They'll have to make 3 months payments to equal what you paid for payment insurance. Stuff like that is fluff, just extra profit for the dealers - as was that $2000 extended warranty. Also, the MSRP for a TL with Navi was more like $35,100 in 05. You just paid too much, but it is your car and your payment, so I guess that's what matters.

 

They will give you an '06 TSX. I just got mine back from the dealership today. First drive with the new tranny feels very tight. I like it. Still shifts a bit jerky to second though. They also replaced the PCM and front motor mount. My experience with Acura of Seattle was beyond great.

Anyhow... Good luck with yours. Let us know how it works out.

 

Thanx!...hopefully it will be the only one that gets replaced - I've been reading this thread and it seems that all of the most recent replacements going back about a year are holding up well....we'll see.....

 

1999 Tl -121,000 miles and same tranny. Been using s/s alot latley and been drag racing too.

 

On the track, I hope. Street racing is pretty much teh gay.

'99s have better tranny reliability I believe. Weird.

 

Has anyone ever tried mating a tranny from another car to the TL's engine with the infamous faulty trans?

I dont know, but maybe the RL tranny or maybe a JDM trans can bolt up. I wouldnt mind downgrading to a 1st gen if it would get rid of that trans prob.

Just an idea, sorry if it was covered before.

 

NO, there is no JDM tranny, and No the newer build of the trannies are shoing to not fail so far.

 

I have a 99 TL with 103,000 miles on it. I was going to have the transmission, power flushed at my local Acura dealer. They wanted 189.00 to do the job so I called several Acura dealers and a Honda dealer and had the following interesting conversation with various service departments.

Service Dept.#1: They would change fluid for $69.00 but the transmission holds about 7+ Quarts. When they change the fluid they can only replace about 2.7 quarts. They said they had a machine to hook the transmission to power flush and that would replace all of the fluid. I ask him when do they flush and when do the replace the fluid. He said it depends on how dirty the fluid looks. Price to buy the fluid was over $10.00/quart.

Service department #2: They did not have a machine to power flush the transmission.

Service department # 3: (Honda) did not have a machine that was compatible with the Acura. Transmission. The fluid was about $5.00/ quart. They said that its Honda fluid and Acura use’s the same fluid.


Now for the most interesting part.

Service department #4: They advised me not to power flush the transmission, especially if is a high mileage car. He said if the transmission had any problems, (even if I hadn’t noticed anything wrong) it could and probably would fail immediately. I ask him if he knew why this would happen. He said that the clutches build up deposits and flushing the system would loosen and remove the deposits, which would cause the transmission to fail. I ask him what would happen if I just change the 2.7 quarts and he said that this would be ok. He didn’t provide an explanation as to why changing was ok, other than it didn’t loosen the deposits.

A question for all of you that have had transmission problems:

How many of you have had the transmission flushed prior to having the transmission problems? How many of you changed any of the fluid?

 

I have definitely read just such accounts here on the Acurazine forums. And the exact same potential cause has been mentioned. I'm pretty sure there was one such report in the last couple of weeks. Maybe you can find it with the search feature. It might even be in this thread.

Is your transmission still the original one? My 1999 TL made it to ~175,000 miles on the original transmission so you might still have a lot of miles left. The 4-speed transmission in the 1999 TL seems to be more reliable than the 5-speed variant used in the 2000-2003 TLs.

Bob

 

Yes my transmission is original. No trouble so far.

 

Since there seems to be a claim that the "updated" trans are now fixed. Is there any hard proof such as an article or legit posting for this claim to be backed up by proof?

 

I think we just have owner reports to go on so far. So there's no "hard evidence" that the update has fixed the reliability problems.

Since even the "non-updated" transmissions could reach, say, 50,000 miles, it may take a few years to really see solid evidence of an improvement.

That's why nearly everyone reporting on the longevity of their updated transmission adds a phrase like "so far".

Bob

 

"SO FAR".... my new trans sucks. It upshifts and downshifts hard. 2nd and 3rd especially. Shifts take a bit longer and feel wierd. You know when the Coyote is chasing the Roadrunner? And the stupid Coyote runs over the cliff and stands in frozen animation long enough to hold up a sign? And then falls!.... That's what it's like.

I want an '06 6MT. NOW!! Time to sell one of the family....

 

Ok well, I read about 17 of the first pages of this thread. I'll be damned if I read the 234098 god knows how many pages. I am pretty sure that I am purchasing a TL. Currently, I own a 98' honda accord ex 4 banger. After reading the last few pages, it seems to me that the general concensus is that the new transmissions are good. I would really like a confirmation before I put my money into this vehicle. Hopefully, I will purchase either a 2000 TL with 61k miles or a 2002 TL-S with 77k miles. Any advice would be appreciated. Chances are that I will be making the purchase tomorrow or the day after, being that the cars are in good condition. I would really like to know what to do, check for, and any steps I can take to ensure that I get the right and most reliable vehicle. Also, I am more than willing to spend 50-100 dollars to ensure I don't have to spend a few thousand in the longrun. Thanks!

 

If you buy from a private party, it can help if the seller is the original owner. A second owner might not know the entire history of the car.

I think it's a good idea to run a CarFax report before buying. The CarFax reports are by no means complete but they can help you flag a problem car.

You can get unlimited reports for a month for $30. Or you can often get them for free on the Acurazine forums. (Do a search for "CarFax")

I recently bought a 1999 TL and the CarFax report helped me confirm the history of the car.

If you have a mechanic that you trust, it might be a good idea to have the car inspeced before buying. Most mechanics will do this for a reasonable fee. My long-time mechanic does this for $50.

Be sure to ask if the car has ever been in an accident or if it has ever had any body work. Make sure it's not a "Katrina car" as those are apparently flooding the market. ;-)

Good luck with wharever you buy!

Bob

 

Okay i called the acura owner's link thing, they said that the vin number on my

vehicle falls into the transmission recall thing. I purchased this vehicle salvaged

from a private sale, howeverl the previous owner had all the service work done at

an actual acura dealer, Sunnyside Acura. (i have all workorders/ receipts) I've

made contact with the dealer and verified the service work done on my vehicle, it

comes back that there was service work done for the transmission.... The dealer

stated that the oil jet was installed about a year ago. My question is if my vehicle

is salvaged but the oil jet was installed, wouldn't that make me eligible for the

7yr/100k warranty? If the previous owner paid to have this work done wouldn

that override my vehicle being a salvage? I would really like to know if i even have

a chance if i were 2 put in a claim for a new transmission. Thanks.

Clarification, when i bought the car the title did not read salvage, it read

reconstructed/rebuilt. The previous owner was the one that bought it salvaged

and had the car totally rebuilt/serviced through an acura dealer. So he paid for

the oil jet and the electronics out of pocket, not through warranty. Wouldn't that

mean that the new part they put on a salvaged vehicle have to be covered.?? or

is it just the oil jet? I really dont know, i wish i would have known about this

defect before i spent my hard earned money on it. I have the receipts for the

installation/ part. Someone fill me in. thanks in advance

 

Well, I called a dealership about a 2000 acura 3.2tl and apparently the transmission was replaced in january. Also, apparently the warranty ends in april of 2007. Any ideas?

 

The replacement transmission should give you a good chance of a decent run before it has any problems. You'd be basically starting fresh there. And the remaining warranty coverage would protect you from a early failure.

And you might want to double check the warranty expiration. The previous owner of my 1999 TL was able to get a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty on the replacement transmission and that will extend out into 2008.

Bob

 

My car has the most recent updated transmission, with about 16k miles on it so far. And I concur with uncald, it sucks. The shift logic is fuzzy logic sometimes. Sometimes the shifts seem softened, sometimes it slams into gears. In general, it shifts like shit.

But at least it shifts. I have no faith in it, though, and even though it's the latest revision I'll bet anything that it won't make it 10k more miles.

 

Update: got myself a used tranny from the junkyard, $700 shipped with a free warranty (required).... everything looked okay when I went to inspect it in person, hopefully everything's okay internally as well. I'll let you guys know when I get the chance to install it

 

Let me just say this...You are a brave soul! I currently have a 2002 TL with 69xxx miles on it. I had to replace the tranny at 58xxx miles. My friends 2003 TL-S...it's in the shop now getting a new tranny and his car is at 40xxx miles. It seems to me that these tranny, if not replaced, are bound to end up in the replacement yard. Granted, you will have the extended warranty up till 7yrs 100K miles, but it's not like you have that much room on either vehicles before the warranty is up.
If you do go through private party, just ask them if the tranny has been replaced. I believe you would be better off if it has been replaced IMO. My TL is doing okay on its replacement; don't have any complaints yet. But I'll be looking at getting rid of it before the warranty expires. If you could...you should look at the 2004 TLs or even an older G35 sedan. GOOD LUCK to you!

 

Please Help!

I had no clue about the transmission problem with TL's before I bought it in March...my transmission just died. I have 70,000 miles on it, and it is a 2003 TL. I've read all 28 pages on here-but still have some questions...

On ownerlink it says my car qualifies for the 00-04 CL & TL A/T RECALL Campaign. I bought my car used but on the carfax report the only items that come up are under "service completed" so I thought it was just regular service, i.e. oil changes. I'm wondering if that actually means something else.

Been waiting for the Acura dealer if they will cover all, part, or none of the cost. Waiting on hearing from their district manager. Lady at service told me my TL wasn't covered up to 100,000 miles, but I'm not sure why I qualified for the recall then. Don't have original service receipts since bought used. Couldn't even get a damn loaner car from the dealer since I'm 22, but if thats all I have to pay for that would be fine by me...

Just am wondering what anyone thinks about my case.

I'd like to get this fixed and sell the car! I bought this car for reliability, too bad I won't be able to drive without a sense of peace anymore....

 

Why would your car not be covered?

 

If you do sell your TL, be sure to check the Consumer Reports reliability data for whatever car you select next. CR gives the 2000-2003 TL models a "Black Dot" for transmission reliability. The CR numbers are based on subscriber surveys and they often identify problem areas for a car.

If it makes you feel any better, your TL gets great predicted reliability marks in every other category.

Bob

 

I would go to a different dealership.

 

Ok. 2 things.

1). The Recall being preformed has nothing to do with the car being covered to 100k miles. That was for a completly different problem

2). The tranny warranty extension was given to All 2nd gen Tls EXCEPT a specific vin range of 03's. It is complete BS and honda should honor them as well.
As for reliability, dont be quick to judge yet. So far it looks like they have fixed the problem with the new build trannies. They havent been failing since the update. Only the older ones that didnt have the update are still failing. Only time will though.

On a side note, im supprised no one has brought up a lawsuite on them of the 03's yet cause we all know they are failing as well

 

A little update on my situatuion I took my car to a local Transmission guy. He replaced the sensors of the Tranny. It seem to be shifting better at lower speeds. The only problem now is that when I floor the pedal the car doesn't shift until about 5000 - 6000 rpms and it shift very hard. The transmission guy is trying to tell me that it is normal for the car to shift like it is at high rpms. I am having a little hard time believing this. He also mention that the Valve body of the car is in bad shape. Would it be recommendable to try to service the transmission or just get the damn thing rebuilt or put another used 1999 Tranny in the car?

 

SO I got a call back from the dealer. Acura is going to cover the cost of the new transmission 100%, I only have to pay for the rental car which I had to rent since the dealership wouldn't give me a loaner since I'm 22.

I really love the car-but after reading how many times people have had transmission failures, I don't know if I'd want to keep the car considering I drive long distances a lot and wouldn't want to get stuck with a dead transmission on the highway, or in the middle of nowhere.

Does anyone know if the transmission I'll be getting might have a better chance of surviving than the earlier trans replacements? I really love the car, but I worry a lot about....so that is a big deciding factor for me. Thanks for everyones advice, I appreaciate it.

 

Well you obviously havent read much that has been typed here then.

As i stated before the things you read about all the failures have been in the past. Honda has tried a few things with out success to resolve the problem in the past, BUT as of feb 05 redesign we havent had failures of the trannies like we used to. We CANT say for sure wether or not the new design is the answer, but so far it looks good. Only time will tell!

Plus what you read on the forums isnt always a good indication of how the car really is. Problems always look worse on forums

 

This is so true. It's just a reflection of human nature. People with problems tend to search out forums such as this and report problem. People without problems are much less likely post that everything is working great.

That's not to suggest that there isn't a very real problem with the 2nd generation TL transmissions. There clearly is. It's just that the magnitude of the problem can be amplified.

Hopefully the Feb 05 redesign was successful!

Bob

 

i bought my 03 TL S salvage title back in 04 with only 8k on the odometer. Shifts were really smooth until i hit 10k. Shifts were hard from 1st to 2nd and to 3rd.....im now at 31k. There were times where it seem the car couldnt catch onto the next gear and there were JERKS until it went onto the next gear. Is my tranny gonna shit on me? Is there anything i can do bout teh hard shifts? Just had it flush a week ago. TNX

 

Sounds like its about to fail. Flushes are bad. Honda doesnt recomend them. and Nope nothing you can do. If it does go get ready to foprk out a few k to get the tranny rebuilt sorry

 

fsttyms1,

If flushes are not a good idea, what maintenance steps are recommended for extending the life of the transmission?

Thanks,

Bob

 

Tran Failed At 91,000 Dealer Replaced With Reman Last Week But It Did Not Have The Oil Jet Kit Installed!!!! Wtf!!! How Do I Know? Took It To Local Tranny Repair Shop To Have Cooler Installed, No Can Do, And They Showed Me Where The Kit Was Not Installed. Calling Dealer Tomorrow.

 

Why coudn't the local transmission shop install a cooler?

What year TL do you have?

Bob

 

2001

 

There Are No External Lines To Hook On To.

 

I have a 03 TL-S that falls after the VIN group, in which Acura says they fixed the problem.

I'm at 65k miles currently and find out the car is on its third transmission already. Once in 04, once in 05 and a week after that it came back and had another one put on. Now Acura wants me to pay $1200 for labor to replace it and they pay for the transmission. Obviously Acura never took care of the problem to begin with and should cover all 03's. I want to find all people with 03's that don't or didn't originally have the 7/100k on their cars and have had problems in the past.

Anybody else have an 03 that Acura didn't extend the warranty on and you had problems ?

 

Hey, I just picked up my 03 TL Today that got a new transmission. I have a 03 TL with 71,000 miles on it-the dealer had to call their district manager or whatever, but yeah, they paid 100% for it. The dealer at first gave me some BS about how my VIN number did not qualify for 100,000 mile warranty extension. The only thing I had to pay for was my rental car since I couldn't use the dealers since I'm 22. I'm just praying to god this transmission doesn't fail. Do you know what month your transmission in 05 got changed? Goodluck!

 

I believe it got changed twice in 05, once in Feb and once about 2 weeks after. Did they give you any sort of warranty on the new trans ?