I bought my 02 TL-S over many other choices I had then primarily because I thought it was a value leader. Most power, most features, and Honda quality/durability for 31k - can't beat that! Well, after 2 years of ownership, I must say TL-S is one of the crappiest cars I've ever owned... and I regret so much that I didn't get the IS300. No, I didn't have to replace my tyranny or any other parts... but I'm very unhappy with its build quality; i.e. rattles coming from seats, its nose heavy handling, torque steer, weak brakes, steering wheel constantly going out of alignment... Basically, this car doesn't feel solid, and I expected way better than this from a 31k car, especially the ones made by Honda. In terms of handling, I think my sister's 95 Altima GXE handles better than TL-S.

Sorry for venting, but I feel like my cars getting crappier everyday, and I'm long away from finishing my payments....

 

Did you test drive the car when you bought it?

I knew those two things as soon I drove it.

Sorry to hear you're not happy with your TL-S.

 

sorry you dislike things now but what is there to say life would have been better with the IS? if you had bought the IS then but knowing what you know now about the tl-s, you might be saying that it's weak, kinda cramped, etc. nothing is perfect. if you really feel the need then go get one.

 

Sorry you're unhappy. I find the torque steer/etc very minimal. The car rides and handles quite well. Did you test dirive the car?

If you have squeaks take it in to the dealer for repairs. I find the braking is just fine. Do you drive the car hard/aggressively? I don't understand why your steering wheel should go out of alignment.

 

same hear handling is fine sunroof raddels a bit but very fixable u can expect a car 2 be noise free after use things can get loose but id rather a few rattles rather than tranny starter etc...i think u got off easy compared to some peeps on this site who r on their 2nd or even 3rd tranny i got a defective battery w my tls i personally would rather have a rattle than a dead battery jusy my opinion

 

Wow....Mine's got 40k miles and is 20 months old. I have no rattles, one new tranny and new brakes. The brakes/tranny were warranty items so no biggie. I've modded it to death, and with them, I've still spent less than $34,000 which is what they were asking for the IS300 I also looked at. My mods can keep me blowing by the Lexus while almost keeping up in a corner (but surely leaving one in the exit)...
I have to say the build quality is mediocre for Japan, but it is still better than my friends Accord and Integra (2002 and 2001), not nearly as good as my ex's old '99 Camry or my friend's 2002 GS300...
I have no realy complaints to be honest, so I'm sorry to hear your maladies...

 

A car that new should still be under warranty.... take it to the dealer for any problem that has you dissatisfied. Tell them how you feel. Maybe the car is too much for you and you need something a bit smaller, with less power, and not so much value... something like the IS300 you wanted so much or a 325i BMW...

If I had $31k and had to go buy a car right now, I know I would pick a new TL-S... Value wise it is unbeatable.

 

I'd have to agree with r10apple with the exception of the brakes and tranny (so far so good). Rattles are even pretty minimal.

BTW.. any car will have rattles.... so don't think that's a TL exclusive. A co-worker of mine got a E-class Mercedes the same time I got my TL and his car has been to the shop more and actually has more rattles (well, had more until he brought it in). As for the handling stuff you mentioned... I'm happy now that I lowered the car and put on 18's. Even before I modded it it handled pretty well. Now it's just that much better.

I'm not saying the car is perfect... but you're kind of reaching with the complaints you typed up. Bottom line.. sell the TL-S and buy an IS.... then come back in 25k miles and let us know how you like it.....

 

I'm very surprised by the responses I read here. Okay, rattels I'll live with - like many mentioned, it's covered under the warranty anyway, but I still disagree with many of you saying that TL-S handles "pretty well." Maybe I'm too used to driving my modified Civic or my fiancee's '01 Prelude - but I bought the type-S model for a reason and what I got was far less than my initial expectation. . . I don't know how many of you live in New York, but I drive on Southern State Parkway quite frequently, and whenever I make those hairpin turns going 80-85, this car makes me nervous whereas my sister's 1995 Altima GXE (not even SE) stays flat and confident. in my fiancee's '01 Prelude (stock), I can rip that corner at 110 no problem.

Maybe I'm expecting too much out of a luxury 4 door sedan but then this is supposed to be a performance TL afterall . . .

 

There's no sense in living with something you don't like. Sell it or trade it, and get the IS.

25 months, 26K miles, and no worries here. I'd buy mine again.

 

I'm sorry to hear your really frustrated with your TLS. I love mine, aside from the squeaks/rattles you get from most new cars, their repairable. This car is awesome to me and you just can't beat the package, quality, styling and resale value. I'm sure if you took a look at competitors forum their are dislikes about their rides. You should have test driven one really hard before purchasing.

 

This coming from someone who modifies a CIVIC.

Bwahahaha...

 

Pure Adrenaline what are you trying to say?

 

Pure Adrenaline, I'm talking to you so what up? What beef do you have with my comment!?

 

From reading your sig your car is not modded.... try modifying it and you'll appreciate it more. By simply lowering the car and adding 18's with good tires it made a HUGE difference in handling. Installing sways and a strut bar would make an even bigger difference I'm sure.

Stock the car is kind of floaty... but it's a TL. Yes you got the sporty version... but all that does is tighten up the ride ever so slightly... and adds 35hp. Just b/c it's the "sports" version doesn't mean it's a sports car. It's still marketed towards people over 40 just like the TL-P is... so if you want the car to handle right... mod it.....

 

PERFORMANCE IS RELATIVE! i got a 2002 tl-s loaner awhile back, and after driving it all day i was like ugh! very loose suspension, ESPECIALLY IN THE A$$! and those stock mich suck! i couldn't wait to get back into my 99 dropped , modded beast! that's the problem! you need some mods, sways, springs, sticky high perf tires! THEN YOU WOULD LOVE IT!!!

 

Pure Adrenaline: I loved my Civic even when it was stock but later on got bored with it. Modding it just gave me a really big thrill, so if I love my TLS now, imagine how nuts I'm going to go when I do mod it. :wow:

 

I don't know what planet you're from but Civic is the most popular people modify these days because of its cheap price, light weight, and virtually unlimited parts availability. Personally, I think it's more funny to see modified TL's (no offense to TL owners here who modifed their rides).

Like some of you mentioned, yes, I guess modifying my suspension would cure the floaty nature of this car but I wasn't really intending to modify this car when I bought it. This is supposed to be a high end car afterall. I guess I was expecting the factory performance to be something like say... 5 series sport package level (after driving 530i with sport package, all I can say is :wow: ).

 

Spoonpower,

I still don't understand how your steering wheel is constantly going out of alignment. Are you hitting things like potholes, curbs, trees, telephone poles, other cars, wildlife?

From your last post it sounds like you are pushing the car too hard. I can't believe that the Altima handles better than the TL-S

If you are taking corners at 110 mph you are a menace on the road. I don't think you even know how to drive if you think the altima handles better.

 

Transmission and brake problems no big deal? What planet are you from? These conditions are potentially life threating. Oh, but I forgot; it only cost 30K! Invest another 4 or 5K and perhaps it will live up to its billing. My god!!

 

Mine's alright, kind of bland, but then again, its my beater. I leased it because it was so ungodly cheap - $390 a month with nothing down and 15,000 miles a year.

Kind of wish I'd have leased the G35 sedan though. Front wheel drive sucks balls.

 

LOL...My tranny is life threatening? Maybe if I bet my pink slip I could outrun the Mustang GT I was racing when it shift from 2nd to 5th and I lost and decided to renig on the bet...
...
RLOL...So, warped rotors are life threatening? You mean maybe if I continued to drive on them for another 100k miles before deciding to do something about them...
...
I don't this the NHTSA had any cars going out of control and crossing median killing countless innocents...I've never felt unsafe is this car when either my tranny or brakes went bad. Never...

Pure Adrenaline actually said something I agree with!!!
If you have a modded Civic, then you should know it's an entirely different platform and the differences in the capability of the cars. Same for a Prelude. Of course those cars would lap circles on a TL-S...A Prelude oughta hang with an IS300 as well...You should compare the car to an I30, an ES300, a Lincoln LS, a Caddy CTS, a Maxima, an Altima...You get the idea...A Bimmer (3'r or 5's) is gonna outhandle the car--and cost more. It's RWD as is the IS300. As is a G35...Give us a break!!!
Go deep, brake late, throttle out hard...No real mystery...
If your sister's stock '95 Altima can outhandle your TL-S??? Like I said: crappy tires or not, your car is sick or maybe you can't drive...


:tflamer:

 

If you're driving that fast, you DO need to sell your TL and just take public transportation. You're a liability.

I'm done with this thread.

 

hah

 

This thread is so funny. I can't believe he forgot to test drive the TLS before buying it. Bummer. But here's a word of advice: try upgrading simply the tires. A bunch of recent posts indicate that they make a world of difference. Rather than trading the car and losing a few thousands, maybe new tires will curb the handling problems.

 

Obviously, r10, you are not aware of the transmission lock ups that occur when the 3rd gear clutch packs seize. On California freeways @ 70 mph, this is a definate problem. On a mountain road after the dealer has turned the rotors "x" times, the brakes will over heat and fade. These are real scenarios that could and have happened. Read the posts!

 

Most brakes fade. We don't have Brembos...As a driver, you oughtta know if your brakes are at a point of serious fade and drive accordingly...
As far as the tranny locking up, I haven't heard of this...One guy on the CL board said his dropped from 5th to third when he aggressively hit the gas and it did lock into third gear screeching the tires...Almost every failure I've seen on the three main posting boards is slippage and random gear changes...Again, IMMHO, big deal...

 

Type-S Lady --

I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about SpoonPower. So chill out.


SpoonPower --

Yeah, I know the Civic is a popular car to modify these days. But that doesn't mean it's cool. I think modifying an econo-****box is a stupid idea. With the money you spend on it, get a nicer car. Of course, I'm an American V8 muscle type of guy at heart, so my opinion is somewhat biased.

"It cost 30 grand!" Hey, 30k is not that big of a deal these days. 20 years ago, yeah, it was expensive and could get you a really nice car. But in today's inflation rates, A 30,000-dollar vehicle is not THAT expensive of a car. I don't know why people keep saying "This car costs 30 grand!! I'm having trouble with it". Even 80,000-dollar cars have their share of problem. There is no such thing as a perfect car. Get over it. Of course, this opinion of mine could be biased as well, but I think it's mostly true and factual.

To be honest, I think the brakes on the TL/TL-S are pretty good. 120-130 feet from 60-0 is not that bad at all. And I have no complaint at all in that department. I do have to drive in traffic jams, and yes, I can tell that the brakes fade, but not severely. Boy, you should try driving Tahoe's. My first car was a new Tahoe, and the brakes on that thing SUCKED ASS. Accident avoidance wasn't even in its vocabulary. Then I switched to a 2001 Eclipse GT-PP, and it was much, much better. Now driving my TL-S, I think it's pretty good, too. It's not the best, but it certainly isn't bad. You guys need to STOP comparing this 30,000-dollar family entry-lux sports sedan to more expensive, true enthusiast cars, like the M3 or the M-B SLK-class. You should compare it with the Lexus ES, in which case the TL-S comes out on top in nearly every category (except for the damn squeaks in the interior, which I am experiencing as well, but it's not THAT bad, really).

You've probably already guessed it by now. I love my car. Design, quality, power, I have no complaint whatsoever. And I think that should count for something, seeing as how I used to detest Japanese cars, and was (still am) a HUGE fan of GM and Detroit V8 muscle (old and new). Acura convinced me with their quality and value -- ME, a stubborn domestic-preferring som*****. But I guess that doesn't really matter to anyone else but myself. Oh, well.

 

I put myself in the "it's just OK" camp. It's a decent car that does nothing really poorly but nothing exceptionally well either. I have an MDX that I'm trading for a Volvo V70R on Wednesday and the TL-S' lease is up in September. Its replacement will be a European convertible. It'll take a lot to get me back in the Acura family but it's not because I'm unhappy - just that I can get more satisfaction from other brands for not that much more money. There are lots of great cars in the $30-40K price range; Acura’s are great if you want to play the “value” game. But in the end, you really get what you pay for..

 

Damn, I'm a poor bastard. I thought I was spoiled when I got the '96 TL.

This thread is pretty funny.

Other than that little quirp, I agree with you.

 

pure adrenaline, i agree with you 100%

 

Sell the car and move on. Obviously you didn't do your homework, so now you must live with it.

But as far as mods go...the tires probably make the most amount of difference overall. Use common sense, and you'll be ok.

 

SpoonPower78....STOP Bein A TL Hater most peeps on this site do sometimes have problems but we get em fixed and or live w little things like a rattles here or there but y in Gods name would u want to take turns at 110 i mean how dangerous is that... thats what ur beeachin about its been said that the factory tires are not great show lack of some performance so search the site do some research as its certain u didnt before buyin. Find me a car that is 100% perfect the life of the car and ill buy until then stop complaining about things like rattles and not bein able to take turns at 110 its dangerous and it people like this who end up hittin walls cuasin pileups and shuttin down traffic ok got to go fix a rattle in my car...jk jk peace

 

I think we all get the regular problems, rattles, alignment...blah blah blah and even thought I'm having problems now with my car (read First Acura Problem tread) I still LOVE my car and wouldn't trade it in for anything. I test drove the IS, 330, A4 and S40 and NOTHING compared to the TLS. I think the TLS is the best purchase I've ever made. Sure the BMW is great as well as the IS but get anyone over 5'5 and your getting some knees into the back.
Sorry to hear about your problems Good luck with what you decided to do but from the TLS owner, I LOVE MY CAR!!

 

nym31mp, sorry about all the venting but I posted this thread just wanting to know if anyone else out there felt the same way I did - and much to my surprise, we have a lot of owners here that love their TLs. I'm not being a hater - I was just expressing my frustration - gimme a fvckin break man - I did say sorry for venting, didn't I?

Aside from its low build quality and poor handling (at least in my opinion), yes, I still think it's a decent car. I always liked its styling, and the engine is one of the best I've driven, but for $30+ grand, I shouldn't be hearing rattles from the seat or sunroof. People say "What's the big deal it's convered under the warranty." Granted, I took it to the dealer yesterday and I don't know what they exactly did but the squeeking noise from the seat did stop for a while but it started to squeek again this morning. Some of you mentioned that 30 grand isn't much nowadays - I agree with that to some extent, but it cerntainly is enough to get us a decent seat that doesn't squeek. I've owned 6 Hondas in my life and I've never had a problem with a seat before. Now, I'm going to have to go back there again and demand they give me a new seat - I wonder how fun that'll be.

As for the handling issue - of course I test drove, but I wasn't doing 0-100-0 or slalom testing (if you know a dealer that lets you do those things, let me know). I just drove around the block and the car felt quiet and comfortable, and like most brand new cars, appeared rattle free and solidly built. I guess I fell for one of the marketing gimmicks - "Razor Sharp Handling." Watta B/S.

Okay, driving 110mph on a hairpin turn is dangerous - if you drive like that all the time - but I don't, and I certaintly won't unless I'm sure the car's capable and the traffic is clear. Yes, I am taking my chances against getting a speed ticket but why are you fvckin acting as if you're going to pay the fine if I do get one? Why does everyone here think I'm some kind of a maniac as soon as they heard the word 110mph? Did I ever say I drive like that everytime? C'mon, you've never driven that fast before?

I guess everyone here is happy with their TLs. Well, I'm not and I'll probably trade it in by the end of the year. No offense to any of you - like I said before, I just wanted to know if anyone else out there was unhappy... PEACE!

 

i like to drive very agressivly and i race my tl at road america (4 +mile road course) the only thing i have dont to is as far as handeling goes is a different set of tires. THEY WILL MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE! i can out handle a buddy who has many mods to his maxima from lowered/adjustable shocke, sways and 18's. our cars do handle very well out of the box, they handle much better with a new set of tires, if your budget alows get a new set of tires (225/50) upgrad and you will not be dissapointed

 

Okay, driving 110mph on a hairpin turn is dangerous - if you drive like that all the time - but I don't, and I certaintly won't unless I'm sure the car's capable and the traffic is clear. Yes, I am taking my chances against getting a speed ticket but why are you fvckin acting as if you're going to pay the fine if I do get one? Why does everyone here think I'm some kind of a maniac as soon as they heard the word 110mph? Did I ever say I drive like that everytime? C'mon, you've never driven that fast before?

If you are driving like that, it's not about a ticket. It's about you being a menace on the highway, where I drive and my wife drives. If you want to kill yourself that's your business. When you endanger other you don't have that right. You stated that every body here thinks you are a menace. That's probably true. There's a great saying.: If one person tells you you're a horse, forget about it. If three people tell you you're a horse, saddle up.

It's time you saddled up spoon.

The next time you buy a car you might want to test drive it more that a couple of blocks. I test drove mine for three days.

 

This is some funny $hit... This further convinces me more that people on this board don't fvckin READ. Didn't I mention that I wouldn't drive that fast unless the traffic is CLEAR? How am I engagering others when there's nobody around? It doesn't matter how fast you go - accidents can happen at any speed by idiots who doesn't know how to drive. Who's to say you aren't one of them?

 

Hey SpoonPower78,

I also live on Long Island and drive on the S. State all the time. I never have a problem with going on or off the parkway, but then again I don't drive like some crazy jeck at 80 on the turns.

Mybe if you drive like a normal person, then maybe you like the TL better. But I don't think so, so get yourself something else.

How the do you think that a car the size of the TL will handle like a small sports car anyhow?:wow:

 

Hey Spoon, don't be too concerned about the responses you are getting to your post. Just check their grammer and the cars they drive and try to modify, enough said!