If you pay out-of-pocket, the warranty is 3/36. Free replacements are 1/12 only.

 

Are you sure that you're looking at the extended warranty on the transmission and not the oil jet recall? Because I think that pretty much all of the 1999 TLs have hit the 7 year + 9 month limit on the extended warranty. The time limit on the warranty starts with the car's original in-service date. A call to Acura can get you that date.

But even if the warranty has expired, you might be able to get goodwill coverage for some or all of the costs.

 

Make an appointment to see to Mananger-
Always go IN PERSON bearing donuts and speak only with the SERVICE MANAGER

AVOID the service writers who are commission inspired paychecks- while the Manager is in charge of everything and is the one who calls the District Rep for Acura and gets approval

Proper service by the book is change the fluid using 3x method at 60k miles and every 30 after that is the new suggestion
But most dealers dont hassle you about that
As long as you have not installed a turbo, they let most everything else slide
Not concerned with Teins or your CAI setup either!
Good luck

 

On acura.com the OPEN means car is part of the campaign- does not mean you are still in time or mileage limits- have to call 1-800-382-2238 x5 for that info
Acura Care open 6am to 5 pm pacific time

They also take compliments if your dealer did well for you- that gets back to the dealer and they get bonus pay based on the surveys from Acura- anything less than 10 is a failing grade
I wrote a glowing letter about my service Manager- went back last week and he has been promoted to Corp office! They must have like my letter!!

 

thanks guys...

i went down to the dealership, and they said it expired in march, but they would call the district rep on monday to see about a goodwill repair because i'm under mileage. crossing fingers!

 

I bought the car new in March of 2001 (it was the first of the 02 models out) and for the last few years, the transmission has worried me because of it's often erratic behavior - sometimes harsh shifts and "bucking". The dealer kept telling me we had to have complete failure before they could do anything. Of course the car would act fine when the dealer staff drove it.

I was also starting to be concerned because my 7 year mark (warr) is in March of 08 even though I am no where near the mileage limit. But, as luck would have it (?), the tranny died last Wednesday with all the tell-tale signs - D5 started flashing, TCS and check-engine came on, and it bucked like a bronco with erratic RPM fluctuations.

The dealer got a new tranny in 1 day and I had the car back in 3 days. They said it needed a front engine mount ($300) and rear brake pads ($250). They implied the front engine mount usually breaks when the tranny goes - so why isn't that covered in the warranty also?

I noticed too (after getting home and studying the ticket) that they replaced a unit of coolant (1 gal?) and I wondered if that meant the engine coolant had been replaced (which would be good because it was due for that since it had never been done).

As for the car - it seems to be driving much smoother. But I noticed that when the radiator fan comes on, the whole radiator assembly seems to move slightly in a forward motion towards the front grill (seems to be pulled from the sucking action of the fan air movement). When the fan stops, the assembly then slightly moves back. This is a very slight movement but enough to notice. I don't recall seeing that before but I don't pop the hood that often so maybe it's normal and not related to all that work they just did? Anyone notice this on their cars?

 

Front motor mount should be: dealer part cost 120 plus 30 dollars labor because the trans is already out, and that makes it a 3/10ths of an hour job instead of 2 hours they are trying to charge you
Sometimes the commission bonus based service writer(seller) ~accidentally~ forgets to tell the computer- "with trans removed"- so it defaults to full price
Its a common failure- some get it warranty some dont- I cant explain any pattern to it at all~
They implied it was common to reassure you the car is fine- its normal wear of a fancy hi tech vacuum assisted mount
Coolant- thats interesting- they did work you DID NOT AUTHORIZE? Thats not legal anywhere!!!! All work must be listed on the invoice as requested by customer at drop off or phone approved after inspection found problem
A full drain would take nearly 2 gallons of their 50/50 premix stuff

Thats a good question for the Service Manager, and tell them the Service Writer did not review any trans warranty info or explain the additional work and charges- plus the mount price overcharge

The radiator does have a lot of movement- check the holes with the rubber grommet and pin- thats the upper mounts
Since they replaced the coolant, maybe for some strange reason they removed the radiator- mistaken identity of cars on the rack?
Oh? this isnt the car that needs the head gasket ooops

250 for rear pads! that better include resurface rotors or new ones for that price!
They do take longer than the fronts because you have to adjust the parking brake system while there, but 250!!!!
Dont let the dealer do anything but warranty- thats what private shops are for
Many of them- like specialist honda-acura shops, are former dealer techs who know their stuff and didnt like ripping the customer. Would rather you spend the money on a crank pulley than overcharge you on brakes

Mention to SERVICE MANAGER that you belong to acurazine.com
They know about us, and dont screw with someone they know has internet access to tell millions about their experience
You can even sit in their waiting lounge and use their wireless connection!!
Good Luck

 

Sounds like I was overcharged on the engine mount - they charged me 2 hours of labor. I will have to ask them about that! The rotors were turned - but that's still a high price. I think Mazda charged me $200 for our Millenia for front pads (and turning). It just costs more at the dealer - and the only decent independent I know of is on the other side of town which isn't convenient at all. So I usually just use the dealer. I am not worried about the coolant - it was all included in the tranny warranty work so I wasn't charged.

 

OK- free coolant- now ask them WHY--- because its odd to see, as in - no one has mentioned it here and it wasnt on my trans replacement invoice

Rear rotors are 20 bucks each aftermarket- but the dealer will still turn them to make the labor there- its crazy thinking, but its sound business!!

As long as they adjusted the parking brakes good and you are satisfied, then just a refund of the mount labor- 30 bucks is normal charge, and you will be happy to complete a positive customer survey for them
Anything less than all 10s is failing grade on those surveys, you are supposed to be happy when you leave- thats the standard Acura sets for the dealer

 

Looking for some help.... I'm at 11067x I'm curious what you guys think will happen if I take the car in to the dealership for transmission problems???? First gear just started slipping and clunking and 3rd to 4th is shifting hard.... Do you guys think if it's the original transmission they might feel sorry for me and do at least 50/50? I'm gonna pray for the best... If no go on the Stealership the I have a friend who owns a race shop and he highly recommends a friend of his that builds all their race transmissions I'm gonna see what he'll charge for a rebuild and see if he can personally fix the flow design of the clutch packs since he is a professional transmission builder... Do you guys think this is even possible?

 

The prob is we need kevlar clutch packs and someone needs to machine down a part to make it fit- according to the local acura guy who rebuilds his own for fun
Dont rebuild old unit- the replacements have better oil flow

Speak only with the SERVICE MANAGER-
NOT the service writer who has no authority, and is looking for commission sales

A court decision ruled that our odometers read 5% fast, so 109 actual miles is 114.5 indicated- this has been used to get replacements for others recently- after writer said no and acura said no- the manager caller the district guy and said- they got us- better goodwill the entire thing!

 

My 2001 TL Transmission died last week with 81K on it. The previous owner was an older guy that serviced the car at Acura every 8000 miles. The owners manual is full of stamps.. The tranny still died. Acura is putting in a new one under warranty. Are the new transmissions being installed currently better than the older ones? Or are they the same?

Thanks

 

Kevlar wouldnt help. The heat is just to hot for that. Simply getting more coolant to the parts and changing the steels out to a smoother material is what they most likely did.

 

Welcome to the forum. I would take a little time to familiarize your self with the site and some of the topics. As to your question. Yes they are better. They seemed to have fixed the problem

 

I spoke to the dealer today based on your info and they are sending me a check for $118 because they overcharged me on the engine mount. You were right on the money! Thanks very much.

Oh - and they said they replaced coolant because some of the lines leak when they do the job and they were just replacing what came out. To me that could mean anything from a cup to a gallon - so I am not sure I can count on that for my coolant change out.

 

I would look in the radiator and check the color, but since it was all paid for as warranty- expect a cup was added and the rest went home with the tech

Good job on the refund
I need a buy~ Tom a beer~ account for happy results!

 

100 percent!!

tranny will be arriving on thurs.

 

you guys are all lucky, it didn't work out that well for me, i dropped my car at aamco today, and hopefully they can claim third party insurance- mercury insurance- and we'll see what happens, i'll keep you guys posted.

 

Did you contact the aamco connection that posted here- just to have an inside guy making a call saying- this customer is from acurazine- hook him up right!

They should know if insurance is covering before starting any work

 

no i didn't contact that guy. and he said that he accepts Mercury Insurance, its up to mercury insurance to issue the claim.. thats what im worried about, and how well their rebuilt transmission lasts.

 

It started last night, as i was making a turn on to the highway it stayed in 3rd gear. I thought it was first I thought it wasn`t fully in gear. I shifted it in to nuetral then back to drive . That seem to correct the problem. An hour later taking off from a light it stayed in third gear, would not shift up. I went into SS, then it shifted up.
I`ve had the dealership flushed the transmission fluids every 15,000 miles. I guess that didn`t help. I have 71,000 miles on the car. The dealership has done 100% of all maintence, we`ll see what they say this morning.
My wife wants me to go out and buy a new car, and wash my hands of it. But, this has been a great car for me!

 

so i took a trip to acura dealer today since i have 74644 miles on it and never had my tranny replaced.. asked the guy about the price and crap and he said..... $3500-$4500 and i said... wut the ****.. he went to check if my car was under warranty since i bought mine in California and wat not.. type type type... finds out i have no warranty for my tranny.. if any phoenix people wondering where i went, i went to the Tempe autoplex since it was close by.. other than that, price sound about right?

 

Before you pay full price for the repair, check with the dealer's service manager and also call Acura's Corporate Customer Care group. Many out of warranty TLs have received full or partial coverage as a "goodwill" gesture. Read/skim this thread for many reports of this.

 

thanks man.. i'm guessing that was what the guy was jabbering about to me too

 

so mercury insurance group approved the claim for atleast $2000 and if its more, then we'll see what ahppens then. ATELAST they took most of the burden, whcih im happy about. the aamco person says i should have my car by tuesday afternoon or wednesday. FINALLY, hopefully the aamco work is good! good luck to everyone.

 

***UPDATE***
I've now been around the block with my car.....
I took it to Acura with 110800 miles the service manager was going to cover the job 100% (Really nice guy considering he works at a dealership) pull the vin SALVAGE title they won't do any work, he even says since "I didn't know" I could call Acura CC and see if they might slide on it.... So I did..... Nope ACC said no way no warranty on a salvage... Ok it was worth a shot... I take it to Aamco they do their stupid diagnostic.... "Yeah you need a new drum you're looking at between 2500-3000 the have it rebuilt..... HA ok Acura already told me 5000 for a new one from them with a warranty, I know the warranty isn't worth 2000 but damn neither is a rebuild for that price..... Call my buddy who builds race transmissions..... He says the tranny is garbage don't have it rebuilt, the BEST thing to do is to call Honda and ask for a re manufactured transmission and have them install it..... I'm like oh boy back to the stealership we go..... Call them NO hassle whatsoever the guy says sure a reman tranny with installation 2300 and I get 3 years 36,000 miles on it, it's a no brainer..... I was confused how why it was such a good price considering where it was gonna be done and everything so I asked the guy what is the different between a reman and a new one..... Best guy I've ever talk to at a dealership. He says "To be honest with you, NOTHING, the only old part honda uses on a remanufactured one is the case thats IT, everything else is brand new on the inside...... Soon as I get the money my new baby is going to the dealership.....

 

My dealership told me the same thing about the reman tranny just reusing the housing.

Just to update. I got my new tranny replaced no problem. I had a wonderful new TL to drive for a week (went out right before Labor Day so I had to wait for a tranny). I LOVE the back up camera and that new car smell! Ha Ha! All went well and no hassles. Just paid the $250 and got a 3/36,000 warranty. I have to say, even though the tranny went out, I love my Acura and am really happy about the service I received. The dealership was great and wasn't pressured, I didn't have to beg, threaten or otherwise to get the work done. I would definately buy Acura again. Overall, it is a great car with great service!

 

The rebuilt units that Acura sells come with a new case- of improved design with better oil flow- still not perfect but better
They cut you a major deal at 2300 out the door
Its normally 4gs with labor
Service guys are great guessers as to the internals of any component~
The shop that Acura uses to do the rebuilds- your old one goes there to be stripped of gears and hard parts that are still useable and they go into another unit being rebuilt in a new case.
Most other parts are new - the belts and clutch disc for example and the seals of course
Some parts or units fail- thats just how things mechanical are- its got waranty!
Enjoy your TL- its a great car

 

hello everyone,

I own 2001 tl since new w/ almost 100k miles now with orig. tranny w/o any problems.

Can anyone guess what % of TL/CLs had their trannys replaced so far?

I called the local acura dealer today and the manager told me his shop replaces 3-5 trannyes a week. he said he can run a diagonastic test for about $100 but, I am not sure if it can tell me anything

Am I driving a time bomb with 3 yrs old kid?

 

You have 7 year+9 month from date in service trans warranty, with 109k miles cap- that can be argued higher if needed~

The diagnostics- dont bother- when it dies, they have to have you sign for that so they can inspect the car- then when trans is found bad- warranty picks up the fee for you

If you read the beginning of this thread it list all the symptoms Acura knows to be trans failure, from flashing D5 light- to slips in 2nd-3rd like a car with a bad clutch.

cruising under light throttle at 35 and 45, try stomping the gas and as it downshifts -if you feel or hear thunk thunk or thud thud or the engine revs but car does not go faster- you need a trans
They sometime gets stuck in 2nd getting on the freeway- or decide to go into 2nd WHILE you are on the freeway
Or the delay from N to D or between shift is getting longer

How many fail -hmmmm besides most of us???,,,,,

There seems to be a thing- if you join acurazine - your trans fails,
but thats a good thing, because you get $4000 trans free- and a loaner car-
you MAY need a front motor mount- 150 parts and labor MAX - its common to wear out, and found when working on the trans- if they say 400- tell them to look it up with TRANS REMOVED- oops 3/10s + part

Register your car here by VIN - its acura customer care and knows the warranty history of your car
https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?brand=acura

call 1-800-382-2238 x5 and register there too with a human
They can tell you about any recalls or special items on your car- you never know when a freebie is waiting for you

Time to start thinking about the 105k service- tune up water pump timing belt-tensioner- other belts, get NGK Iridium spark plugs- read the thread in Seafoamed The Ol TL
your baby will run like new!!
expect $600 or so at private shop, 900+ dealer

And Welcome to the forum- we are a pretty fun group with a couple of experts in each field or particular repair and a few dealer techs if we need official info on something

Have you changed your cabin air filter yet? dealer wants $125 you do at home for 18

 

I have a question guys....I'm having my tranny replaced by a friend of mine who used to work for a Honda/Acura dealer for about 550 (pre-purchased tranny). He suggested that I replace the torque converter based on the probability that my old tranny might have shed some metal into the fluid and it might have contaminated the TC somehow. My question is How is that possible when I thought that the TC was a sealed unit? Is it that risky to use the old one on the new install or is it good advise to replace it while it's apart? I'm asking because my money is short and it's gonna cost me more than I expected plus another 2 weeks to come up with the money to finish the repair because of the extra costs. My car has been "down and out" for almost 2 months waiting to be repaired so far and I really need my car back!! Any advise would help guys!

 

My TL still has the original trans. w. almost 100K miles. Is there a way to ruin the tranny intentionally before warranty expires so I get have the tranny replaced?



thanks

 

My TL still has the original trans. w. almost 100K miles. Is there a way to ruin the tranny intentionally before warranty expires so I get have the tranny replaced?

is this a good idea????

thanks

 

No.

 

Fastest way would be to drain the tranny fluid into a couple clean milk jugs, through the tranny coolant lines. Take it out on the highway.... that should kill it in 10-15 miles.... Dont forget to bring a funnel and the 2 jugs of tranny fluid with you for the roadside fluid replacement..... Bring your cell phone--- you'll need it..

 

Ah, the never-ending thread. Now for my long, drawn-out sob story.

I had a 2000 TL purchased new in October, 1999. The first cold morning we had, I heard a crack when going from R to D5 and the transmission was never the same since. It would take upwards of 5 seconds to change from reverse to drive. I'd taken it to the dealer many times and no problem was found. Long story short, I did have the transmission eventually changed in it and within a year of that fix, totalled the car in an accident. The car lasted me 6 years and would've lasted probably 4 more had I not wrecked it.

The replacement was a used 2003 TL. I test drove 3 different TL's paying particular attention to the transmission. I chose the one that had the smoothest trans. The price was quite good, too.

Now, I don't trust used cars. It is my belief that used cars are conditioned to the prior owner's driving style and when a new owner takes them over, they deteriorate quickly because of the change in driving style. Every used car I have owned never lasts more than 2 years. Maybe I'm just unlucky, but that's my theory.

I made sure to get the extended warranty on this because a) I have bad luck with used cars, and b) it's a TL. In 40k miles and 1 year's time, it's been brakes, tires, EGR valve, and some other valve set (constant-something or other). Not to mention the $500 scheduled maintenance at 60k.

I'd quickly become disappointed by the transmission. It seemed like it was going downhill quickly. The best way I can describe it is "loose." When you let off the gas and push back on it, the car jerks. Not smooth. It feels like there's no cushion between some parts. The final straw was when I felt some shuddering going from 2-3. Usually when I had low RPMs, like it wanted to go to 3, but there wasn't enough power to get there yet. So had an appt. for today.

First thing right after describing my symptoms: "You're due for your 90k maintenance. And you should change your timing belt." I calmed myself down for a second and said let's concentrate on the transmission right now, then we'll look at the other stuff. Vultures.

Called 6 hours later and asked for a status update. They said they couldn't reproduce it. Deep down, I suspected that would happen. So I waited a couple more hours, then went back down to pick it up. On the way there, the service adviser called and said they finally got the slipping to happen and a new transmission was being ordered. He said that Acura was covering it, which is odd because I recall arguing with him about how 03 TL's are under the 100k extension and he countered that only the first half of 03 was covered and mine was not eligible. I later confirmed he was right with Acura's help line. Unfortuately, while Acura would fix my trans for free, I would not be covered for a rental car like if my 3rd party warranty was handling it. I asked the advisor to submit it under the 3rd party and he said they won't honor it if it's something the dealer will cover. Aaargh.

So when I get there to pick it up, he has then clarified that my TL is not under factory warranty and he will need to submit it to the 3rd party company. I might get my rental covered after all. I'll be called when the part comes in and should be driving on a new trans next Friday. I'm really hoping I understand correctly that the latest batch of refurb transmissions have some of the '05+ enhancements that improve reliability.

I'm on the fence about owning another TL. I will be paying this one off in about 2 months and am looking forward to applying that payment elsewhere.

Anyway, that's my story. Two TL's, two transmissions each. Now that I'm done griping, I'll have to start working on my DIY for a Zune-enabled head unit for the TL so I can redeem myself.

 

That's a crazy theory.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Best of luck with the new transmission.

 

Unbelieveable. The warranty company (QualityGuard from Nissan) wants to send an adjuster to inspect the car before they approve the transmission replacement. Then they tried to offer the dealer a transmission rebuilt by someone other than Acura. The adjuster may show up Friday or Monday, so I have to possibly leave my car there both days and get a rental (which they won't cover).

Despite my frustration, I'm curious to see how this all comes out and am steeling myself for a fight. The Acura tech has confimed the transmission slips and QualityGuard's warranty docs say that you can't ignore a problem if it will lead to a bigger problem. (like ignoring leaking fluids or smoke). I wonder if they can force me to take it somewhere that would do a rebuild instead of a replacement.

 

Well, I joined the noble ranks of the failed transmission today..my wife took my 03 TL-S while I had her MDX in for its service..she had only left the house for about 10 minutes when she called from the side of the interstate saying the car stopped on her...after waiting an hour and a half for the roll back it was delivered back to the dealership..(Bobby Rahal Acura, Mechanicsburg Pa if you ever need anything in the area)..they were waiting at the door with the keys to a new TL as a loaner and said it should be ready Tue or Wed of next week. The best part of this was I just had it in yesterday for an oil change and an alignment!

 

I too, have joined the masses in tranny failure. I have an 02 TL-S with 105K. Last week it started to do a mild slip from 2nd to 3rd. I took it in to Acura of Seattle and they could not duplicate it. I even went down and drove around with a technician and still no slippage. But, while it was there and I had an 06 MDX loaner, I left it down there for new brakes and the 105K service. Picked it up on Thursday morning and for two days, nothing.

However, that Saturday the slippage started again. By today, Monday, I was going up a hill and almost didn't make it. Engine was reving up into the 7-8 RPM's and I was going about 20 MPH. Got to the top and called Acura again and they told me to bring it down. This time the service manager rode with me to verify.......took a right out of the lot, went into 2nd gear and got MAJOR slippage. We went around the block, went back to the shop, handed them the keys and hopped into an 07 RL (so so SO nice) and they told me it should be done by Friday. All is under warranty, no hassles no problems so far. I'll write after the experience is over.

I should note that all of this happened in automatic and I got no other warnings/indications except the slippage.