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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.
Thanks!
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.
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 :-)
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
I think the gold is more on the feminine side- no offense to the male owners.
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?
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?
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.
Acura needs to revise that plastic so it is more durable.
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?
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
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.
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??
It is okay to post the name, but please don't post any contact info - thanks.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
http://www.thecarconnection.com/?article=6162&n=156,178&s- id=178
M
Pricing is not yet avail should be around 50k
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.
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.