Ok, so apparently my transmission is screwed up. I never really drive my car that hard but they're blaming it on abuse. They're also getting me for my comptech short shifter and saying that it seems my transmission was tampered with. I had a clutch put in at 36thousand miles. I know it seems a little weird that I had a clutch replaced so early but the mechanic said it seemed the clutch was defective from the factory and that was taken care of. So anyway I'm having problems now covering this current problem under warranty. They're telling me the glue used in my short throw (Comptech Short Shifter) is not an authorized glue or someshit and in ways are blaming it for the problem in the transmission.

In a thread I posted before I discussed how my car was making a clicking noise directly related to the speed of my wheels. When I'd disengage the clutch the noise would stop but the noise was consistent with how fast I was a going. At first I thought it was the CB joint or whatever but it seemed that wasn't the case when I took it to the dealership. Anyways, now I have a new transmission being put in and they're charging me for it because of the SS. They said they found peices of metal in the transmission fluid the thing is, if I'm having this noise obviously something is being shredded away.

 

I wouldn't pay for anything or have any work done unless you know for certain what the problem is. What if its something like a small part, and not the entire tranny? Then you're spending gobs of $$ when only a few hours of labour (ok more than a few) would do.

 

Also I'd HIGHLY recommend calling the Acura Customer Service line (number is somewhere on this site in a FAQ). Tell them about the 36K clutch replacement and what the tech said that time, and tell them you RARELY drive above 4000rpm or something along those lines. Basically, what you should be aiming for is getting Acura to warranty this... otherwise, getting even 1/2 covered (100% labour or 100% parts) would be a good job on your part.

They do this more than you'd think. Also mention that this'll be the LAST Acura you buy if they fail to help you in this time of need, when you clearly think it is a defect and NOT user-error. Stress the "return customer" line a few times... mention your wife/gf/mom/dad/secretary, etc... that this story will be spread around unless they can help you in some way.

 

^^Additionally, getting Comptech's opinion of Acura's claim since they are an approved Honda/Acura performance part supplier.

 

whew! i came in here thinking it's a 5AT issue a la TL...

sorry to hear about your issues with your car. like others said, contact Acura first.

 

I've already called Customer Service and they got intouch with the dealership and they're sticking to their story. I'm going to end up takin them to court, on top of them having my car for a week and a half now and doing nothing more than draining the tranny fluid i've had to have a RENTAL car this whole time. Because I'm only 20 I can't get a loaner and they won't cover my rental because I'm legally now allowed to drive a rental car being under 25. Anyhow, I'm going to talk to Comptech and get their opinion. On their website there are 5 dealers located in Florida so I don't see how the Comptech part I'm using wouldn't be code.

 

It pretty much comes down to; they're telling me my transmission seems as if it was tampered with. They're using that and the shortshifter against it being covered under warranty. The thing is, they can't physically proove to me that it was tampered with, I NEED my car.. I'm down here going to school in Florida and I drive aprox. 40 miles one way. So as of right now I'm getting my car out and I'm going to bring in the lawyers. I'm hoping they settle out of court for the $3g's it cost to fix my car rather than spend the money to goto court against me. If that's the case hell with it, my lawyers free I'll let them waste their money.

 

i thought the short-shifter only shortens the throw....it has nothing to do with the internals of the tranny...

 

Exactly, but the adhesive that comes with the SS apparantely isn't code with Acura's standards.. that's the bull they're feeding me.

 

in my opinion, Acura is ghetto to the max and their car is not reliable as what i've heard from others. They all say Honda is good, reliable, this, that... i don't think so.. well, at least not for the 04 - 05 tsx. My 04 Tsx had so many problems, such as some minor interior lightning problem (sterio, some buttons), and now my engine is making weird sound and i brought it back last month for them to check and they didn't locate the problem but they found that my carbin filter is extremly dirty and they replaced it and charged me $220 (parts and including one and a half hour of labour, and they end up fixing nothing about the noise because they blame me for having a aftermarket strut bar installed and it's attached to the A/C line and some other line(i had a spoon strut bar installed at that time), they ask me to approve them to remove it for me and it'll cost another hour of labour which is $94. And i was like hell no, give me back my car and i'll do it on my own and return to you when it's all stock. So today i brought it back at 9 in the morning. From then till now they've been working on it and trying to locate the problem, the service guy just called and they said even their manager looked at your car and they couldn't locate the problem and now they suggest me to have my car back and drive it until the noise gets worst and then bring it back again. I rejected them cause if i keep on driving my car my milage will be over 100,000km which will void the warrenty. Right now i'm on 88000 km.
i'm now in 22 years old, and i don't know how many cars i will be getting in the future. But i'm sure that I will never buy a 1st generation car ever again, i have had enough from the TSX.
Sorry for the long writing. I'm as piss as you swp. And i feel sorry for you. Honestly the dealerships are like hustlers, and they like to aim at younger people cause they think we don't know shit. Props for you for having the guts to bring it to court.. Good luck man.

 

I had a similar problem with the hissing noise. My TSX is an AT but when I would step on the gas, I would hear a noise that sounded like compressed air being squeezed out of the bottle but when I took my foot off the gas, the noise would cease.

I brought it in and they found that there was something near the oil pan that wasn't tightened and it was the problem. I thought for sure it had something to do with my transmission.

Perhaps you should check and make sure everything is tight under there, as well. Good Luck!

 

wow...a short shifter causing your tranny to go bye bye...that is a first. i dont care what kind of glue comptech uses, there is NO way it can mess up your transmission.

 

Its very unlikely that an external shifting mechanism (the short shifter) causes the whole trasmission to malfunction... so lets go back to the clutch that u've mentioned earlier.

Was the clutch replaced by an authorized Acura dealer? Was it an OEM part?

 

I am unclear what exactly is wrong with your car per the dealers repair order. I'm no mechanic, but noise that changes when you press or release the clutch could be a throwout bearing. You need to find out EXACTLY what is broken. Wear and Tear items in the transmission ARE NOT covered under factory warranty, regardless of modifications.

 

The clutch was an OEM clutch sent from the acura dealership to my cousin's shop. He's a liscensed mechanic and worked for acura's tech dept years back. He's been a mechanic for 10 - 15 years. The clutch felt find.. IT just seemed that when ever there was stress on the driveshaft it was making this clicking noise.. the clicking would go faster depending on speed. If i'd press down the clutch it'd take the presure off whatever it was and would stop making the noise. They're blaming the tranny. I hope they replace it and it still makes the noise. It'll make it even better. I had such a high opinion of Acura and still do.. I just think the service dept. isn't handling this well.


Also, I'd just go back to my cousin but he's in Philadelphia and I'm in Florida going to school full time.

 

Also know, this sound started probably 1500miles with this new clutch and there has been no problems up untill now. When I was getting off a highway I was coming up to a light and I put the car into third to speed match and was right in perfect rpms. As I was letting the clutch out the clicking started and from then on that happen.

 

Wait a minute! Are you saying they goodwilled your clutch replacement but a non- Acura garage (your cousin) did the work!? I have never heard of such a thing! NEVER! If Acura covered the clutch under warranty, it would have to be done by an Acura dealer. If what you have said is true (as I understand your post) then I think there is more going on here than you're telling us. Otherwise feel free to clarify.

 

Colin: correctly me if Im wrong, but an improperly installed clutch could cause tranmission damage, no?

 

You might even call it "tampering" I'm still not clear exactly what the dealership says is wrong with the transmission.

 

It does not matter if the clutch was OEM or Aftermarket...There is no wayAcura covered it and didnot have THIER techs install it. I am surprised that they havent blamed the clutch install.

Something is not right with what your stating

 

The dealership back in Philadelphia I have a lot of family ties/long time friend tie's to the dealership. My uncle out of respect was managing the place while my cousin has gone to start his own shop. The peice was warrantied and my cousin put it in. Either I waited for a scheduled apt. at the acura dealership so one of the tech's could do it or I could have my uncle say it was put in by a tech and get it done sooner by my cousin. All these problems are taking place down here at a Florida Dealership.

Sorry for the mix up, didn't realize the rest of the information was that vital. The point is they're not covering something but they haven't even gotten into what the actual problem is. It seems as if they just heard the noise and said oh that's def the transmission and are now ripping it out. With or without warranty they told me it would cost $400 alone just to drop the trans. I need my car, there is nothing I can do about it.. I'm getting screwed with rental car fees... So basically it comes down to me having to pay for all this and tring to fight it after the fact.

 

Dude a short shifter or any shifter has NO effect on the internals of the transmission. All the glue talk from them is bull shit.

Acura TSX is a FWD car. The transmission is located up front, meaning not beside you like a RWD car. So that means there is a long metal bar from your short shifter to the tranny which is up front so you can shift gears (all fwd manuals are like this). So that means no glue can EVER get to the tranny.

You should of known better. Dealers blame things like this on rediculous stuff. You should of put in the stock shifter before bringing it in for the tranny problem.

 

You have to fight it now. When you go to court the Judge is going to say why did you pay for it if you are not satisfied?? That will runin your case big time. When you pay for somethng you can really go back and sue them later. You have to do it now. Scare them with your lawyer, etc.

 

As per the warranty, if you have a defective part and Acura approves the part to be replaced, it needs to be installed by the service department of a dealership. If the part fails again while under warranty, they will replace it completely at their cost.

However, based on what you have said, they approved a repair and instead of having it installed by the dealership, you had someone else install it. That means that Acura is only liable for the part they shipped and if that part has failed, they are obligated to repair or replace it under warranty. However, because you didn't have the dealership install it, you are fully responsible for any labor costs incurred.

So, if somehow, whoever installed the clutch goofed and screwed up your transmission in the process, then you're going to be fully liable for it. Now, had you had a dealership install it, then if one of their techs screwed up, they would be liable for it.

Why don't you arrange to have a loaner instead of getting a rental?

An honestly, based on your description, I would say that your clutch assembly probably is playing a huge part in the noise that you described. You be SOL on this one because you didn't have a dealership install it when it was replaced.

 

the dealers will do anything to make you pay since anything covered by the warranty makes them lose money so they blame anything aftermarket even if its better than stock because all they want to do is void your warranty so they can get some money. you should switch back to the old shifter and go to a different dealer and lie and play dumb. then they will be like "okee dokee lets just change it out because its under warranty".

 

Do you honestly believe that something like this isn't entered into a computer that all district service managers (DSMs) see? He's already in the system and talked to Customer Care. IMO, his best bet is trying to get his family involved in Philly.

SWP, please don't take this the wrong way, but based in a few of your other posts, and your tag line "I smoke tires...." I do question your assertion that you don't drive the car hard.

 

you can contact your local BBB and file a dispute with the dealership...I have had it work for me

 

The dealers will do things to legitimately protect their business interests. However, it falls on them to prove that the aftermarket part is the cause of the problem. In this case, though, based on the information he has provided, it sounds like the dealer is making an excuse with the shifter, but the problem also doesn't sound like it was caused by the shifter. In fact, it sound like a botched clutch installation is to blame, which the dealer is not reponsible for because they didn't install it. Therefore, if they charge him for it, it is legitimate.

Don't always assume the worse of the dealerships. They are a business and will work to protect their business interests, but they are also going to accept fault for any legitimate problems that arise. In fact, when warranty work is performed, they still get paid for their troubles by American Honda, so it's not as though they lose money doing warranty work. They just have to make sure the claims are legitimate.

 

Sorry i overlooked that because i had a similar prob and when they told me the price i was like see ya BTW they never took my car in the back

 

Thank you everyone for your input. Everything is being taken care of. And for the few posts that said the clutch wasn't installed by Acura... if you read carefully I said something about my uncle. Everything was taken care of when it came to the clutch.

To address my tag line... well that's very sterotypical of you. I would never mix driving with that. I do not drive hard as I care for my car and the amount of money it cost each money for me to own it. Between insurance and the montly payments.. and now college.. I have a lot on my hands..

Anyways, thanks for all your opinions I took them seriously, luckly this issue was resolved.

 

I'm pleased things worked out that is the main thing. As for the tag line, how it is 'sterotypical' of me? Unless thee is some "street" lingo this old guy is unaware of, I took it at it face value. Someone who "smokes the tires" has a clutch/tranny problem. Am I missing something here?

I have nothing against driving hard (in the right environment) and have probably pushed a car harder than you do.

 

How was it resolved?