r_michael

I took it in for oil change today, and transmission pan gasket was leaking a bit. < 500 miles on it since installation of the remanufactured transmission. Scheduled to have it checked next week under the P/L warranty.

Assuming RX300. What year? Did the owner do transmission drain/fill religiously at 15K miles? Do you have credible evidence of a rebuild/replacement and continued conscientious service within the past five years or so? If not, then read this forum carefully again before you pay the asking price...unless you plan to flip it. Speaking plainly, realistically, and presumptuously: If you simply must have this exact car, I strongly encourage you to factor a transmission replacement or rebuild into the price you pay. (In my area, transmissions for this car are $4,500 and up, no matter who you take it to or whether you rebuild or go remanufactured.) I'd maybe ask about timing belt, but that's chump change by comparison. Routine maintenance. IMO, nothing else you'll ever have to do on this car, short of an engine replacement, will set you back much as a transmission. So what to offer? Because you won't get the owner to sign it over to you for a dollar, your best scenario will be to try to get him to split the cost of the inevitable repair with you. How badly you want this car will set the upper limit of what you offer. Lacking evidence of a fairly recent rebuild, I wouldn't pay more than $2,000 and only if I really had to have that specific car. Not that anything's wrong with the RX 300. There's a lot to like about it. I really, really like mine. But I base my strong statements on my recent experience with buying a carefully-maintained, cosmetically "very good" RX 300 last year. It had 184K miles on it when I bought it. It is "very good" cosmetically inside and out. Last March, I gambled. And lost. Here's the sad saga: At 197K miles, seven months after I bought the car, the front transfer case in the transmission began to chew itself apart. I was able to drive the last few miles to my trusted, independent Toyota/Lexus specialist without any problems. But he found several large metallic bits in the pan. Game over. The evidence I have for "by the book" maintenance history is a lot stronger than what you say you have. My mechanic has maintained my car since 2005. Before that, a local dealer serviced it at all recommended intervals. My guy showed me records of all service he had done, all at the recommended intervals...oil, transmission, timing belt, etc., etc.; all worn/broken parts replaced as needed (except for the power antenna motor). No leaks, except for a small one starting on the rack and pinion. I even had a receipt from the transmission rebuild done at 75K miles, so it had 110K on the rebuild. I figured any rebuild done by a good shop would last a few more tens of thousands of miles, so I took the chance. Alas, mine failed with 122K miles on the rebuild. The car is back in service again, and I'm enjoying it very much. Hope this helps with your decision.

Thanks to everyone who commented and advised on transmission replacement for my 2000 RX300. The remanufactured unit is in. I have put a couple hundred miles on it: 70% city, 30% highway. Dry, rain, sleet, and snow. Smooth shifting in Power, ECT, and Normal modes. Any need to check the pan at or before 15K? I plan to do the 15K drain/fill interval recommended in this forum. Thanks!

Got it. I will discuss this new information with my tech, who planned to do a flush. But this info is relevant because my old transmission had four steel pieces in the pan besides the normal shavings on the magnets: one bit about 1/4' x 1/4" x 1/16" and three shavings about 1/8" wide and 2" long.

Thanks for the suggestion. I checked with a couple of local rebuilders who have overhauled this particular transmission. They offered me a 60-day P/L warranty, with longer periods available for extra $$. Two years would be $500. Although I agree that warranty issues could be easier to resolve if everything was local, I was swayed by the possible advantages of getting a remanufactured unit. These shops would see these transmissions more frequently. The ones I checked say they have rigorous QA built into their processes. My shop owner ended up ordering through Advance Auto Parts because he has an established relationship there. AAP sources RX300 transmissions from Moveras, a shop that that touts LEAN processes, etc. etc. I hope that's right. Now here's my new question: Moveras's catalog suggests replacing (or even bypassing) the transmission oil cooler. Why is this important? What are the risks of not replacing it? I checked the cost of the part at Advance. Ouch. Nearly $500 before discounts, which would make the total cost more than $5K. Thanks!

Hey folks, thanks for this informative topic. After a transmission failure last week, I'm asking my mechanic to install a remanufactured transmission in my 2000 RX 300 (195K miles). I don't want to salvage the car. Used transmissions scare me. Overhauls are cheaper, but not enough to get my attention. Anybody have experiences to share about these suppliers? ETE Reman Powertrain Products, Inc. Street Smart (Jasper is currently out of stock for my model.) Other options to suggest? Many thanks, --Michael