Guys/Ladies,

I finally had enough...when the 2nd tranny went after just 400 miles (dealer claims it is not failing, or at least no codes referencing failure were picked up). The re-manufactured tranny did the same thing as the original...so I raised h_ll, and the dealer bought it back...I got a GREAT price for it and I am now in my new black on black G35...and it is SWEET!!! Don't even try to compare this car to the TL-S...such a different platform, the only thing they have in common is that they are both cars. Anyway...I wish you ALL the best! On a side note...when the mechanic came to pick up my TL-S, being totally unaware of my personal situation, his comment was...yep, the '02 TL-S and the '99 TL-P have the most tranny failures...they can't handle the torque.

 

Gary,

Congrats on the new ride. Stop by and let us know how it's going from time to time.

Take care.

 

WOW! Good job by your dealer!

Congrats! Sorry you had to ditch the car, but at least you did not take a hit.

Good luck in the new ride, and don't forget to keep us posted. There may be more of us in the same situation in a year or so!

:-jon

 

Congrats! I did the same thing (Acura bought it back), I just ended up in the Lexus camp. My wife has a G20, and if that dinky thing is any indication, you should be a lot happier than with a TLS. She drives like a maniac and treats it like a POS and the car is still pushing strong and is rattle free after 30K miles. Tranny is OK too I received 4 Acura loaners during my brief TLS ownership, and I still can't figure out why they would let us drive cars that were complete rattle cages. I mean, when I drove something that squeaked so horribly with 14K miles on it, was that gonna make me buy another Acura? Every time I kept asking myself how long it would take before my TL started sounding like it's falling apart. I know it's been said before, but I am completely dissapointed with the quality of Acura (I had a TLS and my loaners were Integras and TLPs).

 

I bought a 01 TL and the car is still trouble free with only some rattles here and there. I am thinking about upgrading it to a TL-S this summer. However, since acura is still in denial about their tranny and rattle issues. I'm deciding not to go back to acura, and will go either with the new M5 bimmer or G35 coup.

 

A TL-S and a G35 are in a whole different class than a M5, if you can afford and M5 why didnt you get one in the first place, i would have.

 

Sweet, good luck on the G35. Post pics and a review of any gripes
after you wear it in. I'd be interested to see how well the interior holds up.

 

If you have it, post the last six digits of the VIN of your old TL-S. That way if anyone on here goes looking for a used TL-S in the GA area, they'll know to *stay away* from that one!

 

Isn't it sad

Good luck with your new ride! I saw one on the road and they do look cool! Let us know the pros/cons after you have beaten on it

 

Good luck with it.

Until my tranny goes, I still love my car! I'm sure the G35 is a great car, but don't really care for it much.

 

Freddy, your tranny is gone, I took it off an hour ago.

 

can't handle 232lbs torque!?!?!?

 

Torque handling capacity isn't the problem with these transmissions.

 

that is what I thought, thanks.

 

Damn you Steve, now I hate my car and its all your fault....letting my tranny go!

 

Well I guys I finally got back my car back. It was with the dealer for a little over 3 weeks. While they had it there I had them fix all the rattles. I picked it up with no rattles or tranny troubles. I was surprised that they fixed all the rattles. All I want is there to be no more tranny troubles. But, if I do I think I will sell my tls z

 

Gary of Sniper

Can either of you post how much you got for your TL-S'? I just had my tranny replaced a couple of weeks ago, and I think this one is going to go soon. If the 2nd tranny does go, I'd like to have Acura buy the car back as it did for you. And what was your mileage when you gave the car back? Thanks.

 

Actually, my uncle's 99 and my 02 S is handling the torque quite well so far. You have to remember, not everybody here is having problems. It sucks though that you were so unlucky.

 

Hey Gary, congrats on your new G35 and I hate to be the messanger of bad news BUT.......I have read the numbers from Car and Driver on the G35 vs. TLS, and the cars are practically the same in performance. Yeah your car is RWD giving you the advantage on a race track, but for normal driving conditions, the G35 doesnt handle that much better than a TLS. Also there have been verified reports of tranny failures already in the G35, so watch out, you might still have tranny issues with your new ride. Enjoy the new ride and hopefully it will be trouble free, but I am still partial to Acura, because Infiniti hasn't done anything great enough for me to warrant trading my car in for one of theirs..I understand why you did, you simply had bad luck with you acura, but acura is still a great car, a quality car, and for an unbelievable price that not even Infiniti can come close to matching.

 

Hey andres!

What's your VIN. I'll add you to the list.
You'll be #30!!!

:-jon

 

OK guys...I was not saying the problem was torgue...only that was what the service guy said. I personally don't give a sh_t what the problem is, I only care that I had a car that I paid 33K for and it was a piece of crap...a car that I actually loved...but that would not run, nor could not be fixed.

As for the G35...the handling is far superior to the TL...in the same corners I traveled in the TL I do not feel the body lean at all...even if it was minimal in th TL it is non-existent in the G.
Now, I don't have all of the machinery to measure the numbers, I am just telling you the feeling...but, I also am a very conservative driver. I do appreciate comfort and the ability to get out of other people's way quickly. And people are twisting their necks to look at the car...that's almost kind of annoying...especially in 5 lanes of 75 mph traffic.

I have only heard of one G tranny problem thus far...but, I'm telling you, this car feels great to drive!

...and I had 18k miles on the TL and got $28K for it.

 

The G sounds nice and all, but the interior and rear end turns me off! As far as hearing about only 1 tranny problem, you must remember that the car just recently came out. Hope you don't have any more problems, specailly after suffering through your first car and all.

 

This may be hard for some to understand, but not all of us spend all our money on cars. M5 is close to $70K here, and I simply can't bring myself to drop that kind of $$$ on a car, even if I can.

My po' folk upbringing, I guess.

Todd

 

Hey congrats Garylee55!!!!!

I have a question for ya, was it the dealer that purchased the car from you or Acura? It should of been Acura. Also was the second tranny slipping from 4th to 5th but was not doing it all the time? I'm very interested in knowing this cuz I'm going to the BBB next week.

PS
Good luck w/ wour new ride, just be carefull that you dont race a tl type-s w/headers and exaust from comptech . and most importantly with a working tranny

 

I had no tranny issues, just an extremely rattly and squeaky cabin. Got $27,500 for it (no navi), 7500 miles on it. I actually just lost the value of the payments I made, so I was starting from zero when I got rid of it. I'm happy to report my Lexus is rock solid after 1500 miles, not even paint chips:wow:

 

Man, I can't believe it was that easy. I just can't believe that. I never have that kind of luck or whatever you want to call it. Congrats and good luck with the G35. Let us know when the tranny goes out.

 

Redlined

Since you're on your 3rd tranny (I think), did you try to get your car bought back by the dealership (or Acura)? I wonder how much "h$ll" both gary and sniper had to raise in order to get paid?

 

Ya I understand the $ part, then why did you bring the M5 into the group in the first place if you have that much trouble spending that much money on a car even if you can afford it

BTW, im almost positive a new M5 BMW is more than close to 70 thousand dollars.

 

Its really sad to hear, but can happen with any make of car really. I had an Infiniti 2001 I30T before the TL-S and I traded it with only 8K miles for the Acura because it was a total POS.

MAF sensor failed, moon roof would stick upen twice, my HIDs let moisture in the housing, on and on.... Service Dept. was great though, but I was there wa to often! However, like here with Tranny issues, most I30 owners did not have these problems.

Anyhow, 15K miles with the TL-S, and I like to push my cars from time to time, and NO PROBLEMS. Mine was a later 02 TL-S though? I also have headers and Exhaust.

If the interior is improved some more when the coupe comes out, and it has 285 or more HP, I may get a silver G35 coupe in 04 with a 6spd, but it the new TL gets more HP, RWD, few more small but nice features like auto down on all windows are rear power sunshade, and they improve on the fit and finish a little, I may stick with Acura and the TL, that is how happy I am!

 

Yes, it was the original dealer who bought the car from me, and the tranny was slipping out of 5th.

I did raise h$ll...after having been without the car for 23 days, then having the same thing happen again in the middle of rush hour traffic...definite saftey hazard to be cruisin' in heavy traffic and then not be able to get out of the way...and fortunately it did catch back in gear and I made it home.

Thanks for all the kudos on the G...it is too much fun to drive! For those who don't care for the styling...I didn't at first, but then I drove it...and fell in love. It really looks slick in black, and the interior in black looks better than the tan. The bose system is also better than the one in my TL. But then, the bose suystem in my friend's Maxima is better than the one I had in the TL.

I really hope you guys have NO MORE problems....but, I wish Acura would come clean like Toyota/Lexus did about the oil gelling issue in their 3.0, 6 cyl. There is an updated article about it in the latest issue of AutoWeek. They finally admitted to a problem, came up with a solution and extended warranty for 8 yrs, unlimited mileage as long as the engine was properly maintained. The original article said about 3500 consumers stepped forward to complain. Maybe this is the grassroots movement to get Acura to do something similar. Tis is the only thing that would get me to look at their cars again in the future.

 

Point taken. I didn't bring it up, just offering perspective.
I've spent way too much on cars over the years (only 32 now). After a while, you begin to realize the utter futility of dumping so much money into a steeply depreciating asset. And, with regard to presenting a (false) image, I don't give a damn what anyone else thinks of me.

Good luck with the G35, Gary. I haven't even seen one on the road yet around here. My parent company (Hitachi) gives us a good break on buying Nissans. I've had great luck with Hondas over the years so I stuck with that. Perhaps I'll give a closer look next time.

Todd

 

No. When the 2nd tranny went, I talked to a lawyer who helped write the lemon laws in VA. He said that under the law, a substantial amount of the use of the car must be personal. Most of my driving is for business so he felt I didn't have much a of a case. Someone on this board who is a lawyer in Kansas saw some of my posts and did a little research for me. He said that he thought my case would not be "cut and dry" and that probably why the other lawyer in VA didn't want to take it. His (the Kansas lawyer) was that the term substantial was open to debate. Does that mean most? Maybe but maybe not. He said in another case in VA it was stated that this woman used her car 66% for personal use and that was clearly substantial but it did not specify that anything less the 50% was not substantial or even what the limit was to be labeled substantial.

Anyway, at that point, since my case was not cut and dry, I didn't persue having Acura buy back my car. I don't believe Acura would buy it back unless forced to do so by a court ruling. Acura did pay my car payment for the month so at the time, I was happy with that. In hindsight, I wish I had asked for the payment plus an extended warranty (I may still ask them for it).

Should my tranny go out again, I think my case would be open and shut. Under VA lemon laws, 3 things constitute a lemon 1) In the shop for more than 30 days in the first 18 months of ownership 2) 3 repair attempts for the same problem in the first 18 months 3) 1 unsuccessful attempt to fix a life threatening condition (a failing tranny would certainly be this). The laws are a little more complex than that but that's a good summary. Anyway, if my tranny goes bad again, I would be covered under all 3 areas so I would think I'd have a pretty good case.

 

To clarify, I didn't raise hell. I simply called my Acura dealer and asked them if they would buy my car. This wasn't even the dealership i bought it at. They offered the price I was looking for and I took the offer. My car was full of rattles and squeaks and it just drove me nuts. It was extremely bouncy on the highway, and I didn't want to spend any more $$ for better shocks.
Now when I was selling it, the only reason I mentioned was that the car was too stiff for me and that I wanted a softer ride. That was, of course, a blatant lie. Why did I decide to lie? Well, for 4 months i have been taking that car back to them complaining of rattles and squeaks. They just couldn't duplicate any. For that reason, i decide not to bother them with pointless details of, I beleive, 8 different places my car was singing to me from.
If any of you are tired of your TL, you may just want to call your dealership and see if they were looking to buy one. I knwo they priced mine $2000 more than hat they gave me, so the dealership can make the money on the transaction as well.

 

Unfortunately for me, mine has over 38000 miles on it. There's not way any dealer would give me any decent price for it. I think the only way I'll get out of mine is if the tranny goes bad again and I win a lemon law case.

 

Sniper5,

What Lexus did you get?