CLS01

I am looking at buying a 2001 CL-S with 112k miles on it (no warranty). The transmission has never been replaced, but does that mean that its a good one? I asked an Acura dealer and they said that less than 1% of them had problems. But, from looking at the posts here I think that is a conservative number. As a noobie (this is my first post for godsakes) should I steer clear of the CL type S? What the hell happened to Honda reliability?

EricL

Acura "claimed" that the amount was around 2- to 3-percent.

I have no way to very the CURRENT number of claims.

However, that number was presented to the public and to the NHTSA.

Honda engine == excellent.

Honda automatics == unknown quantity.

I have had ZERO problems with my CLS, and there are others as well (knock on wood). However, I sure hope that there is someone out there who is going to supply a "beef-up" kit in the future.

And, if I were in your shoes, I'd take a pass on a car that had no extended warranty. (7yr/100k extended tranny warranty limit).

If you want to "explore" this, find a car with a 7yr/100k warranty still in effect; if you want to see if you get one of the 98% that are ok, you sure want a security blanket.

I have no idea why Honda hasn't moved to a DSG tranny (like the new Audi) -- or an "overbuilt" tranny (e.g. new G35 that uses a tranny from a V8 powered car).

DivinDude

Honda's reported "2%" number was an accounting trick .. Honda combined the failures of the 5 speed auto used on the Acura's (CL/TL) with the 4 speed auto used on the Hondas (Accord/Prelude/Odessey) in order to gain the higher number of in service units from Honda and reduce the failure percentage. However, the cause of the failure between the two transmissions were completely different making their reported number as crooked as Enron's accounting.

The NHTSA was ONLY interested in the Acura series. My hunch is the failure rate is quite HIGH considering the number of repeat failures (my '02 was on its 3rd tranny when Honda accept my 2 grand offer to trade up to an 03 6speed).

The facts are ... Honda has a flawed design (which they tried to correct several different times with each claiming to be THE fix) .. they had flawed quality control (which is evident by their report to the Gov't) .. and flawed programming in their engine computer .. which is evident by their non-recall recall of the computer.

So it is a crap shoot ...

F900

Curious,

How much are they asking for that 01 CLS with 112K ? its all in the price if its worth getting or not....

UNCTYPE-S

holy crap that previous owner did alot of driving.

anyway im @ 21k on my 03 and on my first tranny. but it seems alot of people here have gone through at least one.

Bluto

I would not buy that CL.

How much do you drive a year? If you drive a lot, stay away from the CL. The extended transmission warranty is 7 year/100k. Find an 01 or 02 with 50k, then you still have 4-5 years, 50k on the tranny warranty. That is better than most new cars. If you drive 25k/year, you'll be out of warranty fast.

I would have sold my car if Acura did not extend the warranty. Paying out of pocket for a replacement would negate what I saved keeping the car.

mattdaddyz

My 02 CLS I just got 3 weeks ago was at 33500 miles. I extended my warranty from the certified preowned warranty that ended Dec. 06 to Dec. 08 and 100,000 miles. Only cost me a 1000 dollars. To me, that's a steal. I don't drive enough to get to 100,000 miles before Dec. 08 so I've got roughly 4 and a half years of warranty service.

Warranties seem to be critical with this car when it comes to the transmission failure. Even though I'm sure the failure rate is way under 5%, it's damn expensive if you're one of those people.