It's not really that unusual. An Acura dealer in the DC area where I used to live also offered free oil/filter changes for life. Since at the time, I leased all of my cars, I would just take the car to them to have the oil and filter changed and then perform all of the rest of the "maintenance," which consisted primarily of visual inspections and tire rotations, myself.

 

My only concern would be if I don't have them service it and I do it all myself, they could try to wiggle out of warranty work, if need be. I don't think that would be an issue, but you never know.

 

It's unusual in my area, at least from what I have seen and I haven't heard of anything like this from an Acura dealer.

 

It's actually a pretty good ploy by the dealer. It gets the car into the shop on a regular basis, and even if they're totally honest, they stand a good chance of picking up some additional work. There are a number of service items that many people probably overlook without a reminder or someone checking it. Wiper blades, tires, yearly brake fluid change, brake pads (especially rear), filter changes, etc; many things that don't scream "change me!", but should probably should be addressed more often than they do for many (and a sorry in advance to our lady members here, but particularly women).

 

Nice S60....I'm intersted in the new Mercedes CLA and seriously the Audi A/S3.

CLA is meh to me....


A/S3 looks great!!!

 

My issue with the CLA and A3/S3 is that the proportions looks slightly off. Somehow they just look a little weird in profile. Plus, I suspect that rear seat room will be at a serious premium for both so I am not sure either will ever meet my needs for the future.

I like the idea of them, but not really the execution.

 

what about the new bmw 320?
though it does start at 32k, same as the older gen 3s. still way more than a base tsx

 

sure it may start at $32K - but you'll never seen one for that price
- $32K for a completely stripped car

 

Priced out a 320i on BMW's site and with just a few basic things, it gets up close to $40k damn quick. Plus, many of the features that I would want, such as HID headlamps and heated seats, are bundled together in packages. I get that BMW wants to put a less expensive option out there, but this hardly seems like it justifies the effort.

 

That's just it, by the time you get it priced into the 30's, you are stripping it down so much, what's the point? Other than to drive a car with a BMW emblem on the front. Personally, I can't stand BMWs anymore. They are a dime a dozen around here.

 

yep, same here --- also, I'd say 90% 3 series drivers I see are women.

 

And the other 10% are complete douches.

 

Oh yeah I totally see the logic behind it from the dealer's perspective however, I just haven't heard of it in my area. Things like free lifetime state inspections, free wiper refills, etc., sure, but those aren't nearly as frequent as an oil change could be for some drivers.

 

I sold my 2012 TSX after less than a year of ownership. Never again will I buy a FWD car. It was the first FWD I've owned and it'll be the last. FWD is cheap for mfgs to build otherwise there is just no merit to them.

The TSX was okay at first. But then the road noise, the engine noise, and that crappy FWD took its toll on me. And while the materials may look nice, they are actually pretty cheap (thin leather seating, plastic that scratches easy, etc..) It was like seeing a pretty decent looking woman at first glance but only to discover that she isn't really that decent looking once the make up came off.

Now if only the European mfgs could make reliable and inexpensive to service cars like the Japanese, but with that great German engineering and design........

 

Well there is more to BMW that meets the eye, as much as a Mercedes-Benz fanboy I am (Older models) this makes me want to get a newer BMW but at the same time reliability sucks.

 

Yeah, they are nice cars and German interiors are tough to beat, the fit/finish is top notch. But, if I'm dropping 40-50K on a car, I don't want to see 3 others at every stop light I go to.

 

ive never seen an issue with BMW reliability. all the ones my family has, havent had any major issues.
I agree with the prices though. I hate all the packages and BMW's bundling. but the base prices are never what you get for any german cars, not sure about audi though, never seriously considered one. I never understood, how BMW and MB consider themselves as luxury, when they still put cheap parts in their cars, like halogens. Why is it so hard to make those standard? most cars over 30k, have HID standard except for these 2.
the CLA might start off at 29ish, but i dont see many people buying it for less than 34. and itll be underpowered. not a fan of that C250. its power is lacking compared to a similar priced 328.

 

Not to be a d*ck, but if you hated the car so much, why are you still here, bagging on it? Especially to a group of TSX owners? Just curious.

 

1) I sold the car yesterday morning. I came on here last night for a final look.
2) I saw this thread comparing the TSX to two other Euro cars.
3) The thread evolved into "bagging" on other cars.
4) The thread evolved into Mercedes vs BMW vs Audi, etc..
5) I wanted to like the car, but in the end I didn't and posted my personal opinion on a thread about comparing the TSX with other cars (note that I didn't start my own thread about selling my TSX...)
6) I do like the reliability factor and low maintenance factor of the car; and wished all mfgs could do as well as Honda. And I stated as such.
7) And if you really, truly, didn't want to "be a d*ck" then why the warning? Why not just man up and say what you honestly are feeling. Hey, I did. But if I hurt your feelings by doing so, then that's your fault and not mine; it's just a car and it's like any other consumable commodity: people either like it or may end up not liking it.

 

That's cool man, I was just curious more than anything. I still post all the time on the Volvo and Toyota 4R forums. Just wondering why you hated the TSX so much as I just got mine and still feeling it out.

So far so good for me. I grew up in a family with nothing but Audis, my uncle has had nothing but Benz' and I actually owned a 92 325 ix back in the day and my first car was a 1984 Audi 5000 and now am in a family of Volvo's, so I've driven/owned about everything we're discussing.

The reliability of the Toyota/Hondas was my biggest draw to be honest, plus I like the TSX a lot, it's a nice mix of luxury and still pretty sporty. The S60R was not a car built for the long term, so it had to go.

But, like I mentioned before, the fit/finish of the Euros is just a bit nicer and tighter from what I can tell. But, at a premium and a lack of reliability, for the most part anyway, there are exceptions.

man, just wondering what your beef was.

 

"Hated so much" is a bit strong. I didn't hate, just disliked. And no doubt the big thing for me is the FWD. Of course that's going to be the same for any FWD, TSX or not. But it is less expensive to build a FWD and that's the real incentive behind it. I just got tired of being forced into aiming at the tree in front of me when doing some aggressive driving in the twisties; plus the torque steer when accelerating out of the corner, etc.. I knew this getting into the equation but didn't realize how much it would bother me over time. Now I know.

But in addition, Japanese cars tend to have a more rubber band springy type of feel to them. Can't quite describe it, but they just aren't as planted/solid and everything just seems a bit too twangy or something.

Again, and as you say too, it's the reliability and ease/cost of maintenance that draws most people into a car like a TSX (and personally I was getting tired of the time/effort/expensive of maintaining my 'drama queen' E63.) And sure, there are definitely worse choices than a TSX. Granted the materials look decent on the surface but you can certainly see why the MSRP is lower than the Euro competitors. Costs have to be maintained. And each consumer has to make a decision on just how much they want to spend in the first place (especially on a depreciating asset like a car where the only value is its use value.)

Bottom line is that it just didn't win me over in the end. They are subjective reasons for sure, but everyone's choices are always going to be subjective. Same with any 'reviews' between brand X and Y.

 

p.s., you can look at my early posts here (last May when I bought the TSX.) I have owned and still own (not just driven) many cars, primarily German. That can be somewhat of a curse since you are constantly comparing the other vehicles with the current ride. I sold my daily driver E63 to get into a "decent Japanese everyday driver with reliability and ease of ownership." And it was everything in that sentence. But it just wasn't my cup of tea in the end. I think I just have to be honest with myself and realize that I do appreciate the 'feeling and material quality' I got with German/Euro cars and am willing to pay the extra to get that even if it may not be economically smart (after all, any car is in reality just a 'device' to get us from A to B, and they depreciate in resale value so quickly.)

btw, the ELS audio system in the TSX (tech models) is vastly superior to even most higher end cars.

 

That's cool man, I appreciate you responding. I was truly curious, I was just hoping I'm not setting myself up to sell this thing in a year or two. I had my 4R for two years and while I loved the maintenance free vehicle and certainly the capabilities of it, I hated the cheap leather, the abundance of plastic and the uncomfortable seats, even with the top of the line, "Limited" model. I could've lived with it, but not at the expense of 14-16 mpg, it just didn't make sense, not with another 7 passenger SUV in the stable. So, I'm really hoping to keep this car for quite a while.

Again, thanks for the response, I think I know where you are sitting. I think had I come immediately from my R to this, I would be a bit disappointed too, but having the 4R in between and not driving the wife's Volvo much, I think I like it quite a bit.

 

Ha. I did the EXACT same thing -- the day I bought the car, I ordered some DWS' and had NO problems over two winters. After reading the reviews on Tire Rack of the OEM tires, no way I'd keep them on the car. What was Acura thinking??

 

What OEM tires are you referring to? The Michelins?

 

Only $6k extra for a C250!

It's a good $30k extra over here when compared with the $40k top spec Euro Luxury Navigation (your tech pack).

I envy the prices you pay for your cars, all we get on Aus forums is bitching about why our cars are double/triple/quadrupled in price of the Americans

The price that you pay for an M3 is how much our 320i base with no options model cost... You lucky buggers.