russianDude

Yes, I did search, and found mixed answers on this topic. I got general feeling that updated transmissions are failing less, but still fail. Did I get it right? Do you think they are much better, or just a bit better?

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

No dude I just posted this subject..
My car is at World transmissions in Clifton NJ getting its 4th tranny put in..
I bought a 2001 CL-s in june of 2000 new.
I had my first tranny go in 2002 with 35k miles
I had my second tranny go june of 2005 at 99k miles .. And I saked the specificly am I gonna keep having this problem cuz i will sell it if so...They assured me that this is Redesigned and I WILL not have a problem...
SO i was cautious and changed the fluid every 20K at the DLR at 120K miles , at 140K miles and I did a 2x3 at 60K miles about 9 months ago...
Tranny shifed fine and on my way to work thursday me car threw a code P0740 torque converter soleniod circuit but car still shifted fine so i though it was a soleniod so on friday i was gonna go to the dlr by the 2 soleniods I needed and im good right..NO WAY on friday on my way to buy the soleniods my car downshifed from 80-30 on route 80 and started grinding BAD.. so i barely made it to the dlr..
At that point i didnt think it was a soleniod and the DLR open road acura said they can tell me if its the soleniod or the whole tranny..they gave me a RDX loaner..
they call me later saying that its the tranny and ACURA corperate will help me with 10% and the tranny #4 was gonna cost me $4100 + tax so i called acura corperate myself and put a claim in .. they said the will get back to me by monday...
In the meantime i went on the website ATRA auto tranny rebuilders assaciation and called like 5 places around me .. $2500-$3500 to rebuild it and they all said they where familiar with this 5 speed most are still in buesness becuz this tranny!
So monday acura called me back and said im responsible STILL for 90% so no deal..
I had it towed to world tranny in clifton cuz the guy seemed to know his stuff and when i stopped there he was working on a odessey and MDX so he rebuilt 2 of the same right B4 mine.. he said he installs a external cooler (which alot of rebuilders said was a prob with this tranny) and he used Sonnax "O" ring end plug kit and better clutch material and some other up-grades.. He is also using AMSOIL syntetic tranny fluid (which I had to provide, stuff is impossible to find local) and he is giving me a 3/36 warrenty parts and labor where most the other places only can offer 12/12 or 12/ unlimited miles.
He said it will be done monday or tuesday the latest so I will let u guys know..

BUT NO this tranny IS NOT FIXED!!
And ACURA is doing nuttin to help anymore..

Most the tranny rebuilders where amazed i got 68K out of this tranny and some said the refuse to give more then 12 month warrenty cuz they rebuild to acura specs and it is a faulty POS tranny...

I am so upset at ACURA right now, this was my first car i ever bough when i was 20 in 2000 and I bought it cuz I though it was reliable...and i put 7500 down and paid 505 a/month for 5 years and for a 20 year old it was alot and i paid it all myself no rich parents that helped me but thats ok i learned to appreciate it more that i paid for it!

Funny thing was I was gonna dump it last year cuz i need alot of stuff done but my girl said she will buy mr the shocks springs so i would hold on to it cuz we are buing a condo and it would rally help us buy not having a car payment, I should have just dumped it!

since then I sank like 2-3K into it, shocks/lowering springs/progress rear sway bar/mood sway bar links/outlaw TB and IM spacers/OBX heared/ CAI , after my girl got me the shocks/springs I got the modding itch and had to scartch it, WHY WHY did I have to scratch!!!

Sorry for all the ranting but its sad that I bought a car that tranny only lasts 60K miles if you chang the ATF every 20K and there is no way around it!

russianDude

That's pretty bad. I wonder if by any chance your dealer screwed you and installed transmission that was manufactured before Feb 2005? Do you know the date of built for your transmission? Someone said that transmissions made after Feb 2005 are much better, I think Acura had like 2 or 3 re-designs for these transmissions.

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

I don'y know the build date , but I do know that I got it put in june of 05 and they told me at the dlr that is was the so called "upgraded" tranny that would last a very long time... I gues very long to them is 68K miles...

Do u have a oil-jet in the ATF filler hole?

Can i look at the transmission itself to tell if it is a NEWER unit?
And if it is a newer unit , should I stick I jet kit in the newer unit to get MORE fluid flowing to 2nd , 3rd gear?

russianDude

I heard new ones do not have oil-jet, supposedly its not needed in a new design. You should find your invoice and see what part number was used and then call Acura and ask them what is the latest and greatest part number they have and compare it to yours. This would be interesting to see if there was yet another revision.

1hotcls6

I heard if you pour vodka on the main bearing it keeps it from failing...80 proof

russianDude

Its a fact!

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

I know they dont have/need a jet kit in the 05 + trannies but would it help, can't hurt right?

Onese1f

I actually talked to Acura and they're replacing the tranny and I'm paying 10% of the entire thing, the rest is on them. I also get a 3 year warranty with it.

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

How many miles on your car and what year is it?

AnthraciteBeast

iTrader: (3)

your went out too?

blackasscls

How much does that rebuiler want to rebuild itwith all of those upgraded parts?

Onese1f

^Mine is an 03 with 96xxx on the clock..I had the first tranny replaced at like 67xxx by the same dealership, apparently they had some bullsh!t rule about only allowing 12k miles on the rebuilt tranny or else it would be completely void of a free replacement. We spoke to the management and they were offering to cover 10%, so we figured that would be great.

Update: So we were going to go ahead with the deal offered but we stated that my family and I would be out of town for a week or two..I got a call this morning from the service dept at the dealership saying that they wanted to do this fix today or they would send the tranny back and call it quits on the deal.
Obviously my reaction was WTF because prior to this wonderful call (which woke me up btw), we had agreed that it would be done after the trip and they would hold onto it.
So we called corporate and now we're seeing what the hell we can do, because ontop of everything, the service staff is incredibly sloppy, and the manager we've been calling to try and reach, NEVER answers and NEVER returns messages.
So I've decided to be a pain in the ass and take it all the way to the top, not only for the (imo) retarded idea to send it back, but the simple incompetence of the service area workers we've been dealing with.

5% or bust.



...or genesis coupe..

Onese1f

Wow dude, the situation for you sounds terrible...

To be honest, just get a new car. The money spent on fixing that crap could be used as a down payment on something that would actually be worth your while.
I wouldn't really blame Acura, I think we as consumers (I know I did) effed up in not doing our research beforehand. Had I known that the trannys on these cars sucked as much balls as they did, I would have moved on in an instant.

4100 still sounds insane though man, best of luck with that endeavor.
I would rather eat sh!t out of my dogs ass than put that much money into saving my CL.

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

I wish i can get a new car but....
Back in november of last year when my car had 155K miles It was making alot of noise and shocks where done so I put it on craigslist for 6K and got many offers for 5k but after having a long talk with my girl at the time feancea now I decided to keep it a few years and redo the suspentions (she bouth the shocks/springs 4 me as a early b-day present) cuz we are in the process of buying a condo / townhouse so that is what I did. I did shocks/springs/rear sway bar/ moog sway bar links/ then i did CAI, OBX headers/ outlaw im and tb spacers all in the last 6 months.
fast foward to now...
we are closing on our first condo, closing is end of next month. most my cash went to closing cost and other BS that is involved in buying a home. This is for both of us our first home so I cant afford a new car payment and full coverage insurance with a mortgage , nj taxes/ maintence fees comming next month I wish i could get a new car but right now it is not possible I'm kinda screwed!
My thoughts are pay $3100 out the door for this re-built tranny (which he garenteed is better then ACURA can and did so and he is giving me a 3 year 36k warrenty so i will drive it till the warrenty is up then unload it to some poor soul maybee recoupe my $3100 and then buy a new car..
My next car was gonna be a 06 RL but after all this i might just go for a 06 M35X, but we will cross that bridge when we get there!

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

AND BTW when u say its the consomers fault for not doing the research B4 hand , This was my first new car i ever bought when I was 20. I bought it in may/june of 2000 and the car was released in march so I was one of the first to have this car. When I bought it NOONE blew a tranny in this car yet cuz it has not even been out 2 months so I can not be to blame B4 this I never heard of Honda/ACURA having any trannies blow prematurely..

I bought this car cuz i though it would give me many trouble free miles and all I heard is honda / acura make trouble free cars that why i bought it over a 330Ci boy was I wrong!

russianDude

There was no way to do a research, mass transmissions problems only started showing up after 2-3 years.
StonedCL, can you find part numbers of your latest transmission that failed? I am getting new one put in soon, so want to compare

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

I will call my guy rebuilding my trans tommorrow and see if there is a part# on the housing. Where r u getting a new one from?

I was also thinking about the "goodwill" that ACURA did for many people but not me and most the threads are from 2007 or earlier , that was a diff time for the car industry, I know i been in the industry for years in sales and back then i was selling 20+ cars a month and now i am lucky if i het 10 I bet its the same w/Acura.. They made these ugly cars with big A$$ beaks and cant sell them so they are not making money in sales so they can'y goodwill anything right now. There holding on to there pennies!

Onese1f

I hear you man, I forgot that you bought it when it was knew, I speak for myself and those who are buying them nowadays. I understand the crunch though bro, I might be holding onto mine a bit longer if this little deal works out, I've got rent to pay and tuition coming up...

russianDude

I am having it done at the dealer.

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Yeah right now I am HURTING for cash...

Me and my girl just bought a short sale loft She absoulutly loved we got a GREAT deal.. There building a complex and all the lofts where sold out but found a short sale for $245K we needed to put 20% down so we would not have to pay mortgage insurance.. so i just sunk 24k into the down payment and some more in closing costs and laweyer fees .. then NJ has the worste tazes $3800 on 1500sq feet loft condo and the $300 a month maintence fees for the pool gym parking and other BS so I am flat broke right now..

This really is the worste possible time that this could have happen to me with everything that is going on right now all my cash is tied up so im gonna have to put this on a CC and pay 9.9 % interest or get anouther card with a 0% transfer ballance, no matter which way i look at it It really sux..

I knew I should have just dumped this car when I had the chance!!
I will write ACURA alot of letters and a good friend of mine is a lawyer so i will get some of hes letterhead and write some more letters , hopefully acura can give me something back but I am not holding my breath..!

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

What DLR and how much r they charging u?

They are gonna give you a acura Re-built trans that will last you 50-60K miles if you change the fluid every 20K.. I would buy a tranny cooler and tell them to install it w/your trans.. Alot of rebuilders says it helps I know people on here says is does not but cooler fluid will help the tranny run smoother even if it will not save it from failing it will run it cooler!

russianDude

Sussman Acura, Jenkintown, PA. My total cost would be around $1500, but its better than anything I saw around. I am getting 3yr/36K warranty. I'll need to sell this car before that time, the only problem with selling is that no one (who has done any research) will be willing to pay much for this car... so you'll get really low balled, or they won't even bother calling you.

I am really hoping that this transmission is better than the old one, maybe in your case you got transmission made before Feb-2005 (not likely, but possible), or maybe you are that small fraction of people who had a problem with trannys made after Feb 2005. Seriously, do a search, you will find maybe 2-3 cases the most of transmissions failing after 2005.
And after reading many posts, I am coming to conclusion that after 2005 Feb transmissions are holding up better. They still suck, but probability of failure is reduced (or so it seems). I guess time will tell, at least it makes me feel better after I'll shell out $1500

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

How many miles are on your car?

How did you get it so cheap, rebuilt trannys online costed that much then putting it inn anouthe 500-700$?
Are they helping you out or is it just how much they normally charge?

Please let me know hoe u got it so cheap, I am not done w/acura they will be hearing from me and prob my lawyer.. let me know what u did?

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

I also searched Junk yards and found some from $700-$1000 but that was the old design and no warrenty and then $500 to put it in...

I called 10 tranny rebuilders and cheapest I was qouted was $2400 but they only gave 12/12.

russianDude

I am only paying 30%. Yeah, I had to call Acura customer service. I have low miles 67K miles, also changed my tranny fluid 3 times at the dealer, bought car at the same dealer, my wife also bought it there, so I had to remind this to a service manager. I think the decision is made between dealer and Acura, how many miles, how offen you go to dealer, where you bought car, all matters. I did not go often to dealer (either DIY or mechanic I trust), but I was smart enough to change transmission fluid exclusively at the dealer, I think this was the key for them to make a decision (they were asking me a lot about this). I think 30% is not that good, some people got it down to 25%. But the ones who got it 100% free got screwed and only got 12 month/12K miles warranty.
This was my first transmission, not bad, 9 years, but miles are low. hell, if I can get another 5 years out of this replacement, I am all good.

russianDude

I agree, Acura handled this poorly. Screw ups happen, but they should have re-designed a transmission, so at least when people are paying money they could get something that is fixed. I guess re-design would be too expensive. The guy on the phone from Acura corporate told me that the replacement transmission has oil jet built in inside, and that was the only difference. I hope he is wrong, otherwise I know its not going to help. He was clueless anyway, he sounded like its normal for transmissions to go bad after 9 years and that Acura is doing me a big favor. Well, whatever... I did not expect anything else from an employee who has to say certain things.

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

I bet I know more about these trannies then the guy u talked to..
The tech's have no clue about this tranny, they dont even know that there is a servicable ATF filter untill I showed them the part #...WTF..
i say 90% of the people at ACURA have no clue that the tranny was even upgraded in 2005!

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

And BTW there is NO oil jet in the tranny I saw it apart and there was no oil jet kit in it!

studebaker

Curious about what you mentioned, Stoned, about there being a servicable ATF Filter in the 5 speed Auto..... Do you mean the "screen" inside the tranny? Just asked
the folks at Park Avenue Acura about that possibility, they denied there was a filter
that could be cleaned or changed..... Thanks

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

It is part #10 in the pic do u need a part#?

Most acura dlrs do not about this filter like I said B4 I know more about this tranny then most the techs at Acura!

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Here is how it looks and the part #



Remove thes bolts first...



Then remove that scre the thing on the bottom is the oil jet some trannies will just have the ATF bolt..



If you have the oiljet remove it if not skip this step..



Make sure that while removing the steel fluid line not to damage the o-ring. I replaced mine when I replaced my filter. Be sure to coat it with trans fluid before installing the line.

russianDude

BTW, the dealer told me that ECU will NOT be replaced. I asked him if thats OK, and he said yes. I thought updated ECU was needed to de-tune shifting?