jt111

I test drove two certified 05 AT TSX's. I agree that the TSX gives the most bang for the buck, but I had one question.

When accelerating from a standing speed at or above around 30mph, the downshifts are a bit jerky. The car hesitates momentarily before the shift, then kicks forward after the shift. I tried to go easy on the throttle but couldn't smooth it out. Same thing on the highway.

From a dead stop the transmission is very nice, it's just when I'm coasting over the 30 mph mark (I guess when it's in 5th???) when I see this issue.

My question is, is this usual for the TSX? The salesman says "the car will get used to me." My other theories are that these cars weren't broken in correctly or there's a transmission problem here, but I'm generally ignorant when it comes to diagnosing car issues.

Built B16A

the sales man is going to tell you some bull shit line, so you buy a car.. lol

and its a AT.. why are you driving like that? lol. i have a 06 AT.. and ive never been above 5K. lol

this hesitation/jerkyness could be the drivebywire drawbacks. either way.. alot of us own TSX's, they arn't a bad choice.

LoveMyTL-S

My 05AT does the same thing..... a little hesitation and then boom!

Reach

There is minimal truth in what he's telling you. The ECU will adjust to your driving style over time, but it won't dramatically change the way the car behaves.

As an owner of a 2006 5AT, I learned quickly to feather the gas and the AT will downshift and then as I apply more pressure I can make a smooth accelleration.

If you wish for a quick accelleration or passing power, don't forget the AT TSX has one of the world's best 'sport shift' features. A quick pull over and down on the stick and you'll find plenty of passing power, and you can put it back whenever you want to. This introduces zero wear and tear on the transmission either, so you don't have to worry about that.

However, as with any purchase, caveat emptor, and do realize that salesman will feed you a load of shit to make you buy the car. Regardless, its a great car, and you'll find few negative words about it here from this enthusiast group. We all feel its an amazing vehicle for what it offers.

Post what the specs are (mileage, options, price) and we can tell you if its a good buy too, or if the salesman is trying to wring you for all you're worth!

jlukja

DBW, intake flow restrictions, and AT tranny logic trying to figure out what gear to put you in based on all the sensor inputs. All three contribute to the lag. Us 04/05 owners have to put up with that. The 06 apperently addressed some of that.

Oh, and to what Reach said. Next time if you anticipate speading up and downshift using SS before you accelerate you will avoid a lot of this "delay".

jt111

Great info, thanks! I would love to get a new 06 but it's outta my range. In fact I'll be stretching a little to get this one - my ceiling is around 24k OTD, give or take.

This is a certified 05 AT non-nav with around 9k miles and the condition looks perfect. The tread has a fair amount of wear (how many miles do the stock michelins last and how much do new tires cost?)

The sticker price is 25.5k - https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30982

I just want to make sure they're not trying to sell me a defective car. That's why I'm going for the certified. But then again, does an Acura certified tag mean a whole lot?

jt111

Thanks! I did slide over to SS mode a couple times and found it much more enjoyable.

But are there any remedies to this without switching over? e.g., over time, have you found that the computer truly does "adjust" to you to any degree? Also, are there any modifications that would help?

LuvMyTSX

After a while, you will learn how the car drives and will adjust to it. Grade logic control will be another thing to get used to (kicks in when you go downhill...the car will downshift). It all takes a little getting used to.

Newplay1

maybe all 4cyl auto does it my beater 1994 accord 4cy does the samething..

Spy

I wouldn't worry to much if it was certified. It does have a 7 years/100,000 mile powertrain warranty, and then since its an 05 with low mileage, I think you still get the balance of the factory waranty.

jlukja

The ECU tends to adjust to your driving habits but the "delay" isn't one of those adjustments. However, your driving style will adjust as well and you'll learn to feather the throttle just so to smooth things out as well. As far as mods are concerned, removing the resonator will reduce that "lag" feel because air will flow more freely to the filter. I installed the Comptech Icebox intake and the improvement in throttle response was noticeable. I attribute that to the Icebox for two reasons. One: the Icebox requires the romoval of the resonator. Two: The Icebox airbox lid is larger volume than stock which means that there is more already-filtered air in the airbox available when you puch it (air that otherwise would have to have been sucked through the filter). You could probably approach similar gains by just removing the resonator and using the least flow restrictive aftermarket air filter you can find.

Reach

Removing the stock air resonator and excess piping on the intake tract alone does wonders for this car. There is a wealth of aftermarket performance potential, much of which hasn't even been capitalized on yet.

I feel that price is still too high, even for CPO. See if you can knock them down a bit more by comparison shopping with private sale TSXs.

Personally, I don't feel the 'Certified' tag is worth the weight of the extra price it carries. It simply adds too much $$ just for the promise of a warranty on a used car. If it were me, I would buy from a private seller where you have far more negotiating power and a lower starting price point. If you do so, once you're ready to buy, tell the seller that you want an inspection on the car from an independent mechanic, and that you'll pay for it (and he can come too). Tell him if all goes well with the inspection, you'll buy the car on the spot, and be ready to. This will give every party involved a good deal of piece of mind, and if the mechanic does find something that needs work (ie: hey buddy you need a new exhaust) there's nothing like being able to get a quote for it on the spot to knock extra off the sale price.

This is just my advice from personal experience buying used. I'm glad I bought new this time and didn't have to go through that again!

The extra money saved could be in the thousands of dollars range, and could work out to be more than the warranty is really worth on an otherwise reliable TSX.

jt111

Thanks, ok 3 more questions for ya:

1. What is the minimum cost of removing the resonator?

2. How much would it cost to install the Icebox? (I wouldn't be doing it myself)

3. Does any of this void the warranty?

I like the TSX enough to be willing to explore the world of mods. Anything to keep me from having to get another Accord!!!

jlukja

1. Dunno, I did it myself. There is a DIY intake thread (follow steps 9-14 to remove the resonator).
2. Removing the resonator is the hardest part. All told a shop should be able to do it in about 1 - 1.5 hours so figure about $100 if you want to pay someone.
3. Not really. If Acura can prove that the aftermarket intake was the direct cause of a problem then they will deny warranty service to that problem but I haven't read about that happening to anyone yet.

kwp72

There is absolutely NO reason you should have to pay more than $22,000 for that car. It sounds identical to my purchase last week. Hope this helps, and happy shopping.

jt111

thanks, that's definitely in my neighborhood