Gyus,
I owned a 2009 LS460. The vehicle has been a workhorse for me and I have 220k miles.
No complaints on reliability and performances no major issues.
Recently, I am experincing a delay on the car shifting from 3rd to 4th gear and also going in reverse.
I do not know were to start checking before going to my mechanic.
Any suggestions?

 

If it feels that bad all the time then i would say shift solenoids. I know they say never change the trans oil but i have had mine done at a dealer. Is yours still original oil?

 

I would flush the fluid if it was never done. I had issues (~169k miles) shifting to 2nd and 3rd. After doing a flush, the issue went away.

 

The transmition fluid has been changed twice. The 1st time the shop did not use original parts and started leaking from the pan. It is not leaking now.

I spoken with 2 transmission places and they claimed that the delay shifting is normal wear and tear and the transmission must be refurbished. Cost 4K
I don’t believe them…

 

Darn, if the easiest thing to do is checkes off the list, looking at the solenoids may have to be the next course of action.

 

What milage was your fluid replaced? Sounds like they over filled it the first time. I'd have a different shop replace the filter, and pan gasket. Then service it with the correct amount of fluid. The filter can get clogged. It's a paper type element not a simple metal screen.

 

220k is a lot of miles. If you have a mechanic that you trust, maybe it's time to consult him?

 

double check the transmission fluid level, perform the fluid level check following the fluid level check procedure to the T! Obviously low fluid is bad, but also too much fluid can also cause abnormal symptoms as you stated, because ATF fluid is hydraulic fluid, it does expand with heat, which is why fluid level check is done with vehicle idling and ATF fluid has to be between 104 degrees F and 120 degrees F (if i remember correctly)

 

This. If it checks out clear then drop the pan and replace the filter anyway and while the mechanic is in there ask him to resistance test the solenoids.

It takes 6-7 pan drops to exchange 90% of the fluid or something like that......