CRXZC

Hey All,

I'm considering getting rid of my first gen 2.3CL and upgrading to a CLS6.

I drive a fair bit - 40-50k/year. Wondering what kind of issues all of you high mileage guys have run into, what to look out for etc.

I've been reading about many issues with HID Ballasts, main relays, and various other things. Just wondering what issues you've run into, and if buying a CLS6 would be a mistake. I love the cars, but I don't want something that I'm constantly going to need to be throwing money at. Since they're so rare, I can't imagine aftermarket and used parts are very easy to come by.

Suggestions?

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

Nothing major. Just the things you already mentioned & other wear item like brakes, pollen filters, tires, things like that.
The CV joints may need replacing(replace the whole axle shaft), & motor mounts.

You will have to do a 100K mile service though. That's a timing belt, water pump & related gaskets, plus new spark plugs. A little under $1K for that.

True costs will be determined by how many miles are on the car now.

Oh & maybe a clutch. Parts are around $800(clutch set & new flywheel)

CRXZC

The Vehicles I'm looking at are in the 50-60k Mile Range...

So I'm thinking I should be good until around 100k without any major issues...

I understand that there is going to be some basic maintenance, but I'd prefer not to buy something I'm going to open a whole can of worms with.

My 2.3CL has been pretty much bulletproof up to 150k Miles, love it.

-Mark

CL-Future

You should be fine unless you have a lead foot like me

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

Even if you do you'll be ok. The 6mt is pretty reliable. I put 20k miles on mine without a single problem that I didn't cause. My 1st auto CLS went 16K miles with out issue, & my 1st 6mt went 24K miles also without a problem.

ljmushock

bought w/40,000 miles on it, right now im at 70,000 ish... Only problems I have had have been 1 bad ballast, and a creaking noise when the car was under low torque like on take offs.. dealership fixed a bad wheel bearing under warranty... all in all solid car never overheats. clutch feels great and its shifts pretty smooth except for the ocassional 2nd gear grind thats uncalled for. engine does tick a bit but im right at time to have my valves readjusted. solid buy, if you find one do not pass it up.

jproy

No major issues. I have 106000 on the clock and nothing has flat out broken. I had some tranny issues in the past but I am the only one and the general consensus is that the original problem was caused by the dealer inadvertently overfilling the trans. I would only run GM syncromesh trans fluid in the trans. It is a night and day difference over the Acura/Honda fluid. At 106000 the only issue I have is the front suspension. I have to replace the upper and lower ball joints and the tie rod ends. I have the myseterious front end clunk and today I had the car on an alignment lift and jiggled the tire rod ends and they are lose and clunk. The ball joints squeak. They are worn out. I drive very fast and most of the miles are from the hwy and I am lowered with sport springs. I have driven four other second gen TL/CLs and they all had perfect suspension at the same mileage with original shocks running strong. I get condensation in the passenger headlight every time I wash it. That isnt to hard to fix though either. I love this car as an all around touring sports car. It’s not a stop light car but it does everything I ask it to without complaint reliably. Jim

CLTypeSixspeed

i almost am at the 100k mark and i have no real problems. One weird incident with electrical wiring that was cause by a careless repair shop man went someone backed into my driver side door. He put a fuse in that was letting too many watts through and it was slowly melting some wires. But im the only person on here thats had that i think. o and yeah sometimes my second gear grinds maybe 3 times in the 9 months i had it. im pretty sure its not the driver lol but who knows everyone makes mistakes. Its definitely a solid choice tho man i havent looked back

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Let's see here ... I traded mine in at 162K miles just two months ago. It was a 6spd w/nav. I bought it brand new in August/September of 2002.

I would have to say that the only "major" issues I had were:

1) HID ballast went bad and needed to be replaced
2) Surging problem that the dealership couldn't figure out. There is a thread about it as other 6speeds have reported the problem, but so far it seems to be a model specific nuance, not really a problem. https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185988
3) My steering rack was leaking and I was out of warranty and had to have it replaced. I don't remember the price, but it wasn't a cheap repair, $700+. I also don't know if it was a model issue or just specific to my car.

Overall, even though I traded it in, I was happy with the car. Great mix of power and luxury. Mine just had too many miles on it, and the wife and I didn't want to have a coupe as a family car.

Listed below are the gripes I can remember I had about the car:

1) Bose system + steering wheel controls: mine acted funny for the last 100K miles I had it. Hit the volume down and it went up. Hit the mode button, volume goes up. Something was wrong with it, but the dealership never figured it out and never fixed it for me. Also, the CD changer got stuck more than it should have.
2) Brakes: I think the brakes on the car were too small for the size of the car. I wasn't hard on them, but I always felt like it could have used a stronger braking system.
3) Heated seats: Many people reported them burning out on them and they were expensive to replace or you could do the copper wire DIY fix which I didn't. I just left it and didn't bother fixing it. I have a feeling that this issue on the 6spds had to do with the fact that there was only one setting for the heated seats, on or off. Whereas in the automatic model there was a high/low setting. My guess is the seats overheated and burned out.
4) Nav: it was very finicky at times. Sometimes the unit won't respond after you start inputting something and is slow at times
5) Onstar: No longer available. Even if your car has the system, OnStar won't activate it because they have gone to an all-digital system and the car uses an analog system. OnStar didn't want to develop a digital upgrade for the cars so pretty much the system is useless and devalues the car even more. I don't heart OnStar.
6) Torque Steer. 'nuf said.

Of course the issues you will experience all depends on how the previous owner drove the car. I drove mine pretty hard, many many times. But I took good care of it. Anytime there was any mechanical issue, I had it taken care of. I think because of that I got more life out of the car. Also, even though I drove the car hard, somehow I was able to get 150K miles on the original clutch!

The services can get expensive if you go to the dealership, esp if you get the 105 mile services at the dealership, but there are ways to get the parts for cheap online and then take those to the dealership or any shop you feel comfortable with taken them to in order to complete the services. I was buying and still do buy parts for my integra from http://www.acuraoemparts.com/ that will help you save some money.

That's all I can think of right now off the top of my head. If I think of anything else I post it up. I hope this helps you.

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

#1 is a TSB. They have to dimple the ring around the steering column. The TSB was posted with how to fix. CD changer getting stuck is common as well.
#2 is generally known. Get some good rotors, pads & SS lines & you should be ok
#6 get some suspension mods & make sure your engine mounts are good & it won't be an issue.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzzy02CLS

#1 is a TSB. They have to dimple the ring around the steering column. The TSB was posted with how to fix. CD changer getting stuck is common as well.
#2 is generally known. Get some good rotors, pads & SS lines & you should be ok
#6 get some suspension mods & make sure your engine mounts are good & it won't be an issue.

Yea, I had heard about the TSB for #1, but unfortunately I was out of warranty and the repair wasn't done. I had taken the car in numerous times before the TSB came out and when the MDX was having the same issue when it's TSB was released and they didn't do anything. Here's the TSB # for the OP 20030811

In this case, if the car is out of warranty, is there anything he can do to have repairs listed as TSB's done for free? I would say probably not unless a) he buys the car from a dealership with a warranty of some sort or b) gets it done under good will.

As for torque steer issue, well, IMO you shouldn't have to do so many things like that to reduce the amount of torque steer the CL suffered from. It was way more than it should have had from the factory IMO.

jproy

Given the fact this car is FWD, even when I had the stock suspension and mounts, I never found the torque steer to be an issue in the 6mt.

TLy2522

I'm at about 80 k and i think the only couple minor problems i have are 1) suspension problems (my fault for going the cheaper way out) pro kit springs with stock struts .. so shocks going bad quick.. and some other suspension problems like ball joints and lower control arm i think.. gonna bring it to a local shop soon and have them check it out.. 2) a little squealing noise in engine. (possibly timing belt).. but thats about it.. i have an after market HU and all interior is fine..

BASICALLY SOME SUSPENSION PROBLEMS AS OF RIGHT NOW!!!

CRXZC

Thanks guys,

I'm in the Hunt

If anybody hears of one for sale, let me know.

The one I was really interested in sold last night.

-Mark

ljmushock

How about the wheel hop on take offs and 1st to 2nd shifting? I cant keep mine from hopping unless i gradually ease into the launch... 2nd gear powershift makes the tires chirp a few times but generally no hopping.

Also, I have comptech springs, stock wheels, and 245 tires.

CRXZC

The car is FWD... it happens..

ljmushock

LOL the 2nd gear grind comes out of nowhere... I know when I pull that stick down that the clutch is absolutely mashed to the floor but it still does that occasionally...