After watching the forums for a while, winding up with a few problems myself and seeing the progression of other people pro lems with their new acuras I'm starting to get the 'get rid of it before you have a problem' bug. I contacted the dealer today about general pricing on trading up my car for a tl/awd. I do like the car, drove it once as a loaner. But I know these have some problems as well. So I'm wondering if maybe I should just run for the hills now and buy a nice new Hyundai. ???? The new Jeep Grand Cherokee looks nice too. Hmmmm. Any thoughts?

 

the TL...if you can get pass the look, i heard it performes great. good resale value too.

not too mmuch of a jeep guy, but up to you!

which hyundai are we tlakign baout/ haha sonata? genesis coupe?

 

Honestly, it was between the Genesis Coupe and TSX when I was making my final decision. I loved the speed and overall "track" feeling of the Coupe (2.0T / 3.8T). Btw, if you haven't driven a 3.8 Track you might want to make en effort. Be prepared to hand over your V6 TSX in trade. But in the end I wanted a Honda vehicle for the RELIABILITY and QUALITY. In the end I might not let it go anyway. I still think it's a decent car. But I'm skeptical about its potential. I don't think I can live without HIDs either. I'm simply trying to figure out what kind of backing Acura will have if everyone starts handing their cars back to them. Question really comes down to, bail now? Bail later? Or spend more on another Acura to have the same problems?

All I wanted was a car I didn't ever have to worry about! Thought $30K would at least get me accross that line.

 

Tannis, have you actually *had* any problems with your car? It's easy to think that the TSX is a problematic car from reading these forums, but you also have to be aware that people who are satisfied with their Acura would not sign up on the forum just to say how satisified they are. This is exemplified by the number of 1-post users who come on here just to say what a bad experience they've had with their Acura.

Honestly, if you're thinking of trading in because of what people are saying on a forum, and not because of your own experience, then you should be concerned with your decision making skills, and not your car.

 

"All I wanted was a car I didn't ever have to worry about! Thought $30K would at least get me across that line."

Be sure to come back and let us know when you find a car that never has any problems dude.

 

we owned a 05 honda civic ex-se and own a 05 hyundai elantra gt. They were both bought new. We sold the honda-one annoying problem after another. We still have the Hyundai with almost 100K problem free miles. It is too bad people think if you own a honda it will reliable and the hyundai not. Hyundai has come along way. I would recommend them.

 

i have my 02 civic for 8 years brand new when bought it, not much problems at all lol. (other than cd player is kinda slow, but pretty much it)

as for problems with the tsx, keep in mind not eveyrone and eveyr tsx has all the problems. for mine, its pretty much problem free (base model) no pinging, no blown speakers, no rattles, electroic works fine, so like mroto said, if you personally experienced problems, then a trade in might be a good decision. but if you are just woryr u might experience those problems, i say wait a bit because u might not have any problems at all as well

 

My decision making skills are just fine. but the first time I noticed that my paint would chip if I looked at it wrong is a *BIG* problem. I've had tiny little pieces of gravel take it down to the metal on my hood. There's already a rust issue developing there. And there is no excuse. Paint should stay on a car. Period. Brakes and strut clunking too, just like everyone else seems to be having.

I'm not easily persuaded by outside influence. I think about any decision I make almost to a fault. I spent over one full year reserching cars before I settled on this one. And I understand every manufacturer has its issues regardless of the car. I'm not that naive. But the issues pointed out so far are not small issues to me and put the car on the level of those I wouldn't mind dumping. And for those who've experienced far worse than myself and others you have my sympathy.


All cars have problems, dude. But these are substantial and could get worse. Start thinking about what your car will be costing you in 20k miles. I've already been down that road.



Btw, this question wasn't just for me. This was for anyone that is researching the TSX that might be perusing this site and those that might have wondered the same thing themselves but didn't bother asking it fearing a slam, such as this. Get back to constructive comments. That what the forum is for.

 

I'm in the same situation as you. My only gripe with this car is that popping clicking noise. It took me a year to decide buying this car. Had I known this problem I would've opted for a TL, but now i'm stuck with it just have to deal with or try to get the dealer to fix it. I was reading somewhere even TL owners are experiencing leaks in the sunroof so not every car is perfect. Audi and mercedes would be next on my list but were talking alot more $$. I think the tsx is definitely good value for the money. It could be alot worse, maybe you could see if the dealers able to fix the clunking noise. If it goes away it would i'm sure you would appreciate the car more as I would think thats the only thing short of making this car perfect imo.

 

So...you spent a year researching cars...and you still wound up with a car you supposedly don't like.

"Start thinking about what your car will be costing you in 20k miles"

Well...if it's problems covered by my standard 50K miles warranty...then it shouldn't cost me anything except some lost time taking the car to the dealer.

 

Tannis, i read all posts in this thread, i read few more on the forum, I must tell you that i am a hondafan member in my own country, I can tell you so many thinks about my accord 2.0i (tsx body) and cant tell you 1 think that i dont like at this car, my wish were a 2,4 accord that is the same with acura tsx 2.4 in usa (didnt have 10k euro +), this car u cant eaven think to compare with a Hyundai - as many of us knows "H" is not a "H" on the front grile of your car i dont have to explain to a honda/acura fan the technical diffs between those 2 because honda/acura are more then 2 class over Hy ... i cant eaven write it, in Europe riding that car means u dont have self respect, or simply dont care what car they drive.

This car we chosen to drive is not just a simple car, as many people says i bought this car to take me from point A to point B, this car offers me pleasure to drive, and the image i always looking for.

Simply, this is not just a ordinary car, is a Honda/Acura, it's a spirit of a winer acquaired in many years.

Technical problems with Honda (real problems) i dont know many people and those who hade, or they dont care about the car and drive it like crazy, but still this car can suffer a lot until u manage to brake it.

We all want our care to be the fastest, the strongest and the cheapest ... all this you can mix it in this car.

In my opinion, Honda/Acura is a car that you love from the first sight and dont want to get down from the driver sit not eaven when you are starved.

Many of you after buying the car search faults, all those you found are not minor but insignificant and for that think what you realy can find to other brand...

I drive my Accord EU for 1 year now and my complaines are ø
i love how this care rolls on a great surface of a road and how easy to drive in worst conditions like rain, snow or other dirty roads (because we have many damaged roads here in Romania are only 350km of a HighWay - a USA company hade to build 3k km since 2004 and they didnt till).

This car is simply a part of me!

meantime...

 

Why do you think these issues will cost you a lot more in the future? Do you not use touch up paint on your car? This would prevent rust, just make sure to take your time with the touch up. Get a clear bra before it gets worse ( or make sure you wax your car well, should help prevent chips).

As for the brakes, if your dealer is nice they may fix it for you for nothing. At least for the class action lawsuit, you will get some reimbursement from Acura. I plan on upgrading with good aftermarket brakes anyway when mine wear out.

You dealer should be able to fix your clunking struts within your warranty timeframe (see the TSB's on this), so it should not end up costing you a lot of money.

If you don't agree, good luck on getting rid of your TSX and the next car your purchase. Hopefully, you won't have as many problems. BTW, the price of the car doesn't mean it will be trouble free, my Civic was virtually trouble free for 84,000 miles before I got my TSX.

 

additional info: despite the numerous rock chips my 06 tsx has been problem-free. It now has almost 109,000 miles. Love it. I traded the 05 civic with just under 36,000 miles (warranty almost over) for the tsx.

 

There is no perfect car. No matter the MSRP, you will always have at least a couple things that need to be fixed on any vehicle. Look at many of the more expensive vehicles - MSRP does not necessarily correlate with durability or reliability.

In the end, all you can do is research before you buy and try to make an informed decision. The TSX, and Acura in general, are more reliable than most. But until you actually start having problems with your particular car, I think it's foolish to dump it just because of the "what ifs."

 

Why do you feel that the new car you're going to buy will be trouble free? I just dont see losing money to trade your tsx in when you haven't really had any issues. Do you just not like your tsx, and need some type of justification to get rid of it?

I work for a toyota store and you wouldn't believe how many people traded their camries/etc in for the EXACT same car because they believed that the new accelerator pedals were better/safer. These people took huge hits for a perceived difference, just not worth it to me.

 

Very good points by all who responded. I don't want to offend anyone here. Some seem to be a little offended by the mere thought of getting rid of it, coffeefingers . Maybe I'm a little anxious over a few of my previous experiences. I don't expect every car to be perfect. But I do expect better than what I seem to have gotten. These are issues that could have/should have been dealt with before launch.

At any rate, I'm waiting for the part to come in to fix the clunking issue. Had it ordered when I took it in for my 7,500 maintenance last week.

And for what it's worth, I still love driving this car. I just turn the radio up and the clunking goes away. And yes, I'm considering having it repainted and having the clear bra done. Might see if its possible to do the whole car. Should take care of most of my gripes.


Thanks for the replies.

 

I don't care if you want to dump your car after less than 2 years dude. Your money.

I just laugh that you want to dump it over minor things that can probably get fixed through the warranty.

 

lol your hood is rusting? What the hell have you been driving through? I mean, we all know the clearcoat isn't the best and that Honda's paint quality has gone awry in the past few years, but for your ~1 year old car to be having rust problems is unbelievable. Should have clear bra'd it/made a stink with the dealer when you first noticed.

The problems you speak of are only minor gripes. The CU2 TSX has been relatively problem free. It avoided the transmission issues of the 3rd Gen TL and has provided me with a pleasurable, sublime driving experience that is almost void in the entry-level luxury car class.

 

lol go ahead and trade your car in man...this is the type of people dealerships make money off

 

is it rusting? or simply the paint sufferd from small rocks trowd by the cars in front of you? or probably using a bra that scratched the clearcoat?

I dont use bra coze the material ( sintetic ) scratch the surface and looks ugly, and hell yea the paint (eco one made it from water) is the worst ever on a car. i realy do hate the ideea of beeing a planet savior by using low grade paint, we polute more by fixing it...

And for all of u guys ECO materials are cheaper, thats why they are using it not because they wana save the planet this is only a big fss a comercial campain, and they shouldent chose this side, in my opinion honda it should be in top by the power of they engines not by the eco paint or eco seats and so ... other cheap materials wich dont resist.

i am realy sorry for making my point known but, i already told you guys why i love this car, and because Honda wana get togheter with "Green Peace" doesent make me change it, it s great in other ways that other brands dont eaven think.

meantime...

 

no i agree with you...that whole global warming campaign is a scam, its all about forcing consumers to go green. so they can make the "green (money)". the automobile engines are not causing anything. if it has then why all of sudden its a problem.

hybrids are nice cars, but it seems the government is feeding us this false "global warming" down are throats!

sorry i just had to agree with bastircar on that subject

 

It's always been a scam. Mt. Saint Helens did more in 1981 than we've done in the past 10 years alone.

Wait till they come through with the "Carbon Tax" that Al Gore has been pushing. If that passes you'll have to pay tax on everything that produces carbon dioxide and then where does it stop? Taxing you because you breathe? I'm sure they'll try. And could someone tell me how paying a tax will in anyway help reduce carbon emissions? Exactly. It won't.

 

UPDATE: While having the hyundai elantra serviced last month (100K+miles) we looked at the new cars they had. We ended up trading in the elantra for a 2011 Venetian Red 6MT sonata. Very impressed with it-very well made car-no rattles and the paint seems to be a lot better.

 

I've had my car for 9 months. Already I have had a speaker replaced, a door handle replaced, a DASHBOARD replaced because mine was peeling and I have the rear deck rattle but they refuse to hear or fix it. Does that want to make me sell the car? nahh. I've owned 6 cars in 4 years and this is going on the 2nd longest car I've owned. Maybe it is because I'm scared of how much money I loose or maybe it's because I realize any car is going to have a problem and these are minor + get fixed for free. To top it all off I'm still driving a loaner while my car is at their shop and quite often a more upscale car. I think you need to think things over man.

 

Yes I have thought things over. A lot. If you've seen any of my more recent posts you'd find that not only have I completely done a 180 but I've even gone as far to say that jumping the gun on wishing away a good car like this was not only naive but arrogant. And those two words I've used quite a bit because they sum up everything I was doing. The car is staying.

 

LOL!! You were just convincing me on other tread that TSX is an awsome car and now u want to trade in hmmmmm weird

 

You apparently didn't read the post just above the one you posted. You should read through these things. Also, I'm only human. I'm subject to a change of heart just as much as you. And I offer no claim to "convicing" anyone to do anything. The 'choice' is always YOURS! So was mine if I decided to trade. And I was going to trade UP, so, to say that I was wavering in my commitment to Honda would be a farse.

ps... the TSX is awesome. Just needs a few mods to make it perfect. Like, oh, decent clearcoat!

 

i think you are suffering from the buyer remorse syndrome take 2 pills and trade your tsx for a tl shawd in the morning and you might feel better who knows.

 

LOL! Actually, I REALLY wanted that car. Had one for a loaner when I took my car in for the environmental package and drove it around for a day. I thought about tellin' 'em I'd trade and pay the difference right then but... yeah. It's aight. I'm happy with what I've got overall.