Patsum

New to acura/honda completely..my first car was a lexus RX 300 AWD suv....loved it to death but got tired of a slow suv thats terrible on gas...didnt want to give up my luxury so I looked around and settled on an Acura tsx over the TL and accord...I can pick an 04 up for around 10K..my RX sold for 8.5..so 1.5K for a 4 year newer car with better MPG and handling seems good to me.

Anyway..I treat my cars well and take care of them IE: change oil every 3.5-4K always, always checking fluids, doing all manufac's recommended service. but Im a lead foot, I dont go fast, but I like getting 0-35 in the quickest time the car can do haha what can I say...

WHat should I be aware of or watch out for on a TSX 2004?
I know I read forums for my RX 300 for a year before I bought it and that gave me a list of 5 things that go wrong in general such as Transmission dies between 65Kand 165K and a/c tube clogging and hatch supports giving out and such....little and big things to watch for when I buy the car, and I can expect to maybe see in the 50K miles I expect to put on it..

The cars Im looking at are all 04 TSX's with 90K-130K if that helps

Things I love about the tsk that my lexus didnt have...
better A/C
great sound system stock
quiet as can be
comfy seats that dont make me fatigued
HID headlights!!! coming from halogens for 4 years this is a BIG deal!!
Better handling
Better MPG, I have read about 20 mph city and 28-30 Highway, is this correct?

I have had zero things go wrong with my RX in the time I owned it besides routine mant..Hoping this is the case with a TSX

-Thanks!
Any comments or tips or help or warning would be helpful!

Im not going to mod this car at all, just drive and enjoy it.

Bigwake

I just bought a 2004 about 5 days ago and the things I've read so far are:

1) Something about the A/C. I haven't read what it is, but my car has 112k and was dealer maintaned it's entire life and seems to be fine.
2) Headlight fogging problem. Acura dealers will install 2 metal clips on each headlight to keep water out and stop fogging. Not a 'recall' but some other type of known issue that they sometimes will replace for free (not sure about details because mine had it done before I bought it)
3) Rear tail light's wiring harness (or something) that is a recall because it may be damaged by opening/closing the trunk.
4) Newest recall on power steering hose. The dealer is more than happy to replace this for free in about 50 minutes.

Simba91102

Some of the 04's seem to suffer from a variety of maladies that were pretty much restricted to just that model year. I would let others (preferably those who have actually experienced some or all of the them) fill in the blanks. I don't want to mix that comment with the following, and I don't know where you're located, but you can have my 05 (w/122K miles) for $10K. All highway miles, original owner, dealer maintained, pretty much all fresh fluids, synthetic oil since new, silver on gray, never hit and actually is perfect (as a car can be with that kind of mileage anyway). You're new so you can't send a private message, but if you're interested, let me know here and I'll post an email address here.

My proposal aside, I would recommend you look for an 05. You should be able to find one for around $10K, especially if you're OK with higher mileage. And you're making a good move looking for one of these cars. The TSX is a great car and I'm sure you'll love. I do.... that's why we have two. Both are fairly high mileage (the above referenced 05 and an 07 that's up to 92K miles)(my wife and I drive allot) and they've been relatively trouble free.

Patsum

Hey there!
Ill look for an 05 then!
I have read a lot about the headlights fogging up..and trannys going out..and a/c system needing repair.....anything else to look out for?

If your near Cincinnati ill take you up on that offer

Simba91102

I'm in CT right now, so it may not be worth the trip. That said, those are 3 issues that seem to come up occasionally. There was a TSB (technical service bulletin) on the headlights (or may have been a recall, not sure). My dealer did install some clips that are supposed to be the fix (though I never had a problem). There are anecdotal reports of problems with the automatic transmission and the AC system. I think these were/are more common with the 04 models, but even then I don't know how widespread they were/are. The problem with those kinds of, well...., problems, is that that's all you hear about. You don't hear anything about the other 98% or 99% that are trouble free. I'm going to guess that any 04 or 05 that you look at with big miles will have either had any problems addressed, or won't suffer the fate of some others. I think transmission maintenance is important, and it may help prolong the life of the Honda transmission, but from what I've read here over the years, I don't think that's enough the prevent the tranny from taking a shitter if it's going to. The AC problems seem to be the luck of the draw too. In other words, pretty much like every other car. Some last forever, some don't.

nj2pa2nc

since you want to sell the 05-does that mean you move up to the 07 and your wife gets a new car

Patsum

Quick question, How good are the speakers on the 2005 tsx?
I see eight when I count..4 up front with 2 being components..and..4 in the back..but the back deck speakers seem to only produce bass...a 360 watt amp for all 8...
Is the 2005 TL's system better? I saw it has 8 speakers too but I think its 6 main, 1 center and 1 sub.

what system sounds better for standard cd's?

Simba91102

No, my wife is keeping her 07 and will continue to pile on the miles (about 700 a week). I'm torn about selling the 05. I really, really, like this car (I've never put more than 40K miles on a car before selling it prior to this one). But.... I do drive quite a bit and would like to sell it while it's still worth something. I know that the mileage we're discussing (100K plus) is not uncommon for Honda's and most go twice that with little trouble. And the car really is in amazing shape. Detailed, it could easily pass for a car half it's age and with a quarter of the miles. So.... I'm in a little bit of a quandry.

You're right about the radio in the TSX (spec wise). I'm not familiar with the TL system, but I've found the TSX system to be quite adequate; I think it sounds great (and I'm actually a little hard of hearing). I'm still into CD's (I'm slow to adopt to new technology.... hey what can I say) and I've had no trouble with the changer or playing them . And..... I'm completely sold on XM radio. Wouldn't be without now.

nj2pa2nc

I know how you feel. I was originally planning to trade my car when the 2010 tl 6MT came out. I decided not to as I love this car and do not want to get rid of it. It is such a great no problem car.

pknuts

I would but an 05. You can search my post's to see the variety of problems I've had. If i could go back and do it over i would not have bought this car.

Simba91102

There's one in every crowd...... (kidding). I'm going to assume you were trying to say that you wouldn't suggest buying an 05 TSX (A little editing would help) and it's too bad that you had a lousy ownership experience (I wonder if you bought it new). But.... I'm pretty confident that you are in a very small minority. There seem to be very few complaints about the TSX and.... they're tops in resale for a reason. The vast majority of owners love these cars.

LuvMyTSX

I think he meant to say he'd buy used, but get an 05. Sounds like he's had some problems with his 04.

That said, I have an 04 as well, but compared to others, I think I've been fairly lucky. I've had several of the common 04 teething issues, but so far my problems with A/C have been minor (2 new relays, but never the big catastrophic failure).

Common 04 issues off the top of my head:

A/C failures - relays and compressors
PCB replacement - HVAC/console lights go out (TSB for this)
Rear camber out of spec (TSB for this)
Condensation in headlights (TSB for this)
Door lock actuators - actually most of the model years have this problem

I might be missing a couple, but those are the major ones I can think of right now. If anything, I'd play it safe and go for an 05 or newer. 04s can be a bit of a gamble compared to the other years, though it is hardly unreliable, at least compared to many other vehicles from other makes.

pknuts

Yeah i meant i would have bought in 05. No i did not buy the car new, bought it with 50K and have had way to many problems. Some of which might have been self inflicted but having to replace the clutch at 60K, well that's just abusing driving(not on my part) or bad design. I previously owned an 85 prelude and a 93 Integra and loved both of those cars. Almost no mechanical issues at all. Just having a bad experience with this one. When i had the clutch replaced i was given an 09 to drive for a week and contemplated just disappearing with it. jk. it was a sweet ride.

tunit

some common things i noticed with my `04 TSX is that the clutch wore out rather quickly. I had to replace it at 100K when other honda/acuras that i have had i didnt replace it until nearly 200K. So if it is a 6 speed watch for clutch engagement and pedal feel. There also is a common problem with warping of the rotors, but look in this same thread how to fix the problem. other than that everything has been listed, but should be easily fixed.