2005 TL AT with 67K miles

The other day went on a trip and about 2 hrs into it the tranny apparently overheated and I had to pull over. It spilled fluid all over and stopped shifting gears. Would press the gas, but it wouldn't go anywhere. After about 30-45 mins I started the car again and this time it would move, but wouldn't change gears past 1st or 2nd. Drove less than 2 miles to a mechanic and he reset the computer saying its fine to drive, just keep it under 70. Sure enough it drove fine for 3-4 days and got me back home. I took it in to the dealer to have it checked out and now they are saying its shot.

So what's the deal? I've done the recommended maintenance. The tranny fluid even got changed less than 10K miles ago. The car is barely driven 10K miles a year.

 

What is the recommended maintenance? The official Honda recommendation is crap. The fluid they use is no good and does not prolong the life of your transmission.

It sounds like your transmission might be shot though...

I swear Acura knows this and they are using the failed transmission as big money maker...

 

When the clutches get so hot the fluid temps go up and spill the fluid out. Often seen on highway drives, Thats the end of that one
sorry

 

I'm curious, how exactly has it kept driving for 4+ days since that happened?

 

So the dealer just called me back. They will put a new tranny with 3 years/36K mile warranty and my part of the cost will be 2K and Acura will pick up the rest of the cost. I have no idea what a new tranny would cost. Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks

 

I think it's like $5K? Correct me if I am wrong. Tell those guys to put in new sensors too.

 

I called a couple local tranny shops and the prices they gave me were between 1500-2500 to rebuild it with only 1 year/12K in house warranty. They told me yeah it will probably drive fine short distances for a while, but once that happens its going to happen again at some point and keep happening. One shop told me the dealer price was my best option because of the warranty and quality that I'll be getting if I plan on keeping the car. Can't really go wrong with a 3yr/36K Acura backed warranty for 2K. So the only reason Acura is agreeing to cover the rest is to avoid another class action lawsuit/recall. Guess I have a decision to make on how to continue forward.

 

My only issue with the above is with the initial mechanic who looked at your car- there was transmission fluid all over and it wouldn't shift properly. He resets the computer than tells you it's OK to drive- personally, I wouldn't trust it or the mechanic after such poor advice. I'm not saying the transmission could have been rescued at that point, but just resetting the computer wasn't the right fix (obviously since you're looking at a new transmission). $2000 isn't at all bad to replace the transmission, but I would contact Acura Client services to see if they would goodwill a repair. It seems in bad form for Acura to ask $2000 from you for a car with only 67K miles on it (even if a 2005 MY car). Unfortunately, Acuras are known to have glass transmissions (2nd gen much more frequently than 3rd gen), and as such, I would want to know from the dealership why it failed at such a low mileage, and if it was properly maintained (I assume you have a record of the fluid change 10K miles ago), why you should be on the hook for the repair cost. That's how I would approach this issue.

Good luck with all of this.

 

To be fair, let me clarify. He didn't say the transmission was ok. He simply said the reset would let me continue to get back (to avoid the towing back home), but that I had to definitely take it in and have it looked at.

I took your advice and contacted Acura. After a couple days they called me back and bumped it up to 75% so I took it. I really didn't have the time to push it any longer as we're down to 1 car and that one had a VSC valve that had to be replaced and an issue with the driveshaft. Like they say, when it rains it pours!

I just dropped off the car today (part arrives on Tuesday) and they gave me a 2012 TL loaner for the long weekend so can't complain. I don't know if it's a good thing or not, it's making me want one now hehe.

 

I'm glad to hear you got some more $$$ off on the replacement transmission- will it have more than the 12 month/12K mile warranty (the 3yr/36K mile warranty as indicated above)? Enjoy the new TL for the weekend!

 

Yes it's an Acura re-manufactured with 3yr 36000 mile warranty which is great because we're moving to another state so since it's an Acura warranty I can take it to any dealer.

 

FWIW, the tranny in my '03 odyssey failed with 77k miles - quotes ranged from $4400 to $5400, with the later coming from the dealer. Honda agreed to cover $1k of the cost. So yeah, you are getting a pretty good deal.