IS 300h transmission fluid still OK after 270k km (170k mi)?

[chnapo]

Hello,

new owner of my first Lexus (IS 300h 2015). First I have to say that the car is awesome, people who never drove lexus are truly missing out.

So about the question: After reading many discussions I learned that the ATF is not to be replaced as per manufacturer specification it lasts the car´s lifetime. But most people discussing had around 100k miles driven on their cars. I just bought mine at 270k km / 170k mi. Runs like a charm, I have to admit that I am impressed with the state of the car, I would guess half the mileage. But I am planning/hoping to drive it beyond 400k km / 250k mi and I have my doubt about the ATF lasting another 8 years and 80k miles without damaging the transmission. Is there any owner of the same model (or one with the same transmission) who has high mileage and can kindly share their personal experience? Or a mechanic who had opportunity to work on such a high mileage transmission? Is it better to let it be or seek a service center that can replace the ATF?

Also, any other tips for improving/maintaining the eCVT reliability and longevity?

[wharfhouse]

1 hour ago, chnapo said:

Hello,

new owner of my first Lexus (IS 300h 2015). First I have to say that the car is awesome, people who never drove lexus are truly missing out.

So about the question: After reading many discussions I learned that the ATF is not to be replaced as per manufacturer specification it lasts the car´s lifetime. But most people discussing had around 100k miles driven on their cars. I just bought mine at 270k km / 170k mi. Runs like a charm, I have to admit that I am impressed with the state of the car, I would guess half the mileage. But I am planning/hoping to drive it beyond 400k km / 250k mi and I have my doubt about the ATF lasting another 8 years and 80k miles without damaging the transmission. Is there any owner of the same model (or one with the same transmission) who has high mileage and can kindly share their personal experience? Or a mechanic who had opportunity to work on such a high mileage transmission? Is it better to let it be or seek a service center that can replace the ATF?

Also, any other tips for improving/maintaining the eCVT reliability and longevity?

Always an interesting discussion. I have a 2014 IS 300h that has now done 143k miles on original transmission fluid. The ecvt is different to a traditional auto box (much simpler) and so the same criteria don't really apply. I know of at least one IS 300h in this forum that did over 230k miles on the original fluid with no issues along with other Lexus and Toyota hybrids with ecvt that have done the same or more. I haven't heard of any ecvt failures in this forum. There isn't anything that can be done to prolong the life of the ecvt other than making sure there are no leaks etc. Changing the fluid is relatively straightforward - more like doing a manual gearbox - but you might struggle to get a Lexus dealer to do it however as they will stick to the lifetime fill advice. Personally I don't plan on replacing my fluid - I'm keeping the car for the foreseeable future and cover about 15k miles per annum. For reference I had a BMW 538i in 1997 that had a lifetime fill auto box - I kept that car 10 years and did 210k miles in it on the original transmission fluid and it never missed a beat and ran as well as ever when I sold it and so I am inclined to believe Lexus / Toyota's view on lifetime fill more than YouTube videos seeking views. But each to their own choice. 

[Notamech]

I happen to be of a different school of thought vs the above i.e i had mine changed on my IS at around 90k miles and will be doing the same on my GS300h as well at its next service (~80k miles). If you plan to keep the car long in my opinion changing the fluid is unlikely to cause any problems. Plus you have the psychological satisfaction of knowing it was done. In theory no fluid can hold the same properties forever and the transmission oil will lose its properties over time so perhaps best to change it. Especially because you do it once in 5-8 years and its not very expensive.

However, as pointed out above there are cars including some prius taxis that have mega miles without the ecvt failing despite never changing the oil. This could be down to the design of the ecvt. My understanding is the primary function of the transmission oil in the ecvt is cooling rather than lubrication and hence maybe even if the oil is old and black it doesnt matter it will still conduct heat all the same. 

But since changing it was only around £130 or something at lexus Hayes, i got it done anyway for the satisfaction of knowing it was done.

[chnapo]

On 11/12/2024 at 2:18 PM, wharfhouse said:

Always an interesting discussion. I have a 2014 IS 300h that has now done 143k miles on original transmission fluid. The ecvt is different to a traditional auto box (much simpler) and so the same criteria don't really apply. I know of at least one IS 300h in this forum that did over 230k miles on the original fluid with no issues along with other Lexus and Toyota hybrids with ecvt that have done the same or more. I haven't heard of any ecvt failures in this forum. There isn't anything that can be done to prolong the life of the ecvt other than making sure there are no leaks etc. Changing the fluid is relatively straightforward - more like doing a manual gearbox - but you might struggle to get a Lexus dealer to do it however as they will stick to the lifetime fill advice. Personally I don't plan on replacing my fluid - I'm keeping the car for the foreseeable future and cover about 15k miles per annum. For reference I had a BMW 538i in 1997 that had a lifetime fill auto box - I kept that car 10 years and did 210k miles in it on the original transmission fluid and it never missed a beat and ran as well as ever when I sold it and so I am inclined to believe Lexus / Toyota's view on lifetime fill more than YouTube videos seeking views. But each to their own choice. 

Thank you, I am now more educated on the eCVT than a week ago and I see how the gearbox is so resillient to not changing oil, it´s basically only a planetary gear set and that´s it, so I now understand why they are near indestructible. Now I feel less urged to replace it, but still, a combination of me being a hypersensitive person about car´s behavior (I feel every stutter, vibration), me being a person who does enjoy doing stupid stuff time to time like drift in the snow or just strain the gearbox a bit more and being too broke to afford expensive repair or another car (so this one has to last me 300k miles xD), I think I´ll rather replace the oil anyway, seems like that won´t damage anything as the gearbox is so simple and resillient. My motto basically is that I am too poor to risk not replacing it.

On 11/13/2024 at 7:21 PM, Notamech said:

I happen to be of a different school of thought vs the above i.e i had mine changed on my IS at around 90k miles and will be doing the same on my GS300h as well at its next service (~80k miles). If you plan to keep the car long in my opinion changing the fluid is unlikely to cause any problems. Plus you have the psychological satisfaction of knowing it was done. In theory no fluid can hold the same properties forever and the transmission oil will lose its properties over time so perhaps best to change it. Especially because you do it once in 5-8 years and its not very expensive.

However, as pointed out above there are cars including some prius taxis that have mega miles without the ecvt failing despite never changing the oil. This could be down to the design of the ecvt. My understanding is the primary function of the transmission oil in the ecvt is cooling rather than lubrication and hence maybe even if the oil is old and black it doesnt matter it will still conduct heat all the same. 

But since changing it was only around £130 or something at lexus Hayes, i got it done anyway for the satisfaction of knowing it was done.

Wow damn that´s cheap! Have you ever tried to DIY it? I was asked 700 euro, that´s a bit costly, but it seems simple according to some videos, so I want to try DIYing it with my mechanic friend.

[Notamech]

1 hour ago, chnapo said:

Thank you, I am now more educated on the eCVT than a week ago and I see how the gearbox is so resillient to not changing oil, it´s basically only a planetary gear set and that´s it, so I now understand why they are near indestructible. Now I feel less urged to replace it, but still, a combination of me being a hypersensitive person about car´s behavior (I feel every stutter, vibration), me being a person who does enjoy doing stupid stuff time to time like drift in the snow or just strain the gearbox a bit more and being too broke to afford expensive repair or another car (so this one has to last me 300k miles xD), I think I´ll rather replace the oil anyway, seems like that won´t damage anything as the gearbox is so simple and resillient. My motto basically is that I am too poor to risk not replacing it.

Wow damn that´s cheap! Have you ever tried to DIY it? I was asked 700 euro, that´s a bit costly, but it seems simple according to some videos, so I want to try DIYing it with my mechanic friend.

700EUR is a bloody rip off. Its a simple job...very similar to draining and refilling the rear differential. And i think you need around 4 litres of toyota ws transmission fluid. I havent attempted doing a DIY as the car needs to be level when doing these jobs and thats a bit hard to achieve with jack stands. But if you want to here is the official way of doing it. Buy the fluid from the dealer and get it done at your local shop shouldnt cost more than 200 eur in total i think

http://zatonevkredit(blocked word)/repair_manuals/raw_content/AWHukQciBFyj9RK3sCu9

[chnapo]

5 minutes ago, Notamech said:

700EUR is a bloody rip off. Its a simple job...very similar to draining and refilling the rear differential. And i think you need around 4 litres of toyota ws transmission fluid. I havent attempted doing a DIY as the car needs to be level when doing these jobs and thats a bit hard to achieve with jack stands. But if you want to here is the official way of doing it.

http://zatonevkredit(blocked word)/repair_manuals/raw_content/AWHukQciBFyj9RK3sCu9

I received an estimate: Labour 194€, OBD diagnostics 30€, hydraulic filter 289€, gearbox pan gasket 41,61€, screw gasket 3€, 4l of Toyota WS fluid 115€ and the rest till 700€ is my road to get there as it´s pretty far away from where I live.

It seems that they are planning to replace the filter which some people say is not neccessary as there is no clutch material, idk about that because maybe the filter won´t be great after 270k km (160k mi)? That would require not just replacing the fluid but also removing the pan and therefore replacing the gasket.

So my thought was that maybe now that the fluid is still original after such a mileage, it might be good to replace the filter once and if from now on I replace the fluid every 60-90k km (36-60k mi), I´ll just do it like with a manual gearbox or a differential, just draining and pumping in new one. And for the filter (and pan, gasket etc.) I´ll pay my mechanic friend who, while not specialized in Toyota or Lexus, should be more than qualified for the job.

Alternatively I may keep the original filter, because if I don´t replace the fluid at all, the filter would stay there and nothing bad would happen and the filter is pretty costly and requires removing the pan, replacing gasket, potentially asking for a leak if something is not done properly.

[Notamech]

2 hours ago, chnapo said:

I received an estimate: Labour 194€, OBD diagnostics 30€, hydraulic filter 289€, gearbox pan gasket 41,61€, screw gasket 3€, 4l of Toyota WS fluid 115€ and the rest till 700€ is my road to get there as it´s pretty far away from where I live.

It seems that they are planning to replace the filter which some people say is not neccessary as there is no clutch material, idk about that because maybe the filter won´t be great after 270k km (160k mi)? That would require not just replacing the fluid but also removing the pan and therefore replacing the gasket.

So my thought was that maybe now that the fluid is still original after such a mileage, it might be good to replace the filter once and if from now on I replace the fluid every 60-90k km (36-60k mi), I´ll just do it like with a manual gearbox or a differential, just draining and pumping in new one. And for the filter (and pan, gasket etc.) I´ll pay my mechanic friend who, while not specialized in Toyota or Lexus, should be more than qualified for the job.

Alternatively I may keep the original filter, because if I don´t replace the fluid at all, the filter would stay there and nothing bad would happen and the filter is pretty costly and requires removing the pan, replacing gasket, potentially asking for a leak if something is not done properly.

Are you sure you need to drop the pan and change the filter? Im not sure if there is a filter and if replacements are available as i dont really see the part anywhere online nor do i see this procedure defined in the official repair manual. Is this being done by a lexus dealer? If so then those prices do sound right for the procedure you described. I just got a simple drain and refill. It did feel a tad bit smoother after the oil change but it might just be a placebo.

[ColinBarber]

2 hours ago, chnapo said:

hydraulic filter 289€

The filter is a ripoff price from Lexus dealers:

https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-gs-phase-4-gearbox-oil-strainer/

 

vs importing it:

https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/3533030110

 

[VFR]

Have you checked out if these YouTubers have covered this issue ?

The Car Car Nut  

and 

Viktor G Automotive

 

[VFR]

1 minute ago, ColinBarber said:

The filter is a ripoff price from Lexus dealers:

https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-gs-phase-4-gearbox-oil-strainer/

 

vs importing it:

https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/3533030110

 

Ain’t that a fact !

[Notamech]

Just now, ColinBarber said:

The filter is a ripoff price from Lexus dealers:

https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-gs-phase-4-gearbox-oil-strainer/

 

vs importing it:

https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/3533030110

 

Ooh yes. Buy from amayama as its not urgent - its significantly cheaper. I seen the pan gasket for £3. It should arrive in 2-3 weeks.