My RX300 Lexus had 6 ignition coils, 6 spark plugs, transmission flushed, charcoal canister replaced, VSV vent valve, and front brakes replaced at a cost of $2,300. 2 days later, the transmission goes and must be replaced to the tune of $3,200! Was the transmission ruined by the flushing? I have to pay over $5,000 for this car. It has 180,000 miles on it. Anyone kind enough to help…your thoughts, please. Thanks so much.
It’s entirely possible. Transmission flushes are almost never a good idea, and you’re usually better off with a simple trans fluid/filter change.
Has the car never had its trans fluid changed before? If so, it’s likely that crud accumulated over time inside the trans, and the flush dislodged this stuff which then proceeded to block a fluid passage…similar to a dislodged blood clot causing a heart attack.
180K is a lot of miles for an auto trans. When was the last time your serviced it? Perhaps you went too long consistently between services. I think it is hard to tie a transmission failure to the flush when the mileage is at 180K. If you neglected regular servicing, then it would have been prudent to change the transmission filter if there is one involved with this transmission. I suspect your servicer did not do this.
Messing with an automatic with that many miles is never a good thing. I don’t think flushes are ever called for, and a fluid and filter change done regularly is the smartest thing to do (Say every 50K). If the people who did the service didn’t warn you before hand it might cause trouble, and they don’t plan on helping you in your situation they’re bad folks. I’m assuming they’re bad folks anyway though for recommending a tranny flush on a car with 180k miles. Try and do a 50/50 thing on the bill with a used tranmsmission since we all know they won’t cough up the money to fix their mistake. Good luck.
What transmission service is called for by your owner’s manual? Have you done all of that service?
O.P, what year is this vehicle and what do you mean by “transmission goes”? Did you lose reverse only, or one other gear? Does it not move at all? Is it making noise? Is it spewing out fluid? Are flames coming out of it? If this is an old-fashioned hydraulically-controlled transmission, you might be able to fix it by dislodging that “blood clot” by simply driving it in a way to increase the line pressure to max for a moment. I have executed such “repairs” myself and gone on to drive the transmissions thousands or 10s of thousands of miles afterwards. Post more information and maybe someone that knows something about Honda transmissions can help you.
To other posters I respond:
I propose that since torque converters don’t usually have drain plugs any more, the only way to efficiently exchange the fluid in an automatic transmission is to hook it up to a machine and pump new fluid in while removing the old fluid. If the transmission has a serviceable filter, it should be cleaned or replaced as well if the manufacturer says so. You might consider unhooking the cooler lines and pumping it out into a bucket yourself.
I don’t understand where all this fear of dislodging and clogging comes from. The machine doing the fluid exchange won’t pump the fluid in/out at a rate significantly faster than the transmission pumps it around.
I agree that a fluid change in a neglected transmission can be the kiss of death, but it would not have lasted that much longer anyway.
If a transmission has had regular service it is no time to stop doing that at 180K or any time or it will will certainly die before it would have otherwise.