Hi guys, Im new to this forum and have just recently hit 260k miles on my TL. This car is amazing, my dad bought it when it was first released and handed it off to me 2 years ago. Hasn't experienced any major problems until recently where the transmission is becoming slow on shifting. I really like this car, but should I buy a new one or should I just change out the transmission and then rebuild the engine once it fails? Thanks for the feedback

 

Sounds more like a personal choice. I can tell you to go buy a Ferrari, but can you afford it? :P (It's ok neither can I)

You gotta do what fits your financial situation and what you feel you need in a car. If you feel it's worth to swap or rebuild the transmission then go for it, same with the engine. A car's true worth is up to the person who drives it.

 

Agree here...if the car is otherwise in decent shape, it's a lot cheaper to fix it than replace it. You should try to get the tranny 3rd/4th gear switches replaced and a 3 x 3 fluid change of the tranny. It might solve your issues and it's a whole lot cheaper than a new tranny.

Generally, a decision to replace a car is based on:
-Its safety (in other words, it's so shot that it shouldn't be on the road)
-If it's costing more to own than the cost of replacing it (it's becoming unreliable and needs repairs more frequently- cost to repair items like an engine replacement will cost more than the car is worth)
-You want/ need features not present in your current car.

If yours is in decent shape at 260K miles, otherwise runs well, and you enjoy driving it, drive on. If not, replace it. As for the TL, with normal maintenance, there's no reason the engine can't keep going til 400-500K miles, so don't expect failure anytime soon.

 

OP, if properly maintained, the original engine will probably outlast the 2nd transmission

 

Engine is not an issue you should worry about the AT instead.

 

I'd keep it, especially since you know the history of it. Transmission issues are pretty common in the TL's. I'd swap trannys and keep going.

 

As erdoc said, definitely do the 3rd and 4th pressure switches and a 3x3 with a quality ATF fluid like Redline D4. If the tranny IS on the way out, you can try and find a 5AT from the 06 - 07 Accord. IRC, they bolt right up to the J32A3, and have shown to have significantly less issues than the older 3G TLs - I believe due to some transmission changes made in the latter half of the 05 production year for Accords and TLs by Honda.

Getting the tranny rebuilt might also be an option, but at 260k, not sure if that's the wisest route - a relatively newer transmission with low mileage will do wonders I think.