Transmission replacement tips
 

Hi all. I've been reading these forums for years, but never had a topic to post until now. I have a 2015 TLX V6 tech. I've read all the post about the TLX transmission and I am still not getting anywhere with getting my transmission fixed. I've been to the dealership 4 times. In that time they have done the PCM, Idle relearn, software update, and something called a "hard relearn". There has been no change in my transmission shift quality. On the last visit they sent in snapshots of the transmission and the team in California says the car is "operating as designed" I finally got ahold of someone at Acura customer care and she was not very polite stating that there is no fix that can be done since the snapshots came back as normal. I told her I have driven with my service advisor and technician who both feel the rough shifts. I have also driven 2 other V6 TLX from the same dealer's lot that did not behave like mine. I understand that your computer shows the car may be fine, but you will never understand unless you drive this car. Her last words were, "I'll see if we can send out a technician to drive you car." Any tips on moving forward. Other than the shifts I enjoy the car, but I cannot drive this car for another 5 years with these abrupt shifts.

How many miles? Have they also replaced fluid?

35k Miles. Yes they've replaced the fluid.

A-HFanboy, I know what you're saying and feel your pain. This was my experience:
https://acurazine.com/forums/5g-tlx-.../#post16335795
https://acurazine.com/forums/5g-tlx-.../#post16336001

I left out one part of my story. The first day, I dropped off my car and a few hours go by before they call. Say they can't replicate it and there's nothing more they can do. I was like "Oh c'mon. How did you drive it?" They said through all revs, paddle shifting, automatic shifting, multiple stop & go. I insisted they hold onto it overnight so they could try again with cold tranny and cold air. They obliged, seemingly reluctantly. I lost sleep that night like "OMG my tranny is riding on them capturing this damn jerking around. What sensors are they using? What software?" At that point, it's totally out of your hands.

The next day, first thing in the morning, they call. Say it's fine. I was like "You and I must have different thresholds for getting our heads slammed into the headrest." I insisted they try it again, specifically letting the ACC accelerate after the traffic light turns green. Called back and says "Wow, that's bad." -- "YA THINK? Now imagine driving in rush hour traffic every day." Once they get snapshots (I don't know how many), which are required by the TSB, Acura will approve replacement.

You need to inform them exactly what shift point, car speed, engine RPM, IDS mode, exterior temperature, uphill/downhill, they need to replicate it. Tell them to use the paddle shifters to do so. Don't let anyone here tell you it's easy. Someone else a few weeks ago suggested you can walk into a dealer and ask for a new ZF9. Um, nope. I'll say it's worth the work to get a replacement. The ZF9 is still a lousy tranny with lousy behavior, but the replacement is much smoother and tolerable.

Sell/trade it for one of the 2 other V6 TLX's that did not behave like yours.

Thanks. I just tried the paddle shifters and it is consistent hard. I'll definitely do this once I can get someone from Acura in the car with me again.

I would love to. But I would take a hit financially. Acura should stand behind their products.

Did you look at the TSB? Is your car in the replacement VIN range? If so the replacement (at this point) should not take much effort. If the car is outside the VIN range, good luck. Acura claims these car had a hardware difference in the transmission and operate 'normally.' They made a further change in 2016 and beyond that made a further improvement. I have one of those late 2015 transmissions. It does not hard shift like early model transmissions, but it does suffer from slow/delayed shifting. Acura will not replace it. They think slow/delayed shifting is fine.

I can't tell if these users and their comments are serious or just trolling. I think they're serious, which means they're either incredibly wasteful (likely) or filthy rich (probably not). Ignore them.

You go through the buying process: research, test drive, negotiate, get a loan, pay TTL, sign the dotted line and drive away. Then after driving for a month, you realize the transmission is hot garbage, VCM is a noisy shaky mess and the car vibrates on the expressway (for some). They say "take it back." I say "nah bro." They can feel free to waste their money, but I'm not taking a trade-in for $thousands less than I just paid, eat the TTL, establish a new loan and pay another round of TTL. That's nuts. Instead, I chose to bring my TLX back to Acura six times and counting, including once to replace the transmission, to make this car what it should have been when it was built. There is a really good car hiding behind all these issues.

Yes. I'm in the VIN range. I have the TSB out and ready for my next encounter with them.

Yes. Thanks for your help and kind words. I'm not sure where their judgement is coming from. I previous drove a TL. I was very happy with that car until I was rear ended and forced to purchase another car. Yes, researched this car before purchasing it. My previous TL had a transmission issue that was easily solved by a software update and I have always experienced great customer service at Acura. On these boards it was 50/50 at the time; some people's issues were fixed with a software update, some were fixed by replacing the transmission. I drove several TLXs before purchasing this one and this one had the smoothest transmission. ( I did not purchase this car from an Acura dealer) I was confident it was a fixable. I paid cash for this car. I have never financed a car. Unfortunately, I have experienced life events that have affected my discretionary income. And I do not plan to finance anything for a while. Maybe I was foolish for believing my personal experiences with Acura over the experiences of others. But I love everything about the car, and there isn't any other vehicle I want to drive. I just want them to take ownership and fix the problem.

If OP really "cannot drive this car for another 5 years with these abrupt shifts" but loves "everything about the car, and there isn't any other vehicle I want to drive" and if Acura won't fix issue, then replace it for one without transmission issues.

But since OP isn't in financial situation to do so (wasn't stated in 1st post), then it's either live with it or move on to something else (less expensive) if Acura won't address issues.

You got some cash to hold me over? I'm here asking for help as I work with Acura on fixing the problem. Clearly we are still in talks on how to rectify the situation. If you cannot help in any way other than snarky comments please move on to another post.

Not being snarky. You asked for advice, I offered some. Didn't know your financial situation at the time so :dunno:

If you're still working with Acura to fix problem, then wait it out. If Acura won't do anything then personally I'd move on. :2cents:

AZ I totally agree with you here. I can't stand people who say "take it back" or "swap it out" or "move on" like that's the single de facto solution. This isn't like exchanging a defective toaster at the local Target. It's an automobile. You don't just drive it back and get a new one without a steep price buried somewhere in there.

If push comes to shove and you love the car, but Acura won't replace the tranny, you have three options:
-live with it
-trade it in for a different TLX (by then, you'll probably hate Acura too much to choose this option)
-trade it in for something less expensive - you still take price hit, but you won't pay it out of pocket, it just gets rolled into the trade transaction (your TLX purchase mistake nets you a less valuable vehicle)

Those are three really lousy options for any new owner. For long time Honda/Acura owners or shoppers who chose a TLX for Honda reliability, reputation and quality, the need to potentially trade in your new/certified/slightly used car may be a totally foreign concept.

Update
 

Since I last posted I worked my way up the chain and was able to get a regional parts manager (or some one with a title similar) who came out to drive my car. According to my service advisor he “instantly” felt my rough shifts and has approved me for a replacement transmission. My car is at the dealer now waiting for replacement.

Side note: I’m in a ‘19 aspec 4 cylinder. It’s a fun car.. just wish it had a bit more power.

Interesting - this is the first 8 speed DCT I've heard of being replaced for rough shifts. The replacement discussion has primarily been about the ZF 9 speed.

His loaner is an i4, but his car is a 2015 V6. :)

Congrats and way to be tenacious about it. It’s totally worth the improvement. Still an imperfect and awkward ZF9, but much smoother, quieter and roadworthy. I think you’ll be happy with it. Post an update here after you drive your new tranny for a couple days. Nice work!

Thanks! The car is like night and day. I still find myself anticipating that 2-3 hard shift, but its so smooth now and getting better with time. Only issue I still have is I still have a small vibration around 35-40 mph. It's minor and the car self corrects. I've read on here or another forum that it's possibly the motor mounts. I'll bring it up to my service advisor next time I go in.

I'm so glad to hear this. I was the exact same way as you. For weeks and months after my tranny was replaced, I still found myself mentally and physically bracing for the 2-3 shift, even though it never happened. The bad ZF9 exemplifies of Pavlovian conditioning. Those of you who took Psychology courses know what I mean. You understand if you have or had a bad ZF9. You're obviously aware of how bad it is when you drive it day after day. Consciously, it irritates you ever single shift. As the weeks and months go by, you also subconsciously build up this tolerance or reaction to the stimulus of the jerky 1-2 and 2-3. It's awful. I think it's been about 6 months since my ZF9 was replaced and I have finally stopped bracing for these shifts. Acura should be ashamed. I appreciate them replacing these units to do right by owners, but Acura, ZF and all the engineers and designers associated with this powertrain royally screwed up.

The vibration you have now around 38mph is VCM. You can research what has been discussed ad nauseam here, Pilot or Odyssey forums. It's the drone/rumble in your ears, floorboard and steering column as if a helicopter was hovering 20' above your roof. Motor mounts won't fix it - those are an easy suspect to blame for the bigger problem, which is engine vibration caused by cylinder deactivation - a "feature" that your car has and cannot be disabled or deactivated. The only way to stop VCM is with an aftermarket tool like VCMuzzler or S-VCM. I have one. It works great. Haven't had a single rumble since installing it. That VCM drone is another problem with the TLX for which Acura should be absolutely ashamed.

They need to resynch the active engine mounts after replacing the transmission.

Glad to see you're enjoying your TLX again!