| whodge1327 |
Today, I brought my 2002 MDX into the dealership for repair. My MDX has 49,000 miles on it. The Issue I am having is a dramatic drop in mileage (from 16 mpg to 10 mpg) and hesitation/surging at cruising speed. I, and the service rep. suspect it is the EGR valve which they are replacing under warranty.
I mentioned to the rep. that I read that ALOT of early MDX's were having transmission problems. She said that Acura has extended the warranty (on my year, maybe others) to 7 years, 9 months or 109,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Has anyone else heard about this? I know they extended some CL & TL warranties for transmission issues due to a class action lawsuit. She specifically said my MDX transmission would be covered for the extended time period. |
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| dj-mdx2 |
| This is news to me. Can your service rep provide a written TSB or recall? That would be a most welcome change from Acura if it's true. |
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| JL_SS |
| The Honda/Acura tranny warranty extension does not cover the MDX: Settlement Link. I'd get the rep to put it in writing for you before someone realizes that she doesn't know what she is talking about................ |
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| whodge1327 |
| The rep entered my VIN into her system and printed out a list of covered componets. It said "EGR 8/80,000 and transmission 93/109,000". Meaning continued coverage for 93 months or 109,000 miles, whichever comes first. I spoke to her this morning and she said that after the CL / TL lawsuit, Acura chose to extend (without telling the public) the tranny warrantys on some other vehicles with tranny issues. |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by whodge1327
The rep entered my VIN into her system and printed out a list of covered componets. It said "EGR 8/80,000 and transmission 93/109,000". Meaning continued coverage for 93 months or 109,000 miles, whichever comes first. I spoke to her this morning and she said that after the CL / TL lawsuit, Acura chose to extend (without telling the public) the tranny warrantys on some other vehicles with tranny issues.
Must be new because there are a number of people who fairly recently got rejected and/or only got partial reimbursement for tranny replacements. I would ask for it in writing to make sure she is just not refering to the case by case review process that Acura was using - in which some got full reimbursment and some didn't. If Acura really did extend the warranty, then there are a bunch of people who need to go back and seek reimbursement. |
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| JimH |
| I just called Acura Client Services (800-382-2238) and gave them my VIN # for my 2002 MDX. I asked them specifically if there were any extended warranty for the transmission similar to that of the CL/TL, etc. The service person said that there is no extended warranty for the MDX for transmissions, and nothing comes up saying there is for any MDX. I explained the aforementioned printout mentioned here and the person said that there was nothing to indicate any extended warranty in their databases. It seems we are getting different responses. |
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| Warzau |
| That was stated before all cars other than MDX got the extended warranty WHY? Got me... |
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| jdlowery |
I just recently had a transmisssion issue with my '03. Damn, I thought that I would be one of the lucky ones. Anyway, it was replaced under warranty and apparent goodwill. My vehicle had about 135K but I only paid for labor, about $1K. The extension is true for the MDX. 109 is what I was told and that's why I was required to pay for the labor. Remanufactured tranny is in place but now the pressure switch had a problem so a new pressure switch was installed. If this switch goes out another replacement tranny will be used.
I'm thinking about unloading it after all is well. I just need to figure out what to get. And here I thought that I wouldn't have a major mechanical issure for at least 200K. |
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| mhight |
I brought my MDX into the dealer after experiencing both the check engine light and the VTM light for serveral days. I also noticed a shimmy at low RPMs. Between 40-50 while coasting and at highway speeds with cruise control I noticed a shimmy. After the tech did his thing I was told that it was the tranny. I was told by both Acura customer service and the service reps at Castle Acura in DE that there was no warranty extension on my 2001 MDX tranny and it was going to cost 3600.00 to replace. (it has 75K miles on it) The dealer actually told me that there was nothing they could do. I took the onis to call acura customer service and open a case from info i gathered here on this site (thanks!) and requested a goodwill replacement. First they told me after the case rep spoke with the district manager that they would only cover half the cost which would leave me with 1800.00 charge. Well I went in today to get the x and the total bill was only 960.00...on the bill it said the tranny and converter were covered under warranty. I didn't ask any questions and quickly paid the 960.00 and got the H#$# out of there. So not sure what to make of all that????
Unfortunately, I still have the shimmmy at highway speeds with the cruise control on??? I am perplexed? From the other posts it seems like the EGR valve is a very good suspect? any ideas?
Thanks,
Michael |
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| dj-mdx2 |
Get your wheels checked - you may just need a balancing.
About the reduced cost - Acura may have just charged you the labor cost. Look up the breakdown on your invoice. |
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| mhight |
it states warranty on the receipt for the tranny and torque converter...which was a surprise to me...
yes the 960.00 was just for the labor...
I don't think my other problem is caused by the wheels being un-balanced b/c today I was driving home and it seems that the shimmy happens at low rpm's not matter how fast and it felt like it was going to stall twice...maybe the EGR?
Thanks,
Michael |
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| dj-mdx2 |
quote:
Originally posted by mhight
it states warranty on the receipt for the tranny and torque converter...which was a surprise to me...
yes the 960.00 was just for the labor...
I don't think my other problem is caused by the wheels being un-balanced b/c today I was driving home and it seems that the shimmy happens at low rpm's not matter how fast and it felt like it was going to stall twice...maybe the EGR?
Thanks,
Michael
I sure hope they checked your EGR when they replaced your tranny since they went to all that trouble. They're gonna love you when you return for an EGR replacement since that DOES have a warranty extension.:D |
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| Recharge |
| Is it covered, or not? Looks like many have proof that the tranny is covered under warranty. I love my 02, runs perfect at 86 k. People who think every 02 will fail are idiots. There is a 3 percent failur rate, so what. I'll bet I have one of the other 97 percent that don't fail. |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by Recharge
Is it covered, or not? Looks like many have proof that the tranny is covered under warranty. I love my 02, runs perfect at 86 k. People who think every 02 will fail are idiots. There is a 3 percent failur rate, so what. I'll bet I have one of the other 97 percent that don't fail.
Where does the 3% come from? The only published number I have seen is from the CL failures in Consumer Reports and that is 25%. |
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| one4gatr |
quote:
Originally posted by JL_SS
Where does the 3% come from? The only published number I have seen is from the CL failures in Consumer Reports and that is 25%.
Ditto that... Recharge... how long have you had your X? I noticed you were a new member. Is it possible yours already has a replaced tranny?
Isnt there a guy on this board who compiles repair data on his own independent site?
From what I have seen on this board the long term prognosis for the tranny is pretty grim. We have a FEW members that have over 100k on theirs with no issues.
Would love to see Acura step up on this one but until some gets hurt due to a catastrophic failure I doubt they will. |
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| XUSN |
| I had posted my transmission issue with the Broken Mount thread because I had both problems happen at the same time. The dealership quoted me almost $5k to fix. The 01 MDX was out of warranty with 68K miles. I declined the recommended fix and wrote a letter to Acura Client Services within 3 days I reeived a phone call from "James" and he sounded surpised that the dealership manager did not try to assist me in making the arrangements for the repair. He called the dealership to authorize transmission replacement at no cost to me. I still ended up paying for the engine mount repair; total tab was $580. The repair was done Sep 14, 2007. |
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| jayman121 |
Hey all,
Does anyone really know the percentage of MDX tranny failures for the 2001-2003 models? I'm about to purchase a 2003 with 31K miles on it in EXCELLENT condition with a 1 year bumper to bumper warranty from the Acura dealer. I love the car but now I'm reconsidering after reading all the horror stories. Is it still worth it or should I be looking elsewhere. The Pilot doesn't seem to have the tranny problem, but the MDX looks and drives so much better. Thanks. |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by jayman121
Hey all,
Does anyone really know the percentage of MDX tranny failures for the 2001-2003 models? I'm about to purchase a 2003 with 31K miles on it in EXCELLENT condition with a 1 year bumper to bumper warranty from the Acura dealer. I love the car but now I'm reconsidering after reading all the horror stories. Is it still worth it or should I be looking elsewhere. The Pilot doesn't seem to have the tranny problem, but the MDX looks and drives so much better. Thanks.
Problem years are 2001/2002. The transmission was redesigned for the 2003 model year and it has a much better reliability record. There are no published failure rates but Consumer Reports reliability survey results show the 2001/2002 tranny rating as "much worse than average". The 2003 tranny gets a "better than average" reliability rating. I wouldn't worry about purchasing the 2003 MDX. |
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| jayman121 |
| Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better. Is there anything else major I should look for? |
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| syrinxstar |
| We have our 2003 MDX in the shop getting its transmission replaced under the extended powertrain warranty from its CPO status. |
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| rabiek |
My '02 MDX had problems with the EGR port at approx 96K miles (work was covered under warranty), and now the tranny needs to be replaced at 123K.... (dealer claims that they will do it free as a goodwill service)
Seems like Acura needs to take ownership of these problems and issue a recall! |
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| nikkecole |
| my 03 mdx is in the shop for a new tranny also...just 52000 miles..i have only owned it for 3 weeks :( luckily it was CPO |
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| Orlamy |
| My 03X 50,000 miles recently developed the rumbling noise at 40mph that is described as a problem of the Transmission Torque Converter. Acura is aware of the problem as stated in Acura Service Bulletin #05-024. It calls for replacing the Torque Converter and the PCM unit. Sounds "expensive". "Hope you get an extended warranty". |
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| mlg |
quote:
Originally posted by Recharge
Is it covered, or not? Looks like many have proof that the tranny is covered under warranty. I love my 02, runs perfect at 86 k. People who think every 02 will fail are idiots. There is a 3 percent failur rate, so what. I'll bet I have one of the other 97 percent that don't fail.
My 02 ran perfect @ 86000 miles too, almost anything short of a YUGO will. Now however, @ 113000 miles, I am parked in the camp with those "idiots" you so indelicately (and foolishly) refer to. My transmission won't shift dependably and does the rumble strip rhumba at 30-40 mph. The dealer has it now. |
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| one4gatr |
quote:
Originally posted by mlg
My 02 ran perfect @ 86000 miles too, almost anything short of a YUGO will. Now however, @ 113000 miles, I am parked in the camp with those "idiots" you so indelicately (and foolishly) refer to. My transmission won't shift dependably and does the rumble strip rhumba at 30-40 mph. The dealer has it now.
Hey... nice 1st post mlg... don't sweat Recharge's comments. He never responded to my question about how long he had is '02 X which leads me to believe he just took delivery recently and really doesnt have a clue what has been done to his tranny.
Good luck with the dealer and keep us posted. I know in time mine will fail but having it since day one and have well documented the "issues" with my local Acura dealer hopefully will get me out the door cheaply when the time comes.
Welcome to the board. |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by mlg
My 02 ran perfect @ 86000 miles too, almost anything short of a YUGO will.
Have you ever owned a GM product? My 2004 Silverado Crew Cab has a long repair record with only 27K miles on it, including serious problems like front transaxle replacement............and I rarely use it as a truck. |
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| slash007 |
| I've had my 01 mdx since the beginning and I had my tranny replaced at 43k or so. It has been great until the past month. Now I get that rumble noise when I am around 40mph. Since the tranny was replaced before, I wonder what acura will tell me. I am also wondering if I got the same tranny or one that was redesigned or at least had the jet kit installed. |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by slash007
I've had my 01 mdx since the beginning and I had my tranny replaced at 43k or so. It has been great until the past month. Now I get that rumble noise when I am around 40mph. Since the tranny was replaced before, I wonder what acura will tell me. I am also wondering if I got the same tranny or one that was redesigned or at least had the jet kit installed.
You got a rebuilt 2001/2002 tranny with the latest updates for that tranny. Unfortunately, the updates did not fix the failure problems, so the replacements fail just as often as the original one. The fix was the redesign in 2003, however, that tranny cannot directly replace a 2001/2002 tranny. So now is a good time to trade it....... |
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| slash007 |
| I don't know. I really like the car and planned on driving it for years to come. I have invested alot in the car in terms of add ons and I would lose all that if I got rid of it. Aside from the tranny, it has been great and I have not had any major problems since I had the first one replaced. I think I'll visit the dealer and see what they tell me in terms of a replacement and go from there. |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by slash007
I don't know. I really like the car and planned on driving it for years to come. I have invested alot in the car in terms of add ons and I would lose all that if I got rid of it. Aside from the tranny, it has been great and I have not had any major problems since I had the first one replaced. I think I'll visit the dealer and see what they tell me in terms of a replacement and go from there.
How many miles are on it now? |
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| slash007 |
| 99k. I could have sworn that I included it in the original post, but I guess I didn't.. lol. |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by slash007
99k. I could have sworn that I included it in the original post, but I guess I didn't.. lol.
Since you under 100K and already had 1 tranny replacement, I would guess that Acura will foot the bill for another one (or at least most of the cost) but they are not going to cover the 3rd one you will need at 150K. |
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| slash007 |
| I have not gone to the dealer yet to check it out. Should I call Acura and see what they are willing to do for me before I go, or do I have to have the dealer confirm it first? |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by slash007
I have not gone to the dealer yet to check it out. Should I call Acura and see what they are willing to do for me before I go, or do I have to have the dealer confirm it first?
You need to go to the dealer for diagnosis first and the dealer will give you Acura's first pass answer. Then if it's not full reimbursement, call Acura Corporate. |
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| slash007 |
| will do. Thanks:) |
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| Craig |
Well, the transmission in my 2001 just died at 111,800 miles. The dealer told me I'm SOL and now looking at a $4500+tax repair (which is about 1/3 of the value of the entire vehicle).
I put a call into the Client Services and am waiting to hear back from them but I am not hopeful.
The car had a CPO that had just expired when I bought it back in April, I guess I can see why you wouldn't want to own one of these time bombs out of warranty.
So anyone out there with any mileage on theirs should be looking to sell if the car is still running. |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by Craig
So anyone out there with any mileage on theirs should be looking to sell if the car is still running.
Sorry to hear that . Actual transmission failure rates are not available for the MDX but we do know that the failure rate is less than the models that were covered under the warranty extension. CR listed one of the worst offenders as the Acura CL with a 25% reported failure rate. So greater than 75% of the 2001/2002's will not experience a transmission failure. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine which ones are going to fail. And the only permanent fix is to buy a 2003 and up model year. |
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| Craig |
Yeah, that's kind of what I have discovered.
My local independent shop is going to actually do the work, they are about $800 less for it ($4500 at the dealer vs $3800 from the local shop). This is installing an Acura remanufactured transmission with a 3/36 warranty, which is the same one the dealer was going to put in as well.
So for anyone in the Seattle area, Greg's Japanese Auto is the place. They were also nice enough to read my codes for me for no charge and then send me off to the dealer for replacement.
Also, the dealer will NOT replace the PCM as part of the trans repair. |
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| pbkirby |
| '02 at 95K. Took to the dealer for low speed shutter and they told me the torque converter was shot. They asked if I had receipts for tranny service (which I did) and they said Acura would cover under the extended warranty (7yr 109K miles). They replaced the ECU as well. |
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| Craig |
| They need to get their story straight. The dealer told me the warranty was not extended at all, and that it was extended to 80k by the Client Services person. |
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| JimH |
The official Acura story is as follows:
I just called Acura Client Services (800-382-2238) and gave them my VIN # for my 2002 MDX. I asked them specifically if there were any extended warranty for the transmission similar to that of the CL/TL, etc. The service person said that there is no extended warranty for the MDX for transmissions, and nothing comes up saying there is for any MDX.
Each dealer and Acura corporate together obviously give different responses to the respective individual cases. For this reason, I plan to sell my 2002 MDX right before my extended warranty (my purchased extended warranty from Acura) expires at 86K miles. |
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| Orlamy |
Sell it or keep it! Humm, what to do. On the one hand I have an SUV that has most accessories, reasonable priced and drives nice although a gas guzzler! On the other, I have a car with a bad design that causes the transmission to be replaced every so often, (very likely after warranty runs out) manufactured by a company with known transmission problems, a record for not admitting there is a problem with them and high cost of maintenance. And the problem, I now know that after fixing will have to be wrecken with again in the future.
Hummm, I would keep it if the warranty could be extended otherwise, there are many other good choices! |
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| Craig |
I love mine (technically it's my wife's car, but I drive it most of the time when we're all going somewhere together). However, I plan to sell the thing once the transmission warranty is up because I just can't justify spending 1/3 of the price of the car to repair a known-bad part.
When we bought it I was planning to keep it indefinitely. |
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| Orlamy |
| I am in the same boat. I can't afford having the same problem over and over. My wife's is a 2003 with 50,000. |
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| craigerd2 |
My 2003 transmission failed at 70k. Complete replacement was covered by Acura. I did not have any warranty whatsoever and had never taken it to that dealer before. I do however own an RL and LEGEND so I do not know what impact if any that had on their decision. They also provided a TSX for week!
cd
quote:
Originally posted by JL_SS
Sorry to hear that . Actual transmission failure rates are not available for the MDX but we do know that the failure rate is less than the models that were covered under the warranty extension. CR listed one of the worst offenders as the Acura CL with a 25% reported failure rate. So greater than 75% of the 2001/2002's will not experience a transmission failure. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine which ones are going to fail. And the only permanent fix is to buy a 2003 and up model year.
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| leahcimp |
I called my dealer today because I recently started having the "shuttering" problem at around 35mph.
They said (as others have posted too) it's either a clogged EGR or a bad torque converter.
Neither are covered under warranty (I have 89K miles). The EGR fix will cost around $400. The torque converter will cost around $1600, but it may be possible to get $400-800 in "assistance" from Acura.
I guess I'm going to bring it in... my dealer has always been pretty good in the past, so hopefully, if it's the torque converter, they'll be able to help me get the assistance. |
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| JimH |
| The EGR valve is covered to 80 K miles on 2001/2002 for sure. |
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| Orlamy |
| According to Acura Service Bulletin #05-024 the Torque Converter is the corrective action for that symptom. No EGR is mention in it. |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by craigerd2
My 2003 transmission failed at 70k. Complete replacement was covered by Acura. I did not have any warranty whatsoever and had never taken it to that dealer before. I do however own an RL and LEGEND so I do not know what impact if any that had on their decision. They also provided a TSX for week!
cd
The 2003 tranny gets a better than average reliabilty rating for the 2003 model year. So while there will still be some failures of 2003 trannies, the failure rate is lower than average for it's class. I believe 2003 failures get paid for without question because there are few and it is not considered part of the "normal" failure pattern of the 2001/2002. |
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| mlg |
On an earlier post (page 2) I reported that our '02 with 113K had recently developed symptoms of transmission failure and that I had taken it to the dealer. It ended up being a total Xmission/Trq Converter replacement, and Acura agreed to pay for the parts ($3500), while I paid the ~$1000 labor bill. While I am not happy that the failure occured, I am more than happy with the response of Acura and that of the dealer, from whom we bought the car new.
Additionally, if it hadn't been for the information that I found right here on acuramdx.org, and the fact that this info allowed me to walk into the dealership with foreknowledge of the nature and history of this particular problem, things might not have turned out so well for us. So Thanks to all of you, and good luck to those of you still experiencing problems.
mlg:6: |
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| slash007 |
| I finally took my 01 mdx to the dealer to check out the rumble strip problem and all they could find was that my front engine mount was broken and that the side one was almost gone too. I had them both replaced and so far I havn't heard the rumble strip, but I don't see where the engine mounts could cause that sound, so I'm expecting it to happen again. |
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| leahcimp |
An update on my 'shudder' problem:
Brought it to the dealer. They checked it out and, as I had suspected based on comments in this forum, concluded it was the transmission problem.
They replaced the whole transmission, and Acura picked up the entire cost! Obviously, I was thrilled about the way it was handled. This is a relatively new dealer in town, and my first time there, and they were awesome.
Between the way the dealer handled it, and Acura standing behind their product, they can be sure that my next car (just like my 2 previous cars) will also be an Acura. |
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| Malachi |
New Member. I was looking for a site to ask general maintenance questions and found this one. Looks great!
I have an '01 MDX with about 160K miles on it. Still have the original tranny but was told it was on its way out, since it has a high pitch whine to it. Is this what others have experience?
I will post other questions under a different thread.
TIA!
edit, does changing the tranny oil frequently help? |
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