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Acura CL

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  • cls03cls03 Posts: 10
    Hi,

    I posted a while ago inquiring about the availability of the CL-S in December, when I was to return my leased 2000 Maxima SE. Well, I couldn't wait any longer (you know the feeling, right?). So I leased a CL-S w/o nav, silver w/ebony interior, for 36 months. Payments: $470/mo inludes all taxes and fees. I only had to pay the first month's lease up front. Did I get taken? Or is this considered a pretty good deal?

    The penalty for my impulsiveness was that I still owed three payments on the Maxima. But in the 10 days I have the CL-S it's already been worth it!

    The car's just great. Meets and exceeds all my expectations. Stereo's good but not great -- no subwoofer punch. Now I'll just have to hope about the tranny problems not occurring as so many of you are reporting on.

    BTW, I also drove the TL-S. Similar, but I noticed the ride was just a bit softer than the CL-S, and the sedan also leaned slightly more in the curves.

    Rod
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  • ezshift5ezshift5 West coastPosts: 858
    ..........as the 6-speed doan' need no maint...ez
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  • garypengarypen Posts: 1,483
    Oh yeah that's right. No maintenance.
    You haven't owned a stick for long, have you?
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  • bodydoublebodydouble Posts: 801
    I have to admit I'm lazy regarding checking oil & such. Since Canadian cars have a 3750 mile oil change interval, I figure that's too short an interval to lose any serious oil so I end up only checking oil ONCE between changes! (How's that for lazy?!). Well so far, my faith has been rewarded. The (few) times that I have checked, the oil level has been bang-on at the top mark. Not a mm under. And to top it off (no pun intended) the oil looks as clean as the day it was put in. I don't know if that's due to the short change interval up here in Canada, or if the CL-S V6 is one clean-running engine. That's certainly a far cry from the Prelude engine. The oil in the 'lude was low everytime I checked. And it always looked dirty too.

    Curious if other CL-S owners have also found this to be true?
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  • mapman1138mapman1138 Posts: 68
    Mine doesn't seem to lose a drop, either. I'm at just over 8100 miles. It does get just a *little* dirty, though not nearly as dirty as the oil in DOHC VTEC motors that I've had the pleasure of owning (H22A4 & F20C).

    Mike
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  • umc1994umc1994 Posts: 3
    Hello there - 'first time writer long time reader'. I'm the proud owner of a 1997 Acura CL 3.0. At the time I had enough money for either the 2.3 w/ leather or the 3.0 with cloth - since leather doesn't pass well on Chicago's expressways, I opted for the 3.0. Now 5 years old and 115,000 miles, the thing just keeps going and is just as quick as when I got it. My problem is that I REALLY want to buy another Acura, but I don't like where Acura is taking some of their designs. Though I'm griping about minor things, but for example, why did Acura do away with the fog lights on the 2003 CL? They finally did away with the chrome door handles, but why not keep the fog lights? Every other car that the CL tries to compete with has them (i.e.: BMW 3, Audi (I think), etc. Times have changed, and I'm waiting for the new RL to come out before I make any decisions. I'm just venting, but any comments would be appreciated.
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  • bodydoublebodydouble Posts: 801
    I'm not a great fan of Acura styling either. But the fogs on the CL were functionally and asthetically useless. They looked so dim next to the HID headlights as to render them utterly useless. For that reason they only added to the looks of the front end when the lights are OFF.

    I thought Acura had to either make them brighter or eliminate them. I guess the latter was easier!
    Did they make them a dealer-installed option?
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  • umc1994umc1994 Posts: 3
    I did see a '03 CL Type S driving later today, and though the stock fog lights were gone, the owner had the dealer install the round add-on fog lights right in the lower front air-dam. But then, I also saw the new Infiniti G35 today and it doesn't have the fog lights either. I really like the G35, but I'm nervous about getting one as I've never been a big Nissan fan, and Car & Driver scored the Acura TL-S one spot ahead of the G35 (they said the G35 was the noisiest of the cars tested).
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  • billygunn1billygunn1 Posts: 4
    Don't take the Car and Driver review as gospel though. I've had no problems with my Infiniti. I know it's a QX4 and therefore, we aren't comparing apples to apples, but the 2000 QX4 also had some unfriendly reviews and although it's slow (beyond belief), any other complaints that were made in mags were not really seen by me. I'd say give it a try for yourself and don't let magazines sway you on such a major purchase. Remember, a couple of the other mags ranked the G35 #1.
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  • umc1994umc1994 Posts: 3
    Here's where I'm coming from (long but thorough), I own the CL b/c I couldn't find a Nissan dealer in 1997 who would sell me a Maxima SE for less than the CL 3.0. I like that Nissan is widening the gap between the Maxima and the I35 (which I also really like for 2002). But a couple weeks ago was the first time I ever went to an Infiniti dealer - and it was to see the G35. I sat in it w/ a friend of mine, I walked around it (it was silver w/ black leather) - and then the little man in my brain started figuring out what I was going to tell my wife when I got home. The G35 is definitely an amazing car - and I hope it proves the turning point that Nissan has made with their luxury brand. After driving a coupe for a long time now, I'm actually looking forward to a four door. I just can't see myself doing anything until Acura releases the new RL. How can I not when I've had such great luck with my CL?
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  • bodydoublebodydouble Posts: 801
    Has anyone else noticed that the steering column in the CL appears to be slightly offset? ie. the steering wheel does not appear to be perfectly parallel to the dashboard. On mine it seems to be slightly off to the door (left) side.
    Just wondering if they are all like this or just mine.
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  • redfive2112redfive2112 Posts: 15
    My wife and I traded in our 2001 Cl type S (white, 39,000 miles, no nav) a few weeks ago due to the ongoing concerns about the transmission durability. It's a shame, since we both really enjoyed the car for the 2+ years we owned it. But in my wifes' mind, she didn't want to be on the freeway doing 70 when the transmission failed, and in my mind I didn't want to see the resale value plummet if the media manages to turn this into another Audi unintended acceleration thing.

    Plus, even though Acura extended the warranty to 100,000 miles, I would still feel shafted if the transmission failed. We know several people that own Hondas/Acuras and have put near or past 200,000 miles without any problems. So while 100,000 may be good for another make, it is far below the standards set by Acura itself.
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  • garypengarypen Posts: 1,483
    Yeah. I got rid of all my cars too, due to the ongoing concerns that something might break or their value may depreciate, even though I loved them, and the chances are slim to none that any of that would happen.

    Yup. I'd rather drive a car I don't like than drive one I love but worry that it may may have a mechanical problem that would be covered under warranty anyway. Boy, that would suck.

    I stopped leaving my house too, because I may end up being a victim of crime, and stopped eating because the food might be tampered with. I just don't trust those tamper-proof seals.
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  • redfive2112redfive2112 Posts: 15
    It wasn't an easy decision to come to, especially since no other car comes close the the Acuras' content/value. But Honda's own statements were not very comforting. They found a problem with the transmissions that required a design change. It is not a question of IF your transmission will fail, but WHEN. It might be 20,000 or 120,000 miles. As I said before, 120,000 miles is good for some cars, but not Honda. If I didn't care about having to replace a 7000 dollar transmission I'd have bought a BMW or 300M.

    Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bomb shelter to check my stock of Anthrax antivirus.
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  • fastdriverfastdriver Posts: 2,273
    garypen-

    OH NO!! Hang in there. You can get counseling for those "fears"! ;-))

    19 months old, 19,300 miles and no problems yet with my CL-S! Better than my PREVIOUS "award-winning 99 Motor Trend Car of the Year by far!" ;-))

    fastdriver
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  • garypengarypen Posts: 1,483
    Nah. What you need is an Audi!
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  • welst10welst10 Posts: 49
    I am thinking about purchasing an 2003 Acura CL. This car seems to have all the feathures except one - daytime running lights, which I think is a useful and cool feature. Seems like honda/acura doesn't provide this feature in any of their cars.
    Btw, anyone just bought a 03 CL? How much did you pay? I got two quotes over the phone for a 03 CL base model: both are $27000. I am wondering whether I can cut another $500 off this price. Thanks.
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  • bodydoublebodydouble Posts: 801
    There is an easy solution --- move to Canada!

    All joking aside, you can leave your headlights in the "on" position and let the auto-off feature turn them off for you.
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  • welst10welst10 Posts: 49
    According the news release by honda dated 9/20/2002 (see hondanews.com), Potential transmission problems affect 2000-2002 3.2TL, 2001-2002 3.2 CL, and SOME of 2003 CL and TL. I wonder what they meant by "some". Does that mean if I buy a CL now, that car should be free of this problem?
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  • fastdriverfastdriver Posts: 2,273
    welst10-

    Bodydouble said it- leave the lights ON! That's what I've done since day one because at night, I want the lights to go on when I unlock the car.

    I would think that since Honda has acknowledged and extended the tranny warranty to 100,000 miles, that they have discovered the problem and solved it.

    Guess all those Chrysler lovers are right- damned Honda "PERCEIVED" reliability! LOL...LOL...LOL...LOL... No problems yet! Knock on wood!

    fastdriver
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  • welst10welst10 Posts: 49
    Anyone know when did 2003 CL come out? thx
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  • redfive2112redfive2112 Posts: 15
    A co-worker of mine with a CL said the build date is on the door with the VIN. When she was looking at 2003s she couldn't find any with a build date of after the transmission change was done, which I think was in March but could be wrong.

    When I was looking at 2003s to trade for my 2001 I couldn't get more than a "Uh yeah, I'm pretty sure, that is, uh, ummm...these are all fine!!" So we passed. But I'm sure there are 2003s out there without the problem. You'll just have to be positive of what build dates have the fix and them check them out. With apologies to the Isells and RRoyces out there, DON'T TAKE THE SALEMANS' WORD FOR IT! It's too much money to risk without taking one minute extra to confirm it yourself. Especially since the warranty extensions were only for 2000-2002 models.

    On the other hand, some people think the 2 percent chance your transmission could melt is not worth regarding, so long as you love the car and get a sweet deal. Good luck either way!
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  • welst10welst10 Posts: 49
    But which 2003 models are affected are unspecified.
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  • welst10welst10 Posts: 49
    The earliest date when reviews of 2003 models appeared on carreview.com is march. So I am guessing 2003's first came out in March. That means it's quite possible that CL/TL's on the lot right now have updated tranmissions unless the car's been there for months...
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  • welst10welst10 Posts: 49
    Hi folks, I just bought a charcoal gray 2003 3.2CL automatic with rear spoiler!!! It's my first new car purchase. My one and a half month long car shopping journey has now ended, what a ride (went thru like 10 cars)! The car had 7 miles on it. We put another 5 miles on the way to get gas. Going to pick it up on Sat. or Mon. The date on the manufactuer stick on the side of left door says "10/02" so I think this car was probably built in Sept. or Aug. According to Honda, 2001-2002 and only SOME of 2003 CL's are potentially affected and covered under the extended warranty. I'm hoping mine isn't one of the "some". Honda said they're gonna mail notices to all owners who're covered under the new warranty in a few weeks. If I don't receive one, I can be sure my car is fine.
    I was hoping to buy an Accord EX V6 coupe for $24500, but those greedy honda dealers won't sell under sticker. Good luck to them with selling accord at $26000+. I'm getting my acura for $26500 + $500(spoiler)+ $227 (license and doc fees) + tax. I also got 4.9% APR for 48 mos.
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  • welst10welst10 Posts: 49
    I am driving my new CL now. It's great. But I'm confused about the initial maintainance schedule. Dealer told me to change oil at first 3000 mile point, but the manual says 7500 mile. And my friend adviced me to change oil at first 1000 mile point and tranmission fluid at 3000. I don't know who is right. Any advices on this? also what kind of oil should I use? Thanks
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  • bodydoublebodydouble Posts: 801
    Usually the manual should be followed. I know for sure you would NOT need to change oil at 1000 miles and flush tranny at 3000 as your friend suggested. I had my first oil change at 6000 KM (3750 miles) so what your dealer recommended sounds reasonable.
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  • garypengarypen Posts: 1,483
    It may be different with modern engines. But, historically, it's been a good idea to get your first oil change at or by 1000 miles. Some even recommend 500 miles, at the end of the break-in period.
    Thereafter, you can follow the manual, or just go for 3000-4000 mile intervals to play it safe. They're only $30, and your engine will last forever with oil changes at that interval.
    I've never heard anything about that first tranny fluid change, but it makes sense, if you subscribe to the belief that a virgin engine (and transmission) will "shed" some metal during its initial usage period.
    A trans fluid change is a little bit more $$$. But, again, it's insurance, if you believe in that stuff.
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  • welst10welst10 Posts: 49
    My friend change oil in his 98 accord v6 every 2500 miles and transmission fluid every 9000 miles. He does these things by himself so he doesn't spend much more money. His schedule is probably too much, but I think the manual is probably another extreme. The manual is probably the MINIMUM maintainance required in order to claim warranty. Thanks for the advices. I think I'll change first oil at 3000 miles then every 4000 miles after that. Transmission fluid? somewhere between the maunal and my friend. maybe every 30,000 miles.

    bodydouble, what kind of oild do you use? I know manual says 5W-20, but I've heard a few people say using 5W-30 is better.
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  • welst10welst10 Posts: 49
    So far the only thing I'm not very happy with the CL is the Bose audio system. The sound is average - not bad, but definitely not hi-fi. My Kenwood/Poineer system in my old corolla sounds better than the Bose. I'm thinking about replacing the audio system, but worried this might damage electronic circuits since the CL has so many power features. Has anyone replaced the CD changer and speakers in a CL/TL?
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This discussion has been closed.