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new '13 TSX owner | anything to watch out for problem wise?
So earlier this week, we got out of '15 TLX which was total POS and got into '13 TSX base. Prior to '15 TLX, we had '07 TSX which we both (my wife and myself) liked
I have not followed the 2nd gen TSX community at all so I apologize for ignorance as I have no idea what to expect problem wise in the long term. I am hoping that some long them owners/members would be able to advise me on as what to look for, any special TSBs that I should check out, any major/minor potential issues that TSX'es are experiencing and that I should be on the look out? My car is CPO, so I definitely do not have to rush with anything, but it would be good to know what might hit us down the road.
So far (and that is scary) I have noticed that some people are complaining about engine oil consumption, but it seems like that is more prevailing on older models.
there were also debates on the what gas to use (regular or premium). Based on my owner's manual, it seems like regular is the way to go (assuming no ping and slight power loss). With the price difference between regular and premium gas hitting all highs in Chicago (almost $1 apart at some stations, 80-90c more common) the savings between regular and premium are no longer 1-2$ per tank, but more like $15 which can add up to a decent chunk over the year.
The 2011+ models are pretty much bulletproof. There are no systemic problems.
I drove a TLX for a month and was happy to be back in my TSX wagon. There wasn't more room and it just felt heavy. It had more power but it had no character.
The "regular vs super" discussion will get you lots of grief here. I recently did a back to back test driving the same 200mile round trip route every day for two weeks. It was pretty close 50/50 city/highway and going against traffic each way.
The first two days I ran regular and did not calculate mileage. That was just to clear out any residual ethyl that might have been in there (whoops - that word kind of dates me, doesn't it?). The following two days (another tank of regular from the same station) I calculated the mileage (pen and paper calculation, not the car based calc which is pretty optimistic) at 29.3mpg. The next day and the weekend I ran 93. The next Monday I filled up with 93 again and drove the same 200 miles. I repeated that on Tuesday and tanked up that night. The calculation was 29.0mpg. Wednesday and Thursday the same routine. Friday I tanked up again and calculated 29.8
My personal opinion is that the quality of the gas is more important than the octane. Buying gas at a busy station that is top tier will give you the additives to keep your engine clean.
A few years ago there used to be a 25 cent difference between 89 and 93 octane. Today, in the mid-atlantic area, the difference is about 75 cents so the difference between fill-ups is over $10. I do about 2000 miles per month so that's about 5 tanks. That works out to $50 a month or $600 a year - that is a fair chunk of change and I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference on my daily commute.
If I were you I'd do a similar test and see if you can tell a difference. I did a similar test years ago with my R32 and determined that there was a significant advantage of using super. I didn't find that here but YMMV.
I'm a bit down there aren't subsections in the second gen forum that breaks stuff down more. Or maybe I just missed them searching using my phone but....coming from the S2000 forum there was great breakdowns on maintenance, troubleshooting stuff.
Anyway wondering from the seasons owners if it's worthwhile to do transmission fluid change on this car. It has 32k miles. I usually change all fluids, bleed brake lines, swap coolant even change the spark plugs just to make sure car is tip top from the start. Thoughts? Advice on recommended fluids? Usually go OEM.
I'm a bit down there aren't subsections in the second gen forum that breaks stuff down more. Or maybe I just missed them searching using my phone but....coming from the S2000 forum there was great breakdowns on maintenance, troubleshooting stuff.
Anyway wondering from the seasons owners if it's worthwhile to do transmission fluid change on this car. It has 32k miles. I usually change all fluids, bleed brake lines, swap coolant even change the spark plugs just to make sure car is tip top from the start. Thoughts? Advice on recommended fluids? Usually go OEM.
If you have maintenance records that are mostly up to date then I wouldn't worry. If you don't have records then I'd change the oil and filters (oil, air and cabin) and not worry about the transmission fluid or plugs because that would be premature.
Stick with OE fluids and filters. The filters are good quality and reasonably priced. Using OE parts won't get you into any warranty issues.
The 2011+ models are pretty much bulletproof. There are no systemic problems.
I drove a TLX for a month and was happy to be back in my TSX wagon. There wasn't more room and it just felt heavy. It had more power but it had no character.
The "regular vs super" discussion will get you lots of grief here. I recently did a back to back test driving the same 200mile round trip route every day for two weeks. It was pretty close 50/50 city/highway and going against traffic each way.
The first two days I ran regular and did not calculate mileage. That was just to clear out any residual ethyl that might have been in there (whoops - that word kind of dates me, doesn't it?). The following two days (another tank of regular from the same station) I calculated the mileage (pen and paper calculation, not the car based calc which is pretty optimistic) at 29.3mpg. The next day and the weekend I ran 93. The next Monday I filled up with 93 again and drove the same 200 miles. I repeated that on Tuesday and tanked up that night. The calculation was 29.0mpg. Wednesday and Thursday the same routine. Friday I tanked up again and calculated 29.8
My personal opinion is that the quality of the gas is more important than the octane. Buying gas at a busy station that is top tier will give you the additives to keep your engine clean.
A few years ago there used to be a 25 cent difference between 89 and 93 octane. Today, in the mid-atlantic area, the difference is about 75 cents so the difference between fill-ups is over $10. I do about 2000 miles per month so that's about 5 tanks. That works out to $50 a month or $600 a year - that is a fair chunk of change and I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference on my daily commute.
If I were you I'd do a similar test and see if you can tell a difference. I did a similar test years ago with my R32 and determined that there was a significant advantage of using super. I didn't find that here but YMMV.
Actually you're showing your age by thinking you can calculate your mileage more accurately by using the old manual "fill and divide" routine. You can never be sure how full the tank is each time you fill it (you're at the mercy of, among other things, the ambient temperature, the temperature inside the tank, how full the tank is to begin with, etc.) therefore that methodology is flawed from the beginning (and though useful in its day, it always has been). The computer calculations that the car uses are based on factors other than how much gas is in the tank at any given time, and it matters not whether it is ever "filled". This is hard for some of us to accept (like 10K mile oil and filter change intervals for instance). But time marches on, and some things really are better, easier, and more accurate.
Actually you're showing your age by thinking you can calculate your mileage more accurately by using the old manual "fill and divide" routine. You can never be sure how full the tank is each time you fill it (you're at the mercy of, among other things, the ambient temperature, the temperature inside the tank, how full the tank is to begin with, etc.) therefore that methodology is flawed from the beginning (and though useful in its day, it always has been). The computer calculations that the car uses are based on factors other than how much gas is in the tank at any given time, and it matters not whether it is ever "filled". This is hard for some of us to accept (like 10K mile oil and filter change intervals for instance). But time marches on, and some things really are better, easier, and more accurate.
In theory you may be correct but every car that I've owned has always calculated mpgs very optimistically, so even if my calculations are inaccurate, the relationship between regular and super is correct.
Years ago, I would fill up my cars until the fill pipe was full, so I always knew that I had a "full" tank. Now, I try to use the same station and the same pump when I fill up for doing measurements. If the tank is fairly empty when I tank up them the ambient temps have a fairly insignificant impact. The ambient temps also have a negligible affect on the underground storage tanks so in my experience, the manual method of calculation is more accurate for me.
- major issues with vibration at highway speeds (several people here have the same issue)
- transmission that has a mind of its own
- perhaps not an actually issue with the car, but overall, after spending several months with the TLX, I didn't feel like the car is/was worth $42k price tag and something I would actually enjoy long term.
Thank you all for the good info, I am glad that TSX is solid car! We are hoping to enjoy it for many longs years as sadly there isn't anything very appealing at this time in Acura inventory. The new TLX experience had left a very sour taste in my mouth so it will be a while before we consider another new Acura, if ever.
My wife and I leased a new 2011 TSX base, then bought it when the lease was up. We're at about 46,000 miles now, and have had no problems with it, other than a battery which was covered under warranty, and a windshield trim strip which was also covered under warranty. Oh, and for some reason, the phonebook in the HFL keeps wiping itself, so we just stopped loading phone numbers into it. We've kept up with the suggested maintenance...trans flush and refill at 30,000 miles, power steering, brake, and cooling system flush, etc. It's been pretty trouble free, and my wife has had it all over the country when she was working as a travel nurse. I haven't noticed any oil consumption at all, although I have been lax at checking it lately. We've only run premium fuel in it since new, as our Acura dealer told us it was designed to run on 91 octane fuel, and although you could run it on regular in a pinch, he recommended we use premium when available. We like the car so much, it influenced my purchase of a used 2010 MDX for myself.
My wife and I leased a new 2011 TSX base, then bought it when the lease was up. We're at about 46,000 miles now, and have had no problems with it, other than a battery which was covered under warranty, and a windshield trim strip which was also covered under warranty. Oh, and for some reason, the phonebook in the HFL keeps wiping itself, so we just stopped loading phone numbers into it. We've kept up with the suggested maintenance...trans flush and refill at 30,000 miles, power steering, brake, and cooling system flush, etc. It's been pretty trouble free, and my wife has had it all over the country when she was working as a travel nurse. I haven't noticed any oil consumption at all, although I have been lax at checking it lately. We've only run premium fuel in it since new, as our Acura dealer told us it was designed to run on 91 octane fuel, and although you could run it on regular in a pinch, he recommended we use premium when available. We like the car so much, it influenced my purchase of a used 2010 MDX for myself.
Let me put you out of your misery. The TSX has electric power steering - no fluid to swap out.
Sounds like you got all of the service done at Iffy Lube.
Go back (maybe with the cops - that's fraud) and ask them to show you how they flushed the power steering fluid.
But I recommend that you do a blinker fluid flush and fill. Use the high quality KaleCo fluid. For our cars it goes into the power steering fluid reservoir.
Let me put you out of your misery. The TSX has electric power steering - no fluid to swap out.
Sounds like you got all of the service done at Iffy Lube.
Go back (maybe with the cops - that's fraud) and ask them to show you how they flushed the power steering fluid.
But I recommend that you do a blinker fluid flush and fill. Use the high quality KaleCo fluid. For our cars it goes into the power steering fluid reservoir.
Thanks for the warm welcome, ceb. After reading your informative post, I went back and checked my records. By golly, you're right...we DO have electric power steering, and no, I never paid to have it flushed. Never took it to "iffy lube", either...all service has been done at an Acura dealership, either my selling dealer, or at an Acura dealership wherever my wife was located at the time. As I was replying to the OP, I basically just gave him info off the top of my head. You know, all the basics that you normally do. Every other car I've owned has had hydraulic power steering, and has, at one time or another, been flushed and refilled. Please forgive me for mistakenly stating I had some service done that I, in fact, hadn't. I can assure you that I HAVE, in fact, had the transmission flushed and refilled, and the brake system as well.
As for the blinker fluid, no, I haven't had that changed. But the dealership DID lube my muffler bearings, and made sure to change out my diesel spark plugs. At the next service, I will make sure to inquire about the blinker fluid.
Again, thanks for the warm welcome. May I make a suggestion? Perhaps, if you were to pull the stick out of your anus and loosen up a bit, you might come across as a little more sincere and helpful. Just a thought...take it for what it's worth.
Thanks for the warm welcome, ceb. After reading your informative post, I went back and checked my records. By golly, you're right...we DO have electric power steering, and no, I never paid to have it flushed. Never took it to "iffy lube", either...all service has been done at an Acura dealership, either my selling dealer, or at an Acura dealership wherever my wife was located at the time. As I was replying to the OP, I basically just gave him info off the top of my head. You know, all the basics that you normally do. Every other car I've owned has had hydraulic power steering, and has, at one time or another, been flushed and refilled. Please forgive me for mistakenly stating I had some service done that I, in fact, hadn't. I can assure you that I HAVE, in fact, had the transmission flushed and refilled, and the brake system as well.
As for the blinker fluid, no, I haven't had that changed. But the dealership DID lube my muffler bearings, and made sure to change out my diesel spark plugs. At the next service, I will make sure to inquire about the blinker fluid.
Again, thanks for the warm welcome. May I make a suggestion? Perhaps, if you were to pull the stick out of your anus and loosen up a bit, you might come across as a little more sincere and helpful. Just a thought...take it for what it's worth.
Have a nice evening, buddy.
Welcome! Perhaps you overlooked my emoticon which would have given you an indication that there was an issue with your post.
But now that you've mentioned it, in what Acura manual is there a requirement to change tranny fluid and coolant at 30,000 miles for the TSX? For that matter, what services are called for at all at 30k miles?
If you make definitive statements then you'll need to back them up.
Let me help you out again. Aside from the brake fluid flush which is time based, the other services are called for based upon the maintenance minder in the car for normal driving conditions. In effect, the car will tell you what service is required when. There is no set mileage. There are two main categories (A and B). A is a "small" service - oil change while B includes more checks and air and cabin filter changes. Along with those services, you'll find a numeric addition (1 through 5) where 1 is a tire rotation, 3 is the tranny flush and 5 is coolant flush.
Your first service will normally show up at 6500-7500 miles and will be an A1 (oil change and rotation. Your second service (around 15k) will most likely be a B1 service.
You'll need to keep track of the brake fluid flush intervals.
Under severe driving conditions, the first tranny fluid change is called for at 60k miles.
Thanks for the warm welcome, ceb. After reading your informative post, I went back and checked my records. By golly, you're right...we DO have electric power steering, and no, I never paid to have it flushed. Never took it to "iffy lube", either...all service has been done at an Acura dealership, either my selling dealer, or at an Acura dealership wherever my wife was located at the time. As I was replying to the OP, I basically just gave him info off the top of my head. You know, all the basics that you normally do. Every other car I've owned has had hydraulic power steering, and has, at one time or another, been flushed and refilled. Please forgive me for mistakenly stating I had some service done that I, in fact, hadn't. I can assure you that I HAVE, in fact, had the transmission flushed and refilled, and the brake system as well.
As for the blinker fluid, no, I haven't had that changed. But the dealership DID lube my muffler bearings, and made sure to change out my diesel spark plugs. At the next service, I will make sure to inquire about the blinker fluid.
Again, thanks for the warm welcome. May I make a suggestion? Perhaps, if you were to pull the stick out of your anus and loosen up a bit, you might come across as a little more sincere and helpful. Just a thought...take it for what it's worth.
Have a nice evening, buddy.
My sarcasm detector just pegged high from this post...
You're new here, and haven't been exposed to ceb much yet. But if you go back and read most of his prior posts, you'll see that he's just treating you like family. Granted, it's a pretty dysfunctional family, and there are some pretty stupid cousins, but it's sort of family like.
Take it as a compliment / sincere warm welcome in a sense.
Welcome! Perhaps you overlooked my emoticon which would have given you an indication that there was an issue with your post.
Hi again, ceb ol' buddy! No, I didn't overlook your emoticon...that's what prompted me to reply.
But now that you've mentioned it, in what Acura manual is there a requirement to change tranny fluid and coolant at 30,000 miles for the TSX? For that matter, what services are called for at all at 30k miles?
If you make definitive statements then you'll need to back them up.
Uh...I don't think I made any "definitive" statements there, ceb. Don't think I ever said anything about what was in the manual. I think my words were "suggested maintenance"...I never said that Honda/Acura suggested or recommended it. It was suggested by the dealership that I have those things done. It had been three years since we bought the car, and Acura recommends you have the brake service done every three years. Coolant? Simple...I've always flushed and refilled the coolant system every two to three years on every one of my vehicles. Long life coolant, you say? Okay. No problem...I'm still going to do it. Doesn't cost that much, and gives me peace of mind. Transmission? You're correct...Acura doesn't state any particular mileage. But I had a Grand Prix that I bought brand new. I changed the trans fluid every 30,000 miles, and it went 226,800 miles plus and 21 years without ever having a problem. At least, that's how many miles it had on it when I sold it, and last I knew, it's still running fine. Sure, it could be a coincidence...but I'd rather spend 90 bucks now if there's a chance it might save me thousands later on down the road. As for oil changes...well, I've grown lax, and instead of changing it every 2500 miles, it's closer to 4000 miles now...those new synthetic oils are amazing, ain't they? And, of course, we've already covered the power steering issue, and how I wasn't really sitting at my computer and checking my service records, but just trying to recall what all I had done off the top of my flat head. I believe I told the OP what my experience was, based upon what my dealership recommended, and my own prior experience. But you know, I'm a bit slow, being old and all, so I had to go back and read my original post. Yep...I'm pretty sure I was telling him about my own experiences.
Let me help you out again. Aside from the brake fluid flush which is time based, the other services are called for based upon the maintenance minder in the car for normal driving conditions. In effect, the car will tell you what service is required when. There is no set mileage. There are two main categories (A and B). A is a "small" service - oil change while B includes more checks and air and cabin filter changes. Along with those services, you'll find a numeric addition (1 through 5) where 1 is a tire rotation, 3 is the tranny flush and 5 is coolant flush.
Your first service will normally show up at 6500-7500 miles and will be an A1 (oil change and rotation. Your second service (around 15k) will most likely be a B1 service.
You'll need to keep track of the brake fluid flush intervals.
Under severe driving conditions, the first tranny fluid change is called for at 60k miles.
ceb, I'm assuming you have a computer, seeing as how you're posting here and all. Ever have a problem with your computer? Or, for that matter, any electronic item at all? I don't put a lot of faith in computers, and heck, I build and repair them as a hobby. I've seen too many hard drives fail, too many capacitors swell up and fail, motherboards go bad, software bugs creep up, etc. So, I like to do things the old fashioned way...the way I've always done them. I like to call it "The Analog Way". Yep, it could be that I'm wasting my money on maintenance that "isn't required". But you know what? It's my money, and I don't mind spending it if it makes me feel more secure about what I'm driving. So far...and I've been driving for almost 44 years...it's paid off for me. Last I knew, it didn't hurt you in any way, shape, or form, or cost you any money, so how come your panties are all in a wad?
Up until I bought the TSX, I always did all of my own work. I still do on my other cars, but I come from an era of carburetors and points and condensors, so I tend to leave the newfangled technical stuff to those who know it better than I. I'm totally aware of the Maintenance Minder in the car, and what the codes mean...I did learn to read in that little one room country school I went to, and I read the owner's manual. If you want to bet your 30-40-50 thousand dollar investment on a computer and what it tells you to do, by all means, be my guest. In reading on various forums, it seems to me that a LOT of people complain about the electronics in various Acura products. I think I'll just stick to the way I've been doing things all these years...seems to work for me, and that was the point I was trying to make to the OP.
Thanks for your interest in my posts. Nice to know that someone is reading them. I'm honored that you would take precious time away from reading Acura manuals to respond. As before...have a nice evening.
My sarcasm detector just pegged high from this post...
Me? Sarcastic? No...not me!
You're new here, and haven't been exposed to ceb much yet. But if you go back and read most of his prior posts, you'll see that he's just treating you like family. Granted, it's a pretty dysfunctional family, and there are some pretty stupid cousins, but it's sort of family like.
Take it as a compliment / sincere warm welcome in a sense.
Oh, I have no doubt that if ol' ceb and I were to ever meet in person, we'd get along famously! That's the thing about online forums...you might run into someone who seems to be the biggest @sshole, but if you ever meet them in person, usually, they turn out to be completely different, and usually, great people. I'm sure ceb is no exception. I still think he needs to pull the stick out, though.
Bought mine new in 2013, have about 47,xxx miles and haven't had too many issues so far, none that were major at least. From what I recall, here's a list of items that I've had to do outside of regular maintenance:
-Windshield window trip piece, twice, under warranty.
-Locking mechanism was making a whining noise, dealer changed two locking mechanisms on the driver side. Car still makes this sound in cold weather when locking/unlocking.
-Issue with rear suspension, creaking/sounds. Parts were replaced under warranty (can't remember what parts).
Other than these issues, the car has been solid *knock on wood*...I'm enjoying the build quality, the car is relatively free of rattles/squeaks and most of the materials have held up well. Minus the leather seats - The leather in these cars isn't of the greatest quality so I Lexol condition/clean mine every 6-8 months to see if I can keep them in good shape.
Also, the transmission can never really decide what gear to be in, the thing has a mind of its own haha...but I've learned to live with this. Good decision on the car, enjoy it!!
The little plastic tab on the roof by the garage door controls rattle when my volume is at 20+. Not a big deal now since i've gotten used to it but i'll eventually come around to taking it off and adding in some type of foam sheet to stop the rattling.
12-31-2015, 04:33 PM
and got into '13 TSX base. Prior to '15 TLX, we had '07 TSX which we both (my wife and myself) liked 
