Cars

Overview The 2016–2022 Lexus RX. On paper? Smooth, refined, “luxury.” In the shop? A little more complicated. I’ve worked on a lot of these. Not broken piles. Not ticking time bombs either. But they do have patterns—very specific ones—and if you know where to look, you can spot them early before they turn into expensive…

Overview The third-gen RX. 2010–2015. I’ve had a lot of these in the shop. They don’t come in on a hook very often, which already tells you something. This platform sticks with Toyota/Aisin transaxles—simple layout, not a science experiment. Gas models run the U660 series, hybrids get the P313 setup with motor-generators doing half the…

Overview The second-gen Lexus RX. Solid platform. Comfortable. Quiet. People love them. But the drivetrain? It’s not magic. It just ages slower than most. I’ve had a lot of these in the shop—RX330, RX350, and the hybrid RX400h. Same story over and over. If they’re maintained, they go a long time. If not, the tranny…

Overview This generation Lexus LS… it’s a different animal. Not the old LS430 days. Not even close. You’re looking at VXFA50/VXFA55 and GVF50 chassis cars (2018–present), and Lexus went all-in on complexity. More gears, more electronics, more integration. Cleaner on paper. Messier in the real world. Two completely different setups live under the same badge:…

Overview The fourth-gen Lexus LS. Big car. Quiet. Over-engineered in a very Toyota way. And when it comes to the tranny and driveline—yeah, it’s good… but it’s not magic. I’ve seen a lot of these in the shop. LS460, LS600h L, high-mileage highway cars, garage queens, neglected ones with black fluid that looks like used…

Overview The fourth-gen Lexus IS (2021–present) didn’t reinvent anything underneath. Same basic drivetrain philosophy. Same Aisin-based automatics. No DCT experiments. No CVT nonsense. Just torque converters and planetary gears doing their job. And honestly? That’s why these cars don’t show up on tow trucks with grenaded transmissions every week. In my experience, this platform is…

Overview The third-gen Lexus IS (2014–2020) isn’t what I’d call a “problem transmission” car. Not even close. I’ve had plenty come through the shop with 120k, 150k miles (193k–241k km), original tranny still working, no drama. But. That doesn’t mean they’re perfect. Nothing is. What you’re dealing with here depends entirely on drivetrain. RWD cars…

Overview This generation Lexus IS—2006 through 2013—runs Aisin gearboxes across the board. No weird CVTs, no experimental junk. Just traditional torque-converter units. Sounds reassuring. And honestly, most of the time, it is. But here’s where people get it wrong. These transmissions don’t usually explode. They don’t just grenade out of nowhere like some other brands….

Overview The fourth-gen Lexus GS (2013–2020) is one of those cars that tricks people. Looks clean. Drives smooth. Feels bulletproof. And for the most part—it is. But spend enough time in a shop, and patterns start showing up. Not catastrophic “tranny exploded on the highway” stuff. That’s rare here. What you actually see is weirder….

Overview The third-gen Lexus GS (2006–2011). Good cars. Solid build. But the transmissions? They’re a mixed bag once miles stack up. I’ve worked on a lot of these. Not blown-up junk—this isn’t that kind of platform—but picky. Very picky. Fluid, calibration, driving style… everything matters more than people expect. Most of what goes wrong isn’t…

The 2019–present Lexus ES. On paper, it’s simple. In the shop, yeah… mostly still simple, which is rare these days. You’re dealing with three setups. That’s it. ES350 — V6, front-wheel drive, conventional 8-speed ES250 — 4-cylinder, AWD, also 8-speed but with a rear coupling system ES300h — hybrid, planetary eCVT unit I’ve worked on…

Overview This generation Lexus ES? Simple drivetrain. Almost boring. No AWD, no transfer case, no fancy torque-vectoring nonsense. Just a front-wheel-drive transaxle doing all the work. You’ve got two completely different setups hiding under the same body: ES350 — U660E conventional automatic ES300h — P314 hybrid power-split unit And these two… they don’t behave the…

Overview This generation ES is simple. Almost boring, on paper. Front-wheel drive only. One transaxle. No AWD headaches, no transfer case nonsense, no rear diff failures hiding in the shadows. Everything—gears, clutches, differential—lives inside one aluminum case bolted to the side of the V6. And that’s where the story is. In my experience, these cars…

Overview This generation Lexus ES is simple. Almost boring, mechanically speaking. Front-wheel drive, V6, one transmission option across the board. No AWD nonsense, no multiple gearboxes to worry about. Just the U151E doing all the work. I’ve seen a lot of these. Taxi mileage, grandma cars, neglected commuter beaters—you name it. The transmission itself? Not…