Read this before purchasing an Acura 3.2 CL

jodar96

There is some truth to durability here. I have a 96 Camry XLE V-6. It is dark green. The paint scratches so easy, and it NEVER comes off once it is scratched. It is made in the US, and I am sure the paint is water based.

Just bought a 92 BMW 325i with 87K miles. I am pleasantly surprized at how well the paint is holding up on this car. I just waxed it, it hardly has any scartches. The weather stripes/sealers around the doors,and leather look very well.

cookie

hello. i was reading the posts regarding mpg for the cl. i have a 2001 cl premium with 3,100
miles on it. after each fill up i figure out my mpg. i have had as low as 24 mpg and as high as 29
mpg. usually i average 27. i don't fill up until the yellow light indicates a low fuel level. usually
i pump in 15 gallons, so there's 2 gallons in the tank before the refuel. i can drive 400 plus miles
on a tank. i recall the low mpg came during the hot summer and i used the air conditioner very
frequently. i'm not a lead foot. i do most of my driving on the highway. i usually drive in the sport
shift mode. i anticipate even higher miles per gallon because i feel my car isn't broken in as yet. i say this because my previous honda civics and acura integra achieved better fuel economy than the figures posted on the sticker. i expect to get 30 mpg. i am surprised that some of you are getting lower figures.

crazy_horsedad

I own a 2001 TL. does any one know what Acura did to increase the horse power on the 2002 S? Is it just a computer chip change?

mrdeeeno

tl-s has a dual stage intake manifold, freer flowing exhaust, larger throttle body, higher compression ratio, and a couple other things here and there. it's not even close to a computer chip change.

go to tl-s discussion forum for more questions on the tl-s.

andergtr

this is my third acura and easily my most disappointing experience--i previously had an '89 integra and an '87 legend, both of which were great cars. based on my experience with acura, i figured that the CL-S would be a great deal.

little things started surfacing on the car, including a pulley that made noise and had to be replaced before the 7,500-mile mark. also, the moonroof has continued to creak even after the dealer has inspected, resealed, and reinstalled the moonroof.

the final straw came two weeks ago, when the tranny started to hunt for gears, shifting VERY abruptly. i figured that i would be able to get home and then drop off the car at the dealer first thing the next morning. no such luck--the tranny got stuck in third gear, and i had to drive the car back to the dealer (about 15 miles away) in stop/go traffic on a friday afternoon...all while being stuck in third gear. imagine going from 0 to 20 mph in third--guess i should be thankful that it didn't get stuck in first.

anyway, i experienced much of the same frustration with acura. of course they apologized, but only after two angry phone calls to their headquarters in torrance, california, did i finally get them to extend the warranty to 75,000 miles.

the car has a remanufactured tranny in it now, and i'm probably going to be looking at BMW's in the next few months.

sorry, but this car has been a big letdown in terms of reliability. too bad--it's been a very fun car to drive otherwise.

cyranno99

so, how often did you abuse that sport shift? How do you know that it "stuck" in third?

rkw2

I sell cars for an Acura dealer here in NJ. Truthfully, I am not very impressed with the 3.2 CL or CL-S. It does not have the same high quality feel that the other Acuras have. I thought there is a lot of wind noise from the moon roof (even when closed but the sun shade is open). I find it has less power, less precise handling, and a harsher/noisier ride when compared to the 3.2 TL. The 2 cars are very similar, with the major difference being 2 doors (CL)vs 4 doors (TL). This is my 2 cents worth.

As a word of advice for those leasing. If you are having the paint problesm. make sure you document everything, especially any communications with Acura. You don't want to be held responsible for this problem and then be charged $1000's when you turn the cars in at the end of your lease.

popkwizz

If carmakers had balls they'd replace, immediately, defective products. A defective paint job on a car is defective protective coating. Once the little peeling begins, the owner is never comfortable with the vehicle. Reading all of these posts puts a new twist on the term 'anxiety'. I think the guy with the Acura did the right thing getting rid of it, though I would have sued Honda for a replacement as they obviously sold a pig. I think imbro is on the right track looking for a BMW but I wouldn't spend a whole pile of dough on one at the outset. I have an '84 318i that has 265000 miles on it and my wife has put 100000 on it with her horrible driving habits, giving me testament to BMW durability. I have not been the best dad to that car and it's given me driving pleasure and safety for 5 years. I paid 5 grand for it and have probably put 5 grand into it and it's still a better car than most new 15000 dollar tin cans out there (witness: Toyota Corolla). Years ago I owned a little Toyota pickup with a door that couldn't have been more than 1.5 inches thick and the door clasp that did not look like the greatest locking device for the task. When I looked at the very first Acuras out of curiosity I opened the door and, lo and behold!, there was the very same door latch as on my low-end Toyota pickup. I looked no further.

har1bush

how is it possible that the CL has LESS power than the TL? They have the same powertrain and weigh essentially the same.... As far as the quality of "feel" that just might be because Acura had to cut corners to put in a lot and charge less.

nick51

Has anyone else had problems with their rotars? I purchased my car when they first came out and it has 32K miles. The rotars have been turned TWICE! I have gone back and forth with the dealership and Acura trying to get them to replace the rotars but they will not. The warranty has paid for the turning. I think this is crazy. I am a normal driver. No crazy driving. They say the brake pads are fine. Something is not right!

cyranno99

just make sure that they don't charge you an arm and a leg for it... you might want to check with the guys over at acura-cl.com

taylor47

In some of the discussions it is brought up that Japanese cars not made in Japan are inferior and I for one would have to disagree.

I am the owner of 2 domestic cars and 2 Japanese cars built in U.S. one Suburu Legacy and a Mazda 626. There is a great build quality to both the Amer-[non-permissible content removed] cars that totally eludes domestic vehicles with few exceptions.

But if you look at two vehicles of similar retail value at initial purchase and then look at selling price 2-3 years later you'll find that the Japanese vehicle holds a better price.

My example is a 1999 Buick Regal GS vs. Acura 3.2 of the same year. The price of the Buick drops like a stone! Is it all hype?

teo

Having previously owned a Made in Japan 1997 Acura 2.5TL, I can say that the current generation TL is quite a dissapointment. The Old TL was not only a handsome looking car (The looks wear/age very well)but it was tight as a drum....the build quality, fit/finish and interior materials were simply top notch and in tune with what one could have expected of an Acura automobile of the time. It was built as good as the old Legend sedan.

The current car is about $4K less than the old Japanese TL sedans and guess why? Because the current car is a cheap Honda Accord clone, looks and feels like one right down to the interior materials, chintzy water based paint, thin sheetmetal, etc.

For people that never owned Acuras from the "Golden Years" simply don't know how good these cars used to be. The current RL is the last one of the Made in Japan breed and it even doesn't compare to the old Legend sedans and coupes.

wilcox

"If carmakers had balls they'd replace, immediately, defective products."

Well, Ford is very good at owning up to defects and fixing them promptly. Yet people bash them for it. Ford is busy protecting their customers and they get badmouthed for it.

After reading this discussion, I think Acura needs to have a recall on it's Customer Service Dept.

teo

"Well, Ford is very good at owning up to defects and fixing them promptly. Yet people bash them for it. Ford is busy protecting their customers and they get badmouthed for it."

Sorry to burst your bubble, but past/current litigation and consumer protection lawsuits prove otherwise. Ford is known to manufacture and sell defective products. Prime example is the 20 million or so cars and trucks they sold with knowingly defective ignition switches that were prone to cause fires. I had one of these "Flaming" Fords, a 1988 Tempo GL sedan. Thankfully never experienced it, but that car was part of one of the biggest and most embarrasing product defect recalls in history.

Ford typically denies problems time and time again and puts its lawyers in the front lines of defense to fender off consumer product defect lawsuits. So when they are finally forced by either a Judge or the government to issue massive product recalls that's when Ford appears to step to the plate (Yeah right!).

Ford has a very tainted and very poor quality product record and that hasn't changed to this day with the numerous fiascos they are involved with...the botched new product launches and the Ford/Firestone fiascos.

Bill Ford has a very big and uphill battle ahead of him to restore product quality, eliminate botched product launches and restore the confidence of the American consumer on its products again.

Inform yourself a little better on the reality of Ford Motor Company:

http://www.lemonaidcars.com/

fastdriver

teo-

I can't believe that my CL-S could be BETTER than it is! I have 12,000+ miles on it since 3/28/01 and not ONE problem! Three oil/filter changes and one tire rotation/balance and that's it! The seats are VERY comfortable. The leather is soft. The car is quiet. Compared to my previous car, none of this is surprising. I can't imagine anything more comfortable. Of course, I haven't driven everything out there, but I am VERY happy with this car. There are a few things that I would like to see changed, but it's no big deal.

As for FORD, I agree with you. However, I'm not sure if they are WORSE than any other car company, but they certainly have had their problems. It all comes down to saving $$$$$$ which is what business is all about I guess, but sooner or later it reaches a point where you CAN'T skimp anymore on quality. I forgot that before I got my 1987 T-Bird, I had a 1986 Ford Taurus. I only had it for 6 months because it kept stalling at VERY inappropriate times, like entering an intersection or merging on a highway etc. I can't tell you how many times I almost got killed! I always had to be ready to put it in neutral and start it quickly before I got creamed. They never could figure out what it was despite replacing some computer part. I believe that within the past year or so there was a recall for this. I think it had something to do with where the part was located and would overheat.

fastdriver

cyranno99

Yup.. my CL is built as well as my old Integra which was made in Japan... yup...

wain

" I think it went out with the Pledge of Allegiance, prayer, and responsibility for ones own actions. "

Quality is not related to these, poor quality is more related to coporate greed.

Hey did you hear? - Ken Lay at Enron gets $60 million in severance pay.

fastdriver

wain-

"Hey did you hear? - Ken Lay at Enron gets $60 million in severance pay."

Another former executive from Enron, Clifford Baxter, was found shot in his car- suicide they say.

fastdriver

patstl

I have had my acura 3.2CL type S in sundance gold since june of 2000. It is by far the best car that i have ever owned. I only have one issue with the car and that is ever once and awhile i can heear the breaks squeek. Buts that all not paint problems nothing. Also to all of you that have had acura problems and are battleing with the dealships i feel your pain I OWNED A FORD MUSTANG ONCE I KNOW ABOUT FIGHTING WITH THE DEALERSHIP. Also since i purchased my acura the dealership has been great i have never had no problems dealing with them on any warranty work hell i have never even met a so called acura rep and a goodwill what. These are thing that the dealership handels for me. I usually drop the car in the service center and fly off in a loaner car. reguardless of what there doing weather it be an oil change or a vechile service, there service is number one i have never been treated like that at FORD. As a matter of fact the delership were i bought my acura's service center is rated number 1 in the nation. Bottom line here all car make have some defects because they are made my humans and humans make mistakes, I love my cl and would never trade it for an over rated over priced BMW or LEXUS. if anyone wants more info e-mail me patrick@stlmo.com

teo

"I love my cl and would never trade it for an over rated over priced BMW or LEXUS."

Oh please don't, because then you wouldn't know how to appreciate how much superior either BMW or Lexus are to your CL Accord coupe clone.

To each his own right?

cyranno99

does GM pays you to be a troll? OR is it that you have a vengeance against the Honda line-ups? Yes, we all know that you think the Impala is superior to ANY Acuras, including the NSX... *to each his own*

tlin

I have recently went in due to shifting problems with my transmission (delay from 2nd to 3rd). They discovered a leak in my transmission as well as a howling sound when I drive. They are replacing the transmission with a new one. However I have called another dealership and they told me they had 3 cars in due to transmission problems as well.

Anyone else? Hope it's not a design problem.

fastdriver

tlin-

2001 CL-S, 12,200+ miles since 3/28/01 and NO problems so far! Compared to my previous car, I feel like I died and went to heaven. This is the BEST car I have ever owned!

IF anything does go wrong, I will not hesitate to post it here and on my webpage.

fastdriver

tlin

I have recently went in due to shifting problems with my transmission (delay from 2nd to 3rd). They discovered a leak in my transmission as well as a howling sound when I drive. They are replacing the transmission with a new one. However I have called another dealership and they told me they had 3 cars in due to transmission problems as well.

Anyone else? Hope it's not a design problem.

taylor47

maybe your problem with Ford was your inability to communicate in the English language. Have you ever tried spell check?

cyranno99

the guys in acura-cl.com will have the answers the your query...

smiledr

My 2001 CL-S has 30,000 miles on it and I haven't had a problem yet. I cannot believe it, having had about 20 GM cars in my time. My Corvettes spent more time at the dealer than in my garage.
I have heard people say, "Buy foreign and you will never go back to domestic." I am a believer.
The car rides like a dream. And I love the Navi System, but $162 for a new disc is a bit much after spending $2000 for the System.

fastdriver

smiledr-

I agree with you. Although I have to say that until I bought my 99 Chrysler 300M, "Motor Trend's Car of the Year", my domestic cars were fine. I had no problems with them until the Chrysler.

My 2001 CL-S will be a year old on 3/28. I have had 12,500 perfect, trouble-free miles! I love this car.

fastdriver

slz

I own a 2001 3.2 TL. About 1 month ago I noticed a small crack in the windshield in the lower right hand corner. There is no obvious mark from where a rock might have hit. The fracture seems to be expanding. Has anyone else had this type of problem?