haha..no probs bro. Whenever is cool. Or if anyone else wants to lend a helping hand...

 

given that it has taken you (or whoever drove the car before) 8 years to get 115,000 miles, your car will be more than 20 years old by the time you get to 300k. i would presume, therefore, that age is going to be a significant issue in keeping the car that long, and your driving pattern is likely more city than highway. these factors will make it more difficult to last that long. the engine will last forever (see fsttyms1). i would count on an easy 100k from a new acura tranny, assuming you don't abuse the thing and maintain it according to the guidelines elsewhere on this forum. others have made it to 100k+ with the previous (faulty) design...

 

My 2000 TL tranny bombed out last July at 87,350 miles, and Acura sprang for the parts and I paid the labor. Still not cheap, but better than full freight. I was able to coax it down to the dealership very carefully, and didn't have to tow it, so that saved me a few extra bucks.

I think Acura is mainly trying to avoid another round of lawsuits from people like us, who baby their TLs and are working to make them last decades.

I always laugh when the Ford Focus ads shout "up to 34mpg highway!" My TL gets nearly that and it's nine and a half years old.

 

I have an 01 TL with 115K miles, second tranny just crapped out

I brought it in this morning and was quoted at $4,800 for new tranny and computer. A local shop quoted me $3,100 for a rebuild plus 3 year/36K mile warranty.

Car is a salvage so I am getting some grief from the dealership. Has anyone had any success getting Goodwill discount with a salvage?

 

^ Check this out...
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/tranny-code-dealership-need-help-724036/
Read 01tl's posts..has plenty of experience with dealer/was a service writer so he knows the tricks. Hopefully your case is the same and you haven't done too much damage on your own...

 

Wow, thanks. That does seem like a pretty amazing deal (I LOVE this website!). I talked to my originial case handler this morning and explained my situation (different guy than last night) and he knocked it down to $3700. Still seems kind of high. I'd be happy if they would just match the $3100 that I was quoted from the transmition repair shop. I'm gonna keep trying and will update later. Thanks for all of the help, guys!

 

^You've been talkin to them on the phone? Best bet is to go in in person, bring the donuts/ice cream to butter all the guys up..especially the service MANAGER..and plead ur case to them in person. Will make you look a lot better. Brownie points if you bring em proof of maintenance/maintained the car at the dealer ur goin to.

 

Hi, all. Thanks for all the great information here. I actually have spent the week reading the entire 58 pages of this thread. I posted awhile back about a 2003 TL-S I was looking at, but I ended up passing on that (just wasn't exactly what I wanted). However, I have now found a great 2002 TL-S in Aegean Blue, which is what I was looking for. I went out and checked it out today. It seems to be a great car, in great condition, and very well taken care of. I think I'll probably bring it into the Acura dealership for a pre-purchase inspection this next week, to make sure everything looks good.

I'm wondering if there's anything I've missed or should be concerned about transmission-wise. Thought 2nd gen TL owners may be able to help. Here are the relevant details:

Would be purchasing from private seller, who is original owner.
Perfect maintenance record, all done at the same Acura dealership I bring my Integra to (and both vehicles were purchased there also).
I have been emailing back and forth with the Service Manager there, who got me the records for the car and was generally helpful (so if goodwill is needed later...)
The seller loves the car and was planning to keep it until his dad decided to help him get a new family car.
The TL-S has 147k miles on it. I don't drive much (maybe 10k/year), so ideally that should last me for awhile still, even though it's higher mileage.
This car had the transmission go out (2-3 slippage) at around 23k miles. Was replaced at that point (in 2002).
In 2004, at 66k, oil jet kit was installed.
Feb 24, 2005, the transmission failed again (high rpms, then slamming into gear). According to the vehicle history, a remanufactured transmission was ordered and installed. This was at 79k miles. They also replaced the PCM with an updated PCM.
There have been no transmission issues since, now at 147k miles.
During the test drive, I made sure to pay close attention to the 2nd/3rd shifting. No issues there. I listened for any whining noise. Nothing.
I tried the "cruise and stomp" several times. The car seems to respond pretty quickly, maybe a split second after flooring it, it takes off. Once it gets to about 6000 rpms, it jumps kind-of roughly, down to about 4000 rpms. Is this normal? I'm guessing so?
We had no problem putting it in reverse. However, going from reverse to drive, there was consistently a little shudder just as we hit the gas. Is that normal? It only occurred right after we'd been in reverse, then went into D5.
Thanks to the photos on this site, I was able to find the spot on the transmission where an oil jet would be, if there were one. There was not. So, I'm hoping this means that this is one of the newer-designed transmissions with the internal oil jet. Either that or an old one with no oil jet at all, which seems unlikely. Any thoughts on this? I'm planning to ask Acura about that. I would think they would have to be able to tell me whether there is an oil jet kit installed, as that was a recall issue.
We checked the dipstick. The transmission fluid was much closer to a brown than a red. We did not smell any burning or anything unusual. But the color concerned me a bit...could it just be in need of a drain and fill?
Is there anything I've missed? I'm thinking this is probably a pretty good bet as far as the 2002 TL-S options go.

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

mmmkk.. so, i read on the very first thread in this category that the TCS & engine lights bein' on was bad.. but it said while they were flashing...

my engine light is on... but when plugged into an OBD reader it just says its an EGR valve.. no big.. kinda...

but my TCS light is almost always on. when i first start the car, its not. and even when i first begin driving, its still off.. but after about 5 minutes or so.. the TCS light comes on and doesn't go away until the car is shut off.

anyone know what the hell is up??

this is my first Acura.. and i just bought it 2 days ago..

did i get face f*?ked or what????

 

i drive a 2004 tsx. and when my car is in park or neutral it makes a whining sound. from what the mechanic says is the pump in my tranny is almost shot, the car runs awesome, not a noice when its in drive or reverse, only in park or neutral. has anybody had this issue.. the mechanic says i need to do a tranny overhaul. which is expensive. if someone could help me out it would be greatly appreciated. im just looking for some answers on what i should do.

 

I have a 2000TL with just under 100K miles. I took it to the Spitzer Acura (Pittsburgh) for an inspection and service. The car had been shifting oddly between 2nd and 3rd gear, which I conveyed (I've conveyed this before but they've more or less ignored me until now). Long story short, they told me that the car needed a new transmission (plus a new wheel bearing, brake rotors and pads, new tires). The quote for the new transmission was $3500. The total for everything pushed the service to north of $5K. I expect that is probably more than the book value of the car.

Anyway, I called Acura and and the "Regional Service Rep" was a complete prick. The first thing they did was accuse of me of not taking care of the car, i.e. not having the car regularly serviced. This struck me as odd since I've had every scheduled maintenance done to this car AT AN ACURA (OR HONDA) DEALER from the day I bought it (new). The he service was done by Acura of Boston in the first 30K of the car's life and then, when I moved to Pittsburgh, about 90% of the service was done by Spitzer Acura (the rest was done by Shadyside Honda).

Anyway, when I told the Regional Service Rep I had all of the receipts for this service, he took a different tack. He said that while I may have taken it to an Acura dealer for all of the service, that doesn't necessarily mean they did the service that was required. Which is to say, just because you ask for a 15K, 30K, 45K, 60K etc. service, doesn't mean that the dealer actually will do what they are supposed to do. As it turns out, Spitzer Acura apparently decided the item listed on their service protocol described as "change transmission fluid" could also mean "look at your transmission fluid and if it looks clear don't change it." Which, I have come to find out, is what they did at the 45K service, the 60K service, the 75K service and the 90K service (and perhaps at services in between as well--52,500, 67,500 etc.).

In any event, prickish Acura service representative continues to maintain that we didn't maintain our car properly. After all, according to him, it isn't up to the dealer to insure the car is properly maintained it is up to the customer. This was news to me as I thought that the reason you bring your Acura to an Acura dealer is to have them properly service the car. Silly me. (btw, Acura of Boston DID change the transmission fluid at 30K so it is apparently possible that some Acura dealers will actually do what they say they are going to do). And, besides, he says, even if we did maintain the car properly we are outside the warranty period. So--after three days of dithering he came back and said that Acura is offering us nothing.

Spitzer Acura is offering to do nothing either, including even the offer of a sensible explanation for their service behavior. Spitzer can't say why they didn't change the transmission fluid in the pre-90K services because, in the words of their service rep, "he wasn't working there at the time." He speculated that "maybe they were trying to save you some money." But he is quite sure that the reason Spitzer didn't change the transmission fluid at the 90K service is that "they looked at it and it looked fine."

One more thing: prickish Acura Representative said that the quote of $3500 from the dealer almost certainly didn't include the computer that controlled the gear shifting and that "he was really doing me a favor by not requiring the dealer to replace the transmission because that computer would add $1,000 to the cost of the transmission--so it will turn out cheaper in the end of I just have the dealer replace the transmission rather than get Acura involved." Of course he conceded that the transmission probably wouldn't work properly without the new computer. He also conceded that a new transmission is really a rebuilt one and that there would be no warranty on it whatsoever.

Frankly, I'm speechless. Is Acura a professional car company or just a bunch of washed up ex-used GM car sales people working out of their garage--it certainly feels like the latter here in Pittsburgh. (Although the Acura Regional Service Manager is in California).

Any suggestions as to how to proceed?

 

I would read my post above to see what "perfect service" actually means. It does not mean, apparently, taking your Acura to an Acura dealer and asking them to perform the recommended service at the recommended mileage intervals. Not according to Acura USA anyway.

 

Hello all,

I am new to this thread, and I tried to read 58 pages of transmission problems and got some answers, but still nees some help.

Here is the brief rundown....I purchased my 03 TL in March of 2009 with 142,000 on it. I was okay with this because it was my fiance's brother-in-laws and he always had it serviced at an Atlanta dealership. He had a tranny put in at 110k, in Jan of 2008, so I felt really confident in buying the car. The car has 150,342 miles on it now. However, this Monday the tranny started messing up on the way to work. D5 light flashing, TCS light coming on, Check Engine light, BAD shifting.

So, I decide to limp it home and after 2 miles the car would not pull. I towed it back to work. Got a ride home and when I got to work the next morning, fired her up, and she pulled. I know the tranny is gone.

I called the dealership in Atlanta and thay stated "since the transmisson was replaced out of warranty, the current one had no warranty". After this I called client services and the agent instructed me that I could go to any dealer. Called on in Morrow. They took my info and said they were going to get all of the service records from the other dealer. Then, they would talk to the service rep. for the area and see what they could do to get me "consideration".

I am just wondering what the chances are of me getting consideration, and if so to what degree. From what I could tell the car does not have the oil jet kit on the newly installed transmission. Sorry for the length, but I wanted to be thorough. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

My tranny went out on my 2003 TL. I was at about 103000 miles. I did the 7yr/100000 mile warranty. I thought the dealership wouldn't cover it, but they did. By the way, I have not maintained the schedule for maintenance with the dealership. Just too far away from my home. I got a few things done there but not all. I did not get an additional warranty for the tranny. Praying this one will last at least 75000 more miles.

 

As long as your 2003 TL was among the VIN number group offered the extended warranty, the mileage limit was extended from 100,000 miles to 109,000 miles. And the time limit was extended to 7 years + 9 months.

 

the most recent 20 pgs or so probably have the most useful info. look for posts by 01tl4tl. wtf at post 2/05 tranny failing so soon.

 

theoretically speaking, i think the service manager of a BIG dealership would have more sway than a little one...so try that as well?

 

I am by no means an expert on these things, but after reading this whole thread to research before our recent tl-s purchase, I just had a couple thoughts on recent posts:

stackowax: have you spoken face-to-face with the Service Manager of your dealership? If you make it clear that they have serviced the car, on schedule, for most of its life and they have admitted that they didn't do it properly, they need to take responsibility for that.

toastman: if your tranny was replaced that recently (by an Acura dealership), it probably has an internal oil jet kit. If for some reason it doesn't, you may be a good candidate for a goodwill replacement, as the recall was not performed. I read some good info on the CL forum's tranny section.

Just some things I picked up in all the reading...good luck!

 

I read the posts from 01tl4tl. I am just wondering what acura will do considering the last transmission was put in at 110k. (1k out of warranty) so wondering if they will cover the 3rd one seeing as it only has 40k on it. Who expects a tranny to last 40k? Thanks for the help!

 

You actually still got it "under warranty" because they will push that mileage limit to 114.5k miles (due to odometer error) if need arises and you bring it up. Just listen to what 01tl has said and go back to that same dealer if you can. They should still be able to help you out some...

 

Nope, VIN number was not included in the recall

 

I just verified my VIN at my local dealership wanting to know if I was covered in the 7yr extended warranty. She said it had already expired and infact was only covered for 5yr. Can it be safe to assume that my tranny is alright? That's what I originally thought, but now having second doubts. It's a 2003.

 

you should not assume your tranny is all right. it's likely that your VIN falls outside of the cutoff VIN for the extended warranty....it's the same improperly designed part put in every 2nd gen TL. however, acura is usually fairly generous with replacing those anyway...so if you notice something is off take it in right away!

 

Aww..sonofa.. =(

*knocks on wood* Well I hope mine is past the cut off and no problems come out of it.. Nuts.

 

unfortunately the cutoff VIN has NOTHING to do with the fixing of the problem...it was just an arbitrary mark set for purposes of settling the class action lawsuit. the actual revision to the design was put into production around february of 2005.....

 

Great info! So is there really any way to tell if someone's TL falls under the faulty trans? Or just wait and see and hope for the best?

Total boo-urns on that one.

 

so on June 12 the day before my 29th birthday my trans needed to be replaced again. While I was at a local exhaust shop I noticed that my trans was leaking all over the fricking place. I took it back up to Acura, waited around for what seemed like forever and then, the service guy comes up and says "ah, we're gonna need to replace that trans". I said, "again"? Yes again, I just had it replaced in Feb after the trans failed. So where does the lemon law kick in....lol, I'm on trans #3 and to be honest I'm not worried my trans is covered by my extended warranty until 135k so I got a ways to go until I dump this one

 

Do you guys know if having aftermarket parts will void the extended warranty??? Anyone??

 

???

 

wow.. no one can simply give me a or answer??

I've looked around but don't see anything about that... wtf people, c'mon!

 

You didn't look too hard then...

It is the responsibility of the warranty servicer to prove the issue was a direct result of the aftermarket part if he denies responsibility due to the non OEM item(s).

 

No, having aftermarket parts should not void any warranty, unless the specific aftermarket part caused the problem in question.

 

Well, the tranny finally crapped out in my 99 TL at 113,000 miles. No check engine light, but I have been experiencing slips, erratic, and hard shifting for a few weeks. Took it to a local shop that wanted $3200. Then I tried my local dealer, Sterling McCall Acura of Houston (where I bought the car CPO in 2002 w/ 58k miles). I took in copies of all my service records for scheduled maintenance (performed at local mechanic, not the dealer), and just found out Acura has agreed to cover 85% of the parts and labor. My drive-out cost is $560!

 

Wow! That's awesome goodwill coverage for a ten year old car.

Thanks for sharing your story.

 

Yeah, no kidding! Not to mention that price includes the 3 year / 36,000 mile warranty on the transmission.

 

I really had my mind set on getting a used 2002 Acura 3.2 Type S from a dealer for $8450 (but I want to talk him down). It has 94,500 miles on it I gave it a test drive and I pretty much had everything lined up on getting this thing. But after doing my research I realized that I might be walking into a trap after seeing all the transmission problems that other owners of TL's have had. It seems as if all 2nd gen Acura TL's end up this way. So do you guys think it be would wise to still get an Acura or just get another car?

 

Went to the Acura dealer today and talked with the parts/service manager and pleaded my case. Asked them for any "good will" and they told me that since my car had such high mileage (178K) they could not offer any "good will" but they would give me a discount because I brought my huge pregnant wife in with me! (I'm on the couch tonight for that one!) This is my first boy after three girls.

I told them that the tranny was replaced @ 154K. They said that they would replace it for 2489.14 total cost! I told them that they had a deal!!!! But the SM also told me that he would call Acura on Monday and let me know if they can offer more of a break. (Praying!) This also includes a 3/36k.

John Eagle Acrua in Houston.

 

Well my tranny went on Saturday, TCS, VSA and engine light all came on at once, and the car started shifting erratically, limped it to my local acura dealer, she has 120,000 km's on her, but lucky for me I had 1 month left on the warranty. Phew!!!

 

It was $982 for a new transmission w 3/36k, two new front drive shafts/axles/boots, state inspection, and car wash!

 

I just had my tranny rebuilt and got my car back today..

I posted in this tread...

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/acura-did-not-fix-these-trannies-2005-like-they-claimed-dont-buy-5-speed-auto-735809/

I want to write acura a nice love letter for all my troubles, does anyone have a address?