1000bpm

I’d be interested to know what you Acura owners out there have to say about your ownership experience(s)?

Since purchasing my TLS, there have been two recalls and I’ve had to take my car to the dealer for 3 separate problems. All admittedly minor and subsequently fixed, but still - I can’t help thinking QC should have caught them before they ever left the factory. So yes, my perception of Acura quality has slipped a little. I’m aware that Acura is still ranked very highly as far as reliability is concerned (J D Power, Consumer Reports) but I can’t help noticing that the gap between Acura and Lexus just seems to be getting wider.

Don’t get me wrong, I would still buy a TLS in a flash over segment leaders like the A4 or 330. To me the TLS offered the optimal price/performance/reliability ratio and it was no contest. The A4 and the 330 may be true sports sedans but they lag behind substantially in reliability and what they offer for the price.

Getting back to the topic what’s your verdict?


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tgif

I agree with you, but I still think Acura vehicle is very reliable. Every has the problem here and there.

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2002 Acura TL Type S
Nighthawk Black Pearl
Parchment Leather

Edub-TL

Reliability = A
Comfort = A-
Economic = A+
Quality = B
Innovative = B-
Styling = B-

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June 10, 11AM - N. Cali / Bay Area Meet - Click Here!
<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/phanthavong/mytl.html" TARGET=_blank>


</A>2001 SSM. 02 tails, 02 vent trim, burlwood knob.

Mods? What mods? I can't afford mods, I'm getting married!!
Vin says 2001, but it's really a 2000 with an upgraded cupholder!!


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Xorg

One of the reasons I opted for the TLS is because in all my online and personal research, I never heard even one person compliant about a major problem with their Acuras.

The recall items are very minor - consider that my Grand Cherokee was recalled for bad rear axle and brake rotors - far more serious than a simple switch that *might* have some corrosion on it :-)

TypeS

I am probably not the best person to ask about this since I just had my Transmission replaced in my TLS. We will see how they are at customer service.

Edub-TL

Be happy we don't have recall notices like the Ford Expeditions and Explorers..

tires,
rear latch
etc...

Hondas and Toyotas will run forever... just do regular maintenece.. my 83 Corolla only died last year..

AcuraJoe

i had to take in once for a recall and once for loose driver seat. that was it.

imax

I like, and agree whole heartledly, with your grading assement on the TL-S. Right on target!



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'02 Acura TL-S
Satin Silver/Ebony, w/out NAV

feliz

I've owned Acuras and many Honda products and have never had a recall or serious problem with any car, these TL recalls are the first and as far as I'm concerned are minor. Try driving a Chrysler product.

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Feliz

98 Acura CL, primrose
2002 TL-S, silver

Road Rage

Other than some minor safety recalls, all 3 of mine have been superb!

thejavagod

I know this old guy who bought a brand new GMC Envoy very recently and on the third day of ownership he had major suspension problems... You can see how the problem with the Acura seatbelt is a non-issue :-)

bryce11

acura's (or honda's) are reliable car but, yes i do agree that there are minor slip ups with Q.C., i just hope that the gap between Lexus and Acura would get closer (for the better) instead of what we're all experiencing (w/c is q.c. gap is widening for the worst) hopefully it doesn't get any worst!!!!!

lonny

All these minor problems are a nuisance and they should not be found in an Acura, but they are just that - minor. There probably won't be any major flaws. My GS400 had lots of problems and was always at the dealer to replace this or that computer. Acura should be on a par with Lexus, but they aren't - YET

chiawei

I never had good luck with honda thus far.

Owned 3 honda in my life.

92 Leafgreen Accord LX- no problem, except the SRS did not deploy when I wrecked the car (front end).
94 Sage Green Accord EX- 2 blown AC compressor, ABS module dead after 3 years, sunroof rack was damaged due to improper assembly.
00 TL- broken center console, leaking exhaust, rattles, replaced front windshield trim, and right rear door plastic trim.

Owned 4 toyotas-

93 Camry- no problem at all until transmission died earlier this year with almost 180k on odo.
98 Sienna- left rear door lock mechanism failed, the door can't be opened.
01 IS300- no problem, stolen but recovered and sold
01 RX300- memory sit would be working intermittenly.

01 BMW 530i- right rear door plastic trim deformed due to hot weather.

97 Volvo 850- no problem, i only owned the car for 10 month and 11k miles. however, the light pressure turbo sounds pretty bad after 6k miles. but dealer check was okay.

So far, of the cars that I owned I had more problem with Honda.

I guess i just don't have the magic touch with Honda/Acura.

Danuary

I personally was rather pissed last Saturday when my 2002 TL-S with 4k mi on it WOULDN'T START while sitting in my driveway, full tank of gas, etc. Electrical looked fine, starter was going, just wouldn't engage the crank. To add insult to injury, I called roadside assistance and they told me they wouldn't do a damn thing until Monday.

The following day, on a whim, I tried jumpstarting the car (yeah, even though all the electrical was working). I hooked it up and put my foot to the floor (which supposedly stops fuel flow and leans out the mix, good to know), and the car did start, however reluctantly.

I took it to the dealer and their answer was "No trouble found." So it must be normal for six week old Acuras to not start, eh?

thejavagod

I bought a used 1986 Toyota Tercel Hatchback at 49000 miles in 1993, sold at 161000 miles in 1998. Never had a single problem with **anything**. Replaced only brakes/tires, changed timing belt once and changed oil every 3.5K miles. Did 3 cross country trips, including a very strenous trip from Alabama to California with 145,000 miles on the odo. Never gave out passing through severe weather in Texas or even in the intense heat of the desert while passing through new Mexico or while climbing the moutains at the Arizona/Calif. border (2200 gruelling miles)... I saw many brand new American cars stalled in the desert. After owing this car I have become a true fan of Toyota reliability! I would still own this car if it wasn't stick shift! After 120K miles it was driving like the day I bought it!

Since I have owned 2 new Honda Accords, 1 new Lexus RX300, 1 used Toyota Camry and 1 new Acura TLS... absolutely no problems with any of them - not even minor problems.

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mikester

My wife has a '99 Windstar minivan. I have been reading horrible things about their reliability, so we have been thinking about getting rid of it before the warranty runs out and getting something more reliable.

Reading through the forums at Edmunds, it's amazing the difference between the American and Japanese vans. The American vans have problems like blowing cylinder head gaskets, replacing steering columns, and of course the perpetual Ford transmission problems.

The Japanese van owners are posting things like having to adjust the sensitivity of the power sliding doors, or minor creaks and rattles, or the stereo not sounding good (that's one of the biggest complaints of the Honda Odyssey - I'll take that over blown head gaskets anyday!)

After reading the horror stories about the Windstar, our little problems on the TLS seem pretty trivial. Sad thing is, these vans are expensive too - a fully loaded minivan these days costs as much as a TLS! I would expect more of these problems in something like a Ford Focus, but not in a $30,000 vehicle!

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Guest

I had an 1999 Acura TL. It was a great car to drive, fast, fun, and great looking. However it did have some minor problems.
-Rattles & squeeks
-Transmission
-Excessive gas consumption
-Keyless entry not working at times

Among other minor things. The car in general was very reliable when it came to major components. The transmission problem was a minor one too, just needed cleaning. I was happy, yet unhappy. I liked the car, but I didn't like Acura's service. Having to take the car back to the dealerships 3-4 times for the same problem, having to deal with their BS excuses, and rude treatment. That is why I got rid of the car.
Now, my lease is coming up on my current car, and I am on the market for a new one.
I would like to get the 2002 TLS. But when I think back to all the headaches of having the car serviced, and the issues that I had with the fit and finish of the car I am thinking of getting a BMW 325i.

I just have one recommendation, whatever car you choose these days. Lease it. Then if there is a problem and they can't fix after the first try, you know you won't be stuck with the car, and you know you won't have to deal with the BS of getting it fixed.

Just my two cents

mikester

GodzillaTL - I would get the TLS and try a different dealer. I had the same problem with the dealer where I bought my '00 TL - their service department was incompetant. The final straw was when I took it in for a recall and they gave me a loaner car - a trashed out Integra that smelled like smoke, was sticky, and to top it off had no gas in the tank!

I started taking my car to a different dealer, and they were great. I ended up buying my TLS from there.

However, if you do buy the BMW, make sure you like the service department at the dealership, because from what I've heard you will be spending a lot of time there.

Xorg

How is this for a 1998 Grand Cherokee?

Had mine for three years and 39,000 miles before I turned it in.

The rear latch was replaced FOUR times. After about 10K miles, the thing would start to rattle really LOUD and you could feel the give in the rear hatch.

The entire rear axle assembly had to be replaced at 20,000. Rear end started groaning, and they determined the axle was defective.

The rear differential was replaced at around 30,000. Figured the bad rear axle wore this out.

There was also a seatbelt recall, and a faulty brake rotor recall. Seems the rotors had a tendency to rust prematurely in the Northeast due to all the salt they put down in winter - causing brake rotors to separate.
(Wait - aren't Jeeps designed for winter driving??)

None of this cost me a dime since it was all under warranty - but it doesn't offer a warm fuzzy feeling about the long term reliability of a Jeep :-)

Guest

No matter what it is, Japanese, American, or German it is Murphy's Law that things will start going down hill right after the bumper-to-bumper warranty runs out. My '95 Trooper never gave me any problems until one month after the warranty expired. The starter went out, the transmission started leaking (the technician said that he had never seen a Troopers gasket's go bad), the A/C went out. This is with less than 55 k miles on the thing. I learned my lesson with this car though, bought an extended warranty through my insurance Geico. Nuf said.

BLEXV6

I have had 5 Hondas (all Accords) 1 Acura (Vigor), all with no problems. Honda products generally have very little teething problems in their 1st year. My 1998 Accord EXV6 is a prime example, @ 100,000 miles, has no problems. You would think that the 2002 TL and TL-s would have any problems worked out as this car has essentially been out in the same form since 1999. i cannot understand all the recalls. But most appear minor. With regards to a few saying their trannys failing, I suspect these people drive their cars like race cars. That is plain stupid. The problems on this board are minor and I love Honda products. I will be getting the TL-s soon. I cannot wait.

daverman

I drive my 97 Accord LXV6 very gently and its transmission gave out at about 50,000 miles. Thank goodness for extended warranties. It saved me $2000 in repair bills.

RedLined

I've had an 89 Integra LS, 90 Integra GS, 95 Accord EX, 98 Accord EX V6, and now a TL-S. The 89 Integra and 95 Accord were rock solid and never gave one bit of trouble. The 90 Integra creaked and rattled from day one, the dash lights burned out constantly, and the fuel injectors went bad at 27000 miles. The 98 Accord creaked and rattled from day one, dash lights lights burned out constantly, and it sprang an oil leak at 35000 miles. The 90 Integra and 98 Accord were both the first year of new designs so maybe a few more problems are expected but the problems were strangely similar. So far, the TL-S creaks and rattles more than I would like and I have noticed that the paint job is pretty crappy -- I'm noticing more and more what look like pimples and bubbles. My gut feeling is that the lower quality has something to do w/ the fact the the 98 Accord and TL-S were made in America. The 95 may have been too, I don't know. To me, the quality of the current RL and old Legends seem much better than the TL and other American made Hondas/Acuras. However, I love these cars and I'll keep on buying them. Definitely better than any Chrysler, Ford, or Chevy product.