Our 2017 base TLX failed to start this morning. Heard a clicking/whirring sound and actually smelled something burning under the hood. Brake pedal was hard to depress. Had the car towed to a nearby PepBoys and they mentioned that the engine would not turn, so atleast a bad starter. From what I have read, a short in the starter is quite possible with the burning smell etc. Since, it was late on Sunday they could not get me prices on a replacement. Questions- Is there a known issue with these starters? Car has only 26K miles on it.
Car is a CPO, so is this part covered under warranty?
Lastly, should I have PepBoys do this work (have already paid $100 diagnostic) or take it to a dealer (closest one is 40 miles), so will have to use Acura tow to get it there and get them to fix it? I guess, it will depend upon whether it is covered under warranty??
Also, if I stick to PepBoys should I get a genuine Acura/Honda part or a third party?

Thanks for any input. Just a little miffed that a newer car has developed this kind of issue!

 

Unless your battery exploded, I would absolutely take it to the dealer, and let them diagnose, and fix the car.
Maybe I am jaded, but a place like Pepboys has never, and will never work on any of my cars, especially something like this that requires diagnosing. I also would prefer OEM parts for certain things like starters, etc. In that case, if it is the starter, I would expect it covered under warranty.

I have a 2015 AWD car, so even with the auto start-stop function, I am still on my original starter. Haven't really seen that as a common problem at all.

 

heck yes I’d take it to the dealer if it’s a CPO. You should still have warranty. Plus our cars have that Acura Roadside assistance. I used it to get my car jumped since Acura’s are known to have bad batteries.

 

Update- I had the car towed from Pep Boys to my nearest Acura dealer (50 miles away). Towing was covered under the warranty. It was indeed confirmed to be a bad starter. Dealer will be replacing the battery. Both covered under warranty. So, had to pay nothing out of the pocket. Even Pep Boys did not charge me $100 diagnosis as they could not even start the car.
Happy at the outcome. Thanks!