Transmission Question

[baker34]

I hear alot of people talking about the problems they have had with their transmissions. I have a 2000 2wd Rx 300. Should I be worried or is this only for the awd ones.

[RX in NC]

The majority of reported premature transmission failures on the RX series involve the all-wheel-drive version of the vehicle. You're probably much better off from a transmission durability standpoint with your two-wheel-drive model. I'd still change my Toyota Type T-IV transmission fluid every 30,000 miles if I were you. It's easy to do yourself, inexpensive, and may be enough to keep your transmission trouble-free for a lot of years. Good luck.

[00RX300]

My 2 cents: I too have a FWD 2000 RX300. It now has around 61K on it with no signs of trouble. You will read things on this forum from some people who seem shocked or insulted by the thoughts of having to change transmission fluids…. Some of them act like it’s something new. It’s not, at least for Toyota based products. I had a 94 Camry that required its transmission oil changed “every 15K or 2 years” per the owner’s manual. I did that and put over 140K on it without any signs of trouble. (And just like the RX300 transmission, it did not shift quickly into 4th when the transmission was real cold.) Because I am use to changing the oil, I follow that same rule on my Lexus. I'd suggest changing your oil on some type of schedule to help avoid a possible problem.....Just my 2 cents...

[wwest]

There is no doubt that given the troubles being reported, granted by a CLEAR minority, you should pay good attention to the condition of your transmission fluid. Every time I change the oil and filter I check my transmission fluid for color, it should have a definite red tint, and odor. It will smell slightly burned if it needs to be changed.

But let's be quite clear.....!

The factory recommendation for flushing your RX transmission fluid DOES NOT EXIST! That means that at the time it was shipped, including my own 2001 AWD RX300, the factory had absolutely no expectations that the fluid wouldn't outlast the useful (first) life of the transmission.

I know of at least three 1992 LS400s and one 95 LS400, with well over 100k miles and the fluid still looks factory fresh.

It is therefore quite clear that something unexpected, from Toyota/Lexus viewpoint, is going on with our transmissions. Now if you respect the opinions of others posting here moreso than the engineers that designed the transmission, and the manufacturer of same, and you have money to burn, you can go ahead and change out your fluid as often as you like.

But IMMHO, changing the fluid may delay the failure, but will not prevent the failure. But again, if the fluid appears burnt or smells burnt, then certainly it should be changed.