My 110,000 mile Journey, cost, issues and beyond....
01-11-2009, 08:03 PM
#1
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My 110,000 mile Journey, cost, issues and beyond....
I wanted to start this thread to give myself a place I could come to time to time and update how my car is holding up.
I bought my car July 2007 with 30,000 miles on from a dealer. It is a 2005 Acura TL with navigation and the 6-speed. I looked far and wide for this combo and all worked out.
When I bought the car it had brand new 18 inch Ron Jon rims and General Exclaim UHP tires so I was ahead of the game. I brought the car home and it was mine...all mine and boy was I happy...Then I searched this site and it got ugly.....not the car but my wallet....
I drive a lot of miles so this was a car I knew that was reliable and one that got excellent gas milage on the highway. I was loving the numbers the mid was giving me tank after tank. I averaged around 30k miles a gallon.
I have 111,000 miles on the car as I type and I have to say, it has held up very well. It is all highway miles and the car is garage kept so that helps out a lot. I put together all the numbers to show most of you what you could expect to pay out of pocket after driving the car 110k miles. All routine work was performed by me so I kept my cost low.
I changed the oil once a month with 5-20 Mobil 1 synthetic oil. This was done every 5000 miles. Look at the yellow parts of the receipts as they are the dates I bought the oil.
The total for all oil changes performed by me were $485.24
When I first bought the car, I needed a new key and the rear passenger door handle was broken. The dealer charged me $415.81 I realized real quick, I needed to do a lot of the work myself to keep the cost down.
Transmission fluid was change three times: 50k. 70k. and 110k. All with GM syncromesh at a cost of $120.00
I bought the car with a cold air intake and a AEM oiled air filter. I rotated the tires every 10k and oiled the filter at that time.
I replaced the spark plugs, cleaned the air filter, replaced the cabin filter cleaned the throttle body and put seafoam in the tank at 80,000 miles at a cost of $178.00
At 70k miles, I put Koni Yellows and H&R sport springs at a cost of $850.00
New tires were put on the car at 66k and 103k miles with a total of $1,397.10
I installed a camber kit shortly after I installed the Koni's. Cost $279.00
Brakes were installed twice by me....The first were done at 60k for cosmetic and brake dust issues at $530.00 dollars. I had to replace the front pads and rotors due to warping from god knows what at a cost of $244.20
I flushed the brake lines out at 90k with a total of $12.00
I had gotten the car aligned shortly after I bought it at a cost of $69.99 but then got smart and went to Firestone and purchased the lifetime alignment of $149.00 So the alignment total comes to $218.99
The battery died at 93k miles at a dealer cost of $99.68
Now I am approching fast to the 105,000 mile service. The 105 comes and goes and it is more like, the 110k service for me....
I get a call from a former member on here and he tells me, he knows a certified Honda tech who is allowed to do sidework at the dealer on weekends.....I give the guy a call and we come to a date of 1-10-09... OK I will be over 105 by that time but it's all good.... I ordered the parts......Timing belt, water pump, Timing belt tensioner, drivebelt, valve cover gaskets, cabin filter at a cost of $307.58
A word of advice...Only buy this type of parts......
Timing Belt
Timing belt Tensioner
Drive Belt
Water Pump
Valve cover Gaskets
Old cabin filter and the new one
The trans fluid was cleaner coming out then going in.....
All parts together
The bill
I also had a bad right outer CV boot so I ordered a complete right drive shaft at a dealer cost of $182.59
Right complete driveshaft
The Honda certified tech adjusted the valves, replaced the tensioner, timing belt, drive belt, water pump,flushed the radiator and replaced the right drive shaft for a labor cost of $400.00 That was a deal!!!
I went to pick up the car and all is good. He tells me this car has a lot more miles on it than it shows....All parts looked very good and everything came off with ease. The clutch, motor mounts and everything else passed with flying colors. He said to do what I have been doing.... That makes me feel pretty good at this point....
The total maintence on the car from 30k to 111k miles is $5,720.19
Not bad considering it was all normal maintence work performed on the car....
What is an Acura on Acurazine without adding the extras on...Here is a list of the what I spent on add ons................
Updated Navigation Disk $187.00
A-Spec Kit all around $802.95
I-simple Ipod unit $180.00
Nav-2-Go unit for video $230.00
DVD player $40.00
Headrest screens $40.00
Stiletto Sirius radio $230.00
Wendy's backup cam $110.00
LED lights all around $112.00
Resistors for turn signals $38.00
TOTAL $1,969.95
So the total spent on my car in a year and a half comes to with a total of 80k miles put on the car (111k total) comes to $7,690.14
It seems like a lot of money but if you do the numbers and the amount of miles I have driven in such a short amount of time, it's not too bad.
The 2005 Acura TL is a winner!!! I was glad to find this site and research all I needed to see that the 6MT is the only way to go with this car. I have had no issues with this car other than the right front axel. This car is a well built machine and I would recommend this car to anyone. With the normal maintence performed, expect a long healthy life with your car.....
I will be coming on this thread from time to time to share to all of you how my car is holding up. This car is a keeper so with that said, I am looking to get at least 300k on her. Time will tell but the way she looks today, I see a long life ahead for my baby......
How she looks as of today.......
Sorry if I bored some of you....This is a thread to show people, with proper maintence, the car will last a long....long.....long time..
I bought my car July 2007 with 30,000 miles on from a dealer. It is a 2005 Acura TL with navigation and the 6-speed. I looked far and wide for this combo and all worked out.
When I bought the car it had brand new 18 inch Ron Jon rims and General Exclaim UHP tires so I was ahead of the game. I brought the car home and it was mine...all mine and boy was I happy...Then I searched this site and it got ugly.....not the car but my wallet....
I drive a lot of miles so this was a car I knew that was reliable and one that got excellent gas milage on the highway. I was loving the numbers the mid was giving me tank after tank. I averaged around 30k miles a gallon.
I have 111,000 miles on the car as I type and I have to say, it has held up very well. It is all highway miles and the car is garage kept so that helps out a lot. I put together all the numbers to show most of you what you could expect to pay out of pocket after driving the car 110k miles. All routine work was performed by me so I kept my cost low.
I changed the oil once a month with 5-20 Mobil 1 synthetic oil. This was done every 5000 miles. Look at the yellow parts of the receipts as they are the dates I bought the oil.
The total for all oil changes performed by me were $485.24
When I first bought the car, I needed a new key and the rear passenger door handle was broken. The dealer charged me $415.81 I realized real quick, I needed to do a lot of the work myself to keep the cost down.
Transmission fluid was change three times: 50k. 70k. and 110k. All with GM syncromesh at a cost of $120.00
I bought the car with a cold air intake and a AEM oiled air filter. I rotated the tires every 10k and oiled the filter at that time.
I replaced the spark plugs, cleaned the air filter, replaced the cabin filter cleaned the throttle body and put seafoam in the tank at 80,000 miles at a cost of $178.00
At 70k miles, I put Koni Yellows and H&R sport springs at a cost of $850.00
New tires were put on the car at 66k and 103k miles with a total of $1,397.10
I installed a camber kit shortly after I installed the Koni's. Cost $279.00
Brakes were installed twice by me....The first were done at 60k for cosmetic and brake dust issues at $530.00 dollars. I had to replace the front pads and rotors due to warping from god knows what at a cost of $244.20
I flushed the brake lines out at 90k with a total of $12.00
I had gotten the car aligned shortly after I bought it at a cost of $69.99 but then got smart and went to Firestone and purchased the lifetime alignment of $149.00 So the alignment total comes to $218.99
The battery died at 93k miles at a dealer cost of $99.68
Now I am approching fast to the 105,000 mile service. The 105 comes and goes and it is more like, the 110k service for me....
I get a call from a former member on here and he tells me, he knows a certified Honda tech who is allowed to do sidework at the dealer on weekends.....I give the guy a call and we come to a date of 1-10-09... OK I will be over 105 by that time but it's all good.... I ordered the parts......Timing belt, water pump, Timing belt tensioner, drivebelt, valve cover gaskets, cabin filter at a cost of $307.58
A word of advice...Only buy this type of parts......
Timing Belt
Timing belt Tensioner
Drive Belt
Water Pump
Valve cover Gaskets
Old cabin filter and the new one
The trans fluid was cleaner coming out then going in.....
All parts together
The bill
I also had a bad right outer CV boot so I ordered a complete right drive shaft at a dealer cost of $182.59
Right complete driveshaft
The Honda certified tech adjusted the valves, replaced the tensioner, timing belt, drive belt, water pump,flushed the radiator and replaced the right drive shaft for a labor cost of $400.00 That was a deal!!!
I went to pick up the car and all is good. He tells me this car has a lot more miles on it than it shows....All parts looked very good and everything came off with ease. The clutch, motor mounts and everything else passed with flying colors. He said to do what I have been doing.... That makes me feel pretty good at this point....
The total maintence on the car from 30k to 111k miles is $5,720.19
Not bad considering it was all normal maintence work performed on the car....
What is an Acura on Acurazine without adding the extras on...Here is a list of the what I spent on add ons................
Updated Navigation Disk $187.00
A-Spec Kit all around $802.95
I-simple Ipod unit $180.00
Nav-2-Go unit for video $230.00
DVD player $40.00
Headrest screens $40.00
Stiletto Sirius radio $230.00
Wendy's backup cam $110.00
LED lights all around $112.00
Resistors for turn signals $38.00
TOTAL $1,969.95
So the total spent on my car in a year and a half comes to with a total of 80k miles put on the car (111k total) comes to $7,690.14
It seems like a lot of money but if you do the numbers and the amount of miles I have driven in such a short amount of time, it's not too bad.
The 2005 Acura TL is a winner!!! I was glad to find this site and research all I needed to see that the 6MT is the only way to go with this car. I have had no issues with this car other than the right front axel. This car is a well built machine and I would recommend this car to anyone. With the normal maintence performed, expect a long healthy life with your car.....
I will be coming on this thread from time to time to share to all of you how my car is holding up. This car is a keeper so with that said, I am looking to get at least 300k on her. Time will tell but the way she looks today, I see a long life ahead for my baby......
How she looks as of today.......
Sorry if I bored some of you....This is a thread to show people, with proper maintence, the car will last a long....long.....long time..
01-11-2009, 08:20 PM
#3
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Great stuff here. 
This will be extremely helpful. I want to try to do all the basic maintenance on my own not only to save money but to also be sure it's done right and also to have the self satisfaction of working on your own car. 
Then again, I have no experience in any of this. 
This will be extremely helpful. I want to try to do all the basic maintenance on my own not only to save money but to also be sure it's done right and also to have the self satisfaction of working on your own car. Then again, I have no experience in any of this.
01-11-2009, 08:27 PM
#5
Three Wheelin'
Wow the paint looks perfect. My 2000 TL was cared for by me the same way you are doing it with your car, and now my son is driving it with 254K miles on it and the engine is like day one. So you'll be fine. Flush the brake fluid some time and power steering too. Nice job
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01-11-2009, 09:31 PM
#8
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Amazing thread... Thanks for all the details it is good to know. I don't do nearly as much driving as you but in the year I have had my car I have put 20k miles on it which is more than the average.
01-11-2009, 09:55 PM
#10
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Maint works out to about $0.07 per mile over the 80k miles.
Mods add about $0.03 per mile.
MPG = ~30. Call it an average of $3.00 per gallon. So, that's another $0.10 per mile.
Gov't pays $0.50 per mile. Minus ten cents for gas, leaves you $0.40 for maint/wear & tear and insurance.
You're spending ten cents maint/wear. Still have $0.30 per mile left over.
I'm betting you're making money on this car, even after ins and non-reimbursable/deductible miles.
Mods add about $0.03 per mile.
MPG = ~30. Call it an average of $3.00 per gallon. So, that's another $0.10 per mile.
Gov't pays $0.50 per mile. Minus ten cents for gas, leaves you $0.40 for maint/wear & tear and insurance.
You're spending ten cents maint/wear. Still have $0.30 per mile left over.
I'm betting you're making money on this car, even after ins and non-reimbursable/deductible miles.
01-11-2009, 11:03 PM
#13
Pro
This is why i've owned all honda products my whole life...
Reliable
Low Cost Maintenance
Good Re sell Value
Car looks really good. Very well taken care of. Looks like it only has 30k on it still.
Reliable
Low Cost Maintenance
Good Re sell Value
Car looks really good. Very well taken care of. Looks like it only has 30k on it still.
01-11-2009, 11:03 PM
#14
A lot more miles than it shows??? What does that mean? Nice to know your clutch is good. 3k for a replacement would have definitely brought down your average.
01-11-2009, 11:06 PM
#15
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
Looks amazing!
I must commend you on doing everything yourself! I'm sure it saved you quite a bit in labor costs...and I think when you do stuff yourself to your car, you feel more proud. I debadged mine and put in the smoked tails and I've never felt so proud...and that's not even big stuff (considering a 19 year old with no idea what hes doing is getting it done).
But great write up! I hope you have continued good luck with your TL...it's a gorgeous car
I must commend you on doing everything yourself! I'm sure it saved you quite a bit in labor costs...and I think when you do stuff yourself to your car, you feel more proud. I debadged mine and put in the smoked tails and I've never felt so proud...and that's not even big stuff (considering a 19 year old with no idea what hes doing is getting it done).
But great write up! I hope you have continued good luck with your TL...it's a gorgeous car
01-11-2009, 11:08 PM
#16
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I've seen it, inside and out, up close and personal, you'd NEVER know it was over 100k. Never. You'd think it was a low mile '05.
01-12-2009, 08:08 AM
#20
01-12-2009, 09:08 AM
#21
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Excellent post!!! Your initial post should be a sticky for everyone to see what we should be doing to keep the car running well.
01-12-2009, 10:16 AM
#24
iScrape going into
Like mentioned very nice write up, and like said this just goes to show people with proper maintence and just taking care of your car it can go a long way and do wonders. Your car doesn't even look like it has many miles on it, and that is just crazy.
01-12-2009, 06:05 PM
#30
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Wow the paint looks perfect. My 2000 TL was cared for by me the same way you are doing it with your car, and now my son is driving it with 254K miles on it and the engine is like day one. So you'll be fine. Flush the brake fluid some time and power steering too. Nice job
I regret selling this car but my wife hated it...
I also own a nice Honda generator and a 2002 Honda 400EX quad that is all original and no issues. I know what a Honda is capable of if it is taken care of...
Acuraoemparts.com (Delray Acura in FL.) They said same day shipping if the order is placed before 12 pm that day. After three business days and three phone calls, they finally shipped the stuff. Not recommended as they were lazy to get the parts out and had no idea if my parts shipped even though I gave them the order #. Each time I was on hold for 10 minutes and finally got an answer on my third call. I don't have 30 mnutes to waste on hold!!
Maint works out to about $0.07 per mile over the 80k miles.
Mods add about $0.03 per mile.
MPG = ~30. Call it an average of $3.00 per gallon. So, that's another $0.10 per mile.
Gov't pays $0.50 per mile. Minus ten cents for gas, leaves you $0.40 for maint/wear & tear and insurance.
You're spending ten cents maint/wear. Still have $0.30 per mile left over.
I'm betting you're making money on this car, even after ins and non-reimbursable/deductible miles.
Mods add about $0.03 per mile.
MPG = ~30. Call it an average of $3.00 per gallon. So, that's another $0.10 per mile.
Gov't pays $0.50 per mile. Minus ten cents for gas, leaves you $0.40 for maint/wear & tear and insurance.
You're spending ten cents maint/wear. Still have $0.30 per mile left over.
I'm betting you're making money on this car, even after ins and non-reimbursable/deductible miles.
Looks amazing!
I must commend you on doing everything yourself! I'm sure it saved you quite a bit in labor costs...and I think when you do stuff yourself to your car, you feel more proud. I debadged mine and put in the smoked tails and I've never felt so proud...and that's not even big stuff (considering a 19 year old with no idea what hes doing is getting it done).
But great write up! I hope you have continued good luck with your TL...it's a gorgeous car
I must commend you on doing everything yourself! I'm sure it saved you quite a bit in labor costs...and I think when you do stuff yourself to your car, you feel more proud. I debadged mine and put in the smoked tails and I've never felt so proud...and that's not even big stuff (considering a 19 year old with no idea what hes doing is getting it done).
But great write up! I hope you have continued good luck with your TL...it's a gorgeous car
I couldn't agree with you more. Why would you skimp out on a timing belt. It cost 43 dollars oem. It's a no brainer.
Thanks, I will sell it to you in 3-4 years with 300k on the clock....I promise it will be at a good price.....
Trevor again thanks for the hookup!!! Good looking out for a fellow member and I owe you one brotha. BTW check out the meets section. We are doing one in your backyard on March 7th.
Thanks to all the other great comments about my car. It is a well taken care of ride and the two clients I visited today said, Hey did you get a new car...Nope, it's the same one I have had for a while and could you believe it has 111k on it. They were shocked!
I took a few more close up pictures of the paint to show you she still has that new car shine. The nose has some rock chips but you are never going to be able to avoid that.
She's not perfect by any means but I have yet to see a cleaner car with this many numbers on the clock.
Here is one last picture I took at 110 miles of the color of the oil after 5k of use. It still looks pretty clean. The mid says I have 40% when I usually change it but I would rather be safe than sorry... Keep those TL's clean and healthy!!!!!
01-13-2009, 09:14 AM
#31
Nice write up! That 200k is practically right around the corner! It's amazing how much you drive! I will be driving a ton for my new job, which is why I got the TL-S. So, hopefully my TL-S can start paying me as well!
01-13-2009, 10:57 AM
#35
NICE!!!..i think im gonna stop giving acura my money as well....i thought having them service it had some kind of incentive or sumtin..maybe a peace of mind....boy was i wrong
I need brakes soon and there is NO WAY im giving them $500-600 bucks...lol
DIY FTMFW!!!.....ur the ULTIME DIY'er
I need brakes soon and there is NO WAY im giving them $500-600 bucks...lol
DIY FTMFW!!!.....ur the ULTIME DIY'er
01-13-2009, 11:42 AM
#36
Time to Climb
jon, you know i think your tl is sweet. it's all the more better knowing how well she's been holding up. if you recall, i ask about maintenance issues in all your threads. i wonder why that is ...
01-13-2009, 12:22 PM
#38
Have you ever thought about taking a sample of your oil and having analyzed? That will give you a true measure of wear inside your engine. I bet it is small but it is something nice to know. A buddy of mine actually extended his oil changes due to the analyzer stating that his oil had more life and he could keep it longer.
01-13-2009, 06:33 PM
#39
200,000 mile club
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NICE!!!..i think im gonna stop giving acura my money as well....i thought having them service it had some kind of incentive or sumtin..maybe a peace of mind....boy was i wrong
I need brakes soon and there is NO WAY im giving them $500-600 bucks...lol
DIY FTMFW!!!.....ur the ULTIME DIY'er
I need brakes soon and there is NO WAY im giving them $500-600 bucks...lol
DIY FTMFW!!!.....ur the ULTIME DIY'er
Have you ever thought about taking a sample of your oil and having analyzed? That will give you a true measure of wear inside your engine. I bet it is small but it is something nice to know. A buddy of mine actually extended his oil changes due to the analyzer stating that his oil had more life and he could keep it longer.
Funny you should mention that...Bearcat showed me the sample bottle and how to send out a sample to a company to get it analyzed and so I am going to do that on the next oil change. I am curious to find out. I will let you know.
01-13-2009, 08:56 PM
#40
Time to Climb
no issues here. just been considering the possibility of picking up a tl as a daily
but cpo rdx's are attractive these days, plus i could do wonders with that turbo. although, i guess that would defeat the purpose of a dd
but cpo rdx's are attractive these days, plus i could do wonders with that turbo. although, i guess that would defeat the purpose of a dd