My snap ring broke yesterday

[larrynsx]

I washed and wax my car yesterday and then drove to the nearest hobby store to check out some 1/18 diecast models but unfortunately, when I pulled my car out of the drive way and started to go forward, I felt the shifter moving fore and aft in both first and second gear on deceleration and acceleration. The first thing came to my mind is the snap ring thing cause my car is in the range. I quickly drove the car back to my garage and started to make some phone calls. I called Brandee (NSX88) @ Acura of Pleasanton and told her what was happening. She called the service department for me right away and scheduled an appointment for me to bring the car in this morning to have their master tech to take a look.

So this morning and they pretty much said the snap ring is broke. They aware that the car is in the range and I bought it from them 3 months ago. The service rep Steven explained to me that he will know more about whether or not they are going to replace just the tranny assembly or to replace the whole tranny. He will also work on the possibility to have Acura goodwilled the repair. At the meantime, he gave me a almost new TSX to drive until my car is fixed. I was extremely happy with the service they provided and I hope Acura will goodwilled the repair as well.

 

[nsxsupra]

He will also work on the possibility to have Acura goodwilled the repair. At the meantime, he gave me a almost new TSX to drive until my car is fixed. I was extremely happy with the service they provided and I hope Acura will goodwilled the repair as well.

That is what I call service, look like they just earned another customer for life.

Wish you the best luck, and enjoy the TSX while they are taking care of your NSX.

 

[The Kid]

So this morning and they pretty much said the snap ring is broke. They aware that the car is in the range and I bought it from them 3 months ago. The service rep Steven explained to me that he will know more about whether or not they are going to replace just the tranny assembly or to replace the whole tranny. He will also work on the possibility to have Acura goodwilled the repair. At the meantime, he gave me a almost new TSX to drive until my car is fixed. I was extremely happy with the service they provided and I hope Acura will goodwilled the repair as well.

good luck

 

[D'Ecosse]

...Next time you might want to take it to a place that has a lot of NSX service experience. We've heard very good reports here about Foreign Affair in Santa Clara, as well as a little further away, at Don's Hilltop in Daly City.

Yeah, I'm sure those guys would be delighted to give him a new TSX to drive while it's being repaired also ........
NSX88 is an NSX owner & 'Prime member & one of our local club community - I am confident that she & her dealership are handling this problem appropriately.

 

[larrynsx]

Uh oh... sounds like they don't have a lot of NSX service experience. If it JUST went, then what might need to be replaced is the snap ring and the upper transmission case, not the "tranny assembly".

Next time you might want to take it to a place that has a lot of NSX service experience. We've heard very good reports here about Foreign Affair in Santa Clara, as well as a little further away, at Don's Hilltop in Daly City.

The reason why he is not sure at this moment is that he wants to make sure there is no other internal damage by the broken ring. In fact, they might goodwill the repair as well and I think Don's Hilltop and Foreign Affairs will never goodwill such a repairing.

 

[larrynsx]

Yeah, I'm sure those guys would be delighted to give him a new TSX to drive while it's being repaired also ........
NSX88 is an NSX owner & 'Prime member & one of our local club community - I am confident that she & her dealership are handling this problem appropriately.

You are absolutely right, Ken :smile: The funny thing is the service rep called me later yesterday and asked me "are you OK to have the TSX until your car is fixed cause it is not such a fun car to drive compare to your NSX?" He wants to make sure I'm satify and happy for not having the NSX for a while.

 

[TucAZNSX]

Wow! That is great customer service. Good luck in getting it goodwilled.

 

[Doc308]

Man--that sounds like good service--very unlike my local dealer. Be aware though that some dealers will automatically jump to the "new tranny" option, at considerable cost. If this just happened, and you didn't drive it since, your tranny should be repairable. Good luck!

 

[The Kid]

Wow! Good luck in getting it goodwilled.

its impossible if you ask me... :wink:

 

[The Kid]

Man--that sounds like good service--very unlike my local dealer. Be aware though that some dealers will automatically jump to the "new tranny" option, at considerable cost. If this just happened, and you didn't drive it since, your tranny should be repairable. Good luck!

I saw your NSX being worked on when I picked up my trans from larry. :wink:

 

[nsxtasy]

Be aware though that some dealers will automatically jump to the "new tranny" option, at considerable cost. If this just happened, and you didn't drive it since, your tranny should be repairable.

That's exactly my point. Some dealers just don't do a lot of transmission work (opening it up and replacing individual parts, rather than the whole thing). Which is why Acura's Technical Service Bulletin on the snap ring repair tells them to just replace the entire transmission, rather than inspecting for damage and, if it's not too far gone, replacing only the snap ring and upper transmission case. The difference in cost, in case you're wondering, is substantial: around $800 for the snap ring and transmission case, vs around $7000 for a new transmission (unless you can find a used one for less); you'll have to pay the labor - 8-16 hours' worth - either way.

It's true that independent shops, like Don's Hilltop and Foreign Affair, cannot give you Acura warranty or goodwill coverage on their repairs. However, on this particular problem for the '91-92, most dealers won't, either. If yours turns out to be different, then kudos for them. But if you end up paying thousands of dollars more than you might have done elsewhere, well, that's a lot of extra money to pay just to get a nice loaner.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

 

[nis350]

Sorry to hear that. Many miles do you have on your car?

 

[mystican]

Was the tranny "good willed" in its repair or did you have to pay for it to be fixed?

 

[Litespeeds]

I hope Pleasanton Acura can goodwill it for you but I have a feeling they won't be able to especially since the car is now 13+ years old. If they do, we will all be surprised. Let's hope NSX88 can pull some strings for you. We will all keep our fingers crossed. Good luck.

 

[Cairo94507]

I am a little confused, he just bought the car 3 months ago from the dealership.....shouldn't it be under some kind of warranty? I can't imagine they would just say sorry. Now if it came from some third rate used car lot, that would be a different story.

 

[The Kid]

any updates?

 

[nsxtasy]

he just bought the car 3 months ago from the dealership.....shouldn't it be under some kind of warranty?

Not necessarily. Dealers have a variety of warranty options they can offer - everything from a certified warranty which would be honored by the entire Acura network (not available on a car this old though), to their own warranty (i.e. problems will be fixed only by their service department) for whatever period they wish to offer, to being sold "as is" with no warranty whatsoever. Around here (I'm not sure whether this is state or federal law) all used cars for sale by dealers have a big window sticker indicating which warranty option applies. In any case, whichever warranty option (including "none") applies, it should have been clearly stated on the bill of sale.

 

[NSX88]

Hi Everyone,


Well here is an update on Lawrence's NSX. It has 43k miles on it.

When Lawrence first called me I told him to bring it in right away. Before he even came in I made sure that he would not be charged for any kind of inspection and would be provided a loaner car. I was actually very shocked to find out it was snap ring = (. I tried to get the tranny goodwilled by Acura but they declined it twice. Due to the cars age dealerships don't put a warranty on the car. Aftermarket companies and Acura do not even offer a warranty (unless its 5 years or newer and less than 80k miles to be Acura Certified) = (. That is because its an exotic car. My service dept. shop rate is $125.00 an hour so when you have to pull the tranny apart it adds up. Before they did any work I made sure they did not due any work until they told him quotes and see what he wanted to do. All in all Lawrence walked out of my dealership with no bill and a free loaner car (the only thing he had to pay was to tow it back to San Jose). From what I know his snap ring has not shattered and the tranny is fixable! He has a mechanic that gives him great deals and is able to due his timing belt, water pump, and fix the tranny for $2500.00! I am glad he was able to get a great deal on the work. I did as much as I could to help. Obviously if I was in his shoes I would want the same treatment so I do the most in my power to return that to other people.

 

[nsxtasy]

Thanks for the update, NSX88. Kudos to Acura of Pleasanton for great customer service, better than most dealerships (or independent mechanics) would provide, in my experience.

$2500 for timing belt/water pump replacement and the tranny fix is an incredible deal. The timing belt/water pump replacement typically costs $1200-1500. You didn't state what will be needed to fix Lawrence's transmission, but opening up the transmission (which I assume is part of the fix) typically takes 8-12 hours (sometimes even more), at hourly rates that typically vary anywhere from $80 to $130, depending on location etc. Plus whatever parts are needed for the transmission fix.

Lawrence - even though your snap ring has not failed, if you are going to have the transmission opened up anyway, you should replace the snap ring and the upper transmission case. This won't add any significant amount of labor; the parts cost $700-900. This will make your NSX just like an NSX that is not in the snap ring range, so you won't have to worry any more about the snap ring failing unexpectedly.

 

[larrynsx]

Thanks Brandee. Just came back from my mechanic and he started to take things apart. First of all, the snap ring is broke but has not shattered. He is going to replace the snap ring, the upper transmission case and also check the clutch. He will also do the timming belts and water pump at the same time. If the clutch does not need to be replaced, it's going to cost me $2500 parts and labor. He services my car for a long time and he is currently swapping a brand new 2.3-16V EURO spec Cosworth engine in my 87 190E 16V. He gave me good deals all the time and sometimes he takes my stereo equipment instead of money (my family manufacturing high end tube based amplifiers in California).

All in all, I'm very satisfy with the services that Acura of Pleasanton had provided. I will definately consider to get my new RL from Brandee in the very near future.

 

[LJSB]

(my family manufacturing high end tube based amplifiers in California)

Ahhhh. Tubes. The best and warmest sounding amplifiers. PM me a link!

 

[ryans]

I go to Acura of Pleasanton. They have a nice facility there. I buy my Oil filters there. Actually I was just going to call and buy a Bra. got any deals on them?

 

[menuserve]

thats amazing... i was under the impression that they were no longer goodwilling snap ring failures. it may have helped that you bought the car from them so recently.

its a good location for others to note should they need service...

 

[nsxtasy]

thats amazing... i was under the impression that they were no longer goodwilling snap ring failures. it may have helped that you bought the car from them so recently.

Huh? They DECLINED goodwill coverage.