yeah, thats not a bad deal if you need the 3 years. i'm planning on getting out of this car by the time the year is up though.. i've had too many problems with it. it was my first honda and it wasn't at all as reliable as i expected based on how people talk about them.

i'll be trying hyundai next, mainly because they're the only cheaper cars i've really found that have a lot of the same comfort features available(heated seats, etc). Plus a hyundai will run on 87, get much better gas mileage and they have excellent warranties. i really don't need seating for 5 or 200hp to get to work everyday

 

my trans only cost me 2500 and i got a 3yr warranty

 

I know it's done with smoger, but I now know to fully not recommend AAMCO to anyone! FWIW, I got a 1 yr / unlimited mileage warranty for $1800. Turnaround was 2 1/2 days. Works out perfectly since I drive a lot per year and will want to be out of this car around the time the warranty is up. Enjoy the car while it lasts!

 

what i don't understand with all these stories about failing trannies and remanufactured this and slipping that...all of these problems with overheating and slippage comes from one screw up by acura, which is easily fixed under warranty from acura. all these people crying should have addressed the problem before the problem, if that makes sense. when these cars were being produced, the coolant lines were not big enough to keep the gears/tranny cool. all they needed to do is replace the coolant lines to the tranny, and the problem was non-existant. they would check the gears to see if they had any damage, if so, they would replace the tranny...if not, you were good to go with just the new lines. you can contact acura to find out if this has been done to your vehicle, and request paperwork with all the details of the fix. so then, even if down the line...100K, 150K, 200k...if the tranny fails, it get's replaced!! it's something that was recognized by acura, recalled, and they are willing to help everyone get a good, working tranny. nobody should be spending any money or putting there life in danger because of this problem, which actually isn't even a problem unless you didn't cover your ass and get the recall taken care of!!

 

so you honestly think that NOONE who's had a transmission fail has had the recall work done?

I know on my car it certainly was(unless we're supposed to believe honda creates service records just to lie about recalls.. in which case we need a federal investigation. )

 

yeah... you're right im sure i could have saved money if i shopped around at all.. but with Aamco within walking distance, and just wanting the car to run after 7 months parked on my block like a junker, i wasn't really in a position to do that.

ah well.. live and learn. the last time i had a transmission replaced i paid 1600 i believe.. and they didn't mount it back in the car correctly... it dropped out the night i got the car back while i was driving to pick up some pizza ..if i can at least avoid that, i'll consider the money well spent

 

The 2nd gear recall does NOT fix the underlying tranny problems.

 

what coolant lines are you talking about?? cooling has nothing to do with the trannies failing. its simply a bad design that can not be fixed without major redesign, which Acura will not do ( they did that in 2004-2005+ models) The problem is a premature wear of 3rd gear clutch packs that get overheated due to insufficient lubrication/cooling. this is internal, they can not put colling lines to 3rd gear clutch packs. The reman., units 2005+ have some improvements in clutch pack materials and case is different, but these modifications are only helping a little bit. the only way to fix a problem is to get a different car.

 

I figured this is the best place to ask my question. Couldn't find a definite answer...

I have an extra qt of Acura. I was going to get 3 more qts of Honda ATF cuz it's probably cheaper.

I'm pretty sure Honda and Acura ATF are the exact same formula, right?

 

if the fix was that fucking simple dont you think EVERYONE would have done it by now. obviously the recall didnt do anything cause all their new trannies are still pieces of crap. noob.

 

Common Guys,

We have determined TL's have crappy trannys
and that the solution is to replace it with the
Honda Odyssey's. Share the good news and save
the next victim hours of aggrevation.

 

+1

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

 

And how many miles have been put on these Odyssey transmissions since swapping?

 

I have built alot of Odysseys too. They're not that great either. But maybe because our car is smaller and weight less, then it doesn't work as hard it will last longer.
Both uses the same torque converter.

 

I've put about 6-7k on my '07 TL tranny since my swap.

 

We Took our 2003 Acura 3.2 TL in for a Transmission problem to Performance Acura for a repair that was part of an a Class Action Law Suit...on replacing Faulty Trannys, to see if acura would help us with the Repair Bill..Warranty had been extended to 7 yrs and 8 months or 109000 miles on the trannys...Our Car was out of warranty by about 6 months and @ 20K miles and there had been recalls for over 554000 of these Tranny Repair and Replacements for this vehicle..After going through Acura Corporate they came back and said Their Good Will Offer to us would be to reduce our Repail Bill by 15% which lowered the price down to 2801.00..Reluctantly We agreed, (because no one else can successfully rebuild these trannys). 2 days into the repair the dealer had the Gaul, to call me with adittional Concerns that they reccomend we get fixed, while in their shop totaling @ additional 1900.00. They would not buldge on more than 15% off on the transmissino repair because their records did not show customer loyalty and Repairs at an Acura Dealership, so this affected their Decision on the amount of discount they gave us, but then had the nerve to attempt to pile on Extra Repair Work which we would have did if they would have been more gracious in the beginning. I said No on the other repairs, and I will have them done somewhere else and never deal with Acura Again.We were never notified that this problem had Existed with these cars and this problem had been happening for the Past 5 years, for this Vehicle..Buyer Beware of Acura 3.2TL Transmission Problems.

 

always a sad first post is a person who didnt know about the trans issue- its well known here and on internet forums and to the service depts of acura

the recall was not for the wear out of 2nd gear clutch pack that most experience.
it was to install an external kit that put oil to the 2nd gear shaft via the normal filler port hole- to stop the shaft or gear from BREAKING and causing lock up of wheels- often at 70~
the recall had nothing to do with the other real problem

the `Goodwill request` usually starts with the service manager calling the regional rep- and pleading your case
if that doesnt get anything then you WRITE corp- letters make a differance
thats mostly for cars `out of vin range` but under 109

out of miles is out of miles- 109 was a 2nd extension of the miles by the court, 100 was first
the front motor mount is often broken and you dont know it until tech looks under the car and spots its telltale leak of fluid from the mount- very special trick hydraulic fluid filled front and rear mounts that cost 120 dollars each~
MUCH cheaper and easier to replace front mount with trans removed for replacement-takes 15 minutes instead of 2 hours- saves you big money in labor

20k past the 109 extended and you got 15% off with no history of trans fluid change at dealer, or service history or family bought 3 acuras from the dealer,,
that beats nothing!! and came with a 3/36 warranty -right?
It will increase the cars value if you decide to sell now

what else did they find? what exactly did they suggest in extra repairs?

If the timing belt was never done with water pump- those are overdue- 105 is time

yes the trans can be frustrating but the car is solid and will keep going well past 300,000 miles as long as you keep up on basic mait and timing belt replacement every 100

 

there are several other car makes including vw and audi with a similar TipTronic transmission and the warranty ends at 50- no help at all after that

and our own gen3 cars carry the gen2 problems into 04-05,,they got 50 and no help after

We scored with a class action- 7 years plus 9 months or 109kmiles/ 114.5 for cars with odometer error vin's... thats amazing today
have to buy a hyundai or a chevy to get 100 powertrain warranty now~
acura still doesnt do it for gen3 unless you buy their CPO extended warranty,,, for about what it cost them for the trans

 

Any update when you installed the 06 Ody trans on your TL.
Appreciate any info and thanks.

 

Someone in this forum actually mentioned ordering an 06 Odyssey transmission to install on his TL. I'm still waiting
for an update though to verify fit and working condition todate.

 

my tranny bangs twice till after i put it in gear. and also takes a while to get in to gear. i would have to wait half a second or so in order to gas up. can anyone tell me if the solenoids are bad? ive had the car for about 3 years. it hasnt gotten worse or better.

 

2 seconds to engage D5 from N is normal
Banging not normal~
How does the fluid smell? burnt?- ever change any of the fluid?

Does trans slip under heavy load --- like full throttle from 25 and 35 mph in D5 and it either does positive downshifts and rockets ahead or it wonders and thinks about hooking up in the correct gear- engine revs- car doesnt accellerate etc

 

I have a 4 speed tranny from a 99 tl. Never changed any fluids and I haven't really smelled any burnt fluids. It's does slip when engaging 4th gear but rarely. And yes it does. Thinks about hooking up the right gear instead of engaging quickly as I'm reving the motor. Any ideas what could it be? Anyone else?

 

the 4 speeds are good units- maybe a pressure switch?

 

I don't know dude anyone else can help?

 

Would you actually know if an 05-06 Ody 5 spd transmission would exactly fit a 00TL w minor or no modifications at all?

 

That i don't know, the 00 TL 5sp auto has a 1/2 frame, the Odyssey has a full frame. I think the converter is the same,i don't have the 2 transmissions to compare, but the gear ratio might be different, you might also need a computer from the Odyssey, otherwise you will have gear ratio error code and it might have shifting problem afterward.

 

Hi everybody this is my first post and i would like to say thx for all the help the AZ communtiy has giving me, i've been using this site for 10 months now and it's time for me to contribute a little back.
Please be patient it's worth it...

My tranny failed on me for the 2nd time a month ago . The 1st transmission had the oil jet kit installed at around 44,000 miles and then acura replaced that tranny and ECU at 87,000 miles back in late 2005 because it was shifting very bad from first to second gear but it still hadn't failed yet, the rest of the gears were shifting fine still. After they put in the 2nd tranny i noticed a loss in power, im guessing because the shift points were different in the new ECU to put less stress on the tranny. The 2nd tranny failed when the odometer hit 144,000 but the tranny only had 57,000 miles on it, i had the 3x3 drain and fill done by the dealership every 10,000 miles if not a little sooner to avoid this problem and had the external filter changed for the 1st time at 140,000 miles after you genius's here at az discovered our cars had a serviceable filter. 4,000 miles later it failed and wouldn't go past 40mph after being drivin for 30 minutes . I babied that tranny and took good care of it, never abused the tranny and drove it like grandma would drive a car most of the time, and never redlined it, especially because the 1yr/12 month acura warranty was already over. So i get my car towed to acura of serramonte in Colma,Ca and spoke to the service rep. that i had been dealing with for the last 8-9 years (ever since i bought my 00TL in late 01 i've been getting it serviced and repaired at the dealership even after the warranty was over, dont ask why, i know its dumb of me but that's what i've been doing). I told my service rep. what happened and explained how it almost caused an accident in the middle of downtown SF, immediatly apolagized and put me in a free 09 TL loaner car and said dont worry about nothing he'll talk to his manager and corporate to see what they can do for me and im a good client of theres. He calls me 3 days later and tells me to call corporate and start a case and explain to them what happened, so i do that and got a case # from them. 5 days after that he calls me again and asks me to call corporate because they hadn't got back to them yet and told me they'll have to start charging me for the loaner if i keep it for more than 10 days. So i call client services AGAIN and the woman that was helping me told me i will get a call from her in a day or 2, she calls 2 days later and said the best they can do is cover 25% and i would still have to come out of pocket $2600+tx . I told her i have spent $15,000-$20,000 on early maintenance and repairs on that car with the same acura dealership and i have receipts to prove it also im a very loyal customer and my dad even has a 03 TL-p, she didnt give a sh** about how much i spent or what my dad has and said thats the best they can do for me and im lucky they will even do that for me, i told her they just lost me and my father as honda/acura customers and they will continue to lose alot of loyal customers because they're transmissions are unsafe and they're customer service is horrible towards they're loyal and dedicated customers, i told her .
Heres were it gets good for all of us....

Thats when i started calling all the local shops in and around S.F. to get prices/quotes and warranty information/deals. I even called junk yards and places that only sell engines and tranny's. I came across alot of pretty decent deals, i even came across a place called Engine World that imports they're used tranny's from japan w/ only 35k or less, but i hit the jack pot when i called 2 places: AAMCO and J&K Professional Auto Repair (j&K does tranny's as well as everything else, aamco only does transmissions). Those were the only 2 place that told me they offer LIFETIE WARRANTY for all they're transmission rebuilds, the guy at aamco told me they have been doing lifetime warranties since the very early 70's. I stoped by J&K and they offered to rebuild my tranny with a life time warranty for $2800 out the door NO tax and that includes torque convertor, any bad solenoids, external atf filter and genuine honda/acura atf-z1 fluid. I was impressed but i forgot to read the warranty agreement, i told him im gonna stop by AAMCO and see what they have to offer and i will get back to him by tomorrow. Next i went to AAMCO and they told me for a rebuild of my tranny with a lifetime warranty will be $2500+tax. He told me torque convertor, external atf filter and honda atf-z1 are included, i asked about the solenoids and he told me everything internal is included in the lifetime warranty but if a solenoid goes bad over time and it's external the warranty doesnt cover that. I read the back of the warranty agreement and it said the only things that can void the warranty are if you dont bring it back to them once a year for them to do they're inspection on it and you have to bring it back at least 1 month before the date you got it fixed so thats in 11 months otherwise you void the warranty, if you don't maintain it that also voids the warranty and if you sell the car the warranty doesn't get passed on to the new owner. I'm not sure if i should go with the independent shop or aamco: im scared to go to aamco because alot of people in the 2g tl forum always says aamco is the worst and only go there if your planning on selling your car afterwards, im scarred to go to the J&K because what if they go out of business for whatever reason, aamco has been around since the 60's and they're more of a big corporation and most likely aren't gonna close down anytime soon. I should go back to J&K to read they're warranty agreement first and see if they cover external solenoids because those things are expensive but im still scarred of them goin out of business.

What should i do aamco or J&K?

I hope this helps anyone that wants to rebuild there tranny and keep they're car worry free of transmission problems because of the lifetime warranty. Also firestone has LIFETIME wheel alignments for $180, I'm sorry for the long post im just trying to help everyone out.

 

better read that firestone fine print- it often limits you to 3 alignments per year or in total- 3x60 bucks = normal price--

your acrua rep bs'd you to the max- the corp rep didnt handle it well
BUT you are asking for warranty coverage far and above what they have to do
25% off is average if well beyond limits provided by the court of 7.9/109
Plus acura comes with 3/36 and is built using a newer case design than you have

Lifetime means nothing--if the company closes you are out- the fine print is made to deny you coverage later
lifetime brake pads- they dont last forever- they are cheap to make and get replaced free so you will buy something else while in the store!!

 

NO TAX?! in SF--and you trust these guys??

 

^what he said lifetime don't means shit. There's always something in the fine print to get them out of replacing it completly for free.

 

like the parts are free,,,but the 10 hours labor after they do 6 hours labor to remove and reinstall trans~
or you didnt come to them yearly for a fluid change or it was completed on a tuesday or,,,

 

Depending on how long are you going to keep the car. Aamco has been doing alot more than just transmissions for the last couple of years, used to be transmissions only. No transmission shop is perfect, no rebuilder is perfect. The Honda Accord,Odyssey /Acura TL transmissions has problems from the factory, the guy who designed it. The rebuilders just rebuild them, they don't re-design the transmission. Sometimes the rebuilder make mistakes, sometimes the defective parts. Even if you bring it to the dealer and have them put in new/reman transmission, they can't guarantee that it will last forever. Read the warranty paper really good and decide which shop is better for you. Aamco is the world largest transmissions dealer with over 1,000 shops in the U.S, will be good if you travel alot.

 

"back in late 2005"

What month is it exactly? If its mid-year its still possible you got some old one, but I doubt.

Good lesson to learn that doing all services at the dealer does not guarantee you anything, improves your chances -- yes, but still its really up to the dealer. I did the math, over 10 years owning this car I saved at least $2000 by avoiding dealer and/or doing services myself. Doing all services at the dealer sounds like a bad investment with a low probability of actually getting something for free, and even if you do get something for *free*, its probably the same money you could have saved in the first place to pay for a repair.
On another note, I believe that Acura has certain guidelines for age and miles on the car after which they will not support any goodwill work no matter how much you scream or even if you go to your dealer every day for service.


Its pretty sad to see another post 2005 tranny go, makes me question how much better 2005 transmissions are. My 10 year old car might be getting to a point that it costs more to fix the transmission than the car is worth, in those cases its better to dump it.

 

01tl4tl-"better read that firestone fine print- it often limits you to 3 alignments per year or in total- 3x60 bucks = normal price--"

Yeah i never read the fine print on firestones lifetime wheel alignment agreement but i take it in every month just to have the alignment checked and fixed and they never told me i can only bring it in 3 times a year, i specifically asked firestone before i bought the alignment if i wanted to can i bring it in weekly and they told me i can bring it in anytime and theres no limit.

01tl4tl-"your acrua rep bs'd you to the max- the corp rep didnt handle it well
BUT you are asking for warranty coverage far and above what they have to do
25% off is average if well beyond limits provided by the court of 7.9/109
Plus acura comes with 3/36 and is built using a newer case design than you have"

Your right they did bs me and they dont have to help me at all because of the age of the car but i did all my maintenance with them and i did all early so i thought that might help me out if the tranny ever failed but it didnt help at all that i spent tons of money with them. I think they used the new case design in mid 05 so i might have the newer case design in my car but im not sure.

01tl4tl-"NO TAX?! in SF--and you trust these guys??"
Im pretty sure when he said "no tax" he was trying to say all taxs and fees are included and $2800 was the total price after taxs.

01tl4tl-"like the parts are free,,,but the 10 hours labor after they do 6 hours labor to remove and reinstall trans~
or you didnt come to them yearly for a fluid change or it was completed on a tuesday or,,"

Im not to sure what your trying to say right there but if you go with aamco's lifetime warranty you dont have to get it serviced they're, they just want you to bring it in once a year to check and see how it's running. Lifetime transmission warranty sounds alot better than 1yr/12months and it sounds better than 3yr/36 months warranty. If you had a choice would you pick a 3/36 warranty or a life time warranty ?

 

How much is Aamco transmission with life time warranty? Last time I checked it was $4500 or so. This will be more than your Acura transmission with 25% discount and 36month/3yr warranty. If you have 2001, in 3 years your car will be 13-14 years old, how much longer do you plan to keep it? At that time your car's value will be like $2000 private party, you probably start having other issues and will want to do dump it. When car gets to 14-15 years old, it has no value ($1000?), people usually drive it until it dies and then just donate it.

 

I think Aamco transmission lifetime warranty is 30% of your total bill. I know this person has a 67 Chrysler New Yorker, his transmission was rebuilt with a lifetime warranty for like $300 back in the early 80's, he came back every year for annual check for the last 30 yrs. The only reason that he still have it it because it has a trunk that can hold a hot water tank and more and he's a plumber. Of course he can buy a truck, but the old man love his New Yorker. And he never regret of having his transmission warranty for a lifetime. But this is a rare case that someone love his car for that long.

 

Thx for the input piggylover1985, i plan on keeping my car for a while, i've had it for 9 years and still love it. Yeah thats what im gonna do go back to both shops tomorrow and read both lifetime warranty agreements and then decide which one will be better for my situation but i think im leading towards aamco because they're gonna be in business for a while i believe.

russianDude-"What month is it exactly? If its mid-year its still possible you got some old one, but I doubt."

I made a mistake my tranny was replaced on march 17 2006 w/85,601 miles on the car so it has to be the newer case design for sure. And your 100% right russiandude about doing all your services at the dealership doesn't guarantee you anything w/ them, and your also right about the age and mileage of the vehicle the woman at corporate who was handling my case mentioned that to me more than once.

russianDude-"How much is Aamco transmission with life time warranty? Last time I checked it was $4500 or so. This will be more than your Acura transmission with 25% discount and 36month/3yr warranty. If you have 2001, in 3 years your car will be 13-14 years old, how much longer do you plan to keep it? At that time your car's value will be like $2000 private party, you probably start having other issues and will want to do dump it. When car gets to 14-15 years old, it has no value ($1000?), people usually drive it until it dies and then just donate it."

With the lifetime warranty for my 2000 TL it will be $2500+tax for the rebuild, $4500 would be ridiculous and just plain CRAZY!! I plan on keeping this car untill the wheels fall off, seriosly i feel like i spent way to much money on this car on repairs, i've had to fix one thing after another on this car and i want to get my money's worth out of it or i'll just keep on feeling stupid for going to the dealer for all my services. After discovering this site i have saved alot of money and did alot of the DYI's and repairs myself, thx alot AZ community i'll try to help you guys out when i can.

 

piggylover1985-"I think Aamco transmission lifetime warranty is 30% of your total bill."

What do you mean by that ?

piggylover1985-"I know this person has a 67 Chrysler New Yorker, his transmission was rebuilt with a lifetime warranty for like $300 back in the early 80's, he came back every year for annual check for the last 30 yrs. The only reason that he still have it it because it has a trunk that can hold a hot water tank and more and he's a plumber. Of course he can buy a truck, but the old man love his New Yorker. And he never regret of having his transmission warranty for a lifetime. But this is a rare case that someone love his car for that long."

It's good to see aamco will honor the warranty and its good to hear the guy with the chrysler is happy with the lifetime warranty that gives me a little more confidence about dealing with aamco. I have had 2 cars at the same time for the last 8 years so even when i do get tired of my TL and get a newer car i'm still gonna need an everyday commuter to take the beating of the roads and i wouldnt want to put alot of miles on my newer car. Im very surprised nobody has mentioned anything about aamco's lifetime warranty on this thread,, i bet if more people had known about that they would of have chose that option instead of a 1yr/12 month warranty.

 

If it cost you $2,500 for everything the lifetime warranty will cost $750 on top, so it will cost $3,250. For some might not need it, but for our "super reliable" transmission, it's nice to have if you are keeping the car for sometime.