Help - I am about to fit a towbar to my LS400 Mk4. Lexus say I must fit a transmission oil cooler, well they would have to say that. But, the parts are about £700. and 5 hours to fit.
The car officially will tow 2000kg I will not exceed 1000kg ( and remove the bar when I sell). Will I get away without a cooler? Has anyone tried this? Has anyone fitted a cooler? Are there any alternative coolers? Anyone fitted a transmission oil temperature guage? Does the LS400 Mk4 have an oil cooler as srandard? help on any of the above please.

What are you towing

A small caravan - mass in running order=790kgs max permitted laden = 1000kgs. This can be towed by a VW Golf etc.

Its highly recommended you fit the oil cooler, we had a situation last week with a Landcruiser Colorado Auto which was recovered from the motorway with a over cooked autobox and that was pulling a small caravan.

Dammed expensive if it fries

I had a bar on an early 96 LS. Only used it to pull a trailer to the local tip, so never a problem. I think distance is an issue, even if you are towing 1000kg for some time on a warm day, then there is a good chance that the auto box will overheat to its detriment. It is a general rule that most autos should be fitted with a cooler when towing. So in summation, a few miles probably ok, any further could be bad trouble?. Dont think it is so much the weight alone, but the added drag of a bulky object can impose a fair old load.

I have just been to Lexus Stockport they took the trouble to get it right. The oilcooler kit for the LS is £235 inc VAT. and about £70 to fit, not the £1800 I was quoted from one Lexus dealer. At this price it's not worth risking it without. Thought I'd put the record straight.

In light of the LExus BOlton Debarcle I wonder if they had used the car for towing and had cooked the box? Hence our lovely member getting all out of steam when going up a hill (ie increased load.

WHat I do know about auto boxes ( having bust 2 of them ) is that if you get loads of black stuff in the fluid you have over cooked it . this black stuff then cloggs the filter not letting the tranny fluid through and this is why you loose drive. Its all about your torque converter baby!

What is also true is that when the car cools, the crud falls from the filter and the car will be perfectly drivable for a while until it heats up again and them blocktastic times resume!

Glad to have got tha out there!

i would definetly recommend a tranny cooler
my father had a vauxhall omega 2.6 v6
brought it new on the recommendation from vauxhalls that it was more than capable of towing a caravan
after doing a few trips , no more than 400 miles each, it needed a new auto box, approx £5500
vauxhalls paid up and blamed a fault in the box
6 months later it needed another !!!
vauxhalls would only pay half

sold vauxhall brought M series mercedes
comes with tranny cooler
18 months later no probs whatsoever