I can imagine what the reverse would be like... the styling of american cars with the cost of maintenance like european...

Mass market cars are horrible investments.

I agree with the sentiment, just trade for a newer car eg Honda accord. Problem solved.

a buddy of mine is in the market for a 2004-2005 TL right now... PM me some details about the car and some pics if you have them...

Makes sense, like I said it was a quick search. I'd either start saving up for the fix if you love the car, or get rid of it now and get something else before it becomes problematic.

Is it your car or your mommy's car? Cause if its your car than do what you want with it. But my assumption is that its not your car and you pretend it is.

How do you guys know that car x is known for problem y?

no fluid changes or pressure switches will fix the problem. its a design flaw with the trans from honda. the second gear clutch packs do not receive enough lubrication and with time they obviously wear to nothing leaving nice little floaty bits floating around in the trans oil. honda at one point tried to remedy the problem with an oil jet but people were still having problems. its just best to stay away from the cars that have this transmission. i've owned 2 TL's with this trans. the first one i didnt have an issue with and ended up trading it in with 150k on it. the second one had the trans replaced at 80K and it was fine when i traded it in for my pickup.

agreed. OP if its a car you purchased dont listen to your parents. i made that mistake once and i will never do it again. buy whatever the hell you want. my dad trapped me with the same bullshit about needing to have a car with auto because they need to be able to drive it as well. to this day i have still never owned a car with a manual trans and i fucking regret it big time.

Its a common problem during the period when Chrysler was making the tiptronic transmissions for Honda/Acura.

Do you realize how stupid this sounds?

I hope your dad calls you up and says
i made that mistake (you) once and i will never do it again. buy whatever the hell you want. my kid trapped me with the same bullshit about needing to have a house/diapers/food/education/activities/toys. to this day i have still never owned a what i really want and i fucking regret it big time.

it's your damn parents who cared for you your whole life..

Searching on the internet for common problems, I use it before I buy anything. Unfortunately most people don't do that and their family ends up doing a shitload of work to help them fix problems they should've avoided in the first place.



...I swear I'm not bitter.

not going to respond to this because its kind of personal.

What's with the hate? I never said it was my car. In the whole OP it says "our" or "we" when referring to the car. I am simply just trying to help out my family so they don't have to deal with extra headaches b/c of a car I suggested them to buy.

I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone by "pretending" it's my car.

So what do I tell the dude at the dealership to replace, if I just want to fix it? Do I replace the whole transmission right now or what? I don't want to be scammed by them so I'm asking you haha, they suggest all these useless things. It's scary how they go any time, makes me think of my mom or someone being stranded somewhere because of it. Pretty dangerous.

Nothing you do will "fix" it. With these its almost like a wear and tear thing. Once it goes, rebuilt it, drive it, then repeat.

Frequent fluid changes and pressure switches might prolong the life a bit but ultimately will need a rebuild. Usually the transmissions start to slip and jerk first before they completely go. Not anything dangerous.

Honestly if you really like the TL that much and would like to drive it for a long time then just save up for a rebuild somewhere down the line. All cars are gonna have some sort of issues eventually from what ive found. Even the type s

It *shouldn't* just suddenly explode, there are usually warning signs. I'd get Acura to look up your VIN for all possible recalls though. If you're worried, get your mom BCAA roadside assistance or something.

And don't change the tranny until it starts having problems. They never fixed the design flaw so even a refurbished tranny will fail, I've found several ways people have tried to prolong the life of the tranny but nothing conclusive.

Yep .. everything's a band-aid fix.

I drained + refilled and the shifts would smoothen out, then a couple of weeks go by and it's the same old problem with the shift from 1st --> 2nd(my car's got 230,000 km on it at the moment, so it's ready to go anytime basically -- fingers crossed it lasts awhile longer but I'm doubtful)

my friend's transmission did not "explode" per se, but there wasn't really any advanced warning. he had a few rough shifts on occasion which he brought up in his last few dealer services, but the mechanics were not able to replicate it, and i do not recall them doing any fluid changes. then the day came when there was some shuddering from the transmission under acceleration on the highway and then it started slipping hard and that was it.

keep in mind this happened roughly back in 2008 i think, and my friend is not from here (san francisco). i can't remember if this was before or after the class action lawsuits started to fly.