trell301

wats up gyes...

i need some advice from the current 02 or 03 tl people...
i love the car and i want to buy one pretty sooon... got my loan approved and everything LOL but i was talking to one of my buddies who works at the local auto shop and he told me about how high repairs are on these cars once they go out of warranty. I'm looking into getting a 02 or 03 tl (possibly type S) with around 60K - 70Kish miles which probably won't have any factory warranty left on it.... but this thought of expensive repairs is putting me into second thoughts about getting an accord or something....
so here's where i need help from those of you who own a 02 or 03 tl and take care of repairs out of pocket.... i mean.. how bad is it? is it really high? how often do these cars require repair?
all help would be greatly appreciated!
Thankssss!

ZEUS'O3TL

its a Acura man not a Benz or BMW...the only major repair is the timing belt but jus like any other car everything is pricy when it comes to repairs...the only other major thing u wanna check is the VIN# to see if ur covered under warranty for the oil jet kit and tranny...but other than that ur golden man...jus buy and enjoy..u wont regret it...

ArTL-S

I have an 02 TL-S and the very few things that i have had fixed have not ben exspensive. all a TL comes down to is a fancy honda accord. Hell alot of the parts from 98-02 accords are interchagable. repairs are not bad exspensive if the car is taken care of. I run mine hard all the time but i just make sure i keep an eye on how it feels and acts and i properly maintain it and i have no issues at all

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

Your car isn't necessarily out of warranty for the transmission 7yr/109K miles IIRC

trell301

thanks guys!
that makes me feel soo much better!!!

so all 02 and 03 tl's are covered for tranny prblms upto 109k/7yr? is that true for all or most of them?
i was planning on taking the car in to the dealership for a general diagnostics b4 i actually buy it... i think its about a 100 bucks but i think its worth it.... they check the car inside and out.... wat do u gyes think?

also, any more experiences from others????
thanks again!

Hondanutty

Like has already been mentioned... it's a fancy Accord (but well worth it!). The only major items to worry about are the transmission and the major 100k service (water pump etc). You can always buy a extended warranty if you are still not sure. I saw something on TV about one if your car is under 15 years old and less than 250,000 miles... probably can find several different ones on line. Bottom line - buy it, you won't regret it. Hang on to your wallet though, once the mod bugs bite it gets expensive!

GA99BlackTL

I've had my car for a year and I spent $2300 gettting my tranny replaced along with motor mounts and a replacement fan for my radiator, $1200 getting my door locks fixed because they wouldn't unlock the doors with the trigger and the rearview mirror replaced. Other than those things nothing else has been any more expensive than when I had my 95 Civic ex.

Oh year, I had to spend $5 for a bolt that fell off of my brake caliper.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

Most are but some 03s I believe aren't covered.. check the VIN#. Salvage title won't be covered either.

heavyjdaman

i have a 02 tl. bought with 38xxx in feb and just hit 50xxx. only thing ive had to do is oil change and drive. love it and recommend it highly. any one of my friends that have ever been in it will tell you its one comfy ass ride. i do need tires soon. that'll set me back like 500-600 but that comes with every car. go for it.

5daddy13

There are little things unique to our cars. My '03 TLS had an a/c blower motor issue, but was an easy fix. The major thing to be concerned with is the tranny issue. Read about it on the tranny thread and decide for yourself if you are willing to deal with that.
Otherwise, routine maintenance and the mod bug are going to be your biggest expense. Take care of her and she will take care of you.
This site and its many knowledgeable members are great about helping with most of the annoyances you might encounter.

trell301

heyyy gyess!!!
appreciate all the helpppp!
so guess what???? i bought a 2002 tl type s last wed... i really wanted to get a black one with beige but the closest one i found was in texas and im in va ... so i let it go on the color... anywayss... long story short... so i ended up buying an 02 type s... it's NGP with beige... super nice.. i LOVEEE the ride!!! only got 58K miles so i got a nice deal!
thank you to all those who responded to my post...

now, got a couple of quick questions...
1) when i put the car in reverse, the right side mirror automatically moves down (i guess to let me see the curb) but the left mirror stays as is ..... is this normal? or are they both supposed to go down???
2) i was reading the manual and found out if i leave the headlights on and turn off the car, get out and close the door, the lights will turn off themselves after 15 secs.. when i unlock the car with the key fob, they light up again.... (WHICH IS SOO HOTTT!) LOL but my question is... is that okay to do? it won't cause any electrical prblms would it? i also keep the fogs on so headlight and fogs turn on and off at the same time... from those with experience, is it okay to do it that way? i don't want to run into any chort circuits and electrical prblms cuz diagnostics alone at acura is like $99... LOL... so let me know!
3) when i start the car and put it into drive, i hear a noise from under the dash, it's like... (EEHHHH) kinda sounds like when u adjust the power seat... now, is that normal? im guessing its prbly the SRS checking for airbags.. .but just wondering.. any of u gyes notice that too? i only hear it when i put the car in drive...
4) my headlight aim is a little off, is there a DIY here on the forums to adjust them myself? or do i HAVE to take it to the dealer?

That's pretty much it... bottomline.. I LOVE IT! great ride! so smooth and picks up like crazyyy!
thanks everyone!

Willie3.5

Check consumerguide.com for this vehicle, highly recommended by them and the whole acurazine.com family. You will love it.

fsttyms1

Only the passenger side does it.
If it was bad for the car they wouldnt design it to do it. (though if you leave the key in the ignition they wont turn off.
Normal sound. Its the abs Self prime. It should only do it the first time you start off after sitting for some time.
Im not sure of an actual DIY but if you use the search button i know its described in a few threads on how to adjust it properly. Its pretty simple.

trell301

fsttyms1,
Thanks for your post!!!
Super helpful!!!

02type-s

Got pics?

trell301

hahah i would love to put them on but i gotta wash this baby first...
im in va and it was super cold this past wknd. i wanted to wash the car but i guess i'll hv to wait... hopefully nxt wknd :P

01tl4tl

make sure to register with acura 1-800-382-2238 x5
ask if any recalls open or warranty things you need to know about
there are extended warranty on trans and srs and seatbelts, ask about them

Neejay

iTrader: (3)

Dude, I'm so glad to hear that. I thought there was something wrong with mine...though mine does it twice. Would it throw a CEL if there was something wrong with that part of the ABS system?

Also, I just learned something new about the headlights. LOL This car keeps getting better and better.

Allen-

The right side mirror will only go down if the position switch is in the middle.

So if it doesn't work one day, don't freak out. Just check the left/right mirror controller.

trell301

good stuff!
u gyes are awesome!!!
thanks!

newperson

iTrader: (2)

lol, I never knew that. I was wondering how come my window wasn't going down anymore!

Allen-

It really does help to read the manual, huh?

Alot of things I never knew.

1. The cupholder comes out and there is a storage compartment underneath.

2. Your car is already pre-wired for trailer lights for towing.

3. If you leave the seat heaters on HI, they come on, get hot and go back off until temperature drops. Then they come back on. On LO they stay on the entire time.

4. There is a plug in the spare-tire compartment in case the trunk floods.

5. Put the car in D4 or D3 when going through mountains. When going downhill it will use engine braking to avoid overheating of the brakes.

6. If you hold the EJECT button down on the CD Changer, it will eject all CD's in the changer without stopping.

7. Who knew TL's were so addictive?!

lol

newperson

iTrader: (2)

I read the manual cover to cover the evening I brought the car home. Guess there's a lot of stuff you can miss.

rob-2

1. Good place to hide a knife or glass breaking tool

I love some of these features. I notice if I leave the car in d5 and hit the brakes on the freeway the car downshifts into 4th automatically - even if at 80mph. I don't force the engine to slow the car down, I figure the brakes are cheaper then a tranny.

However in the city I've been told driving around in D4 is better for the tranny. My wife drives it in D5 everywhere. So far no problems.


FYI - headlight wise, they are offset not to blind oncoming cars. So they dont both point the same direction. If this is what you're reffering to save a life and dont adjust them.

2000DEP

mine's 00 so the passenger side rear view mirror don't go down...
congrats on your car...i can feel you excitement from the texts...lol
and welcome
and post pics soon~

twistedwedge

1. Im glad I read this...handy cause now I have a place to hide my Zune when the car is parked...thanks!

2. Err...theres going to be no towing done by my TL.....ever..lol (at least while I own it)

rob-2

Lock zune in glove box. I dont think there is enough room for it under the cup holder.

spl1011

Hehe... Old SNL skit with Schneider:

"You put your weeeeeed in there!!"

Allen-

About the cup holder secret storage compartment...

My car came with a little tab that slides in where the compartment meets the console storage. You can take it out, and when you open the console you can put things underneath the cupholder without taking it out. If you leave the tab in, no one will ever know there is a storage compartment there unless you take the cup holder out. Also, it helps making cleaning it easier!

When I got my car, the dealership must have not known about it because when I found out it comes out, it was dirty in there...

About the towing...

About a week ago, I seen a Hyundai Accent (The little hatchback ones) pulling a small trailer with a toolbox on it. lol, should've got a Tucson.