ok guys here my story..so the tranny on my 05 TL acts up..VERY rarely but it happens. so i took it into the dealer and was given a loaner. long story short...they have had it since last week on wednesday and they called me right noad and said there is nothing wrong with it. the diagnosed and diganosed and say it shifts perfectly fine without any problems.


so, they told me my tranny fluid is a bit dark and i should change it. (tranny flush). with a "discount" it would be $189. so my question is should i get it done? i know you guys/girls will give a good advice. btw..car has 63k on it...if that helps any..and im second owner. thanks in advance!

 

i have the same issue but not as rare, but from what i read it is a waste and does nothing really.

 

yea thats what i was thinking. everyone suggests a drain and fill and said to NEVER to a flush.

 

FYI- Acura/Honda uses "flush" to specifically refer to the 3X drain-and-refill.

I'd make sure the dealer was talking about the drain-and-refill. However, American Honda recommends against any type of "power flush" using a machine to exchange the trans fluid, i.e. with a vacuum pump.

 

good info! im going to call my service rep and ask

 

ok just called and he said "its a fluid exchange, there are no fluids added. but at this point its so dirty that a drain-and-fill wont do much for it"

what do you guys think?

 

What they will do is drain approximately 3 quarts, add 3 quarts, run the trans through all gears, drain and refill again, run the trans through all gears again. Then once more drain and refill.

They dont actually take it for a drive, they keep it on the lift and put it through the gears while the vehicle is up in the air.

But 189?! DAMN!! Just got mine done few weeks back for 99. I guess you in Cali so prices higher over there than the midwest

 

do a 3x3 yourself at home using HONDA zr1 trans fluid
and in a month or so the trans will die and you go back to the dealer- hey its really got something wrong now!
Color of the fluid is only 1 indicator of its condition- you can put new fluid in and the next week its black
Smell it for burnt oil
What exactly IS the car doing anyway?

 

Uh-- "fluid exchange" using what equipment?? That sounds suspiciously like a power flush to me.

 

The torque converter holds more fluid than the transmission pan. Draining and refilling doesn't drain the torque converter.

If your tranny is having problems shifting, be cautious about replacing the fluid. New fluid will act as a detergent and can "wash away" fragments of clutch in the clutch packs which can cause slipping. Your best bet would be to seek advice from a transmission specialist before draining anything.

 

I did this myself a couple of weeks ago and it cost me approx $55 in fluid (9qts). I was having minor shuddering and slipping at times, but nothing too major. 650 miles later and the tranny feels smooth as silk. THe car has 100k on it and I don't think it was ever changed by the previous owner.

 

The Honda/Acura 3x drain-and-refill "flush" involves draining, filling, then driving for a few minutes before redoing the cycle twice more- that should dilute and replace most of the old trans fluid, including that in the torque converter.

 

Is your problem a shuddering between 3rd & 4th gear? >90k on mine and it does it occassionally. I had my fluid changed 3 times over a few weeks - it helped some, but was not a total fix. Best of all, a recent trip to the dealership for a recall item led to the tech telling me... "hey, your tranny fluid is kind of dirty... you may want it changed..." The fluid was maybe 7K old. I think the Acura transmissions "dirty" the fluid pretty quickly!

 

If It Is A Manual Transmission There Is A Service Bulletin On How To Fix This Even If Your Out Of Warranty This Leaves The Door Open For Goodwill Assistance. That Dealer/service Advisor Is Not Giving You Good Advise Honda Advises Us To Never Ever Use Any Chemicals Additives Or Flushes When Servicing Transmission Doing So Can Void Any Chance Of Goodwill Assistance Or Warranty.

WHICH DEALER IS IT???

 

What about auto trannys that had a "transmission flush" done by the dealership? How does that stand in the eyes of corporate for good will warranty?

 

IN THAT CASE THE FACTORY WILL EITHER PAY FOR IT OR THE FACTORY WILL MAKE THE DEALERSHIP EAT IT.

 

acura/honda dealers may use the word flush because that what it says in the book for the 3x3 method description.
Machine operated power flushing machines are a no-no

 

sorry , your right about that .

 

You are just trying to give accurate info from a dealership perspective`