Rocketsfan

lol. Maybe they're hoping he'll get used to it or sell it within a year.

1Louder

If a dealership lied to me like that I'm not sure what I would do. If I had another choice of dealerships to get service I'd likely let into the guy. The idea that the transmission needs to "break in" is laughable. I'm at 14K and its just the same.

If you have the option of using another dealership it might be worth your time to take it there. You can also just go straight to Acura Customer Care. ACR should force the dealership to review it again. But if they are being that deceptive about it I'm not sure I'd even waste my time if you have any other options.

If my dealership told me that I'd hammer them on every review web site I could find and take my car somewhere else. They're just making stuff up.

atl7

Yeah I don't see how it'll smooth out within the next 3,700 miles. Once I hit 10k, we'll go from there and I won't take no for an answer. My service receipt says, "Technician went on test drive with customer and was unable to duplicate any abnormal shifting. Technician checked for any further updates or campaign. None at this time. Tech states there is an extended break in period with the transmission that may get better over time. No corrections at this time. Customer and dealership to monitor."

I find it odd to say no abnormal behavior, because the tech felt and acknowledged the 2-3 rough shift and some of the rough/lousy behavior.

Rocket_man

I am impressed with your control! Remarkable!

1Louder

Lol - I'm not catching my typos very well lately.

Although since it's a lease and Acura has done nothing but make me mad, maybe a little of that is in order.

1Louder

I know dealing with Acura costs us all time and money and a lot of times it seems like we're just screaming into the wind, but if you were up to it I'd e-mail that quote to Acura Customer Care and demand a few answers. First why the dealership lied about not being able to reproduce the issue when you were in the car, and maybe ask for the detailed information about why the transmission takes 10,000 miles to "break in". Would love to see how they try and answer that one. If nothing, maybe ACR will hammer on the dealership for making up stories like that.

If they aren't going to treat you right, make it cost them more to treat you wrong.

atl7

You can definitely email them that, but I'd prefer not to rat out the dealership. This is my 5th car from them and they've treated me pretty well. Seems like they're just cheaping out on this transmission issue. But I won't let them once I hit 10k miles if the transmission doesn't magically fix itself, lol. But you can definitely tell them what I was told and my situation and ask for answers to why a dealership told someone that. I just don't want to tell on my dealership until they fully tell me no, they won't fix it.

youngTL

What's their response to you telling them that the new 2016's have less than 100 miles on them and don't have a clunky 2-3 shift? That simple fact alone disproves their incorrect break-in theory.

atl7

I didn't mention that to them, I should have though. I was pretty go with the flow yesterday and just listened to what they said. Once I hit 10k miles they won't have any excuses though, so only 3,700 miles and that's when I'll really push for something to get done. I am test driving a '16 TLX next week to make sure there really is a big difference and I'll have something to directly compare my car to. The only '16 model I compared my car to was my MDX and he just said the cars are set up differently, which I agreed with. But it is still the same 9spd transmission, just a different part number.

1Louder

I didn't mean to imply that I was going to send them an e-mail I've mentioned data and information from this thread before and all they'll say is "we can't comment on other cases".

youngTL

As the owner of a 2016 TLX, and having test driven the 2015's earlier on in my car buying process, the 2016 behaves much better, especially compared to early 2015's.

atl7

Mine is a 3/15 build, so not too early. Don't really know how to describe most of the issues, it's just really clunky and seems powerless sometimes. I just expect it to be as smooth as my MDX. Oh well, I don't plan on keeping this car if the '17 is MMC. There's no way in hell I would keep this car with the state the tranny is in, though.

Rocketsfan

What makes you trust the MMC they'll bring out?

atl7

Lol, the fact that they were given 2 years to figure out the transmission in this car. Will definitely wait a few months once it comes out to see if there are any problems that plague the car. Not making the same mistake again.

Vlke

I might be the only one that is looking to get out of the TLX after the transmission swap. While my TLX does shift much better after the swap, the downshift ain't the best. It's by no means rough or anything. I seriously think I might have gotten a lemon. Here are the problems I've encountered in 1 year of ownership with the car only at 11000km.

Transmission problems (2-3 shifts, acceleration delay, etc)
Both side mirrors creaks when folding
Rain sensing wipers wiping at high speed with sensitivity set to low during light mist
Brake Hold applying on it's own at slow/coasting speed
Rattling noise around the dashboard and passenger seat belt area
Steering wheel scuffed on delivery
Many dents and scratches all over both key fobs on delivery

After almost a year of dealing with the problems half of the issue was still not fixed. I've decided to just let the car go now. Going to see if I can get a good deal of the 2017 A4 or a BMW M sport 328i, can't really decide on which I like more! I had my TLX appraised and I was quoted $29k Cdn. After some negotiation, the best the dealer can offer was $31k which is still way lower than what I'd like (brought the car for $46k).

Also when my car was appraised. I was told the driver side fender is out of alignment (popped out a little bit) and apparently the coating on the hood is thicker (ie: repaint). I had no idea what happened and if I was to guess, the fender issue may have happened during the transmission swap. As for the hood, I have no idea how that happened...shady Acura...

Mike_TX

Hmmm ... with the dents and scrapes on the fob and steering wheel, and now the hood repaint, I have to wonder if you got a damaged car or even one that was used as a demo or loaner. Cars sometimes come in with slight damage and are touched up or parts even repainted like your hood, but they should have disclosed this to you.

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Mike_TX

Well, I check this thread daily in the hopes someone will post that Acura is fixing all 2015 transmission problems.

But alas, it ain't happened yet.

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CPR

Hallelujah! My dealer just ordered a 2016 ZF 9speed for my 2015 SH-AWD/TLX/Tech
Should be here next week
Dealer really came through, after 3 software upgrades, & numerous complaints
Can't wait to feel the silky smooth 1-2, 2-3, & 3-4 shifts, as well as controlled downshifting in Sport+ mode
Fingers XXXXXXXXXX; if this doesn't do the trick, it's a lost cause
I drove my friend's 2016 MDX; what a difference!
If my TLX shifts like his MDX, I'll be in Acura heaven
My Service Manager; (Heather Fornino), really went to bat for me; also Rich Durgin, her boss
Love these guys, because they care
Will let you know the outcome within 10 days; YAY!

Vlke

I'm leaning more towards damaged more so than demo or loaner as the car only had about 45km on it on delivery. I'm guessing there's no way to find out if the car was damaged and fixed up prior to delivery?

youngTL

As far as controlled downshifting in Sport+ mode, as the owner of a 2016 car itself, I would say that it's really good while you're driving. Coming up to a stop light it's a little unrefined (a bit of a mistimed throttle blip still). All the other issues are gone, gone, gone though.

SDSilverM3

We got our TLX back yesterday afternoon. We went for a quick spin before taking delivery and the first thing I did was put it in Sport+ to see how it felt. The 2-3 shift bump is definitely gone!

We also took the car out to dinner and grocery shopping last night just to drive it in various situations. One thing we both observed is that 1st gear seems much less sensitive than before and perhaps this can change with more driving as it adapts to our driving styles. The best way to describe it -- seems like we're in Econ mode -- needing much more pedal input to get going in 1st. Overall, the car definitely drives differently now in a good way. Much more refined and, if the characteristics remain as it is now, we would be satisfied with the resolution.


That's funny you mention the shifting feel with additional weight in the car. With the Acura rep and foreman in the car with us, the bump was much less noticeable than if it were just me driving alone. I thought what we experienced was an anomaly but reading this tells me the feel of the shifts do in fact change with additional weight in the car.

Momyc

This is one of the most things that I hate on my TLX. The pedal travel to get an response . If the new transmission is programmed like that , then is a lost cause for me. I found myself now enjoying more my wife Santa Fe than my TLX , because of the direct proportion between pedal travel and response . That was the case of my old TL. On TLX is like an elastic response which very weird , at least for me . I hoped the 2016 would be different , even they fix the 2-3 bump and downshifting , but if the response is "elastic" is still a no , no for me.

Mike_TX

The degree of response to the accelerator pedal is called "throttle tip-in", and it's a function of the drive-by-wire system, not the transmission. The throttle position sensor and the computer that controls it are at fault, and they're programmed to be less aggressive than some of us like.

Lots of little cars with little engines are programmed to have fast, or aggressive, tip-in to make them seem more powerful and responsive, while big luxury cars are often given slow tip-in so they won't jolt passengers on takeoff, and therefore seem more luxurious. Acura obviously decided to give the TLX something in between the two.

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mondster

What ids mode do you drive on? I use sport 100% of the time, and have had no issued with pedal travel and response. I tried econ once and i felt what you are describing. Normal has a little bit of pedal travel before the car responds.

Momyc

Always Sport+ and is not even close (at least from my experience) to my old TL or even my wife's Santa Fe. That's why hate it , I'm on Sport+ for god sake. I understand on Econ or Normal , but on Sport+ the "Tip-in" should be aggressive, but is not , at least on my car . I "teach" it to be aggressive driving it same way as I drove my TL.

youngTL

The throttle position sensor doesn't have a learning function. I noticed in the 2016 cars like mine the throttle position has an earlier tip-in while in all modes. Sport+ is amazing, but Sport is still pretty decent.

Rocketsfan

What's bizarre is every morning the first right-turn I make out of my subdivision pretty much is like what Momyc described -- some weird spongy acceleration where it's not going to accelerate "normally". I swear it's better after the engine's warmed up. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I don't notice that sluggish acceleration feel in straight line acceleration or other turns I make. A left turn I make on the way home (30 miles after it's warmed up), the car seems to want to take off like a bat outta hell.

youngTL

Mine definitely doesn't do what you're describing. It's the same all the time.

jswift2000

I had TSB 16-012 (although the receipt says 15-040) applied this morning and I can this is a different car (mine is an 08/15 build). While its not 100% perfect, i'll say its 95% there. The hesitation when accelerating on the highway or when merging is almost non-existent, maybe 1/2 second delay. Enough you know its there but barely noticeable. I'll report back after a few weeks.

mondster

I hate that there still isnt a fix like this for us earlier vin owners.... its stupid.

neil0311

It's not stupid. It shows there is a hardware difference inherent in the earlier builds of the ZF 9HP. Whether it's in the TCM or the guts of the gears, something doesn't work the same as the newer, updated units. The firmware obviously is written for the updated units and whatever was changed.

Once they replaced mine, they also updated the firmware to the latest per the TSB.

mecyl

I have a ZF9 tranmission which recently throw a code P07E4 "can not engage to park". I thought it is part of SW upgrade MIL P0657 but it is not. Car is in the shop for further diagnostic. Car can not shift to park even you pressed "park". Has anyone experience this？

jeich182

It's not stupid that Acura has a fix for some owners and not others? Yes it is stupid. I don't care whether its a software update, replacing a part, or replacing the entire unit (without having to fight for it like you're on trial), there are ways to deal with each iteration of the trans. and the issue(s) it has.

neil0311

The fix is replacing the older transmissions.

mondster

And its stupid that they havent done so.

CPR

Can't wait for my 2016/ZF/9 Speed to be installed; this week or next!

SDSilverM3

I felt the same way too about the process. Acura is beginning to recognize there is an issue. Although it took much longer than some of us early adopters would have liked, it seems like they finally have a viable solution to replace the early problematic units.

The following is not from any Honda/Acura source and only based on my observation of how things have progressed in this thread and with our own tranny replacement.

The first few 2016 replacement transmissions were used to gauge the resolution % with a few select customers. With the numbers translating into almost complete satisfaction, they implemented the countermeasures into remanufactured 2015 replacements which our TLX received. There was a new part # associated with our replacement that superseded the previous warranty A/T kit part # which will probably used from here on out to replace 2015 units.

The best way to go about it is to keep barking up the tree or continue to wait until more customers knock in that door of resistance. I felt the former worked better for us but YMMV.

atl7

I just drove a 2016 TLX V6, and as expected the 2-3 jerk isn't there. Other than the 2-3 issue, the transmission did not seem much better than my '15. I'm still very annoyed by the 2-3 issue and it seems the only solution is to get rid of the car in the near future. Not sure if I still want a '17 TLX, as I wasn't really impressed by the '16. Power is so much more effortless in my '16 MDX compared to the '16 TLX, a big disappointment as I love the looks of the TLX but can't stand throttle tip-in in the car.

acford

I have a 10/14 build of the SH-AWD Tech package. My main complaint is the hesitation when hitting the accelerator hard. It doesn't matter if I'm in Econ, Normal or Sport. I get very irritated when I floor it and it takes over a second to kick in. I was spoiled with my 2005 TL with manual tranny.

I've had the software updated twice. I will continue to complain but I've pretty much decided I'm stuck with this unless they replace the transmission.

quantum7

^^^Not sure that the 2016 transmission fixes this issue. This has always been my main complaint with the ZF9 transmission. Hit gas and then wait. Might be just a dog clutch design problem that no software can fix. Interesting that some report that the 2016 is better with this delay and other say it is the same.
Really hope that Acura addresses this with the 2017 MMR....I can only wait so long.