01tl4tl

blame the court case that got us the warranty extension,,
they needed a VIN to settle the case,,acura picked one!
somehow a rumor of the prob being fixed was circulated...the rest is history~

TexasTL03

so if my tl hasnt been in for warranty work by now, is the warranty still in effect if my transmission goes out soon? i bought my car with 99,200 miles in mid april and im coming up on 106k. havent noticed any problems, but i cant really afford to run into any. ive heard the 06 tl has a better transmission and its able to switch over with little to few modifications. if im able to at that point maybe that would be the best option?

01tl4tl

the warranty IF covered VIn (not all 03 covered):
is 7 years plus 9 months from date car sold as new,
OR 109kmiles--114.4kmiles for `odometer error` VINs (another court case)
whichever occurs FIRST

call acura for the end date 1 800 382 2238 x5
ask if all recalls have been taken care of- there is a recent one for airbag inflator

best thing to do now is get a sample of the current fluid sent off to blackstone labs
for 25 bucks you will learn of what is floating around in there--lots of clutch material or normal wear amounts,,extra metal of what types indictes different wear areas

depending on that, do a manual drain and refill 1 times with ~3.5 qts of the new honda dw1 atf

does your trans have the blue bolt heads or the external oil jet kit?

acura2003TL_YB

Hey guys, I have a 2003 acura TL base model 110K. The trans just went out on it and I was wondering if its better to get it replaced at a delearship or just get the thing rebuild.

Never had any warnings. I was doing about 80mph on the highway and the thing just crapped out on me. rpms going really high but no acceleration. Car does move but very little.

Aamco said it was internal and they would have to take it apart and rebuild. Acura is offering me 25% goodwill meaning I have to pick up the other $2900 myself.

Just wondering if I should get the acura trans or just simply have it rebuildt?

Satinva

Hi there,
Thanks a lot for your response, I really appreciate it. I took car to Acura dealer too, they confirmed that
transmission needs to be replaced. I bought this 2000 TL at
65K miles and did not do any Transmission fluid flush, no
one recommended for it. I was just trying to see if there is
any way that I can get this issue fixed without putting too
much money on it, since the car itself doesn't cost more than
$5K. I would really appreciate your thoughts and
recommendations on it.

Thanks
S

03tl-s04mdx

How much for Aamco rebuild? Acura includes 3yr/36k mile warranty, right? No mention of ECU replacement by Acura (another $1000-$1200)? Count yourself lucky on that one. Is it the original trans in the car now? If so and if the car is in pretty good condition other than the trans and you plan to keep it for at least another 3 years while it's under warranty then I would bite the bullet and get the Acura replacement - newer trans case design supposedly better than the original so hopefully with good maintenance it will last longer than a rebuilt in the original case.

beatsme

Hi everyone,

My 2nd gen 03TL, purchased in 02, has 76K miles on it. I bought it from the dealership, had it serviced there and brought it back (twice) to the repair shop when someone else hit me. So, when my transmission started going out I didn't know what to do.....my TL is way outside the warranty period (the transmission is original, jet kit installed in '04).

Thanks to this thread (special shout out to 01TL4TL) I took it into the dealership to get the airbag replaced (it is being recalled, I think) AND I asked for a goodwill replacement of the transmission. They gave me loaner and said they'd call me. I figured they'd tell me to get lost.

They called me back this afternoon, said they were sorry it took so long to get back to me but they were dealing with the corporate office......and told me they'd cover all but $1500 of the cost to replace the transmission. How cool is that?

This thread is awesome. If I hadn't read it I would not have known to even ask them to give me a break. So you guys saved me a lot of money.

I am a happy camper (and my car will be ready tomorrow afternoon). You guys are the best!

01tl4tl

you may get acura to go a little more--maybe 2500 for you - to match average rebuild locally--making some money is better than none!!

did they make that offer after seeing the car in person?

ECU change is based on VIN,,not all need it

in general: you have to decide what the car is worth to you in the next 3 years
= intended ownership or upgrading so you can off it on a dealer trade in?

dont sell it to some unsuspecting noob to acura--the azine karma is strong~

beatsme

Hi 01TL4TL!

My total out-of-pocket on the transmission is $1500. The service tech said that was about 35% of the cost, they'd pay the other 65%. So, because it is cheaper than taking it somewhere else and because the 3/36 warranty is included I said okay. I'm definitely keeping the car I just didn't know whether to get the rebuild at the dealership or go elsewhere.

Not bad! I'd rather take it to the dealership anyway.

01tl4tl

big congrats beatsme--1500 on first offer-!!!-
looks like they took pity on your low mileage,,although its dead on prime mileage range for failure!!

noobs reminder- front and pass side motor mount often found bad at this time,
when someone who knows cks them for damage--cheaper to do front with trans removed,,30 bucks labor compared to 150,,part still cost 125-150,,negotiate that too!

remember to tell Service Manager:
you are very appreciative and intend to give them `all 10s` on any survey they send you,,the card, by phone- email..those go a long way making bonus cks better~
they do get read by corp then distributed back to dealer for weekly shop meeting-sharing

And send a letter of thanks to SM for their `wall of fame-not shame' in the waiting room.
someone really went to bat for you!!

beatsme

01TL4TL,

As you suggested (somewhere in this thread), I caught the SM's attention on my way out to grab my loaner. I said "Hi" told him my transmission was toast, that the warranty was gone and that I was asking for a goodwill gesture on the cost. I asked that they please consider that I bought the car there, had it serviced there and repaired there twice, following accidents that weren't my fault. I told him I wanted to stay in the car and continue to bring it there for service. And I asked him to please help me out because it was important to me that I keep my strong relationship with the dealership. I should mention here, if it isn't already obvious, I am a girl. Anyway, the SM said they would definitely take my service record into account, asked me the name of the service tech who was helping me and told me to have a great day.

I drove off in the loaner and they called me back some time after lunch. And I didn't even take doughnuts with me when I dropped the car off!

01tl4tl

thats a solid dealership relationship and presentation

nope- didnt even think about the poster's gender,,doesnt matter for giving advice,,,
unless you get freebies based on flirting rather than bribing with donuts~
that makes us guys jealous!!

acura2003TL_YB

Aamco said hes willing to do it for 1800 with a 3yr/36000 mile warranty but he still has to open the transmission to find out what the exact problem is. This is the original trans however the first owner did have the torque converter replaced at 42k.

other than that the car has no other problems execpt for the occasional brake and oil change. Oh and I just had the motor mounts done and timing belt replaced for about $1000 at a honda dealer.

acura2003TL_YB

after seeing the car in person.
I've thought about selling it but Im not sure yet. I just don't wantto have to buy a new trans every 3 years or 50K.

Trade in is an option too but probably not for another year though

03tl-s04mdx

Which means he'll probably find more than $1800 worth of stuff to "fix" and you'll end up paying $2500-$3000 anyway.

$1800 with the 3yr/36K mile warranty is a really good price, but I'd be wary of anyone quoting that low of a price if it's not absolutely firm.

If it were my money (and it was just three months ago ) I'd go with the updated replacement from Acura. You're already into it $1000 for recent maintenance. If you get the new trans you'll hopefully be good for another 100K miles without any major issues or major maintenance needs.

beatsme

Hi 01tl4tl,

I got my TL back late last night and it runs great. Now I can really push it when changing lanes, etc., without worrying about the transmission slipping. I had been babying it for about three month to buy some time but it was starting to scare me.

Earlier you asked about another part that may also need to be installed when the tranmission goes out. I didn't know what that was. So I checked my invoice and they charged me $1.35 for hazmat disposal; $1319.45 for "goodwill split (P)/Acura5" and $237.48 for "goodwill split (L)/Acura 7" for a total of $1558.28. The comments section stated I needed a transmission and a PCM? Still beats me what all of it is but the car is excellent now so I am happy.

It was also nice to see in the comments section that the SM test drove the car himself. They confirmed that there were delayed/erratic upshifts (an understatement) and they said the transmission fluid was brown but not burnt. I actually checked this myself [thanks for the pix that have been posted] and I agreed.

They also said I need to replace the timing belt next time (based on age of the car, its been going strong since April '02) so I'll start saving my pennies.

As for my comment about being a girl, we are in Atlanta and this is the South so ......being "polite" is sort of mandatory (it is the way I was raised). And a nice smile never hurts. If I'd threatened to picket the dealership (or similar stuff I've read on this thread, all of which sounded like a bit much) the dealership employees, and everyone waiting to pick up their cars, would have looked at me like I'd been out in the sun too long. I'm glad that it all worked out.

So, thanks for all your advice. As I mentioned before I'd never have known to ask for goodwill in the first place if it weren't for the posters to this forum.

You guys are all great.

01tl4tl

the PCM power control module is what gets changed on certain VINs,,yours came with it

the split reflects acura corp getting some $ for the trans and dealer got some for labor.
hazmat fee was for disposal of old atf in trans, so they can ship it off to the rebuilder.
It will re-enter the system as someone elses trans in a few months,,at least parts of it will!

I suggest you treat trans like a new car--test it but dont abuse it for 500 miles
The PCM/ECU learns how you drive and subtly adjust shift points to maximize economy and comfort
So dont baby it,,, but dont beat it~ yet
save that for The Southern Belles Acura Ball and BBQ drag races lol

get on a plan of annual 3.4 qt fluid change to keep its life strong

beatsme

Still laughing over the Southern Belle and BBQ comments (for different reasons). The best Q in Atlanta is at Harold's over by the Federal Penn. Fried chicken is really our specialty. On the other hand, IN Atlanta, the drag races are for drag queens (not kidding). So I would be disqualified....I can't run in high heels and, well, no tranny!

But I really should replace the timing belt on my next visit, right? I'm going to be putting about 15K on it a year now, new job, maybe more miles than that. The dealership and I always had a hard time figuring out what to do, service-wise, when I dropped by because my mileage was always so low. Lots of times I left with an oil change and that was it. I'm pretty sure the transmission fluid was never changed. Sigh. So I'll make sure that is done annually in the future, too.

Thanks y'all!

And remember, drag racing in Atlanta requires high heels.

01tl4tl

hey phee- (our resident engine-tranny guru in atl)
Does this mean you have something to tell us~ about your racing

there are many from your city here on azine,,one of them is likely a tech and can do the 105 for you on the cheap or suggest good shop who did theirs

dealer is insane price for labor on this job and related jobs (clean egr- valve adjust)

Do the egr port cleaning DIY, and TB service as well,,new spark plugs
Seafoam gas twice at 1 can to just under half tank
then the TL is as efficient a commuter car as its going to get

girls can do it! proof found in azine threads~

beatsme

Regarding drag racing in ATL, I figured someone would get thrown under the bus after my post.

The "local" drag racing (for, um, traditionalists) is in Commerce GA, north of here. Atlanta Motor Speedway is south of here in Hampton GA. Technically neither is in Atlanta. I'm doubting seriously that Phee is racing IN Atlanta but you can google "RuPaul's Drag Racing" and see for yourself. Having worn heels for most of my adult life, I can tell you I was pretty impressed with the speeds invovled. Not sure about the makeup though.....and the evening wear, well, see for yourself if you are interested.

But I'd welcome a chance to avoid the high cost of a 105K service. I would probably take a stab at the seafoam thing by myself but all the smoke sounds pretty scary, might freak me out a little bit. I'm actually more motivated to replace some of my interior lights (clock and gearshift backlight [PRND, etc]). Dealership quoted me 2 hours labor plus the bulb for the clock so I've been driving without it for about a year. I never did ask about the other stuff because I figured it would be more of the same, $5 bulb and 2 hours of labor (something I now know is probably a load of crap).

And I have to be honest but "TB?" is the name of a disease here in ATL so I have no clue what that is either. But I guess it is never too late to learn.

See y'all at the races!

01tl4tl

TB= Throttle Body,,the thing that controls airflow into intake manifold
ck out the DIY section sometime~

how to seafoam the easy way- buy 2 cans
home depot has it cheaper than parts stores or walmart!!

When down to just under half tank of gas ~8 gallons, add 1 can seafoam to gas
drive to reserve/low level light like normal and refuel
when its down to half again, add the 2nd can
drive normal to aggressive--test the new trans a bit

you have now cleaned all the same places vac port does, just slower-
AND you got the entire fuel system done- which vac port doesnt touch!

Im sure you can handle that,, even in your LBD and pumps

01tl4tl

DIY also has lighting repair section

EmilyO

New to the group and looking for suggestions. I just bought my 2002 TL with 128,000 miles. All the sudden, the car has a slight shudder when shifting into second gear. No other issues, no lights on... If I accelerate harder through first and second it doesn't shudder at all. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. I have read through numerous threads, but haven't come across the exact same problem.

01tl4tl

how does the fluid look and smell? reddish---brown --black--- like burnt sugar??

you can try a single drain and refill of 3.4 qts of honda dw1 fluid
and hope
If that helps, try cleaning or replace the pressure switches aka shift selenoids

take it to a few trans shops and ask for a code reading and test drive
they will see if the ecu has stored any trans fault codes, and if the clutches are going out- which is bad news

koukie

I just recently took my 08 tl type s mt into Acura to have them check my 3rd gear out as it would just pop out of 3rd when i shift from 2nd. They replaced my 3rd gear and my syncro and the moment i got it back i noticed that when i accelerated in 2nd gear it would make a noise like it was Supercharged. I called my buddy since he works at the Acura Dealership i go to. He told me to bring it back. Replaceing 3rd gear and the Syncro cost me nothing since it is still under warranty. I took it back to him and he took it apart and says that i have a bad bearing and my reverse gear is bad too. He told me hes going to try to get me a whole new transmission since there is so much metal shavings in there now. My thing is i took it in for a 3rd gear issue but now i have ended up with a bearing issue and a 4,5, and reverse issue. Im just glad that i still have warranty on it. The orginal owner gave me all his paper work too and i was digging through his papers and noted that he too had stated the 3rd gear issue at about 15k miles. All they did was changed the tranny fluid out. I hope that my buddy can convince them to just give me a totally new tranny for it. I love the car and have been with out it for about 2 going on 3 weeks lol. It only has 35k miles on it now. I just hope my buddy can pull through for me.

01tl4tl

welcome to acurazine
this is gen2,,wrong years of car for you--please repost over there
the 3rd gear issue in gen3 manual trans cars is very well known

CyDogg

Hi Guys, Im a newb and was too lazy too read through this entire thread. I have a 07 TL Type S. I just bought the car from a dealer, Certified, so Inhave warranty. 25K on the odometer. I didnt notice this when I was test driving the car because I was overwhelmed by the awsomness of the vehicle. when I got home and drove the car for a few days I started to notice that it seems to downshift noticably at around 40 mph and again around 10-15mph on flat roads. This is wierd and some post say that this is normal because of the "sporty feel of the car", this seems wierd to me. I has a 2k3 maxima and never noticed it downshift ever. Is this normal or do I need to go in for service and hopefully not get a new trans. Thoughts? I sooooo want to like this car but Im nervouse about it now reading all this tranny BS on this thread. 125K on my maxima and no problems, a month with the TLS and I have nervouse thoughts. HELP!!

01tl4tl

this is the gen2 99-2003 car section
you need 3rd gen and repost this
an 07 should have the improved trans that appeared in 06
with that low miles and age take it to the dealer and ask to take a quick ride with the head tech,,Speak with the SERVICE MANAGER in advance, dont just show up and let a service writer BS you,,as is their job

while there is some built in downshifting for hills etc,,you need to read the owner book for all the tips and tricks
register with acura and you can read book online,,lots of good stuff on this site-
http://owners.acura.com/registration...istration.aspx

BuddyC

iTrader: (6)

I have an 02 TL-S and my car just threw the CEL for a code of P0740. This is my 2nd transmission, as the first was replaced by the dealer under warranty. I've got 246k miles on the car, so I've got to get this looked at. Not sure what a rebuild would cost, or even worth it. Car is in good shape, so time to weigh out my options.

01tl4tl

rough guess 2500-2800, since you have a LOT of miles on the trans the gears and other parts may have worn to limits

BuddyC

iTrader: (6)

Got word today from the shop that a rebuild would be needed. Car slips/chatters a little from 2nd-3rd gear, but its been like that for sometime and can be intermittent at times. Basically needs a rebuild, and they estimated the cost at $2,800-$3,300 on the high end of an estimate he said.

Probably going to trade the car in due to it having 246k miles on it, needing some front brakes, and rear tires. Plus little odds and ends, so it won't be worth the money to put back into the car.

Not sure what I'm going to get. Perhaps another TL as I like them, or a TSX.

cornTL

Hi Everyone,

Well my luck has eventually caught up to me and my transmission is starting to slip and die out on me. I experienced hard slips on a very HOT day a few days ago and I took it to Acura and they quoted me over $3,500 to replace! I tried the other dealership across town and they quoted me $4,600 to replace? Am I missing something or is that right?

I have a 99 TL with $180,000 miles. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

01tl4tl

the first dealer was offering a discount
you are well past any goodwill -discounts from corp, but the dealer is free to discount
however they want- its their profit margin at stake

whats the overall condition of your car? need other things like upcoming timing belt water pump (every 100kmiles) shocks- brakes rotors axles etc
if those are good -consider what car you can get for 3500$... a barely decent used car in most places!
is your car worth keeping or dump it now as a parts car for some ziner~

mastini

iTrader: (6)

Guys, said to post here, but let's check my problem.

I have 02 TL-S, original tranny, 120k KM (not miles), jet-kit installed in 04/05.
transmission never ever slipped before.
Today, after full stop I saw delayed shifting and downshifts, also going in revers takes like 5 seconds to get into gear.

Tranny is gone for sure, or there might be something else?

Also, iirc there is n such thing like goodwill in Canada, right?

Completely upset and lost...

Any suggestions what to check and from where to start?

thx for any help.

01tl4tl

fluid color and smell to start with?? red or brown black atf smell or burnt surgar??
might be able to band-aid it for a while

any fluid change history??

the jet kit has nothing to do with clutch wearout issue

mastini

iTrader: (6)

01tl4tl, i'm going to check it today, as well as change fluid, i should have spare fluid.
I did usual change around 2 years ago, when my tranny temp sensor gone.
I tried to drive it yesterday and it was ok for around 10-15 minutes, then start delayed shifting again. So as soon as it getting hot, i'm having issues.

Not sure, if you will be able to reply before i'll get to garage, but I think it's good idea to change fluid anyway, since I don't have to pay anything.

thx

mastini

iTrader: (6)

ok, changed fluid and drove few miles, first errors came out:

P1750 and idle control.

ideas?

UPD: checked with other obd reader, says both 1 and 2 solenoids are bad

looks like i need 28250-P6H-024 and 28250-P7W-003.

Does it means that I only need to replace then and everything will be ok?

sweetpea20878

I have a 2000 tl with 196k and my trans just started acting up I changed the fluid and solenoid and its been fine since.

mastini

iTrader: (6)

update... removed both solenoids and cleaned them, bottom one was "blocked".
Going for a test ride home...

mastini

iTrader: (6)

Hope that's the issue, cleaned both of them and replaced fluid with redline.