bluestu

I had my transmission flushed the other day and I talked to the service manager concerning this issue. Apparently, I had been misinformed about how much fluid the RX300 tranaxle actually holds. He looked it up on the computer and it said it hold 9.5qts. They actually use a total of 16 qts. of fluid in the flush procedure plus a quart of special additive that is recommended. I called another shop to verify this info.. 9 qts. is still more than twice the fluid that Lexus and Toyota service depts. replaces in their 30k drain and fill. This in my opinion is a serious maintenance flaw that needs to be addressed by the owners because Lexus and Toyota are probably not going to change their procedures. Most people aren't even aware that a transmission needs to be serviced.

Well then, how long do you think the timing belt will last or should last??? It would be a drag to not replace it and have it break. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Thanks guys!!! I just wanted to get some second opinions. I appreciate it!!!

I'm having the timing belt replaced on my RX300 at 90k and was wondering if I should go ahead and replace the water pump while they have it apart???

Man, I'm glad you guys informed me about this issue because my wife only has one key left for her RX. I ordered an uncut key off eBay for $60.00 and it comes with programing instructions. I guess all I will have to do is find someone to cut it for me???

I've posted many times that I have over 90k on both of my RX300s without any sign of transmission failure. I've always made sure the fluid is kept clean and I drive normal. I've owned other cars that had transmission failures and I take the blame for all of them. I either never changed the fluid, hauled heavy loads, or tore them up racing around town. I learned my lesson the hard way.

Let's count them. 5 out of 17 with transmission failures and 2 of those are 2WD. What's up with that? I'm sorry that a few people have had transmission failures, but it isn't fair for the same people to repeatedly paint a Doomsday scenario for the rest of the owners who haven't experienced transmission problems and may never experience them. We're supposed to be able to enjoy our cars that we love and paid a small fortune for. Nobody wants to think they bought a defective car and that any day catastrophe may strike. All I can suggest to other owners is to change their fluid every 15k and hopefully their transmission will live a long life.

Lenore, you might better serve the Lexus Community by attaching a note to their cars saying to have their transmission fluid changed every 15k. Actually, Lexus should send out a memo to it's owners advising them to do so, although their are several other factors that can contribute to early transmission failure such as; towing heavy loads, mixing regular fluid with TIV, and harsh driving.

I put NGK Iridium plugs in my RX300. The guys at the parts stores preferred them over the Bosch Platinum 4. They were about $7 a piece at Advance Auto.

I would change the fluid every 15k running in that kind of heat. There are a lot more people living in California than the mountains of Western NC, but I do see RX300s everywhere. Maybe driving up and down hills all day and the high altitude is more suitable for the RX. Maybe California drivers abuse their cars downshifting from 80 mph on the highway and performing the 0-60 test at every stop. Oh yeah, anyone who tows with an RX300 should expect to replace the transmission frequently. Definitely not a car for towing.

I've already talked to the Toyota and Lexus shops in my area and they haven't heard of anyone having transmission problems with their RX300s. Maybe you should do a survey.

For anyone who is unsure about how much fluid is required to fill the transaxle, why don't you do as I did and talk to Toyota and Lexus service dept.. I've had at least six different techs tell me it takes 16 quarts. Maybe there is a conspiracy to misinform me concerning this issue??? I can't find anyone besides the four or five people on this forum that have encountered any transmission failures with the RX300. Maybe the people here are just sucking on lemons or possibly work for another car company. All I can say for sure is I haven't had a hint of transmission problems from either one of my RX300s, and they both have over 90kmi.. Maybe I'm living on borrowed time???

What good is it going to do to add 4qts of fresh fluid to the 12qts of dirty fluid that remain after draining. Sounds pretty stupid to me!!! Do what you want, I don't really care. I'm just relaying what I've been told by several Toyota mechanics and transmission specialists. That's very informative telling us about Valvoline trying to scam Lexus with their flush machines. I think Lexus is scaming everyone by trying to suggest that their Type IV fluid is good for the life of the transmission. I guess that is about 80-100k with any luck. That's about the same for any vehicle that doesn't have the transmission serviced properly. I've been hearing for years that 4WD/AWD vehicles have a much higher rate of transmission failures than standard transmissions. Maybe that was one of the reasons behind the invention of the flush machine. Toyota and Lexus could incorporate flush machines into their service depts. if they so desired. I'm sure they would rather sell replacement transmissions and charge out the !Removed! to repair them. There's a very good reason why the warranty expires after 70k.

I was talking to one of the mechanics at Toyota just yesterday and he verified that the RX300's transaxle holds around 16 quarts of fluid. The transmission, torque converter, and front differential share the same fluid. He suggested having it totally flushed at least every 30kmi.. He said the drain and fill replaces about 3 quarts of dirty fluid, which is useless in my opinion. Toyota and Lexus won't perform a flush because they don't have a flush machine for Type IV fluid. Great!!! Fortunately, I've found a shop that does.

What appeared to be condensation was actually a film on the outside of the headlights. I waxed them and they look as good as new. The film seems to start building up after I take my car to the laser wash a few times. Maybe it's soap scum buildup like you get on shower doors??? I find it to be very odd and haven't noticed it on other cars.

It's listed as an air/fuel ratio sensor. It is visible on the front exhaust manifold. There is also one on the rear manifold under the car and it is the same part number as the front one. You can definitely purchase them separately.

I found my code printout. Mine read the same as yours except for the P0330. I replaced Bank2, Sensor 1 on the front manifold, had the codes cleared, and the check engine light never came back on. I paid $190 for the Bosch A/F sensor. I put it on myself, but it was difficult to get off. Lexus Service Dept. told me if you're not careful you could strip the threads on the manifold. It shouldn't cost very much in labor. It took me about 20mins..

I would just replace the air/fuel ratio sensor on bank 2 sensor 1. Sometimes a bad air/fuel sensor can cause multiple codes. I know the code P1153 means you need to check or replace bank 2 sensor 1. I'm pretty sure the code for a bad bank 1 A/F sensor is P1130. I had a similar problem a few months ago and replaced the bank 2 sensor on the front manifold and all the codes that were reading cleared. I did have a problem with Bosch selling me a defective sensor. If it's not labeled Bosch on the sensor, don't purchase it. Apparently Denso supplied Bosch with either the wrong part or a defective part. If you purchase one from Lexus or Toyota, it should be labeled Toyota/Denso.

I didn't realize that you were the Lexus man. Your insurance premium must be a monster!!! To be honest with you, I'm more worried about my two 15yr. old Trane heat pumps going out on me than I am the transmissions on my RXs. I guess I better start saving up. Oh yeah, the 90k service is due on both my RXs. Can anyone spare some cash???

I've seen numerous people experience transmission failures on many types of vehicles before 100k, mostly on American cars. I've asked them if they ever changed the fluid and filter, and of course they hadn't. They weren't even aware it needed to be done. Obviously the transaxle on an RX300 requires different maintenance than a standard transmission and definitely requires more than 3qts of fluid when serviced. In my opinion, the people that have experienced the transaxle failures haven't performed the proper maintenance or maybe used the wrong type fluid which possibly led to the premature failures. Towing trailers might also cause failures since the car doesn't seem to have enough power for towing. I'm not trying to push any buttons here, but I have many reliable sources to back me on this issue. I'm glad everyone posts their problems on this forum. It sure has helped me solve some of mine and possibly prevent future ones. The bottom line is that all cars are a pain in the !Removed! and cost a small fortune to operate and maintain, some more than others.

Just even mention the topic "thinking about buying an RX" and the same four people go into a frenzy about the lemons they purchased and how any car would be better than a Lexus RX. Personally, I haven't had any major problems with either one of my RX300s yet. I have around 90k on both of them and have had the transmissions totally flushed every 15k using T/IV fluid of course. I've driven some of the other luxury SUVS and thought they sucked compared to the RXs. Personally, I would never take any my cars to a dealership unless it concerned a warranty issue.

I was having a problem with my RX starting and went to Advance Auto Parts and they suggested I try a bottle of Sea Foam engine/injector cleaner. I mixed it with about 8 gallons of gas and it immediately took care of the problem. The car runs great!!! I think the Sea Foam cleaner worked much better than some of the other high end fuel system cleaners I have tried, and it is O2 sensor safe. I usually add a bottle of fuel system cleaner about every 5kmi..

I purchased a Bosch sensor from a local parts store. I put it on and the code kept popping back up. I eventually took it back off thinking there had to be something wrong with the sensor and the parts store exchanged it for another. The next day the parts store informed me that the sensor I returned was a Denso/Toyota A/F sensor. I think they thought I was trying to pull something on them. After reading the posts on this forum I realized that Bosch was packaging sensors that were actually defective Denso sensors. The whole thing is a bunch of crap. I spent a lot of time and energy trying to troubleshoot the problem, not to mention having to explain to the parts store what was going on. They were as baffled as I was. At least next time I'll realize what's going on.

Who can I contact at Bosch to get reimbursed for all the time and money I spent trying to troubleshoot their defective air/fuel ratio sensor that was supplied to them by Denso? thanks.

RX in NC, I was talking about the drain and fill that Toyota and Lexus perform on the RX300 and other AWD vehicles. I've owned other cars where you just pull the plug on the bottom of the transmission, drain the fluid, replace the filter and you're done. That works great on a standard transmission, but not on an RX300. Do that with an RX and the fluid still looks dirty. I have researched this topic thoroughly and everyone I've talked to agrees that a drain and fill is very inadequate. It doesn't remove all the dirty fluid and particles from the transmission. Most people never have their car transmissions serviced at all and they usually fail before 100k. I've read the posts on this forum concerning transmission failures and there are just a few people who post over and over about their bad luck with their RX's transmissions. They've talked about trying different types of fluids or that their fluid appears dirty and burnt smelling. That in itself implies to me that they are not performing proper maintenance on their transmissions. Everyone speculates on what the problem is without providing any valid research or information. I've talked to several private Toyota mechanics that work on RX300/330s and Toyota Highlanders every day and they haven't seen any unusual transmission failures on these cars that are properly serviced. I own two RX300s with almost 90kmi. and I haven't had a hint of transmission problems from either one. I live in the mountains and drive up and down steep hills every day. Concerning the intial post here: I advise you to use the right type of fluid, keep it clean, take it easy on the gas pedal, and you shouldn't have any transmission problems for a long time.