I got a case manager & pretty much to Acura, loyalty equates to how much money you've given them in the purchase of the car & in service...nothing else.

So bottom line for me:
- emptied bank account on a TL with >100k miles
- (original) transmission fails within 5k miles
- Acura wants pretty much almost as much as what you paid for the car
- 5 months out on the 93 month extended warranty
- no goodwill assistance

You're only a couple months out on a warranty whose sole existence was because the transmissions were proven defective, but Acura isn't willing to extend any understanding.

So when the dealership service manager, district manager, and Acura Client Services case manager all say no, do you give up?

 

I have a 2001 TL. I bought it from a dealer in 5/08. It had 84,000 mi. at the time. It now has 111,600mi. and the transmission is going out. Shouldn't the dealer had replaced the transmission before they sold it since the recall had been issued? I'm looking at a tremendous amount to have it fixed.

 

The recall wasnt to replace the trans. It was to add a part which was most likely added and for a completely different different reason these things fail. Read up in this thread on what the problem is so you come in with knowledge, Take the advise in this thread and talk to the service manager and see if they cant work something out with you

 

You should go to ACS first....the case mgr said he could not overturn the dsm's decision. ACS will tell you to take it to a dealership first. You take it in but don't ask for goodwill assistance, just leave, and then call ACS back. Hopefully this time you call you can get a case # & someone assigned. Let them do their thing & hopefully they can come back with good news.

 

As stated before with my case, I went to the service manager, who went to the district manager; as well as got Acura Client Services involved; in addition to the dealership owner's office. I called Acura approx 3-4 times, once the DM is involved, they're out. Dealer owner's office got the DM from offering 0 to something. Not sure if it was the full 25%. Owner's son calls and tells me they got it down from $4700 to around $3600. I tried to bargain and see if they would go $2000-2500 and they said no. They drew the final line. I told him about a 60 pg. thread where others to this day are getting 50/50 or 75% coverage or 100%. He kept saying Acura is stopping that and would not budge. I had no other trees to bark up. By then I'd wasted a week w/o my car getting work done and $97 for them to tell me what I already knew.

I want to get rid of the car; but if I keep it I need to find a cheap updated PCM on Ebay; part # 37820-P83-335.

 

Was all the bargaining you tried with the DM over the phone? I'd try to schedule an appointment, & have some documentation in hand to support any arguments. My car is still drivable so I have some time but who knows when that time will expire.

 

Yeah pretty much. The owner's son is somewhat of a hardass about giving stuff away ever since he started working there. The old service managers were more likely to help out.

My car was pretty much undriveable, at least safely. I just had it towed to this other shop. Basically I took the cheap way out and got a $2k rebuild w/o an updated PCM. They wanted $2675 for a rebuild with the updated module. That's why I said if for some reason I changed my mind and kept the car, I'd find a used one for $150-200, throw it in, and get it programmed for $100. Right now I'll be riding on my original PCM.

I want to still sell the car as I'm scared it will just die again, especially since I only get a louzy 6 mo/6k warranty. Had I spent another $500 or so and got their updated PCM, they would have warrantied it for a year.

I know the car is solid otherwise; and it's even had the timing belt done already. I can afford some maintenance here and there but not a $2k-$3k tranny on a routine basis. If I sell it and trade down for something else, I will just probably inherit another problem. I have no idea what to do. I thought about buying an 01 box Cherokee b/c I need something to tow my ski, and we have no SUV or truck in our household. The wife has a car also and I have my Taurus SHO, so we need something practical to tow/haul.

 

Yeah well I give up. I call the dealership so that we can maybe try to get the DSM to rethink his decision, and the SM is pretty much like there's nothing that can be done once the DSM gives his decision. Also wouldn't give out the DSM's contact info at all. So I guess it really depends on the dealership-if they're not willing to go to bat for you, you're out of luck.

I found a shop that will do a rebuild for $1500 after tax with a 12mo/12k warranty included. The guy knew all about the transmission problems with the TL, so sounds good. This $1500 is money I would've spent on the 105k service, but since I'm gonna dump this car within a year, who cares.

Since I've been receiving no indication that anyone at Acura cares about my unique situation, they've permanently lost a customer.

 

I feel the same way. I love my car; otherwise I wouldn't have driven 2 Gen 2 TLs over a 6 yr period of time. Now, I just have a nasty taste in my mouth of Acura. They are not consistent in how they help customers. I get the "it's a 9 year old car, there's not much we can do" attitude, which pretty much tells me to go to hell. It's a game to try to figure out who gets what in regard to the goodwill. I know my car is rock solid otherwise, but hell, what's the point in keeping a car that you still don't trust taking on a long road trip (that's always when my tranny would act up--after long highway trips). I'm fixing it cheap and I'll put it on craigslist and take my time selling it.

I'm wanting to start a side business as an auto wholesaler, so maybe I'll get my wholesaler's license and buy cheap $3k cars; drive them for a few weeks, sell them. Then I can just drive something different all the time.

 

Yup, feel the exact same way. Love everything about the car. Heck, I gave up a perfectly working car to obtain this one & then get slapped in the face with this problem.

But Acura told me that I've made them no money by buying this car used which makes it sound like that's really the only thing that counts. They also shot me down because I had only taken my car to the dealership twice - I'm sorry but I'm not gonna travel 20+ miles to get an oil change or even a free car "wash". And if I've had no major problems that required me to take it to the dealer (in a 6 month period), how can you hold that against me?

No doubt about that; and it's a game I'm done playing. I told them the money I do have, I want to give to them....but what I do have isn't enough to get their business. In the future, when I do have enough money to get their business, I'm just gonna keep walking.

 

Found an independent shop to rebuild my trans with a 3yr/36k warranty for under $2k. Think I'll just get that done & keep it for 2 years-then use that third year as a buffer zone to either sell the car before the trans acts up again or get a warranty replacement & then get rid of it.

I'll still be doing the letter writing thing to Acura. The synopsis will be why Acura lost a customer, with me expecting nothing in return unless offered. I'll update this thread if anything becomes of it.

 

Just make sure the deal as good as it sounds, 3yr/36 warranty is excellent, i think 2K is a good investment to keep this car around for another 3 years (or more if lucky)

 

Only problem is, it means I just paid $8500 for a car that's worth about $6700 in perfect condition, private party. And I'm still gonna have to throw another $1k in it for the 105k service...so make that $9500. Could've gotten a much better car for $9500. Still better than $13000 if I would've gotten it replaced through Acura.

 

I thought market prices had already adjusted to our transmission ill cars. Bascially, if you do your research ahead of time, you can buy one of these cars few grand cheaper than they are worth (had they not had any transmission problems). market always adjusts to conditions, so you should always be able to get a fair price for a product, any product.

 

Yeah I get what you're saying. I got this car from a dealership but paid a private-party price for it, which was $1500 more than what the dealership wanted. I knew all about the transmission problems & didn't really plan on keeping this car til eternity, but I also didn't expect the tranny to fail so soon after purchase.

The tranny fluid wasn't that bad when I got it; guess a change of the fluid had been performed before they offered it for sale. I even scanned the car before buying it, no active or pending codes & all monitors were ready.

I also didn't expect a reputable dealership to sell a car with a failing tranny. If I had bought it from a private party, deducting their ask price based on transmission concerns would've been one of my first price-negotiating tactics.

Also, I previously had a TL that got its transmission replaced under the extended warranty. But that was years ago. I thought that the trannies were more reliable now - however I learned that the car I recently bought was on its original. That is something I failed to research - looking for the blue bolts which indicate the tranny had been replaced.

 

yep. If only these cars had transmission as reliable as its engine -- these used cars would be in demand and I am sure their average market price would be 2K more than it is. this car is flawless except transmission.

 

well to add to this thread again trans finally died yerserday had to drive home with only second gear didnt even have reverse gear so i am waiting for my trans from autozone it is gonna to cost me 1821.14 for the trans and me and my friend are putting it in the good news is it comes with a 3yr or 36 month warr cant wait to start driving my car again

 

The shop just called and said mine is ready. $2042 is the total. I can probably get $50 of that reimbursed from my insurance co. for towing. I got a crappy 6 mo/6k warranty because I refused the updated PCM. I think they screwed me on the warranty. I just paid the car off Friday. As soon as the title comes in, it's going on craigslist. I love my car but can't trust it anymore. I need a truck/SUV to tow my ski and haul stuff anyway. I'm going to buy something cheap and stay out of a payment...and out of another failing tranny Acura. My wife has an 08 Mercury Milan with the factory extended warranty to 100k; so we'll use her car for trips. Too bad I need to get rid of this thing; it's a great car otherwise.

I should write Acura a letter also; I know it will just go into File 13 (the trash). If I'd be lucky enough to get a response, it would be something along the lines of this:

"Thank you for writing to us with your concerns, Acura appreciates such feedback from customers in our efforts to consistently improve the quality of our products. We apologize for the issues you have experienced in your Acura and hope you understand that we strive for quality in our products. We hope you consider Acura for your next vehicle purchase.

Sincerely,

Acura Client Services"

That's about what you can expect. Typical corporate BS stating they are sorry (but aren't) and hope you'll give them another try.

 

2003 TL Type S. Back last June, I was on the freeway at about 70 mph and all of a sudden the car started to slow. I was cruising, so I knew something was up. I put my foot on the gas and it revved like it was in neutral. Thank goodness an exit was coming up with a gas station there. I literally coasted into the gas station.

The car wouldn't reverse, drive nothing. Even tried it in manual mode. Had it towed to the dealer and it required a new tranny - 3K+.

NOW today I'm researching what size the caliper bolt is for a brake pad change and I read that there was a recall back in 2005 for the tranny failure on this vehicle!

I just got off the phone w/ Acura CS. They took the VIN and verified that YES, this vehicles was under a tranny failure recall and Acura CHANGED the warranty from 75k to 100k or seven years covered. This tranny failed at 6 years 76K. We shouldn't have had to pay for the new tranny.

Getting ready to call my Acura dealer. Wow, I'm mad.

Oh and by the way, WILL SOMEONE PLEASE tell me what size the caliper bolt is on my 2003 TL Type S. Just want to ensure I have the correct wrench before I take the wheel off. Thanks.

 

Are you saying ACS verified the extended warranty applied to your '03/76k TL, and that the dealer made you pay?

Does your vehicle have a salvage title?

 

Been feeling the same. But the car I'm renting while my TL's in the shop just feels so different & made me realize why I like the TL so much. Damn Acura for having to put me in this position of avoiding a car that I like due to reliability concerns & the treatment of their customers.

Still doesn't hurt to try. It would be Acura's last resort in me giving them another try in the future. It's like I said - their cars are too good to treat their customers this way.

 

Hey Guys,

I'm new to your site and just spent 2hrs reading
68 pages of how crapy the TL Trannys are.

This is an old issue. Someone please tell me what
the fix is ie. (fluid changes / coolers etc.) or does everyone buy a new tranny every couple of years.

Someone please help

 

correct me if im wrong but theres no real "fix" thats out there for it. this was my solution for it.

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-problems-fixes-70/another-solution-my-auto-cl-guys-758220/

 

Thank You.

How much did the swap cost you.

 

actually a highly trusted member on here did the swap he lives in the northern VA area. no offense but if your interested id rather you go through him for prices. but what i can say is that i doubt you will find other places cheaper and better work. the tranny itself i paid $1100 that i found on car-part.com

 

Northern VA is a little bit to far.
I live in Miami.

One last question and I won't bother you any more.
Now with all that you know. Would you recomend
a 07 Tl Tranny or the 04 Oddy.

Thanks for your time.

 

lol when he did mine i was living in Philly at the time so the distance wasnt too bad. oh and your not bothering me at all glad i could help a fellow az member out. i know how much a PITA these trannys can be. i would recommend the oddy tranny less likely hood of it being beat on vs the tl tranny.

 

06 Oddy Tranny Got it.

 

My '03 TL's tranny died at 135k. I went to my Acura Dealer and asked them for any type of assistance as well as called Acura. The service manager took my information and said he would call me and let me know. I could tell he was irritated I was even asking especially without the car. He told me I need to bring it in and pay them $100 for them to look at it and tell me the tranny was shot. I already had 2 mechanics look at it... it's shot. He never even called me back! I removed the tranny, had it rebuilt for about $2,000 (came with a 12k 12 month warranty) and installed it myself. The car will be paid off soon. I can't wait to buy a new Nissan or Toyota and drive it through the lot and tell them this would of been a NEW TL if they had only called me back. BASTARDS!

 

"Pay me $100 & I'll tell you your tranny is dead."

However, I don't think they would've charged you the 100 bucks if you gave 'em the go-ahead to do the tranny replacement. But I'm sure you wouldn't tell them yes until you knew whether or not Acura was gonna good will the replacement.

 

They charged me $100 to tell me the same thing. I guess it was the price I had to pay to take the gamble on the goodwill, which wasn't a good win. Still had to pay them $100 to get it towed out of there. Bastards. Mine is back with a $2k rebuild and no updated PCM...driving fine. It's also up on craigslist for sale, but I have an ungodly price on it....car is good otherwise and I am reluctant to give it away because I'm afraid if I trade it even for something else or downgrade, I'll wind up with something worse. I just don't want a payment.

 

Same here, just got mine back & wow, prior to the rebuild, my tranny was suffering though it hadn't died yet. Makes me wanna keep it now, haha. I am looking for the new PCM though, impossible to find on the cheap.

In my case, when I got the TL, it was definitely an upgrade, but price-wise after this transmission business, a downgrade.

 

So add me to the club 6 days after buying my car. It drove fine during the test drive. I'm going to put an 06 odyssey transmission as the replacement. Hopefully this one will last 50 or 60 thousand miles.

 

Just placed the order for Odyssey transmission. Got an '06 with 39k miles for $650 shipped through car-part.com

My local mechanic is doing the job for $630 labor. $1280 for a reliable transmission installed sounds pretty good to me!

 

I've been in this thread before. Just thought I'd pass along something I've discovered.

I'm still in my 2003 TL. 185k miles, transmission changed at 90k, current one has sucked for at least the last 60k miles. Sometimes shaky shifts between 2/3, but mostly lurching into higher gears when accelerating slowly. It's like the transmission thinks "OMFG! 5TH GEAR! GET INTO 5TH GEAR NOW!" So as an experiment, I started driving in D4 in town and only use D5 on the interstate.

The car drives completely different now. I believe the shift points are different in D4 and that keeps the car from trying to change gears when the RPM are too low. In stop and go traffic, I don't get the lurching and slamming into inappropriate high gears. It drives like I would expect it to.

I'm pleased with the positive change it has made. If I'm wearing the transmission prematurely by driving in town using D4, I don't give a shit. The transmission is garbage anyway, the car is near end-of-life for me, and it's better than embarrassing myself with a car of passengers wondering why this "near-luxury" car is bucking us all around.

 

Anachostic, interesting, but you must live in a city with high speed limits...my TL shifts into 5th at around 48mph. If I'm doing that, I'm already speeding ~20 over. And for stop/go rush-hour traffic, I probably only reach 4th under 5 times during the ~30 minutes I'm in stop-go traffic.

But I can agree with you on the tranny being garbage, so I'm with you on not caring if we're possibly prematurely wearing it driving in D4. I've got a year before I kick this rebuilt tranny so it's whatever.

 

i'm sorry to hear about many of the bad experiences many members are having with the goodwill warranty, or lack thereof. you're right, it's a game, but it's a simple one....$$$.

whether or not it's right for acura to judge goodwill on your loyalty to the dealership is not being debated, it probably isn't but they are in the business to make money. these cars are getting up there in years and many of them are with their 2nd or 3rd owners. i am personally the 3rd owner of my 1999 tl, which means that acura made no money off of me. why should they care if i switch to lexus if it means the same thing, no profit for them? they wouldn't, and that is why many of you guys are not getting the goodwill warranty.

i was able to show them that while i got the car used, i had taken it to the dealership for all work in my brief ownership of the car, and as a poor student, i couldn't afford a new transmission, but in the future would be able to buy a new car from them if they helped me out today. i think that is what got me a free transmission on a 10 year old car (out of time on the warranty by YEARS).

again, not saying it's right of them to do it, but it is all about the money for these guys. i think you have to show them that they either have made money or will make more money from you in the future, or it's not good business for them to throw $4k at a customer who isn't going to come back anyway.

 

here my dont go to autozone just order the transmission from there totally the wrong one didnt even come with new senors so i getting my from the dealer spent 2600.00 with tax will be here on sat

 

1) What type of work did you get done at the dealership, and how many occasions we talkin? Also, how long ago did this happen?

2) I agree with your last statement. However, that's exactly how I stated my situation, but it didn't work. I believe it's more about who you deal with. Some people are more understanding than others, even if they work for the same company & have the same policies. Some don't even want to hear your story & initially label you as the type of person you describe (a customer who won't even come back). And if that's the case, it's gonna take a lot to change their mind.

 

i bought the car in aug of 2008. prepurchase inspection, one oil change and replacement rear view mirror were done at the dealer prior to transmission failure in feb of 2009 (it hadn't technically failed, but i took it to the dealer for trans symptoms). so i'd given the dealership about 300 dollars prior to the transmission replacement.

the car was actually purchased new from the same place, just not by me, so i'm not sure if that factored into their decision (i don't think it did). basically i just said i hadn't owned the car long, but whatever work i had done, was at the dealer, and that i was a heavily indebted student so i couldn't afford a new transmission at the moment, i guess they liked the idea of paying me off now so i'd come back later when i am no longer a poor student....