georgie39

I just purchased a pre owned 2002 AWD RX 300 with 79,000 miles.
The dealer I bought the car from provided me with the complete service history on the vehicle. The car was bought and serviced at the dealership for the duration of the original ownership.
According to the service history the transmission was originally serviced on 05/19/2006 at 44,755 miles. The service order just says "Changed transmission fluid"
When I took delivery of the vehicle I checked the transmission fluid and noticed that it looked like it was past needing to be changed.
I took the vehicle to my local Toyota dealer (we dont have any Lexus dealers in the state of Montana) The Toyota dealer performed an "Automatic transmission service" which included a "transmission flush" using 16 gallons of the T-4 fluid.
Based on what I have just related about the service history of this transmission and based on the experience of other forum members with this transmission does it seem like my transmission has had reasonable maintenance for the mileage?
Is there anything else I should do to insure that I can expect that this transmission will be trouble free for the foreseeable future?
Any input from forum members will be much appreciated.
Thank you.

jcjr

Most folks on this forum are doing "drain and fills" at different time intervals...some 15k miles others 30K....
Many people have never touched the transmission fluid and very few have done "flushes"

salimshah

Some transmission failed right after fluid change. So no one can sya with any certainty what causes the transmission to fail.

All the worry will rob you of the enjoyment.

Salim

AlexusAnja

16 GALLONS

or 1.6 gallons (or 6.4 quarts) of T-IV fluid?

With the RX transmission, better safe than sorry. I would drain and fill every 40K or so. You don't really need the full flush, which I'm reading from others, is probably worse than doing nothing some times.

georgie39

Nope 16 gallons is what is shown as being used on the repair order.
They flushed the new fluid through the trans as the engine was running to make sure they were able to flush all of the old fluid out of the valve body and the trans fluid passages.
I don't know for sure however I suspect they ran new fluid through the trans until they could see all of the old fluid had been flushed out. That's where the 16 gallons they used came in. (I agree that's a lot of fluid especially at $5.42/ qt)
The trans shifts smoother now and along with the other work I had done at the same time the car runs better.
I had this work done at a Toyota dealership and I have to believe they service Highlander trans all the time (same transmission) and should know what they are doing.
I understand what you are saying about a trans failure right after a trans flush. Because the flush stirred up metal particles and "Gunk" into the system that would have been better left undisturbed.

bob2200

I'd say it is an error. I could believe 16 quarts.

georgie39

Next time I'm at the dealership I am going to ask them to show me exactly how they could possibly use 16 gallons of trans fluid to perform a transmission fluid exchange.
Quote from their service brochure;
"Using the latest technology we will install a safe & effective cleaner to suspend harmful varnish & sludge from the transmission valve body, torque converter & lines. Install new high tech fluid with conditioners"
Maybe I'll get an education on transmission service and maintenance.

Lexmex

How much did they charge you for? Did they itemize the fluid?

mikey00

Something is very wrong here. 16 gallons @$5.42 per quart equals $346.88 in ATF cost alone. A Toyota dealer typically gets $150 to $199 for a flush. This includes the 12 to 16 qts of Toyota Type t-IV ATF used.
I would definetly question this. It looks like someone has a typo. But did they then carry the typo through to the final bill and actually charge this much?

georgie39

Yes..........Your right
According to the invoice, the dealer charged me $5.42 / qt for 16 gallons or $86.72 for all of the trans fluid they used for both the flush and the re-fill.
However looking at the work invoice again they made a mistake. They said gallons when they should have said quarts if you multiply 16 quarts by $5.42 / qt and you get the $86.72 total for all of the fluid used in the flush / re-fill. The total cost for the service was $166.71 including shop labor.
Does 16 quarts for the flush and re-fill sound more reasonable?
Thanks to you all for your input.

trhs75

My dealer use a lot to flush mine when I got it at about 115k, but I don't think they used quite that much. Close, I think. I'm hoping to just drain and fill for the next few!

AlexusAnja

16 quarts is definitely more reasonable than 16 GALLONS. The whole unit only holds about 4-5 quarts just draininig and filling, so say bone dry, it should only need maybe another 3 quarts in the torque convertor and center diff, so total about 8-9 quarts. So, if they flush, I can see using almost double to see until it clears.

Although, being cynical, I doubt they even used 16 quarts. It's just a standard dummy system quantity.

thomas1

12 qts would have been sufficent for a flush or fluid exchange.

Lexmex

I sort of remember a figure of $125 USD when I did a flush about 6 years ago at a Lexus dealer.

georgie39

Regarding my 2002 RX 300 and the transmission service;
The transmission had kind of a "soft" 1 - 2 shift before the service and still does after the service (specially before the trans is warmed up)
Is it common for these trans to have a sort of "soft" 1 - 2 shift with a slight "slip" or delay between gears?
I have driven other makes of cars both domestic and foreign where this type of soft / delayed shift is common to help smooth out the gear change between first and second.
Any input would be appreciated.