So I've been having some really annoying issues with 3rd gear, and I know there is a TSB out for it. Took my car to the dealer to have it looked at, and since I only bought it about a 2 or 3 weeks ago I figured it shouldn't be a problem (and it's still under warranty).

However...the techs say they can't reproduce the problem so they won't do the service on it, despite there being a TSB. They said they'll do it IF I can show them the problem...so I have to take them out for a long drive and hopefully it happens and they notice. Problem is, I can go for a few days without it happening and then it can happen to me 4 times on one drive.

Is it really that difficult to get them to perform this service, even when there's a TSB out clearly saying there is a problem??

 

instead of getting them to fix the TSB,(and having a chance that they screw up something else) why dont you just use our magic potion.

GM Syncromesh Fluid Friction Modified.
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/rr-journals-gm-synchromesh-fm-analysis-556824/
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/rr-journals-gm-synchromesh-fm-tranny-fluid-557634/
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/trans-fluid-gm-synchromesh-honda-mt-fluid-your-opinions-596777/
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/gm-synchromesh-availability-alternative-803374/
http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=620194

it complete got rid of my third gear pop out.

 

try another dealership...or better yet, have a friend sit in your passenger seat with a video recorder ( cell phone ) maybe the issue resurfaces and have some proof of the issue.

I think dealerships now a days only care about getting your initial business vs keeping a customer happy for potential future business.

Only dealership I have found to be on point is Beiner Audi ( yes, opinions will vary ) but service is great and they treat you as a person and not just some number on an invoice.

 

http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=727762
http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=632650

 

I feel like the "magic juice" is basically covering up the problem. When someone sells you something defective you expect them to fix it...not toll you "here put this stuff in there yourself and you won't even know the problem is still there".

 

^so be it.

recently in the last month, a gentleman posted on this board that he went to go take the car in for the 3rd gear TSB MUCH LIKE YOU(they wouldnt perform the TSB) but when they finally did....they fucked up his car.

the GM fluid has better properties than the Honda fluid. I bet you as soon as they fix your problem and they add the Honda Z1 fluid, it will grind again.

 

If they mess up my car, they'll keep fixing it till everything is right. Since when did it become acceptable to buy defective products??

 

not all manufactures are perfect. Honda has been known for grinding 3rd gears...since the 1990's

 

I get where Niro is coming from. Ideally you make them fix it until you are 100% satisfied. Just keep in mind, you may have to deal with the inconvenience of going back again and again until they get things right. If you have the patience and the time to do that, by all means it is the RIGHT thing to do. In addition, I understand the GM fluid makes things smoother by increasing friction, allowing the synchros to do their job better. However, it also increases friction elsewhere in the transmission.

Having said that, lots of people have been using the GM fluid in various Acura and Honda vehicles for years, with great success. The choice is yours, and I don't think we should be beating up Niro for his choice. There are valid reasons to insist that the dealer make things right, instead of taking things into your own hands.

 

Technically, they're abiding by the terms of the TSB which requires them to verify the problem. You could try and push the issue with a district manager, another dealer, or ACS.

Or you could do what I and many others did and use the GMSMFM fluid. I never even set foot in a dealer to fix this. I've been using GMSMFM for 90K trouble free miles.

 

I just did the GM stuff in my TL and it completely took care of the problem.
But then again, mine is an '05 with 99K miles and long out of warranty.
If I had a car in warranty doing this, I would not rest until the manufacturer/dealer fixed my problem.
Then I would switch to the GM stuff......

 

I had this problem as well. My car had 92 000km and I had warranty until 100 000km. So I go to the dealership and tell them what the problem is. They tell me that someone is gonna take the car for a test drive and try to replicate the problem but it can't be right away so I would have to leave the car with them. Next day they called me back and said that tech could replicate the problem but that I am shit out of luck because they don't have a tranny fluid change on the record as it was suppose to be done at 60 000km. Oh and also they don't have the same TSB as the US and won't acknowledge that this is a standard problem on these cars.
What they did was change the tranny fluid for free and sent me on my way, but trying to push me to do a timing belt change for 1400$, to which I told them to fuck right off.

2 months later my 3rd gear started popping out again and I had enough of it. Read up on this site about the GM fluid, found some locally at a chevy dealership and changed it. 50 000km and not a single pop out. And by the feel of it I bet it will last another 50 000km or more.

In your case I would push for them to replicate the problem and fix it but if in the end there is nothing they can do and you still have this problem, there is always a way to fix it. And me getting 100 000km out of a 50$ fix is pretty good in my book

 

I had the problem with less than 10K on the odo. 15K later and it's still butter with the GMSMFM.

Opinions vary but I have gone the tear it down to fix on other vehicles and it was good for a while but came back worse than it was originally.

As far as selling things with defects, that is the world we live in today.

 

And then there are those of us who avoid taking their car into a dealer like the plague. I am one of those. The only time my '04 manual or my '05 automatic has been back was for the power steering hose/wiper motor recall. And I waited while it was done. They still managed to mess up something (rubber enclosure over a hood spring).

 

ya don't change any fluid or anything.. just try to get it to screw up.. then while its doing it, then take it in. It may do it worse when the temps warm up

 

+1

Some can't change a door speaker without screwing up something and yet some people have no qualms about letting them tear apart their transmission when $40 worth of GM Syncro will resolve the problem. To each his own I guess.

 

Absolutely. Thing is, it's not their property so they have no by-in or invested interest (strange... one might think that they would since it is the consumer who pays their salaries).

But it IS my property and I certainly do have a vested interest that it remains whole and void of induced scratches, bumps, or anything else it might obtain from a dealers service shop.

 

I would advise against this.
why try and purposely screw up your car???

GMSFM for the win.

 

Apparently I can't get them to fix it...I'm really frustrated with them because I live 1.5 hrs from the place and they want me to come in and drive the tech around...tech leaves at 4:30...so I pretty much have to take a day off from work...I guess GM fluid it is. How hard is it to replace the fluid? I'm not too mechanically savvy...

 

Welcome to the darkside.

 

Exactly my point. In a perfect world they should fix it for you and compensate you for the time you wasted driving there and back, and waiting, plus the inconvenience. In reality, it is a pain in the ass.

 

Leave the car at the stealership overnight and find a ride to/from there somehow. Come back in the morning, when the car's cold, then take the tech on a drive first thing in the morning. It'll probably show up more readily than in the afternoon when the fluid's warmed up after the car's been driven.

However, even if you do get the TSB done, be weary of the fact that other problems will likely arise. There have been several members that have complained about other problems arising after the stealership tech took apart the transmission and put it back together.

The GM fluid has a 100% success rate. 100%. I cannot understate that. Everybody who says it's just a "band-aid" really doesn't know just how good of a permanent fix this is. I've had this fluid in my car since the beginning of '07. Guess what? Not a single time has my 3rd gear acted up on me. Not a single time.

If you get your tranny torn apart by a tech for some warranty work, you better hope they care about your car, because there have been several members on here who've reported ensuing problems afterwards.

But, the GM fluid, AFAIK, has a 100% success rate.