Acura TL 1999-2003
hpmctorque
Member Posts: 4,600
in Acura
I'm adding this discussion because most of the messages in the "Older Tls" discussion are about the '04-'08 generation.
I'm the original owner of a '99 with 108,000 miles. It's been a very satisfying, low maintenance ride. I'd be interested in hearing about the experience of other owners of this (second) generation TL.
I'm the original owner of a '99 with 108,000 miles. It's been a very satisfying, low maintenance ride. I'd be interested in hearing about the experience of other owners of this (second) generation TL.
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But it is reasonable to split them up, so let's go with this one. Just keep in mind that the first third or half or so of the original discussion is indeed about the second generation.
Thanks for clarifying this. Do you think you should transfer the first third or so of the messages to this discussion, then?
There are some cosmetic defects to this car. Like the tape that tears off around all the windows and the blistering of the left and right garnishes (that black shiny thing between the front and rear windows)... Costs a grip to have it re-done.
Question.... Anyone know why other TL transmissions keep getting replaced? I mean I read somewhere this guy had to have his transmission replaced like 4 times! What gives? What are the chances that will happen to me? I do not want to relive that freeway experience again.
Leon
Any thoughts?
I moved 5-10 feet after giving gas. After doing this 10-times - I shifted to park and back to drive, all was well.
Engine never shut off, but it is scary that it would just stop like that.
P L E A S E advise !
Take it into your nearest Acura dealership and they will replace your tranny for free plus give you a loaner for a few days. So long as the miles not over 109k you will be fine.
My TL drive like new.
Best of luck!
This link may help in case it is a transmission problem....
http://www.hondatransmissionsettlement.com/php/login.php
There was a lawsuit settlement pertaining to your issue as well as other Honda vehicles. Just input you VIN NUMBER and it will tell you if your vehicle is included.
(Though it is MUCH more important to go to an Acura dealership for further evaluation of your vehicle).
I would carefully drive your TL to the dealership or get it towed to be on the safe side.
Loooks like I have to get to a dealer !
Acura is obligated to replace that, but they will first determine if it is indeed due to the defect of course. Sometimes it could be due to negligence. But you do not have many miles. For a 99 thats pretty good. In fact I had about 89k miles on my TL when the tranny went out on me.
When I was on the freeway my tranny stopped working. The transmission seemed to automatically shift from 5th to 2nd gear going 80 miles an hour. YIKES! I pulled over feeling my engine was still running strong but it seemed like my transmission was not in gear but I had it in drive. Tapping on the gas only revved up my RPMS. I shifted it to park, then back to drive, then it was back to normal. Luckily for me the Acura Dealership (servicing) was 4 blocks away. I told the servicing dept. about what happened and they were 90% sure it had to do with the defect. The total cost to the work was over $4k, but I didn't have to pay anything. It took them 3 days to complete the job (order a transmission without a defect of course and the labor) and they gave me a nice 08 TL loaner... Anyway I hope I was of help. Did you check the VIN NUMBER website?
Well, perhaps its best you do one of two things: ride it out and hope for the best, or trade it in for another car while the transmission still works (though it will be someone else's problem later. Can you live with that?)...
Good timing. The newly redesigned 2009 is coming out.
Problems. Had a mass air valve fail in 05 after the car was parked for a week - 500 miles from home. When I started the car the rpm's immediately went to 4k, then began an up-down 2k-4k cycle. Since it was Sunday, and didn't want to stay in Galveston any longer, decided to head home, and if it died, call road service. Short story - drove it home, turned over to Acura svc in OKC the following day, no problems since.
Went for 75k MI service last week, and reported a seat cover looking shabby. It was the vinyl part on bottom of backrest near door. Svc manager ordered new seat cover (value $540.00), and Acura is going to install Thursday - no charge. I'm thinking they really want to sell me another car!
All in all, I'm a totally happy camper. Between the attractive purchase price ($26645 delivered) excellent service, great economy, and a blast to drive, will buy another TL in a minute when the time comes. (yes, even the ugly 09)
They're well designed and built cars. I['m anxious to see the '09, but I don't like the fact that it'll be bigger and heavier than the TL of our generation.
Does the 2003 have a good track record except for trans problems?
In a word, yes.
" Is $8 or $9K a good deal for this car."
What's the mileage on this car?
Of course you want to get the best price, and it's within your first amendment rights to bid any price you choose, but "$7 or $8K" seems like an unrealistically low, unfair to the seller, price.
A couple of other relevant factors you didn't mention are whether this car is equipped with navigation, and whether it's a "S." Depending, in part, on these things, the seller's asking price may not be unreasonable.
Please let us know what happens.
a) occasional error on navigation system saying it needs a disk reformat. This has happened 3 times and it self-corrected
b) during a heat wave, I noticed that the cruise control light didn't come on on the dashboard, though the car was performing in cruise control. Again, this corrected itself.(Are these bad signs?) I can't afford a new car or a good used car right now. Is it worth getting my transmission fixed? It drives ok now, but the seal is leaking transmission fluid.
Tell me when you get "good will out of warranty" clause to have your trans. fixed - I will try the same :-)
Good luck with your car.
If anyone has experienced this problem and knows what causes it, and how to repair it, please let me know.
Anyway, dealers service department replaced the seat back cover (sent car to an upholsterer) using OEM replacement cover. No charge, called it a goodwill gesture. I also had them replace brake pads and ball joints. Dealer service is not cheap, and the latter two fixes came to ~ $700. Not complaining mind you, I consider this normal wear, and after 78K miles with NO major work except scheduled maintenance, am quite happy. Edit: Had failure of the mass air-flow valve around 55k miles. Other than minor things (brake reservoir cap) etc, zero failures. Great Car!
Best part of the deal was the service manager sent me home in an 09 TSX service loaner, which I kept for two days waiting completion of work on my TL. Nice car! Too small for my needs, tho.
Fuel economy for life of the car had been excellent, with daily suburban driving averaging 22 - 24 mpg, interstate cruising always 31 or higher.
Service manager told me they had not seen any tranny problems for several months, believes the bad ones have worked their way out of the system. Guess I'll keep the TL several more years, wife wants it for her run about car. Need to find something for me to drive soon, just gave my F150 to my son. Am thinking probably a Civic sedan.
How much was the tranny replacement? Was it a new unit, or did they repair the old one?
I've had to replace the transmission twice (covered under warranty) and have also had a similar problem with a 2000 Honda Odyssey. I think Honda/Acura made some poor transmissions for these cars.
Also recently had to replace the engine mounts ($$$) which I was told by a few acura places is a common problem.
Overall, it's been a pretty good car, but the boring styling is getting to me.
My wife's '99 has the older 4-speed automatic, which, at 115,000 miles, has been trouble free.
We also replaced the motor mounts, though, at about the same mileage as you indicated for your repair. Overall, my wife's '99 has been reliable and satisfying to own.
We're happy with the styling, which, in our opinion, is aging well. We were more concerned with its blandness when it was newer than we are now. Designs that are edgy when new frequently don't age well. In any event, I'm disappointed with the styling of the '09 TL.
What car(s) are you considering as a replacement for your '02 TL?
I guess after driving the acura I want something more sporty.
I agree with you about the new Acura's styling which I find to be quite ugly.
If Honda or Acura made a modern, cool sports sedan/coupe I would be very interested.
Our TL-S was included in the '00-'03 extended transmission warranty, and we did need it replaced. My wife must have misplaced or forgotten about the Oct 2002 letter Honda supposedly mailed out regarding the issue, and luckily our service dept diagnosed it Jan '08, a mere five months before the extension (7-years) expired! They put in a current model, "state of the art" tranny, which took a couple days and would have cost at least $3,000 according to the service rep. We knew there had been a problem because the car would have a delay in going from 1st to 2nd gear and would all of a sudden kick into gear...just felt like it was "slipping" too much. We brought it in and sure enough that was it. Car felt like new after they replaced it, much smoother and more responsive pickup.
Our last major recommended maint was at 60,000 (our dealer does the major ones at 30K intervals), and we needed the engine motor mount, cabin air filter, transmission fluid flush, and timing belt. Whole thing came to $2,000. I do feel like the car is better off after they find and fix all that stuff at the major services, but MAN it can hit your wallet hard.
Suffice it to say, it feels like it could last for another 100K at least. the OEM tires were shot at 39K. Can't recall what they were but definitely a high performance summer tire with awful winter traction that ran ~$230 a pop. Replaced them at NTB w/ Sigma Regent tourings, much cheaper all seasons that are better in snow but have a much less comfortable ride than the OEMs we replaced. My rims are pretty banged up from a couple curb jobs my wife had...it's causing slow leaks from a couple of my tires so I have to constantly take my compressor out to the driveway and fill er back up. Anyone know how much the OEM rims cost?
"...our dealer does the major ones at 30K intervals..."
I think your dealer is recommending service intervals that are shorter than necessary, mainly for his benefit, not the customers'. Our Acura dealer does the same thing. I'd follow the maintenance schedule in the owners manual, which is the one recommended by Acura, and I'd tell your dealer that this is what you want to do.
Don't believe what the dealer service people may say about a shorter maintenance schedule being better for your car. Of course, more frequent maintenance can't hurt your car, and may be slightly better, in certain cases, but it's not sufficiently better to justify the additional cost, let alone the time and trouble of taking your car to the dealer more often. Shorter maintenance schedules benefit the dealer primarily.
I believe in proper maintenance, and maintain our cars very regularly, but maintenance schedules that are overly short are a waste of money.
Let's assume the worst, and the transmission fails. Acura has extended the warranty on the transmissions on the 2000 - 2003 model years to 100,000 miles or 7 years, whichever comes first. Therefore, the bottom line is that your car is still covered and will be for a while longer. Unless you put on a lot of miles, the 7 years will expire before the mileage.
So, enjoy your nice Tl and stop worrying.
By the way, zin0, what does "sup" mean?
Assuming the dealer is correct, is it possible that your car is not covered because it is not one of the failure prone ones? I'd get a second opinion from a another dealer, without mentioning a thing about the first dealer.
By the way, what kind of car and model year did you trade in for your TL?
Ah, come on, your dealer couldn't be telling you the truth when he told you this. How does that square with, "most of the cars were fixed by now." The two statements conflict. That said, though, I'd follow your father's suggestion.
Good Luck! Let us know what happens.
Regarding the engine, you don't provide any details. Just which component or components have failed? Do you know why it/they failed?
As you probably know, driving 1.9 miles is hard on the engine, since it cannot fully warm up. The result is that deposits build up in the engine. To reduce the harm done by your short trips, I'd recommend synthetic oil, such as Mobil 1, and change the oil according to the maintenance schedule in your owners manual. If you don't have an owners manual (most dealers dispose of them when they sell used cars), obtain one. It may be too late for the engine in your TL, but it's something to keep in mind for the future.
Good luck, and let us know what happens.