Chellecor

hello, i just read the last page in this 31 page thread. i have a 1999 rx300 awd that had TWO trannys replaced within about two weeks. this was a few years ago but i have kept all paperwork since i bought the car. i was told that this particular tranny had problems and that there had been others that had had theirs replaced also. i was and am a stickler about maintenance, esp. oil changes + filters. we bought it used with 30K. used mobile one after having that approved by service manager. changed every 3K in the beginning years. i was not made aware of changing tranny fluid as often as it appears i should have.

Our 99 RX300 had not one, but two !! transmissions replaced around 50,000 miles. The service guy, Corlie, was so great to us. In fact, his wonderfulness made any problems we had with the car seem like nothing. They were always great at the dealership and we will be loyal Lexus owners. I am holding out for the hybrid RX. During the transmission problems, I had planned a 5 day class about 5 hours south and they gave me a loaner car.

I just got off the phone with a company that only repairs Lexi in the Dallas, Texas area, specifically Plano. They were all Lexus mechanics before they started this company. He told me Lexus timing belts are made of Kevlar and that they rarely, rarely break. He feels that replacing just the belt as dealerships recommends simply rips off the consumer. Mr. Wright said that what would break is the water pump. If you belong to alldatadiy.com, you will see the Chilton-like breakdown of what is involved in replacing the parts. The timing belt must be pulled to get to the water pump. So Mr. Wright replaces it (about an 55.00 - 80.00 part) when he replaces the water pump, 2 cam seals, crank seal, idler pulley and tensioner and the water pump thermostat and adds new, factory, silicon free antifreeze. He charges $1100.00 and gives me a loaner for the day. He said he has about 16,000 customers and never recommends replacing the timing belt. Alldata DIY is really great. I am in no way affiliated with this service. It is the closest I can get to Chiltons as there is NO repair manual out there that I can find. :)