Ok I have a 04 auto with 110k on it my list of repairs is
starter
head gaskets
Tail light led board
Water pump, timing belt
I think ive been somewhat lucky bought it with 30k on it. What are some of the repairs y'all have had to make so far?

 

LED boards can go out and it's good to get the TB and water pump done, but why head gaskets- do you have white exhaust smoke or coolant mixed with the oil?

 

No I meant what have other people had to fix on their cars so far. I blew the head gasket at 94000. No smoke but coolant in the oil and kept running hot

 

Thats about time things need to be replaced. after all of this you'll be good for another 100 thousand miles.

 

I've done nothing but preventive maintenance on my 04 TL with just under 120,000 kms!

new brake pads (still original rotors)
new tires
new air filter
new cabin air filter
new wipers
trans fluid change
brake fluid change
oil changes

Nothing else.

Not a thing has ever failed on my car yet. I thought my torque converter was about to go because I started hearing a scraping sound when in D but then the sound went away and hasn't come back (I'm not even sure it was the transmission). I expect to sell this car in about 2 years when it'll have about 150,000 kms and I don't expect it to need anything further for as long as I own it except oil changes and maybe another air filter and brake fluid change in a few months.

 

Bought my car at around 95K on the odometer. Yesterday I hit 111K and my car has been good to me so far ( in terms of nothing major has happened ::knock on wood:: )

A month ago the door actuator started malfunctioning and the inside door handle cable snapped. I have the parts in hand but my tools are at back at home (I'm in school now). So for a month I've been opening my door by rolling the windows down and pulling on the outside handle. It's pretty embarrassing but it's not a huge deal.

Other small things such as certain interior LEDs are out and a little rattling in the rear speakers. Nothing major thus far though.

 

Have you done the 105k service?

 

I bought mine with 73k and I'm at 101k now. Just dropped it off for the 105k service. Problems I've had so far:

-Water leaking under the rear seats
-Over half of my dash lights are out (mostly the buttons around the navigation)
-Brakes feel really soft (getting the system flushed, but I don't know if that will fix it)

Nothing major really and I've taken this car across the country. I'm worried the clutch won't last much longer though.

 

Clutches typically go from being improperly driven.

And are you using the GM fluid in the tranny?
.
.

 

^^^^ x2. ArthurL, has a "4" shown up on the MID yet?

 

My clutch lasted until 195,000 miles. If they aren't abused they have pretty good life on them.

 

Head gaskets is a un common issue... really your the first person i have heard of to have that happen to!

 

my tl have 110k miles on it, and so far im experiencing some weird startup issues.

just the other day, my car made this heavy scratch noise when starting up the car.

on occasion....my car doesnt seem to want to start up right away like as if its low on gas or something (the tank is always a quarter full)

seems like when my car start...it would make a loud combustion noise....weird.

(i changed the sparkplugs with ngk iridium a few months ago -- i did it myself...im wondering if i torqued the plugs too tight such that the plug is deeper in the engine then it should? -- i would hand tight the plugs and then turn the ratchet 1/4 of a turn to tighten it)

 

There is no such think as one plug being "deeper" then the other. It will break the threads off the plug before that happened. As for the noise, maybe upload a video of it so we can hear what is going on.

 

Im at 63k and I haven't done anything other then maintenance items. I just ordered new hood struts since mine are starting to give out. Other then that, this car is pretty solid. knock on wood

 

Yea comptechtl that's what the dealership said about the head gaskets. The thermo stuck only once and it ran hot only once. Fixed the thermo and it still boiled over in the over flow tank so I took it back that's when they told me it was the gasket. They told me 3000 to fix it so I left. Did it my self for 1500 and thats with a race shop making the heads better.

 

Gaskets really didn't look that bad. But when I was removing the front head I noticed that two of the 8 head bolts where just sitting in the hole. When I pulled them out all the threads from the block where on the bolts. So I put timecerts in and had no problems since then that was 15k ago

 

From what you describe, the noise and hard starting I would be worried about a loose plug.

 

I bought it with 73k miles (one owner) so I don't know how it was driven before. What concerns me is if I bring it up to higher RPMs and shift semi quickly, the clutch feels very stiff afterwards and slowly goes away. Also, the engagement doesn't feel consistent all the time starting off in first gear. I'm guessing that's just mostly due to the delay valve but sometimes it feels like it's just not grabbing like it should. I use Honda MTF for the transmission.

 

I would be pissed if my head gasket went out. That should not be something routine.

 

It's somewhat normal for the clutch to get a little stiffer at high rpms due to the centrifugal force resisting motion. But it should be hard to notice. You may want to look at the hydraulics.

 

I agree but he said the thermostat stuck and overheated the engine. Too bad a little $15 part can cost you $3,000 worth of engine damage.

 

Yeah, it's not that the clutch gets stiffer only at higher RPMs, it's after a hard run to higher RPMs and fairly aggressive shifting. The clutch will have about double the resistance (very noticeable) at all RPMs afterwards but it slowly goes away. The engagement point seems to also be much lower.

I've researched the problem on these forums and other people have the same issue. I have also read some folks that had this symptom replaced their clutch and it went away, so I'm not sure if it's a sign of the clutch on its way out.

 

Eluzion, what you describe is what I was experiencing.
I changed my clutch and all is well.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/take-look-slightly-abused-clutch-797628/

 

Yeah I saw your thread. I'm suspecting my clutch is slowly on its way out as well. I'm just too broke at the moment to get the clutch replaced. The dealers charge an arm and a leg for a clutch replacement so I think I'm going to go the route you did and find a local shop. Problem is, I have a hard time trusting shops with my car... so I gotta do some research and find a reputable one. Hopefully it will last me at least another 4-5 months though...