davidchicago

Hello, I just want to start of that this is one of my favorite cars I ever had, even though it's not the Sports version it feels very sporty and classy. I bought the car for a good price from a mechanic at 96 k miles and a year and some months later I am at 111 k and so far the car has performed magnificently. I'm only 22 and this is my first car that I actually enjoy and I need to make sure this car runs at least for next 4-5 years, I am planning on driving this car until it can not be driven no more. I need this car to get to through two more years of college and going to a full time job so this is basically my life here depending on this car.

Here are some basics on my cars situation, at the moment the brake light has been on for about 2 months, its the red light by the fuel gauge, and also when I went to get oil changed last time they told me to get the high mileage oil change which I didn't get because my mechanic has said nothing about that, and they also told me I have to get new transmission fluid, they showed me new fluid sample and my transmissions sample mine was dirty. They also said that I need to get my A/C system flushed or something.

Last night when I was getting on the highway,I was going really fast down the ramp behind a Mercedes that was also going fast and I was merging at a high speed and it put stress on the car, when I looked down another red light lit up. It was the SRS light, now I know that is for the airbag but why would that light up because getting on the highway fast?

I would really appreciate tips and some guidance how to make this car run well as long as possible. I already started pouring only the best fuel in it meaning highest octane rating for the last month.

Skirmich

1.- NO HIGH MILEAGE OIL! Its basically a Scam.. Use normal Oil and for longer fluid change intervals use Synthetic (I use Mobil 1 EP Syn).

2.- If changing Trans oil use ONLY "HONDA GENUINE ATF DW-1" dont use any generic stuff and also any "miracle oil" any chop shows you.. If you want your tranny to last, use Honda ATF only.

3.- A/C System easy: Start A/C at maximum 60°F go to a stroll in any highway or somewhere you can drive at least +40mph and feel the air coming out! it should be COLD.. Now when you eventually came to a stop feel the air coming out. Does it started to get hotter or it just didnt came out as COLD as driving at +40mph? = Need a Service... If it did came out as good as driving = A/C is good.

4.- SRS Light can mean a bunch of things.. Need to get scan at your local HONDA or ACURA Dealership. NOTE: IF SRS LIGHT IS ON; AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY!

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

Brake light probably is because of a broken bulb in the back. SRS light is weird, but you can reset it and hopefully it won't come back. Check the DIY section for the reset instructions.

Get whatever oil you want, as it doesn't matter as long as it's 5W-30 or 5W-20.
If the A/C is fine, don't worry about the flush.

Change the tranny fluid definitely. Tranny will still die no matter what, but you can hope to prolong that as much as possible.

3.2TLc

Yeah, go with Karanx7's suggestions for now.

Get to know your car better, read the DIY's and check out some of the past threads concerning things that tend to be common problem areas with our cars. The more you know, the less chance that you'll get bent over by shady shops on unnecessary repairs.

davidchicago

I heard about the transmission problems, it feels though that mine is working pretty well despite the high mileage so I will get that tranny fluid changed as soon as I can at my mechanic who sold me the car and damn it feel pretty disheartening that these trannies fail. Is it like 100% certain that it is going to fail someday even though it still works good, I even run it on sports mode and I raced a couple mustangs and camaros and it switches like a baws, except that it does not switch as soon as I hit the shift up when switching from 1 to 2. But is it certain the tranny will fail someday?

Skirmich

110% Secure? Nope.. there are a couple of miracles around the forum.. But 90% of them will likely fail... The only bet is to swap to the Accord V6 06 to 07 trans to have it bullet proof.

3.2TLc

Hey man... nothing in life is for sure !

Our 2nd Gen tranny's are poorly engineered and subject to premature failure. Sad, sorry but it's the truth ! The weak link to our TL's is the tranny....#1 biggest issue. Some will go for 100k, while others fail at 50k. Absolutely no rhyme or reason....just sloppy manufacturing.

Acura should be ashamed of itself for letting these cars out the door as a time bomb !!!!
They have tarnished their otherwise pristine quality standards with an upscale automobile from Honda Motor Co. "Shame on them" !!!