does anyone know the auto box oil spec for my LS400 1999 where I can buy it & how much please

Someone on here will be able to give you more details but it must be Toyota fluid, you can't put any off the shelf auto box fluid in it.

It usually states what type under the bonnet, or on the dipstick.. and definitely in the handbook.

Either way, you are looking at type T or T-IV fluid.. if you can use type T, it's much cheaper..


John

Hi - not sure what the oil is but I had mine changed at Lexus Hull in Jan 08 along with a few other bits.

According to my bill, the cost of the oil was £39.98. I have a 98 LS400.

Nick

make sure you use the right totota oil as i used normal atf and only lasted about a month or so before it went bang again

Only use Toyota Type IV ATF otherwise you will be asking for trouble by using anything else.

There's lots of horror stories relating to not using the toyota type IV (most of which are old wives tales), but a bet if you call your local Lexus dealer and ask them what they use they'll tell you Dexron III (bog standard ATF fluid), and they'll also tell you that's all they've ever used without any issues or problems.

In fact my dealer told me that they have never once had the type IV in the dealership since it opened over 7 years ago and they've performed 100's of gearbox flushes since then.

So my tuppence worth is this.... the type IV fluid (if you can find it) retails for approx £40-50 per litre and you're going to need approx 5l so if your feeling flush go for it, otherwise use the Dexron III as per 95% of the Lexus dealership do and you'll be able to find 5l tubs for about £25, it may also be worth asking the dealership how many failed boxes they've seen that had used the dexron III, and I think you'll find the answer is none !

As for NIck in Hull, for that price I can assure you the dealer used Dexron III, you may want to check with them if you do not believe me.

But as always with life you have choices so it's up to you, if you want peace of mind stick to the type IV, other wise Dexron III everytime!

i think if youre having you oil changed at a "Lexus Dealer" then surely that would be piece of mind itself - never mind what they use

Can anybody put a price on gearbox oil changed at a lexus dealer?

Hence why my car will never go to a Lexus dealer for a service...

However, I do trust what the manufacturer says in my handbook, and the service manual.. which is why I bought T-IV

And I can say the car runs much better, gearchanges are smoother, and vibrations are non existent.. a noticeable difference from what it was like when I bought it...


John

£38 as per Nicks post above.....Dexron III for sure

well i put atf in mine and it only lasted about 1-2 months before it went

and it was the oil that did it

John

I 100% agree with you regardinig what the books suggest, but can you honestly say that the gearbox runs smoother now because your using type IV or is it because it just needed changing from the opil that was in there when you bought the car, what I'm trying to say is that is it the type IV that's making the gearbox better, or did it just need a change and would Dexron have the same effect, and unless you've owned the car for many, many years and have replaced the oil with both types on numerous occasions, can you honestly put your hand on your heart and say for sure it's the type IV ??

in a nutshell... no, I can't say for sure.... my oil was in poor condition which is why I changed it..

I also have to say that Lexus states that the fluid has no need to be changed under normal driving conditions.. and we all know that this is not completely true.... always change if brown or smells burnt.

But there is so much evidence out there that suggests that the only fluid that is 100% compatible is T-IV.

In an ordinary auto transmission, it wouldn't be a problem, but ours is controlled by a computer that is expecting T-IV fluid in there... anything else can cause juddering and chatter, caused by the computer compensating for the wrong fluid, and even though it is only slight, it is still putting an excess strain on the box, leading to premature failure..


John

I see there's a brand new Genuine Gearbox filter on ebay at the moment......probably never been a better time to change the oil strainer as I know the dealer price for these are riddiculous.

I guess there's a few competitors bidding as the price has risen a few quid overnight. As the auction ends today I guess it's a case of may the best man win GOOD LUCK!