I have a 2010 TL SH-AWD with 56,500 miles that I bought new. I do most of my own routine maintenance including oil/filter changes, rear differential fluid changes, tire rotation, filters and inspections. I have had the dealer do the brake fluid flush every three years as recommended. I follow the Maintenance Minder religiously, fill out the maintenance log and keep all of my records and receipts. I just picked up the car from the dealer after having the air bag inflator replaced under the recall. The service writer told me I needed to have the transmission flushed. I have never received code "3" on the maintenance minder so have not changed the transmission fluid. The service writer said I should have gotten a code "3" at about 30,000 miles. He is telling me that since I did not have the fluid changed at 30,000 miles that I now need to have it flushed at a cost of over $400 and if I don't Acura won't authorize any warranty work on the transmission if needed. The fluid is as clear and pink as when new.

Questions:
1. Is it unusual that I have not seen maintenance minder code "3" after 56,500 miles? What triggers this code?
2. Is a flush using a flushing machine advisable on this transmission? I have read a lot of negative articles about the problems they can create. (The oil change businesses make a lot of money selling people transmission flushes.) Acura just says to replace the fluid.
3. Is there a filter in the transmission that can be replaced?
4. Is there any reason I shouldn't change the fluid myself?

Thanks!

 

1) Yes, it is very unusual that you have never seen the "3" maintenance minder code appear on your MID. At 56K, you definitely should have seen it pop up. Very odd.

2) Flushing the transmission at 56K isn't necessary. Flushes put a lot of stress on the internal parts of your transmission by use of the air driven machine pump they use and can cause premature wear on those components. The flushes dealers recommend are simply money making gimmicks. Simply draining and refilling the proper OEM fluids in the recommended time frames will keep your machine running just as it should. Flushes are for removing contaminates from vehicle systems. Your transmission shouldn't be at that stage, but you do need to change the transmission fluid right away if you haven't done so already. The fluid may look fine but based on your mileage, it's way past due for replacement.

3) Yes, only on automatic transmissions. It's accessible from a cover held on by two(2) bolts on the side of the transmission. I'd recommend replacing this as well with the fluid to be safe. It's cheap, here's the OEM part number: 25450-P4V-013

4) There is no reason why you shouldn't change your fluids yourself. You mentioned you've done your own oil changes, rear diff fluid, etc. There's no reason why you can't change the transmission fluid yourself, you seem mechanically inclined to do it anyway.

-greg

 

I have never got a service 3 message on the MID on my 2010 TL fwd.
It has approx. 65,000 miles (105,000 km).
I change the ATF myself regularly by just doing a drain and refill.
There are many threads and posts about this subject in this forum.
If you have had no issues so far it is very unlikely that you will have trans problems on a 2010 model.
My car shifts perfectly every time and has never had a dealer service for any reason in the four years I've owned it.
Knock on wood.

 

Thanks to Greg and Jim for your replies. The dealer performed the recall PCM update for the lock-up clutch function at 24,500 miles and also replaced the battery under warranty at 36,500 miles. I wonder if either of those procedures could have caused me to not receive a code 3 on my maintenance minder? I plan to drain and fill the transmission and transfer assembly myself but need some information. Is there a sticky on the forum somewhere covering these two fluid changes that you could point me to? Also, my manual does not give me the fluid capacity for the transmission. Do you know how much I will need for a drain and fill? I assume the OEM recommended fluid is still the Acura ATF-Z1 or Honda DW-1. I would like to change the filter also as recommended by Greg but it appears to require major excavation to access on my 2010 TL SH-AWD. I found one post with pictures on this but they don't look like my model. Any advice here?

Thanks,
Steve

 

on my last change I saw they put DW-1, this is the new fluid they use now. Question: do you guys change the washer on ever trany fluid change?

 

Not that I'm going to follow the maintenance schedule, but doesn't it say 120k miles for the ATF?

Are you sure that filter is replaceable? I looked into doing so on my 2008 MDX and seem to remember not being able to for some reason. I don't remember exactly, but I want to say it's internal or obstructed by some other part(s) that would require removal or disassembly. Again, I'm not certain but figured I'd bring it up to hopefully get some clarification.

 

I just checked the service manual and it lists 10.8 hours for replacing the filter, and includes removing the transaxle, so it appears that my assumption was correct.

 

hello
i just picked up a 2011 TL SH-Awd with 40,000 miles on the clock

is there a way to verify if the tranny fluid was ever done?

i would assume a "code 3" would have popped up between 25,000-35,000 miles.... no codes right now

no records available from local Acura dealer, the dealer i bought it from has no records from precious owner

thanks

 

In regards to the ATF maintenance... Replacing the trans fluid every 120K miles would most likely require replacement of the transmission itself as well. The Maintenance Schedule calculates service needs based on your cars mileage. Transmission fluid isn't made to last 120K miles by any means.

The filter is replaceable, albeit labor intensive. It's located inside of the transmission so yes, the labor will reflect that. The first pic is for a 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD, the second pic is for a 2008 Acura MDX. As you can see, they're almost identical. The part numbers on the trans fliter (#2) is exactly the same. It can be replaced, trust me. I've worked in this business for almost 10 years for both Acura and now Honda.







-greg