I am looking to buy a 01-03 bodystyle CL...I am shooting for the 03,type S, 6sp CL. I did a little reading and the only bad thing i found out about the CL and same gen TL is that the auto trannies can go bad...I just want to get some feedback on the CL/TL since they share the same engine and auto tranny. What are some known defects/problems between the two, especially the CL.

 

auto trans is about it

most other stuff can be easily remedied. paint is sorta fragile so wax it with a good quality wax

 

my boys got one for 16,500 90,000mi perfect, navi, and the whole works. email me at dwamp2006@yahoo.com

 

way too much $,

I bought my 02 for $15K with 40K miles on it a year and a half ago.........

 

I own an 02 TL-S and have owned and 03 CL-S as well for a year, as previous posters said the transmission is the only issue with these cars, my TL has 140K miles as we speak and still is prime condition .

 

what are things to look out fpr when buying a "high mileage" Cl-s other than tranny..I want a 6spd

 

Just make sure some regular maintenance has been done. If it's got a lot of miles and it's still on its original timing belt i'd be worried. my mom's 03 has been trouble free

 

i have a 03 cl-s 6spd and its a great car. i have had no major problems except for a hub bearing and that could possibly be because its lowered and has a bad camber.

 

Like everybody else says, the auto trannies stink to high heaven. Otherwise they're great cars. I watched and waited for probably 2 years to find / hear of a solid fix for the trannies - never happened. The newest revision honda is using is supposed to be more reliable, though that's not proven. If it weren't for the trannies I'd have an older TL right now.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Baron55 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am looking to buy a 01-03 bodystyle CL...I am shooting for the 03,type S, 6sp CL. I did a little reading and the only bad thing i found out about the CL and same gen TL is that the auto trannies can go bad...I just want to get some feedback on the CL/TL since they share the same engine and auto tranny. What are some known defects/problems between the two, especially the CL.</TD></TR></TABLE>

There were two major issues with this auto trans (01-03 CL / TL): #1 - 3rd clutch failure (burnt clutch material filled the internal strainer to the point that it ruptured, sending all kinds of contamination throughout the valve bodies). #2 - Countershaft / Secondary Shaft gear burn (starts out with increasing whine noise until the gears are so brittle they literally broke).

There is also a main case countershaft bore issue that doesn't rear its ugly head until the tranny has been remanufactured. The oversized bore, coupled with a new countershaft tends to cause a bad whine noise, and in some cases literally pulls the bushing out of the countershaft - resulting in yet another burnt 3rd clutch.

The new generation 4-shaft trannys have proven very reliable in endurance testing, and have been in the market since '03 (Saturn Vue). All models now use this transmission.

You'll also find that if your CL / TL already has a remanufactured transmission in it, the PCM has also been updated with a countermeasure for the 3rd clutch issue. There will be a noticeable "firm" or "quick" shift from 2nd to 3rd gear. This is normal, and often mistaken for a tranny problem. Due to customer and dealership confusion, another countermeasure PCM is due out in Jan.08 to retard engine timing during the 2-3 shift. This will hopefully tame the market concerns about the noticeable difference.

The NP0-5AT transmission problems have been a thorn in Honda's heel for a long time. But with the newly designed NP0-4Axis transmission, it's like they say.... it will all be over soon.