I just purchased a TLS last week and having done my research i learned about the crap trannys in these cars, i went to my local acura dealership and they said the second gear recall had been performed on my car, my question is: Should i start saving money for an eventual tranny failure?? The car has 99000 km's and currently drives and shifts like a dream.

 

buy an extended warrenty, and also save. the extended warrenty can only cover you for so long.. congrats on the purchase and do post pics!

 

the RECALL was to install an EXTERNAL oil sprayer on the trans to get more oil to 2nd gear shaft
It has NO effect on the warranty extension failure
The real failure prob is low oiling to 2nd / 3rd gear clutches, causes them to get hot and wear faster than one would like
See if the local acura dealer (canada may be different) will sell you an extended warranty for $1500- bumper to bumper coverage to 150,000 Miles
Any car will need expensive repairs someday- if you want to put aside 4 grand just in case----your trans may go next week or last for years
Coming on azine saying how smooth it shifts and drives often starts azine curse clock---

keep us posted on how it does in 7 to 11 days

 

Guess I'll start my clock then 'cause it shifts buttery smooth....

 

You might never have a problem, but it's always wise to expect the unexpected car repairs and be ready to fork over 2-3K in work. If you want, buy an extended warranty, I'm not a huge fan of them but for many they do work out well.

 

anyone know where to get more info on extended warrantys? I purchased a 2 year 24k mile warrenty from the dealer i bought the car from, but I plan on keeping it longer than 2 years. my extended warrenty will end at 115k

 

go back and see if you can buy the acura care warranty to 150,000 miles
for about $1500, if you are not covered vin, have you checked that?
register and look in recall section
http://owners.acura.com/registration...erstepone.aspx

 

12,000 miles a year on a tl is not even going out for a fun run once a month!

 

I'm super glad I purschased an extended warrenty! My tranny went out and I didn't have a care in the world!!!!!

 

My wife reminded me we had an extended warranty when we purchased this car. It cost us $2k and was bumper to bumper. We never ended up using it for a true failure, but at 75-80K a service writer had a the tranny replaced only to discover while doing the job an engine mount needed to be replaced - which was the real issue.

The tranny is silky smooth as it was before the replacement, now at 123K. However you can no longer start the car in N.

What's all this telling me? If I had kept the $2k and just paid for the engine mount I'd be ahead.

Warranties are simply insurance, very expensive insurance. They dont always work like you expect them too and things often go just after the period is up.

My peace of mind is having the cash available to spend as I see fit. Tranny blows and I have $2k waiting for it, that makes me feel better then spending $2k and 5 miles after the warranty is up, my tranny blows. Just because you buy it doesn't mean you'll use it, but the money is gone either way. If you put aside about $150/month for planned maintence you'll likely never been surprised by a car bill. I've been doing this for years and it just seems to work out in the long run.

Went 3 months without major service then in the span of two weeks, $290 and $90 repairs/replacements.

 

rob- check the Nuetral safety Switch-
Did the shifter area- cup holders- experience a spill of soda at any time?
There are 3 micro electrical switches underneath that area that send signals to the computer and get damaged by fluids.
Im not sure if there is a mechanical interlock for the Safety like the old days of cars- so it will only start in P or N and not in Drive~
Are your brake lights working?- check the switch behind the pedal for operation- clean- smooth-

The Service Writer didnt decide trans failure- the tech has to provide codes and evidence for acura to make the warranty exchange.

Its VERY common for the front motor mount to be found broken when the trans is replaced. You cant see the prob unless its up in the air and you look for it, or notice the odd fluid on the driveway- cost part $120 labor $30 with trans removed
Its 20 minutes to replace that mount while the trans is out-versus a few hours if the trans is installed

 

How best to check these switches? I haven't spilled any soda.

I'm about 99% confident our tranny was fine when it was replaced. The slight vibration we noted to her when the car was brought in was in line with a broken mount, which is what I thought we'd be getting fixed. She went on about tranny failures and how they'd just make it happen. She didn't even put the mount on the work order and called later to see if we'd let them replace the mount. I tried to push for an inspection first but she was already on the phone lining up a rental car.

Trust me, they put in the new tranny because we had a warranty not because we needed it. Later I let the service manager know that we'd be a lot more careful dealing with them in the future as we'd shortly be outside our extended warranty. He apologized for the service writer's quick conclusion that a $4000 service needed to be done for symptoms that could easily have been a series of other problems, like broken motor mounts.

Had we not had the warranty it would have just been the motor mounts replaced and/or the car inspected. But because we had the work done under a warranty job they ran up a huge bill. Everyone who bought into the same plan pays for that, it's abuse and shouldn't be allowed. It's what drives up the cost of warranties.

All this said, I think we're probably better off with a newer tranny without the defects. It's caused me to keep the car longer.

 

 

so are the new trannies actually fixed?