Anyone know this ISF?

[d3ron]

42 minutes ago, Connor said:

It lost all its fluid because of a burst pipe in the main rad . There’s a post I put on here last year about it . Burnt the clutches so needs a rebuild or new . Lexus put a ten quid tube of anti shudder in it after I spent 3 grand on a new torque converter and took out a warranty . When it shuddered again and slipped in auto mode they took it in and under warranty put that tube of crap in it trying to get out of fitting a new box . It wasn’t right when I sold it but I had had enough of being messed around and fobbed off . 

Ouch! Useful to know for prospective buyers. 

[Alphard]

Hi Connor, are you the guy who asked for the Vin the other day?

It is my car and it is absolutely perfect.  The gearbox has been fully reconditioned by Mackies in Glasgow and it drives perfectly.  I have a photo from them of the gearbox in shrink wrap, sitting on a pallet with the contaminated clutch pack sitting on top.  It has also just had the water pump replaced and the sump seal redone.

It is a “third car”, which I have had for a year.  It follows a Soarer a pre-facelift SC430 and a facelift SC430, each of which I kept for a year and each of which was spot on when I sold it.  I was drawn into the Lexus thing by the guys on Lexusworld and have been carried along by their enthusiasm.  I’ve really enjoyed each of those cars but they have been toys to enjoy for a while and then move on.  I don’t mind if that hobby costs me a few quid - many hobbies do - and I have no reason to sell someone a duff car.

I’m sorry you were fobbed off.  I guess after they sold it to me, they were at the stage where they had to bite the bullet and fix the car.

Whoever buys this will get an immaculate car with no problems or niggles at all.

[BUG4LIFE]

I think the red ISF I mentioned in my original post has gained it missed exhaust trim 😀

[Connor]

On 7/5/2019 at 7:10 PM, Alphard said:

Hi Connor, are you the guy who asked for the Vin the other day?

It is my car and it is absolutely perfect.  The gearbox has been fully reconditioned by Mackies in Glasgow and it drives perfectly.  I have a photo from them of the gearbox in shrink wrap, sitting on a pallet with the contaminated clutch pack sitting on top.  It has also just had the water pump replaced and the sump seal redone.

It is a “third car”, which I have had for a year.  It follows a Soarer a pre-facelift SC430 and a facelift SC430, each of which I kept for a year and each of which was spot on when I sold it.  I was drawn into the Lexus thing by the guys on Lexusworld and have been carried along by their enthusiasm.  I’ve really enjoyed each of those cars but they have been toys to enjoy for a while and then move on.  I don’t mind if that hobby costs me a few quid - many hobbies do - and I have no reason to sell someone a duff car.

I’m sorry you were fobbed off.  I guess after they sold it to me, they were at the stage where they had to bite the bullet and fix the car.

Whoever buys this will get an immaculate car with no problems or niggles at all.

Hello mate no I’ve never messaged you . I didn’t need to cos I know the car . 

Pleased you got it sorted . It’s an awesome isf as I took good care of it when I had it for 5 years 

[Connor]

On 7/5/2019 at 7:10 PM, Alphard said:

Hi Connor, are you the guy who asked for the Vin the other day?

It is my car and it is absolutely perfect.  The gearbox has been fully reconditioned by Mackies in Glasgow and it drives perfectly.  I have a photo from them of the gearbox in shrink wrap, sitting on a pallet with the contaminated clutch pack sitting on top.  It has also just had the water pump replaced and the sump seal redone.

It is a “third car”, which I have had for a year.  It follows a Soarer a pre-facelift SC430 and a facelift SC430, each of which I kept for a year and each of which was spot on when I sold it.  I was drawn into the Lexus thing by the guys on Lexusworld and have been carried along by their enthusiasm.  I’ve really enjoyed each of those cars but they have been toys to enjoy for a while and then move on.  I don’t mind if that hobby costs me a few quid - many hobbies do - and I have no reason to sell someone a duff car.

I’m sorry you were fobbed off.  I guess after they sold it to me, they were at the stage where they had to bite the bullet and fix the car.

Whoever buys this will get an immaculate car with no problems or niggles at all.

Did Lexus Carlisle fix the gearbox before you bought it . 

[Alphard]

Hi Connor,  thanks.

After posting here, I found your thread on the car.  What a nightmare.  I’m really sorry about your experience.

Lexus Carlisle sold it to me with the problem but with a full Lexus warranty.  They fobbed  me off a bit at first, presumably hoping that as I was 100 miles away, I’d get it fixed locally.  I took it back to them and asked them to sort it.  They couldn’t really argue.  It seems they took the gearbox out and sent it to transmission specialists in Glasgow and claimed on the warranty.  The warranty company refused to pay because it was a pre-existing fault.  Lexus Carlisle must have paid (with or without help from Lexus GB).  I guess Lexus Carlisle absorbed the labour in slack workshop time  - I was without the car for two months.   It wasn’t great as I missed some great dry summer days but the outcome is that the car is fixed.  As you say, the car was faultless in every other respect and had clearly been respected by its previous owner.

i needed to drive to work meetings yesterday so instead of taking the train to work, I took the ISF and had a great afternoon on some of North Yorkshire’s best open roads.  Today, I’m wondering why I ever thought of selling it!

[C.B]

Good to hear this car is back to full health and that there is a route back to full health for anyone else in this situation in future that doesnt involve a 6 month wait and £10k for a new gearbox fitted from Japan. Any idea of the cost of the refurb?

Either way once I am out of warranty if I decide to keep the car I will be having the radiator replaced as a preventative maintence step!

[Alphard]

I don’t know the cost for certain but I did see an estimate for under £2500 including vat and carriage.  I suppose they just had to replace clutch plates and maybe some gaskets/ seals when they put it back together.  The metal parts are reputed to be very strong and shouldn’t have been worn or damaged at that mileage.

I don’t know how many hours it took the dealer to get the gearbox out and back in.  I believe they had to take the engine out.

[Connor]

4 hours ago, Alphard said:

Hi Connor,  thanks.

After posting here, I found your thread on the car.  What a nightmare.  I’m really sorry about your experience.

Lexus Carlisle sold it to me with the problem but with a full Lexus warranty.  They fobbed  me off a bit at first, presumably hoping that as I was 100 miles away, I’d get it fixed locally.  I took it back to them and asked them to sort it.  They couldn’t really argue.  It seems they took the gearbox out and sent it to transmission specialists in Glasgow and claimed on the warranty.  The warranty company refused to pay because it was a pre-existing fault.  Lexus Carlisle must have paid (with or without help from Lexus GB).  I guess Lexus Carlisle absorbed the labour in slack workshop time  - I was without the car for two months.   It wasn’t great as I missed some great dry summer days but the outcome is that the car is fixed.  As you say, the car was faultless in every other respect and had clearly been respected by its previous owner.

i needed to drive to work meetings yesterday so instead of taking the train to work, I took the ISF and had a great afternoon on some of North Yorkshire’s best open roads.  Today, I’m wondering why I ever thought of selling it!

Yeh the car is a belter mate . I changed the oil between services every 5000 miles . I put new brakes all round . New tyres . Anything it needed . The gearboxes are really robust but the way it broke down was a nightmare because it wasn’t even the fault of the box it was the bloody fluid pipes that run through the main rad . 

I fitted a new torque converter too thinking that was the fault so your gear box will be good as new now with a rebuild . And I know the car has never had a bump or accident so someone will be getting a belter . I would keep it if I was you mate cos you won’t get a better genuine one in that colour and age . It’ll be worth a few quid in a few years . 

[BUG4LIFE]

It's a bit messed-up that Lexus would sell a car with this issue - very un-Lexus no?

[Alphard]

Comes down to the individual dealer.  They are franchised to sell Lexus products but aren’t owned by and have no financial interests in Lexus.

having said that, if Connor got a decent px value and as I got the car fixed at the dealer’s cost, two out of three of us did okay.  The issue with the transmission cooler and the road wasn’t the dealer’s responsibility.  The party who should have held its hands up was the manufacturer.  A car like this should not be written off after nine years because of a duff design and it is hardly in the interests of Lexus to tell their customers that the car has a ten year life expectancy.  Lexus should have fixed this one and warned others to have the rad changed.

good luck to those of you sitting on a time bomb.

[Charliecloud]

8 hours ago, Alphard said:

Comes down to the individual dealer.  They are franchised to sell Lexus products but aren’t owned by and have no financial interests in Lexus.

having said that, if Connor got a decent px value and as I got the car fixed at the dealer’s cost, two out of three of us did okay.  The issue with the transmission cooler and the road wasn’t the dealer’s responsibility.  The party who should have held its hands up was the manufacturer.  A car like this should not be written off after nine years because of a duff design and it is hardly in the interests of Lexus to tell their customers that the car has a ten year life expectancy.  Lexus should have fixed this one and warned others to have the rad changed.

good luck to those of you sitting on a time bomb.

Why a duff design ? Technically.

Given that there are several thousand cars in the US and several hundred in the UK  that haven't had this issue it's a bit premature to write off the design due to one example.

 

[Alphard]

Good point.

the 08 models will be the oldest so we’ll see how things pan out over the next few years.

It may be a bit unfair but what I mean by duff design is that where the ATF cooler is sited creates the possibility that what would otherwise be a failure requiring a minor repair will very likely result in significant damage to another component and a major repair bill.

[Martin F]

Out of interest automatic MKIV Supra's have the same arrangement with the gearbox cooler\heater in the bottom of the radiator and I haven't heard of any failures, obviously quite a bit older. 

 

 

[Connor]

17 hours ago, Alphard said:

Comes down to the individual dealer.  They are franchised to sell Lexus products but aren’t owned by and have no financial interests in Lexus.

having said that, if Connor got a decent px value and as I got the car fixed at the dealer’s cost, two out of three of us did okay.  The issue with the transmission cooler and the road wasn’t the dealer’s responsibility.  The party who should have held its hands up was the manufacturer.  A car like this should not be written off after nine years because of a duff design and it is hardly in the interests of Lexus to tell their customers that the car has a ten year life expectancy.  Lexus should have fixed this one and warned others to have the rad changed.

good luck to those of you sitting on a time bomb.

Well said mate and that was my argument with Lexus GB . It broke because of a part that cannot be seen not checked and isn’t checked under servicing not mot . 

Lexus GB suck and I told them that too . I’ve spent over 70 grand with Lexus and I got fobbed off . I’ll never own another .

ive warned a lot of lads in the states they could be sitting on a time bomb too . 

The answer I got off most was . Well mines ok lol yeh it will be till the pipes fail inside the main rad lol 

[C.B]

How many other cars did you come accross that have had this issue? I seem to think I've heard of it happening atleast once before.

[JonP]

there was a guy in France who had this issue as a result of accidental damage that occurred during some suspension work. I don't think the mechanic realised there was an internal pipe when he caused the damage so the car was started and run, resulting eventually in a replacement box being sourced for him, by BigRat I believe, from a crashed vehicle that was parted out in the UK.

I'm not aware of any other cases.

[Connor]

3 hours ago, JonP said:

there was a guy in France who had this issue as a result of accidental damage that occurred during some suspension work. I don't think the mechanic realised there was an internal pipe when he caused the damage so the car was started and run, resulting eventually in a replacement box being sourced for him, by BigRat I believe, from a crashed vehicle that was parted out in the UK.

I'm not aware of any other cases.

There was someone from the midlands that had the same issue Lexus Carlisle told me and one in the states . It’s obviously a defect in manufacture or age . Whether it’s to do with lack of use etc I’ve no idea . I didn’t use my isf much so maybe sitting in the garage for days each week didn’t help . Or maybe I was just one unlucky ***** to have that happen . Like finding a doe doe eating bird seed in ya back garden . 

[Texas]

Just jumping in on this ATF cooler problem and wondered if there was any way an 'external' ATF radiator could be fitted and totally eliminate this potential cross contamination problem.

paul m.

[Connor]

13 hours ago, Texas said:

Just jumping in on this ATF cooler problem and wondered if there was any way an 'external' ATF radiator could be fitted and totally eliminate this potential cross contamination problem.

paul m.

Yes mate you can get a trans cooler on its own I’m aure . Think RR racing does one but I’m sure the lads on here will correct me and point you in the right direction 

[Texas]

I personally am not going to get this problem ( due to not actually owning an ISF....Yet!) but always like to do background searching before any ownership of a car, so was just putting it out there as an option to overcome this potentially super expensive problem.

paul m

[JonP]

39 minutes ago, Texas said:

I personally am not going to get this problem ( due to not actually owning an ISF....Yet!) but always like to do background searching before any ownership of a car, so was just putting it out there as an option to overcome this potentially super expensive problem.

paul m

You know it makes sense to get one, they are addictive for a reason...

[d3ron]

1 hour ago, Texas said:

I personally am not going to get this problem ( due to not actually owning an ISF....Yet!) but always like to do background searching before any ownership of a car, so was just putting it out there as an option to overcome this potentially super expensive problem.

paul m

I spent 4 years lurking on this forum and on others, to pick up any common issues, and I was confident enough to pick one up. I have 2 yrs warranty which I've added for peace of mind.

[Martin F]

Just out of interest I looked up the info on the Supra auto trans cooler and it seems they changed the design between the MKIII and the MKIV. I assume the ISF would have something similar to the MKIV trans cooler as it was obviously built a lot later, but who's to say the Lexus didn't try some other design. 

 

 

[Texas]

Yes looks like the ‘newer’ design has fewer potential failure points within the engine coolant but an external cooler won’t have any!

paul m.