Stew4HD

Well said and, if I may add, it's a bit too soon to have much in the way of tips and tricks. There will be in time, no doubt.

So, for now, we'll get mostly complaints about bugs and real serious issues if and when they arise.

We have just one (I think) "What do you like about your car" thread.

Quandry

Excuse me, and you are still driving the car? WTF! The description of the problems suggests that it is a hazard on the road to you and to others and it is not road worthy. It should be parked at the dealer until this is resolved. Of course if you are exaggerating then that is another matter.

FredS

I have no problem members pointing out problems that is ridiculous that you would think that I don't think problems should be included. I have picked up may good pointers from these forums regarding problems. My point is the TLX and RLX are new cars and in new car forums they should not be filled with problems. Isn't that why we buy new cars to avoid major issues? Wait so we can't express our opinions here about brand new $40,000-$60,000 investments with major issues. That is complaining! You don't need to worry about me wasting my time either.

quantum7

Sorry....just seems like your reply was sarcastic and not welcoming of others opinions....but maybe its just me who read it this way.

Almost impossible to ignore your posts....

btw, I too am looking at a V6 SH-AWD Advanced. I just want all the information that I can get from everyone, including you, as to problems, concerns, AND LIKES....I read that thread also about what people like.

If someone says a TLX is an Accord, I call Bullshit too, but if they say that their transmission is acting up, I want to hear about it.

Didn't mean to Wow you!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I may have not bought a single new car in my life; but I do not expect a brand new car to be perfect.

after all, it is a machine.
machine's can have imperfections and break.

This is why some say to never buy a first year car, which the TLX is.

IT will have its issues and by the third or 4th year, things will be ironed out.

this isnt something new and pretty much how ALL tech evolves.


You also have to remember, that the forums are A SMALL PERCENTAGE of owners.

Stew4HD

You most likely will never get my, or other's, point on this. NO ONE, I repeat, NO ONE is talking about your transmission complaint. It's the 'Acura is doomed/done/finished/washed up/etc.' comments that is being replied to.

You and others immediately jump to the 'what, I can't complain about my issue here?" line when I counter and bring up the doom/gloom remarks.

As I have said before, we all understand the frustration level of a car giving problems, especially a brand new one. Don't take it as me making light of the problems with a new car.

quantum7

I understand that his comment was essentially, my transmission bad therefore Acura is doomed. I agree that the statement is not realistic and perhaps not appreciated here. I understand that you replied to his comment to point that out.

Simply stating that the tone of your reply does not encourage others to post their concerns.

"thank you new posting guy. although I feel bad that your transmission is acting up, I do not feel that Acura is doomed because of this. Please keep us informed about your car and your experience with how Acura handles this so that we can all benefit from your knowledge"

NwTSXmt

First year model buyers of any brand should expect issues/growing pains...Its a fact you are "beta testers" and I thank you all for taking the lumps...

TacoBello

I'm willing to bet that there isn't a single new car forum out there where guys aren't complaining about some sort of problems with their new cars. Sorry, but I think your expectations are a little flawed.

Quandry

Looking back at post #36, this has been blown way out of proportion. A very short statement ending with "Okay" morphed into a tone that does not encourage others to post their comments. Are we that sensitive?

One of the purposes of the forum is for people to post problems, and I have yet to see a post that discourages that. As far as the tone of posts it works both ways! A poster jumping into the sandbox with with seriously negative statements as a platform to vent, and not just reporting their problems, will get jumped on.

g37guy01

The future may look bleak for other reasons. I mentioned in other posts my brother-in-law has two Acuras in his garage.


At the dealers urging, TLX was taken for a drive. Brother-in-law told the dealer he did not like the car. He really thinks it is a step down from the current TL and said his next car will not be an Acura.

quantum7

Sorry....I am wrong. I read post 36 to be sarcastic. Clearly that was not the intent.

I would much rather get back to the intent of the thread...ie....hearing about peoples experiences with their transmissions so that I can get a sense of the issue since my 1999 (first year 2nd Gen) had all sorts of transmission problems. Acura did a great job eventually getting it right since my 07 has been outstanding and my favorite car by far.

Stew4HD

On the flip side, a very close friend of had her heart set on a Q50S, she went to drive one again the other day. She decided to, just to clear her mind, go drive an IS350.. well, the Acura dealer is in between the 2 dealerships. On a whim, her and her hubby pulled into the Acura dealership. She drove a BWP Advance and loved the hell out of it. She went to the Lexus dealer, sat in the IS and decided it wasn't as nice (to her) as the TLX. Now she's torn between the Q50S and TLX. The Q50S is quicker but, according to her feel less solid in the turns. She's waiting to look at the BWP SH-AWD that I originally ordered before deciding.

I spent a good bit of time at the dealership the last couple of days and business was fairly brisk.. to me, that Is not the sign of a dying brand.

To me, the TLX is better overall than the 4G I had... different strokes

jim256

+1
Is Mercedes Benz still making cars? I had the dealer's first 2003 Mercedes E Class, first car with true brake by wire, first with a LAN instead of wiring harnesses, the car that had an option of a NAV to be installed later by the dealer, when available--and MB gave everyone a new car many months later because it could not be retrofit. Lots of dash warnings- each required a trip to the dealer, who called Germany and either had a "module" overnighted or got a software update download that only would work on your car, no others. The gas gauge was not working, had to send a new instrument cluster unique to my car, nothing off the shelf. The MB World forum was in panic.

Everything got fixed, the forum was a great source of information. I have early-adopted many cars, and have no regrets. Nothing that happened made me cross any of them off my wish list when I'm looking. You really learn more when something is not working, or you think it is not working, and I kind of enjoy that aspect. I also enjoy not seeing what I'm driving on every corner!

That said, I like my TLX, nothing to fix. The first R to D in the morning is a little slow, nothing amiss after that in Sport all the time.

g37guy01

I absolutely agree, different strokes for different folks. Everybody has their own car story, but let's say I was surprised at the comment I heard.


And this is just as bad as Infiniti's early teething problems and BMW's teething problems and...etc.

Ian Andrews

Gees my TLX is so much better in every way than my 2013 TL shawd.

kurtatx

Infiniti's were so bad on that drive by wire experiment. Like RLX FWD bad

vbx

Yet, when you call to set up a service appointment, you are greeted with a Q50 commercial to come and test drive the awesome streer by wire feature.

Oh, and almost all car these days have "drive by wire". It's steer by wire that is complete garbage.

kurtatx

Thanks for clearing that up. The correct term is actually "complete garbage"

monkeywithacold

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Acura use the same third-party transmission that Jeep put in the new Cherokee? I know that the Cherokee has had nothing but endless transmission issues, and I'd be worried if it is the same transmission. Not sure if that is accurate though.

FredS

You are correct that other manufacturers forums are having issues with their new purchases. The other car I am considering is a Lexus so I read the post there. First there is no where close to the amount of problems and second the problems there are my bluetooth disconnects not my transmission might slip and my car drifts down a hill, my thousand dollar headlights are corroding, the dealer can not fix the horrible suspension rattle. So we will agree to disagree about this so I will again base my postion on an indepedent source. J D Power has us ranked 25th out of 32 in initial quality which is exactly what we are talking about here. The day Volkswagen and Land Rover are ranked higher than Acura is a day your point is not well supported.

Stew4HD

^ You haven't bought that Lexus yet? FUD-meister

quantum7

The 8 speed DCT is an in house product. I believe that you are referring to the ZF nine speed automatic. I am not sure if this is the same transmission that is in the V6 TLX.... Not sure if it is identical or if they have ironed out all of the issues, but some initial issues in the press and in forum on the Jeep transmission.

the first blog is from May so much earlier, and the second is Oct (but the guy seems to have an axe to grind)

2014 Jeep Cherokee: More Automatic-Transmission Problems ? News ? Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog

transmission problems 2014 2015 - 2014 - 2015 Jeep Cherokee Forums

Rocketsfan

The Cherokee/Chrysler 200, and Land Rover use the 9-speed ZF (as do a few others). I know in Jeep's case, they've done a lot of programming updates which point the finger mostly at the programming (from what I remember) rather than failure of the tranny. Evoque drivers have also gotten software updates that they think have improved things like shifting. These have been going on long before the TLX even went on sale.
Also, I believe Chrysler assembles their ZF 9-sp transmissions at one of their plants. I'm not sure if Honda/Acura does the same.

a77

A cynic might ask why Acura chose a transmission used by Chrysler and Land Rover, neither exactly known for their reliability...

If it had been up to me....which of course it isn't and I am probably clueless...but anyway....I'd have stuck with the unfashionable but very worthy proven 6 speed auto and the 6 speed manual. A fortune saved in development costs....and which would have kept the enthusiasts happy and the journalists even happier. Then in time develop own in-house 9 or ten speed. Not that I even believe these mega-geared things offer any significant benefits, and generate more actual inherent operational problems even if they are reliable. There's no need for more than 6 or 7. But got to keep up with the Jones'. Wonder if the number of gears has a limit....

CheeseyPoofs McNut

It's all about the CAFE standards...

Rocketsfan

Well, just because Chrysler and Land Rover use a tranny doesn't inherently mean the tranny is bad. lol. ZF makes transmissions for a lot of end-users. How they program/implement them is a different story. As for keeping the enthusiasts being kept happy, half the people would say "we need moar geeerzz!!! everybody else has moar geerzz!! this is old tech! acura is behind the timez! acura has lost their way!" while others would say they need more gears for better mileage. Interestingly enough, the approach you state is basically what Lexus did with the new IS. It's also one reason I decided not to buy it because the mileage sucked. Others, obviously don't care, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter what a company does, it'll please and offend several groups.

Also, ZF has said that the 9HF has something like a 16% fuel efficiency improvement over a 6-speed. That ain't nothin' to sneeze at, and it's been proven in this forum that people are getting some really good mileage on high-speed/highway-type trips.

Quandry

I would guess that 60% of the car is made by someone else, and this might be low. Some of the obvious simple things are tires, bulbs, fuses, filters, fluids, hoses, etc. And more complex components will be outsourced as the cost equation changes in favor external vs design and build internally. It's a sign of the times.

jeremyw

Praj, I agree with you and I experience the same problem with the DCT transmission on my TLX. I recall that you made a list of the problems under a different post. Among them, the following two are very noticeable:

1. After driving 1mile or so and coming to a complete stop especially during cold start the transmission lurches forward very hard ( like some one rear ended) doesn't happen all the time but happens often to dislike.
2. when slowing down (say coming to a traffic light and not coming to complete stop and making right or left turn at say about 10mph speed or so and hit on the gas pedal to speed up, the transmission hesitates and doesn't know which gear to engage.

I drove both BMW and AUDI with DCTs and I did not experience the same problems at all. Note that the above two problems are not about jerky transmission when it is cold. Those are "real" problems that Acura/Honda need to address. I am happy with the car otherwise. But I really really hate it when the above mentioned problems come up. I am going to raise the issue again with the Acura dealer in Oregon next week.

jeremyw

I think what you meant with "jumped into moving traffic after coming to a complete stop" is lurching forward when the TLX comes to a complete stop. I have the same problem when the transmission is cold especially. I live in Oregon. It does not get too cold in the winter. I do not warm up the engine in the morning. This is not a jerky transmission problem. This is rather a problem that almost makes the car unsafe.

The weird thing is the problem does not come up all the times so it is hard for me to duplicate the problem to my Acura dealer. I did notice it is more likely to happen when I do not press the brake very firmly right before the car comes into a complete stop. Sometimes it feels like the transmission is confused between a complete stop and acceleration on its 1st gear.

jim256

What's odd, too, is that I drive a TLX DCT, and do not experience the same problems at all.

Curious if you change your IDS mode a lot? I've been wondering if that causes the tranny to re-learn driving habits, thus giving some abrupt shifts. Mine has been in Sport since we got it 2 months ago. (I like the stiffer steering.)

tlxsteve

Glad I am not the only one. I haven't experienced any of these issues from the start. I am now at 5,400 miles and happily driving.

Quandry

^^ Inquiring minds need to know what is going on. Same manufacturing plant, parts presumably off the same production line, likely same software/firmware, maybe different climates, and different drivers. The build process should be more automated and repeatable than say the paint process, so what's the explanation?

07Acuradude

I think people tend to over embelish their problems on forums to make them seem more dramatic. And forums typically seem to have more complainers than positive people on them, at least from what I have seen in the last 15 years of being on various ones.

I am pretty impressed with Acuras response to this issue. They are handling it alot better than some car companies. We could be driving GM's...you guys seen how they handle defective parts in vehicles?

jeremyw

In fact, I have given the TLX plenty of good remarks in other areas. I came from a 07 TL type-s and I do appreciate the advancement of the DCT transmission on the TLX. However, I simply cannot ignore the issue in the discussion of this thread because I experience the same at low speeds in stop/go traffic. Do a search in this forum or on the web, there are plenty of drivers who have noticed this problem and hoped that Honda/Acura will address in the next couple of months. Honda had a recall earlier this year on the 7-speed DCT transmission on its FIT and Crossovers. It was a control unit issue. Other drivers have noticed their TLX went to neutral with engine revving when they were about to come to a complete stop and then tried to speed up again: for example, going over speed bumpers and doing an environmental/California stop at a stop sign. Again, the TLX's tranny problem is more obvious when it is cold. Once warmed up, most of the symptoms will go away. However, when it does happen, it can make the vehicle unsafe: lunging forward when you try to stop completely or losing engine power to the wheels when you try to speed up for a maneuver.

I do like Honda/Acura's attitude. GM represents the lowest standard. Let's not mark ourselves to the lowest.

jeremyw

The problems are most likely to happen at low speeds (below 10 mph) when your TLX is cold. Say that in the morning, you drive to work. Before leaving your subdivision, you need to drive through a few speed bumpers and stop signs. Try to feel it when you car is right about to stop.

I have always used IDS normal since I bought it. I can try Sport in the next couple of days and report back again. However I doubt it will avoid the symptoms. I drove manual transmissions before. The symptom on the TLX resembles an inexperienced driver releases the clutch too soon and the transmission is on its 1st. The large torque causes a sudden lunging forward.

jim256

Thanks for the response--no speed bumps on my drive, but as I said I don't notice any problems, and for sure, won't be trying to find any.....

slats

Hahahaha!! This just made my day.

neuronbob

^^^^^^
I agree. That is the post of the month right there.

YeuEmMaiMai

IMHO Honda/Acura's image regarding reliability went out the window with the introduction of the 6th gen accord

Delphi alt that failed prematurely
Substandard transmission parts used

And then you add to that the tragedy that is known as the Hondamatic 5AT you can see why so many people are skeptical when it comes to their transmissions. I had a 1994 Honda Accord 208K miles without any major issues. moved up to a 1998 accord and by 86K the 4AT was done and required a rebuild. At 90K I had to stuff in a new Alt. I really wanted a CL Type S or a TL type S so I got a CL type S... Biggest mistake ever if you were looking for reliability. Ate the trans at 71K and had to replace 4th gear pressure switch at 135K on the new trans. Based upon my experience with those 2 cars, I decided no more Hondas for me. their J series is absolutely amazing in terms of power delivery and buttery smoothness but the automatic they are attached to leave such a bad taste in the mouth that my next car was a Subaru. And yes up to this year I had access to the 94 accord as I sold it to my friend and I still have the 2002 CL-S.