codwx

The transmission on my '02 TL-S has failed. I am the second owner, and this is car's second transmission. The first was replaced by the first owner at approximately 30,200 miles under warranty. There are now approximately 121,000 miles on the car, which is now at a reputable Acura dealer awaiting my decision on how to proceed. A goodwill request was made of Acura by the service writer on my behalf, and they have offered to pay 30% of the $5,012.57 bottom line price, which includes a new ECU at $971.00 and a 3-year/
36,000 mile warranty.
I know the owner of a very well respected private shop in the area who has worked on my car before. I ran these numbers by him and his reaction was that if a new ECU was, in fact, needed, then my 70% outlay with a 3-year warranty sounded fairly reasonable to him and would be hard for him to compete against.
I would love to read the reactions of some of the veteran posters on this blog to the following questions:
1. Should I press the service manager for help? I have never been to this dealer as they are not the nearest Acura dealer to where I live, but their online reputation seems (via reviews) to be quite good.
2. Should I counter Acura's offer and try to get the goodwill contribution bumped up to a higher number such as 50%?
3. What are the odds that my ECU will need to be replaced? The service writer indicated that they will not know until they submit the vehicle's VIN number and tranny tags to Acura. However, he indicated that about 75% of the (2nd gen TL?) tranny replacements also need a new ECU.
Thanks in advance for any good advice you can give me.

01tl4tl

your service writer doesnt know squat
they or YOU can run the vin now, as there is a list of who gets the ecu- only certain vins require it

the 3/36 is standard on all partial pay/goodwill replacements- its `included` for $300

the service MANAGER is who actually talks to corp for you
Did you speak with that person?
service writer works on commission- need I say more?

standard rebuild at trans shop can run $2500
I guessing the first replacement was done before mid 2005 when the new improved case arrived
so thats an advantage of going to acura

I would go in person and talk to the manager about a little more help

Thats assuming you have a good relationship at the dealer-
did brakes or oil change- some type of service where you spent any money there??? that helps a lot

01tl4tl

90kmiles out of the rebuilt is average, you did nothing wrong

On the fresh trans, to prolong its life- get in the habit of replacing 3 qts trans fluid every year

01tl4tl

is there another dealer you have used for service- their manager may be able to put in a good word for you too

codwx

01tl4tl,

Thanks for the replies. I was hoping you would see it.

I have never been to this particular dealer, so I have no history (and, therefore, no leverage) there. My son works as an Infiniti technician, so I know a little bit about what goes on at dealers. I know the owner of a well-respected private shop personally, and had any extraordinary maintenance (e.g., 105,000 mile service) done there.

Do you know anything about Boss Transmission? I spoke with them today and was very happy with their willingness to spend time on the phone with me and do some research on my behalf. I can get a reman from them for $1520. They will also 3rd party sell me an ECU for $323, while I can have AES R&R my ECU for $305 with free shipping both direction and a 3-day turn. If I go to the private shop and have the install done, the total package will be about $2500-$2600. If my son has the time to do it, the price goes down further.

I have emailed the Acura service writer and told him I can get the whole package done for $2100, but that if he can, between Acura goodwill and dealer concessions, get it down to that level, I'll leave the car there and let him do the work.

Based on your inputs, before I make a final decision, I will go and talk to the Service Manager. I'm afraid, though, that my position is without leverage, so I'll probably have to use the good guy approach and appeal to his sense of, oh, Christmas time or something.

codwx

01tl4tl

IF the current trans is in a post 05 case- get it rebuilt local

you can tell by the `oil jet kit` being external- where the oil filler plug goes on top of trans
Is there a plug with large letters ATF stamped on it?
that will be a post 05 new case design, (kit moved inside) get it rebuilt and no sweat

if it has the oil jet kit external, the newer case will help- especially if putting that kind of money in the car may as well get the best you can for it

If it were my car and has the new case- it would be at the local guy~ and son

note the new/refreshed ecu will hold 1-2 gear a little longer and higher when dead cold- first minute or two- in order to warm engine faster
Its a small amount but something to know about your car

codwx

01tl4tl,

The current trans (#2 in this car) was installed in March, 2004, so I know it is not the new case. Any way I do it, I will ensure that trans #3 is a post-'05 case, with internal oil jet (if I understand correctly what you have written). I'm waiting to hear back from the dealer. Good thing I have an old F-150 in the driveway for just these kinds of emergencies.

codwx

01tl4tl

ok then you have a pre 2005 case~- the old style with external oil jet kit to 2nd gear installed on top of trans--you can see that device correct?? not a 19 mm diameter filler plug with ATF stamped on it?

If finacially possible,, you want to the dealers unit this time, which automatically comes in the redesign post 05 case- you dont have to ask - it comes in that!
the new case has better oil flow to the weak parts- but its still not perfect
a change to better fluid will likely prolong the trans life

01tl4tl

if it comes down to a big price differance- your current case is fine as long as the oil jet kit is installed

thats the `part` they put in during the infamous 2004 `recall on the trans`
They installed the kit after a boroscope exam confirmed no excess heat damage had already occured to those specific parts

codwx

Update: Snow in Atlanta made the week of January 10th a lost week. The following week, I contacted the service writer to ask him if he had an update from his resubmission of my goodwill claim request to Acura. He came back and said that they had refused to move from 30% goodwill. I took your advice, 01tl4tl, and got the name of the Service Manager. I tried calling him twice on Friday, January 21, but never got beyond voice mail. I sent him a polite but firm email late that day, not expecting to hear back from him until the following Monday. On Saturday, January 22, I received an email back from him, stating that he would resubmit the goodwill request to the Acura regional rep and ask for 50% (which is what I said I would need to leave the car at the dealership and have them do the work).

This afternoon, the Service Manager emailed me back to advise that Acura was going to be willing to up their goodwill offer to 50%, and I've indicated that this will work for me. So, I hope to get my wheels back by this coming weekend. Huzzah - I'm getting tired of driving my old beater F150!

Thanks for all your help and advice, 01tl4tl .

codwx

01tl4tl

awesome!! persistance pays off- a box of donuts to the SM for sure

service writers dont make the actual call to the regional rep--someone is doing their best to keep up the profit margain and get some cash out of you~
SM knows some money is better than you going local rebuild and waving as you drive by the dealer next week

dont be surprised if it needs a front motor mount by now too
dont let the service writer `forget` to adjust the labor from 3 hours to .3 hour
for it `with trans removed` and part is less than $150 with FULL markup

codwx

01tl4tl,

Roger the front motor mount and cost of part and reduced labor. And also roger the box of doughnuts for the Service Manager. Where can I send a box to you?

codwx