NavTypeS2003

Bought a TL 2003....TYPE S....has only around 63,000 miles and runs like a dream.

I am horrified to come to this site and read what I have.

I had my car taken to ACURA and heavily serviced at "point of sale" as I made the dealer pay for 70% of it or "no deal". LOL!!! Suffice it to say I got a good deal. Mint condition.

What can I do now? I am going to get screwed arent I? When will this dam tranny thing let me down? I have a good connect at ACURA and when it was serviced (brakes...airbag issue...drl issue...heated seat issue) all of this was fixed. I have owned it for 6 weeks now. I am happy until today when I joined here and ended up here by chance. Now I feel like I got jipped by the dealer even though I thought I scored. DAM!!!!

So....I am stuck with her now. It sure is nice for now. Everything was fixed...brakes like a champ....heats my ass...tranny doesnt do anything that tells me its going...but once in a while....when im at a red light...it tries to jerk forward as I feel it on the brake pedal???? BIZARRE!!!

Is there anything I can do now? Invest maybe less now to save big later? I wont be able to thrown $3000 at her. It will get scrapped. I am not rich. Seeking rich man thrills though. LOL!!!

Any tips would be nice. If the gears in my tranny are starving for oil....or suffering heat stress....cant I do something now to the tranny to save her? Is there any other mods that can help? I have read "oil return problems" which then cause "hydraulic problems". I do understand gear performance in these trannies are dependent on correct hydraulics and oil flow for temperature.

How can i check my tranny to see if im ok? ACURA checked and told me my fluid is "red" and "fine...not to worry". I trust the guy...the service manager who hooks me up is a family friend. My dad is the proud owner of a 2003 MDX that he loves.

Any tips, help, advice would be so appreciated. Im having huge remorse. Total idiot I am...but stuck now. gotta see what I can do.

yeedatoy

If you won't have the money to put into the car if the transmission goes out, I would try to sell it for what you paid. No point in keeping the car if you're going to scrap it if it goes, you'll be throwing money away basically. Check the bolt heads on the transmission and see if they are blue...that means the transmission has already been replaced with a Honda warrantied transmission.

01tl4tl

ask your acura buddy if its got a replaced trans --the blue paint on bolt heads indicates warranty replacement,, as said above

the TL is an awesome car IF you keep up on certain things
good trans fluid color/smell means its probably been changed at some point--thats good!
keep up on that with yearly 3.4 qts drain and refill

the brake sink at lights is the vac booster,,,as long as the pedal doesnt sink to the floor,,
maybe a fluid flush will help= but all cars do that slight pedal drop after sitting at a light at idle,
try in nuetral and hold at 1000 rpm,,does the pedal stay firm?

ck the booster line for brakes--good connection -clamps..
at worst it needs a brake vac booster--no sweat to replace

welcome to the forum,,ask your guy if the car is solid and you should keep it
the recalls are all done, some warranty work was done,,thats good
dealer has to make sure of the recalls at the least

options for the trans are from a crashed odessey van or late model accord
pay way less total and have a better design unit

Skirmich

Yeah my Brake Pedal ALWAYS drop a lil bit when coming to a full stop.. No worries!

And like "01tl4tl" says
If you arent planning on Rebuilding that sucker when it finally comes down, Get rid of it as Fast as you can.
With proper maintenance the tranny should last a good +100,000K

If you want to keep the tranny happy do the Tranny Cooler + Magnefine filter DIY, Also do a 3x3 on the new Honda DW-1 ATF perhaps your still running on the old Z1, and change the ATF every year...

Thats pretty much all you can do, The problem will still be there and even with all the Care in the world that tranny will someday let you down.

nsnrider

iTrader: (2)

if you love the car, don't sweat the stuff that hasn't went bad yet. As with any used car, you have to set aside some money for parts that will wear out and break. Your best bet right now is to buy an extended warranty if you are not mechanically inclined to work on your car. That should at least take care of the big ticket items like the transmission.

The only other things that I can think of that might cost you a pretty penny in the future with this car is the 105k mile service (timing belt, water pump, etc). Besides that, the car should last you at least a couple of years.

Don't fret about the tranny issue that much, some TL get over 100k miles on the original tranny. With 63k miles, you should be able to get 3-4 years before the tranny goes bad. At that point you should be able to save up. It doesn't always cost 3k to fix the tranny. Many guys were able to get the tranny replaced for $1500 - 2000 price range.

good luck.

Any pics?

yeedatoy

Age affects the belt more than mileage...timing belt is 7 years/105k

even with 63k, the car is 10 years old so the belt should be checked. Extended warranty is a great idea though..I wish I could get one!

03tl-s04mdx

Is the AC on? Could be when the compressor kicks on. I've noticed it ever since I bought mine new in 2002, even in the winter.

CHISOX1

I refuse to jinx myself but I love 2nd gen tl's.
I bought my first one before I found this site too.
Don't worry you'll spend way more money on mods

NavTypeS2003

well...those are some great replies. thanks. this forum rocks and there are alot of people willing to share information.

so far, I have contacted ACURA of Canada....as they are "completely" separate. I think that is STUPID!

I have also managed to find the "original" dealership this car hails from. They have service records for it until 25,000 kms. So...they told me in december of 2004 the transmission was "checked" and that "band-aid" fix was installed. The "jet kit" oil cooler tube. I confirmed with visual under the hood of my car. Infact, alot of the bolts in and around the tranny are blue heads. I dont know what that really means.

Anyways...the guy at the acura told me to bring it in...let them look at it...to kind of...extinguish my fears....

He said...."transmission flush". I have actually had 1 acura dealer tell me no....the manual is NOT clear on "transmission flush". It is mentioned...but not specific.

What should I do? There is nothing wrong with my car. I fear, ACURA will do some kind of flush and mess up my tranny. I understand I need to do ONLY the 3x3 flush if I do.

Anybody else taken their car to ACURA for a tranny flush? My appointment is on Friday. At first, when I booked it, I was happy and glad that my car will go home after so many years. Perhaps have the tranny looked at by the same folks who looked at it in 2004. The ACURA dealer is the oldest and first to arrive in Vancouver. However, now, I am scared I am setting myself up for a nightmare. This "tranny flush" thing is a hot and mixed opinion topic.

victus1

Blue bolts indicate that you have a dealer replacement tranny.
Don't let them touch the transmission if there is nothing wrong with it at this point. And certainly don't do a flush, with them or with any other shop.
You should only do a DRAIN on these cars, like you do with an oil change. You can easily do it yourself. The drain plug is on the side of the tranny under the driver's side of the car. Drain it once....about 3 liters come out. Use only the Honda or Acura DW-1 to fill it between the lower and upper mark (make sure the car is on a level surface). Drive it and recheck the level.
Drive it for about a month and do the second drain.....drive for another month and do the third drain. This will help acclimate the tranny with the new fluid so you won't get any problems by doing a 3x3 the same day. Then afterwards do a drain with every oil change. And don't forget to change the small black cylindrical tranny filter located under the hood on top of the tranny. This is what I have done and my tranny is original with 200,000 kms and running very strong.

thelastaspec

that's what mine does
i usually feel it stopped

Skirmich

A month? Hell my 3x3 for the DW-1 lasted 3 weeks hahaha....
Also dont FLUSH! just do Drain Fills!