jpadilla

Went to dealer to get some fluids changed on my 2020 RLX Hybrid.

Next day dash lit up with "vehicle stability problem", "adaptive cruise control problem", "Lane keeping assist problem", "transmission system problem", any every other problem you can think of. Problem went away on the way to the dealer so turned around and came back home. 1 week later, it did it again. Popped the hood and saw this:




I assume it goes here, can someone confirm:



It smells like burnt coffee grounds. Hopefully it has/had fluid in it. Waiting until Monday to see if they want me to drive it back this way. I dont see a mess of fluid spewing out. But hopefully they did do the fill.

zeta

iTrader: (1)

^
If your red circled opening above leads to the transmission case below, then it appears to be #7 filler (atf) cap.
It looks like the service tech must have been distracted and forgot to replace.
Reinsert the atf filler cap and see if the car calms down.
On second thought, it may be prudent to check your owners manual to see if there is a way to check the atf level before taking it back out on the road. You don't want to cause any more inadvertent damage if any has been incurred at all due to a low level.

DanL07RL

I just finally found where the opening is on my car. How in the hell do you remove and replace that plug.....IT'S BURRIED. Do you have to remove stuff or is there a tool that can do the job?!

And as the previous poster suggested, I could not find the tranny dipstick. Anyone know where it is?

John from PA

I can't speak to your specific vehicle, but I've worked on some Accords where the plug is best accessed from below. And on at least one Accord there was no dipstick "per se". With the vehicle level, you used a funnel with a log fill tube and filled to overflowing, then reinstalled the plug.

By the way, ask you dealer if that price of $200 is a triple fill. $150 is about what I paid a few years back on an Accord but it was drained, refilled, driven about 5 miles, then drained again, refilled driven 5 miles, then drained again and refilled again.

zeta

iTrader: (1)

BTY32020OM.PDF (honda.com)
I drilled down a little further and found the 2020 RLX Hybrid owners manual online and page 512 states:

Acura thinks that it is to much for their consumers to handle!

zeta

iTrader: (1)

@DanL07RL
07 RL TECH:

DanL07RL

And here's another mystery.

If the manual shows transmission fluid change being accomplished completely under the car (which it does, I've done it) then why have this filler plug at all. It's nearly impossible to reach!!

zeta

iTrader: (1)

^

Nevermind, I just noticed you now have the 2018 RLX Sport Hybrid instead of the 07 RL Tech listed on your profile.

mrgold35

I would take it back to the dealership ASAP and let them know about the issue. The last time I serviced my MDX Sport Hybrid at Acura, the tech forgot to secure the engine air filter box and overfilled the engine oil by 1/2 quart. Just sooooo many steps to perform before, during, and after when servicing modern vehicles with placing in service mode, resetting software, and doing things in a certain order. No way my wife would have noticed the MDX air box being open and she would drive like that until the next oil change 10-11 months later and an extra +9000 miles on the odo.

hondamore

My wife's MDX Sport Hybrid suffered an oil overfill at her last service despite repeated reminders from me to double check all fluid requirements because of the car being a rare Sport Hybrid model. Alas, the issue is that the mechanics get busy and they are convinced that they know everything and make assumptions to save themselves the few seconds that it takes to check correct procedures. Every service has a step by step procedure set out by Acura, but those guidelines are routinely ignored by mechanics who have convinced themselves that they don't need the guidance. The worst part of my experience was that the mechanic who overfilled the oil in my wife's MDX, swore that he double checked the oil fill required and only put the correct amount in. So how did the extra oil get in my wife's MDX and why did they take it to the back to drain some oil after I noticed the issue???? Hmmmm. We all make mistakes, so less damage would have been done had the mechanic simply admitted that he got busy and made a mistake rather than lying about things and giving me and other customers ZERO confidence that he won't make the same mistake again.

In jpadilla's case, the error is obvious and inexcusable which should result in profuse apologies from the dealership. In the good old days, jpadilla's next few service visits would be completed free of charge, but in today's world, the best you'll get is a "sorry, these things happen" token apology.

jdpdata

Yes, overfilling our Sport Hybrids are a constant worry. I too always remind SA to remind the tech to not overfill. But they do it anyways. It's very annoying. I may just provide them with my own 4.5qt of oil next time to make sure they don't overfill. I shouldn't have to do this. I have taken both cars back due to being overfilled. It waste my day and requires double trips to dealer.

zeta

iTrader: (1)

^
So hondamore or jdpdata, how do you know if the hybrid atf fluid is overfilled?
Is there a ecu/pcm screen notification on the navi or does it throw a specific code?
Just curious, from a guy who still drives a cable throttle bodied S/C'ed 03 CL-S6.

jdpdata

measured using dipstick. It's always way over the threshold.

DanL07RL

OK this is interesting. I changed the tranny fluid 15,000 miles ago and after taking the car in for an unrelated thing I asked them to check the fluid level....they claimed the tranny was "a quart low"...and I know I put the correct amount in!!

OK so riddle me this: What is the danger of overfilling? Seems we're all getting it but no tranny failures, right?