mitchkramez

Brought the RL into the dealership for the whistle noise at 65mph - they confirmed that the propeller shaft was likely the cause - they finished replacing it yesterday, and the whistle is still there - now they're suspecting the transmission. I'm really getting my money's worth out of this drivetrain warranty! Will update as more goes on.

mitchkramez

Dealership just called - confirmed transmission now... I can get a used tranny from an '05 rl with 98k miles on it and have it all covered under the powertrain warranty - the part has a 6mo warranty. They also mentioned a reman tranny that has a 3yr warranty on parts and labor, but it'll be 1500 out of pocket (money i don't have in the middle of a bathroom remodel) - does anyone have any thoughts for me - should i just leave it and deal with the whine or replace it and hope the used transmission doesn't have the same problems?

lland

If it's covered under the powertrain warranty, why are they looking at a used transmission with 98,000 miles on it? I just looked at the warranty and it mentions rebuilt parts have a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty. I've never heard of a dealer using used parts for a warranty repair. Why wouldn't they go rebuilt and why wouldn't it be covered by the powertrain warranty (i.e. no $1,500 cost to you)?

Replacement Parts Limited Warranty Statement: HERE

LL

mitchkramez

This is an aftermarket warranty that all their used cars come with. My car has 117k miles on it and is out of factory warranty.

The situation is this:

- I brought it for the wine, we all assumed it was the prop shaft - replaced - warranty cost $2k
- Warranty max repair is $5k
- reman part is $3k + $1600 for labor install - hence the $1600 out of pocket
- used part is $1400 +$1600 for labor - which fall under the $5k limit

lland

Thanks...didn't realize it was an aftermarket warranty.

LL

mitchkramez

Dealer is submitting a claim to Acura on my behalf to see if they'd be willing to pay for some of the addt'l cost of the remanufactured transmission...

mitchkramez

Acura has agreed to cover all but $300 of the remanufactured transmission with the parts/labor warranty - very good on them in keeping me a happy camper!

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

congrats.

oo7spy

miner

Easy decision then - glad Acura stepped up to play ball.

23109VC

That's great! I don't think other manufacturers would step up like that!

alfadoctor

With Acura paying for the transmission, the old one will be shipped back to Japan for a complete tear down. The factory will determine the cause and see if there might be a reason for an upgrade or a recall, should the part look to be a weak link in the transmission. So you get a transmission, and Acura gets a look at long term longevity of their transmission. Win-win for all.

neuronbob

Acura knows how to keep customers happy after the sale when it comes to trannys. Awesome to read.

Now all they need is a new transmission provider to make bulletproof trannys given the trouble they've had over the last ten years with 5-speed transmissions.

alfadoctor

The early RL transmissions were noisy. My dad had two replaced under warranty for the '97. The last one was perfectly quiet after 225,000 miles on the odo. So...what problems are you talking about? The one we have is working fine. *knocking on wood*

neuronbob

I specifically refer to the transmission failure and recall for 5-speed trannys supplied for the 2G and early-build 3G TLs and the Honda Accord from last decade, and the whirring RL transmissions. It's like their chosen vendors simply couldn't get things right. Things are better now, but at the time I remember suggesting that Honda ought to source GM transmissions (which with certain exceptions are pretty bulletproof) just as Honda sourced J35s for the Saturn Vue at one time.

oo7spy

This is the first RL/Legend tranny issue I have heard of. That's not to say that they don't happen, but the frequency compared to the TL and Accord seems negligible. I wish they could give you a report on what they find as that would be very interesting. Something that no one brought up here is how this tranny has been maintained. Is it on its third round of fluid? Did it get a 3x3 for the two services? Was it drain and fill or flush/vacuum and fill? Was ATF-Z1 used? I imagine Acura checked all of these things, but any "no" answer here could have a detrimental effect.

The only issue Legend #1 had with the tranny was mounts, but Honda is notorious for chitty mounts.

mitchkramez

007spy - nobody knows how the transmission was maintained before I bought the car In july, but for a total of $500 out of pocket (other warranty deductibles) I've got an RL with 118k miles with a brand new propeller shaft and transmission thanks to Acura's commitment, even to it's used owners.

It's funny, There really don't appear to be any issues with the transmission - it seems to shift really smoothly - the only question I had about the transmission was the slow shift from reverse to drive - which I had the dealership checkout months ago and was told it was normal. I've noticed since that when it's cold out, it shifts, what i would call, normally. It also shifts normally when you're parked on an incline with the back end of the car down hill. at any rate - let's hope the new transmission makes all the difference.

I'll be sure to keep this updated after the replacement next week. I also have an update DVD coming for the navigation - going from 4.13b to 4.81 - hopefully the new transmission fixes that damned whistle sound!

oo7spy

There is no doubt that you are coming out having taken full advantage of the warranty and benefitting form a new prop shaft and transmission with a clean history. I was just interested in what may have caused the issue. I am actually amazed the dealer did not do a 3x3 flush and see if that would fix it. Then again, their lack of critical skills makes nothing they do a surprise.

mitchkramez

007 - they did a flush (though i don't know what kind, be it 3x3, drain and fill or a actual flush) when the car came on the lot - I actually asked them if they thought another flush might help, and they seemed pretty confident that it wouldn't... but who knows... i'll take the new transmission either way i guess

mitchkramez

Car is back and totally fixed now - so, in my case, the whine/whirr at 65 was NOT the bearing, it was the transmission. Many thanks to this forum for even suggesting that you should ask for goodwill coverage and many thanks for the dealer (Vern Eide Acura) and Acura proper for standing by their product even after 117k miles.

redbarton

Wow...I am really having second thoughts about not adding a warranty to my RL. My car exhibits the whirring sounds at 30-40 and 75-80.

mitchkramez

Redbarton,
From my understanding, it wasn't that the transmission was going to explode or fail, it was just annoying... very annoying to me anyway...

redbarton

It's the same here. I don't notice except when the radio is low or off. I love the car otherwise, despite the other quirks it has, but the whir is the most annoying of them and seemingly expensive to correct. I will probably just have to live with it. I hope it doesn't get worse since I am in the car for the long term.