I am seriously considering a TL to be my next DD

"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
07/27/2014 at 20:14 • Filed to: None

But the transmissions scare the hell out of me. Please tell me they aren't as bad as I think they are.

DISCUSSION (13)

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > mkbruin, Atlas VP
07/27/2014 at 20:19

I know nothing about these but since you asked nicely. The transmissions aren't as bad as you think they are.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > mkbruin, Atlas VP
07/27/2014 at 20:21

My buddy has an 04 with the auto trany with manual shifting. He has 14x,xxx miles on it and no issues with trans at all. And we beat on it too.

jalop1991 > mkbruin, Atlas VP
07/27/2014 at 20:24

No, they're worse than you fear them to be.

Fuck American Honda Motor Manufacturing. Fuck them up the ass with a rusty fishing knife for foisting not ONE but TWO entire generations of shit transmissions onto the public, and then—when the economy went bad—refusing to service them under warranty.

Honda's transmission fuckups were every bit as bad as GM's ignition key fuckups, only people don't get killed—usually—when the transmission starts slipping to let you know that its time is up.

There are plenty of fish in the sea; there's zero reason to honor or acknowledge the beancounters at Honda who overrode the engineers to put these transmissions on the market.

Seriously, think about it: from MY98 through mid-MY2004, across two separate transmission designs, Honda managed to fistfuck their customers with these things.

Fuck Honda. Plenty of fish in the sea. Plenty of good looking cars that are built better.

Jedidiah > mkbruin, Atlas VP
07/27/2014 at 20:24

I don't think are as bad as people say they are. Most problems with the Honda automatic are that they are underbuilt for the weight of vehicles they put them in. If that poor little tranny has to push around an Oddessey all the time, it will just give up.

I know that they are expensive rebuild around ($1800) because the guy who rebuilt my TH350 spoke poorly of Honda and Suburu autos and that for the money it costs to rebuilt one of them to stock specs, I could have a kevlar clutch pack, a high stall converter, a reverse valvebody, a new sprag, and a shift kit in mine.

Marcus Rhatigan > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
07/27/2014 at 20:27

Yes. Not as bad. As you think. They are.

sellphones2493 > mkbruin, Atlas VP
07/27/2014 at 20:28

I was going to buy one of these to flip, as I found it on CL for like 1k in decent shape. All it needed was a new tranny. When i was going to see it, I looked at the costs to replace one. It wasn't worth it for me.

If you do choose to get one, you should get one that needs a new tranny for super cheap, then replace it. It will probably end up costing the same as one that doesn't need a new tranny, but having a new one may give you some piece of mind.

All Motor Is Best Motor > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
07/27/2014 at 20:33

Yes they are. I own an '01 Cl Type S which has the same trans. Stay away from the autos.

All Motor Is Best Motor > Jedidiah
07/27/2014 at 20:35

No, sorry, these can't handle the CL's and TL's either. I'm an owner of an '01 CL Type S and I frequent the Acurazine forums. Just stay away from the auto's. They aren't worth the risk.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > mkbruin, Atlas VP
07/27/2014 at 20:35

just get a manual and eschew the trans reliability concerns

All Motor Is Best Motor > mkbruin, Atlas VP
07/27/2014 at 20:41

Stay away from the auto TL's and CL's. Just don't do it. They aren't worth the risk. Yes, there are people with high milage original trannies. But there are plenty more that are on their 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th trans. I currently own a 2001 CL Type S with the same transmission. My first was replaced under warranty after the recall came out. The second one died after only 17,000 miles. I've never tracked or abused my car. I'm praying my 3rd one holds up for another 4-5 years. Allow me to link you a big writeup I made on the Acurazine forums regarding the transmission issue:

http://acurazine.com/forums/showpos…

The trans is a bust. The general consensus is that the trans pretty much will go one way or another unless you get lucky and get one of the good ones (there's just no way of knowing if you have a good one). Many users on the Acura forums swear by regularly changing the AT fluid every or every other oil change via a method referred to as the "3x3". When you drain the fluid in the trans, only 3 quarts come out. So you drain 3 quarts, add 3 back in, and drive it for a bit, then you repeat this two more times so a total of 9 quarts has been "changed". There's also a magnet that was placed in the side of the trans that collects metal filings and shards which should be removed and cleaned off at the same time. It's a lot of work, and if you don't do it yourself, will be expensive.

One company makes a rebuild kit with upgraded clutch packs and an upgraded torque converter, but finding a good transmission specialist and having them install that stuff is going to cost a lot of money. There is one regular user who had this, and an aftermarket transmission fluid cooler installed who swears by the modifications extending the life of the trans, but he's only one example. Sadly, you're better off with something else, unless you're willing to shell out for a manual CL Type S.

Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna > mkbruin, Atlas VP
07/27/2014 at 21:29

Refer to username.

Automatic owner here. :D (Yeah dodge the Automatics.)

Gilles Thibault > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
07/27/2014 at 22:25

Get a 6MT! Skip the Auto. It's that simple!

'Wägen, EPA LOL > mkbruin, Atlas VP
07/28/2014 at 11:50

Loved my '04 TL. Recently sold with 106k on the clock. Twas auto. I didn't have any issues with it, but just from a general use perspective I probably wouldn't have sold if it was a 6MT.