge gamble as it’s not just plug and play and still an old trans ( with possible future issues) going into an old car. I’m comforted knowing I got 16 great years out of my LS. Time to move on. Nothing lasts forever. Good luck with whatever you do. Now time to find a replacement! Yikes! Lol

 

I may have suggested this in one of your many threads on this topic I don't remember but Car-Part.com shows about a dozen compatible transmissions within 125 miles of your location.
A few even offer a warranty👍
Here- https://car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi

 

i would buy a used transmission from a reputable seller and roll the dice on it.

 

. Any updates from OP?

 

something like this would probably be the route I would go. Supposedly only 125k miles on this trans. you may be able to make an offer on this to the ebay seller ( I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH THIS SELLER)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/31519334291...Bk9SR77KqO3DYw