Colin

Looks like the car will not arrive in June as expected. Acura is now saying the TLX will arrive in late summer.

KeithL

:-(

What a shame, they will truly be the last to the party. One has to wonder if this is due to something discovered in early manufacture ring or to make some last minute tweaks. They were telling folks at the NY show late summer.

Rocketsfan

I heard it was to add exposed tailpipes and new wheels...


Seriously, though.... this sucks for me. Not sure wth to do now. "Late summer" could be September. Christ. That'll be around the same time the new redesigned C-Class from Mercedes will be on sale.

hadokenuh

Probably some last minute exterior changes??? Wow, can they do that after showing the production version at the NY Auto Show?

Colin

I'm sure it's not exterior changes. Someone at TOV suggests its programing for the 9AT transmission but I haven't heard anything.

KeithL

I buy that over anything that requires tooling.

reddogTL

What a shame. If thats all it is why not release the 2.4L variant as expected

BEAR-AvHistory

These guys are raising peeing in their own Cheerios into an art form

ostrich

Yes, I am in the same boat. I already extended my lease to wait to see if I want to get a TLX. Man, I should have taken up the fantastic BMW offer that I turned down!!! What a fool am I!?

Oh well, if this is the case, then I may just have no choice but to go with another brand when the lease is up and the TLX is not ready yet!

Colin

Before this news was released, they said that the plans were to make V6 FWD first. Maybe they're geared up for this and not ready to switch gears (no pun intended) to the 4 cylinder models?

However, the impression I got is that production is continuing in order to have lots of inventory available at launch. All I can say is that we're really low on TSX and TL inventory. At least it's only my mortgage that will suffer when there is nothing to sell....

ACCURATEin

Hopefully because they're making the necessary changes to the rear bumper due to the death threats they received at nyias.

KeithL

I remember being t Infinit dealer when the Q50 first showed up, they all had big sticker on main display that said car needed to be updated with new firmware prior to customer sale. I suspect Acura will do the same.

Rocketsfan

This is believable, but no telling. I do know that Chrysler/Jeep delayed the release of the Cherokee several times for programming issues related to the ZF 9 speed. From an article I read a while back, their engineers said a lot of it was because it was a really "complex transmission".

Should we start getting scared?

KeithL

You would think ZF would provide some guidance and basic programming info, sort of like how Intel (and others) release reference designs to help their customers. If they are building and storing for release then at least there will be plenty when finially goes on sale.

Rocketsfan

Here's an article on the transmission and some issues Chrysler had with implementing it. Much of it is way over my head and way beyond my interest, but I figures some of you gearheads could make something of it. They do make mention of the fact that Volvo's engineers chose the Aisin 8 speed tranny over the ZF 9 speed for the reasons stated :


http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...-on-the-leash/

weather

I'll wire you some money Colin

weather

...I know that I've saying this for a while now....2 brand new transmission for the TLX....that is not reassuring in my books.

Timmy18

And what exactly was wrong with the traditional 6AT aside from being a gear or so short? It performed pretty well and was geared perfectly.

See what begging for the newest tech does just to say "We have it too" when it really wasn't that necessary?

Time and money.. time and money..


Hey Acura, since the car is delayed again, how about you guys go put on the finishing touches you left off the first few times? You know, spend this time wisely! And fix those rocker panel covers! It's making the car look cheaper than you already made it.

docboy

Good point.

As I mentioned in another thread, the whole point of buying an Acura is reliability. Said new transmissions are likely to have transmission issue/failures, and MAY bring back haunting memories of earlier Acura's (ie. MDX, TLs, etc.) transmission failures.

If reliability is thrown out the window with buying an Acura, then there is no point in buying an Acura and we might as well be buying German. IMHO.

LaCostaRacer

Perhaps the safety score did not come in as expected and Acura is making some tweaks to improve it? I don't know what the issue is but Honda won't release a product before it's 100% sure it's good. Honda is known for releasing products or features later than people expect. I have been through this many times in my life from motorcycles to cars.

weather

^^^ Read the RDX, ILX and RLX sub sections....If you think that Acura is committed to make sure a car is fully tested before implementation....YOu may change your mind after reading the ongoing issues with the vehicle. They are not life/death situations but still, things that should have been caught during testing (like the ongoing suspension problem).

I used to think this way too....not anymore and this is based on actual experience.

Costco

If people in Car Talk and Automotive News could see this...

Oswald Vater

The news of an on-sale delay is not good for me either. I was extending my 10 Tech lease until October in hopes of inventory buildup, early production fixes and discount pricing on the TLX. I see none of those happening now. Looks like either a buy-out of my 10 or a jump to another manufacturer.

a35tl

Just an observation, but the chatter about the delay being due to transmission issues remains speculation at this point. Not saying it isn't the reason but we don't know for sure. No need to damn them prematurely if the delay has nothing to do with the transmissions.

reddogTL

We have been bitching and moaning on AZine for years about Acura's 5AT and 6AT transmissions not being competitive with the 7-8 spd's other brands have. They have been pretty reliable IMHO.
Now they're finally coming around and heeding to our requests. If they need to delay to get some kinks out then so be it. It's better they delay now then use us to be the guinea pigs. I'm disappointed too as I've been itching to replace my aging 08 TL but I'd rather they get things right then repeat the 2G TL transmission fiasco of the past.

Colin

From a TOV member:
I remember that the 1G RDX was also delayed for a production change. It was learned that changing the order of certain installation processes saved time/money. It took a 3-4 weeks to sort it out, re-program the robots, test run the assembly line etc.

reddogTL

Autoblog has confirmed http://www.autoblog.com/2014/04/22/2...aunch-delayed/

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

I think most of the bitching (namely mine) is that they aren't releasing a manual TLX. I know I'm not alone on that, so I think the last thing Acura is doing is heeding requests. I don't hear too many people wanting more than 6 gears.

They are offering the more sophisticated tranny just because they want be competitive. This is a company that has always had technological know-how and never wants to be perceived at the back of the pack when it comes to technology.

But with complexity comes the concern of reliability. What docboy said is on the money. It isn't just 2GTL with the tranny problems, it is the 04-06s too. So IMO they haven't convinced me they are doing trannys right and reaching for the stars with some superstar tranny doesn't impress me.

wreak

Honestly I fully expect both transmissions to be a disaster, I don't know what it is about Honda but they really have difficulty building reliable automatic transmissions. Manuals...that's another story, they've perfected them.

docboy

Not quite perfection but I get what you mean. I had to get my 3rd gear set replaced b/c it kept popping out (this after numerous visits and complaints, and dealing with "driver error.") I also have an occasional unresolved 1st-2nd gear "screech" when I shift that is of course, driver error

SmokeTL

This is my issue....I am leaning towards going to another brand.

weather

^^ Which brand are you considering?

Goosew

iTrader: (1)

Let me guess.

Audi, BMW, or Lexus IS

KeithL

I thought the 9AT was a ZF so it should be fine.

Colin

I understand that passion runs very high on this topic, but I'm not 100% sure that the facts support this claim. Honda has been manufacturing cars for 50+ years, and they've hardly amassed a poor track record overall. (IMO of course)

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

^^You sound like the dealer I talked to last week about my transmission that is on its last leg.

"We have NEVER replaced a transmission on a 2004-2006 TL before. The older ones yes. But if it's a bad tranny on a newer TL, I'd say it's the owner's fault."

Yeah OK. The 3G section is the most active section on AZine and this is the most popular subject of all. These are not isolated events. I'd say it is a very established claim. From Accords, to Odesseys to TLs. Honda has a problem with trannys.

I walked out of that dealership. Obvious the dealer was lying. Rather work with a dealer with his head screwed on straight.

Colin

And I'm sure there have been zero cases of people trying to get a 'free' transmission replacement even if nothing was wrong.

Anyway, I NEVER SAID there wasn't an issue, just that there is a disconnect between "have difficulty building reliable automatic transmissions" and their overall track record over 50 years.

KeithL

If the delay has to do with mating the ZF to the AWD models then I think that is acceptable, too bad they may delay the other models. The 4G AWD was a few months behind the FWD models.

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

Well obviously taking their track record since 1964 is a long time. I'm talking about the last 10yrs. It's been going south. All it takes is one weak area for a brand image to start tarnishing. And it's not easy to appreciate if it hasn't happened to you.

Just for an example, in the 80s/90s the German cars were built like vaults. It wasn't just a perception, I agree. I experienced that first hand, I had 3 of those cars. Then by the turn of the millenium the cars were notorious for electrical problems. Very real problems, I stayed away. My last BMW had a dose of those gremlins. I came to Acura, even though I heard of tranny issues, I gave the benefit of the doubt. I drive easy and mantain my cars well.

80s/90s Hondas had a great track record. I agree. But in the last 10 yrs. their gremlin has been trannys. How is there a disconnect of their track record if they aren't making tranny's right? I'd say that is major. My intuition says to stay away before I put $45k on a TLX. Just like the Germans got past their issues over time, Honda will too. I am just not convinced.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

And let me tell you, that Aisin 8-speed is pretty damn good. It helps that Lexus has basically worked out all the bugs in it.