Greetings....

Back in November, I had the automatic transmission rebuilt on my 1997 Prelude Si. The vehicle has around 95,000 miles on it. The service was performed at an AAMCO center. In the end, I don't believe the car needed a new transmission...and now I'm faced with a multitude of problems which I believe are the direct result of something AAMCO did to my car.

The car now shakes violently when I come to a stop. It does this probably 95% of the time when I drive. When the car is in "Neutral" or "Park" there is no shaking and it idles smoothly. The transmission seems to shift in all the right places.

AAMCO recommended I take the car to a Honda dealership and have them diagnose it. They recommended replacing one of the motor mounts. I had the motor mount replaced and the shaking didn't go away.

AAMCO has done a bunch of other diagnostics on the vehicle and can't fix the shaking.

I have also noticed that my gas mileage has worsened as well. I used to get around 310-320 miles per tank of gas, and now I'm lucky to get 250-260.

It seems as though the car has lost some power too. It doesn't have any zip at all when you push the gas pedal. If you switch into the autostick mode and let the engine get to 5000rpm, the VTEC valves no longer open up. The car feels very sluggish on the highway. It used to take nothing at all to get it to 80mph, even 90mph or better. Now it seems like it really starts struggling around 70mph.

I've had the car for 5+ years so I know what it's supposed to feel like....which is definitely not the condition it's in right now.

Does anybody have any idea what's going on here? Any help/advice is certainly appreciated!! Thanks!!

 

go back to AAMCO with a baseball bat and start swingin!!!they faWked ur car up. Your transmission is probably shot again if its doing that problem. I wouldnt think its your motor mount! 99.99% is your transmission and i guarantee it. sad to say that but its true.

 

Dude, I wish I could take a sledgehammer over there and take care of business.

I couldn't agree more, I really think it's the transmission. They're doing everything in their power to prove it's not though.

 

for them to replace the trans i think it's 3 mounts (front,rear,trans) they need to take off. if they forgot to put one on or didn't do it per procedure i guess it may cause shakes. also, is it idling where it's supposed to, if too low it will shake. you mention in park/neutral it doesn't shake; there also is a connector (a/t gear position signal) that tells the computer to pipe more fuel/air (via the iacv) to boost the idle when in gear. if they forgot to reconnect that then that'll also explain why it only happens in gear.

did the check engine light come on?

the vtec not wokring anymore that's another story. all i know is it's supposed to kick on at 5200rpm.


on the business side, file a complaint w/ the bbb and the state attorney general, this may help. even better hang out w/ flyers by the door, explaining your story and warn customers about their crappy service. this technique works best i found!

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all if they forgot to put something on. The whole episode is extremely frustrating. They had to pull the transmission out and rebuild it twice. I knew things were bad when they started blaming Honda for "poor machining" on their parts.

As for the idling, everything is good to go. I sat in the car with a service department manager and he hooked the computer up to it. He ran through everything on the engine and said it's A-OK.

The "Check Engine" light came on a couple times. One time it was due to a bad O2 sensor, which Honda replaced for free since my vehicle has an extended emissions warranty. Another time it came on it had something to do with the EGR valve needing cleaned....they did this work for free as it was also covered under warranty.

I don't know why the VTEC quit working...that makes no sense to me. All I know is that my car had one little problem before I took it to AAMCO and now it's got at least 3: the shaking, the gas mileage, and the VTEC business.

It's going back to AAMCO again today, so we'll see.

I went the BBB route and got no results. The owner of the AAMCO center is a real piece of work, probably the biggest A-hole I've ever met. There's a lot of things I would like to say about him, but I don't know what this forum tolerates. I have a good friend who is an attorney and he's going to get some paperwork going to see if that gets me anywhere.

 

First and foremost-COMPLAIN. If that does not work take them to court-small claims. They don't like that at all. The reality is you should have gone to a dealer in the first place-they use genuine parts and in the case of our 5th gen's NEVER rebuild in house except on a very special basis. This tranny is too complicated internally for most shops to work on. That is another reason it is so expensive and there are only 3 companies that actually do them. For you to be insulted and told that Honda's machining is to blame is like saying that you cannot make a peanut butter sandwich-nonsense.

Your problems can be solved at a dealership and with the aid of a factory rep. Be prepared to pay for the repairs on a car with 95K. I will agree that there are pieces that may have been improperly reinstalled or not connected for that matter. You need a factory diagnostic since the comupters must be checked-if they have failed then AAMCO owes you big time.

I wonder if many here understand how this gearbox actually works? If you do then you understand what I am saying. Think 6 speed motorcycle tranny-they are sequential and so is the SS. The only real difference is that in SS mode you can flick to the new gear-but guess what you are actually going one gear at a time up or down.

Our RSX has the 5 speed SS and it works like a charm. Even my wife understands the tricks it can do. IOur Prelude is a joy to drive and my dealer tech is wonderful-he teaches his customers what they need to know.

GO get it fixed right. You may go thru a bunch of $$$ but you will have a genuine Honda warranty. Possible that Howard ENgineering will do the rebuild and their stuff is virtually bulletproof as is the warranty.

 

jc-

Believe me, I have done my fair share of complaining. I realize I should have taken it to the dealer and that I probably should have gotten a second opinion prior to giving AAMCO the go-ahead...but hindsight is 20-20.

I took the car to the Honda dealership and sat in the vehicle while the service manager hooked the car up to the computer. He said everything is working fine in the engine and that nothing is wrong.

The Honda folks did say the same thing you did...that the 5th Gen. Prelude transmission is by far the most complicated, intricate, pain-in-the-ass transmission Honda has ever put in a vehicle...and that Honda won't even let them order parts for it.

I just don't know where to turn. I've already taken enough cash out of my pocket for this car, and I'm afraid that if I take it anywhere else I'm just going to wind up spending a lot more money.

 

Make some hand-outs explaining how AAMCO destroyed your trans and how they are blowing you off now. Be professional about it and hang out in front of the store some busy Sat. Warn the patrons and suggest them to go elsewhere. The last thing a business needs is someone shooing away the customers. I've returned used cars this way. You may get bullied but don't leave till they call the cops. And if they touch you it's assault. The police will come and ask you to leave - this will look wonderful for the business. Ask the police if it's okay to distribute fliers by the sidewalk/easment once they kick you off their property. This is when you'll need a picket sign (i've never had to use a picket sign but maybe someday).

If that fails get the car fixed elsewhere, ideally Honda, but make sure you check the BBB for complaints. Then goto small claims as jc836 recommends and you will win. Make sure you document everything, and get video of the car in the current condition. Have the mechanic write something on the estimate regarding what is wrong w/ the car before they fix it. Make sure it doesn't read "customer complains trans is bad" it's got to read "we found xyz wrong, and needs new pdq"

Watch peoples court for a few weeks to get familiar w/ things (judy or millian). You will need to prove your case so come prepared. Small claims has a cap at i think usually between $3500-$5000 depending on state - how much did you pay them? Courts usually favor the consumer, sometimes they may even award you punitive damages if they see that AAMCO "abused" you. Good luck!

 

I am strongly considering the option of handouts. I've thought about even finding a couple bums that need money and give them $20 each to stand in front of the AAMCO center with a picket sign and handouts. I've considered taking out a full-page ad in the Sunday paper detailing these events and how AAMCO centers are nothing but a front for criminal operations.

I will probably make a video of the car in it's current condition, I have a good friend with a nice camcorder. I have legal representation and I think we're going to send a letter to AAMCO's President, Mark Wurth. I might as well include the video so he can see exactly what's going on.

The tab for my transmission was $2013.08. IMO, they owe me much more than that. I didn't post this, but the owner of the AAMCO center personally insulted me when I went to pick the car up...because I told him I didn't think it was fair that I paid labor for a job that I didn't feel I could trust.

I really think they know that they're wrong on this....but most people probably just accept it and move on with their lives. The way I see it, if I were to trade the car in right now I'd probably lose around $4500 between what I owe on the car and the transmission. I can't live with that. I can't wake up every morning and think about that.