The installing dealer will be happy to have a look at it for you. Write a deteialed list of symptoms and when they occur.

They know some of the replacement units fail. The warranty period does not care if you go thru 5 transmissions- its on their bill

Mine was installed in nov 06 and has shudder when shifting into 2nd and 3rd at light throttle. Tech drove it and didnt feel, but he and Manager said bring in back when its obvious enough for them to document and they will replace it no sweat.

What exactly is your trans doing from time to time??

 

Per my previous posts - I took my car to the dealer yesterday. Within 30 minutes they told me they were going to replace my transmission! I was somewhat shocked. It will be my 4th transmission in this car. I've got a 2008 TL loaner so I'm set for now. Acura has handled this problem very well and never once have I had to grow another head to get the problem fixed. This time I was not totally sure there was a problem. I would buy another Acura based on how they have dealt with this problem. Pretty incredible considering I'm on my 4th transmission. My story may change if this new one craps out in 10K miles and they won't do anything for me

 

I just had my 03 S trans replaced (out of warranty but thanks to acurazine) in the fall at 71,000. Now I have 78,000 and am having strange shifting things too. One time it wouldn't go when I pressed on the gas at low speed off a stop sign and a few other times on the freeway it just didn't feel like it was connecting when it was shifting. With the old trans I would feel it down shift hard down to 2nd and I didn't feel it with the new one until a few weeks ago. Luckily, I have the 3/36,000 but this totally sucks. I thought I was good to go for a long time. I drive my 2 yr old and soon to be new born in this car extensively and I'm afraid it will do something dangerous. When it went out the first time it almost catapulted my husband through the windshield. Luckily he was wearing his seat belt, but at 70+ miles on the freeway, cars were having to swerve around because of the sudden stop. We also told Acura this info and I think that helped a lot in getting the trans for 400 and the good warranty.

So, should I take it in now or wait for it to get worse. It is intermittent so not easily diagnosed. UGH!

 

Ok i went to the dealer today, i got there nice and early and i went straight to the service manager. I told him that i had a 99 TL and that my tranny was acting up. He asked me how many miles i had and ifter i told him 134.900 he was like theres nothing i can do for you. After that i said that i joined the Acura Owners Link and it says that my car had a recall and that it also had the extended warranty, then he said that the extended warranty ends at 103k miles.
I followed that by saying that i was told that Acura had the "good will" policy and that a couple of my friends and people that i know from Acurazine have had the tranny changed. After that he asked me if i ever did service on my car at that dealer and i said no, and then he said that the "good will" policy was only for customers.

What should i do now? what would be the step to follow?

If anybody can help me out with this please let me know....

Thanks.

 

You have 134,000 miles and never had any work done at the dealership? You need more than a goodwill policy. You are way over the 109,000 cutoff. If you had a lot of work done at the dealership (as with any business) they might be more willing to lower the price or help you out. Is your transmission going bad now?

 

Well technically the warranty expired at 109,000 miles so Acura can decline to help you. A 1999 TL has also reached the 7 year/9 month limit on the warranty as have many 2000 TLs.

But here are a couple of things you can try before giving up.

Try another dealer since you might get a different response. As backup material you might want to print up some of the many cases of goodwill repairs posted in this forum.

Call Acura's national customer service number and see if they can help. If you read through this thread, you will find cases where they have stepped in to help.

Good luck!

 

search for post by phee
his 99 recently got trans at 10% payment of total cost.
Going to the Service WRITER is many peoples fatal mistake
only the service MANAGER has the ability to contact Acura Corp regional warranty rep.
and only that MANAGER should be your contact- in person

MMytlandme: Take it in to the dealer. Sometimes the replacement trans have a problem.
Its upsetting but still covered under warranty and the loaner car deal.

Speak ONLY with the SERVICE MANAGER. If the trans slips- doesnt go faster when you push the gas, they will be able to duplicate it on a drive- they know how, and if not- it will be documented for when it does get obvious later.

Juan: How long have you been saying_ I will drive it until its worse, or something along those lines, while we all begged you to get to the dealer NOW to document the problem
and ask for help?
Goodwill comes from ACURA , not the dealer- so how much you spent there is not the point. The dealer makes less profit doing warranty, but does get paid by Acura. The dealer is a private business that pays to use Acuras name, and they are in the biz of making profit.

Your job as a consumer is to go armed with FACTS from azine and print outs
If one dealer blows you off, go to another one and speak with the service MANAGER

 

I got a 2002 Acura TL Type S. It has about 135,000 miles on it now, it is a rebuilt salvage title. I bought it around December 2006 from my cousin for about 6,000 cash, it had about 122,000 miles then. So the check engine came on. I bring it up to the closest Acura dealership to get a diagnostics. The car had internal transmission failure and I needed to replace the front and side engine mounts! The estimate to replace these were about $3,000, Damn so I declined for now but is that a reasonable price?

 

Thats actually a good price from the dealer- the mounts are a common failure, probably went out about 80 k miles ago and no one noticed till the tech was under the car and saw the problem
Acura used to charge 4gs installed for the trans- and their replacements are totally new case with new and used parts inside. Thats better than the $2500-2800 trans shop rebuild of your old unit

Go kick your cousin for selling you a salvage title car with known trans prob.

 

01tl4tl

The dealer agreed to give me a new transmission. As noted above I was there for only 30 minutes. I asked the guy if he had the right customer when he said "we'll give you a loaner car for 4 days". Anyway, should I ask them about warranties on the transmission. I read someone paid $400 for a 3/36K warranty.
This new transmission should be much better than the one I had, right? I don't see how they figured out my old one was bad so fast. Unless they just saw how old it was (March 05 & 50K miles on it) and figured I was due. I also get all my work done at this dealership (for the last year) so I don't know if that influenced their decision.

 

They simply smelled the trans dipstick- plugged in the code reader and took it for a quick run around the block in a way that test the clutches--- and knew it was failing.
Congrats!

The service MANAGER or PARTS MANAGER wil be able to tell you what the warranty is.
12/10 on the unit itself was normal when under warranty freebie,
if you paid anything towards the repair out of warranty they upped the warranty-- but it keeps changing- so ask a manager

With your cars history of failure- they will be taking care of you later too- dont worry about it.
Drive it nice for 500 miles and then enjoy it fully. Make sure if its going to fail it does it soon.
Hopefully this time you get a winner- if you do- buy lotto tickets~~

 

est. to replace transmission and front & side engine mounts $3,022.48 at acura dealership remanufactured with a 3/ 36,000 mi. warranty

 

sweet deal

 

Hey i'm new to acurazine but not new to acuras ... we've had them in the family for about 10 years now. About 5 months ago i bought a 99 TL, 151,000 miles ... a one owner from florida. Not long into the ownership the tranny started slipping a lot, so I got the fluid flushed.... its only gotten worse since (accompanied by a burning, hot smell). it over revs to like 4000RPM then rocks into the next gear (1-2 is worst). My local acura dealer (after picking out about 4 more problems, of course) suggested a tranny replacement for about $2500, no coverage from acura of any sort. The car's definately out of warranty, but the "goodwill policy" gives me a little bit of hope, and though I'm pretty sure the prior owner always serviced at an acura dealer i have no way to prove it. Is there anything i should try before dropping the 3 grand?

 

Per my previous posts I just got my 4th transmission installed. All were installed under warranty. My 3rd transmission was a mix of city and highway driving. It lasted about 55k miles. My first 2 transmissions were all city driving and went out in less than 20K miles. Now I drive about 90% of the time on the Highway doing a 150 round trip commute 3 days a week. The transmission problem is far more likely to pop up in stop and go driving, right? I mean, unless you are doing a lot of stop and go driving the 2nd/3rd gears a not used that often and should not overheat? Any input?

 

OK, I'm new here & have not read all the postings on the transmission issues, but I thought my story might be useful

I bought an '03 Type S w/ approx 65K miles from a GM dealership. At approx 70K miles it developed the symptoms y'all know about (slipping, harsh shifting etc...) Took it to local Acura dealer & sure enough I needed a new trans. Well, my car is late enough of an '03 where it did not fall into the models w/ an extended warranty. I replaced the trans myself to the tune of $3K (pretty fair price at a dealer).

I wrote a letter to Acura Client Services in Torrance, CA explaining how dissappointed I was in Acura's product, but I also understood that I purchased the vehicle used w/ no warranty & Acura has no financial obligation to me. After some time & some discussion, Acura agreed to send me $1K towards the replacement of my trans. I thought that was pretty honorable when they didn't have any obligation to me whatsoever.

 

Another great story of why acurazine membership should be mandatory before buying a TL!

Late 03s can get goodwill coverage in varying amounts- but you were not aware of the problem or how to handle it
At least the gave you back a grand. Buy some good brakes and tires and enjoy!

 

I have a 2003 TL type S and I started having problems last week. I've noticed when im driving it normal it doesnt shift very smoothly and it revs then shifts hard. Also when going into reverse it seems to take a while to get in to gear. I have 59,5XX miles and my vin is out of range. I dont do much servicing at Acura and there in only 1 dealership here in Hawaii. Should I call acura client services? already dealed with them once which wasnt a good experiance, or should i talk to the dealership? which I doubt they would do anything.

 

Aloha! You have clean title right- not salvage or rebuilt car?
The VIN cutoff thing was only to get the court case settled. Direct in person contact with the SERVICE MANAGER, not the commission based service advisor/writer is needed.
The manager calls Acura and the Regional rep says ok.
You have low miles for a failure, its not like you have 150k on it.
Other members, both out of Vin range and over miles limit still got free ~goodwill~ coverage by Acura. One guy with a 99! got coverage
The amount of money you spent at the dealer in the past has no relation to the warranty coverage. Being nice is all the really matters- spread a little Aloha- with the Service Manager and they will take care of you.
If you have read thru the last few pages of this thread you know what to say.
Just be honest in describing the symptoms and let them test the car- when they decide its bad and say out of coverage- mention acurazine and the stories of the failures and how well acura is covering customers

They have gen3 cars falling like coconuts now on the mainland,,, at 30k miles- trans gone,warranty... or 60k miles and the dealer tells them out of coverage- 50k miles limit or something like that.
Acura Client service/customer care, is staffed by people who answer phones and read from a book of answers, most ending with NO
they fill out a form with what you say and send it along to a supervisor- then manager looks at it and investigates, calls are made and they call you back.
It depends on what you want or expect of them- how the outcome is.

 

Many of the people here with your situation have gotten the dealer to test the car, and 15 minutes later they come back and say- I talked to acura and we are covering you fully
- here is a loaner car.
Its such a common problem that its dealt with no hassles.

 

You should talk to the service manager at the dealer. Tell him you know about the problems the transmissions these cars have. Ask him if there's anything he could do to help you out. You bought an Acura expecting top notch quality and that means a tranny that lasts more than 60K miles.

 

Hi i just bought a 2000 acura tl...bought car under salvage title at only 67k for $8gs...and today it hit 69600 miles and my tranny died..the syptoms occur..check engine light came on,tcs light and my d5 gear was flashing..car stop completely..right there i knew my tranny is dead...since i have no warrenty whatsoever..i was wondering how much would it be to replace transmission at a local mechanic?

cannot go to dealership cuz i have no money...

someone help me out with this or give me an estimated price on how much it going to cost to replace tranny?
and should i keep the car after i fix tranny or sell the car? and if i do sell car how much should it go for?

 

Well your best bet is to head over to your local aamco or like trans shop and get a estimate. Estimates ive seen range from 2500-4500. Dealer typically gets about 4500

 

I am worried about mine. I'd just gotten my tranny replaced in my 00 before I totaled it. The 01 I bought was in outstanding condition and with only 48k miles---I just couldn't pass it up even though I was looking at 04 RLs. I hate the fact that I'm back into the "worrying about the tranny" mode. The good thing is I bought it from the dealer where I used to work and because I worked there, I know the guys in service so I'm hoping they'd take care of me.

The car has until around Sept. until the warranty runs out because it sure won't run out by mileage anytime soon. I'm about to get the timing belt done; I just hope I don't have to pay for a tranny later on.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot, I did some investigation to find out whether my tranny has been replaced previously and didn't come up with much. The dealer I used to work for (where I bought it), had no previous service records other than the used car PDI (oil change, rotate and balance). I called the other Acura dealer closer to where the previous owner lived, and they stated an oil jet kit was installed back in 04 but no record of a tranny replacement. Now, this elderly couple that had it originally lived in Merrit Island, FL and bought it at Fountain Acura in Orlando. According to the sales guy they made several trips back and forth through duration of ownership. I may call Fountain to see if it was done there. I called Acura Client Services and they said they only keep records for 3 years and didn't see anything about that one being replaced. I guess technically the tranny could have gone right after the oil jet kit and just past the 3 yr threshold of it showing up on Acura's records.

My main question for posting again is the whole blue bolt story. My tranny appears original (isn't super shiny like my 00 replacement was)--then again it may have been replaced a few years ago. It DOES have blue painted bolts on top of the tranny case that holds it together, but it didn't appear to have blue on the ones bolted to the engine. Do the blue bolts mean it has been replaced? That's what I'm trying to figure out. All investigation leads me to think it hasn't....but I see blue bolts.

Also, since I had my 00 for so long with the original, you could tell a slight difference in the car after the new tranny was installed. After driving this one, it feels more like the original. My brother rides in the car alot and agreed. The newer trannies sometimes have a whine to them at 35-45mph (almost like a drive shaft whine).

 

you called the 800-382-2238 x5 number and they told you they dont keep records past 3 years- I dont believe that for a second!

Acura knows when it replaced parts on warranty on every VIN number, it would not surprise me if the govt makes them keep records to prove what they have done.
Will have to go see where the blue bolts are on my replacement made in late 2006
How it drives compared to another- it doesnt whine- what a method~

 

That's what the woman told me---3 years; doesn't make sense, I know. As for how it drives, I've read others on here complain that the tranny replacement was noisier than the original and one day while riding w/ the stereo off (rare I do that), I noticed the subtle whine too in my old car. This one doesn't make that noise. Most of the information points to the fact that it hasn't been replaced but I kept hearing all this stuff about the replacements having blue bolts.

 

I called Acura customer service back again and got a different person to see if I got the same information, and I did. Oil jet kit installed 10/04, no other warranty repairs noted within the system; however it only goes back 3 years. The in-service date is 12/29/00 (early 01, damn!), so I have until 9/29/08 for a tranny warranty.

The previous owner left his roadside assistance card in the owners manual kit, and I know he's from Pensacola, FL, so I looked him up and have his phone #. It came back an exact match with his first name, middle initial, last name and only 1 entry. Hell, maybe I'll just call the previous owner and find out all the info on it. The car was so rarely driven, I don't know if they did anything to it except change the oil.

 

sounds like you better drive that sucker around in 2nd gear on every steep as can be hill until the clutches go and get the trans replaced!

 

Thank goodness they know me at the dealer. Not only did I work there (at the Jag dealer though) but bought the car from them. I think I could get them to goodwill me one if I was out of warranty. If they chose not to, I learned while I worked there that one call to the owner and you get whatever you want if you bought the car from him (seriously!) We had a customer with a 5 yr old Jag, high miles, way out of warranty, complain to the owner and they got a new $5k tranny that went on the "shop ticket" because they bought the car there.

Either way, if I had to pay something, as long as it was just the labor and Acura would cover the tranny, that beats paying $4k. I think I would cry and drive the car off a cliff if they told me I had to pay $4k for a new one. My 00 was paid for and I got $9313 for it after my deductible. I had to pay a little more for this car, so I figured I'd go ahead and pay the jetski off since I had to borrow a few grand more for this car, put the leftover $2200 toward this one, sell my other toy (Taurus SHO), put the $2100 I get for it toward the car and owe around $8200. I'll pay it off in 3 yrs or less; goal is 2.5 (which is what I would have owed on the jetski).

I could sell my jetski too and almost have this car paid for totally but I need at least one toy, so a small payment won't kill me for less than 3 yrs.

 

As from Honda's NHTSA report, it documented that full throttle 2nd-to-3rd upshifts and 5th-to-3rd downshifts would create huge temp. rise inside the transmission, and it is this heat and insufficient lubrication/cooling that caused the 3rd gear clutch pack to disintegrate. This way the clutches will go much faster.

 

 

Just like my first tranny, it would slip occasionally, I think between 2nd and 3rd gear... There was a time when I would be driving 60mph and all of a sudden it would downshift... jerking the car pretty hard. This hasn't happened a lot on the new one but I think it's just a matter of time.

With my first tranny replacement, the dealer refused to replace it until it was not driveable anymore... I mean, the engine light (and some other lights) was on, D5 was blinking, it was barely moving even if I had the accelerator all the way down on the floor, and when I had it on reverse, it would actually go forward. I was just hoping that since they know of this problem... that they wouldn't wait until it's actually unsafe to drive. That's really the only thing I'm nervous about... driving 80 or 90mph on the interstate and have my tranny die on the spot!

 

the dealers have a lot more experience in the trans warranty claims now, normally if they can get a code or symptom- its replacement time
The economy is tough and acura pays the dealer for the work- which is better than no work at all
get it in for a checkup

 

I actually have a question for you guys

I brought in my car to a very reliable dealer, but it was my first time going there. They were very nice to me, and agreed that based on what I told them, they would need to replace the tranny. As I waited for a rental, the service manager came upto me and said that one of the techs drove the car, and didn't notice any transmission problems, but rather noticded that my motor mounts (only 2, front and side) were very bad, and said that it causes the engine to go up and down when I push the gas.

He also said that when I feel a jerk when shifting gears, its not actually the transmission but rather me feeling the engine going up and down. He demonstrated this to me by putting the car into D5, holding the brake pedal, and giving it some gas, all while I stood in front of the car with the hood open, and I actually observed how the engine went up and down each time he gave it gas.

He then told me that he HAS to document this problem with the engine mounts, and said that by not replacing them now, it could speed up the tranny failure, and Acura then may not be liable to replace the tranny because of my negligence.

So my question is this,

Would my warranty for the tranny really be in jeapordy due to the documentation of these motor mounts going bad?

He said that it would cost me approximatly $600 to replace those 2 mounts, because its about 4 hours of labour and the parts are kinda expensive.

However, my plan was to wait for the tranny to fail, and then get the mounts replaced while they are working on the tranny. That way, it would only cost me about $150 - $200. Am I right or am I wrong?

Whats the best way to proceed in this situation? Oh and almost forgot to mention that my car is an 02 TL-S with 69,650 miles.

 

The bad engine mounts have nothing to do with the inadequate lubrication of the clutch packs inside the transmission. The mounts need to be replaced but they are not the cause of the transmission failures. I doubt Acura would deny you because of the mounts. My car's mounts were bad when I took it in for a transmission replacement and they never mentioned that they would void the warranty. Most people that go in for the transmission need these mounts. They go out quite often in these cars. These guys are just trying to scare some money off of you.

 

Do what it takes to make the symptoms more obvious
If there is a delay in shifting from N to D. thats a sign
cruising light throttle at 25 and 35mph in D5, stand on the gas and see if it is weak and struggling in the downshifts into the proper gear and launching the car forward.

Work is scarce and the dealer- wait let me guess- you talked to a Service Writer- not the Manager...........
They know they labor time drops -just as you suspected- and less profit for them overall.
Drive a different TL at a car lot, see if the trans is same as yours.

My front mount was broken for an unknown amount of time until trans replaced at 68k...right on schedule~ per the tech, the front mount was noticed and replaced for 150 total

 

As soon as I came into the dealership a service writer came upto me, and I kindly asked him if I could speak to the service manager.

Like I said before, the service manager was VERY nice to me, and asked me what the symptoms were. As I explained everything to him, he took a look in his computer to verify if I was under the extended warranty for the transmission, and then he told me "I have good news for you, your car is under an extended warranty, but we will have to keep it for about 5-6 days because we have to order a new transmission", and I told him that its not a problem, just let me get my stuff out the car.

After that, I waited for about 15 mins for a rental, because he said that he wont give me a loaner since I'm a first time customer, but he'll be able to give me a rental and cover only the first day of it, after which I was on my own. I agreed, and he came back 15 mins later with a tech, which said that my problem lies in the motor mounts and not the transmission.

 

Are you really 20- thats 70 percent of the problem right there
Many states have laws requiring age 21 or 25 for rental or loaner cars
Its bs about first time customer- loaner cars are a bonus not required by acura to provide a car
Ask the Service Manager if they checked the codes and test drove the car, or just did the test they showed you.
Does it have any of the other normal failure symtoms besides thunk from mounts???
Delayed shifting, sluggish etc

 

Buy the motor mounts and install yourself- its not a bad project, or a private shop to fix that. If trans is bad after that- you will know.
Your receipt for the parts and labor from any shop will do- to prove repair was made.