Is it a good idea to change Transmission Fluid and Filter on a Lexus ES?

Do you really want to keep it, or just drive it into the ground even if that only gives you weeks or months before that happens? Seems you're already having tranny problems with shifting, likely due to the lack of maintenance on it and dirty fluid. If you want to keep it longer, get the trans serviced - flush, new filter and fluid, computer diagnostics, clean/replace solenoids as needed. Then give it a while (say 100 miles) and again flush/new fluid & filter. There's the notion that when you have high-mileage transmissions that have never been serviced you leave them alone, as flushing and new fluid will allow the ATF's detergents to break down grime and gunk up the new filter or cause other problems, but chances are high that is already happening (and heat is a major destroyer of trannys) so go ahead and and service it, and if needed, service it a second time to catch that grime released by the ATF's detergents. It really comes down to the condition of the rest of the car, is it worth $140 to service the tranny, or is it a beater on its last legs bound for a scrap yard soon anyhow?

Since your transmission is not working well you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by doing the change.

Agreed - No flush.

It amazes me that people worry about changing the motor oil evert 4,000 miles which is good but they won't spend the money to have the transmission fluid and filter changed at 60,000 miles !!! Neglecting the transmission so you now have a good running motor and now you can push the car around anywhere you want to go The only time they think about the transmission is when starts having problems !! As far as adding Trans X it's not going to fix anything because the damage is already done PS I have never found a mechanic in a can but you use to be able to get Prince Albert in a can years ago

The es350 transmission is sealed and there is no recommended maintenance per my owners manual for my 2008 ES350. That is commonplace, but you can, and should, get the transmission services. Find a shop you trust and get them to change the fluid and filter.

Watch the youtube videos on this. It is best to change the transmission fluid several times in one day because you can't get it all the first time. I never see this recommended anywhere, I would try to do it after a long trip so the fluid has a lot of the gunk suspended. Park the car and put it into reverse for 10 seconds while depressing the brake pedal. This will backflush the filter! How do I know this? My ex's Jeep was shifting badly except right after it was in reverse. Then after some driving, it would get bad again. The reverse was back-flushing the filter! But do it for only 10 seconds to keep that crap in the pan instead of getting sucked back up high into the transmission. I had called a transmission shop and they said DO NOT FLUSH! I have seen that a lot too. Knowing that a lot of transmission shops are crooked, I took it to a Jiffy Lube place where they flushed it. The transmission shifted perfectly after that. But I was double lucky. 1st, flushing can loosen gunk that then gets stuck somewhere important. 2nd. Jiffy Lube guys can screw up anything and do you think that shop will buy you a new transmission? Hell no! So...I do it myself. Make sure you drain and fill at the right temperature. ATF fluid expands and contracts. Too much or too little fluid will screw your transmission.

Most people have covered these things already but I'll give it a crack. If the vehicle is shifting poorly with that amount of mileage, your options are a little limited. Over time, tranmissions with old/burnt fluid develop a brown, varnish-like quality that actually can protect damaged parts by stciking to them. It's strange but it actually helps protect them even though it's a sign of bad fluid and a soon to be failing transmission. Changing the fluid will replace this old fluid with new and that will likely strip away the "varnish" due to the cleaning properties of the new fluid. This can cause a premature failure of the transmission even though it is likely beginning to fail. Now what I would do is go to youtube and do a search for "scotty kilmer transmission". I can't remember which video it is exactly but there is a video in which he discusses an additive that can be put into the tranny fluid that can smooth out a lot of problems. It's not a miracle fix by any means but I know people who have used it and it has rejuvenated seals and quieted slipping transmissions so it might be worth a try - I think it's like $12 a bottle. Anyway, others have mentioned it on here as well but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES have a "transmission flush" performed. What ends up happening is any debris in your fluid will get pushed somewhere and will likely end up jamming or clogging an area up. Many shops offer this service but if you're handy at all, jack up the car, remove the bolts to the transmission pan, drain the fluid and look at the magnet inside of the pan. It's there to attract little metal shavings that can occur in a worn transmission. If it has a lot of them, there's no doubt your transmission is on it's last legs but all in all, it's really up to you as there is no right answer as to what to do.

Your an idiot. Old burnt fluid does not protect anything at all. The reason you don't flush is because there are other magnetic pockets in transmissions meant to hold metal shavings also including the magnet in the pan. When you flush the flush machine is pressurized using an air line from an air compressor. This pressurizes the old fluid out and new in disrupting the shavings inside the internal magnetic pockets releasing them into seals,clutches and other vital parts suspectable to the metal shavings causing irreparable damage and causing premature failure. Drain,fill, drive till hot and repeat. After doing this a few times and replacing most of old fluid then replace old filter with new. If you can determine which line is the return line from the radiator mounted transmission cooler you can pull that line start car it will pump out old fluid and you can simultaneously fill in new fluid through dipstick tube(if equipped) once old fluid is removed replace old filter and add proper amount of fluid. The reason I say replace filter last is to have old filter trap most of suspended clutch material etc, from old fluid, then replace filter with new fluid. You can even change filter again after a few hundred miles and add proper fluid level back for added protection. These methods will provide the best insurance against transmission failure.

No reason to be mean about it. I agree with a lot of what you say. My larger point was that it might be best to leave the fluid alone as changing it can sometimes cause wear to accelerate beyond normal speed. But you do make a lot of solid points, especially with the refill and replace step by step. In his situation, probably the best way to go.

I've done all my maintenance on ALL my cars and started officially driving at age 15. I just turned 59. In addition, I've pulled and replaced motors and transmissions about 4 times (in the 70's) and have done all sorts of car repair for myself and others. That being said, I bought my one and only new car, a 2012 Lexus ES 350. I wanted to change the auto trans. Fluid early, so I consulted ClubLexus, being that they appeared to have more people who knew what they were doing. Anyway, I will put a link here with detailed instructions on how to change the fluid. The "flush" you should NOT DO is one that shops have done using a pressurized system. However, you can effectively flush and change your transmission by means of these steps. I admit I had to take a "leap of faith" in following this procedure, but the steps made sense. I changed mine at 14K miles since it was a new car and now have 31K miles with no tranny problems. I intend to do another change shortly and at that time will change the filter and some associated parts and will drain and "flush." Here is a link (with the original link in the body of the text): https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-5th-gen-2007-2012/680314- es350-diy-transmission-fluid-change.html