For some time I've had my eye on getting an Aegean Blue TL Type-S Navi, but the transmission problem greatly concerns me because I will have to drive between New England and Virginia a few times a year, possibly with passengers, and I don't want to have my transmission blow up in the middle of nowhere. Would you trust a TL-S transmission on long drives (assuming the oil jet kit has been installed)? And if for some reason I were to experience transmission failure, is it possible to limp the car to somewhere where I can stop, or is it sudden immobilization of the car? Or is it too much of a risk and I would be better off with an Infiniti I35? Acura service doesn't worry me, because there are dealers I trust in the Boston area and Newport News, VA. I really like the way the TL-S drives, I'm just not sure I can risk it.

 

You know the TL-S should be covered upto 7 years 100,000 miles so you have a bit to play with if you are that worried - Not all TL owners have issues with their TLs - You on a forum and you will hear a lot of neg. but very few pos. How many miles are the ones you are looking at?

 

For me, I drive around 400km highway almost every weekend. (London to Toronto and back) I've already went thru one transmission but I didn't replace it at the first sympton. I replaced it around 4 months after experiencing slight slippage in reverse and 2nd-3rd gear. For me the problem grew gradually and is not sudden immobalization. Anyways as Bareback noted, not all TL-S experience this problem. Good luck with the buy and hope you will enjoy your TL as much as we all do.

 

My budget is about $16K so I'm looking at cars with around 60K on them. If I understand correctly, the transmission failures aren't instant, but rather give warning signs before they go out....would it be safe to assume I could drive 500 miles on a failing transmission?

 

As for me, I purchased my '03 TL-S brand new in Oct '02 and have yet to have any problems with the tranny. I have already put 80,000 miles on my current engine/transmission. I had the oil jet kit installed last year and so far, I haven't had any problems. Of course each car is different and each car has its own set of problems. As for me I say go for it, I love my TL!

 

I drove more than 500miles in the 4 months while the transmission was crackin up. For me the problem was that going from 2nd to 3rd there was a major lag (4-5sec) and once it finally shifts there is a slight jerk forward and once it worsens sometimes it just doesn't shift so you just keep reving u. I am not totally sure if this is the most common symptom but I was able to keep using my car despite the transmission problem.

 

My other issue is that I will not be the only one driving the car...my sister will be getting her permit around the time I will be buying the car (I'm still a few months away from a purchase and narrowing down my list of possible cars, I just know if I get a TL I want a Type-S Navi in either anthracite or blue) and because my parents both drive SUVs whatever sedan I buy will be a much better car to learn on than the SUVs...I feel like it could be dangerous to have a transmission failure with a new driver behind the wheel. I've read reports of sudden jerks when the transmission fails...would there be potential concerns of a new driver losing control due to a transmission failure?

 

Hmmm for new drivers I don't know if the TL is gunna be the best choice. In many ways the TL is big like an SUV. I came from an 94 Accord to the TL and it was a big transition in size. So you might want to consider.

As for the jerks, from what I remember it was a gradual process. The jerks in the beginning were slight and gradually worsened. So if your the primary driver, you will notice the symptoms first therefore you can plan accordingly to get the car fix before your sister touches it. As for the jerks causing you to lose control, I've never experienced and neither has my mom (who occasionally drives the TL). This is not a problem that will cause normal drivers to spin out or lose control. (not sure about student drivers)

 

So there's never going to be a sudden massive jerk like some horror stories I've read? I seem to recall an article I read saying something about transmission failures in TLs nearly causing an accident....

 

When it dies if driving down the hwy it will drop out of gear and most likely into 2nd. Most cases (if your paying attention to the car like you should be) you will notice the warning symptoms far before it dies

 

Well...I personally experienced this. I was merging onto 880 (in Fremont) during rush hour....and right when I hit the fast lane going about 70MPH, my tranny decided to take a dump.

Luckily for me my first instinct was to hit the hazard lights. I gradually made it to the shoulder, but on my way it shifted from 5->2...2>5 many times over until it finally got stuck on 2.

Naturally I left big rubber marks on the road and scared everyone else around me since @ the time, it appeared that I was slamming the brakes, but no brake lights were on since I was technically downshifting and flooring on the gas pedal whenever it does. Looking back...my car must of looked like a bucking bronco. LOL

Oh yeah...while on the shoulder the dealer wanted to send a tow truck over...but I insisted they stay open for as long as it took for me to get there while I limped roughly 25-30 miles on 2nd. I stayed in the slow lane cruising the entire time going 45mph and by the time I arrived, they had a new TLP waiting for me to drive away.

It took roughly 2 weeks for them to completely change my transmission. This was my first incident....my 2nd transmission got replaced during the oil jet kit recall when they found missing teeth in my gears. I currently have 102k miles and I'm on my 3rd transmission with an internal oil jet kit using 100% synthetic tranny fluid.

Am I a happy camper? Well....bottom line is as long as it never happens to me again...then yes. Aside from my boss's S55, the TLS is the best long distance cruiser I've ever gotten a chance to experience.

FYI....long distance=more than 1 tank of gas...which is usually 400+ miles. As an example...I've taken the SanFrancisco/Las Vegas drive many many times, which is roughly a 600 mile trip (one way).

 

I have read that post before my tranny died and I was a bit scared myself. But this is not a problem that will suddenly pop up. You will feel and know that something is wrong well beforehand. I knew there was something wrong when it there was a noticable lag between 2nd and 3rd while in SS.

 

I have read that post before my tranny died and I was a bit scared myself. But this is not a problem that will suddenly pop up. You will feel and know that something is wrong well beforehand. I knew there was something wrong when it there was a noticable lag between 2nd and 3rd while in SS.

 

Do they give loaners for transmission replacements? And if so would they let me keep the loaner for a long period of time if there was a delay in getting the transmission fixed? Also how good are Acura dealers about giving reasonable loaners? By reasonable I mean at least a TSX...I've seen some giving RSXs and I really can't stand driving them. Infiniti dealers give G35s....

 

And Infiniti dealers give loaners for ANYTHING...my 95 G20 is way out of warranty but they always have a G35x waiting for me when I bring it in for anything...until they check my license and see that I'm not 21.

 

Well as for loaners it really depends on which dealer your dealing with. When i got my tranny fixed it only took 2 days and I got a civic as a loaner b/c all the loaners were out.

 

I beleive this may be dealer specific. My dealer gives loaners to only those that are under 50k miles and rentals if anything else.

Keep in mind...unless you're getting an NSX/RL/MDX...everything else is near luxury. Acura does not hold the same standards as Lexus or Infinity.

 

I would hope they'd give me a loaner during a transmission repair...

 

It all depends on the dealer. Mine will give the equivelant car unless other wise specified.