tea elle

I totall agree with you Hammerton. Acura has ignored several things that have been bad on the TL since '99. Like the following:

1. warping rotors
2. soft plastic b pillar cover that gets sratched and nicked all the time.
3. rattling sunroof and seatbelt anchors
4. bad ashtray/cointray design that allows coins to constantly get jammed the tray.
5. soft plastic throughout the dash that also scratches too easily.
6. uneven tailpipes

U2SLOW

1) LA CONDUITE IMPRUDENTE
2) GUIDA SPERICOLATA
3) OPASNA VOZNJA
4) RECKLESS DRIVING

nickchop

Wow. I've had many squeaks that have driven me insane. I had the last repaired by having the entire seatbelt receptacle replaced this week.

I, you and anybody who owns a car will never, never, I said NEVER be completely satisfied. The only thing you can do is either have what's bothering you repaired, or go buy a different car!

bhall01

My car is really new, got it the weekend after Thanksgiving. 2000mi.'s. no rattles, no paint chips, runs like a scalded dog. The people who have rattles, have you taken the car appart like some of the people on this board or did it just happen? Also are your tires properly inflated? Hard tires transfer more vibration. The paint chip thing on the front is kinda rediculous to talk about in my opinion because the car is quiet, then add the tunes and you never know what kind of crap flies up and hits your car. There are products that will protect your car from dings.

Stone Guard: Clear film your not supposed to be able to see or know is there and waxes like paint. Cut for specific cars and usually applied by professionals.

Car Bra: Effective but can do more damage than good if you are not very careful.

nickchop

First, I hope you don't get any rattles. However, I didn't have any until mile 4,700. I've done no consequential mods. I think a lot of cars have squeaks. It's the age of plastic!

Guest

Are you sure that figure's right ? Last year when the TL overtook the BMW 3-series they had sold just over 70,000 compared to around 67,000 for the Bimmer, I may be wrong but I find it hard to believe they doubled that in one year. Anyone verify this ? Thanks.

U2SLOW

Oops! I didn't read it all. That figure is for all Acura models combined.



Title: Strong 3.2 TL Sales Help Propel Acura to November Record; Acura Bests All-Time Full-Year Sales Figures

Summary: TORRANCE, Calif., Dec 3, 2001 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Acura set a new November sales record, up 5.8 percent to 13,645 vehicles, breaking the previous record of 12,902 set in 2000. Year-to-date sales are up 20.7 percent to 155,806.

Mr Hyde

No offense U2, but you keep stating over and over again that you spent 3 years researching this car before buying it. Comments like these leave me wondering if a test drive was included in that process? So you are saying the car is bad becasue people mod it??? I dont know of any car that isnt modified in some way, shape or form by at least some one. Thats the whole point of being a car enthusiast. Tailoring that car to suit your needs and personality.

I for one have sways in my car as well; I love em, and think Acura should have probably put them in this car stock, but I would never say I shouldn't have bought this car because its handling is horrible. I knew what I was going to get, and was happy with the potential it had.

I bought my car with the intention of putting in the sways and headers; everything else just snowballed after that. , but I wouldnt knock the car's quality because of its handling, or performance; I knew exactly what I was going to get, and I wanted more. Even with Headers and other mods I'm still lusting for more power while friends say Im nuts that the car is too powerful as it is, its all subjective perception.

I dont see modding a car as being unhappy with it, I see it as the oppsosite; I have fun modding my car.

U2SLOW

Does it even matter?
I can put it's the best car in the world, you and your little protege
(Tea Elle) will find something wrong in the post.

tea elle

U2SLOW, I don't have anything against you. Like I said before, if I read something that sounds unfounded, inaccurate or just plain stupid I'm going to reply. I've never met Mr.Hyde and I don't even know his first name...but I like what he has to say 99% of the time. You, on the other hand, I'm not too sure what to think.

Guest

Why can't we all just get along.. Island Iced Tea ??

tea elle

I want to point out yet another of U2SLOW's comments. According to him, the engine is the ONLY good thing on the TLS. The ONLY good thing.

DJ Iceman

In an effort to divert this back to a discussion of build quality, I'd like to address the Ohio plant issues. My '98 CL was built there (that was the first Acura designed, engineered, and built in the States) and it has been ROCK-SOLID. I do mean perfect. No rattles, no electrical problems, NOTHING. Now it's possible that between then and now things have changed pretty substantially, but I think that in general the Japanese automakers have been able to maintain their build quality in North American plants. They have different arrangements with the auto workers than domestic automakers do, and I think they have much higher standards. It sounds like the TL is having more than its fair share of problems, but the source may not be being built in the U.S.

1SICKLEX

Iceman, EXCELLENT observation. My bud's 98 CL seems just as well built as my other buds 01 CL-S, both built in the SAME plant..

Maybe they stopped giving drug tests?
Or maybe they are using cheaper materials...

1000bpm

This is getting old ...just let it go.

fla-tls

The fact that the TL is built in the US (vs. Japan) has no bearing on quality.

As we all know, one of the biggest concerns of 2002 TL owners is possible transmission failures.

Remember, the tranny is built in Japan.

staple1

My driver door molding does not line up with the rear door molding. The dealer tried to insinuate the car had been in an accident, and said it had to be fixed by a body shop. Of course they would not admit that it was a quality issue.

vtecbiggie

Just got my 2003 TL and nothing wrong yet!!! Better knock on wood! I just hate to see problems in the future. I was thinking about the Audi before the TL , but the guy next door has one.... brand new 2003 and has had it in the garage (won't start and wont shift out of 1st gear) 3 times all ready; with only 12,000 KM on it. He is ready to get rid of it. In all I love my TL so far and hope to have many pleasent driving miles!!

Pauli

Look, bottom line is this:

I knew Lexus had better quality than Acura. I visited this forum for a couple of weeks before deciding to by a TL-S. The GS300 has 220hp and an 0-60 time of 8.0 seconds. It handles a bit better than the TL-S, is more luxurious and has a smoother ride. It also costs 40,000+ similarly equipped!

I bought the TL-S because it was the best value. Did I know that there would be trade-offs? Yes. But I am also counting on Honda quality a little bit. A few squeaks and rattles I can live with. I am crossing my fingers on the tranny issue, since I got mine since it was supposedly "fixed".

I also have a hard time believing that someone spent 3 years "researching" what car to get before actually getting one. I spent two weeks.

gohawks63

My '01 TL now has 28K miles. Initial problems (3K miles) were warped rotors and the windshield washer issue. Both repaired promptly by the dealer. Since then this car has been ROCK SOLID. One very minor squeak that seems to have gone away. My car is absolutely quiet on the road.