I have an 05 manual with 25,300 miles on it, with most of that mileage from highway use. I use my car to transport clients around, so aggressive driving is out of the question. This is also not my first manual transmission car, so that's not an issue either. Two days ago the clutch started to not catch the gear. Now, if you floor the gas, the RPMs shoot way up then come down and the car sluggishly starts to accelerate.

I expected a clutch to last much longer than 25k miles under what I consider regular driving conditions. The only issue I have had until now was a slight difficulty shifting into third (sometimes requiring an extra little push to get it into gear).

Anyone else have any similar issues? Any recommendations?

 

Wow, You should be getting atleast 100K on a stock setup. Is it possible you are resting your foot on the clutch while driving? It is very soft and could be causing a slight drag and of course abnormal wear. BTW, if the dealer does not cover it you will be looking at over $1300 for replacement. You may want to consider trading it in hoping the car doesn't act up on the test drive.

 

I have an 04 6MT with 22K and no clutch issues. The motor does not have much torque so some people may give it too much gas getting started.

Anyway, I would take it to the dealer, it certainly sounds like the clutch is slipping. They may fix it under warranty. The dealer will probably balk at fixing it for free, insist on speaking with the regional service rep if that happens. If all else fails, Honda may goodwill you the parts and you may have to foot the bill for labor.

Be warned, Honda thinks they make perfect cars and any issues are the result of owner misuse.

 

You know this could be a problem with the preasure plate or maybe even a simple adjustment. Either way it needs to be brought in asap. Slipping means excess wear.

 

Repair is $1,900... dealer is saying that a clutch is a wear item. Had someone from the dealer drive it this morning and they said the clutch was shot the minute he got into it. The car is only 11 months old, so I am trying to argue logic with the dealer to get them to replace it, but so far no luck. That's why I wanted to see if anyone else was having this same issue.

 

Where are you located? Some dealers are cheaper than others. Eitherway it will be hard proving the car ate the clutch. I have never heard of anyone successfully argueing that one.

Do you rest your foot on the clutch pedal while driving?

 

The exceptions to clutch life are: defective equipment, defective installation, racing, towing, unusuals (as living in San Francisco), and the operator.

Unless you fall into the first 5 of these, it's hard to imagine going through a clutch in 25,300 miles. You should expect 8 to 10 times that number of miles.

So with that said, your car has a serious problem and I would bet it's in the hydraulic components of the clutch control. There is a valve that keeps the clutch from engaging too quickly when shifting really fast. If this valve starts failing, it can produce the symptoms you're seeing which is a slow engagement of the clutch.

Yes clutches are wear items, but so are door knobs and steering wheels. Acura should cover this under warranty.. press them, push the issue.

For the record, I have an '04 TL with a manual transmission and I am approaching 25,000 miles. It will break traction in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears when I get into it. The clutch is tight and sure, and performs as one would expect.

 

UPDATE----

(No on riding the clutch btw) The Service manager at Fountain Acura (Orlando) had the regional manager in town today and they both took a look at it. At first they offered to split to cost, but after some coaxing she was able to convince the regional manager to do a one time customer goodwill and repair it at no cost.

They're going to look at it and let me know if there was a defect in the parts once they crack the assembly open. Even though it took some time, I will say that they have once again gone out of their way to make sure the customer is happy.

Quite a change from my previous dealership experiences!!!!!

 

^-Sounds like you founda very nice service department. Hopefully the new clutch doesnt give you any problems.

 

That's great to hear - please keep us posted on what they feel was the problem when they dig into it.

 

The TL uses a hydrolic setup like most other modern cars.
It can have problems, and allow the clutch to slip and wear out, but you should notice it.
You can also have an oil leak that gets on the clutch/flywheel and causes the clutch to slip.

Someone else had the same problem, and the same fight to get it fixed.
I think they replaced the hydrolics...

Brett

 

Aside from your clutch problem, you mention difficulty engaging 3rd gear. I have the same issue, intermittently. High effort is sometimes required to engage 3rd, even when shifting leisurely. Sometimes it doesn't engage fully and I engage the clutch only to find I'm in neutral. Is anybody else having difficulty engaging 3rd gear?

 

I have an 05 mt and aside from the clutch squeaking it has never had a problem. The fact that it has such low miles means it is just defective or the person who had it before you ruined it.

For 3rd gear issues replace the fluid with GM syncromesh friction modified fluid from the Chevy or Cadillac dealer.

 

Difficulty in engaging a gear is usually caused by, in no particular order, linkage problems (in need of adjustment), bent or damage shifter folk, damaged blocker rings, damaged dog teeth, or badly worn synchronizers. The problems that some people have been reporting with 3rd gear have tended to involve the synchronizers.

Two avenues are available for you to try. One is to do a drain and fill of your transmission case using General Motors Synchromesh Friction Modfied fluid (part #12377916). Most always, this tends to fix the problems. The other fix is to take your TL to a dealer for the TSB fix for this issue.

BTW, I am the original owner of an '04 manual TL with 72,960 miles and have never once experienced any of these symptoms or problems so it does not effect everyone.

 

i have an 06 acura tl and i have the same issue with 3rd gear, sometimes i thought i wasnt pressing the clutch low enough to switch the gears, but now that i see a couple of you having the same issue i guess thats not the case. ive made an appointment with acura to see my car thursday ill keep you guys posted on what they say.