| Lance Crowley |
I would appreciate the forums reaction to my situation.
As most of you know I’ve had two transmissions replaced in less than two months. Here’s the link to the details on that incident: http://acuramdx.org/forums/showthre...&threadid=19965 I’ve filed a written complaint with both Acura and my local dealer.
I heard back from the General Manager of my local dealer early last week, he was very understanding of my concerns and offered his help in resolving my concerns. His point was that the resolution of the problem was up to Acura, however, he had spoken to the Regional Acura Rep and had ask them support my request to replace the vehicle. He stated that if Acura didn’t take care of the issue to give him a call back.
Having not heard from Acura for two weeks I decided to give them a call; finally got a return call from their “case manager”. He started the conversation by telling me that the transmission was the 2nd most complex part of the truck and that failures are “a fact of life” and are “to be expected”. He stated that they have been selling 60,000 MDX’s for 5 years and that failures are expected. He did conceit that two transmission failures in two months was a bit unusual. The whole impression he gave me is that transmission failures are normal and should be expected. I was absolutely floored. This, on a brand that positions itself as a premium high quality brand.
The ONLY compensation offered was to extend the warranty to 7 years and 100,000 miles. I asked if this warranty would be transferable, the answer was a very short NO. I requested replacement of the vehicle; the answer was Acura/Honda does not replace their vehicles. I then asked about some type of “good deal” on a trade in, the answer was a very firm NO.
I’m waiting for a return call from my local Acura General Manager and we’ll see if he can work some type of compensation more in line with the severity of the issue.
As it sits right now I can flat guaranty that I will never purchase another Acura/Honda vehicle. It simple isn’t the quality product they’d like you to believe it is, and the company certainly isn’t concerned about retaining their customers. I’m thinking through my options. |
|
|
| nightguy |
I think replacing the vehicle is probably too much to ask but it did help get your point across. I agree with you that it's a severe problem, and it was inconvenient but they did stand behind the product and honor the warranty. Given the history of the tranny I bet they would have even if you were just outside the warranty.
I think the 7/100 is a good deal. If they extended the warranty by that much it would be sweeter, but I don't think that could happen. I mean they are more than doubling the warranty mileage-wise. Plus, you have a whole new tranny, right ? I would however insist that the warranty be transferable, otherwise you, in good conscience, couldn't trade up to a new vehicle anytime soon and screw somebody else...though it doesn't sound like you want another one anyway.
Probably not the answer you were looking for, but my two cents... |
|
|
| wmquan |
quote:
Originally posted by nightguy
... Plus, you have a whole new tranny, right ? I would however insist that the warranty be transferable, otherwise you, in good conscience, couldn't trade up to a new vehicle anytime soon and screw somebody else...though it doesn't sound like you want another one anyway. ...
Don't they usually replace the transmission with a rebuilt one? Not a new one? That's probably why his second transmission went south.
I agree. Insist on a transferrable warranty. I don't think you'll get much more unless you go the attorney route and try to prove that the vehicle is unsafe (unlikely).
I'm sorry to hear about your problems. It's a shame you have to go to these lengths just to get them to offer something. I don't blame you for not wanting to buy another Honda again. |
|
|
| nightguy |
quote:
Originally posted by wmquan
Don't they usually replace the transmission with a rebuilt one? Not a new one? That's probably why his second transmission went south.
I don't know. But in the other thread he says it came from LA. To me that suggests it was shipped in from Japan. But maybe they just have excellent boneyards there. :) |
|
|
| TheWorm |
I don't think replacing a 2 yr old car with 30k is going to happen. I suppose it couldn't hurt to have asked but IMO that's not a particularly reasonable request. I understand the frustration but it isn't like the whole car is falling apart at the seams; and Acura is entitled to make a good-faith effort to fix the problems. It's unfortunate your 2nd tranny went south, of course...and you're not the only one to whom that has happened. Oddly enough, that always seems to happen very quickly rather than after another 30k when you're for sure out of warranty. The bright side is that I don't think anyone has been through 3 :rolleyes:.
Based on what other people have received, I think an extended warranty is all you're going to wring out of them at this point. Are they offering one only on the tranny or is it the comprehensive one (it's most often been just the tranny)? But it certainly should be transferable, else you get stuck with the stigma and potential for lost value should you decide to sell/trade the car before that period is up.
Good luck with this. |
|
|
| crmsnidol |
quote:
Originally posted by TheWorm
Based on what other people have received, I think an extended warranty is all you're going to wring out of them at this point. Are they offering one only on the tranny or is it the comprehensive one (it's most often been just the tranny)? But it certainly should be transferable, else you get stuck with the stigma and potential for lost value should you decide to sell/trade the car before that period is up.
Plus, you wouldn't want to dump a potentially faulty vehicle on the next owner without the balance of the transferrable waranty. |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
First; they will not allow the extended warranty to be transfered to the next owner, that's bad.
Second: the extension they're offering is the complete bumper-to-bumper full Acura warranty, that's good.
Third: The input is much appreciated and I'm thinking on the fairness of the offer and what my options are. One of my concerns is that we're headed for Alaska this summer. Having the X breakdown in the Yukon Territory would be poetic, to say the least. If I remember correctly the tow companies charge something like $50 per mile in certain parts of the Alaska Hiway. If Acura would have to have it hauled 1000 miles to Anchorage that'd add up nicely. |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
| Just got thinking; wonder how many trannies it will take before it's a "lemon" here in Nevada? Got to check on that. |
|
|
| DaleB |
| On Acura's behalf, they are consistent. :20: |
|
|
| bb123 |
So were the tobacco companies when they were sued for selling cancer-causing products. . .
And the Archdiocese of Boston when faced with sexual abuse charges. . .
Deny, deny, deny until you can't possibly deny it anymore - then deny it some more (but extend the warranty to 7/100,000).
:rolleyes: |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
Another question.
The "case" guy I spoke to told me that this issue would NEVER show up on CarFax. Never having used CarFax or that type of service, I'm not sure what they do or how accurate they are. Where do they get their information? |
|
|
| nightguy |
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
Another question.
The "case" guy I spoke to told me that this issue would NEVER show up on CarFax. Never having used CarFax or that type of service, I'm not sure what they do or how accurate they are. Where do they get their information?
I believe they get their information from anything that's required to be reported on the title. The guarantee:
The CARFAX Buyback Guarantee protects you from unknowingly buying a used car with DMV-reported incidents (salvage, fire, flood damage, odometer problems or lemon history).
The full terms and conditions:
http://www.carfax.com/guarantee/hctermsanddef.cfm |
|
|
| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
Just got thinking; wonder how many trannies it will take before it's a "lemon" here in Nevada? Got to check on that.
The Nevada lemon law applies for the earlier of one year or the vehicles express warranty .
New York is the earlier of two years or 18,000 miles.
Autopedia has both the summary and details of Lemon Laws. Here's Nevadas:
http://autopedia.com/html/LemonLaw/NV_lemonlaw2.html
If Acura is offering the standard Acura Care warranty, it is transferrable. THey would have to modify it to make it non-transferable in your case, which they just might not have the authority to do at teh case manager level.
Sounds like Acura is pretty testy about transmissions. :readit: |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
This is interesting: just spoke to the owner of the local Acura Dealer and he stated flat out that what Acura is not offering enough compensation. I asked him if he thought I should talk to an lawyer and said "that's what it may take".
To me what would be fair is some type of "very friendly" trade in deal. I really don't expect Acura to pick up the whole difference.
On the warranty that was offered, the "case" guy was very clear, I asked him several times, that the warranty would not be transferable. I found it strange that a full extended warranty would not be transferable. |
|
|
| bb123 |
It's my opinion that the extended warranty is as "silent" as it can be without making it a silent recall, which as I understand it, is illegal.
When our tranny was failing, Acura made a "friendly" trade in deal - we paid a bit over $6,000 for a new '03 to replace an '02 with 25,000 miles. I saw it as straight line depreciation (assuming a useful life of 150,000 miles) for an asset which depreciates on a far more accelerated basis.
My problem is that I am still uneasy about the design and construction of the MDX's transmission and won't feel comfortable until Acura formally announces a 7 yr./100,000 mile drivetrain warranty. I've been waiting for over a year and while Acura seems to be giving such a warranty to those whose trannies fail and who complain loud and long enough, it doesn't appear that they will publicly step up and extend the warranty. Not exactly what a "luxury" maker ought to be doing, in my opinion. |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
| Checked it out, Nevada's "lemon" law applies to a vehicle that has 3 occurrences of the same problem. Thus, I've got 2 strikes. |
|
|
| TheWorm |
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
Checked it out, Nevada's "lemon" law applies to a vehicle that has 3 occurrences of the same problem. Thus, I've got 2 strikes.
Where'd you find that info? My quick Google indicates a ticker of 1 year from original purchase and 4 attempts. |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
| The owner of the local Acura Dealer quoted me 3 of the same units to be a "lemon". Didn't check to see if he gave me the right info. |
|
|
| m2pc |
The reply you got is really upsetting. Its expected? Its also expected I keel over some day.......What kind of lame response is that.
Yes it can be expected, but at what rate?
I'm a three time Acura purchaser and if I went through what you went through, it would definitely make me NOT consider Acura in the future.
Not being accountable really burns me up:3: |
|
|
| Markedoc |
quote:
Originally posted by bb123
My problem is that I am still uneasy about the design and construction of the MDX's transmission and won't feel comfortable until Acura formally announces a 7 yr./100,000 mile drivetrain warranty. I've been waiting for over a year and while Acura seems to be giving such a warranty to those whose trannies fail and who complain loud and long enough, it doesn't appear that they will publicly step up and extend the warranty. Not exactly what a "luxury" maker ought to be doing, in my opinion.
I couldn't agree more. I've got about a year and 10k miles to decide whether to buy the extended warranty. Not sure what I will do, but I really intended to drive this car into the ground when I first bought it. Getting rid of my MDX and replacing it with something like a 4Runner is possible, but when I look at the first year depreciation hit on a new car, I wonder if I should just suck it up and get the extended warranty. It would be nice, however, to know if Acura would definately replace the tranny if it did fail, since that would change my buying decision on the extended warranty.
Regardless of what I do with this vehicle, I would absolutely never buy another Honda or Acura product. |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
What's really interesting to me is that given the number of transmission problems that the MDX has experienced (way above what should be expected) and given that Acura is trying to position itself as a top shelf brand, they, Acura, is doing a really poor job of taking care of their customers. They've got a real problem out there and they're either sticking their head in the sand or they're simply flipping off their customers.
The owner of the local dealer, in fact, told me this. He's got a huge investment in his dealership and he depends on good, repeat and satisfied customers. Bottom line is that he doesn't think Acura is giving him the product he needs to meet his goals.
Monday I'm going to give my "case" guy one more call and see if we can work a fair deal. If not I'm going to have a talk with my lawyer. Maybe he can get them to wake up and pay attention to their customers. The fact of the matter is the way the last tranny failed presented a real danger to me. |
|
|
| m2pc |
Just wondering, does the consumer have to report issues like this to the National Highway and Transportation Safety (NHTSA). The keep unbiased stats and info on things like recalls and perform the investigation (especially if it involves a safety issue-e.g. transmission locking up).
If I were you, I would definately give them a call or file a report for their records.
www.nhtsa.gov does have a pointer to file complaints online.
Sad thing about this is that they re-designed the tranny to solve a problem. Now your 2003 tranny also exhibit the same type of problems, yet there is no recall. And to think I could have bough a KIA and saved a boatload. I just hope that your incident is isolated and doesn't mean that there is a design/manufacturing flaw. |
|
|
| robrecht |
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
What's really interesting to me is that given the number of transmission problems that the MDX has experienced (way above what should be expected) ...
Does anyone have hard numbers on MDX tranny failures?
Sorry about your tranny troubles, Lance, but you sound like you're the kind of guy that will resolve this effectively. Good luck! |
|
|
| Markedoc |
quote:
Originally posted by robrecht
Does anyone have hard numbers on MDX tranny failures?
Sorry about your tranny troubles, Lance, but you sound like you're the kind of guy that will resolve this effectively. Good luck!
I am sure Acura has them!
I know one other MDX owner and one other Odyssey - MDX is on tranny #2, Odyssey is on tranny #3. Obviously a sample size of 2 is not statistically significant, but it doesn't give me a warm, fuzzy feeling about the Honda/Acura auto tranny ... |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
| Think about this; I was told that the replacement transmission is not a new unit, rather a rebuilt one. So, you've got a unit that already failed once and now you replace a couple of parts, put it back together, install it in a customers X and tell him to have "warm fuzzy feelings" about his $40k+ vehicle. |
|
|
| robrecht |
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
Think about this; I was told that the replacement transmission is not a new unit, rather a rebuilt one. So, you've got a unit that already failed once and now you replace a couple of parts, put it back together, install it in a customers X and tell him to have "warm fuzzy feelings" about his $40k+ vehicle.
I am thinking about it! Some might say that a rebuilt tranny is better than a new one. I don't personally know the merits of this position, but it's worth considering this point of view:
quote:
Originally posted over at HondaPilot.org
It is typical for ALL manufacturers to replace parts under warrenty with THEIR choice, of either New or Rebuilt.
I would favor the rebuilt as the used parts are inspected and "seasoned" and anything showing wear is replaced new. With the work done in a factory setting.
|
|
|
| renov8r |
the term rebuilt or 'remanufactured' does not mean they take out the busted part and put in a fixed one.
It means that they used a 'core' that had been returned to them. For a transmisson that 'core' is generally the CASE and little else. The valve body is torn down and stripped of its solenoids. The torque converter is disassembled. The bearings are replaced. The clutch packs are replaced.
Assuming that the techs that do the rebuilt have to know not just how everything goes in, but also how to properly do disassembly means they have MORE skills than the techs building new trannys.
So I think it is fair to say that a factory rebuild is "better than new".
THAT DOES NOT, however excuse the CRAP that too many folks are put through. Lance should AT LEAST get a very long term warranty... |
|
|
| DaleB |
There still seems to be some that believe sparkling brand new transmissions are somewhere on shelves to replace those that might fail. That is simply not the case.
renov8r described the alternatives you have. And those alternatives SHOULD be built with any design or process changes fully incorporated. A brand new transmission left over from production will not have those latest changes. That's why there are no new ones sitting on shelves. |
|
|
| Markedoc |
WTH knows if a re-built tranny is better or worse. But unless the technology is better in the new tranny, the damn thing is likely to just blow up again.
I've seen this with other manufacturers as well. Great - they replace the bad unit, but they put the same thing back in. BMW did the same thing with their instrument clusters. Eventually it fails far enough out of warranty, and you are screwed. |
|
|
| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by Markedoc
WTH knows if a re-built tranny is better or worse. But unless the technology is better in the new tranny, the damn thing is likely to just blow up again.
I've seen this with other manufacturers as well. Great - they replace the bad unit, but they put the same thing back in. BMW did the same thing with their instrument clusters. Eventually it fails far enough out of warranty, and you are screwed.
There is no doubt that a device with multiple failure modes may have reached it's design limit. There are only so many band-aids than can be applied.
Manufacturing errors during production can be corrected, as can weeding out bad parts that have been outsourced. In good time, you will be left with a servicable unit.
But a marginal design can rarely be band-aided effectively to ensure long life. And transmission redesigns do not happen overnight. |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
Further thoughts. In any manufacturing process there are limits on all the tolerances; if you have a marginal design then those units that have a critical area that is at the bottom of the tolerance will be more likely to fail. When you rebuilt the unit you may, or may not replace the part that is at the lower side of the design.
A short example; if the case was weak near the support for a set of bearings, it could allow for more flex then the design allowed and promote early failure. Rebuilding may not correct this problem.
I've never driven a vehicle a ton of miles, with one exception, that was a '73 Ford van which I put over 200k miles on, no transmission failure. As a matter of fact for the last 50k, or more, I really didn't take very good care of the truck at all and the only reason I finally got rid of it was that pieces started falling off the body, but it still ran like a top.
It sure would be interested in finding out the failure rate of the Acura/Honda transmissions is opposed to other brands. At the time I was calling on the tech folks in Detroit they talked about non-scheduled service per 100k miles. At that time Lexus/Toyota was the benchmark with numbers in the high single digits, Buick was the best GM brand with numbers in the high teens. The fact of the matter is each manufacturer knows precisely what there problems are. |
|
|
| DaleB |
I agree, Lance. With normal maintenance transmission problems should be rare with less than 100K on the car.
My only bad experience with a bad transmission was on a '91 Ford Taurus, where a bad transmission was standard equipment. :4:
But most of my previous vehicles were standard shift. |
|
|
| robrecht |
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
What's really interesting to me is that given the number of transmission problems that the MDX has experienced (way above what should be expected) ...
quote:
Originally posted by robrecht
Does anyone have hard numbers on MDX tranny failures?
quote:
Originally posted by Markedoc
I am sure Acura has them!
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
It sure would be interested in finding out the failure rate of the Acura/Honda transmissions is opposed to other brands. At the time I was calling on the tech folks in Detroit they talked about non-scheduled service per 100k miles. At that time Lexus/Toyota was the benchmark with numbers in the high single digits, Buick was the best GM brand with numbers in the high teens. The fact of the matter is each manufacturer knows precisely what there problems are.
Lance, was there a public source for these kinds of numbers? Anyone? |
|
|
| shootist |
| Interestingly, the car evaluation sites rank MDX as highly reliable. Some of them mention failed EGR valves, but none mention tranny problems. |
|
|
| Markedoc |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
Interestingly, the car evaluation sites rank MDX as highly reliable. Some of them mention failed EGR valves, but none mention tranny problems.
Yet. |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
The numbers I was talking about were guarded like Ft Knox. I got to see them after having called on the GM Tech Center for many years and earning the trust of a couple of their engineers. They would show me the numbers, but, they would not allow me to take any notes. I'm very certain that all the other companies keep the same numbers. They know exactly how many non-scheduled issues they have. That's what bothers me the most, Acura knows they've got a problem and they know exactly how big it is, we can only guess.
There's a poll running now trying to get a little indication of the extend of the problem. There was a poll run back in early '02 that showed a 11.5% tranmission failure rate. I submit that's not just bad, it's nearly criminal. |
|
|
| Markedoc |
quote:
Originally posted by Markedoc
I am sure Acura has them!
I know one other MDX owner and one other Odyssey - MDX is on tranny #2, Odyssey is on tranny #3. Obviously a sample size of 2 is not statistically significant, but it doesn't give me a warm, fuzzy feeling about the Honda/Acura auto tranny ...
Oh - I was wrong - I do know another person with an MDX - buddy of mine in Canada. And he is on tranny number 2.
What are the chances that 3 out of 3 friends would have tranny problems if the failure rates was, say 1%? |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
| Extremely slim. |
|
|
| robrecht |
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
What's really interesting to me is that given the number of transmission problems that the MDX has experienced (way above what should be expected) ...
quote:
Originally posted by robrecht
Does anyone have hard numbers on MDX tranny failures?
quote:
Originally posted by Markedoc
I am sure Acura has them!
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
It sure would be interested in finding out the failure rate of the Acura/Honda transmissions is opposed to other brands. At the time I was calling on the tech folks in Detroit they talked about non-scheduled service per 100k miles. At that time Lexus/Toyota was the benchmark with numbers in the high single digits, Buick was the best GM brand with numbers in the high teens. The fact of the matter is each manufacturer knows precisely what there problems are.
quote:
Originally posted by robrecht
Lance, was there a public source for these kinds of numbers? Anyone?
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
The numbers I was talking about were guarded like Ft Knox. I got to see them after having called on the GM Tech Center for many years and earning the trust of a couple of their engineers. They would show me the numbers, but, they would not allow me to take any notes. I'm very certain that all the other companies keep the same numbers. They know exactly how many non-scheduled issues they have. That's what bothers me the most, Acura knows they've got a problem and they know exactly how big it is, we can only guess.
It amazes me that in our litiginous class action culture, we don't have better access to these kinds of numbers. |
|
|
| Wiffy |
| Now beginning the process of battling with Acura Case Manager about '02 transmission. Problems have persisted over one year: slipping around 1500 RPM's. Nearly every two months, my '02 is kept overnight by the service department and I am sent home with a Neon. EGR valve replaced twice and still no improvement. I am posting this comment to support overall claim about defective MDX transmissions. |
|
|
| Lance Crowley |
Wiffy:
I'm still fighting my situation. I may just have to sue them to get some kind of satisfaction. As I stated before the last time the transmission was locked in some forward gear, the dealers tech's couldn't get it out of gear, no neutral and no reverse. I drove it 40 miles to get to the dealer, after getting there I thought about what would have happened if it had locked up at 65 on the freeway?
Good luck with your claim and let us know how it goes. |
|
|
| richkuan |
My thought is, 7 / 100 is really a good deal. The point is, the tranny is defective, not the whole car. If you would like to go down the path for replacing with a new car, you probably have to use lemon law.
Compared with other brand vehicles, Honda/Acura trannies are way more reliable. From the view point of quality control, it's impossible to have 100% defect free products. I think you are just lucky got the defect one. And I believe the 1st replacement is a reman. That's why it failed again. The 2nd one, I hope it's a new tranny.
I agree this is a very rare issue and I understand your frustration, but your MDX is covered bumper to bumper for 7 /100, that should give you peace in mind. The warranty is not transferable probably because this is to make sure you will enjoy the car and know it will be taken good care of, but not to let you sell the car at a higher price because of this extraordinary warranty.
Get over it and enjoy the car. It's a decent car after all. |
|
|
| Unhappy Owner |
On the advice of an attorney, I am filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau Auto Line...if you cannot settle your problem with the dealership or American Honda directly...and meet criteria required, you would go to arbitration. Because my transmission (I think) slips (while trying to enter freeway or accellerate in traffic, I do not feel safe driving it and have just parked it in the garage. It has on 30,500 miles. You might want to give it a try.
Their phone number is 800-955-5100 and they are in Arlington, VA
2002 Touring |
|
|
| ScoobyT |
| I'm on my second X. So far, so good.BTW, lets sue KFC,they made me 20lb overweight. |
|
|
| bb123 |
ScoobyT:
What does KFC have to do with this discussion?? |
|
|
| ScoobyT |
quote:
Originally posted by bb123
ScoobyT:
What does KFC have to do with this discussion??
Nothing at all. |
|
|
| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by bb123
ScoobyT:
What does KFC have to do with this discussion??
It's lunch time? |
|
|
| mgmdx |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
It's lunch time?
But KFC would not be my first choice for lunch. I would rather go to this restaurant. :D |
|
|
| ScoobyT |
quote:
Originally posted by mgmdx
But KFC would not be my first choice for lunch. I would rather go to this restaurant. :D
Amen! |
|
|
| cynthia |
| I also had my transmission replaced at 45,000 miles which I was totally shock about. I was told that it was not a problem with the MDX's that mine was just a fluke. Well they replaced it and I felt the same tug that the other transmission made so often before it went out. Now I am concerned that I will see this happen again. I had gotten the 100,000 mile warranty when I bought the car in 2002 so it was covered but I put a lot of miles on the vehicle so I am concerned I need to get rid of it soon before this happens again. I bought this vehicle because I thought it was a quality vehicle but now I am getting quite concerned that I made a mistake. |
|
|
| Bnuke |
| Well, sign me up for the tranny failure list. My 2003 only has 21k on it. I brought it in several times for a "groan" that I kept hearing from the tranny. The dealership would change the VTM fluid and the problem would go away. Now, after my move from CT to CA, the dealer looked at it, ran the fluid through a filter and found metal debris. So here I am driving an RSX loaner (good that they hooked me up with that) waiting for parts. What shocked me is that they are backordered for parts. Seems that there are 97 orders for the rear differential. Sounds like a lot of failures to me. Strangely, I still love my X. |
|
|
| m2pc |
| I think this is a separate issue from the known tranny issues. Didn't know the rear diff had problems. At what mileage did you have your VTM 1st changed out? |
|
|
| Bnuke |
quote:
Originally posted by m2pc
I think this is a separate issue from the known tranny issues. Didn't know the rear diff had problems. At what mileage did you have your VTM 1st changed out?
I've had it changed out 4 times. The first time was around 4k. The service manager said that the differential probably wasn't built to specification. The odd thing is still that there are 97 rear diffs backordered as we speak. That sounds like a lot to me. |
|
|
| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by Bnuke
I've had it changed out 4 times. The first time was around 4k. The service manager said that the differential probably wasn't built to specification. The odd thing is still that there are 97 rear diffs backordered as we speak. That sounds like a lot to me.
Having it changed out 4 times on the same vehicle sounds 'lemony' to me... but in any case sounds like a bigger problem than the 97 backordered, unless they are to go to the same dealer.
Maybe there is a mechanical misalignment somewhere. Or just a bad lot you were lucky enough to get in the middle of.... Oh, well, sometimes if it were not for bad luck we'd have no luck at all! |
|
|
| m2pc |
| To have had to change it out as early as 4k is pretty disturbing. I think for the 2003, the severe conditions was at 7.5k and normal at 15k for the first change. Sorry to hear about that. |
|
|
| Bnuke |
quote:
Originally posted by m2pc
To have had to change it out as early as 4k is pretty disturbing. I think for the 2003, the severe conditions was at 7.5k and normal at 15k for the first change. Sorry to hear about that.
I probably got a bad lot. I must say that the dealerships that I've been working with (Inskip in Rhode Island and Cush in San Diego) have been very cooperative so far. I hope that the good service continues. |
|
|
| juliewax |
I'm so sad...my '02 MDX at 42.5K miles is starting to have all of the tranny problems posted by others. It seems at about 30-40 mph it gets lost and can't figure out which gear to get into. It's very scary and not consistently reproduceable.
I took it to the dealer today and they didn't find any bad "codes" on the computer test (although that seems to be what others also experienced). So the dealer sent me on my merry way today telling me to come back when I can reproduce it. Of course, on my drive home, it happened again...with no dealer witness.
Now I don't want to drive it. period. Especially with my 3 yr old twin girls in the back. How scary is that??
Gosh - I got rid of my Jeep Grand Cherokee b/c it was so unreliable...I thought Acura would be awesome; but now I find myself in the same dilemma.
I guess I'll start jumping through all of the recommended hoops (while my husband now drives the MDX!!!).
jwax |
|
|
| vwkgcv71 |
Add me to the tranny failure group. I am awaiting arrival and installation of a rebuilt unit and am writing this to summarize what I learned so far.
Mine is a 2003 Dealer Certified Vehicle purchased approx 4 mos ago. It now has 31K miles. I had hoped that the transmission redesign for 2003 fixed the problem. Evidently not. Unit started leaking while driving just a few drops of fluid which blew back onto exhaust causing me to smell when I stopped car. I thought it was the engine block porosity problem I read about in this forum. However when I took it to the dealer they advised that the transmission was failing. Fluid was foaming out due to it overheating. They advised that there is lack of lubrication on the 2nd gear causing fluid overheating and seeping from the transmission. I asked them if the flaw was fixed in the rebuilt units and was told that more of the lubricant is being routed to the 2nd gear area to alleviate problem. I asked whether a transmission fluid cooler would help and the service manager said that might help some but the additional volume onto 2nd gear area is whats needed. This makes since to me as I believe it is sort of its own volume of fluid for a short time as the fluid circulates through the transmission. The lack of volume in this area causes localized overheating of the fluid causing gears to get even hotter. They eventually can get so hot that their mechanical stength is affected increasing the wear rate further with the possibility of catastrophic failure.
I now believe it is important to change your MDX transmission fluid more often than the manual advises in order to assure you have fluid with good properties that isn't broken down. My manual is in my wifes car at the shop but I believe it recommends 30K for severe service and 42 or 48K for normal service.
I plan to change at least every 12 mo. I'm also going to inquire into an approved full synthetic transmission fluid for the MDX. Synthetics can handle heat better. Of course all of the fluid needs to be removed is such a change is made. |
|
|
| ROTORRAY |
| Changing the transmission fluid is SIMPLE! I would recommend doing it at 6,000 mile intervals. This would be the 3 quart change. Since I change my oil at 2500-3000 miles I would be doing this at every other oil change. Additional cost would be approx $4.80/quart from my Honda dealer but if it keeps the tranny going what the heck! My '03 TL-S had the tranny warranty extended to 7 years/100,000 miles because of failures with the TL line but I traded it in for an S2000 before any failure. Tranny weakness seems to be an Acura product-wide problem. I would think that with all their engineering brain-trust they could solve this pronto. Curious. |
|
|
|
