Tabs

Hi all,

I have an 05 Accord V6 Coupe, auto transmission with 43.5k miles on it. About a week and a half ago it started feeling strange, almost like there's a drag on the car and I began noticing hard gear shifts, mostly in the lower range at slower speeds. (There's a visible spike on the tachometer when it happens) It happens especially when I'm coasting to a stop at a light for instance. It's felt rough when accelerating a few times as well. There's a faint whine at times in the sound of the car that I never remember hearing before this as well.

I took it into the Honda dealership (it's got HondaCare and the 100k warranty) and they did a transmission flush, said the fluid was dirty. The problem remained though and I took it back in yesterday. Their techs said everything checks out normal, no codes or anything and they drove it for a half-hour and said it felt fine to them. I even drove it with the head tech in the passenger seat, demonstrating what I was talking about it, and he claimed it was normal too and that there was nothing they could do for me.

I'm absolutely positive something's going on here, the car felt way smoother than this before - has anyone else experienced anything like this? Would they deny a problem even if they knew something was about to fail just because it's not generating codes and the check engine light yet?

Thanks!
Ryan
Phoenix, AZ

MSchu

Is the whine still present after the flush and fluid replacement? if so it sounds like your going to need a new transmission at some point. try taking her to another dealer and make sure your not riding around with a service writer, insist on a technician

briq4

The good news is you have 56,500 miles for it to get to the point where it's VERY noticeable or it fails. Either way a whine coming from an auto trans means things are awry with the internals. Sometimes a flush can make things even worse, which would be a good thing for you, you might even be able to get them to refund you the "flush" charge since it would probably accelerate the transmission failure. And you have it documented that there was and still is a distinct wine coming from the trans.

Best thing to do is while your car is in the shop look on the lot for a vehicle like yours, that way you have something to compare it to. Insist that the technition ride in your vehicle and the one on the lot. If they sound as different as night and day, you have a good argument to take the issue farther than them telling you to flush the trans. Flushing the trans the equivelant of an IT person at work saying to try scan disc to fix a problem. 99 out of 1000 times it doesn't do much, and the problem stays, returns or gets worse!

Disappointed in Honda

Ryan - I have had similar problems as you describe above. I have a 2005 Honda Accord AT 4 cyl that i bought with 23k on it a yr ago and now it is at 62k. I have noticed the problem on acceleration almost from the beginning but was told I didn't know how a Honda shifted.
At the lower speeds, as you describe the coasting to a light, that is exactly when I have noticed a spike in the tachometer and a momentary lag in shift or rev in engine before it engages. It has started to whine as well. I don't trust the dealer. I took it to a Transmission specialist and he said (and I paraphrase as I am not an expert) there were bits of metal in the fluid. (probably the "dirt" in yours) he said there were known problems in shifting between 3rd & 4th. He mentioned that the computer system does a pretty good job of compensating at this point...I have been second guessing myself when I notice these symptoms but you confirmed everything almost to a "T" that I have been noticing. Don't kid yourself, the dealerships & Honda will never admit anything. Pandora's box.
I have had numerous problems with my Honda and the dealership. My transmission needs to be replaced at only 62k and out of warranty. $3500123floor