Sherlock_Holmes

Gentlemen/women:

Hi. My name is Amanda and I just bought a 2003 TL with 35,000 miles (I know that I am under manufacturer warranty for another 15,000 miles). It is one of the later production dates (over **********19000), therefore not covered under warranty.

Reading about the tranny issues, it really seems as if EVERYONE is having this tranny problem. Otherwise stated, it is not "if," but "when."

Moving on, I have not finalized the paperwork yet. I just traded in my paid off 97 Corolla and my IS300 that I was upside-down on in order to address my financial and practical concerns. I am not locked in to the TL purchase so if there is a 30+% chance of me having this tranny problem, I am backing out.

Suprisingly, I spent one hour reading through the 20+ pages on tranny issues and the question was never addressed concerning the prevalence of the tranny issues. I know what Honda claims (2%) but what sense do you get being an owner and knowing other owners.

Is everyone having this problem (is it a matter of when, not if)?
I know there have been some manual swaps--price, successes?

IS THIS INEVITABLE?!?!?!

Help, please. I just paid 5400.00 for a engine for my RX-7. The TL is to be my reliable car. I cannot afford MUCH of maintenance.

I know chilvalry is not extinct. Please help me out.

-Amanda

Sherlock_Holmes

Gentlemen/women:

Hi. My name is Amanda.

*MOD EDIT*

Anyways...I just bought a 2003 TL with 35,000 miles (I know that I am under manufacturer warranty for another 15,000 miles). It is one of the later production dates (over **********19000), therefore not covered under warranty.

Reading about the tranny issues, it really seems as if EVERYONE is having this tranny problem. Otherwise stated, it is not "if," but "when."

Moving on, I have not finalized the paperwork yet. I just traded in my paid off 97 Corolla and my IS300 that I was upside-down on in order to address my financial and practical concerns. I am not locked in to the TL purchase so if there is a 30+% chance of me having this tranny problem, I am backing out.

Suprisingly, I spent one hour reading through the 20+ pages on tranny issues and the question was never addressed concerning the prevalence of the tranny issues. I know what Honda claims (2%) but what sense do you get being an owner and knowing other owners.

Is everyone having this problem (is it a matter of when, not if)?
I know there have been some manual swaps--price, successes?

IS THIS INEVITABLE?!?!?!

Help, please. I just paid 5400.00 for a engine for my RX-7. The TL is to be my reliable car. I cannot afford MUCH of maintenance.

I know chilvalry is not extinct. Please help me out.

-Amanda

tonggi

Theres your problem. : )

You have an RX-7. Money Pit.

If you want reliable get a Civic if you want cheap. I have my Audi and my Acura, cause my S4 breaks every other day but not as much as an RX7, and 5400 is pretty expensive for one I might say. BTW thats tacky putting put a picture of yourself to get people to read.

Transmission come and go, you can't tell what will happen, only time will tell. Same thing with Rotary engines.

1osunut

I have 60,000 miles on my 02 TL-S and have not had any problems. I change my tranny fluid every other oil change or every 7000 miles and so far the tranny has not had a problem. I do however have an extended warranty and Im in good with the Acura dealership behind my place of work. I plan on getting my tranny swapped out reguardless of weather its bad or not before my policy expires. I would look into any extended warranty if your buying a TL just in case something major does go wrong like a ABS modulator, Trans, Etc. Other then the tranny issue some experience the car is great. I also do not beat on the car. I may drive fast on the freeway but I stay away from racing and things like that.

By the way that picture of you would be perfect if your half brother was taking it and not in it. Somewhere there is a guy waking up every morning with a big ass smile on his face.

Sherlock_Holmes

Thank you sooo much for the response. I'm am literally pulling my hair out here.

I got the 7 because these guys around Baltimore/Washington ride around like they're all that. When my 7 is running, I surprise them either by stopping their pull or all out winning by a couple of cars.

I love the styling of the 7 and I have never seen another girl in one.

As far as the picture.... Sometimes I gotta use what I got. Some people will pay more attention to visuals than to requests for help. See this thread that I posted almost an hour ago:

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/fs-ssr-competition-17x8-w-yokohama-es100-235-45-a-147853/

No responses.

This thread got 2 replies and a private message in 10 minutes.

DiveforTL-s

Can you get it as a Certified Used or not. If so, you can get it out to 100k miles. That is what I did to avoid this problem as long as possable.

BrotherDavid

As my grandmother was fond of saying, "There are no guarantees in life." She was also fond of drinking a glass of Jack Daniels every day, but that's for another thread.

Nothing we say can reverse the risk for you in buying a mechanical device ... you might consider buying an extended warranty, as long as it covers the transmission.

I bought an 03 TL-S about a month ago and it's an OUTSTANDING vehicle.

Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Open them again. Make the decision.

Then send us a photo of you in the car.

Sherlock_Holmes

That you sweetie for the response and the compliment.

Reading online gave me the impression that every 00-03 TL was having tranny problems. I have been searching like crazy for some percentage or liklihood that I'll have similar problems.

Any one else have any stories to share?

PiZauL

iTrader: (1)

First off, welcome to the forum. Secondly, lol @ 15 people viewing this thread. Your technique to gather attention works quite well lol. Thirdly, this thread made my morning.

Now, people have told me that there are more trannies are fine than ones that fail. I know a few of my buddies who have their original trannies and are way past 100k. I myself have 45k and am fine (knock on wood). There is a handful of people on here with oringal trannies also. As long as you dont beat on it constantly, it helps the life of the tranny.

Got_3.2?

iTrader: (2)

i got 84000 miles on my 2000 TL. besides all the mods that i spent money on, this car really was pretty much very reliable. the only thing i had to spend money on was new wheel bearings, oil changes, and i replaced my front and rear rotors and pads with aftermarket. other than that my car has never given me any problems and i really didnt have put in alot of money for repairs.

Sherlock_Holmes

Tell your grandmother she gives great advice. But substitute the Jack Daniels for an Appletini or a lime margarita extra tart with a sugar rim.

I am becoming heartened by the idea that some people have NOT had problems. If I buy (which is looking very likely that I will), I will take a few pics and post them.

Sherlock_Holmes

I'm thinking about buying the extended warranty. It will set me back about 1500 but it will be WELL worth it.

This one is not certified, but it has low miles. I have owned many Acura/Honda before (Accord, 4th gen prelude, two 5th gen preludes, Integra GSR), so I know the history of reliability.

Sherlock_Holmes

That is what I like to hear!!!

You're in the Charm huh?

CL Platano

Like Pizaul said it's not a guarantee your tranny will go and for the most part Acura will cover the repair even if you fall under that Vin. I knew about "tranny issues" but being this car is so elegant, sexy, and powerful all wrapped into one it was a no-brainer. You will not find another car that will give you all that for the money right now. I paid 17.5 for mine in January with 35K miles and so far have put the car through hell and haven't had an issue. Also, there is so many members in your area and being you are not difficult to look at. anything that goes wrong with your TL I'm sure they'll race over to help you. Hope that helps and if it really worries you search for one that falls under the warranty for a little piece of mind.

c0v3rr1d3

iTrader: (4)

if your buying it from an acura/honda dealer it should be certified... also you can usually talk them down on the extended warrenty to almost half that. I bought my 02 tl-s over a year ago with 30k on the odo, and now i'm at 58k and its the original tranny. And so far all i've had to do was regularly scheduled maintence and warped rotors but since i live by the water the salt air kills em anyways.

oh and it does have the oil-jet kit recall done to it before i bought it, but that really doesn't do much. I think that recall should be under your vin though also so u can check to see if that was done to the car you are buying.

Sherlock_Holmes

But to be fair, I posted the pic to bring attention to the thread not to bring attention to my....................hair color.

I am just a little timid and looking to hear direct opinion from you guys.

I read all the threads, and none really discussed those who have been problem FREE. It almost makes it seems as if EVERY TL is problem-ridden.

CL Platano

Keep in mind no car is trouble free, the most important thing to think about is how inconvient are the problems you are going to be dealt with. I was gonna buy a Audi A6 2.7t but read up on them and decided against due to electrical issues that take months to locate or a 03 Maxima SE 6spd , I just didnt think it was as elegant as the TL and of course I settled on my rare Noble Green TL-S and havent regretted it since.

c0v3rr1d3

iTrader: (4)

you can check all the stuff that is covered under your vin number by registering it under the acura owners link
https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?brand=acura

fla-tls

All cars will have transmission problems if driven long enough. I agree with one of the statements above. If you want a cheap reliable car with low maintenance costs, a civic is hard to beat.

'03TL-S

iTrader: (10)

i have an 03 TL-S with a little over 75k miles and i have had no problems with tranny or anything whatsoever. as you stated i'm guessing you're getting at a TL-P, not a type S (S has more power!) just take care of her(meaning the TL) nicely and you will be treated back the same. to me it is a very reliable car.

torez

I got my TL-S a couple weeks before I found out about tyranny problem! To be honest - I don't care - I just love this car and you`ll do! So far so good (46k)- no problems

1osunut

I think I speak for many when I second the notion of a photo shoot of you and your TL.

Sherlock_Holmes

Thank you sooo much for the link. I'm gonna run the VIN later today when I get off.

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

agreed.. no half nude pictures in this thread, no response.

PiZauL

iTrader: (1)

Im here Gotta love bmore. I'll look for a sexy blonde in either a RX7 or TL.

Sherlock_Holmes

You guys have been so helpful that pics WILL be forthcoming. But the pics will be slightly less revealing. Good girls never show too much too soon.

Sherlock_Holmes

Sherlock_Holmes

Booooo!!!

PiZauL

iTrader: (1)

Where at in baltimore are you? We have a local forum with car show events and all, would be nice to have an RX-7 in the mix. Could hit up some bars too

LacViet

my 03TL-S with 67K miles is still on original tranny with no issues/problems so far, and my car is a late model as well which wasn't part of 100K extended warranty. Make sure your new car had oiljet installed (part of recall on tranny). Good luck and don't forget to take some pics of your new car with you in it!

torez

Maybe on the car!!!!

Sherlock_Holmes

O.K.,

I'm headed back over to the dealership where I'm getting the car from. I have some questions and I am also going to run the V.I.N. number by Tischer Acura to see what the history has been.

Wish me luck!!! You guys have been groovy!! I got the information that I needed to avoid getting spanked with this purchase

Any other thoughts or advice, please post them. All GOOD stories kinda balance out the bunch of bad ones. I'm not committing to the purchase until after 8 today so I will be checking the site periodically.

I'll give you the outcome tonight or tommorow morning and I look forward to being part of the community!!!

Sherlock_Holmes

I'm actually outside Baltimore in a little area called Carney.

PM me the details. I am always up for car shows, car meets, car get-togethers....whatever. And as far as bars go--

torez

You go girl!

csilano

I had an 03 TL-P that was outside the vin range for the extended warranty. When the trans failed on me (which was pretty scarry I might add-noting like being dumped into 2nd gear at 70 miles and hour) I contacted Acura customer care and demanded that my car be included in the extension. At first I was told I would have to purchase an extended warranty. I asked the rep if I was being "punked or something." I wasn't about to pay for their design flaw. I asked to be put in touch with the regional manager for my area. A few days later i was contacted and she told me she reviwed my claims and that Acura would be more than happy to include my car in the warranty extension. I would however have to sign a release that prevented my from lemon law action against Acura in reguards to the trans (has to do with Florida law (where I live.)

BTW I had oil jet kit
failure ocurred at 32xxx miles (if I remember correctly.)

Never trusted the car again so i traded in on an 06 TL

Sherlock_Holmes

torez

Sherlock_Holmes

Make-up kiss?

c0v3rr1d3

iTrader: (4)

my work thanks you for that pic as well as 99.9% of this board i'm sure. LOL Good luck with the purchase!

Sherlock_Holmes

Cheers. Well, I'm off. Say a prayer for me.