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I just purchased a 2004 Acura TL with 74k miles on it. On my way home from the dealership, the little green light next to the letter D (for drive) started blinking instead of being constant. I am concerned about what this may mean, since the owners manual says to bring it to the dealership because this could be a sign of transmission trouble. Can you tell me what I might be dealing with?
Optional Information: Year : 2004 Make : Acura Model: TL Already Tried: Nothing. Called the dealer, who stated that no class C mechanics were in on the weekends, but to come in Monday and they'd look at it.
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This means that a transmission trouble code is stored.
Did you notice any shifting issues with the transmission or is the check engine light on as well?
No shifting issues. It seems to drive just fine. Also, no check engine light on. The salesman told me, when I called to let him know about this, that they had "flushed" the transmission before they sold it to me, and everything checked out just fine. Does a transmission trouble code mean the tranny is going?
It has to be connected to a scanner to read the codes to verify, but this is usually a sensor or solenoid. With only 74k, I would doubt anything major. These are very good. I drive an 04 with 110k and the transmission shifts as good as the day I bought it.
I would contact the salesman to see if they used Honda brand fluid in the tranny. Some people use the cheap fluid to save money, but these require atf-z1 fluid that can only be bought at Honda.
That makes me feel better. If it's a sensor or solenoid, how costly a repair/replacement is that? The tranny was "flushed" at an Acura Dealership, so I would think they would have used the Honda fluid- no?
Yes, they would have done it correctly. Most of the sensors or solenoids are less than $100.
Worst case scenario, if the transmission does need to be replaced, how much will the dealer charge me and can i have my own mechanic do it instead?
A remanufactured tranny from the dealer is around $3,000 and they will charge you $1,000 to install it. The tranny's in these are not rocket science to replace, but you will want to be sure your mechanic has some experience in Acura before installing such a pricey transmission. I'm may be too picky, but these are awesome cars and I have seen so many "mechanics" make a mess that it makes me leary of anyone other than a dealer or an independent Honda specialist shop. It's kinda like no one would let a shade tree guy work on their BMW....and the Acura costs as much as most BMW's.
Experience: 26 years experience