ItalnMuslNYC

So - I'm sure lots of people can relate to all my problems with my '02 TL-S

1) Transmission just went - I only have 21,000 miles on it - problem started @ 19,000 miles. When the car was started, and I put it to reverse, the car would "buck" - when I brought the car to the dealership, there were 3 other TL-S (all '02) there with the same problem - still awaiting my "extended tranny letter" from Acura, but they replaced the tranny no questions asked

2) Driver side mirror cracked a few weeks ago when I put the heated mirror on - Acura replaced the mirror under warranty

3) Moonroof rattled constantly - Acura put some sort of clear tape on the inside rim of the moonroof - seems to have fixed this

4) About 6 months ago the VSA light on the dashboard would glow slightly - it wasn't on, but it glowed - after 4 attempts to fix it, they replaced the whole gauge - this fixed it - has anyone else had this problem??

5) Rotors warped at 11,000 miles - After *****ing at them, they replace the rotors for free, but they charged me for the pads. I guess it was a fair compromise which saved me $400

6) Countless problems with the rims and tires - replaced 3 tires already (2 of them had bubbles, 1 of them i hit a pothole and blew out the sidewall) and from that pothole, I bent a rim - $245 for a new rim. I'm sure everyone else can relate to the rim/tire problems

I hope with the new '04 TL, the rims are better, and the tires will uphold standard pavement.

Who else can relate to all my problems?

`ill*tl

1. Make sure they replaced the ECU along with the new tranny. This may be a solution...
2. Never heard of this happening.
3. Problem that a lot of people seem to have. If the dealership did a poor job of putting the tape on the sunroof lining, expect it to start rattling again in a little bit.
4. Never heard of this happening either.
5. Warper rotors seems to be a problem on all Honda cars.
6. Assuming you have the stock wheels+tires...just get new tires (ContinentalExtreme Contacts, Dunlop SP Sports, Sumitomo HTR+) .. and wheels, hit a pothole big enough and it will dent your TL-S rims.

The new '04s seems to be pretty solid from first driving impressions. We'll soon see from all the '04 owners that are putting miles on whether it'll hold up or not. I myself have a '03 TL-S (6,960 miles) and it seems to be running strong. No tranny problems as of yet *knocks on wood.*

Monty's Acura

I can relate to 1, 3, and 6. Just brought my car in for a parking problem. I parked on a slight incline at work and came out after a coworker said my car was up against another. Back it up a couple of times and each time I came back out it was up against the trailer hitch again. Brought it into an Acura dealer to have them take a look at it and was told they could not replicate the problem...which is fine. And the couple of dings my bumper suffered, they said they're pretty sure Acura will take care of it for me.

But while I was there I told them of two particular instances that had happened while I was driving...once at 50 and another at 60. The gears appeared to downshift for a couple of seconds then went back up. Yup, transmission problem. They're going to replace it under warranty...and Acura will pick up the tab for my loaner...which is cool because it would have cost me nearly $150 for the week (transmission won't be in until the end of the week).

Told them about the moonroof shade and rattling noise. It appears the noise may be muffled and/or disappear when the shade is closed. But they said they are aware of this problem and will take care of it.

And I just posted something about my tire and rim after I hit a pothole. $245 for the rim, and another $250 to replace the tire and get it installed. Right now I am waiting for the NJ-DoT to respond to my claim since I hit the pothole on 1-9 in Jersey City.

Not sure about anyone else, but despite these problems/inconveniences, I have found the Acura dealers in my area to be very friendly and tries hard to help me out. For example I had a scratch on my front bumper that I did while shoveling snow a couple of weeks ago and asked them to take a look at it while their guy takes the dings out from my parking incident. No problem, didn't think it would cost more $100 to get it repaired. Meanwhile I had asked a body shop about scratched on my rear bumper and they told me it would cost $300 to repair them. I'm hoping this will only cost me around $100, but since the scratch is bigger and more defined, I'm not holding my breath.

ItalnMuslNYC

If I keep having minor problems with my '02 TL-S - I might just sell the damn thing and lease a TSX haha

msu79gt82

Actually no - I have ~43,000 miles on my "02 with none of the prblems you describe. First set of tires were replaced at 32K.

ABLUETYPES78

#4....mine glows too but i thought it was normal......i would rather live with it then have them take apart the dash.

They fix one thing then F**k something else up!!

#3, #5 (except i didnt pay for pads), #6 same here (replaced both front tires...one had a bubble and one blew out.

overall i still love this car and wouldnt get rid of it......to each his own i guess!!!

Vicman17

You still might get minor problems but the TSX looks like it will last longer than the TL. Although the TL is a good attempt by Honda, Japanese-made quality IS different.

Power may be a bit getting used to especially after getting used to the 260hp V6. But fit and finish (door and fender gaps, part tolerances), and the quality of the make is much better. Go see for yourself......