Acura CL

phatnastycat

No one seems to know anything about the 2002 in terms of when it will be available and what will be new. Acura is being very quit, and there doesn't seem to be a resource for answers.
Good luck with your purchase decision

mdaniel

The word on Acura-CL.com is that the 2002 will feature a 6 speed manual as an option. So if you're at all hesitant about buying an auto I would sit tight until August or September and see if the stories are true. Other than that, Honda/Acura usually only makes superficial changes during a model's life cycle. ie. different wheels, different side mirrors, etc. Nothing that should influence your buying decision.
I've had my 2001 CL-S since March 2000 and have had few problems in the 20,000 miles I've driven. The biggest thing was a broken stabilizer bar which I was able to take care of as time permitted. (The car drove OK with it broken) I also had them take care of a couple of rattles while they had the car. That was my only service other than routine maintenance. You should find a good independent Honda/Acura shop in your area. Also, a Honda dealer should be able to work on you Acura since they're really the same thing. Acura is simply a marketing nameplate used in North America. In fact, my dad once took my mom's Honda to an Acura dealer when the master cylinder blew during a trip to Las Vegas. They had no problem fixing it.

alarmpro

I just returned from a wonderful vacation in Canada. I was tickled to see how many CL-Ss there are in S.W. Canada. How can I get my US CL-S to run the daytime lights. My factory service manual gives virtually no info on this great feature.
Niagra Falls was beautiful and I proposed to my girlfriend and she said.....

Lee in Miami, Red/Tan CL-S non-navi 14 mos new.

charliemike

ineto6

Lee - I am sorry, she said "no"... j/k

I don't see why you just leave your lights on when you drive since they turn off automatically. Unless you are talking about making the high beams as DRL, like GM does. That, I don't know.

90maxima

I got my CL-S with Nav back in September last year. I was able to get the car for $2300 below invoice through Priceline.com. The purchase experience was the best I've ever had, with absolute no hassle. Considering that the 2002 are due shortly, perhaps you can try for a better deal in a month or so.

With the exception of the lack of bass from the BOSE system, when compared to my 90 Maxima SE, I'm very happy with the car. A few words of caution: that engine will hit the rev limiter without any advance warning in the form of vibration or straining sound :-)

canadiancl

Congrats! But I guess you meant you were in S.E. Canada. Vancouver, B.C. (God's Country) would be S.W. Canada. And if you thought S.E. Canada was beautiful, you haven't seen nothing yet! Come on over to Western Canada. Take your fiancee thru Banff in your CL-S, then down thru the B.C. interior to Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler. Some of the sceneries are unbelievable. OK, I'll stop. Enough free promotion for Tourism B.C..

canadiancl

As my CL-S has just hit the 4500 mile mark, there seems to be a noticeable increase in power - the engine just seems peppier than before. Maybe that's the official break-in threshold for the engine? Unfortunately, the number and variety of rattles seem to have increased proportionate to the power increase . If only they had given this car Toyota build quality

rickas47

Last niteI saw on Autoweek that the 6 speed will be the only significant change for 02. May be worth waiting for.

Lee -congrats - also canadianc - I may have to visit your part of the world - what is the best time of the year?

UGH! - I DON"T want to hear about rattles. I had my mind (feeble as it is) made up on a Solara B4 I drove the CL-S. The CL-S is sooo much more car for not much more money. Maybe they will take care of that in 2002 also???

canadiancl

Best time of the year for B.C. is definitely late spring to early fall. Unless you're a skier, then Whistler offers the best skiing from early January to late February. Otherwise, late fall to winter is kinda dreary because it gets dark early and rains a fair bit. Just ask Othella Harrington or any one of the soon-to-be ex Vancouver Grizzlies.

canadiancl

I've found that if the moonroof is closed, and you push up on it from the inside, there is a bit of up and down movement. Is that normal? Does it do that on all moonroofs? I'm just wondering if that is what's causing the infamous CL-S moonroof rattle. I've always assumed the rattle is coming from the sunshade. But maybe the culprit has always been the roof, and it's just that when the shade is closed you can't hear the rattle.

mdaniel

The movement in the moonroof is probably the source of your rattle. I didn't have the moonroof rattle until I hat about 15,000 miles. Then I noticed I could reproduce it by pushing up on the glass with it closed. Its like the rubber seal rubs against the metal roof creating the rattle. I had it fixed by the dealer. Now the moonroof is much tigher and doesn't rattle. My 92 Integra had a moonroof that never rattled in 8 years so I think its something related to the design on our car.

mrdeeeno

it's the rubber seal rubbing, like someone said. i just got some silicon spray and put some on the rubber - no more rattles.

i had a rattle in the center brake light too, but i stuck 2 rubber bumpers on the bottom corners between it and the glass, far enough down so you can't see it - no more rattles.

that's it. the other sounds i hear are just the leather rubbing against itself (on the back and bottom part of the seat). i have a fix in mind for that, but don't drive my car enough (it's garaged 50% of the time), and don't have it with me now to fix.

clboi2

Hey Guys,
I just went down to Pleasanton Acura here in the San Fran area and they have a 01' CL-P for $26,888. It has a spoiler and gold package added. It is a blue/purple looking color with tan interior. Is that a good price for this car? I am thinking of leasing this time and I have never done it before. But if I decide to finance, is that a fair deal? Thanks

jbhansen

I've been reading elsewhere about the Integra replacement, the RSX. In the editorial, they say that all paints are clear coat except the Taffeta White. Is this statement true for the CL as well? Or was the editorial wrong about the paint altogether?

ineto6

if you are leasing it, then it probably is a good deal. For buying, you might want to find out how much miles have been put in that car.

sanju

Hi all,
Do anybody have a rough estimate of the millage/gallon on your 2001 Acura CL type S? I got my car 9 months ago and I a getting not more than 14 miles within city. The sticker says 19 to 29.

mrdeeeno

jeez, 14 miles on a tank?!

how bad is the city driving there?

the worse i got was around 20-something, moderate city driving and lots of hills.

alarmpro

To canadiancl: I should have said SW Ontairo provence.
To mdaniel: I am almost at 16,000miles and still only a slight rattle from the sun roof when the inside shield is open.
To sanju: I have been getting 21 to 24 around town and over 32 on the highway. Hi Test gasoline only. I use Citgo and Amoco. Tire pressure 32 to 35 psi.
Dont forget ZAINO BROS polishes, I just put a 3 coat finish on the car and it still looks like brand new. Happy motoring from Lee in Miami, Red/Tan CL-S non navi

ineto6

alarmpro - that's great for you - maybe you should use the CL as the car for the bride and groom !!!

gas consumption - Hmmmm... I gas sanju has a major leadfoot and gets stuck in traffic an hour a day. I've been reporting my mpg around 24 with 50/50 around hilly areas. Looks like that car has something wrong with it if you are not idling in traffic that much.

canadiancl

Actually sanju's mileage is not that unreasonable. I have been driving almost exclusively in city driving. Mostly stop and go, low speed driving. And I have been getting about 19 - 20 mpg. And mine are imperial gallons, so that equals approx. 16 mpg for US gallons.

ineto6

Hmmm... just an observation, but I've heard that a properly broken-in car has better gas mileage in the long run. Yep, stop-n-go traffic is takes a major tow on your gas consumption.

gto2050

Interesting to see that this site is still active if only part of the time. I have had my CL-S for over a year now and have 20,000 miles. I recognize some of the names from www.acura-cl.com. Everyone feels the radio is weak. I asked a car stereo installer what could be done and he said for about $800 he could give me all the bass I could want. Interesting though, if you play music with the engine off, the bass response is quite good but not enough power to bring it to the front.

I'm not one to mod my cars because they are generally leased but I did put in a cold air intake from Xephyr Performance. The ol' butt dyno says there is a pretty good power increase along with a wonderful noise (growl). I have changed my high beams to closely match the HID headlights and changed the "road lamps" with different bulbs that are brighter and a better match for the HID's.

I still love the car. I bought winter rims (TL rims) and snow tires for the winter and the car was fine. No rattles, no squeaks but I did have the sunroof "booming" fixed under warranty. It has been a great car and I still have another 27 months to go.

By the way, the mileage is pretty steady at 24-26 MPG.

sanju

Hi All,
I drive my car almost in the silicon valley. Traffic is not that bad where I drive. It takes me maximum 15 minutes to drive 5 miles to go to my work place. I also take 92 gas from Chevron. If I put 15 gallons in my tanks after about 200 miles I get the yellow signal(low fuel) back.

mrdeeeno

the sunroof rattle is pretty notorious, but not a rattle, it's the rubber squeaking.

some people take their cars to the dealer and have them look at it and whatever...i just bought silicon lube spray for like $3 and sprayed it on a paper towel and applied it onto the rubber.

no more sunroof rattle.

fender4

Hi, hows the amsoil holding out, I changed mine after 6k with filter. Looked pretty good, might wait for 10k next time. Found a way to get it about $4/ qt and $ 7 filter. Remember don't use their trans oil in Acura's. Did you change your trans oil?

canadiancl

You're positive the moonroof rattle is from the rubber rubbing against the side of the roof opening? Because the noise sure sounds like a rattle than a squeak. Well, maybe like a creaking, crackling type noise. I do know for sure it is emanating from the moonroof 'cause when I tilt the roof up, all's quiet. BTW, when you said rubber seal, you're referring to the one that wraps all the way around the roof and is visible from the outside, not the short vertical rubber apron that is only visible when you tilt the roof up?
Thanks

mrdeeeno

yes, if you open the sunshade with the moonroof closed, and teh car's not moving and if you push up on moonroof to simulate going over bumps and stuff, it'll sound like a rattle. i remember reading on acura-cl.com when people reported it to acura, what acura did was put on silicone lube onto the rubber seal. i thought it was a rattle at first too and i was almost gonna have acura tear apart my roof to find it...but then realized that i can reproduce it with the car not moving (that's how i found the rear brake rattle, by parking the car, climbing into the back seat and trunk while blasting a sir mix-a-lot cd).

yeah, it's the rubber stuff around the edge of the sunroof rubbing against the inner edge of the opening. i opened the sunroof, put sil. lube on the front and then closed it and tilted it to do the back edge of the sunroof.

ineto6

I'd like to know how your mpg if you just drive on the freeway on a tank of gas. It sounds like your short drives hurt your feul consumption. Maybe the car's engine has not properly warmed up.

gto2050 - yeah, I do agree that the Bose stereo is weak in the bass department. As I recall, my old Acura Integra had a tighter bass and it was not even a Bose system. Overall, the CL stereo is decent, but they should add more speakers and a larger bass. Still, I enjoy listening to engine just as much as any music that I might be listening..... double my pleasure

s852

Is there anyplace that has real wood REPLACEMENTS for the existing fake wood trim. I looked at sites that sell additional wood trim for the dash, a/c vents etc, but I do not want to junk up the interior with more trim, I just need a piece for piece replacement for the existing fake factory "wood."
The trim that runs down the center console just looks too cheap and fake on the new CLs and TLs.