1999 Rx300 Gear Whine At Low Speeds

[rcheong]

My 1999 RX300 has recently started to whine at low speeds. This seems to be muted if I accelerate slowly through the first and second gears, or when I reach a higher gear. Does anyone have experience with this and/or recommendations? Thanks! :(

[roanokebarry]

If you are getting close to 90k miles the whinning on your rx300 is probably the transmission....there is a problem with the screen filters clogging.....the dealer can take care of this for you for about 300 bucks you may find a service center cheaper....make sure they flush your trans completely it takes 15 qts of toyota type IV

fluid and you may want to try what I used for 30 bucks I added TRANSMATIC it thins the fluid and helps it get to the torque converter and clutches to help prevent these parts from creating shavings that clog the screen.

Usually you will start to see the transmission begin to act like it is in neutral when you have it in drive or reverse also when this starts you will need to turn the vehicle off for a few minutes let it set and start it back up and plan to get it to a service center soon this is typical of a clogged filter....

good luck]

roanokebarry

[rcheong]

Just to close the loop on this one ... a few days after I made the initial posting, my 1999 RX300 AWD did indeed develop other problems - most notably, harsh shifts and loosing power in Drive and Reverse gears (almost like it was in Neutral). I took it to the Lexus dealer who ran diagnostics and said I needed a new/rebuilt transmission. He said Lexus Corporate doesn't allow them to rebuild transmissions, it would need to be a new one if they did it. Based on the estimated cost, he recommended that I take it to a transmission shop which I did a week ago. They ran the intitial diagnostics which confirmed that there was a transmission issue. Then, they pulled the parts out of the casing to find out the extent of the damage and give me a cost estimate. Today, they called with an estimate of $4100. This includes front and rear planetaries, solenoids, rebuilt torque converter and other parts - some of which need to be special ordered. I've subsequently read some of the other postings on this site regarding RX transmission design problems. I have about 75,000 miles on it, so I believe that's beyond the warranty. Most of the postings I read said there's little hope of having Lexus cover this, and since my car is already in the shop with a dismantled transmission, I've authorized them to start the repairs. Does anyone have experience with how long the 2nd (rebuilt) transmission lasts? Thanks.

[RX in NC]

My wife's 2000 RX300 AWD transmission failed and was replaced under warranty by Lexus at 48,000 miles (with a rebuilt transmission sourced by Lexus out of California). This vehicle is now pushing 106,000 miles, so that translates to approximately 58,000 miles on the rebuilt transmission. I change the Type T-IV transmission fluid every 30,000 miles (and just did so this past Saturday). Some owners on this board change their T-IV fluid every 15,000 miles.

How long your rebuilt transmission will last is dependent on multiple factors, including:

1. The quality of the rebuild and its installation into your vehicle.

2. Your driving habits - this vehicle is not a rice rocket or sports car, so don't drive it like one.

3. Your willingness to change your transmission fluid on a relatively frequent basis even though the manual says that you don't need to.

4. The nature of your driving requirements - short, stop-and-go trips are murder on this vehicle.

5. A certain amount of luck.

You let Lexus off the hook far too easily. I would have battled them to victory in this case; a transmission failure at 75,000 miles for a vehicle this costly is really inexcuseable, although we've known for some time that it happens to RX300 AWD models much more frequently than Lexus will admit.

[tmhtmh]

Well, RX/NC, your situation was obviously much different than his. Your Lexus must have been much newer when you had the problem, which make it an easy warranty "fight". You were likely still under the official warranty so no fight at all, actually.

rch has a 7 year old vehicle, out of warranty I assume. yeah, it may have been worth the fight, but certainly no slam dunk win vs. Lexus. Also, I can't believe the cost to re-build is so high! Well, I BELIEVE you, rch, I am just surprised it's such a whack! Hope my 2002 2wd RX doesn't crap out the tranny! This board was one of the reasons i opted for 2wd over AWD - don't want the tranny expense (and I got a great deal on the 2WD I bought).

If I recall, the factory warranty is 7/70k for the tranny, correct? There was no "unwritten" extension on the tranny warranty, was there?

[RX in NC]

tmhtmh,

Don't assume what you don't know. Although our transmission was still under warranty at the time it began showing signs of failure, I did indeed have to fight with Lexus for nearly a month before they finally caved in and agreed to put another transmission in the vehicle. They tried the very common "no significant problem found" approach with me for a couple of weeks before I had to get tough with them in person, in their offices at the dealership. We had the replacement transmission in place about ten days later.

I've had a number of well-known major and costly failures on this vehicle repaired by Lexus, at their expense, AFTER the warranty period had run its course (by as much as 8,000 to 10,000 miles). The key to success here is being able to clearly and calmly explain and document the problem, show evidence that it is a known failure (this website comes in quite handy for that), and be professional but exhibit the nerves (some might say cajones) of a Wild West gunslinger at the same time.

I guess that explains why I've yet to pay Lexus a penny for even a single one of the more than $9,000 worth of major repairs that my wife's vehicle has required since October 2003 - some within warranty but quite a few more well beyond warranty. This clearly indicates the value of the "goodwill" warranty that some Lexus service managers or general managers will offer to their customers on a case-by-case basis if you are the victim of a known failure after your warranty expires. It's been utilized in our case at least four or five times....

[katzjamr]

also remember there are lexus dealerships that made 'good faith' adjustments to these repair bills out of warranty that covered about half of the bill allowing for the part, or the labor. it amounted to around a 2,000 saving.

[tmhtmh]

tmhtmh,

Don't assume what you don't know. indicates

Now you're just being difficult, RX. And trying to "pump up" your self-image as a "master negotiator" as well.

Dude, if his is a 2000 with 75,000 mi. and yours is a 2002 with 48,000 (when YOU said the tranny gave way a few years ago), then where was I assuming ANYTHING? EXACTLY as I "assumed" yours WAS under warranty! Isn't that what I posted was the difference?

Great "negotiation"! Did you also negotiate having a steering wheel come FREE with your RX300? Were you able to get the dealer to throw in some SEATS in the "deal"!!!!!! With your "iron nuts" I'm sure they quiver when you come to the shop.

good grief........

[tmastres]

Sound more like the "squeaky wheel" technique of negotiation to me:D ! If you make enough noise they'll just want to get you the heck out of their hair. Then again , if it works maybe its worth a try, even for half the cost.

[RX in NC]

Tmhtmh missed the crux of my point, which was that even under warranty it is sometimes up to you to battle with the dealership over issues that you know are present yet the dealership attempts to cast them aside as "normal". It's your vehicle, you (or a family member) drive it every day, you realize that you have a problem that needs resolution. Some dealerships are known for stonewalling customers and making it difficult to get major warranty repairs done, even in situations where the customer has a valid issue. You've only been on this board a short time - spend some time perusing the numerous posts pertaining to this subject over the last couple of years and you'll have a better understanding of the topic.

And as several of us have pointed out, there are avenues that you can attempt to take AFTER your warranty expires. The "goodwill" warranty approach offered by my local dealer has been much appreciated, and I recommend that you always ask about that since you may not get any concession unless you ask. Some service managers and general managers have certainly demonstrated their willingness to use it for a number of other members here, not just me.

Nothing difficult about that....