Another one bites the dust.

6yrs 10months and 68000 miles. "CEL + VSA + !" came one and I had to limp home. At least I was only 10 miles away. Taking it to the dealer on Monday. Hope they goodwill me the tranny. I am apparently not cover under the extended warranty. Like this tranny is any different than the defect 5sp from 2000-2002

 

So my '03 TLS tranny is still working OK, at 63k. Is there anything I can do that helps keep it that way? Please don't laugh. What I mean is, has anyone tried any transmission additives (like TransMedic) or are those just asking for faster trouble? Can it really be true (as I've read on this thread) that flushing the system and getting a tranny fluid refill can hasten failure? I'm just looking for any ideas to keep this one running as long as I can (as much as I can infuence that!). But, at 63k, it's due for a tranny flush/refill anyway, no?

 

it was discussed a page or two back..only thing you can do is change your fluid every 15-30k miles and hope for the best.

 

Make sure you drain and fill the fluid, NOT flush it. And use the Honda/Acura fluid

 

Thanks! I searched the last 10 pages of this thread (whew!) to see if anyone had tried adding anything to the Acura fluid (they make all these tranny additives) but didn't see any comments by anyone on that.

Also, niju321 said earlier that "you can drive all day in D5 and that won't bother the tranny. It's the 2-3 shifting that hurts it." So are trannys failing here because those on this list drive their cars in the manual mode most of the time?

 

The most common failure mode of the tranny is the 3rd gear clutch pack i believe. but every one is different so its possible that yours may go even if you spend all day on the highway. its mostly a luck thing, but hitting the 2-3 shift in either direction hard is not going to help matters.

 

Lucked out. My VIN isn't in the extended warranty range but the dealer was able to goodwill me the whole job.

Not sure if I want to keep this car too much longer. $4k is a bit steep if I had to pay it all.

 

February 5, 2008

Applies To:
See VEHICLES AFFECTED

Warranty Extension:
3.2 TL and 3.2 CL Automatic Transmission (Supersedes 02-027, dated January 7, 2007, to update the information marked by asterisks)

BACKGROUND

In certain vehicles, a higher than normal number of A/Ts have defects in material or workmanship that could cause premature wear or failure. To ensure that clients have adequate warranty coverage, American Honda is increasing the warranty on the transmission and the torque converter to 93 months (7 years and 9 months) or 109,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

*NOTE:
Because of a different class action settlement unrelated to the A/T, the warranty extension coverage for A/Ts and torque converters on 2002-03 3.2CLs and 3.2TLs purchased or leased between April 13, 2002, and November 7, 2006, is now 93 months (7 years and 9 months) or 114,450 miles, whichever occurs first. For more information, refer to Service Bulletin 06-050, Warranty Extension: Vehicle Warranty Mileage.*

 

114,450?

 

Chet03TL-S

When a dealer treats us well, such as when Chet03TL-S was the recipient of a goodwill tranny, then the dealer deserves to be recognized. Naming the dealer and the contact person(s) can result in additional well earned business for the dealership, and a proven resource for everyone who participates on the acurazine forum.

So, Chet03TL-S, I encourage you to start by posting your dealer's info. Give the credit due to the dealer and/or Acura, and make sure to cc your post with the dealer rep.

 

114,500 = 109,000 + 5% ODO error

 

Hi.

Add me to the list of 03 TL owners with transmission issues. The details: 2003 TL-S has 108390 miles on it. Unfortunately is falls outside the range of 03 TLs that are covered by the A/T extension (it appears only a small range of 03 are covered).

A week or two ago, I began experiencing some trouble getting into certain gears. A few days ago I got the check engine, VSA and ! lights on. Courtesy of Autozone I found my code was P0740. The car is still drivable for now. The slippage is still only occasional but I know this will probably increase soon.

One other thing. I had the tranny replaced along with the computer at 25000 miles as I had a failure at that time.

I've been talking to the dealer about this and I'll be going in tomorrow so they can diagnose it and decide what (if anything) they'll do for me. I had warranty coverage up to 100000 miles, so for this to happen just outside of it is disappointing (especially since this tranny has less than 85000 miles on it).

I mentioned the possibility of goodwill to the advisor, but does anyone have any other advice/information about what I could say to convince them to go this way? It looks to me like they will put a full price in front of me and maybe knock off a little bit in the end.

Any help is appreciated.

 

You'll want to talk to the Service Manager not a Service Advisor. Read 01tl4tl's posts above for why this is important.

If that doesn't help with getting goodwill coverage, call Acura's national Customer Care group. Sometimes they can step in and help out.

Good luck.

 

I was driving home from Albany Sunday night in my '03 TL-S in the middle of that crazy ass lightning storm. I had the cruise control on 78 and hit 75 miles on the trip and was only a shade or two under full . A few miles later my odo hits 60k, a little sad because I just watched my car drop in value. Then after getting of i87 my car decides it wants to slip and not move through the EZ Pass. "Wowwwww! SOB!".. I was so disheartened because I thought that MY TL wouldn't fail, but it did.

Next day my dealer said I can't drop it off until the CEL is on and it is a consistent problem. So after 20 minutes of light driving to get the car fully warmed I started to give it some power. Yep, more slipping from 2nd into 3rd, 3rd into 4th. The best is when the car is warm and you want to go in reverse from park, 5 secs later a nice loud clunk lets you know your in gear! Called dealer back and said I'm dropping it off, can't drive my bosses kid around in a risky vehicle.

Diagnostics revealed the tranny is on its way out and the engine mounts were broken. Service rep notifies me that my VIN is not covered by the extended warranty, and started throwing numbers at me averaging $4800. I told him that I bought an extended warranty through Royal Administration. He contacted them and a inspector had to come down and check out the problem. The worse part is that the service rep said that it is up to the warranty company to decide what they do with the repair. I would assume they would take the cheapest way out and just patch it up so it lasts through my contract with them.

So me being the paranoid person that I am called the 800# and spoke with corporate. I acted really sad, "I love my Acura, if it wasn't for the transmission the car really is perfect." They told me to wait and see what my warranty company decides to do, if they only cover half corporate says to make the dealer cover the rest. A day later the service rep calls me stating, "Oh, you are covered by Acura because your vehicle is a certified pre-owned." The money I have to spend is like $400 for the engine mounts. So I'm wondering if corporate called the dealer and notified them of the case I made.

All in all I am very happy that I called corporate at 1-800-382-2238 x5. I look at it that I am paying $400 for a brand new transmission that should last awhile (Good reviews from people who had them replaced after Feb '05). Now I don't feel like a sucker that dropped a couple thousand on mods for a junk car. If all else fails, CALL CORPORATE!!!

 

when was the car purchased and how many miles did it have?

 

I bought the car in October '08 at a private dealer in Connecticut. I paid $12,000 for the '03 TL-S with 52,500 miles which was in beautiful condition and was serviced regularly by the previous 2 owners. The last owner could not keep up with the payments, or so they say.

 

So it seems the trans on my 03 TL is finally on it's way out. It has around 95,000 miles on it. The problem started Monday of this week. It jerks when going from 1st gear to second gear, then would finally pick up speed. I called the Acura# 1-800-382-2238 and gave them my vin to check the warranty. They said it was already replaced under the warranty back in 2004. I had no idea at all. I didn't buy it from the dealership until 2006. Any suggestions on how I can go about getting this taking care of? I don't have 4k to spare and have 2 years of payments left on this car....

 

contact the dealership you bought the car and talk with the service manager. how many miles did you buy the car at?

 

I called and left a message. I'll call again in the morning. I bought the car at around 40,000 miles.

 

OK, I have an update and another question.

First, I have been combing through this thread the last few days and I really appreciate the advice for not only me, but everyone else who is going through this. Bob_F and 01tl4tl have had a lot of good advice - especially pertaining to how to approach the dealer/corporate. I've also learned a lot from almost everyone else's posts - so it is appreciated.

The dealership has looked at the car and confirmed I need a new tranny. The car has ~108400 miles and the VIN is outside the range of 114.5k warranty. They originally gave me an estimate of $4100 (including fixing two motor mounts). I went through the service manager (via my service writer, but the manager was involved) and asked that he contact his Honda regional rep to see what they can do.

I reminded them of the following:
1. All service in the 7 1/2 years I owned the car was done there (including buying lifetime oil change).
2. They replaced the original tranny at 25k miles and this one has lasted about 83k miles, which sort of begs the question of how long will this latest one last.
3. I belong to this forum and have seen many instances of goodwill (either partial or full).
4. My personal economic situation dictates that I might have to look elsewhere to get this done, and I told them this was the last thing I wanted to do because they are the pros and I love everything else they have done for me (cough).

They eventually called with an offer of 75/25, where I would pay 25%. I realize this is probably pretty good compared to what else I have seen here. Not the full goodwill that one would have hoped for but do-able. They still want to replace the front/side motor mounts ($263 front and $155 side).

Not to sound too greedy here, but does anyone think it is worthwhile to call corporate to try to get them to cover more? Would I be shooting myself in the foot by trying this? On the one hand they are stepping up to cover a majority of this major issue, but I guess I'd hate to hear that I could have done better.

 

I was driving home in my 01 CL-S with 66,000 miles on it. The car wouldn't shift from 2nd to 3rd gear. And then CEL, VSA and ! lights went off. This is the second transmission failure already!! My warranty is out by only 7 months. I took it to a dealer had it diagnosised. The service advisor came back to me that the parts department had closed but could give me an estimate of 3000-3500 for the transmission replacement. The next day he called, Acura were willing to do a 50/50 but not off the "regular price" 3000 but the warranty price 4100. It would be 2050 plus tax.

I followed the advice on this forum and called Acura Corp and was told that since the offer was made at the dealer, it is not negotiable and final. I asked for a case manager to work on my case. She said it's against the department's policy to let me talk to a case manager. And then I talked to her manager and was told the same thing that I cannot speak with a case manager.

I am at the end of the rope here guys. Please help!

 

your replacement which failed again, was it installed before Feb '05?.. The design made after that date should be more reliable and last.

 

Just got my baby back from the Acura of Bedford Hills. Dropped it off late last Monday, picked it up an hour ago. The new transmission is VERY smooth, feels like a new car. Here is a breakdown of what I should have paid, but I paid $0.

PARTS........................ $2317.24
LAB-MECHANICAL.......... $561.00
MISCELLANEOUS........... $107.84
TOTAL........................ $2986.40

The replaced front lower and right side engine mount totaled $261.17.

Before he found out that I was an Acurazine member they were trying to charge around $4,800 for everything plus the 3-year 38,000 miles warranty on the transmission. This one has the 1-year 12,000 mile warranty. They said this is the most updated model and it is built to last and I should have no trouble. I hope so.

I didn't want them to think that they were doing all this work for nothing so I went with 01tl4tl's advice and bought them a dozen Dunkin Donuts lol. The service rep was actually very happy! Good luck ziners.

 

i sent a letter to acura corp detailing my experience with the dealership and naming all the people who helped me get goodwill on my 99. the service manager asked that i send a copy to the general manager of the dealership as well. you may want to try that as well...

 

Hi I have a 2001 TL and my transmission just broke, the dealership said it needs to be replaced (~$4500 including everything + tax). I have heard alot regarding Honda/Acura were recalling the transmission. I had warrantly up to only 100,000 miles when I bought it. I'm now at 116,000 miles...since with all these recalls, do I still get my transmission replaced free of charge or I have to pay out of pocket because my warrantly already expired? Do you guys have any tips? Do you think if I call the manufacturer and describe the problems to see if they help my pay part of the cost? $4500 is a LOT of money especially with today's economy and all.

 

I read the first few and the last several pages of this thread before posting. I own 2 Acuras. A 93 Integra GS 5sp and a 2000 TL. And guess what happened to my 2000 TL with 122k miles. Same problem. About 4 weeks ago the TL started slipping into neutral. (normally between 1st and 2nd and shifts slowly into 3rd ). Problem continued and 10 days ago I took it to the independent Honda “specialist” I have been using for maintenance. He said the fluid was dark brown and recommended a flush and fill (this was before I found this site). 4 days later it slipped into neutral and it was more difficult than usual getting it back into gear. It made a humming nose and the Check Engine light came on. I took it to the dealer and the Service Advisor pulled a PO 730 code (incorrect gear ratio). He said the only thing he could do was replace it. He said he would get my VIN and email the Area or Zone Manager and see if he would offer any goodwill. He said the Zone Mgr asked about maintenance records and since I do not use the dealer he had very little to report. He said Zone Mgr said there would be NO assistance from Acura “at this time”. He quoted me at $3334 with a 3/36 warranty for a “new” one.

I asked if the Service Manager was aware of the problem and the Advisor said he was copied on the email traffic. He also said that on the service side, there was no one higher than the Zone Manager to make a decision. He recommended I call Acura Customer Care and gave me the number. Is this true or should I pursue the Service Manager further?

Another independent “certified Honda specialist” told me that there was a recall on second gear in 2005. Is this still active? Would I have any recourse here?

I called a Mr. Transmission and he claims he can rebuild it to manufacturer spec with new parts and has done them before with success. I did not ask how many he has done. He said it would be $800 for the labor plus whatever the parts cost – he won’t know till he sees it. That scares me. He said to bring it in for a free diagnosis. I’m leery. I have been told that Honda says Honda are the only ones who can rebuild them correctly. Any thoughts?

My take is Acura should at least replace all the transmissions that go bad in this year range that are out of warranty AT COST and not try to profit from retail sale from a known and documented problem. It is a safety issue especially when you are pulling into an intersection and it slips out. Service Advisor at the dealer said it was 7 hr job to replace. I don’t know how much the part costs.

So I guess I’m looking at either fix it and see what happens, or fix it and sell it. Either way I’m out $3,300. The car is probably worth about $5k if I sell it (running properly).

This car has been a joy to drive up until now.

Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Yes, it is true that the final decision is made by the district manager. The Acura customer care number will help you if you file a case regarding your situation. They can contact your dealer and try and influence them to help take care of you. In your case I would be happy to go 50/50 on the cost at least then try and sell it. Just be patient and pleasant. Good luck.

 

I forgot to mention they gave me a free detail as well.

 

Thank you all for the insight so far. Now I have to draw on it.

2000 3.2TL Navi purchased new from the dealer in January 2000. 96K miles and I guess that makes 8 years, 4 months so I'm 5 months out of warranty. I got the oil jet done. Had the transmission fluid changed at the dealer at 30K service but haven't used the dealer for other services.

My car is slipping in several gears, has hard shifting and was bad enough on Sunday that I wondered if it would make it home. It hasn't shown any codes.

I took it in today. The service rep told me that yes, it is the transmission and it needs replacement, my car is out of any warranty, and the cost is $3250. He said the service manager contacted the regional rep and tried to work some goodwill. He says the best they could get for me was that I pay the full $3250 and they give me a credit for 1/2 of that towards future work at the dealer. I tried to talk a little reason with him and emphasized how I love the car, was the first at work to get one and now 6 people have them, etc. But I didn't spend too much time with him before asking to speak with the Service Manager.

This was after the department is closed so she is supposed to call me tomorrow morning.

What should I say to her? Should I try and contact Acura before I talk to her, or wait to hear her version. The service rep said that the service manager was the one who came up with this deal.

This sounds a little like an earlier poster who was told that his goodwill was contingent on getting other repairs from the dealer.

In the meantime I have a loaner from them and my car is still at the dealer. If I can't work something out tomorrow what should I do with the cars while I'm talking with Acura and trying to get a deal if that takes days or longer?

 

I don't know if its poor form to respond to one's own post, but I just got the call back from the service manager. She now says that they will cover 50% (I don't have to use the rest as a credit) so presumably I'd pay $1625 and essentially her position is I should feel lucky to get that much because I haven't gone to them for service for the last 4 years. She said the car is 26 months past the extension (must by using the 7 year) but under for miles.

She says she had to fight for that much from the regional rep. I mentioned how I love Acura, how I'm an advocate for the cars, I love Honda and I have this image of them as super reliable and that this experience flies in the face of that. Also that I want to feel good about the experience and give all 10s in the survey. When she asked what I was looking for I said I've seen cases ranging from free to $500 plus some extra for the warranty. I understood not free, but was looking for better than 1/2.

Her response was basically that Acura is stepping up by what they offered and that other companies wouldn't do that much. The economy is bad and they are feeling it, Chrysler wouldn't do anything like this even at 51K , etc.

Is it worth contacting customer care and the 800 number?

 

I suppose you could call the Customer Care group but I don't know if they'd want to override the Service Manager. Perhaps someone else can comment on that.

But $1625 for a new transmission on a 9+ year old, out-of-warranty car with nearly 100,000 miles on it seems pretty reasonable. I'd probably just take that and move on.

 

Bob_F,

I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Yes, it certainly could be worse and they could be playing hardball at $3250 or more. $2000 was was probably my threshold for feeling ripped off. But $1625 doesn't put me into the thrilled Acura owner category either.

I did call the 800 number. I gave my case, the phone guy took my information then put me on hold for a few minutes and came back and said since a regional manager was involved and had offered the 50% goodwill, there is nothing more they could do since that was an Acura employee. I was close to accepting that this was my fate but asked if I could speak to a manager.

The surprising thing is that he refused to let me speak to a manager. Is this common, or considered acceptable by Acura policy?

 

don't know about not letting you speak to a manager, but it seems that 50% goodwill is pretty good, especially given the age of the car and that you haven't taken it to the dealer for service in a while

 

and lucky you i just got an auto car wash

 

I have read of that happening previously. It might just be that there would be no point to talking to a manager since they couldn't override the Regional Manager.

And I have read of numerous accounts where the Customer Care group can't do anything once the Regional Manager has made a decision. So it might just be that you can't get a better deal at this point.

On a positive note, it could be that your replacement transmission will be a very reliable one. Acura did make some design changes in 2005 that may have corrected the major reliability issues.

 

Thanks, I've read the last 10 or so pages of this thread 2 or 3 times. Once he said that the regional rep was an Acura employee and that was the final answer I figured that was probably it, but I'm still surprised he wouldn't even allow me to speak to a manager or offer any alternative for an escalation or complaint process. What if I had considered his treatment of me abusive (that is hypothetical, he was very polite).

It sounds like my next step is to get the Service Rep to basically repeat back to me what the manager said to verify that my total will be $1625 and make sure we're all on the same page, verify the 3/36 and then have them do the job while behaving graciously and conveying my thanks for their assistance.

 

GL with the process..keep us updated in detail of your expirience.

 

It gets better. I don't think I can summarize everything but, among other things, I learned today that I need to speak with the Service Manager every time I talk to them, not just to establish the deal.

I called this morning to verify the price and warranty and to ask how long it would take. Apparently neither the manager nor my intial service advisor were available so I was told I'd get a call back. A little later I got a call from a 2nd service advisor. I asked him to confirm that the price would be $1625, that it came with the 3/36 and he confirmed those and said it should be done Monday or Tuesday.

Well a few hours later he called me back and said that they put the order in the computer and Acura says I need a PCM and Fuel Pressure Regulator with a new total of $4350. I asked to speak to the Service Manager and was told I'd get a call back.

Not pleased, I called the Acura 800 number again and told them the story. I got the same line, no help beyond what the Service manager says since a regional rep is already involved. No, I can't talk to a manager, there is no escalation path. Work it out with the service manager.

The service manager calls back and says that she went to bat for me again with the regional rep and got them to cover half of the PCM and FPR so I need to pay $2225 of the $4450. She also said she'll do whatever she can to keep the cost down (I have no idea what that is supposed to mean).

The bizarre thing is she says they were all set to replace the timing belt and do a valve adjustment and some other crap that I didn't authorize. Unbelievable.

I made it clear that I only want the transmission and necessary adjuncts to enable the transmission swap.

FPR 126
PCM 1108.89
Trans 2220.67
Labor 960
Fluid 35

Well now I supposedly have her direct line at least.

She told me there's no point in doing this stuff to renew half the car if I don't take care of the engine with the timing belt and such (eventually said even if I do it at the dealer).

I told her that I wanted to see what kind of experience I have with this transmission issue before I commit on what else to do with the car but of course I understand the importance of timing belt.

Just when I'd convinced myself to be content at $1625 too!

 

Sounds sketchy to me.. just keep your guard up.

 

Hi, am new and not sure if I'm posting correctly. I have read almost this entire thread, now ready for a stiff drink, as my 183,000 mile '01 TL is currently at the dealer and they are awaiting my final decision on fixing transmission...they originally quoted $6700, then came down to $4400, and won't budge, even after we've talked with client services and regional manager. We next are going to try corporate, but I'm heartbroken as I have really enjoyed my Acura. It sounds like I shouldn't try to fix this, instead get a new car, not Acura, according to many other's opinions. Any other advice? I have a local place that will do it for about 3300, including computer, but now I'm not sure...thanks for listening, any other thoughts/advice is much appreciated!!
ps - most of the car's life has been highway driving, it's only been in the past 6 months that I've done mostly city driving, about 4-5K. Does this have any effect?