2012 Lexus is350 atf change (Stealership refused to service it)

[Ry111]

Hello, new member here just wana share my experience on my lexus.

I have a honda certified mechanic friend that helped me service my is350 for a atf fluid change. He also repairs and is familiar with Toyota/Lexus vehicles because he own a Tundra and servicing Toyota vehicles in my area. He used to work in a dealership but found out how they overcharged customers and offering services even the vehicles does not even need one and he did not like it so he opened up his own shop.

Fast forward, my is350 has 60k miles now since i owned it 2 yrs ago and  i always go to lexus dealership for an oil change(i go there because of the unlimited espresso machine they have while waiting)😅😂. I do not have any history record of the car from the last owner so i started some maintenance slowly, some i did on my own as long its easy enough for me to do it. One thing that i know that i can't do and a bit scared to do is change the atf fluid so i kept asking the service advisor to schedule it on my next oil change but kept refusing because according to them it is a "lifetime" fluid. They refused to do it at least 4 times from different dates when they service the car.

  Finally, my mechanic agreed to squeeze me in to his busy schedule and changed the atf fluid. He told me he would bring down the pan to take off moisture that sits on the bottom and clean the filter( he told me i did not need to buy a new filter if vehicle is regularly serviced). He wants to give me a sample to show to the dealership because the atf was really dark. He was surprised and said it is darker than when he do an oil change and was a quart low because he measured how much was drained. He also disabled and advised me about my auto retract steering wheel because they are spendy when it fails.

Toyota dealership wants to charged me 400 to change atf fluid, and 150 for rear differential. I'm pretty sure Lexus will be much more expensive. My mechanic ordered oem atf fluid and he only charged me 175 labor plus parts since we have known each other for a long time. 

If this happens to you, i suggest you find your independent mechanic that you can trust that uses oem parts(when requested) and knows what they are doing and let them do the job. Folks, do not believe the lifetime fluid that the dealership is talking about. 175$ is way cheaper every 30 to 60k than a new transmission. 

I test drive my is350 today and went to the freeway and boy the whining was gone and shifts way better than before. Big difference the way it drives now and I'm really happy and at peace knowing maintenance service is up to date. 

[RX400h]

Thanks for the advice. I tend to agree, although my son has a 2012 Mazda 3 with over 100,000 miles on it and it has the original ATF fluid in it. Some Mazda owners have gone 200,000+ miles without changing their car's ATF and are having no problems.

 

[1stgenlexusgs300]

When I first bought my Lexus I wanted to dealer service it but found every single service they could provide me WAY too high in price. I would hate to own a Bugatti Veryon but that’s in a league of its own. Apparently to service that car properly every year you need 200k in the bank. The prices I’ve heard from Lexus service are not quite that bad but astronomical in comparison to any North American manufacturer.

 

I guess I should get back on topic. Lol. No lubricant lasts a lifetime. All oils and lubricants will break down over time. What’s more concerning is if there is any wear at all that gets thrown around with your lubricant and WILL cause damage even to some degree. I change my tranny and rear diff lube every 200K

[Sajack]

Our 2002 LS430 has never had a fluid change. It works as it always has and I’m not about to let anyone mess with it.

[Trexus]

I also have my ATF changed every 60K/70K miles as well.  I also have my coolant changed every 100K miles.  I do all my oil and oil filter changes using Castrol Edge 0W-20 and OEM oil filters.