Hey all I just got a 2001 Rx300 FWD with 150,000 miles on her,

Two questions.
#1. A shop told me not to change the tranny fluid. Said it will cause problems. What are your thoughts.

#2. Will this method work for FWD model?

Thanks for any replies!

 

If the tranny has been abused and the original fluid has never been changed, sometimes you are better off leaving the tranny fluid alone, as some people have reported tranny failure soon after the fluid change in such a case. Others say it is just coincidence and those who have a failure associate the fluid change with the failure.

FWD RX300s have fewer reported tranny issues than the AWD version.

When you pull the tranny dipstick and wipe the fluid onto a white cloth/paper towel, what does the color look like? Does the fluid smell burnt? Please post a photo.

If you do change it, just do a single drain and fill (do not flush) and drive around for a couple of weeks. See if the performance changes (for better or worse) or stays the same before you do any additional drain and fills.

 

My mechanic, who performed an inspection before I bought the car, said don't change the transm oil, too dangerous.

 

Ok. I'm going to do a few things to it tomorrow. Clean maf sensor/throttle body, fix mode sensor, detail it. It shakes alot at idle when I put the car in drive. I read someone say they put premium fuel in and that fixed it. Seems like it made it worse for me. I'll check tranny fluid tomorrow. Thanks for the reply.

Edit: Not so much a shake. More like vibrates in the steering wheel,
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