AgentDSS

Hi,

I found these two recent reviews @ Epinions.com Tell me what you think of them and if the people are lying or exaggerating. I'm planning to get a TL-S soon and these reviews are detering me a little bit.

http://www.epinions.com/content_59927268996

http://www.epinions.com/content_60728577668

axleback

If these minors things are enough to deter you from getting this car, then you probably should look elsewhere. Not meant to be a flame. All I can say is, there's not even one second after owning this car that I regretted the decision (only regret I had was not spending the 2 extra grand for the navi). After being on this site for a few months now, the only problems I hear are : tranny, and minor rattles. Can't speak for other forums, but I'd say that's a pretty good overall customer satisfaction base. Trust me man, bang-for-the-buck? This is it.

This dude said: "The car is poorly built....you wil hear rattles and sqeaks the first 3 months of owning it...all of TL owners have transmission failures. (you can get more information on TL's at www.AcuraTL.com)". All? That's exaggerating it a bit don't you think?

axleback

XCELL-S

HEY JUST PU A 2003 TL-S AGEAN BLUE ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO AND JUST READ ABOUT THE RATTLES JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE DEALER HAS A RECALL FOR THE TL AND ITS FOR THE SUNROOF HAD A RATTLE AND THEY PUT THIS CLEAR TAPE AROUND THE EDGE OF THE SUNROOF THIS SOLVED THE PROBLEM YOU SHOULD INQUIRE AT THE DEALER IF THIS IS THE RATTLE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.

oracion

I know that was your first post. Please use both upper and lower case in the future. Thanks!

AgentDSS

Yea I agree those are minor and isolated problems. I just hate though when people put reviews like this out for all to see on a big site. The reviews really didn't deter me, I should have used a different word like "concerned". Thanks

AC

That tape is noto gonna solve your issue, the problem will come back, and again, and again. They need to just replace the whole sunroof.

RAdams

Although it's a lot like putting a Band-Aid on rather than fixing the source of the problem, the tape worked like a charm on my 2000 TL and works just as well on my 2002.

SergeyM

I just want to say this guy "minhtel" is an idiot. He cannot even spell his Toyota's model name correctly and I am sick of bold statements like "BMW is only $2000 more". BMW 330 fully loaded with Navi is 45K. That what it is, not $35K. Yes it has better handling, looks better but is very small and therefore is not a family car. Acura tires may not be that good but for $12K you can get the best tires in the world and $11K in change. I doubt he even owns TL-S otherwise he would not call the engine smooth, the engine is very power but it is definitely not as smooth as BMW I6 engines. What makes him think that all TL-S have tranny problems? I drove mine for 1year/16K miles and did not have any transmission problem.

Iggy

I've got 7,500 miles on my baby and no sqeaks, rattles or any crap that would'nt be expected with any machine. Sit down and read some of the stuff you see on BMW, LEXUS, SAAB, etc. forums and you will find a few out there who cannot be pleased.

The only complaints on the TL-S I have are:

1)Stereo(which will be fixed within a week)
2)I did'nt get one earlier
3)needs some help suspension wise(hate the 4X4 look)
4)needs some help suspension wise(need better cornering)
5)I did'nt get one earlier

As far as the suspension goes it really isn't bad, but I WANT MORE. and for $200.00 - $2000.00 depending on how far you want go it's still less than a tiny little IS-300.

This thing has some balls for a four door. Go for it![IMG]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Loren/Desktop/Smilies!!!!!!_files/jaw_drop.gif[/IMG]


Iggy

FKNA

One can't get a better bang for their buck than the Acura TL / TLS. EVERY model of car being built today will have a quirk or two. So what, why sweat the small stuff? As much as they pack into the Acura TL, you're not going to find another car out there that can compare at $30,000 - $33,000 range

Ajay_RENAMED

If you go here you will see that most TL owners are happy with their purchase:

http://carpoint.msn.com/userreviews/...m=All&lang=All

Venom

Well, I would have to agree with the reviews posted on epinions.com. Complaints that these individuals have are the same ones I have. Yes, they are going overboard with some stuff but most of it is they way I feel. No, you will not be able to buy a similalry equipped BMW or Audi for $2000 more, and if potential problems are your worry, I would be staying away from those makes.
"You get what you pay for" is the sentence that trully applies to TL. Someone recently said that TLS is a great value, but not a great car. I could not agree more. You get a lot, but other than the engine, it's all mediocre: brakes, tires, suspension, leather , build quality, paint, stereo system. If you strip away some exaggerated comments made at epionions.com and just look at the substance of their complaints, they are valid. If those things worry you, than you should not go with a TL.
I bought it for the same reason - you get a lot for your money, and it had great reviews in magazines. I did realize later that I got what I paid for and have traded the car in after 7 mos of ownership. I bough a LExus, and couldn't be happier.
There was a thread in here recently where the guy asked how many would get rid of their TL if they could their money back. About 40% of them would be happy to get their money back. That's a pretty big number IMO, anything over 5% is probably too big.

DJ Iceman

My opinion is that "mediocre" is too strong a word. I suppose it depends on your definition of a great car, but I think the TL-S is a great car. All of the items you listed are well above average in the Acura--that's not mediocre in my book. Does anyone really think the "leatherette" in a 3-series or the stock tires on a C-Class are any better than what comes with the TL-S?

Closer

I'm running 45psi on 19" tires. I guarentee there is no car in the
world that wouldn't rattle with that. So I guess rattles are no
biggie for me and my tranny is still working fine.

jofunk

I bought my TLS because I wanted a TLS, not because I wanted an Audi or BMW and couldn't afford it. Why not try comparing it to a Hyundai instead. Notice that that first reviewer had no other reviews on that site. Who the hell is he anyway?

I haven't seen any "reputable" reviewers say that the TLS is a "luxury" car. I have only seen reviews as a "near luxury" car.

carcaze

You can't please them all, no matter how good a car is there's always those complain about it

AgentDSS

I just bought the Road & Track Test Drive special edition issue which has some of the best cars w/ reviews. The TL-S is the first one and has some high markings!

Venom

I'm sorry, I should have expressed that more clearly. When I said mediocre, I meant mediocre for a $33K car. I do think that BMW's fake letaher feels and looks better than real leather in many cars. We all love their HIDs, susupension, paint... But they do have their mechanical problems, which is not something I had to worry about on my Acura. My TL just wasn't what I expected and I was dissapointed with it's build quality (read: complete rattle cage in 6 mos - no mods)

MikesTypeS

I agree on some of the points. As far as the tranny I am pissed off, but I realize that overall the tranny is bad in a small % of TLS. I have a new tranny, and the dealer is working on my check engine lights currently. I am praying that I won't have to take my car back for another problem. Thank God I purchased an extended warranty.

DJ Iceman

Okay, Venom, I see what you're saying. I'm dissatisfied with my Bimmer for many of the same reasons, not the least of which is that my expectations may have been too high. Although it is a blast to drive, I don't like the fact that so much of that driving is to and from the service department. My Acura's paint is FAR superior, and you haven't seen a rattle/squeak trap until you've been in my roadster! :p

DJ Iceman

Actually, I take that back--my expectations were NOT too high! BMW has a reputation for making some of the finest cars in the world and I was frankly excited about owning one. In addition, it was (by over 50%) the most expensive car I'd ever gotten. So I had high expectations but was let down by BMW's underwhelming construction and lack of attention to detail. If that's the way you feel about your TL, then I completely understand and sympathize!

1SICKLEX

Well, take the Tl-S is trying to be 2 cars at once for 27-30k so that is very tough on this car. It is competing with full blown luxo cars (ES 300, C-class) and full blown sports cars (IS 300, 3 series).

It does a decent job balancing both.

typeSmaximum

Wow, I agree with 1SICLEX for once The car is doing a GREAT job for the market it is in, and being several things to many people. I have 19K miles of both good city and long distance travel in my TL-S all in less than a year. We even like to feed it some speed and as easily pass a few is300s along the way while using the larger trunk and space on trips. I even have headers, exhaust and the comptech filter to increase the ouput more so with NO issues.

No failures, to tranny issues, and the only rattle was the roof which was fixed and has not come back! Not too bad I say!!

Issue you hear about the TL happens with all car makers. I had a 2001 I30T Infiniti before this that was falling apart by 8K miles, while most had no issues with those car.

The handling is pretty good in this car, and the weight dist. is not as off as you may expect from a FWD car. Some better tires and comptech sways, and this car will also more than hold its own against cars costing several grand more and not just from a light like against an is300 it could do stock, but in the turns I'm talking about now !!

thejavagod

Brakes are decent. If you consider that the TLS stops in just 3 ft more than the BMW 3 which is very good considering that the Acura is a heavier and longer car!

Suspension - TLS uses double wishbones for both front and rear. BMW uses cheap struts in the front to save a few bucks. Now tell me which car has the "superior" suspension?

Paint - yeah, its a problem. But these types of problems exist on other cars too. Just requires a little bit of extra care.

Stereo system - Have you heard the BMW stereo. It is garbage despite having a dozen speakers! The BOSE system may not deliver powerful bass, but it does posses good timbral accuracy.

And for the BMW handling FAR BETTER than the Acura, that is just plain BS and hype. The BMW did 1 mph better in the slalom and .1g better on the skidpad. This is not considered FAR better.

Shame on BMW! Because it is RWD and is 20 inches shorter, it should've performed MUCH better.

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/compa...8/page028.html

Venom

Yeah, that's how I felt. But then I got Acura to buy the car from me and I bought a Lexus. I could not be happier. I absolutely love it.

Venom

My TL was bouncy on the highway and cornered like a pickup truck. I was in a freinds TL with sways, cornering was MUCH better.
Stereo still sucks. I didn't compare it to BMW's, nor did I say that BMW's is better. I really could care less what Edmunds says. I was in the car, lived with it for 7 mos and it sucked. Edmunds and car magazines really are only about 50% right about their rivews. They always favor BMWs and you just picked one of them apart.
Paint - we agreed on that. Tires still suck.

jellospeed

---> Yes. Brakes on TL-S are decent. But the reality is that BMW 3 stops better anyway. What if granpa's Caddy or Town Car was as light as TL-S? Don't have to argue about the size or weight of the car, only the result matters, IMO.

---> The type of setup is indeed important but it does not tell the whole story. More important thing to consider is that how it has been tuned & calibrated. Rigidity of the chassis structure too, is important. Can't judge which one's superior by just looking at the type of setup being applied. No one claims that BMW has so so suspension because it's more common McPherson.

---> Ppl have different tastes and listen to different types of music. It could be very subjective. I don't think one in BMW 3 is that bad.

---> Well, there are many things that numbers can't tell when talking about a car's driving characteristics. It's the matter of feeling, not the numbers that magazines present to their readers. When driving BMW, it's easier to take it to the limit since it gives better feedback about things going on. BMW 3 is more toward driver's car while TL-S is more toward family car. Again, ppl have all different needs so can't tell if one is better than the other.

---> BMW enthusiasts/owners definitely would have a lot to say, to back up decisions they made. Ppl all have different point of views. I drove both cars. They are both great, but I'd prefer BMW since I'm single. If I'm married and have kids, I would prefer TL-S. Doesn't mean TL-S is a car for a family man. I just wanted to say BMW gives more satisfaction as a pure machine, but TL-S is better compromise b/w performance & utility. Well, it's only my opinion.

TWong

I like my TL-s, not blindly in love with it. My 2cents.

- Braking feels bad because of Dive and Fade, works decent.
- Suspension is compromise for cruising (80% of buyers) and crazies like us.
- Paint is thin and not a lot of choices, but the biggest load of CR%$ is having to pay extra for metallic or pearlescent like Germans.
- All 3 drivers love the handling, but it's a small RWD. My wifes old Accord feels nice in the curves, but it feels faster and more aggressive than it really is.
- This car is best compared to a Maxima, I35 or GS300. In that respect wouldn't you prefer the TL-s which is the cheapest?

The guy who gave it a 1.0 is not legit. The Yugo and Aztek is a 1.0. The friggin worse car I ever drove, the Malibu is a 2.0. Even the Taurus is a 3.0, considering it meets the needs of millions.

Would I sell my car? Probably, I'd sell a 540 after 1 year if I get to jump into a new car.

jinu117

-Braking is fine. However, I do like my G35's agressive braking. (I know I can stop just about in any occasion besides being moronic)
-Suspension is fine IMO. A little bumpy for my taste but expected from sports sedan.
-Paint: I wouldn't know. My other car is the Accord and I think I have some problem with paint on that one.
-Comparison: Definitely Maxima, I35, A4 with CVT. I have hard time comparing RWD vs FWD. (especially without Honda's awesome LSD systems on few selected FWD) Out of those, I will take TL-S without a second thought. (I35 is too much of cruiser really) Most of reviews never taken into account of actual scale of economics of car. The review that did (edmunds semi-lux sedan comparison) did get TL-S as 1st place if you guys remembered. Those reviews really need to be taken in with grain (well maybe a bucket) of salt.

Monte TLS,MAX

since when is the IS and "basic" 3 series a full blown Sports Car just curious?

AcuraTLFan

What you have to consider is that "Epinion.com" is a place where people post their "personal opinion" about products. I agree that the TLS is a great car and all, but nothing is perfect. To him, the TLS doesn't meet up to his expectations....and that's his HONEST opinion. And some of our HONEST opinon is that he's full of CRAP. There will always be a "bell-shape distribution" there will be some people that really love the car, a lot of people who like the car, and there are people who hate the car. I think that it's just fair that he post a negative review on there....because before buying something it's better to look at both sides before purchasing it. There are 17 post and 2 are negative...meaning 12% is negative and 88% positive, so weigh things out. Well, with sqeaks and transmission problems...they do exist wheather isolated or not...what if a person reads the review and just neglects the fact that "well, it's a isolated problem...it won't happen to me", and then it happens to them...it isn't so isolated anymore. So is it just better to say all the "good" stuff about the TLS and have 100% positive post and let the buyer go in and buy the car thinking that "i can go wrong buying this car". Once they buy the car and have problems....when then? They buyer would go, "17 ppl said this is a great car...but i don't think it's great at all, that's the last time i listen to the 17 ppl" You see...what's the point of that...100% positive post doesn't really help much if there is nothing relative to compare it to. I think the reason why he/she is comparing to BMW is that they are in the same "class". There are post comparing braking distances. Well, 3 feet more then BMW...that's good for Acura...but when you bring in the fact that the TL is LONGER or HEAVIER...your no longer comparing but your now justifying it....If Acura made the TL, SHORTER and LIGHTER to shorten braking distance. What's the point of that? To make a "PERFECT" car? To have a shorter braking distance than the BMW? what's the point of making the car if your only doing it just to "Beat" another car. They won't be making cars the way they want to or how the consumer likes it. This is just my humble opinion and i hope you guys respect my opinion...like we should respect other opinions (even if it differs ours)

1SICKLEX

Boy is all think this is bad, try reading EVO, or CAR or TOPSPEED, these are Euro mags. They are HARSH.

esCarbonie

how in the Hell did that happen?!?

JingleJill

I traded in a 2001 BMW 330i for a 2003 TL-Type S. The BMW is a great car, but so is the TL-S. For the money, you can not beat the TL. I looked at the Audi's and the new Infiniti G35 before going with the Acura.

There are differences in the cars; I'm not sure you truly compare them. I like to think of the BMW as purely a driver's car. Nobody was ever comfortable as a passenger. The Acura is both a driver's car and a passenger's car. I do wish the TL-S had a manual transmission and better brakes, but so far those are my only complaints.

vperkins2

Well said! Welcome to the site, too!

By the way... why'd you pick that name? It's kinda catchy!

V.

Black TL

I know I'll probably get flamed for this but I sort of agree with him on SOME matters. The quality of MY TL is far inferior to that of our 94 Accord. The paint is weak on the TL, and the rattles drive me up the wall. I have rattles coming from everywhere. I don't even bother trying to find and/or fix them anymore. However, for the first 30k miles, my car was like heaven. I loooooved taking it places and driving it. Now, it takes a while to start, engine pings, rattles, knocking, etc. However, I still love my car. I can't complain. If he didn't like his car, he should have just sold it and got a BMW like he wanted.

JingleJill

I've had "JingleJill" as my online name forever. I'm not sure where I came up with it.

Thanks for the welcome to the club. I'm already addicted.