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Older Acura TLs

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Comments

  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    One would think that given that a lot of the TL's competition (Passat, S60, G35, MB C-Class, A4/A6, 3-series) offer or will offer AWD, Honda has to consider it for the TL. But with Honda, who knows? They always seem to be a few years behind the competition when it comes to introducing new features/trends.
  • scott31scott31 Member Posts: 292
    The Nav requires NO subscription. You own it, use it whenever you want.

    There are DVD updates but they are few and far between. Rumor has it there will be a big update this fall, but I'll believe it when I see it.

    As for brakes, I consider myself a hard braker, and I've got 12,000 miles on my '03 Type S, no problems so far.
  • josephacurajosephacura Member Posts: 11
    Merc and Bodble, you bolth bring up great points with the AWD concern. One would think Honda/Acura would consider this.......as I'm positive the car will be more powerful than the 260 2003, TL Type S. I do disagree with Honda being a few years behind the new introductions. I believe the next TL will blow all the competitors away......remember when the Type S, CL and TL came out, it had the most power of all it's (same price range) competitors.......the others became more powerful as they release their newer models earlier in the year (i.e. Nissan)......do you all agree that Acura should make major improvements to the RL..great car, but for top end luxury, it's just a bigger Accord with lots of bells/whistles. I think in 2005 they are redesigning it. I love the '99-2003 TL style, but the '96-98 3.2 TL, had a very impressive front, especially the '98....they made the bottom, front look more agressive. Can you tell I'm an Acura fan?
  • rls11741rls11741 Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone know, for sure, if Acura is going to introduce a new TL Type S? I have a 02 Type S and I'm going to trade it in for a 04 TL. However, I can wait 1 more year for a TL Type S if I know for sure that it is coming. My dealer says that he has not heard anything about a Type S at all. Robin 125, do you know for sure about a Type S?
    Thanks!
  • varmintvarmint Member Posts: 6,326
    Normally, I'd expect them not to release a TL-S until the initial hype wears off. Maybe 2-3 years after the full model change. This also allows them to keep pace with newer designs that come to market. However, with the cancellation of the CL, they might feel the need to get sporty right up front.
  • lenscaplenscap Member Posts: 854
    Micro scratches, swirls, dents and chips showing has nothing to do with Honda paint being "bad." That applies to all dark colors, regardless of what kind of car. I know of fairly new Lexus, BMW and Mercedes models that have the same problem. It's simple - dark colors show more wear and tear.
  • billyperksbillyperks Member Posts: 449
    You are absolutely correct- my own Auto Body guy told me this years ago.He told me specifically to go with the lighter colors, they age and hide dings and dents better.

    That's why I am a Pearl White type of guy, my Millenia was and now the Acura is playing that role.
      WARNING- WAAAY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR.
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    Just a personal opinion:

    I would never buy a white color car for two reasons:

    1. Most rental cars are white and this turned me off this color.

    2. I find white to be too feminine :-)
  • 2003tls2003tls Member Posts: 100
    I heard on the Acura-tl.com forum boards that the Type S is scheduled for 2005 (1 year later). Just a rumor though.
  • josephacurajosephacura Member Posts: 11
    RLS......that is great you have a '02 TL Type S.....my guess is that it will be coming out in 2005, certainly not 2004. I've always heard it's best to wait till the second year of production to purchase a newly designed car, they usually make some changes to fix any issues with the production of the first year. I would think the Type S will have several differences as opposed to just the few (mainly hp and suspension) in the ones out now. I say hang on to the '02 for another year. The 2005 will be very impressive.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Yes, yes, yes...the RL is the car Acura needed to replace for 04, not the TL. Everyone that likes cars wants to see a rwd model with a V8 in addition to the V6, but Honda has all but said no to V8s and rwd. So the current speculation is some type of awd V6 with hybrid tech for 300-400hp. The next RL is probably the best kept secret in the business.

    I do hope that if Acura does increase hp on the TL (270 or more) that awd will be part of the program. That kind of hp is simply too much on the front wheels. Cadillac spent 10+ years trying to perfect it only having to switch back rwd.

    M
  • billyperksbillyperks Member Posts: 449
    Ha ha ha- the Pearl White is as masculine as you can get.
    I think the gold is more on the feminine side- no offense to the male owners.
  • els159els159 Member Posts: 2
    My SRS light is on all the time. Dealer has suggested that putting a cell phone on passenger seat may have caused the module to malfunction. Has anyone else heard of this problem. Does anyone know if the safety of the vehicle has been compromised.
  • scott31scott31 Member Posts: 292
    Um, if your SRS light is on all the time, get the dealer to fix it ASAP.
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    I wanted to share my feelings about the initial quality of my 2003 TL-S. "Initial" here does not refer to the day I got it fromt the dealer, but the period of the first 5,000 miles. Why 5,000 miles you ask? It's purely arbitrary.

    I bought my TL-S on January 2nd of this year and have crossed 5,000 miles last week. I am comparing this car to my previous car: a 2000 3.2TL. The 2000 TL was well known for a variety of little problems that would develop around the first 1,300-1,800 miles: creaks, squeaks and rattles (this is based on numerous reports in Acura discussion boards). While not major problems, these issues can dramatically dampen one's satisfaction with their new car. My car developed 3 of these problems, two of which were never fixed.

    Now enter the 2003 TL-S. The car is still ROCK-SOLID after the first 5,000 miles. Not a squeak, creak or rattle from anywhere. This is very encouraging, especially given the relatively terrible road conditions in the DC area this winter/spring. The tremendous record-setting amount of snow and rain that has been dumped on this region in the last 6 months has created an unusually high number of potholes and other problems. I've hit a number of potholes in the last 6 months, some very hard. Yet, the car has held up beautifully.

    What this tells me is that in the last 3-4 years since the introduction of the current model of TL, Acura has done a great job in debugging the car.

    What has your experience with recently made 2003's been like?
  • pdfspdfs Member Posts: 19
    Hi,

    I found some very strange noise from my 02 TL. When the car is parked in garage, a low pitch whistling noise comes from under the car every ~15 min. Does anyone have the similar problem?
  • billyperksbillyperks Member Posts: 449
    Dulnev we purchased our car around the same time and our mileage is exactly the same- I just passed the 5000 mark.

    As far as quality, I have two problems already-
    The sunroof rattles, dealer took care of this in no time.
    The second problem - the plastic covering by the seat belt adjuster is stripping off.I showed my service manager and he bluntly stated that their not going to fix that because it is my fault the plastic is stripping off.

    He claims that whenever I unbuckle my seat belt I allow the metal to hit the plastic hence the stripping occurs.

    I told him is comments are out right absurd. The plastic in my wife's Camry is not stripping, the plastic in my Millenia did not strip so why a $30,000.00 car plastic is striping.

    To cut a long story short I took the car to another dealership and they fixed it without a whisper.

    I am going to call Acura and file a complaint against this Dealership, also the owner of the Dealership is going to hear about this.
  • lenscaplenscap Member Posts: 854
    Recently I attended a Saturday SUV event hsoted by Lexus. They had most of the current luxury SUVs available for test drive. I bring this up because the MDX had the same problem you mentioned on your TL. The plastic covering in the b-pillar that hides the seat belt was all nicked and chipped from the seat belt hitting it when released. This must be a design flaw because none of the other SUVs had this, yet people were constantly unbuckling those seat belts too.

    Acura needs to revise that plastic so it is more durable.
  • billyperksbillyperks Member Posts: 449
    Good thing you brought that up.
    At the time when I was presenting my case to the service manager, he took me in service area and showed me a MDX with the B pillar plastic torn up so badly because of the constant hitting from the seat belt buckle.So I further stated that it is a manufacturing fault but he insisted that it is the owners fault and we should be more careful when unbuckling.What a joke.
    All I know is that dealership in Grrenwich ain't getting my business again.The wife is considering a new car and I told her to add the TSX to her list- guess which Acura dealership is not on our list?
    The dealership that fixed the problem was selling me the car for $800.00 over invoice, the problem dealer gave it to me for $200 over.
    Now all my business goes back to the dealer I did not buy the car from.
    Is anyone else having the same problem?
  • mraganomragano Member Posts: 1
    I just puschased a 1996 acura3.2TL without doing any research before buying.I love the car but had a few questions.
    1.Do I need premium gas?
    2.Is it true the have a problem with the timing belt?
    3.It has 84,000 miles,do I need to get any services or checks done?
                   Thnak You
  • tksungtksung Member Posts: 34
    Anyone with an idea when the official spec will come out?
  • ruskiruski Member Posts: 1,566
    any more torque and they will have to include a truckload of trannies free of charge with the purchase of every TL.

    P.S. Honda has not been the leader in engine power. Pontiac Grand Prix GTP had 240hp and 280 lbs*ft torque way before TL and CL. Chrysler 300M had 253HP and 255 lbs*torque, TL only started production that year with 225HP.
  • heymistaheymista Member Posts: 22
    My 2002 Acura TL-S' Transmission failed again. First one occured at 27k and this one at 36k. The service department is telling me Acura doesn't have any new trannies available, and they want to give me a re-manufactured one. Do I have the right to demand a new one? I should not have to risk driving a car with a previously failed transmission. Am I crazy or what?
  • mishima8105mishima8105 Member Posts: 43
    Three years in my vw jetta glx and I've written vw off as LEMONS. Been looking at Lexus IS and Infiniti G35 when I saw the 2004 TL. Looks really Hot! Seems like a lot of you Honda/Acura drivers are happy with your cars. Anyone out there know when this new TL is going to be available? I don't know if I can wait much longer. My jetta is going back in for unscheduled service again for the second time in two weeks!!! I'd even settle for a base Civic over a vw.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    Billy,

    Post the name and/or email address of the dealership that you bought from that refuses to give you good service. Even though I'm not in the market for an Acura at this time, I'd be happy to drop them a line suggesting I would never buy from them.

    If it's any consolation, I bought an Isuzu Trooper from Fitsgerald in Bethesda, Maryland because they gave us a great deal on the price. Then they promptly started charging double what other dealers charge for routine maintenance. Like $1,000 for a 30k mile service! I've steered quite a few prospective buyers away from all Fitzgerald franchises, not just the Isuzu one.

    Heymista,

    I wouldn't accept a re-manufactured tranny unless they offered you both (1) an extra-extended warranty (100k miles minimum) and (2) some form of additional compensation (i.e. cash).

    I know a lot of the TL owners here are rather accepting of this reliability fiasco, but that is not what the "Acura" premium brand name is supposed to be about. A friend of mine is an attorney for Saab Aerospace. Although their car business is now 100% owned by GM, he told me that they often "settled" claims for compensation that were less egregious than 2 transmission failures in 36k miles.

    I don't like to advocate hiring an attorney, but in this case, I think you've got more coming to you than a third re-manufactured transmission in a $30k car.

    P.S. What the heck are they using in the new TL-S's that supposedly don't fail anymore. And why can't they give you one of those??
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    "Post the name and/or email address of the dealership..."

    It is okay to post the name, but please don't post any contact info - thanks.
  • billyperksbillyperks Member Posts: 449
    The morans are called "GREENWICH ACURA".
    They have not heard the last from me, I have been so busy with work and my family that I have not gotten a chance to respond.
    I am going to call the Acura hot line and also write a letter to the owner of the establishment.

    When you have a three year child at home, you don't have time to fight with dealerships and their petty ways.
  • hclllhclll Member Posts: 35
    Having had the new TL for 3 weeks, I found the engine performs very different from the one of my previous Maxima.

    Nissan Engine is much smoother than Honda's. For Nissan, if you hold the gas pedal at a certain position, the magnitude of power is constant, but for the Honda engine on my TL, if you hold the pedal, it feels like the power comes in frenquent "pulses". THere are 6-10 small "shocks" of acceleration coming in one second.

    It just feel like the engine also has the "tapping" design used in ABS.

    Any of you guys aware of this? Personally I still like Nissan engine better, because you can "fine-tune" the pedal action, thus the acceleration.
  • jdone1jdone1 Member Posts: 22
    Have your tl checked by the dealer. My tl is smoothe as an expensive sewing machine.
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    I don't have ANY idea what you're describing! "Acceleration shocks"???
  • josephacurajosephacura Member Posts: 11
    Hey, sorry to hear about your problems with the VWs, I haven't heard a lot of complaints about them, but they are nice looking cars. My '96 Acua 2.5 TL runs great, no problems..116,000 miles and it rides very nice, like new and plenty of luxury. The new TL is supposed to begin production in the fall of 2003.....but as someone said, and it is true, Honda/Acura do not tell anyone, even the dealers anything about their new cars. I wonder if that helps sales. The new 2004 TL does look nice and is going to offer plenty of power. The 2.5 older TLs are very quick off the line (as it's an inline 5), but I wish it had more power......looks like the new ones are going to be fine when it comes to power and offer a great deal more luxury....I'd guess it will be priced around $33k or so and again, likely the only option will be the navigation. I don't think you'd be disappointed in a honda or acura.......they ride great and last forever. Hope this helps.
  • hclllhclll Member Posts: 35
    I mean the Nissan torque is a constant curve and linear to the pedal travel, while Honda torque is like a sinusoidal curve, and is not linear to the pedal action.

    Have to describe it using mathematical words.

    Also, TL's engine feels like it has to overcome some difficulty( friction?) when running below 3000rpm, with noticable exhaust noise, once it gets above 3000rpm, it seems the engine can rev more freely.
  • waltercatwaltercat Member Posts: 10
    Folks,
    Thought you might like to know what a '99 TL is like at 100K miles. My Firepepper Red '99 crossed the 100K mark earlier this week.

    Fortunately, not much to report. One repair (catalytic converter wore out at 95K). A few warranty claims (alarm system, EGR valve, and a squeak or two). Other than that, it's been maintained by the book. Factory tires wore out at 61K; brake pads all around at 80K; battery at 85K.

    The car runs like new - solid, tight, comfortable. I've averaged 24 mpg in a mix of highway, suburban, and New York City driving. Other than a door-opening ding or two, she even looks like new.

    It remains a pleasant driving car - not on a par with my newly acquired Miata, but it's responsive and comfortable. If this one wears out, I'd own another one in a minute.
  • fredvhfredvh Member Posts: 857
    Thanks for your post. I enjoyed reading about your experience with the TL.
  • alexalee1alexalee1 Member Posts: 35
    Hi Spudgal,

    I was wondering if you see the side indentation on the 2004 prototype TL that you saw.

    And, also, if it has side marker lights front and back.

    Earlier blurry spy shots kind of show them, and was confirmed by the person who took it (at night).

    But, I want a second confirmation from you who have seen it in a broad daylight.

    Thanks in advance
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Well the overall shape of the new TL is promising, and the rear doors appears to be on the thick side....i.e. real luxury car build.

    http://www.thecarconnection.com/?article=6162&n=156,178&s- id=178

    M
  • justaguy3justaguy3 Member Posts: 5
    I currently have a '99 3.2TL and love the car. I too was very impatiently waiting for news of the '04TL, especially the interior (not much news there). I discovered the limited edition Volvo S60R! 300 HP, AWD, beautiful new interior. This is not your father's Volvo! It sounds like everything who has posted here is looking for. I test drove one a few weeks ago and immediately placed my order.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    There is a huge power (and performance) difference if you opt for the auto tranny though. But I suppose most potential buyers for this car would look at the manual tranny.
  • libertycatlibertycat Member Posts: 593
    I want to punch you. I LOVE the 2002+ ES300's styling. It looks totally different than the Camry's which I have no complaint about.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    Wow! You must've been the designer for the ES.
  • libertycatlibertycat Member Posts: 593
    nope.
  • corkdsp1corkdsp1 Member Posts: 9
    have owned 2 legend coupes and currently have 99 TL. In market for new car, and not impressed too much with New TL designs and so much horsepower with frontwheel drive. Really need rearwheel drive and manual trans offered. Placed order for 2004 BMW 530 last week. Sure wish Acura would share more info on new car before its released. Oh well
  • fling85fling85 Member Posts: 1
    Can I ask what options you get for 2004 BMW 530i and what price did you order for?
  • rls11741rls11741 Member Posts: 2
    If you go to message #93 on this board, and click onto the "carconnection" link, you will be brought to a web site that has 2 new pictures of the new TL. You will have to work your way through the sites: ie, Photos; Acura; year, etc. but you will see 2 pictures. Double click on the pictures and they will get bigger. The front/side shot shows that this car does have the indentation running the length of the car, (including the handles). There is a Front Cover on the lights so you cannot see much. (Fog Lights?) The Rear Shot shows that this car is somewhat different from the Concept Car. The Rear Light are smaller and do not follow the cars contour as the concept car did. what do you think?
  • corkdsp1corkdsp1 Member Posts: 9
    options I ordered. Premium pckg(leather, woodgrain, lumbar support, garage door opener), sports pckg(tighter suspension, 18inch runflats, adaptive steering, adaptive suspension, shadowline trim), Manual trans, Logic 7 stereo, adaptive headlights.
    Pricing is not yet avail should be around 50k
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    That has always been one of my main criticisms of Honda. I think by withholding info till the very last minute on new models, they actually drive potential customers away to competing brands, as it has corkdsp. And even for people that wait it out and eventually buy from Honda, this strategy leads to unnecessary frustration, IMO.
  • varmintvarmint Member Posts: 6,326
    Bodble - That is true in many cases, however, I think the flip side is a bigger concern for Honda.

    With information regarding new vehicles circulating, Honda/Acura would have a harder time selling the existing products. The current TL (for example) is selling at invoice price, but it is still selling. They're still making money. If they released too much too soon, sales of the current design would fail.

    Unlike other companies, Honda cannot easily convert excess inventory into rental cars or fleet sales. Those units would have to rot on the lot until Honda issued dealer incentives to assist them with lower the price.

    This also works from a marketing perspective. When Ford announced that they wold introduce the HEV Escape, there was considerable hype. Three years later... the hype has died and we still haven't seen the product. When it does hit showrooms, the hype will be gone. It's old news. With Honda, the hype is at its peak when you can actually buy the car.

    The truth is, releasing information early would make enthusiasts happy. People like us could daydream and make comparisons. We don't actually purchase many cars, though. The people who have cash burning holes in their wallets are the ones that matter. They outnumber us greatly. People who are ready to buy do not wait a year simply because some brand is making promises about future models.
  • libertycatlibertycat Member Posts: 593
    Hyundai in its XG350 and Sonata has more wood trim than the TL, CL, RL, and MDX. Sure, it's faux, but it's hard to tell. Especially the RL and MDX need more wood trim to decorate their interiors especially in the rear seats. There's only a tiny slab by the window controls. The new TSX has a great amount of wood especially since it is a luxury sport sedan. It's faux and doesn't look that way a bit. Competitors like the IS300 don't even have wood trim. I can't stand the IS300 because it's interior and exterior are ugly.
  • mishima8105mishima8105 Member Posts: 43
    Seems like everything I read here is positive about Acuras. I'm envious of all of you. As I wrote in a previous message, I had to take my jetta glx back in for unscheduled maintenance--that was two weeks ago--and it's still there! As soon as I can, I'm going to get me an Acura. I don't know if I can wait for that new TL Concept car. I don't think my jetta will make it. I made a big mistake buying vw.
  • carguy58carguy58 Member Posts: 2,303
    I like the exterior styling but your right the interior styling is not good at all.

    As for Honda driving customers away I don't think it happens often.

    As for the XG350 its a poor selling car. It doesn't even stack up well with the current crop of new sedans.
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