MidNightGS430

Thanks for the replies everyone! I know I am now that Ive done my research I even spoke to a Lexus service manager and he gave me a price of $3750 including labor and core charge for a new transmission. Plus they would pick up the tab for the shop its at and give me a loaner vehicle!! Gotta love the Lexus red carpet treatment. He also said hes never seen a transmission in a GS have to be replaced since hes been at Lexus the past 10 years!! Which is what I figured, Its a Lexus not a damn Ford probe Again this tranny shops main objective is to scare me into the rebuild from the metal shavings, And yea your right the shavings are somewhat normal. I dont think ive ever serviced a trans without seeing metal shavings!! These guys are just tryin get a quick buck. Shady operations.......Its funny because they said Lexus would charge me $6000 what a joke!! But im gonna roll the dice and go off my instinct and experience that the transmission does not need to be rebuilt. Either way im in the hole $1200 for everything at this point!! I'll chalk it up as a lesson learned, And make sure shes only handled by Lexus for future issues.

Depends how high they adjusted the idle!? It shouldnt idle above 1,000 RPM's maybe 1100 at the most.....Mine idles at around 900 rpm and its just fine. But the rough idle could be bad plugs or dirty air filter etc. its hard to say. I know that adjusting the idle is a quick fix for the rough idle, But not a resolution to a potential problem that may exist.

I hope it has every option including navigation.....Because hes about $4,000-$5,000 above Kelly Blue Book Value!! My suggestion is when you book a vehicle you need to consider condition inside/out. What options are included Nav, Spoiler, Uprgraded wheels etc. How it runs, How many owners, And what maintainence has been done!! $12,000 is what my 2001 GS430 Blue Books for. Keep in mind also he may be booking it at "Retail", And he has to book it at "Private Party"! Hes not a dealer, and unless hes offering you a warranty he cant ask what hes asking PERIOD!!!!!!! So at $12,000 that sounds like Retail...... As far as reliability and longevity these cars are built for just that!! Its not a BMW or MERCEDES. But prices for parts can be above average but it is a LEXUS, and overall from what im seeing they can run over 300,000 miles with ease as long as there kept maintained!! And yes I believe the timing belt and usual maintainence needs to be done at this mileage....Unless the current owner has addressed everything!????? Again the values im getting on KBB.COM are as follows:( "FAIR" $7,075 / "GOOD" $7,850 / "EXCELLENT" $8,475 ) And rarely does a car fall under excellent condition!! But go ahead and do some research you will rarely find a Lexus owner that is unhappy with their vehicle, And on a scale of 1-10 I see the average being 10 as far as quality Not many complaints about these cars that ive seen (lexus gs)!! Hope I helped!! Good Luck

Did you recently purchase the car? Do you know the history of the car? I would suggest taking it to Lexus! And as far as price im guessing the average cost of an inspection?? So in the ballpark of $65-$100 and change. And the manual should have suggested intervals on maintainence! But I believe "Preventive" is the best maintainence you can do! It'll save you alot of hassle and money in the future. My GS430 has 95k and I just replaced the air filter changed the oil, and im gonna replace the belt and hoses. It may also be due for a timing belt? But im gonna have Lexus handle that. Its hard to trust the quality of work done on your typical "Jack of trades" mechanic shops!! The dealer may cost more, But I think you might get a little more piece of mind. Take Care

Not sure the history of what has been done, But when I got it all of the fluids looked normal. The trans fluid was bright red like its been serviced before/or recently!? For 95,000 miles on the car if it was never serviced im sure it wouldnt have been bright red, But more of a motor oil look. Again it never slipped whether it was cold or warm. And it never had any hard shifts!! The fluid has been at the recommended level. After doing some research the shop has had complaints in the past! Not sure what exactly, but they have had some complaints. I did have the car checked out from two different shops and both said either the seal or front pump. It wasnt leaking from the pan, But from the front of the transmission where the engine and trans connect....My first thought was a seal hardened up from sitting causing the leak!? But apparently its the front pump, and a bad torque converter? The pump makes some sense but the converter?? Im pretty knowledgeble regaurding the mechanics of vehicles and usually do my own work due to not trusting somebody else to handle my vehicles, But at the same time im not a tranny specialist. But I do know symptoms of a bad transmission, and from my experience tranny slipping, Reverse not catching, hard shifts etc. And they have the tranny out of the car and sitting on there shop table as we speak with the pan off, and the pump and converter removed, So either way I gotta cough up there labor costs roughly $650............... :(

Thanks for the quick response! Well its a catch 22 because im getting charged close to $800 for just the labor of pulling it out! They said they can replace the torque converter, the front pump and all necessary gaskets and seals, filter and fluid, and that will put me at $1200! But again there tryin to put fear in me with the tranny shavings, and saying that it might not last long without the rebuild!?? Im torn here......Its a gamble whether I go for a used tranny? or just hope that there full of it, and it'll be fine after they do the repairs mentioned! Again from my knowledge ive never heard of a tranny needing a rebuild that didnt slip or clunk into gears?? Considering how smooth and strong the tranny felt regaurdless of the shavings it seems odd that it would need a rebuild!??????????

Hello my fellow Lexus owners!! Been to this site before, And I had to register. Anyway I just purchased a 2001 Lexus GS430 with 95,000 Miles on it, and super clean! The car was initially sitting for roughly 3 months give or take? The first night I brought her home after a long drive she left a good puddle of tranny fluid in my driveway. The next morning I made sure I topped it off, and I drove the vehicle a few more days with minimal leaking, but it was leaking a little bit. Keep in mind it never slipped once! Nor did it clunk or slam into reverse or any gear for that matter. To be honest this car shifts smoother than any car ive driven. But the leak is a major concern so I took it to a "Reputable" transmission shop, And had them examine it. They stated the leak is most likely due to the front transmission pump failing and wouldnt know anything exact until its pulled apart. So I gave them the go ahead to pull the tranny. When they pulled the tranny apart there were metal shavings in the pan, and they stated the torque converter needs replacing, and that the front pump is bad!! They also said since theres shavings in the tranny its gonna need a rebuild at the cost of $3,500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OUCH.......Now is it possible the tranny is gone due to the metal shavings in the pan even though it has shifted fine and never ever slipped of slammed into gears???????? I need some honest opinions. Its hard to trust someone with your vehicle, and trust they're being honest with you or if they are just wanting to take advantage of the old well its a "LEXUS"??!! Help Me out!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks