mondster

Why not? It's your right as a customer to get updates that would further enhance your car. You did, after all, pay a good amount of money for the car and had to endure a significant period where acura failed to act accordingly on the issue. Yes, you feel that the car is driving how it should now, but the update is supposed to even make it better... it's your call. But i wouldnt think for one second that i would be bothering them.

atl7

It's not so much bothering them that I care about, this whole situation has been a huge pain in the ass and I'm done dealing with it. I'm sick of taking my car up to the dealership for the transmission. I've decided if this car ever needs work done to the transmission again I'm getting rid of it. Until then I'm done with the whole situation lol. The car is as good as it'll ever get transmission-wise..at least good enough for me!

1Louder

I feel the same way. For the first time in about a full year I can drive my car without thinking about the transmission the whole trip. It's a nice break.

You can always ask them about the TSB at your next service. If your car needs it, it should flag in the system anyway.

neil0311

Bother them? Up to you, but you're the customer. It's their job. The car needed a replacement transmission which isn't trivial.

I "bothered" the living crap out of the Service Manager when my car was being worked on. Had his cell and texted him directly. I have no shyness or reluctance under the circumstances. Too bad if they don't like it.

That's just me. I grew up in NY and lived in the northeast most of my life before moving south.

rxr

Just dropped off the car at the dealer for the updated 15-040 tsb for a replacement transmission. Hopefully, they don't just blindly apply the software version and tell me all good since I already told them I got the update back in March. Got a 2016 RDX as a loaner and it rides disturbingly rough and the transmission is not that great either...

atl7

Like I said, I don't mind "bothering" them as long as I feel the car has a problem and there needs to be a fix. But why would I call them up and ask for some TSB when I'm perfectly fine with the way my car drives? It's more of an annoyance for me than it is for them.

sbillard

I dropped my TLX off on Tuesday. Also got a 2016 RLX. It too has a rough transmission, but worlds better than the one that is currently in my TLX. I had 15-040 applied last September. Except for the few weeks while it was "learning" there was no improvement in the shifting. I had taken the car in for the fifth time last Saturday with the updated 15-040. The last two times the service department has told me that the car software is up-to-date. Saturday they said bring it back [Tuesday] with a full tank of gasoline and they will run some "measurements" and get back to me.

I've not heard back, which I hope is a good sign. In the mean time the RDX is Ok. The controls are slightly different but close. Don't like the shifter and wish it had parking assist.I was suprised to learn it is shorter than the TLX. But of course it is quite a bit taller and appears huge by comparison.

jswift2000

I called ACR this morning and informed the transmission is the same or worse after having TSB 15-040/16-012 applied in May and the rep told me to bring the car back to the dealer to re-apply the TSB and run a diagnostic check on the vehicle. I told the rep I don't want a $43,000 car that needs to have TSBs applied, i've been a honda customer since 1994 and I want resolution... the only glimmer of light is he mentioned there is a field rep in the area that can be contacted if needed. The car goes in next Saturday so I will update then. BTW - the car is a 2015 TLX, 08/15 build date.

CPR

Hang in there jswift2000; took me 17 months of complaining, but now the car runs like it should have in 2015
Sad to see people still having to argue; you know Acura is well aware of the tranny defect; they figure if they
stall long enough, people will just go away & sulk
The 2016 version fixes the problem; I knew that because my buddy has a 2016 MDX that I test drove
After I told my dealer that, the whole game changed; for me, all's well that ends well
Good luck!

rxr

Just got a call and I was approved for a new tranny! Will be coming next week so I'll keep you guys posted.

mondster

Tranny replacement approved. I should be getting my "new" car next week. About damn time!

1Louder

I agree with the advice to hang in there. Acura isn't going to make this easy, and keep in mind they have a process and in order to succeed that process needs to be followed. If your dealership does not check the boxes at their level Acura will deny moving forward. As painful as it sounds, I'd go with what your dealer is suggesting. Get the updates, go 500 miles and complain it didn't work, and I think you finally get to the part of the flowchart that says, "replace the transmission".

1Louder

Congrats!

Rocket_man

I suspect your VIN is outside the range of those cars being allowed a new transmission.

jswift2000

My VIN is in the range - 19UUB3F50FA010578 so i'll get the update next w/e, drive 500 miles and see how it's behaving. If there is no improvement, I will contact ACR and ask for a new tranny. If they deny, I will decide what to do next. My first Honda was a 1989 Acura Legend L, bought used with 48k miles on it. That was a car... so great in many respects. I've been a loyal Honda customer since. However, we'll see if losing a 22 year customer is important to them... two customers if you count the wife.

Thanks for the advice everyone... have a great weekend.

wagsrules

I had the update doe today. So far the transmission is shifting well. I have 230 miles on the update. Hope it sticks but doesn't sound like it will. I got a 16 TLX V6 base as a loaner while they programmed my car. The 16 shifts really well. Has a small lag when down shifting at 60 mph but not as bad as my transmission. Seems to be a second or so quicker when shifting from 9 to 4. On a side note I had complained about the VCM vibration and they told me there was nothing that could be done at this time. Well my vibration is exactly the same as the 2016 loaner car I had. I guess it is the way it is. Its more annoying than anything. I took my car to Zimbrick Acura in Madison WI. I asked the service advisor how many transmissions they have replaced and he told me 0. I don't know if I believe him or maybe he hasn't dealt with any but for the number of TLX's they sell I would think they would have replaced at least one. He tried to play it off that there is nothing wrong with the transmission. It is just always learning. Whatever. I did point out to him that the 2016 shifted perfect from 1-2 and 2-3. He did tell me that after driving the 500 miles and I still have problems to come back and they will look into a replacement. He was aware of the revised TSB.

99CL

Dropped my car off Thursday for the update and got a call today, that's they're approved for a tranny replacement.

sbillard

What dealer did you use? Jusat in case mine does not get the approval.

99CL

Thomas Acura in Covina.

sinain

"Something" in Acura culture seems to have changed: Took my '15 TLX in for 15-040 update and the dealer is replacing the transmission. No 500 miles of driving required while transmission does its' relearning.

wagsrules

Have you had this update applied before?

wlkeel

Sounds like Acura is starting to make things right, as they should! Good news for you V6 owners and for the TLX reputation. Hope the rest of you get satisfaction also

sinain

I have not had this update applied before. Thought sure dealer would invoke the 500 mile "learn", but they didn't.

1Louder

I hope it works out for you!

I get really annoyed every time I hear someone at Acura trying to blame the "always learning" feature. So frustrating. My rep mentioned it too but before I could drill in on that he relented and approved a replacement so I didn't have to. But this argument bogus. If this could be fixed in software it would have been fixed by now. If the "learning" algorithm is causing this, a fix could be identified fairly easily. Also I don't accept the idea that this "learning" software can take an otherwise perfectly operating transmission and make it bad through the learning process. If that were actually true, Acura would still be obligated to fix it because it's a problem with the learning algorithm not the driver. It can't be a SW problem at this point, it has to be a HW problem.

wagsrules

I'm surprised that Acura approved the replacement transmission without putting 500 miles on it with the update installed. Glad you got a new transmission. I noticed today a couple of not so smooth shifts after the update yesterday. Sport+ mode is still on perfectly smooth like the 2016 loaner I had. I hope I can get approved for a new transmission after the 500 mile mark.

wagsrules

I totally agree with you that this is a hardware issue. If it wasn't why would they have revised the transmission mid year and in 2016 to address this issue. I wish we could find out exactly what changes were made to the transmission but I'm sure Acura will never tell us exactly what they changed.

1Louder

The only explanation I got was one was an inverted clutch and the other non-inverted clutch. I've Googled those terms a dozen different ways and I can't seem to find an explanation for what makes them different mechanically, other than there does seem to be a distinct difference between the two.

wagsrules

Here is a video of a teardown of the Chrysler version of the ZF 9 speed. If you go to 11:15 or so they show the teardown of the B clutch which is used to shift from 2 to 3. My guess is that they redesigned this clutch pack.

moontz

Question for folks. My service manager is telling me the ACR came out and drove my car and noticed the hard shift behavior but his response was "the car has the latest transmission in it so replacing it most likely would not solve the issue since it would be replaced with another transmission of the same build". My response was that I have heard that they are not being replaced with other '15 transmissions, but being replaced with the new '16 trans. He said no, they would not do that and has never heard of such a thing. It would be another 2015 trans in it.

My assumption was you guys who get replacements are getting new trans with updated hardware (which i thought were '16s). When you get them replaced, are they distinguishing if they are '16s or updated '15s? Or should I just say replace it and assume they know what they are doing and just not admitting it?

cljw

Getting my 9sp replaced this week. I have mentioned the transmission issues to my service advisor every time I have taken the car in for service and had all updates done over the past year and a half. He would always ask how I liked the car, and I would answer great, except for the transmission. Here is hoping that this replacement will solve the problem.

sbillard

You should look at TSB 15-040 and compare your Vin with the ones listed. (Note that the FA numbers for the 2WD and AWD have been swapped.) If your vehicle is in the range, then there is an updated transmission possible. If it is a later build it already has the updated transmission. From other TSBs it would be reasonable to assume that this transmission is the same as the 2016 transmission, but that is speculation. The changeover seems to have come towards the end of the 2015 build year, so I guess technically it is a 2015 transmission. The point is that it is different from the transmissions of the earlier builds.

1Louder

Just to add to what sbillard already said....

Acura doesn't think about the transmission in terms of model year. They think about it in terms of a part number, and what model year(s) that part number is installed in.

We know the 2015's were originally built with a transmission with part number X. We all strongly suspect that at some point a transmission with part number Y started going on 2015 models which is the "fixed" version.

What we don't know is:
a) whether there exists a transmission with part number Z going on the 2016's, or are they getting transmission with part number Y.
b) there could even be an X' out there, which is the warranty fix version to the original transmission X, and there is a different part number Y being used in production.

It would be nearly impossible to find out for sure what the story is without the manufacturer drawings from Acura.

But all that said, if you own a 2015 the world consists of two choices: you have transmission X which means a possible upgrade to (X' or Y) is possible, or you already have transmission Y. If you have transmission Y, and it has issues, that might be a whole new thing.

What you may want to ask is whether the transmission in your car is the same transmission in the warranty kit for TSB 15-040 and see if you can get an answer.

CheeseyPoofs McNut

Glad to see so many start to get some resolution here - it's just a shame that Acura burned so many bridges by delaying this for a year.

KeithL

Parts don't likely have a year designator, just a part number. So as someone else pointed out the assumption would be early 15s had say part number 1234 then the update tranny is say part number 2345 and that may even be the same part number in the 16s or maybe in 16 they made more changes and it might have part 3456. The key is what part number tranny is in your car vs. what is being out in to fix the problems. I have a late 15 tranny and while not horrible is is far less than desirable. At this point I don't care if the MMC has the new 10 speed if it has same infotainment system then there is nothing Acura can do to keep me, I will likely head to Hyundai, Infiniti or back to Audi.

moontz

Thanks for the additional info. Yeah, they are now saying my car falls outside of the VIN range so will not replace it as they would be replacing it with the same transmission hardware which would not fix anything. You know... I went into this not caring too much about the rough shifting and was actually used to it. Just brought it in because I thought this latest TSB might improve it. Now after talking to these fools, Im pissed off again.

I have the dealer telling me that the car is not shifting correctly and even that they replaced a trans in a car with the same issue (and outside the VIN range of the TSB just like me) and it went from 5 out of 10 rating of shift quality to a 10 out of 10 rating and was perfect after the replacement. They say mine is a 5/10 rating (exact same as the other customer) but the Acura rep says that is normal and refuses to replace even though the tech & service manager both say it is not normal. So I had a 30 min discussion with the rep about this and it was basically for nothing. I explained there are 3 people telling him there is as issue, there is another documented issue at the dealer where it did fix it for same vin range as me, and I have a dealer telling me this should be fixed. The rep message was basically that he is sorry it’s a piece of sht transmission, but he can’t justify replacing it with another rough shifting transmission because that it how it is. He has driven the TLX and knows exactly what Im talking about but nothing he can do about it. All he can do is note our conversation “to protect me” in case anything fails in the future with the transmission. So after talking to them, I am now in the same boat as many of you of never buying an Acura again and also telling anyone I know or associate with not to buy one either.

1Louder

What's not making sense to me is the reps comment about "replacing it with another rough shifting transmission". Near as I can tell from this thread and my own experience, the replacement transmissions shift great. I'm 300 miles into mine and it's still great. His comment implies there isn't a fix out there if it's just swapping one bad transmission for another but that's not what other owners are experiencing. This replacement transmission seems good.

I can only suggest having the rep drive with you in your car, but first find a 2015 TSX on the lot (probably a service loaner) that is a later build and has smooth shifting and drive the two side by side. If there is an obvious difference between the two, press them to explain why (that doesn't involve blaming the "learning" feature as an excuse because that's bogus). That was the main point of my argument - we drove both and I pressed them on why are they different. All I wanted was for my car to drive like the loaner.

If you are outside the range that's awful, but it's worrisome (or at least it should be to Acura) that maybe they have the wrong VIN range because the cars with the "newer" tranny should be good ones.

rocket_pup

Maybe you guys can help me, because I don't have anything to compare my issue to. Yes, I have the 2-3 bump, but it's not terrible. My vehicle is well within the VIN range, but I'm pretty sure ALL cars in this range are bad otherwise there would be a mass recall - HOPEFULLY. I haven't driven another TLX to compare mine to, but I did get an MDX for a loaner - same engine/trans as my TLX. That was silky smooth! Is that how the TLX is supposed to be? (I know they're not tuned exactly the same, but they have the same engine and 9 sp. trans.)

Any help is appreciated.

1Louder

I have two feelings about the "bump". On one hand, if someone drove my car before the replacement I'd place money that either they wouldn't notice or if they did they might shrug it off. On the other hand, I noticed it every single time. 30-40 times a day, bump after bump after bump. I rationalized making a stink about it because a) the issue was there and undeniable and b) it bothered the heck out of me every time I got in the car. And by bother I mean every single time I used my car I thought about that bump. I could not make a single drive without thinking about it and of course I'd feel every one no matter how minor. For $500/month I shouldn't have to be mad at my car ever time I drive it. So its entirely possible my sensitivity to the issue exacerbated the problem. It's like when you are in a room with a ticking clock - once you hear the ticking you can't unhear it. Then you notice it all the time, and after a time it drives you nuts.

I guess my only advice is that if it's bad to you then its worth looking into if you are up for the journey. But Acura seems to be getting much better so you may not have a huge fight on your hands.

Another thing I'd recommend is next time you have service request a late build TLX service loaner (or maybe just go in and drive one) and compare for yourself. I would not compare to the MDX - it was documented a couple dozen pages back that the MDX with the 9-speed is pretty smooth and there is speculation that the heavier car is what smooths it out. So it's not an apples to apples comparison. Maybe drive a 2016 and compare.

It was almost startling to me when I got it replaced that I could actually be in my car and NOT think about the transmission for once. It was always on my mind for the better part of a year. That relief alone was worth all the work.

Rnguyen0127

After 8 months of taking the car in and out I finally got them to issue me a new transmission. I did not have to go through ACR like alot of you guys did. Just kept persistent with a positive attitude. Actually the last two times I took it to the dealership I had a Tech drive with me. This past weekend the same Tech drove with me and knew the transmission was a problem. He made no promises but I guess he came through.

mondster

Whats the last 4 of your vin and trim? Fwd or shawd? The vins in 15-040 were interchanged.