Long story short, went in for airball recall, tranny slipped on the way there, dealer said 3rd gear is gone and its been past 7 yrs so no go, 2nd gear recall is ok. Went to independent shop for the repairs. I picked up my car on Monday, drives smooth and responsive with the rebuild. When I picked up my car, the shop showed me all the gears. 3rd gear is stripped and 2nd gear is stained black, due to heat. It looked like black metal. I'm currently working with Acura client services to get a reimbursement on my repair. The Acura dealership said my 2nd gear is fine and sent me know. This is the detail of the recall.

ON VEHICLES WITH 15,000 MILES OR LESS, THE DEALER WILL UPDATE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A SIMPLE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE TO INCREASE LUBRICATION TO THE SECOND GEAR. ON VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 15,000 MILES, THE DEALER WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION TO IDENTIFY GEARS THAT HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED DISCOLORATION DUE TO OVERHEATING. IF DISCOLORATION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION WILL BE REPLACED IF DISCOLORATION IS NOT PRESENT, THE DEALER WILL PERFORM THE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 21, 2004, FOR PILOT, ODYSSEY, AND MDX OWNERS. OWNERS OF THE ACCORD VEHICLES WILL START RECEIVING LETTERS ON JUNE 28, 2004, AND ON JUNE 29, 2004, FOR OWNERS OF THE TL AND CL VEHICLES. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.

From my understanding, since my 2nd gear looked like black metal, this should've fallen under the recall and my transmission should've been replaced. I faxed a letter over to Acura regarding issue and concerns, I missed their call and called back. Right now we are playing phone tag. Maybe I'm not understanding this recall right but if my 2nd gear has discoloration like I stated, shouldnt it have been replaced? Well I will update once I find out wsup. This transmission issue has been a big drag and I dont want others to have to go through this shit like I am. I understand the 3rd gear was gone and out of coverage, I'm over that now. But when they have a recall and dont honor it, thats a problem.

 

get another shops opinion on the heat damage to 2nd gear
Acura uses a boroscope to ck for the heat damage and if all is ok- they install the oil jet kit

So what did dealer mean when they said recall was ok?
had it already been performed some years ago?- when the recall was issued in 2004

If recall not done and the tech finds the proper heat damage, then they do a warranty trans install instead of oil jet kit install- not a rebuild of yours (your old one goes to the massive place that does acura's rebuilds)

we need the specifics of the damage--and who at the dealer said what
the details for the reason to warranty are more lengthy than what you copied

If you have the right heat issues- then acura should reimburse your total rebuild cost since the dealer screwed up or tried to screw you (see:fraud)

 

ok I just got off the phone with them and things didnt panned out right, but expected. Well when I went in to Acura, initially, I was told 3rd gear was gone, out of warranty after the 7 year mark, upset, but I understand. I called client services and they told me to talk to the dealership and ask about the 2nd gear recall, which I did. I already know I didnt have the oil cooler kit installed. After a day, the dealership calls me back and states that the recall was not done, which they will do, but 2nd gear is fine, so I cannot get a replacement on the recall. Saving some money, I took my car to another shop. The shop shows me a black 2nd gear, which makes me upset because, due to acura, it should be covered. I sent them a letter, them as in client services. Spoke with them today and all they kept on repeating is that since my 2nd gear didnt lock up, they couldnt do anything and by taking it to a independent dealership, they cannot confirm anything. I go about saying, as an example, if a baby crib has a recall, you dont recall until it falls apart? If my gears are bad, it should be replaced. She just kept saying no no no, I didnt say that, all i'm saying is that it did not lock up. Right now, we are waiting for her to contact the dealership and confirming anything with them. Long story short, my 2nd gear shows discoloration, acura didnt see it, sent me away. They have a recall but fail to follow up with it. Right now they are sticking their ground and stating cause I went to an independent shop, they wont do anything. The right thing to do is tow my car to a different acura dealership, why? so I can get the same response?

 

Well unfortunately you going to a different non acura shop may make it very hard to get them to honor any warranty. Did the shop replace the 2nd gear shaft? Did they keep it? If so do they still have it to show as proof? That may be your only hope in acura covering it.

And as for the bimbo telling you they wont cove rit because it didnt lock up, thats BS. They state in the recall,

 

you having the actual part- and a letter from the repair shop stating the damage to said part, and proof of shop buying a new part to replace that one,,
that will help in your ongoing discussion with acura care..and in small claims court

It is far more difficult for acura now--anyone can walk in with a part--
and want a refund for work they cant really prove was done
Open an acura trans and its warranty is void- even the dealer doesnt open them to work on

Dealer says it was boroscope ck'd- which it probably was- and did pass visual inspection for specific heat damage- an inspection they have done on thousands of these transmissions and know exactly what to look for---what corp approves as damage.

"they said it was FINE" according to 1st post regarding 2nd gear,, is a long way from what you think about its condition

its not the shop kid using the tool- its a specialized tech with specific training and experience--
tech is not out to screw you out of anything,,they like to get paid for working..if they can get warranty for you they will usually try

Your idea or damaged and theirs may vary widely
You say gear is `stained black`-so you believe thats damaged by heat- but have offered no 2nd professional opinion- or did I miss something?

the recall bulletin does not say what are the exact parameters are to define OVERHEAT damaged.
they may be looking for blue hot spots and thats actual heat damage...what you are seeing is not a real problem- could be normal wear--got a pic for us?

Did the repair shop say that gear was for sure destroyed by heat?

Your 3rd gear clutchpacks were worn out (severe enough to destroy the gear?- how long was it slipping? how did it fail?)
and 3rd was the primary failure?--
not breakage or damage to the 2nd gear or shaft- is that correct?

ummm- thats the normal wearout--what year and mileage are we talking about here anyway?

There is always someone higher to appeal to with acura if that gear really is bad
Have a machine shop look at it for you- they know metal, and can verify its bad or tell you thats normal wear

Have you mentioned belonging to acurazine and having an active thread about this car? they know who we are~
Keep writing letters if not satisfied, the dealer only has initial involvment, its all corps decision because its their money

Look at it from their side for a minute--dealer says not in warranty- 7years plus 9 months or 109 miles (114.5 for odometer error cars)
dealer does recall at customer request despite trans still bad from 3rd gear.
A waste of time and money but hey- its a recall and customer wants it done

Next:
Customer has unknown shop open trans up and now owner claims bad 2nd gear that boroscope didnt catch!!
OK lets get to scientific proof-= not your opinion- Is there any at this point?
If dealer was wrong they have a major problem- and will compensate you for their error by paying for the work you had done.
BUT
you need that gear in hand!! it makes all the differance to have the evidence to back your claim- without it.....
Can you imagine how many request per day they get for goodwill warranty?

 

Just having had the 2nd gear recall done a month ago, I'd guess Dealership might not follow procedure. As my work was delayed a week, since they discovered, "We haven't ordered one of them [recall kits] in 17 months", I'd bet they no longer have the required camera with bracket for taking documentary photos for submission to Acura USA.

 

I think you are wrong- go ask your service manager and discover the boroscope is a tool the use often to look inside engines that were overrevved or trans with strange problems
They dont return it to acura - its part of the shop tool inventory of specialty tools

I can see them not having a recall oil jet kit in stock- that recall was issued in 2004 and most cars have done it by now..
do you think they should waste shelf space for the one person a year who hasnt had it done? or order when needed

boroscope typically displays on a small tv screen showing live action- you can move the probe tip around to see all angles- its a thin flex shaft with fiber optic lens technology

 

chances are sperry.. that they did the boroscope and decided no damage-
tech then goes to parts desk and ask for a kit--they have to order

Otherwise you would have gotten a call- `your trans has warranty covered OVERheat damage- congrats!! -it will be 4 days till we get it back to you with a freshened trans`