itscamrunnn

Hi all,

I have monitored this website for years, but have finally decided to post on it. I feel I have gotten myself into some sort of disaster to be quite honest. I want true, honest opinions on my situation and I feel like I can get them here. I will try to keep this as short as possible, but I am a long-winded person.

To start off, I am in no way a huge car buff. I know enough to be a semi-knowledgeable... maybe. Haha. But, when I turned 23 in 2012, I was able to purchase a car on my own, a certified 2011 Acura TSX 4 cyl w/ Tech Package. Had 33,000 miles on it. To say I was in love with this car was an understatement. Quality, reliability, very stylish... the car always turned heads and was a very fun car to drive as well. I had it for four years and put 135,000 miles on it as I drive approximately 750-1,000 miles a week plus random road trips here and there throughout the years. Had no real problems with it, except an issue with the rear tires “chopping" on the insides, which was a $1,500 bill to fix. Do not remember exactly what was that needed to be fixed. Other than that, it was great. I decided it was time to trade up after I hit 150,000 miles. In Feb 2016, I purchased a 2016 Toyota Camry XSE V6 and man it was a beautiful, fun driving car as well. I went with a Toyota because my first car was a 2000 Camry and we drove the heck out of that car. Stayed in the family for 275,000 miles and sold it for $1,750 late last year finally. Still rollin' to this day. I was not impressed with the TLX only due to the massive transmission problems I had heard about, so I tried to stay clear of it - at that time. I still craved another Acura, though. Unfortunately, the TSX was no longer in the Acura family so I was out of luck with that.

In December of 2017, after lots of research and viewing articles and this website, I could not resist the urge any further to get back into an Acura. Therefore, I went to my local dealership (Goodson Acura in Dallas) and got a great deal on a certified 2017 Acura TLX 2.4L w/ Tech package with 9,000 miles. I loved this car the instant I got in it. (But not as much as the TSX ) I knew I wanted this car so I made it happen. My research concluded with the belief that by the 2017 model, all transmission issues were fixed and things were running great with the car. I conversed with the salesman about my concerns and he assured me that I have no worries - as this is a certified car and under warranty. In addition, he told me the transmission issue was limited to the 2015 9-speed model and that there has never been an issue with the 8-speed in any year model like what I have. I even asked multiple friends that have the car in the 2016 and 2017 and they agreed...no transmission issues and they loved it as well. So, I made the purchase and my mother bought my 2016 Camry from me so it would stay in the family.

During the first week of my purchase, I instantly started to worry. The transmission was not performing right at all. It was very jerky at times; enough to make the people I had in the car with me at certain times notice it as well. Coming out of 1st into 2nd was almost like being rammed from behind, that is how hard the shift was. It didn't do it every single time, but would do it mainly when the car was cold until it fully warmed up. It did it less when the car was running for a while, but still would do it occasionally. Also, somewhere between the 3rd through 5th gears, getting the car up to anywhere between 3,000 RPM and 5,000 RPM while in those gears, the car would shutter almost, it was feeling like it didn't have enough power to speed up. The feeling reminded me of bad spark plugs, instead of a nice, fluid acceleration, it was super hesitant and jerky. I would feel myself rock back and forth in my seat ever so slightly because of the feeling. I could also see it in the RPM gauge; it would not be a solid motion as it accelerated…it would jerk along with the car. I took it back to the dealership within the first week and of course, they could not get the problem to be re-created. It has been back in to the dealership 2 other times as well for the same issue... so 3 total times in all now with no resolution yet. They have performed the software update it needed, which irritated me first off because if they knew it needed a update, why didn't they do it before the put it on the market? I feel like I would do it before I even sold the car as certified because I would want to make sure my customer was getting the best car possible, but anyways it was done and it did not work. Then they reset the Transmission Control Module again, which didn't work either. I did the "break-in" period both times as well. Here is the kicker with that. For the first 200-300 miles, the car drives WONDERFULLY. It has power, great acceleration, no jerkiness... then the car sets back into its old ways. After this last time though, I noticed the shift pattern had changed. It does not wait so long to shift gears; it does it much earlier than what it had been doing it. The car does not rev up as high anymore. I have tried it in different IDS modes as well and it does not seem to be worse or better in any certain one. They have given me a 2018 TLX with the same engine as mine 2 out of the 3 times I have needed a loaner now and both of them drove flawlessly. I have taken friends and family in both my car and the loaners and they can tell a difference in the way in drives. I just did a count... in the 63 days I have had my car so far, I have spent 11 of those days in a loaner. Not too reassuring to say the least.

On top of that I have had it in the shop for other following reasons as well:

Driver’s side window will not roll up at times. I notice this mainly when I am in a drive-thru restaurant. I don't roll my window all the way down and when I use the auto feature to roll it back up, it goes back to the top then rolls back down to where it was at. They have reset some control module as well for this but it didn't work either. Still not fixed. (have this on video for proof)

Windshield wipers will start wiping automatically and not stop. Before you say that this car has a auto windshield wiper feature, I know...lol. When I have it set in that mode, there will be not a cloud in sight and no rain for miles, yet the windshield wipers will just start going full blast and not stop until I turn them all the way off and back into the auto position. Very odd. Still not fixed. (have this on video for proof as well)

Huge lag in the audio when connected to my iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2.6 through USB as well as no contact names will show up. I was told there was no update available for this and it was "just how the car was made". Not fixed.

Back passenger tire won't stay inflated. It does not lose all air, but 10-12 PSI over the span of a couple days. This was something that was an issue from even the test drive and the dealership and I agreed on getting this fixed before I purchased the vehicle. I think this last time I took the car in, it was fixed right finally... after a new valve stem, new TPMS thing in the tire, and a patch apparently. However, I noticed the last time when I dropped the car off at the dealer (in a loaner as I write this) it was 6 PSI lower than the others.

Back drivers side speaker blown. It was covered under warranty. I honestly do not know if it was like this when I bought it or if I did it myself. Guessing prior to me because when I got into the car to begin with, the bass and sub-woofer level was maxed out. Annoying though.

Oh and to top it off, someone hit and run into my front bumper at the mall 5 days after I purchased the vehicle, so I am starting to believe that this car was a bad omen.

Having all these issues on a car only 2 months into the purchase has really been a stressful situation. I honestly feel like I purchased a car with issues and I do not know what to do at this point. I have given the service department enough chances to fix this car and so I think my next stop is the dealership manager. If I cannot get anything fixed from there, I have been told I need to get Acura Client Relations involved. Goodson Acura has been nothing but good to me over the years and I hate to go over their head without giving them the proper chance to fix it, but I refuse to continue to drive a car with the issues I am having, especially since I have been having them from the start of purchase. I think it is unfair to me as a consumer. Personally, I feel I should be offered another certified vehicle with an incentive pricing or something, maybe a comparable 2018 model since they seem to drive much better but I do not know how realistic that is.

My questions for this community are as follows:

What you think my next step should be in the matter? Should I keep fighting to get the car fixed with the dealership or to go to the Client Relations team and see what their solution is to the problem?

Am I overreacting with this? Is what I am experiencing with the transmission normal since it is a 8 speed or maybe the way it was built? What about all the other problems?

Has anyone else experienced the same issues with this model and type of TLX? What solution, if any, was offered or performed on your vehicle to remedy the issue?

I appreciate your help and advice in advance.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

Ouch. Your story hurts my soul I've never been through the experience of purchasing a car then having it turn out to be a disaster. But I can only imagine that it's a royal PITA.

If it were me, I'd do everything in my power to get the car returned to the dealer. I'd probably first talk to the manager, and have all supporting documentation as well as a chronological list of dates and problems you've had since you've purchased it. If he refuses, I'd inform him that your next step will have to be contacting Acura Client Relations to see if the car can be replaced or returned. If that doesn't work, I'd still continue to fight - youtube videos, contacting a lawyer to see what your options are, even contacting your local news stations to see if they want to do an investigational piece on it. Don't let yourself get screwed on this.

CheeseyPoofs McNut

Ugh - very sorry to hear about your problems!

The only thing I can offer is that my 2015 DCT will shift a little rougher from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 when it's cold. Once warmed up it's fine. It's not a "rammed from behind" feeling though - just a little jerk as if you're driving a real manual and shifting on your own. From reading other posts this seems to be the normal behavior for the DCT.

Keep us posted and good luck in getting your problems resolved.

itscamrunnn

Thanks for the response guys. I just received a call back from the dealership. Regarding the drivers side window, the window regulator is needing to be replaced. Regarding the auto windshield wipers, the blade is apparently hitting the rain sensor and will need to be replaced as well. They said as for the transmission, the engine and everything else is checking out normal and performing as it should be. The service advisor asked me if I would like to speak to the manager, so I agreed and asked for a call back from him. He called me right before writing this message to pretty much just let me vent. Lol. He understood my concerns and felt sorry for me, but his hands were getting to where they were tied. The shop manager had test driven my car multiple times and even taken it home with him, to which he couldn't get the problems with the transmission to show for him... which I don't fully believe to be honest. He said the only thing left to do was to hook a laptop up to the car and get real time readings from the computer and send to the Acura tech line for review. Anything further than that would have to be dealt with directly through Acura Customer Relations themselves.

I don't know if that is good thing or a bad thing at this time. The shop manager is going to go over the car one more time and see if he can do anything else to recreate the issue and then go from there.

So it looks like from here on out, I am going to be dealing with Acura themselves. We will see if the wiper blade replacement and the new window regulator is going to fix those other issues.

ESHBG

My '09 TSX Tech was a nightmare during my first couple years of ownership (read the list here) and really all that you can do for things like you have mentioned is keep getting them fixed, especially since it sounds like you purchased used. Acura dealerships IMO are not very customer friendly and spend a lot of time "not finding anything" or requiring you to make multiple trips....family and friends do not have the same issue with their brands' dealerships and this ranges from low level to luxury level vehicles (one exception now that I think about it, Honda, who acted very similarly to Acura, surprise surprise).

The good news is your list are minor annoyances and outside of the tranny issue should not leave you stranded anywhere and once you get those items fixed CORRECTLY they should be trouble free from that point on.

BEAR-AvHistory

Get a log & see what it says. Its the only way to know whats going on with the power train. Could be something as simple as a shift actuator hitting hard like its in sport mode. Had a 7DCT in another car & they can be rough when cold. Warmed up & in comfort you should not really feel the shifts. In other modes Sport, Sport+ etc expect to feel the shifts, its what makes the DCT shift so fast.

If Acura can't fix it next stop is a lawyer to start a Lemon case.

theredia92

Keep in mind that a dual clutch transmission will NEVER be as smooth as a traditional automatic. After the latest software update was applied to my car (almost 1 year and 10k miles ago) my transmission pretty much works seamlessly in the background. One thing I want to mention is about the odd power delivery you experience. You describe it as rocking back and forth in your seat. I've experienced that exact issue after I moved from New York City to South Carolina. For the first month after I moved here, I noticed that when trying to accelerate onto the main roads from secondary roads, the car gave me the same feeling you get while on a moving walkway at an airport. After that first month or so, it went away completely. The only explanation I have is that the cars PCM had learned the heavy stop and go driving of NYC. The congested streets the car was used to driving on, turned into open highways and back roads and the car's computer needed some time to learn the new driving environment.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Whenever I read threads like this one on the various automotive related forums I participate in, I really have to try hard not to respond. Why? Because threads like this make me wonder why the manual transmission is not becoming hugely popular once again.

NBP04TL4ME

We can only hope that they become popular again, but I fear we are swimming against the tide.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Agreed. Fortunately for me I figure I only have 20 to 30 years of driving left before I need to hang up my keys, and I should be able to buy enough cars between now and then with three pedals under the dash to last me.

Of course as the driving public becomes more and more disenchanted with wonky shifting issues with 6, 7, 8, 9, and now 10 speed automatics, and then as they become even more disenchanted with repair costs of said automatics (some think the 5-Speed auto in the 3G TL is expensive, he-he, that tranny is a fraction of the cost of repairing many {most? all?} recent automatics), maybe the pendulum will swing at least partially back in our favor.

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mapleloaf

A little bad luck, don't get too discouraged. I did have the regulator on my driver side window replaced last year, so it does happen. No issues since. As for the transmission, make sure you have all the programming updates. A slightly rough shift in cold weather, from 1-2 or so, is not uncommon. I don't feel it in mine, but I nurse it a bit for a couple of minutes in cold weather (I start in ECO where the car shifts faster). The feeling of getting hit from behind happened to me a few times when downshifting from 2-1 while stopping - or at least that's what it felt like. I trained my foot to almost always avoid this. However, about 8 months ago they reapplied a previous update and it's been as smooth as silk since. Not a hint of this issue and I do love the DCT and find the shifting to be very smooth and quick. The tire and speaker issues perhaps speak more to use, likely by the former driver, and are not systemic issues. I find the summer stocks and my Michelin X-Icers hold their pressure very well, with one adjustment per season.

I also have an IPhone 7 and every once in a while there is an error loading my address book. It's not a big deal for me as I have my key contacts loaded separately, so a quick roll and press of the steering wheel button gets me connected to my frequent calls. I also tend to use Hey Siri to phone other folks, which is reading directly from your phone, rather than using the address book loaded to the car. the 19/20 times it does load, I can also use the car voice menu. As for a huge audio delay if playing music from my IPhone 7, no such issues, albeit the system isn't the quickest to load when you start the car.

Hopefully your issues will settle down and you will be able to enjoy driving the car all of the time, as I do.

wlkeel

I had similar experiences as Mapleloaf, however they were not very severe - perhaps because I live in sunny southern California. The only thing that ever bothered me was the "bump at low speeds" which was only when cold and then only rarely. In any case, that was cured when they applied TSB 17-015 at my last service appointment. Fine now. Don't get discouraged

jreyes

One thing that hasn't been mentioned that I think may help - What type of gas are you using? I have a 2015 TLX 2.4 and love the car and it does shift a little hard when cold (normal). However, I have noticed it gets a little jerky when I dont put the best premium gas in it. By jerky, I mean that when i floor it, it hesitates a little bit and almost feels like it has to catch up. When premium is in it, it is zippy and smooth.