In HJ today.

[Mincey]

On 11/1/2019 at 5:05 PM, reeac said:

There is the other aspect that if you drive both manual and automatics then your left foot is trained to use the clutch pedal which is a quite different action from the brake pedal.

Absolutely. And that's why the first and only time I tried left foot braking in an auto (not my IS250 I hasten to add) I too decided to stick with instigating stopping procedures with my right foot afterwards. My wife has driven autos since day 1 and left foot brakes. She naturally thinks this makes her a better driver than me, as you'd expect. She has been driving an Ioniq for the past six weeks. I collect my IS300h tomorrow. No doubt she'll be "teaching" me how to drive it at peak efficiency before the day is out....

[royoftherovers]

SATURDAY 28 DECEMBER 2019 A Jaguar owner said

"During my career I had six Jaguars as company cars and two of my own since I retired. All were without problems except for the last two. At about 7,000 miles engine faults developed and I was without the car for about two weeks. It turned out to be a balancer shaft problem and the engine has to be removed and stripped down for examination by a Jaguar technician from Coventry. A few weeks ago, water started to leak into the front passenger footwell. I was without the car for about four days whilst the source of the leak was identified and dealt with. On 24 August, the turbo failed and the car had to be transported to the dealer on a recovery vehicle. Today, on the M6, the car lost power and a “restricted performance“ message appeared. My wife and I had to stand behind a barrier for ninety minutes awaiting a recovery vehicle. The car is now on my drive and will be taken by another recovery vehicle to the Jaguar dealer in Warrington. This has been a most unreliable car and when the current problem is dealt with I will have no confidence whatsoever in driving the car any distance without something else happening. I am going to Cornwall later this month and will be worrying the whole journey there and back. I would like Jaguar to replace the car.

MB, Warrington

And HJ`s response was........

This is the law as I see it: https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/ Liability rests with the supplier (ie the Jaguar dealer who sold you the car) not JLR. But JLR might intervene. If you took the dealer to court, this would be a significant case (not a 'small claim') involving first the full County Court and possibly the High Court, which would probably cost you upwards of £10,000; maybe upwards of £20,000 in legal and court fees with no guarantee of a ruling in your favour and the distinct possibility of not being awarded your costs. So, unless you get a favourable offer from JLR, it would probably be more expedient to simply part-exchange the Jaguar for something reliable, like a Lexus.

[royoftherovers]

11/01/2020 Not Lexus but it is Lexus. Advice for Lexus owners too ?

IQ test

I have owned a Toyota IQ2 with 998cc engine and CVT from new and it is now coming up to 10 years old. It has 65,000 miles on the clock, serviced every year at our local Toyota dealer and has never given a minutes problem. Due to its reliability and practicality as a town car, we would like to keep it for another trouble-free 10 years and to this end (and noting the advice regarding changing oil in automatic gearboxes) I ask the Toyota service manager each year, should the oil in the CVT be changed? Each year I am advised: no servicing is required, the CVT unit is sealed for life and hence no oil change is required, the CVT in the IQ is very reliable and they have had very few, if any, problems with it. What would Honest Johns advice be on the subject?

JMT, via email

It's true that Toyota CVTs have generally been very reliable, and the IQ has been a paragon of reliability, but "sealed for life" means sealed for the design life of the car, which is 7 years. Honda recommends a regular change of fluid in its CVTs, so I would talk to a member of http://www.fedauto.co.uk about this and see what he has to say.

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by royoftherovers
typo

[rich1068]

Interesting. I've voiced my scepticism about gearbox oil changes on here before, mainly because over on the American forums they tend to go completely the other way changing engine and gearbox oils like most people change socks. However, I am thinking of bringing this up next time I'm over at Lex-Tek and see what Dave has to say.

[royoftherovers]

1 minute ago, rich1068 said:

Interesting. I've voiced my scepticism about gearbox oil changes on here before, mainly because over on the American forums they tend to go completely the other way changing engine and gearbox oils like most people change socks. However, I am thinking of bringing this up next time I'm over at Lex-Tek and see what Dave has to say.

Thanks Richie.

I change the transmission oil in my 17 year old Merc auto, every 40,000 miles .It was supposed to be sealed for life.

It has now covered 247,000 miles without a hiccup !

[wharfhouse]

Had a BMW E39 528i that did 210k miles over 10 years with sealed for life auto box - was still working perfectly when I sold it - always dealer serviced but gearbox oil was never changed. 

[rich1068]

24 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Thanks Richie.

I change the transmission oil in my 17 year old Merc auto, every 40,000 miles .It was supposed to be sealed for life.

It has now covered 247,000 miles without a hiccup !

and

19 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

Had a BMW E39 528i that did 210k miles over 10 years with sealed for life auto box - was still working perfectly when I sold it - always dealer serviced but gearbox oil was never changed. 

Exactly what I mean!

Since you posted the article John I've been reading up. A few drain and fills can't hurt, especially at only a couple of litres a time. I think the complete 8ltr drain or flush I'd be wary of though. Like all the dead leaves and twigs I imagine in the bottom of my fuel tank I dread to think what I'd disturb in a gearbox 

[First_Lexus]

I have a 2004 MINI Cooper with a CVT gearbox which I've owned from new. It too is allegedly 'sealed for life' but following a few going 'bang' (mainly in the US where mileages are higher than in Europe) the advice was changed.

I've had the oil in mine changed every 4 years. For me, the mileage is irrelevant as the car has still only done 12k (dry!) miles from new...

If I found keep my NX long term, and I think I will, I'll also have the CVT oil changed. Prevention is better - not to mention cheaper - than cure IMHO.

[wharfhouse]

3 hours ago, rich1068 said:

and

Exactly what I mean!

Since you posted the article John I've been reading up. A few drain and fills can't hurt, especially at only a couple of litres a time. I think the complete 8ltr drain or flush I'd be wary of though. Like all the dead leaves and twigs I imagine in the bottom of my fuel tank I dread to think what I'd disturb in a gearbox 

I was told changing the oil can disturb sediment and cause more problems than it cures - can only comment on my experience based on this 210k miles as that's the most I've ever done in a car (had it from new). 

[royoftherovers]

13 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

I was told changing the oil can disturb sediment and cause more problems than it cures - can only comment on my experience based on this 210k miles as that's the most I've ever done in a car (had it from new). 

I`m hoping to break the quarter million mile mark before Easter !! Never done it before,nor will I be able to do it again !

[Jayw13702]

I have had 3 Prius and now on my IS300h

All of them had transmission fluid changed every 100k and none of them had any failures.

My oldest Prius is now 16 and has done 340,000 miles with no major mechanical issues, my IS is just approaching 140,000 miles and drives like new.

I recommend changing the fluid, no fluid will last more than 100k and still give optimum lubrication


Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[rich1068]

So I called in to see my friendly parts manager today, intent on purchasing a job lot of transmission oil. Forty something quid for 10 litres isn't a lot but left empty handed because he more or less talked me out of it. He says by all means if I want to play with the car but he said in the umpteen years he's been with Montys/Lexus Sheffield he's never experienced any problems with gearboxes. Might still play but it'll only be if I want to get out of the house for a few hours rather than essential maintenance.

:edit:

Should mention that obviously HJ was talking about CVT boxes which mine isn't.

:edit#2:

I then called the member of the Federation of Automatic Transmission Engineers that is nearest to me and happens to be Automatic Transmissions of Huddersfield. In his opinion there is a benefit to changing transmission oil in cars from new eg every 40k miles but in my case there would be none as there is no history of changes. If something is on its way out a few 2 litre changes will make no difference to that fact in any way. He also said there's the very real risk of disturbing "muck" as he put it, that at the moment is quietly sat there doing no harm. 

So I think I'll leave it.

[royoftherovers]

Many thanks for the update Richie.

One pays one`s money and makes one`s choice.

 

I have neither heard nor read of any problem with a gearbox in a Toyota or Lexus CVT REGARDLESS of whether the oil has been changed or not..

[wharfhouse]

When I had the E39 I used to read the E39 BMW forums - in the USA where they do some high mileages it was actually quite interesting as reports of auto gearbox failures seemed to be higher when the gearbox oil had been changed over those where it hadn't - and some of those where it hadn't been changed had covered 300k+ miles. Although completely un-scientific it was partly on the strength of these reports, and from talking to my BMW dealer, that I never asked for the oil to be changed on mine over its 210k miles. Unless Lexus advise changing the e-cvt oil I think I will leave well alone on my current IS 300h too. Currently I have covered 85K miles but I do however have the Lexus extended warranty on the car so if the e-cvt goes kaput it will be covered - I plan to keep the extended warranty in place until I sell he car or I can't renew it any further, at which time I will sell the car anyway but by then it will be closing in on 150k miles.

[rich1068]

56 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

When I had the E39 I used to read the E39 BMW forums - in the USA where they do some high mileages it was actually quite interesting as reports of auto gearbox failures seemed to be higher when the gearbox oil had been changed over those where it hadn't - and some of those where it hadn't been changed had covered 300k+ miles. 

That's interesting. And going back to what the transmission guy told me, some of these cars have fallen into the seriously affordable bracket. Who's to say it's not well intentioned 3rd or 4th owners disturbing the "muck" in their 15+ year old pride and joy? That said, while looking into this over on Club Lexus I came across a guy who changed the transmission oil every time he changed the engine oil!

[wharfhouse]

5 minutes ago, rich1068 said:

That's interesting. And going back to what the transmission guy told me, some of these cars have fallen into the seriously affordable bracket. Who's to say it's not well intentioned 3rd or 4th owners disturbing the "muck" in their 15+ year old pride and joy? That said, while looking into this over on Club Lexus I came across a guy who changed the transmission oil every time he changed the engine oil!

Yes for every one who does change the oil there is another who doesn't. In the case of traditional auto boxes there are lots of narrow channels which is what disturbed crud can block up. On the Lexus / Toyota ecvt this is not the case as far as I know and so changing oil should actually pose less risk i guess than traditional autos.