Lexus RX300 Transmission Replacement Cost [Labor & Parts]
If you have a Lexus, you might be aware that some of the parts that are needed for repairs out of warranty can be a bit spendy. This is considered a luxury model of car in some circles and the parts, as well as the labor for work done on these vehicles, can sometimes be steep.
You might be worried if you hear that your Lexus RX300 needs a new transmission, but do you know how much it will actually cost?
The average cost to replace the transmission in a Lexus RX300 is $2,500-$3,200. You will find that the labor can vary from 9.5 hours to 14.5 hours. Labor can vary based on your location and impact the overall cost of this repair.
If you want to learn more about the cost to replace a transmission in a Lexus RX300, read on!
How Much Does Labor Cost?
Your location can greatly impact the cost of the labor that is needed to take care of this kind of replacement process.
Transmissions are not cheap no matter what car you own, but the labor is what can really add up for most of these kinds of services.
Removing the transmission means taking apart most of the engine compartment and then having to put everything back together again after the new transmission is installed.
This is not often a job that you can take care of yourself since you will basically have to have access to the tools and equipment that are only available at a real mechanic shop to do this kind of replacement.
If you have the skill and the right equipment, you can save yourself a lot of money but this will still be a time-intensive job to undertake on your own.
The labor for this job can range from 9 and a half hours to 14 and a half hours. In many areas of the US, labor costs about $50-$80 an hour.
If you live in a city location or you have to work with a mechanic that does not have all the right tools and equipment to work with a Lexus, you might pay more. Luxury dealers will often charge about $90-$120 an hour for their labor on all kinds of services!
If you have to have diagnostic work done during the service to be sure that there are no other broken or damaged parts that need to be replaced at the same time, this will often cost about $50-$65 an hour.
As you can see, this can really all add up to create quite an expensive job. The labor for the transmission replacement can be anywhere from $380 to $1,200! If you are working with luxury car labor rates, the service could cost as much as $1,700 or more!
How Much Do the Parts Cost to Do This Replacement Service?
You might be wondering how much you will pay for the actual parts that are needed to take care of this replacement service.
There are additional smaller parts that might be needed when you are completing your transmission swap and you will probably want to consider these items as part of your potential costs before you start working on your car yourself.
These items could also be charged out to you by your mechanic when they take care of the service for you.
| Part | Cost |
|---|---|
| Transmission | $2,000-$3,500 |
| Clutch | $200-$500 |
| Transmission fluid | $165-$200 |
| Flywheel | $300 |
| Pressure plate | $100-$200 |
| Pedal assembly | $200-$250 |
| Throwout bearing | $100-$200 |
This is only part of the items that might be needed for your replacement process and the costs go up quite a bit when working with a manual transmission.
You will be able to source most of these parts in your local area, but depending on the age of your car, it might be hard to find all of the parts that you need for your repairs.
What to Do if You Can’t Find Parts?
If you are not able to find the parts that you need for your replacement, you can consider picking up an auction car as your donor vehicle.
This is sometimes less expensive than buying all the necessary parts one at a time and you can find auction cars in many areas that are not in good shape otherwise but still have a good transmission.
You will probably spend anywhere from $2,000-$5,000 for a donor car but you might be able to find something even cheaper than this in your local area.
Sometimes you can sell the remainder of the donor car for some money when you are done with the replacement service that you need to complete.
You should always plan on having to deal with the removal of the donor car if it does not sell to anyone and be pleasantly surprised if you do get some money back out of it after all.
This might sound like an expensive solution for your transmission replacement process, but overall, these are not young cars and they need not so common that parts are not around every corner. You might actually save quite a bit of money buying a donor car because of the cost of shipping large engine parts from various locations.
There are sometimes good deals on eBay for the full transmission assembly, but you will want to look at the shipping costs before you get too excited.
There are not many ways to get access to all the parts that you will need for this replacement process without doing some research.
This is an older vehicle that is not commonly worked on anymore and you will struggle to find some of the more unique parts in some cases.
This is why many people are attached to their Lexus RX300 but have to part with it when a major part fails and needs to be repaired or replaced.
How Much Does it Cost to Rebuild a Transmission?
If you want to opt to try to have your transmission rebuilt, this can sometimes be an option for your needs. Not every mechanic can do this for you and sometimes your transmission won’t be suitable for this kind of repair.
However, if the transmission that you have is able to be rebuilt, there will be labor charges and possibly some parts that you will need to pay for.
The labor hours can vary, and you might pay between $1,500 and $2,000 in labor for this service.
The parts and the other necessary items that you might have to pay for can run you from $800-$1,000 in some cases. If you don’t need many parts, the parts might be 0 or less. (cymbalta)
Some people also opt to just get a whole new engine rather than fighting with replacing just the transmission. This can be about $3,500-$4,000 but you will have far less in the way of labor for this when compared to a rebuild of a transmission.
This can be one of the ways that you can actually save money since having an entire new engine can actually help save you from paying for other parts failures down the road.
The parts of your engine don’t all age at the same rate, but having a whole new engine on your side can make your car last for thousands more miles. Sometimes transmission rebuilds don’t hold up as expected either.
How Much Does Annual Maintenance Cost?
If you want to try and avoid the cost of having to replace your transmission, you can make sure that you keep up on your annual maintenance for your car.
This will be less early in the life of your car but it can be more money later on when your car has more mileage on it.
It is important to stay caught up on your oil changes and that you make sure to pursue and diagnose any problems that you think might be making themselves known.
Oil changes are $100 or so each time and you should make sure to look at the factory recommendations for fluid flushes and other kinds of maintenance. You should expect about $500-$650 each year in maintenance costs.
This is not that much money when you think about how much a large part replacement can cost you.
Replacing Your Lexus RX300 Transmission Can be Costly
Always consider whether or not it makes sense to replace the transmission in your car. The age of your vehicle can determine if this makes sense overall for your needs.
If the cost of your transmission replacement is far more than what you would pay in a down payment on a new car, you might want to consider if paying for a transmission replacement makes sense for your needs.
Taking care of your Lexus RX300 transmission can be done with careful maintenance. If you decide to budget to replace the transmission, you will find that this will make the costs easier to bear.
This can be the right choice if you want to keep your Lexus RX300 for years of additional driving.
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