Particulars:
- 2010 Accord LX - about 63k miles
- Had tranny service done 2 yrs ago at 41k miles by an independent that does primarily Hondas, and some Toys. The invoice indicates they used ATF DW1; this was important to me.
- Have had no tranny issues during the life of the car.
- Keep it up to date with regular maintenance
- Wife's car; not mistreated


About a week ago, she began noticing what I will call a soft grind sound (but not really a metal on metal grinding, just a 'rough' sound) when going up our hill in the morning when the car is still cold. Only when car is shifting from first into second. Once the car warms up, it doesn't happen nearly as regularly, but I have still noticed it some. Today, about a week after first noticing, she said it had grown more noticeable.


FWIW - just turned pretty cold here (Oregon) in the past week - mid 20s to low 30s -- overnight.


Have scheduled an apt with a Honda dealer in a few days - soonest I could get it in. I don't want them just diving in and pulling the tranny to diagnose, so I am going to leave it there a few hours to get cold, then take the tech on a test ride to listen.


Any thoughts/speculation of the issue? Dealership probably best in this case, or a highly recommended local independent (not the one who did the service a couple years back)?


thanks.

 

I'd probably have the transmission fluid changed again. Check the drained fluid for metal flakes.

The dealership sees these vehicles daily, so you can't take that experience away. An independent shop that specializes in Hondas is a good option. An independent shop that has the scan tools to diagnose newer vehicles is good too. There is no good answer for a shop, but the dealership is the safest bet.