Rec'd my callback from ACR yesterday, suggesting I bring the car back again to take a drive with the service manager so they 'feel' the symptoms. I'll do the needed for my case... in the meantime I will begin filling out the lemon law paperwork.

 

I just got my car back from performing TSB 15-040. Pretty smooth so far. They said they had to perform the TCM and clutch break in twice.

I also had TSB 15-017 performed. It would have been nice if they told me that all of my bluetooth devices would be reset. Not a big deal, but definitely not up-to-par with Lexus, Audi, MB, or BMW service.

I didn't think my tranny was too bad, so we'll see how this goes.

 

I get your point and agree, but honestly, if that's all you have to worry about on the car, you're doing pretty good. 🙂

 

I'm glad the TSB was updated to correct the swapped FWD/SH-AWD VIN ranges - at least now dealerships won't be able to use that as an excuse. Bad news? My VIN is literally only a few numbers outside of the VIN range. Might as well take her in and try my luck to see what they say.

 

Well, I got my car back today. They said the car gave a Diagnostic code "P2638" they Cleared it, checked for updates and did a idle learn and the vehicle shifts correctly. Apparently there were no updates needed for my car. (Don't know if I believe that).

I drove it home and it did seem less laggy, and the rough shift isn't as rough, instead there is a small delay before it shifts. I guess i'll drive it around some more and see what happens.

 

I didn't catch if it was a replacement or they just did the updates and relearn. If it was just the latter, be wary the idle relearn procedure seems to be temporary for most. I had two, one lasted maybe a week, the other a day.

 

They didn't replace the transmission or install any updates. They cleared the diagnosis code and did a relearn.

I figured the relearn would only be temporary. If the transmission starts to shift roughly again I will take it back to them. Just thankful I leased and won't have to worry with being stuck with it long term.

 

hey guys dropped my TLX off for for plastic seat issue and rear speakers. i got a 2016 MDX my god why does this jeep feels more responsive than mine? i got a new tranny in my TLX and its still so slow to move. shift are smooth at butter its show very slow shifting. anyone has these issues?

 

I have the new tranny as well. I like the shifts, but there is occasionally some very odd behavior when accelerating. When starting from a stop, in most cars if you press and hold the accelerator at a fixed position you'll get something close to a consistent level of acceleration or at least what I'll call a smooth curve (more response in the lower gears, less as you keep shifting). In my TLX, it surges forward then flattens out, shifts, surges again. The acceleration is very uneven and at times not very responsive to gas pedal inputs. I notice it during light or light/moderate acceleration mostly. Heavy/moderate to heavy acceleration seems to pull consistently. But in what I'd call stop-and-go traffic conditions it often does not accelerate smoothly and it has nothing to do with the shift points. I guess that's how I'd describe "slow to move". The net result for me is that it acts sluggish.

Nothing I'd complain about for sure, but to me points back to this 9-speed, even when fixed, has some very strange behavior.

 

yeah i know what your saying, the MDX felt more responsive with more power. maybe they programmed it better since its a bigger load. if that program can be on the TLX it would be an awesome car.

 

Yes I have a '16 MDX and my TLX has a replacement tranny, but my MDX still drives way better. Throttle response is soooo much better in the MDX. The replacement tranny for the most part fixed bad shifting in the TLX, but the car still has extremely poor acceleration and now this awful vibration/shudder when driving at 75mph is the nail in the coffin, time for a new car lol. It's really frustrating that the heavier MDX feels quicker than the TLX because of how horribly integrated the TLX transmission is.

 

Anyone know whats causing that shudder at 75mph? I get that on mine too, and it cant be vcm since i get even in sport plus mode with the rpm at around 4k.

With regards to throttle response, im hoping that hondata or ktuner can come up with something soon...

 

your 10000 percent correct. TLX feels worst than a 4 cylinder car. I think its programming and if they put the same programming in the TLX it will be a beast. And yeah it is time for a new car it has been a let down that a huge suv with the same internals operates and feels faster than a car that is suppose to be lighter and more agile. Has anyone else experienced this and yup I have that vibration as well but I try not to go above 75.

Does anyone one on here have a TLX that drives and feels like the 16 mdx?

 

Well, its been over a day and the sluggish laggy 9speed AT has returned lol. I really need to drive a 2016 MDX to feel the difference. To be honest I'm just waiting to break even on my lease, I've been eyeing several other cars (Infiniti Red Sport, Charger Scat Pack, IS350 F Sport).

Coincidentally I received a Survey via email from a company about my TLX Today. I was brutally honest and filled out all the "Additional Comments" section with several lines. I really hope they read it, I also hope I win their sweepstakes for a $500 Visa Gift Card that I was automatically entered in for completing the survey lol .

 

wait until you drive it you will be so maddddddddd and actually let out some curses at Acura. do the 16 TLX model drive like it? but yup i even have a light weight crank pulley and somewhat of a cold air intake but the dame shifts are sooooo sloww and its still a crap performing car. 2 more years for this lease but i need to get out of it before. this MDX sealed the deal on how it performs that our TLX are not for us and Acura has made a huge mistake. im tired of bringing this up to them they will not do anything. i will also be looking at the red sport or even the golf R, hey chipped with stage 2 your getting close to 3.8s 0-60.

when did you get your new tranny?

 

did you go by Rallye for your new transmission?

 

How are the other replaced transmissions doing? Especially related to the performance before replacement?

Sounds like the bumps in the shifting are resolved. Are there negative changes? Is the replaced transmission more sluggish than before? How does it do at startup? How does it do at highway speed acceleration? All this, of course, relative to how things were before the replacement.

I'm in my 500 mile "learning" period. My harsh shifting has improved in that it happens less than it used to, but still occurs. If it keeps improving I may be faced with a decision of what is better, an unpredictable bump or an unknown performance of the new transmission.

 

I picked up my 2015 TLX last night with the replaced transmission. The rough shifts are completely gone. I need to drive it more this weekend before making any performance assessments.

 

I went to Rallye but they did not replace my transmission. They only cleared a code and did a re learn.

 

What mode do you guys use? Im on sport all the time and the i find the throttle fine

 

So, a couple things. It's summer and I and a couple others have noticed the shifts seem to smooth out a bit when the transmission is hotter. When we go to fall and winter again, expect things to get bumpier. Also, the new transmissions have different ways of downshifting that reduces if not eliminates the lag. Because the new transmission will be under warranty, I am definitely getting one when my 500 miles are over.

 

smooooth shifts but the performance is the same, still sluggish i changed some parts like the pulley and intake and it made it better, but no where as close to the mdx loaner i have. i dont even want back my TLX, that shows how much better this tranny operates. i get to keep it for the weekend they are still working on my car.

 

they did my replace it took them 7 weeks, i should of gotten and RLX that thing has a 6 speed and its fast

 

I think these cars were detuned from the beginning to save on gas and to allow room for the other vehicle sales. Its sad with the right program this car can be sooooo much more fun to drive. Since we have new tranny’s and it’s still the same slow performance with engine and upshifts, it may be a tuning issue. Do you guys experience slow climbing RMPs and slow upshifts?

 

I drive in Sport 85% of the time, 10 percent sport + i've only used eco like 3-4 times to see if my gas mileage would be greatly improved but the throttle response and delayed shifts kept me away. Normal mode I almost Never use.

 

I just had the TSB 040 done, and my 2015 TLX seems fine (or at least better than it was because mine wasn't that bad to begin with). Has anyone just done the TSB and it worked because most people here seem like their not satisfied until they get a new tranny. I'm not saying a new tranny wouldn't "fix" it, but I think there's at least a few that just want something replaced to feel they got something for the their time spent.

 

^^
I had four software updates in one year, and they never had an impact on the 2-3 harsh shifts. It was the worst transmission in 50+ years of car ownership. It made the driving experience unpredictable and not enjoyable, and sometimes dangerous. The new transmission has eliminated the harsh shifting completely -- so far.

 

This is my second time, but this is supposedly an update. The first time was when I went in for the recall. I guess I'll see after 500 mi. But it's good to know most people that get a new tranny don't seem to have as many problems. I've had good luck with Honda/Acura in the past, and whole reason I'm not in a hurry to go European (again) is because I don't want to have to worry about my car.

 

Here is an entire thread on it. I've been battling this for a long time. However, I am getting more hopeful about the correction. https://acurazine.com/forums/5g-tlx-...lating-930607/

Screen name CR172 had a rear differential replacement done. It solved the problem. I appealed for the same. It was declined by Acura for now...however, I am hopeful that a fix is in the works. Today, I took my TLX SH-AWD in for scheduling the tranny. While there, the dealer told me that Acura wants to wait on the shudder repair...Apparently another TSB is on the way for this. My service manager said the Acura rep was vague but also clear that they don"the believe that replacing the rear diff is necessary to correct the problem.

 

FWIW, I compared the MPG of all the modes when I first got the car. I used each mode over 1-2 full tanks with the same driving conditions. I actually got my best MPG in sport. I know Acura wants to "sell" eco mode like it could help mpg but I think that's entirely influenced by driving style and not the mode. The modes (to me) just represent your preference for throttle response.

 

It's nice to see you took the time to try this out rather than blindly believe the OEM's somewhat vague advertised claims. Most on this board say they drive in sport mode, if for any reason to differentiate the performance from a V6 Honda Accord. I usually start out in Eco mode until my engine warms up, then I switch Sport. Usually takes a minute or two depending on the ambient temp.

 

Reached 500 miles on my new transmission and so far so good. No rough up shifts from 1-2 and 2-3 and good down shifts on slow right turns, I have power when I accelerate out of the turn. I did all 500 miles in Normal mode, I have now switched to sport. Maybe that got it fixed.

 

I compared the mileage on the Sport, Normal, and Econ over something like the first 30-40 tanks of gas and I couldn't tell the difference. Sometimes Sport gave me the best mileage, sometimes Normal, and other times Econ... there was no "clear winner". So I said "screw it" and just drive in Sport all the time now. Econ became painful to drive. lol.

 

I did the same thing. I get ever so slightly better mileage in Sport but I'd say it was noise level. And this was also done over my daily work commute. I didn't really focus on highway mileage.

 

Depends on which 2015 transmission you have, early or late? I have a late 2015 one and the software update helped but then this 'so smart' transmission taught itself how to be crappy again. See how it behaves 500 miles from now.

 

funny you mention this. I was using Sport for first few months, gat the last TSB update and did not like the tranny still. Went to normal mode and was impressed that the tranny was acceptable, still laggy, but rough shifts were minimal. I went back to Sport mode this week and after 2 days am back in Normal. Sport is too erratic and jerky. I am still amazed how this tranny ever made it into this car. Since my lease will be up before the next FMC I don't expect to be in another Acura, probably ever. I figure I have 1 or 2 more leases then I will be setting myself up for my long term retirement vehicle. I figure next lease will be another Audi or maybe a Genesis. I expect my retirement car to be either a Genesis or Infiniti Q70 or maybe CTS or CT6 based on current offerings.

 

After my software update, Sport mode was pretty nice. Very responsive. But as the transmission re-learned its bad ways the delays came back and the severe engine braking came back so that as soon as I let off the throttle the car would jerk me forward as the engine quickly slowed the car. I had hoped to keep this car for 6-7 years then get a car that I would retire with. But I have no idea now what the future of this car is for me. I've never gotten rid of a car so quickly after I purchased it. I just don't like the economics of flipping a car that quickly. But the car is just not fun to drive any more. It could be, Acura just makes it a crappy experience. Maybe I just got what I paid for and you sadly can't expect a good car for $40K anymore. I just had a Chrysler 200 rental this week and it also has this ZF transmission and it has some of the same behavior traits as my car. The 200 was a crap car, but the transmission on my TLX is not any better.

 

One of my kids just got an $8000 2012 Kia. I've driven that car around a bit and the transmission shifts are absolutely smooth and undetectable - in a four year old, $8000 base model used car. It just underscored how bad a miss this was for Acura. I cannot figure out how Acura drove the test cars and said, "yep, this is what we want to offer in our top of the line TLX model". Of course, someone probably brought it up and they told him to "shut up - that's just how the transmission learns".

 

Finally got my car back. The shifts are smooth and no 2-3 harsh shift at all. The part number I got was different from those who posted for their SH-AWD. Mine is 06200-5L9-A66RM. Didn't put that many miles yet but I've been so used to having the harsh shift that I wait for it to happen when I'm driving. LoL. But so far so good. Glad to be back in my TLX again after driving an ILX for almost 3 weeks.

 

That is the part number shown in the TSB for the SH-AWD Advance. Maybe the other posters have different trims. There are 4 different parts depending on which V6 model you have.