sbuswell

My tranny had been slipping for a while and shifting hard so I decided enough is enough and had it rebuilt at my local Aamco. The owner stated that all the clutches were worn down far past spec and burnt to boot, not just 3rd gear, but all gears. He also stated all the solenoids were not is acceptable condition so I said I want it brand new. Other than the casing everything is brand new even the valve body. Total it cost $3k, they also took care of my suspension squeaking problem for free. When I picked up my car today I was excited and the drive home was a breathe of fresh air. The car drives like new again. Shifts are very smooth, I forgot what it felt like. My car responds better, accelerates better, brakes better(not my imagination I am very crytical) and just overall feels a lot more solid. I am a happy camper now and hope to get another 143k out of this tranny, maybe more as all the factory updates were done also.

TypeSDragon

What's the warranty for rebuilt transmission from Aamco? And how long did they take to rebuilt? Thanks.

fsttyms1

All depends on the package you buy. You can get a lifetime thru them

russianDude

Do you know if Amco is using Honda OEM parts? Are you getting the same thing that Acura dealer will install after transmission failure?

Phrosttz0

not bad for 143k

sbuswell

They use OEM parts and also any manufacturer updates are also completed. I just got the basic warranty 1ys/12k. The tranny is essentially brand new and with the updates I doubt I will have any problems with it for a long time. I mean I got 143k out of my original and could have got 150k if I kept pushing it.

Bob_F

Yes, the 4-speed transmissions used in the 1999 TLs can last a long time. The original transmission in my 1999 TL made it to 173,000 miles. I'll be very happy if the replacement does as well.

My transmission was replaced through an Acura dealership but they actually had the transmission rebuilt at a local transmission shop. That type of arrangement, apparently, is not unusual. Except for the case, all of the parts were replaced.

Bob

ChampionFiyah

the origional owner of my 99 tl had the transmission rebuilt by cottman transmissions @ 108k miles back in 2005, my car now has 136k miles, and running fine. I will have my fluid changed when i get my oil changed because its not shifting silky smooth like i think it should be, but overall no problems

fla-tls

FYI - Honda/Acura is a little different than many OEMs because there is no secondary market for their solenoids (at least I've never seen one). If you get parts for a Honda, you pretty much have to go with OEM. That's also why it costs more. Other than that, nothing really goes wrong in those transmissions outside of the clutch packs. If you REALLY burn it up, you might have to replace a drum. Like I've written before - they really look more like manual transmissions inside.

Glad you guys are happy with the jobs done on your trannys! It's good to know others in my chain are doing a good job!

sbuswell

I just realized when I looked at my receipt that they filled my tranny with merconIII instead of Z1. I can only assume that is not a good thing and want Z1 in my car. Is it common for Aamco's to use shitty ATF after rebuilding a tranny? Why use MerconIII after rebuilding a transmission? Christ I would have paid 20 bucks more for the Z1. Do you guys think I am overreacting or is MerconIII OK?

01tl4tl

Return immediatly to the shop and have them install the proper fluid.
Show them the owners book with spec fluid requirement

The tech just added what they normally use in most cars,
not thinking Acura trans needs special fluid.
They will fix it at no charge to you.
Let them know you are on acurazine praising their service!

sbuswell

Well I forgot to tell you guys that I called the Aamco that rebuilt my tranny and they did use Z1 ATF and I have no reason not to believe him. This particular Aamco has a very good reputation in Portsmouth and my father had the tranny in his 95 Dodge Ram2500 rebuilt there and it runs better than new.

My new tranny has almost 600 miles on it now and I can feel it is finally starting to "loosen up" a bit. At first it feel stiff and slow, now the shifts are quick, smooth and my car is pulling harder than ever before. The power in all gears at any rpm range is significantly stronger and once I hook up it really flies. On Friday I was driving home on a country back road close to my house and this guy in front of me pulls to the side of the road so I slow down and wait for an oncoming car to pass. I was sitting there at about 10-15MPH and in full auto mode and just hammered it. The car squatted for a second(my suspension is stock with 144k on it) and then ripped down the road faster than it ever has. Very little if any wheel spin and I credit the 225/55/VR16 Conti Extreme Contacts for that......awesome tires! Low end torque seems to be improving every day and same with high end power, the car really hauls ass when I get to 5k and up. Highway acceleration is also getting better and the car is downshifting exactly when I want it to now. Finally my car is operating a its peak or close to as the tranny still has a little more breaking in to do. That was the first time I had really gunned it since I had it rebuilt. I figured after 500+ miles of moderate driving it was now safe to open it up and man am I happy with the results. Sorry for the long ramble.

fla-tls

No, straight Mercon III is not good for your tranny. It will shift too firmly. It is - however - common to use Dexron with a friction modifier to add the necessary additives that make it compatible with Honda Z1. We have never had a single problem over the long run using that type of combination.

sbuswell

I got the fluid issue ironed out, the tranny is broken in now. Has almost 700 miles on it and much more loose feeling. very smooth, quick shifts, perfect downshifts and it really pulls hard now. Very happy with the new tranny.

01tl4tl

So what did you do to resolve the fluid issue

Did they put the honda/acura fluid in it?

sbuswell

from my previous post on this thread

Well I forgot to tell you guys that I called the Aamco that rebuilt my tranny and they did use Z1 ATF and I have no reason not to believe him. This particular Aamco has a very good reputation in Portsmouth and my father had the tranny in his 95 Dodge Ram2500 rebuilt there and it runs better than new.

honda_motor_co_4life

hey guys, i have 56k miles on my 2000 TL now and the original owner (from whom I purchased the car in January 2007) said that at 35k miles Acura installed a jet kit on the tranny... or something like that. I have all the receipts because she kept all the records. My question is this, does that have anything to do with the tranny failures? From what I understood this kit was installed to redirect oil to cool off the 3rd gear which is the one that goes bad first. I could be way off, Im not sure what do you guys think? I read somewhere that the reason Acura installed these kits were to prevent the tranny from going bad.... could this be true?

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

Actually its kind of close. The jet kit cools the second gear which only causes about 2% of failures. You are correct the 3rd gear is what goes out but the jet wont help apparently.

kuni808

Yep. cause my tranny just went out today. CRAP!!! im pretty pissed and man that jerk is fricken scary!!!!!

recklessdriver

Similar post to the OP:

112k miles and the transmission was slipping to the point where i no longer felt comfortable driving it. I was outside the warranty (even the new extended extended warranty) and even though i had documentation from a year ago and at 106k miles that i took it into an independent shop for "Hard shifts between first and second", the Regional Manager says no assistance. Ok, i can handle that, just thought I'd try. (BTW, my Acura Customer Care case manager recommended calling their Corporate office first if you're looking for Acura Goodwill assistance, unfortunately, i went to the dealership first).

The SA said i needed front, side, and rear engine mounts to be replaced (they were destroyed by the hard shifting). GREAAAT . To make a long story short, Elk Grove Acura got me:

remanufactured transmission with 3/36 warranty parts/labor
3 motor mounts with 12/12 warranty parts/labor
a bracket (damaged by the independent shop I had taken the TL to previously and replaced for $100)

for $2800 out the door.

The customer service (from Acura Customer Care and the SA) was terrific and the car shifts silky smooth. I once again remember why i originally fell in love with the TL. So, when your 1999 TL needs a replacement transmission, don't be afraid to try your local dealer first before going to AAMCO or Cottonmans. While i have read posts about being quoted outrageous amounts by the dealer (I think 99AcuraTLAndy was quoted $5200 in June 2006) mine was quite reasonable in comparison.

Good luck!

Bob_F

recklessdriver,

Did you ever contact the corporate Acura Customer Care?

If not, you might want to see if they could provide some sort of post-repair refund or discount. With the documented transmission problem report and the subsequent failure they might cut you some slack on that. It wouldn't hurt to try.

Others have received out of warranty repairs with much weaker cases.

Bob

recklessdriver

Thanks Bob,

Yes, i contacted corporate Acura Customer Care. Unfortunately i did so after receiving a very firm "no" from the Regional Manager. My corporate Acura Customer Care case manager basically told me that if I would have contacted him first, corporate probably could have provided some assistance (basically saying, without actually saying it, that Corporate has much more "good will" than does the regional manager. However, he told me that since the Regional Manager already declined to offer any Goodwill Assistance, then it would not be within Acura USA's policy to overturn his decision. He said that basically, once the Regional Manager says "no" the only person that can overturn his decision is himself. Now, i'm sure there is plenty of people higher up the chain that can overturn his decision, but i just didn't get the vibe that I actually had a chance of 1) pleading my case to them, 2) them being sympathetic. Let's be real, I bought a used car and will in all likelyhood never buy a new one, so why should they give me any "Goodwill Assistance".

That being said, i love my new transmission. Oh and another lesson learned and I hope any of you looking for "Goodwill Assistance" learn it:

CONTACT CORPORATE ACURA CUSTOMER SERVICE FIRST IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR GOODWILL ASSISTANCE.

Oh, and Bob,

I would wager that the other people that got assistance outside of warranty had some kind of relationship with their dealer providing assistance (i.e. purchased new or used from the dealer, took in for regular maintenance, ordered parts, etc.) whereas Elk Grove Acura had never seen me before in my 50k miles of ownership.

Bob_F

Thanks for the additional information.

I agree that there's not much point to pursue any sort of coverage at this point.

But hopefully your experience will help out other forum members!

Thanks for sharing.

Bob

SodaLuvr

Did they offer you the lifetime warranty? How much was it?

Also, when they mean OEM parts, did they mean OEM quality parts? Most transmission parts suppliers such as Transtar have kits available for these transmissions. Could you please check your receipt to see what brand they used?

Thanks!