Everyone should register with acura at 1-800-382-2238 x5 and here
https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?brand=acura
The phone people can tell you if trans ever replaced and confirm current coverage.
The website lets you store your radio and nav code safely where you can find them!

I have a TL-P, before they even made an S model
Trans# 1 at 68k miles, now getting funkier with 12k on replacement-
oh boy!! a loaner car for my birthday!!!!

 

Hi everybody,
My TL is in the Acura shop now for the transmission replacement at free of charge. It has 105K mi. on it.
Before the service, they suggest me to do also a rear main seal plate (or what ever it calls) for another $250 (part only = $75). It's a kind of "gasket between the engine and transmission.
Should I let them to do it also? How important is it?
Thanks.

 

its critical!!!! If its the rear main engine seal that holds the oil in
Why does it need a plate and why so much?
Bypass the service writer and speak with Service Manager- who can get the real story from the tech. It may only need a $10 seal, but when times are lean, techs and commission based service writers sometimes make mistakes with the computer.

Like quoting 400 to replace front mount when its really 100-120 for the part and 3/10 of 1 hour labor with the trans removed for replacement~
It was just a wrong push of a button

 

my car just turned 134K miles, is there a way i can use Acura's warranty to change my tranny? i dont mind paying for the labor.

 

Well your warranty has definitely expired but Acura has offered "goodwill coverage" for some or all of the replacement costs for many "out of warranty" TL owners.

Grab a bag of chips and read the last few pages of this thread for tips and strategies for requesting help from Acura. In particular, read 01tl4tl's posts.

Good luck!

 

LOL I am so thankful to be reading entertaining threads on my birthday!!

Happy to pay the labor~
uhhuh! its a 4 grand job in total, with labor being 4-6 hours of it at 100-125 per hour

 

2003 TL (AT) 71K.
I noticed today some pretty bad slippage in 1st, and 2nd. After 3rd gear car seemed fine. The car had the jet kit installed in 05 (before I owned it). I understand that the first half of 03 TL's are covered under an extended warranty by Acura. I looked but couldnt find the production date. Not in the door...not under the hood. Is it on the car and I'm missing it?
I know I could just call the dealership tomorrow morning and ask....
I've read a lot of not so positive post about the jet kit being a band-aid.
SOMEONE TELL ME IM NOT SCREWED!!

 

register at https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?brand=acura by VIN number
look in the recall section for details on your car
even if not covered officially- the acura ~goodwill ~ policy covers you, as they know the prob wasnt fixed- they needed a cutoff point to settle the court case

the recall oil kit installed an external spray to cool 2nd gear shaft and gear- it fixed that particular prob and new units have the sprayer built inside the trans
the trans warranty extension is due to clutch pack failure of 2nd and 3rd gears, not fixed as of today~

 

Is this goodwill policy that you speak of subjective to the Dealership? Because I called one dealership and they told me that there was no warranty on the jet kit and that I would be responsible for all repair costs. The jet kit was installed in '05 when the car only had 35k. I bought it 7 month ago with 55K and today its @ 70k.

Do you think I should call a different dealership?

 

For get you ever heard the word OIL JET or JET KIT. It has NOTHING to do with your problem, it has no warranty, its not what your trying to get repaired.

The problem lies within the 3rd gear clutchpacks. What you need to do is follow the advise of 01tl4tl and talk to the Service Manager (not adviser) in person (Not Call) and see if you can come to an agreement. Many 03s arent covered by the extended warranty (which is BS) Do your home work (by reading posts here and what the problem actually is) and let them know your aware of the tranny situation on these cars. DONT go in half cocked ready to rumble, it wont get you any where but out the door with no help. Be nice. Many dealers will actually work with honda and usually come to some sort of an agreement to help reduce the cost of the trans (ie many have gotten labor only costs out of warranty)

 

You probably talked to the service writer- bypass them and deal with service MANAGER in person.
Did you register your car and see if in the recall section it should say Recall Oil Jet- Fixed
that means the install of that part was done.
https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?brand=acura

The next part MAY say Extended Warranty Campaign 199902003 TL-CL OPEN
I only know what is says for my 01.

After diagnosis by the Acura Tech the Service MANAGER makes a call to the Acura District Rep and gets approval for full replacement no cost to you becasue low miles at 75k
Acura just needed a vin # stop settle the court case and get on with the extended warranty replacements

 

I know that most tranny failures are caused by lack of lubrication in third gear but why do they replace the factory ecu when they replace the transmission??

 

They also replace the fuel pressure regulator, which seemed kind of odd but I wasn't going to complain.

 

 

Because they updated the shift mapping in it to keep it from slipping so much on the shifts

 

I will personally go and talk with the service mgr. and be nice with them because the most critical time is their phone call. They have to make a "good" answer to Acura District Rep. to gets your approval for a free replacement.
My TL is regularly being in service with them and that's how I know the service manager well. It's a 9yrs old with 105K on it and just had a free transmission replacement last week.
Good luck to you and let us know what you got.

 

Alright heres the scoop. I took my car to the dealership that it was originally sold at (IRVING, TX.) And the service advisor was really welcoming and comforting....until he said "Don't worry I can probably get this done for you at half off" HA!
Well obviously he didn't realize he was talking to an INFORMED member of the Acurazine community! THANK YOU EVERYONE.
So the long of the short is I now have the dealer offering me the tranny replacement at 75% off with a 3yr warranty. NOT TOO BAD BUT
I personally don't feel that I should be spending ANY money out of pocket for a KNOWN problem.
The service manager also mentioned that if Acura did replace my transmission free of charge there would be no warranty on the new one. So if it went out when I drove off the lot I would be responsible for the next one.......Again - NOT ACCEPTABLE.
So I opened a case with Acura Customer Relations (if anyone needs the number its 8hundred.382.2238) and spoke to the first agent..who escalated to the second...then the third. Now I have a case pending a call back from a case manager who makes final decision (24hrs).
I have found all of the info on this site and your input very impowering and I thank all of you for that. This is why I felt compelled to share my story with anyone that may care to read it and hopefully find it helpful.
A few notes about my car.
2003 TL, @ 71k.
Jet kit was installed in 12/04 @ 35K.
Car was born on 6/16/03 - 16 days outside of vin# cut off. So 'OUT OF WARRANTY'
I am second owner. I have no history at the dealership that I took it to - Which they look at as a factor in determining your participation in the repair cost.
It is my first Acura purchase and depending on the outcome of my case, hopefully not my last! I believe in Acura as a company. I think they are a market leader for a reason. I will not fold because a CSR on the phone tells me that "any other car manufacturer would tell you they can't help you". Any other car manufacturer is not Acura. Furthermore the people who really matter at Acura know that RIGHT is RIGHT!
Replacing a Tranny in a car at 71K IS NOT RIGHT!
My suggestion to anyone in my posistion -
Don't lose your cool. You WILL encounter some people that are numb to your individual circumstance, probably because they have dealt with SOOO many people just like you. Remember that this IS a case by case bases and your results will be a reflection of how well you present your case.
I'll keep you all posted when I hear back from the case manager.

Oh yeah, and I got a 2008 TSX loaner free of charge!
Be Well all!

-20-

 

Good luck- you have most of the facts right but the pages of this thread will reveal all the things needed to leave at no charge and at least a 12/10 warranty on it.
Or pay labor of 4-6 hours and you get 3/36

One thing to understand- the dealers part- the service writers job- is to make money for themselves. Acura warranty claims pay the dealer less labor rate and gives itself parts like a transmission at below wholesale, selling to themselves.

Your first mistake was not going DIRECT to the Service MANAGER
You made a stop at commission based, incentive pay oriented, service WRITERS-

When the Mananger calls Acura- and it really has nothing to do with where or when or anything about your history with the dealer- its all about THAT moment that you deal face to face with the human manager- he says- acurazine member- 16 days past cutoff date.
Full replacement is approved no hassles.
Note to all calling 1-800-382-2238 x5, there are about 25 reps working at a phone center, most of whom are not car people or even acura owners. Their job is to read from a script without wavering from the book.
All they are good for is taklng the info and having a real Manager start a file investigation.
Thats includes emails going to service manager and regional rep and several other layers.

Acura does customer satisfaction survey of dealer service and sales depts
Anything less than perfect 10s is a fail, and monthly bonus checks are affected
Service Managers are your new best friend!!!!
I take donuts with me, and call acura afterwards if happy to give good feedback,
that gets back thru the levels faster than light~.
Next time you are in- they know you! The last Service Mananger at my dealer was promoted.... and now works for corp- as the warranty guy hahahahahaha

 

I've looked the form over and I cant seem to find what you're talking about as far as a 12/10 warranty. What is that and how do I get it?

BTW I got a call back from my "Regional Case Manager" and they are giving me the 75/25 deal. I'm not thrilled about it, but I should have done more research before I bought the car 6 months ago!
<kicking self in nuts!>

FYI - If you are concidering an Acura TL you might want to know this:
If the car is a 2003 and the last 5 digits of the vin number are higher than 19556 - Know that it is NOT INCLUDED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY and you could be responsible for a nice chunk of change to have the transmission fixed.

I bought my car 6 months ago and with less than 75K miles on it I could be paying close to $1000 to have a tranny put in it.
Do I hate Acura....No.
Am I a die hard Acura fan.....No.
I am a fan of quality and a manufacturer that stands behind their product, and takes FULL ownership of their mistakes.
I'm not saying it's all Acura's fault because had I known what I know now I wouldn't have ever bought the vehicle that I did.
Maybe one within the 'Vin Range'. DOH!


-20-

 

I had my transmission rebuilt for the 2nd time in March of 2005 for my 2001 Type-S CL. Can anyone tell me if there is a way to indentify if I got the transmission with the new design features?

I read somewhere that you can look at the serial number and tell. What information do you have about this? It would seem that if you had your transmission replaced in early 2005 you might have gotten the new design but may have gotten a rebuilt old design bad transmission.

Does RMH, RMS or RMK in the serial number really mean it is a new better designed transmission?

Thanks

 

Since the ~official~ date of latest know changes- and the change in the case design itself- was feb 05, you have to figure there were many units already rebuilt and on the shelf. Those would logically go out and if they failed, then they get rebuilt again-
If it works- hey thats one less they have to redo!
If you got one replaced before about june-july- it was probably the old design
The techs are supposed to transfer the original serial number tag over to the new unit but few do.

You should still be covered on warranty anyway.

To DJDUB, a year ago, acura was giving 12 month 10k mile warranty on theunit itself when replaced under warranty- plus if you were still within the normal limits-- you had that too.
Then they changed it to 1 year for every 1000$ you pay
Then it became 3/36 for you paying anything!

Look at ANY used car and expect to spend about a grand on hidden problems- thats just life.
In this case- with a fresh trans and some seafoam and spark plugs- you have a near new car instead of a car with 75k on the trans. Check out other brands and see real problems and not the kind of deal acura did for you
Happy TLing now!

 

I'm still covered but only for a few thousand miles more. So you are saying the serial number on my rebuilt transmission will NOT identify if it has the post Feb 05 modifications.? Is there anyway to tell by the paper work the dealer has when they ordered it?

 

Go ask the dealer. They can look up your car in their system. There are secret marks and things I am not privvy to that the techs use.

As I said before- Feb 05 was the ~official~ date we have for the big change to the transmissions
If you had a replacement in March- what do you think the odds of it being the new design are?

 

There is No paper work or Vin that tells if you have the latest design. The Easiest way is if you had a oil jet installed before(which you should have), go look. You shouldnt have an external oiljet any more.

 

i read a lot from this thread and tomorrow im going to make a call to the service manager, or should i just show up to the dealer?

Also if anybody has any tips about this goodwill policy would be appreciated.

 

It's better if you show up in person. You're much less likely to get the runaround when you're face to face. Just be polite and express your concern about the transmission. Make sure to tell them about all of the symptoms you are experiencing and that you are aware of the extended warranty on the transmission. Good luck!

 

"Since the ~official~ date of latest know changes- and the change in the case design itself- was feb 05"

What I found out. It appears that this Feb 05 date is somewhat of a phantom date and that there is nothing official about it. Basically Pohanka Acura (one of the largest Acura dealerships) said this is some date that like urban legend has been put out in message boards for some time. They said the design flaw was corrected early on that as noted below they had some quality control issues with the company that was handeling the rebuilds.

"There is No paper work or Vin that tells if you have the latest design. The Easiest way is if you had a oil jet installed before(which you should have), go look. You shouldnt have an external oiljet any more."

The oi jets were installed on my original transmission. I'm now on my 3rd tranmission (2nd since the original) so I doubt the oiljets would still be on there. The outsite casing would be the same but some people are claiming the rebuilt trasmissions got an internal modification in Feb 05. What I know is that the original vendor for these rebuilt transmissions was not doing a good job and changes were made not in the specs but in quality control. The design flaw was already corrected early.

 

And thats what the dealers are told. They dont/arent allowed do work on the trans and know very little. I went thru 5 trans. Rebuilt one myself and had one rebuilt. The last one was with all new updated parts (that were all different from what i ordered, which were all different from the original part #s) Dealers have been told to say that they are all corrected units. They have been saying that since the very first failures. The trans went thru quite a few part changes inside (from talking to a few trans shops that went thru the different part #s over the years)
The problem isnt a quality control issue, its a fluid design problem. They simply couldnt get enough fluid to the 3rd gear clutchpacks.
And yes,to my knowledge the oil jet is the best way to tell. If the oil jet were still needed the tech would pull it off the old trans and bolt it up to the new. From my understanding they are now part of the internal design

 

If you are just wanting to know if its a rebuilt unit- after calling acura 1-800-382-2238 x5 and asking- the easy check is the visual for the Oil Jet Kit. If you look down on top of the transmission on the driver side- if you see a bog bolt with ATF stamped on it, thats the new design (or you never had the recall install of oil kit done). Thats the fill point for trans fluid.

Look at the bolts that hold the transmission together. there should be blue paint on the heads of some.

 

"If you are just wanting to know if its a rebuilt unit- after calling acura 1-800-382-2238 x5 and asking- the easy check is the visual for the Oil Jet Kit."

Well, I know I have a rebuilt unit. It was installed in March of 2005 after the original and another rebuilt unit went bad. My question is whether I have a rebuilt transmission with this "supposed" design modification. Everyone at Acura claims this design modification did not take place or won't admit to it. There is also no way to tell by a serial number.

"If you look down on top of the transmission on the driver side- if you see a bog bolt with ATF stamped on it, thats the new design (or you never had the recall install of oil kit done)."
Not to be a jerk but it would appear that this would tell me very little. It would only mean (as you noted) - I have an original transmission without the oiljet recall, I have a rebuilt tranmission without the new design features or I have a rebuilt transmission with the new design features. I can eliminate the 1st option b/c I'm on my 3rd trasmission.


Or are you saying that on rebuilt transmission before the design fix (Feb 05) that they were installing the oiljet kits on the transmission and after the design fix (post Feb 05) they stopped adding these oiljet kits? Ok, if that is what you are saying it makes sense.

 

Ok, I'm don't know that much about working on cars. I can find the yellow tranmission fluid check stick but where would this blue bolt be you are referreing to. Perhaps I don't have a blue bolt and I have the oil jet kits? But I'm not sure if I'm looking in the right area. I'm looking below where the yellow dip stick is near the transmission. Thanks

 

look farther toward the driver side fender On top of the transmission is a big bolt ATF
I dont know when they went internal with the oil kit.
Additional info not relevant to you is included for future readers to have a list of things to check.
Call Acura if the car is new to you and check warranty history.

the blue bolts are supposed to be visable from underneath at the end of the trans- they are bolts that go thru the unit to hold it together- the rebuilder paints them so its easy for techs to identify originals and replacements without checking the computer
I never looked at mine to see exactly, next time its getting worked on....

Your last replacment was early 2005. Some replaced units from then have failed, and later in the year seems to be better for whatever reason.
My replacement in late 2006 has a problem-- if that makes you feel better.
As long as your under warranty and acura gives loaner cars, what exactly is your concern?
To date = they have no perfect fix- cant do it inside the existing size of the transmission case.

 

If instead of a bolt on top of trans marked ATF- you see a funky thing that does not look like it belongs there....

If you register with acura and look up recalls you will see whats on your car
https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?brand=acura

 

"As long as your under warranty and acura gives loaner cars, what exactly is your concern?"

I guess my concern is I (like others) bought a car that I thought as long as I took care of it would not be at risk for crapping out at only 105K miles. I've only got 4K miles under warranty.

 

In this age of the Internet where anyone can type in Acura TL + problems, and it will take you to the acurazine trans failure thread, no compassion is shown on this issue by this writer.
Many owners unload the car around 100k , not knowing about the extended warranty and perhaps feeling the trans starting to fail, they get out of it.
Then the next person comes along and knows about the warranty and takes it to the dealer where it is diagnosed and approved for replacement.
To buy a car as nice as the TL and get a FREE transmission within months or a year, making your car 50% new, thats a total score IMO.
They dont just crap out at 100k and you get left in the dirt by acura....
unless you are the worst customer ever.

Want a real problem- buy an audi/vw with the same type of tiptronic trans that we have. 50k and it dies, no warranty- sorry - tough luck- would you like a loaner car, pay the man-$5000- thank you

For nyc: you just need to keep hoping for another failure- then you will get the latest unit for sure.
The alleged change in 05 was enlarging the oil passageways and other secret things.
Yes I said secret- thats right- one company finds a fix, they keep it to themselves.

 

I just found this "community" today and have read about 100 or more posts concerning the "Tranny failed thread" Alot of grief and frustration out there---
This recently happened to me over a period of two months Have a '99 TL w 146K on OD. It is presently sitting in a privately- owned shop and owner is waiting to hear back from me on when to get started.
Dilemmas (ravings):
1) besides being on a tight budget and not having 2 grand just lying around--that's was his estimate on rebuilding original? Have not yet looked for evidence of a previous rebuild/replacement....
2) Bought this good looking TL 2 years ago with 122K already on it. It drove great and I had two mechanics check it out- one of them specializes in Toyota-Hondas and (guess what?) did not mention the defective transmission problems!????
3) Now I'm not sure which course to take. The specialist mechanic quoted me approx. $2000 for a AMD? Japanese built replacement. I am assuming it's an after market built type...but warranty is only 60 days.
Or should I have this one rebuilt- have not asked what warranty would be.
OR should I call the Acura CS people and see if I could get a comparitive cost on an upgraded(up to date) version.
I don't know if place I have it at now knows about the 3rd gear patch add on or not.

Anyway, at least I know I'm not the only unfortunate Acura owner who has gone through this crap.
BTW--I had to go to mediation on a '97 Toyota Camry that had the oil sludge problem back before that class action suit--it took six months on diliberation and ToyotaUS still denied it was their problem. I did end up getting the judgement and a rebuilt engine......
Thanks for the chance to vent to someone else besides the mirror! ARRRRGGGH!

JH in OK

 

JH in OK,

The 1999 TL uses a 4-speed transmission while the 2000-2003 TL uses a 5-speed. While the 4-speed still has reliability issues, it's more reliable than the 5-speed. The February 2005 improvements mentioned in this thead apply only to the 5-speed transmission. That includes the third gear clutch pack changes.

Although this might be a longshot at 146,000 miles, you might be able to get goodwill coverage from Acura for some or even all of the repair costs. See the last few pages of this thread for strategies for requesting help.

Good luck.

 

Acura recently did major goodwill coverage for member phee on his 99
search for post by him for tips
The dealer may go 2500 with you- of the 4gs it is normal retail proce installed
Or they may say you are a nice guy and you cover 500 or 1000 or 10%
Always go in person and speak with the Service MANAGER only!
Express how much you love acura and can they PLEASE work with you somehow~
Mention acurazine and that you read some Acura Regional reps are being very generous.
The service manager is who you want to befriend- they call Acura on your case.
Call 1-800-382-2238 x5 and register your car by VIN with customer care
You may have a free ignition switch recall waiting
also register here
https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?brand=acura

A private shop will cost about 2000-2500 for rebuilding yours, so its worth talking with the dealer.

This is assuming its not salvage title- rebuilt title car- its clear clean title right!

 

I have an '03 Type S and I replaced my transmission for the first time last year with 50k miles. I have about 75k on it right now... and I've noticed the symptoms here and there... they were mild and doesn't happen a lot just yet... so far the transmission is working smoothly.

Now, my dilemma is whether to sell the car before the extended warranty ends... and maybe get a 3rd Gen TL with manual transmission or a G35... I've read in some threads that they do have problems, too... BUT I love my car!

Another thing is that I will finish paying it off next year, hopefully, and this will give me a chance to get the NSX (my ultimate dream car!) I don't want the NSX to be my daily driver so, I want to keep my TL for that but I'm scared that it would be more expensive to keep it in the long run... as oppose to getting a newer car and forgetting about the NSX for now...

Thoughts?

 

Since you have the extended warranty, why not bring it into Acura for an assessment? Even if they don't find any problems, documenting your concerns could help you get "out of warranty" goodwill assistance later. If they do find problems, you'll get a new transmission.