found a 2009 tsx 6 speed, what should i look for? i have a 2007 tsx now, and have always avoided the first 2 years of any gen but the price isnt bad

 

door lock actuator problem, VTC actuator failure (grinding on cold start), there is some oil consumption issue on the 09 MT cars, ELS audio issues (speakers have been known to blow for no reason). There is also some rear brake pad wear issue on the 09.

 

Most common issue with our CU2 will be oil consumption.

Look at the brakes. The rears have been known to get bad quick.

If tech package, the ELS speakers tend to blow rather easily.

The leather is cheap and crappy. Hopefully the previous owners maintained it.

Those are the things I was looking at/noticed when I picked mine up.

 

I bought my '09 6 speed a few weeks ago. Took it to my mechanic prior to buying.

Watch for the rear brakes. My rear caliper was seized and rear brakes were in poor condition. Easy fix though.

Make sure the fog light lenses are not cracked.Never noticed one of mine. Not worried about it.

Changed my oil right away to get a starting point. Level is ok after 1500-2000 kms. Here's hoping.

That being said, this is a solid, fun car to drive, with plenty of pickup for the average driver. Fine handling overall. Great on the highway, I travel 100 kms round trip daily. Smooth and comfortable.

Since you've driven an Acura prior, the cockpit controls are quite intuitive to use.

I'm starting to really settle in with mine now.

Good luck...!
Mike

 

I've had none of these issues (knocking on wood) except for the mild oil consumption.

 

Overall, I love my car and I just had to have some regular maintenance done for her to pass our state's annual inspection and I have to admit, the driving enjoyment is back and I realized again why I have decided to keep her for so long. But with that being said, owning her has been far from trouble free and here is a quick list of all of the issues I have had and what you will want to look out for with an '09:

• Six speakers replaced.
• Plastic trim at the bottom of the driver's seat kept popping off and needed to be replaced.
• XM Module needed to be replaced.
• XM Antennae needed to be replaced.
• Rear brakes needed to be replaced early on, half of it was paid for due to the Honda settlement. Found out during my inspection that they are going again already. To level set, I got almost 60K miles on the front set, so I get less than half of that on the rears.
• Battery needed to be replaced (Acura batteries generally suck across the board, though).
• Outside window trims along the windshield needed to be replaced.
• Soon after purchasing the car the back up camera would not come on. Dealer could never replicate the issue and knock on wood, I haven't had it happen again in some time.
• VTC Actuator had to be replaced late last year and in about five months it is starting to make the noise again here and there.

Luckily, everything but the rear brakes was covered under warranty. Running back and forth to the dealership has been annoying, though, and they didn't always correct things the first time, which added to my frustrations.

It's a good car overall and fun to drive but if I had to do it over, I would not have purchased an '09 and I did so because I was under the gun and my car at the time was on its last legs and getting it to pass inspection would have cost more than it was worth. I already had experience with an '07 TSX and was satisfied so giving an '09 a shot didn't seem like a bad idea, and I liked the new look and the way it drove...got a very good deal too. I wouldn't go so far as to say DON'T buy an '09 if you are getting a great deal but I would be on the lookout for some of the issues I mentioned above.

 

Re the common rear brake issues...are they resolved with aftermarket replacement for the cars that are out of Warranty ?

Really though, all brands have their technical and mechanical problems. I've simply found Acura to be more reliable overall than any other brand we've had.

We're on our 4th Acura with the TSX. I'm hoping this model keeps the tradition going, LOL

 

Hey wrayman, here's an thread I found on the rear brake issue, looks like its just mainly due to the OEM pads, but if you're looking to do a brake job, might as well look into some better rotors also if the budget can handle it.
https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...es-yet-839455/

There are a few vendors like Heeltoe and Excelerate on this site, as well as tsxclub that offer pad and rotor packages. Downfall is you're in the great white north. Not sure what the price difference will be for you.