thadon

well i've always wanted one of these cars, and now that the '01 is affordable to me i have been thinking about buying one. however after coming onto this forum, i noticed that the 5AT transmission has huge problems. when purchasing an 01 type s with over 50,000-70,000 miles, is there anyway of foreseeing whether or not i will have any problems with the transmission? i know there is an extended warranty of 100,000 miles but i want this car to last me for a long time like the previous acura's i have owned.

so my questions are:
1) what are some hints/clues that will tell me whether or not the transmission will have problems?
2) is the transmission problem only on a few number of cars or is it an re-occuring problem with all of the cl type-s?

thanks.

ccannizz11

I have an '01 5AT, never had any transmission issues, approaching 65,000 miles. To answer your questions....

1) The CL is just like any other car with a transmission... you're not going to be able to tell anything before something starts going wrong. If there is something wrong, you'll see a symptom. There is an entire section devoted to the tranny, so I suggest you read those threads to familiarize yourself with the symptoms.

2) The transmission problem was widespread enough for them to do a recall, for a "minor" fix to all the CL's. If the car has had that fix (make sure you ask), then you shouldn't have any problems beyond normal wear and tear tranny issues.

Then again, I've never had a problem, so you might want to check with those who have

thadon

well im in a really tough situation. i really like the car and i've found a good deal on one. it has 70,000 and has never had any transmission problems yet. it seems like the problem might be exageratted on the board and it has deterred me from buying this car. however, all cars have problems, but tranny problems is quite serious. in general, is the 01 cl type s a reliable car? because i go to school across the country i drive long distances once in a while. i can't afford to have the tranny break down in the middle of the trip. i hate how there is no way of checking the condition of the tranny before you buy it. it leaves a lot of uncertainty.

DMack33

How much do they want for the 70,000 mile CL?? Make sure you take your time and get a good car in good condition and good price. I bought mine from John Elway Honda (haha!) with 45,000 miles for $15000. Check for warranties provided by the seller. In my case I got an extended warranty along with the deal. The tranny issue... they extended the tranny warranty to 100,000 miles so that shouldn't be too big an issue. If I were you though would wait for a CL with less miles on it.

Tulanian

I don't hear about many consistent problems besides brake disc warpage. Oh, and the seat belts don't retract very easily.

Every car with 70,000 miles will have some issues, it's probable this CL will have fewer than others.

So, buy the car, but express enough paranoia about the AT to knock another grand off the price!

thadon

well i've decided against buying a cl. it really sucks cause i really really liked the car but transmission problems is what made me decide against it. it's too bad i will not be able to join a nice community like this one. maybe in the future you will see me cruising around in a 03 6spd cl type s, i hope