Today I traded my 2002 Acura TLs in for a brand spankin new '04 Subby WRX Sti. I got a pretty good trade in for it, not as much as I wanted but I can deal with it. This is the only car I would trade my TLs in for. After 2 years and 30K miles, I still really love my TLs, it was awesome, the perfect mix of everything. I had no problems with it except a few rattles that I by and large got fixed quickly. It was a rock solid car. I cant say that much for TL owners, honestly, I have not come much here for a while, I simple got tired of hearing a lot of unfounded claims that the car was flawed. In some cases, especially the tranny it was for a very small section of people. It got to the point that they made me want to trade my TLs in when I was away from it but when I got back in it, That went away. I sold it only because I had the opportunity on the Sti at msrp.

This car breaks my run of purchasing 10 Hondas in a row, lets see how it goes.

 

BAH. Sweet deal. Post Pix. What color STI?

 

Good luck wit' the Suby. I heard they ain't that quick. . . :p

 

That's what happens when Honda/Acura drops the performance flag and lets Subaru, Nissan/Infiniti, and Mitsubishi run away with the import performance market. Good luck with your STi (good choice).

 

Good luck with the Subi.

 

Whatever.... Just because you got lucky with your low mileage barely used TL doesnt make the rest of us crazy. Easy for you to tell us to kiss off after you've SOLD OFF your car.
Puhleez.

 

10 hondas...wow....what was wrong with the s2k's

 

I guess my four tranny's and lemoned car 'by the odds' was so good I should go get a lottery ticket. hehe

Good luck with ur new ride.

 

Your post is worthless without pics to salivate over!

 

Good choice. If I didn't need the size of the TLS then I'd definately be in something smaller and more yummy.

Please post some driving impressions when you have them.

 

Y2k,

Good luck with your new car.

I have the same experience with the forum as you did. When I first joined I was excited to have a great source of info. While I did get some good info, I found the forum mostly filled with a small group *****ing and ranting about how bad the car is.

My experience has been that the TLS is an excellent car with a minimum of problems. 2002acuratl's rude post typifies what I just said.

IMJ most of those having many problems with their car are abusing it. They drive it too hard and fast and break it. They screw around with the car and them blame it when it doesn't work right. I've seen idiots disconnecting the airbag and reconnecting it and then complaining that the srs light won't go out.

One poster called his car a pos because the right side view mirror wouldn't tilt down in reverse. When it was suggested that he check the mirror switch and make sure it was in the middle he exploded in anger that he would never be so stupid.. He then checked and found out the switch was in the wrong place. So it turns out it was the driver, not the car that was the pos.

If someone goes through four or five trannies, I really question what the person is doing to the car. One moron complained that the steering wheel had to be realigned constantly with the front wheels. How many curbs/trees/other cars is this guy hitting to knock the steering wheel alignment off? In all my years (30) of drving I've never had to realign my steering wheel.

Consumer reports rates the TL very high on reliability. The experience here is different because many of the members of this forum don't know how to drive and take care of thier car. They push it beyond the design limits.

I'm sure that many of these dopes with broken cars will post rants and flames about what I just wrote. "I know how to drive." "You don't know what you are talking about." "Acura is a pos." Too bad. You don't know how to drive a car. There are some legitmate problems out there and my heart goes out to those with those problems. That's why warranties exist.

I'm out.

 

Holy Moly, I never get into flaming but you take the cake.
Total A S S H O L E. Period. :wow:

Why do you take such great personal offense when something negative is said about the car?

I've had my share of problems with the TL and so have many people on these boards. We've all spent good money to buy the same car. If you've had no problems than fine, your lucky. But some of us have not been so lucky and we've got every right to share that with others on the board. If you dont like a thread posting about a defect (ie tranny, rotors, squeaksgalore) than you dont have to respond to the posting at all. I've contributed plenty of helpful advice here and in the car audio section for the past 2 years. I've also posted my share of problems with the car. You don't like hearing negative stuff about the car? I couldnt give half a f u c k!

A warranty has nothing to do with it. Its more about all the inconvenience of having to bring the car back to the dealer repeatedly. Its a huge waste of valuable time. My gripe with the TL started 2 days after i bought the car brand new when the rear window was creaking so badly from having been incorrectly installed at the factory that the whole window had to come out and be reinstalled. Its gone down hill from there. And I dont beat on my car, so cut the crap.

Bottom line: who the hell made you Mr. CENSOR that decides what opinions get expressed and what cant???

 

SUCKS FOR YOU DUDE. I have had no problems in the last 2 years in my TLS. I would buy one again.

 

No doubt that everyone's experience is going to vary. I've logged 45k highway miles on my TL. The tranny went at 32k (while driving at highway speed the car lunched into 2nd gear when it died, with no prior warning), the rotors warped twice, I've had every creak and rattle thats ever been posted on these boards. I've fixed them so far thanks to some HELPFUL people (read -> not people like the Newbie above whinning about other people's negative experience with the car) except for a creaking that is coming from where the front dash attaches to the firewall. Thats going to take more time to get at. Its just not very good quality for a 30 grand car, especially when Honda used to have such a good reputation.

Frankly, i think Honda is living in the past with its reputation for quality. I have a friend that has always had Hondas. He put 180k on a late 80's Civic, 268k on an '87 Accord DX, 178k on a '92 Accord EX. All without any of the problems the TL has given me.

However, his latest car, a '98 Accord has given him various problems and he's only gotten to 80k so far (a far cry from the 268k of trouble free miles he had on his old Accord), most notably an intermittent catalytic converter diagnostic check engine light warning which if you search a Honda owners site, you will find that its a widespread problem with the 98-2000 model Accord. Kind of like the rotor problem with the TL. Honda doesnt have a fix for it of course, so you are supposed to just keep bringing it in under warranty, they clear the warning light, or you pay $1200 for a new catalytic converter. But either way, you drive out and STILL you end up gong back in again for the same thing until your car is out of warranty and then you keep bringing it in and paying $90/hr for service so they can not fix the problem again and again, and you have to bring it in again. Very Very Lame.

 

I just came across this new post just now, and I guess the whinny guy above will have a problem with the latest post from DARKSHEAR (another helpful decent guy on this site) since he rants about some problems he's having with his TL.
http://www.acura-tl.com/forum/showth...threadid=60119

Face it rozello the world isnt made up of just you. If you want to hear only want you want to hear then stay inside, lock your doors, close the shades, disconnect the TV, radio and telephone. There's a whole wide world out there full of people with many ideas, thoughts and views. Not everyone can (or wants to be) like you. Deal with it or get lost somewhere in the glaciers of Antartica.

 

Thanks 2002acuraTL,

You just made my point. Your angry obscenity laced posts confirm what I said. You say nothing that I can use. Nothing is useful. All you do is complain about the car and you even find someone else on the forum who has problems. If you read his post you will find that at least one of his problems was cause by him. You even suggest I go to antarctica. Why? Are you from there?

If you carefully read my post I don't say that there aren't legitmate problems. There are and I wish that on no one.

If your car is such a pos why do you even have it? You sound like an angry person. I think some couseling and anger management would be helpful for you. Remember if you get angry while driving and lose control of your car and hit something I don't think that is under warranty.

 

Calling people who have had problems with their car idiots and morons is uncalled for and frankly dissappointing coming from someone who's had "all my years (30) of drving". Why, because being older I would have expected less name calling.

I've had my share of creaks and rattles so am I an idiot or moron? The guy who had a tranny replaced once and then again after another 600 miles, was he a moron as well? There are plenty of people who drive their cars normally and have had trannies fail on them as well and obviously Honda agrees because they've recognized the problem they have with their FAULTY transmissions.

Anyway, hopefully nothing happens to your car because I wouldn't want you thinking any less of yourself.

sorry to hijack the thread...y2k, awesome choice and enjoy the STi! That car should be fun!

 

ferizzo, Very well said. Folks like you are the reason these boards are a good place to be at on the 'net. The board is a place to share the good, bad and everything in between. Dunno why some people get all defensive when their precious TL is legitimately criticized - which is what caused me to respond intially to comments made by at the beginning of the thread by y2ks2k.

Funny thing about that fruitcake rozello above is how he gets all bent out of shape when I call him out for what he is, yet at the same time he's totally comfortable calling the rest of us idiots and morons, all without any basis. I dont take to kindly to garbage like that.

Well enough of this. Time to go contribute elsewhere on the board...

 

so much hate... y'all want the WRX or something? sheesh

 

Nope. The WRX isnt on my radar screen for my next car. For one, its way too small for my needs. Dare I say it also isnt very classy looking. Even with all the bulging body panels its still got the body of the econobox Imprezza. 0-60 times aren't the only factor when I buy a car. Although I'm sure the all-wheel drive is nice.

But if you are buying: I would like a Jaguar XJR. :p

 

Mine goes in today for only the first replacement trans... an STI sounds good to me right about now.

 

How many miles did you manage to get from the first tranny?

BTW, when they replace the tranny they will also replace your ECU with a reprogrammed unit. You will be happy with it because the reprogramming eliminated the half second delay between 2nd and 3rd gear in SS mode, and also the car will not try upshifting into 5th gear until it gets to speeds over 40MPH. Still kinda slow for 5th gear but its better than before when the car would be practically lugging at 30 MPH and it was already into 5th gear. I used to keep the car in D4 for local driving to prevent it from doing the premature 5th gear. Its bad for the engine bearing amongst other things.

 

i hate you

 

Right on! Mass people standing up for each other

Hey rozello, here's some reading to enlighten yourself with http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showt...hreadid=104677

A summary of the >1000pg report from the NHSTA detailing the problems with the tranny, NOT THE DRIVERS!!!!!!!!!

 

Copland007, the link doesnt work without being logged into the CL site.

I remember reading about your Boston car accident in the big front page San Francisco newpaper article. That article was what first put me on alert about what to expect if my tranny went.

Sure enough, months later when my tranny dropped from 5th to 2nd on the highway, lurching as it went like if i had just been rearended, I quickly looked in my rearview mirror, saw there was no car behind me, immediately knew it must be the tranny and clamly reacted by getting the car into SS mode and after three or four tries got the car to upshift to the next higher gear and regained control of the car. I owe my fast thinking to your experience and that newspaper article, which someone had scanned and uploaded as a .pdf file on this site.

Thanks bro! One day I'd like to invite most of the regulars on this board to my house for a big BBQ blowout. Only the lamers wont be there.

 

Are you exaggerating about shifting into 5th gear at 30 mph? In my car, it shifts into 5th around 45-50 mph, original tranny.

 

Then log in, especially anybody who doesn't fully understand the transmission problems. I HIGHLY SUGGEST EVERYBODY READS THAT THREAD BEFORE POSTING THEORIES!

I'm glad my misforture helped

 

Heehee... Didn't want to start a flame war but indeed a few are good examples of what I hate about *some* TL owners. dont understand why people own it when they come here and flame it.

I'll try to get pictures posted, my web server is down right now so it will take a while.

After 10 Hondas, I took a huge leap. But I’m not expecting this car to live up to the reliability I have had in the past simply due to its nature.

 

The only flaming around here comes from the people who b|tch when a negative comment is made about the car. It gets taken so darn personally by folks like you and that other dude - as if you are repressing your own feelings of post purchase cognitive dissonance to hear there might be a problem with the very car you own.

As for why people would own the TL and then report back a negative experience about it, what is so unusual about that? Discussion about the TL's defects is not flaming. Just ask Copland007 about his own experience with the TL on the Mass Turnpike. In fact, it was his own experience that i read about on these boards a year ago that probably saved me from an accident when my tranny failed without warning on the highway.

As for me personally, I wouldnt have bought my TL if I had known in advance what I know today. Hindsight is 20/20. I thought i was buying a slicked up Honda that would be as reliable as the ones my friend used to have. I wont buy another Acura. For now I am stuck with what I have because I dont go around buying new cars every year or two. I've already taken my depreciation hit and plan to keep the car for 4 more years till i get the 150k miles I was originally shooting for. If i get there without a third or forth tranny along the way, maybe my feeling about the Acura nameplate will be different. It just has not lived up to my expectations.

You could have added headers, intake to your Type S and kept it for more than 2 years, had more than enough bang, and for less money than the swap out to the WRX cost you. Maybe you like buying new cars all the time and thats cool too if thats your thing. Nobody is criticizing you for your decisions. Dont know why you feel the need to critize others, but i guess thats your thing also.

I am done with this thread.

 

I'm with you y2ks.

The amount of btching is incredible. 2002acuraTL is even trying some amateur psychology to further justify his extreme dislike of the car. The only cognifitve dissonance is with him, not with you. I don't think that he can believe that others might actually like the car. If the car is so bad I don't understand why he even keeps it. And If you disagree with him, he curses and screams. The only person that takes things personally is him.

I guess that's the best he can do.

Peace

 

I'm with you y2ks.

The amount of btching is incredible. 2002acuraTL is even trying some amateur psychology to further justify his extreme dislike of the car. The only cognifitve dissonance is with him, not with you. I don't think that he can believe that others might actually like the car. If the car is so bad I don't understand why he even keeps it. And If you disagree with him, he curses and screams. The only person that takes things personally is him.

It's a good thing he is done with this thread. If he finds any one else disagreeing with him I'm afraid he might blow a blood vessel and have a stroke.

I guess that's the best he can do.

Peace

 

You just dont get it rozello. How about you get going and contribute something to these boards instead of repetitive insults? Go lend a hand to someone with a car audio question, or a question about replacing rotors, or which wax to use, etc.

Your intial post here was a attack with broad pronouncements that everyone that has had a problem with the TL is "a moron" and "an idiot" and must [in your baseless view] "be abusing their car". Your own post stated you expect your comment to inflame people with your inane insults. Frankly, I really dont care what you have to say about me or anyone else. I do care about the quality of these message boards. And your 'opinions' have so far not benefited anyone.

To the contrary, your attitudes are what AOL chat rooms are for. Maybe thats a better place for you to frequent than acura-tl.com

 

2002acuraTL

You sure take a licking and keep on ticking. I thought you were done with this thread. I guess you are still in.

y2ks2k I guess he just can't stop btching. He really proves your point about "some" tl owners. He even wants me to leave the forum because I disagree with him. I hope he gets it out of his system soon.

 

What year is your TL? What I've read (and checked it out later on my own car) is that the tranny will not go into 5th until 38 MPH and that is assuming a totally level, constant throttle. Thats with the new ECU. Its still kinda low, but the car wont got into 5th now at that speed unless there is a level constant throttle. Otherwise it stays in 4th.

 

I dont take lickings from a noobie the likes of you, but just go ahead and keep it coming, and soon your number of posts will be up to 200+ and you STILL wont have said anything....

 

Oh no,

The ultimate b i t ch--- Newbie (he can't even spell right) racism.

The b i t c h meter just exploded

 

YAWN......ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz all this back and forth with you is Boring.

You really must be over the hill or a total dolt when it comes to computer lingo. Noobie (or Noobee) is the syllabification of newbie --- a person who asks stupid questions or says stupid things in a newgroup forum. Your comment before that TL users with tranny and other problems are "idiots", "morons" and "abuse their cars" certainly qualifies you for this definition.

 

So let me understand this, You're bored and you continue posting inane messages. In additon to not being able to spell you have no life.

Perhaps when you graduate high school (doubtful) and get a job and won't be so bored.

 

You just don’t get it, the problem really is not that you have a problem with your TL, the problem is that you are inflammatory and insulting to other owners period. Your here to fight, not converse. The point of your TL having problems disappeared a long time ago, your just here to thump heads... Grow up... Get some happiness in your life so you dont have to take anger out an anonymous boards and your own car.

 

I never come here to flame, and Rozello's post was only the 2nd time in my two years on this board where I have ever read anyone write something that attacked the rest of the people on this site for absolutely no reason.

The only one on this board I have ever "insulted" was your pal Rozello, and for good reason for his initial post saying that people who've have tranny and other problems with their TLs are morons, idiots and dopes.

Before you open your stupid trap again why dont you scroll back up and actually READ what HE wrote?

I am surprised you two just keep going on and on with this. Rozello's gotta be kidding when he comes onto a message board and starts shooting off his mouth like that, and then actually act surprised when someone calls him on the mat for it.

what do you think you and him were doing when the two of you started hurling your insults - did you think people would welcome your "wonderful" words of wisdom with open arms????

You got rid of your TL and have your WRX so you dont ned this message board now. But I guess I might as well break the news to you that was posted just tonight about some tranny problems with the new WRX... thats Great News for you!! You can now go over to a WRX owner's site now and start insulting away over there... as your post said when when you started this thread "Good Bye"!!!!!!!