barbara

Rnoland, I bought my RX300 used without a warranty. Would is be best to go to a Lexus dealership to have the transmission checked? I worry about the being ripped off at a dealer.

Well I guess that I will just have to wait it out then. I appreciate your help. Are you a mechanic? Can you recommend a good mechanic in Panama City, Florida? I am worried now about our mechanic. I want to protect the investment I've made in this car. I am really sick that such an error was made on something as routine as this. Thanks again.

When the car started shifting hard I called and asked what kind of fluid was used. I knew that some cars, like our van needed a particular kind of fluid. When I questioned our mechanic he looked up what a Lexus is supposed to have and said that they had used the wrong fluid and that I needed to come back in and have the fluid switched. The invoice from the first flush reads like this: Qty Mfg Part Description 1 BG SK200 Transfusion Chemical Kit 16 CQ DEXIII Dexron III Trans Fluid The Labor explanation said: Complete transfusion of transmission fluid. Use of high strength chemical for deposit cleanup. Use of additive after transfusion for seal conditioning and to prolong life of transmission. That was on 11-12-02 I took the car back one month later (not two as I said before.) This is the invoice from that transfusion: 12-13-02 Qty Mfg Part Description 1 BG Sk200 Transfusion chemical kit 4 PCT 08886-81015 Type T-IV Synthetic trans. fluid (gal) The labor explanation said the same as above. What could be the long term affects from this? How do we approach our mechanic? He is a good man and obviously didn't charge us for the second transfusion. He said that because of this error his shop had adopted a new procedure to prevent this from happening to someone else. What else can they clean or check to see if there is residue left from the first flush? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP.

Yes, I did mean flap not valve replacement for the air. I don't mean to appear stupid but what is the tranny that you are talking about? When the mechanic realized he used the wrong fluid in the flush he reflushed it with the proper fluid. Of course this reflush happened about two months after the wrong fluid was put in. What is involved in getting a tranny? Now I am worried! Thanks so much for your help. This info is so helpful.

When the shift problem started I called the mechanic and asked about the type of fluid used and he discovered that he had used the wrong fluid. I took the car back in and they changed the fluid so that it was correct. The shift problem wasn't corrected, though. What kind of transmission fluid should you use AND what kind of oil is recommended?.....Thanks for the response to the air problem. Our mechanic didn't want us to go to the expense of having this valve replaced when he couldn't get the air to act up for him. The air only acts up when it has been on for a couple of hours. Will I do damage to the car if I do not get the valve replaced?

Mine started shifting hard after the first transmission flush that was done at about 70K. Our mechanic says this is normal according to a technical service bullentin that he has access to. The bullentin suggests that cold weather will cause this to happen but curiously enough I bought the car in cold weather and the problem didn't start until after first the transmission flush. I live in Florida where the current average temp. is 90 degrees so the cold weather theory doesn't fly. My mechanic is a reputable man and has looked at the transmission twice free of charge since this problem started and is stumped. Also, my air conditioner works fine around town but on trips (after about two hours) it will almost stop blowing in the passenger vents and blow warm air out of the others. The diagnostic showed a "code 41" whatever that is. Our mechanic said that since the problem is intermittent it will be hard to diagnose.........any similar problems or comments?

Same here, We bought a 99 RX300 with 64K on it. Upon our mechanics inspection he said that the car was in good condition but recommended general maintenance. The car was running/shifting smooth but I took the car in at 70K for a transmission flush (which was recommended) and noticed a hesitation in the shift within a day after this was done. I checked the owners manuel which recommended a particular transmission fluid (sorry, I am not a car genius so forgive my ignorance.) Anyway, I called the mechanic and he verified that they had put the wrong fluid in the car. They replaced it with the correct fluid but the car still shifts hard especially in the morning. This happened about four months ago and I have had the car back in the shop twice regarding the hard shift. Our mechanic said that according to a technical service bullentin that he has access to, the car will shift hard in cool weather?????????? Well this all took place in Nov/Dec. I live in Florida and I can assure you it is anything but cool now and we are still having the problem. We are also having an air condition problem. Cools great around town but after about two hours when traveling the air stops blowing in passenger vents and warms up in others. Mechanic said that his diagnostic machine indicated a code 41 whatever that is but since the problem is intermittent it will be hard to diagnose. Any suggetions?