RX450h Mk3 eCVT gearbox oil change

[Vadim]

Lexus eCVT gearbox used in RX450h is a very reliable unit, which contains two electric motors, planetary gear and differential. It does not have friction plates and switching gears as in a traditional automatic gearboxes, and for this reason requires less attention.
It has about 5 litres of Toyota WS AT fluid as lubricant. Lexus service manuals and dealership suggest that the AT fluid is filled for the entire life of the car (one could wonder whether it is the warranty life or the service life). Common sense suggests that the AT fluid has to be changed in older cars with hundreds thousands miles on the clock, because no lubricant can retain its characteristics after years of intensive use.

I decided to change the AT fluid as a part of major service in my RX450h 2011 at 186k miles. To do this one needs to pour old oil using one oil drain and fill new oil though another until the level reaches the filling hole (the car has to be level when filling).

Always make sure you can unwind the filling oil plug before draining the oil! Otherwise you can end up with no oil inside and no way to fill it.

 

Draining the old AT oil. Use a pan to collect the old oil. Be careful not to spill the oil if you do it anywhere outside of a dedicated area in a garage.

While working under the car, adhere to manufacturer's safety instructions for such cases.

 

Filling plug (from the front left wheel side, between the CV joint coming to the gearbox and the steering rack).

 

The filling plug has restricted access and is quite tight. Best use an oil drain plug key with an elbow to unwind it (from £8-10). I had to add a piece of metal pipe to extend the elbow to about 30cm to gain sufficient momentum to before the oil plug gave in.

 

To fill new oil need it is convenient to use an oil suction device with hose (retail from £4-5):

 

The manufacturer specification for the AT fluid is "Toyota WS". I used Millers Millermatic ATF SPIII-WS, which meets the Toyota WS specifications (currently £40 for 5l at OpieOils). In my case about 4 litres of new oil went in (certain amount of the old oil always remains in the gearbox). I used the remainder for the rear differential.

Old oil: dark brown/red.

 

Recycling of the used oil

The old oil can usually be left for recycling at council recycling centres for free (Brent Reuse and Recycling Centre in my case), or brought to a familiar garage (they all collect old motor and transmission oil for recycling). Please never pour the old oil into toilet or drop the canisters with old oil into general waste or recycling bins: it must be properly recycled or it will cause damage to the environment!

 

Overall mechanical skill required: medium.

Tools required: oil drain plug key set and manual oil suction pump, some pan to collect the drained oil (mind that you will not be able to clean it from oil completely).

Time required: 1 hour.

Total cost, including the required tools: about £50.

 

Ex-post analysis: worth doing on cars with >100k mileage if you desire to maintain the car in good shape. 6k miles after oil replacement, the car goes well, no issues and no differences (the gearbox had no issues before oil change).

 

Disclaimer: The above showcases my personal experience only. Please refer to official service / repairs manuals and consult a qualified specialist. When planning to do this job by yourself ensure that you adhere to all relevant safety instructions, have sufficient understanding of the subject area and have sufficient qualification and experience to undertake such job.

[royoftherovers]

It is neither Warranty nor Service life, it is the Production Run Life of the Model, usually a maximum of 7 years.

[Stefan213]

Changed on my 2011 last year, toyota oem oil and labour was 170£. 

[Vadim]

2 hours ago, Stefan213 said:

2 hours ago, Stefan213 said:

Changed on my 2011 last year, toyota oem oil and labour was 170£. 

Good price. Was it at toyota/lexus dealer or non-dealer garage?

[Stefan213]

7 hours ago, Vadim said:

 

Non dealer garage, you can easy do it by your own as you explained, no point to go to lexus for easy bits to do

[Barry14UK]

Here is a video on this by the 'colourful' and 'charismatic' Fay Hadley, one of several she has done on various servicing aspects.  I believe the official recommendation for the RX450h is always that the oil should be changed whilst within specified temperature range as she shows in part two of this video.

 

[Vadim]

There is also one for RX450 by WrongwayUp: