post number 1 ten minutes after you asked the question and i was right

 

Same problem a year and a half ago... yes it's the transmission... here's my experience, hope it helps:

AT 120K miles we had the same problem and had the tran filter and fluids flushed and replaced. It bought us another 14 months of transmission life and cost just under $200.

HOWEVER, at 135K miles transmission bit the dust. Tech says if we would have rebuild the transmission when if first started showing signs of problems we wouldn't be sitting here with a cracked case. (And without a transmission to rebuild because of the cracked case, we will have to pay a core charge of 1K on top of the rebuild charge.)

 

What cracked the case?

 

handkam- I think what you experienced is just a coincidence. But I am curious upon what cracked the case?

 

Maybe the Planetary gears unleashed.....

 

I'd be interested to now where exactly it cracked.

 

It is hard for me to make the connection, maybe Sherlock Holmes cracked the case.

Salim

 

Salim, you got one up on us there. Good one!

 

Are many of the early RX300s known for transmission issues? I'm picking up a 2001 with 90,000 miles. Should I be concerned if the car was regularly serviced by Lexus?