redblooded

Dear 'Ziners,

Quite an impressive forum you have got here! Been a Lexus owner all my life, but am getting tired of the bland driving persona that the Lexus exhibit. Sooooo... planning to pick my very first Acura TL.

Now, I am a bit time pressed and am resorting to your advice as Acura owners - and would be utterly grateful if you could please leave your comments/take on this;

The TL that I am purchasing has 114K [kilometers] aka 70K [miles on it].
The car is a one owner off lease vehicle from Honda Canada. Driven by a middle aged attorney.
Automatic transmission and a non navigation model.
Purchase price is $18K Canadian.
Seller is a reputable Toyota dealership.

Now, the dealer is pushing me to purchase an extended two years or 40K warranty for $1800. This is a bumper to bumper warranty and will be honored by Acura Canada with $100 deductible.

My question to you is; Should I opt for the warranty on a car with these many miles or skip on it?

I am a married man with kids, so don't have a lead foot or won't be driving like a race car driver - I do take care of my cars.

Please, any input you can give I'd be very grateful. I have to make up my decision before Tuesday, Sept. 28th, 2010.

quake97

That seems a bit expensive to me for only two years, but then again you guys up in Canada tend to pay more for stuff.

Joe

sddale

I'm debating about a warranty for the 06 that I just picked up. Although mine has 45kmi and is still covered under the powertrain for 18mo's. Warranties are always nice to have and if you're buying from the dealer it should give you some peace of mind that you'll have recourse if whoever is underwriting it goes under. I'm struggling with it because these cars are pretty reliable and 1800 worth of repairs is quite a bit however we do have tranny issues so it's a gamble. I have a couple of months to decide if I'm going to buy the warranty but I'm leaning against it. I'll try to do keep up with the service on the tranny as well as the sensors and hope that it keeps running.

Maybe you could negotiate a better deal on the warranty with the dealership so it makes it worth it...there has to be some room to make it work.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

The term Bumper to Bumper is used quite often, but in reality if it anything like the Acura Car Care warranty, it is far from BTB. I purchased the Acura extended warranty, have Nav, but it was only $850, 7/100 from original in service date. I feel that $1800 (2/40) is a bit steep, maybe around $800/1000 and I might give it some consideration.

pohljm

get one with navigation, you wont be happy without all the features it provides

TLDude876

iTrader: (7)

I would opt out for that price. Use that money and change all your fluids and you should be set.

VQPower37

your buying a honda product, if it were me i would just save that money and use it incase something breaks which is unlikely

redblooded

Thank you much for the replies so far. I guess what I am confused at is; whether the $1800 is a worthy investment if these 2006 TL's are prone to problems or?

Is the transmission still an issue in '06 TLs?

Car looks fine mechanically and is being sold by Toyota. So I am a bit confident that I won't be sold a lemon or a problematic vehicle.

One thing worth noting though is; when I test drove the TL, during idling if I pushed the accelerator it seemed as if the engine cut-off at 5500 rpm. Is that how these TL's should be? [The rpm would go all the way up to 5500, there'll be a click, rpm would go down and back up... makes sense? ]

The salesperson said that its an 'engine cut off' and TL's have it. There is no maintenance or engine light on, everything else seems to be fine on the car.

Hmm...

redblooded

To add further :-
The car doesn't stall or the engine doesn't plateau.

In my laymen terms;

1) Car idling.

2) Normal RPM, normal temperature.

3) While idling, pressing the accelerator the RPMs start going up [obviously].

4) But at 5500 marker, there is a click or as if when the transmission shifts, the RPM dips to around 5000, 4500RPM and everything resumes as normal again.

Now this sales person called it "engine cut off" "cut out".

You experts tell me if thats something that is a problem in the making or its normal?

Many thanks.

pttl

I Have an 06 TL. I've never sat in the car and just reved the engine to 5500 RPM. So, I can't speak to that.

I have had no problems with my car. I have 81.5K miles on it, and i would have no problem selling it knowing it will run fine for another 80K. Just maintain it and you will be fine.
If you are concerned about the RPM thing, take the car to an Acura dealer and have them check it. The Toyota dealer shouldn't have a problem with that.
Are service records available on the car? If they seem in order...enjoy the car.

upnout

iTrader: (6)

I purchased my 06 TL W/navi in April of 08 for 18500 with 70K, the seller (a dealer) put new rotors and pads (front & back) and new tires. In don't know if thing are more expensive in Canada, but that seems high to be over four yrs old with that many miles. I got a two yr warranty and canceled it after one month. I got the warranty where you put some money down and pay monthly. I agree with turbonut, $1800. for a 2yr/40K warranty is too much! I told the person trying to sell me the warranty no so many time that he knocked the price down to almost half of what he started from, I believe the starting price on a warranty has wiggle room. If you do decide to get the warranty, check the fine print for head gasket. I know someone who had a warranty on a Honda and the H/gasket blew and his fine print said it was not covered. knock on wood, but I haven't heard of any tranny problems with the 06 TL. I have 102K w/out any problems. JUST JUMP ON THE DIY'S to keep it running.
I have not tried to push the RPM's pass 5500 to see what happens. I will try it in the next week.

TLDude876

iTrader: (7)

OP, if it makes you feel better I bought my car from a reputable Toyota dealership as well. I initially purchase a warranty for $1500 and I cancelled after two weeks. My major fear was the trans and then I found this site and did the pressure switches and 3X3 flush. I am switching over to Redline ATF in a few weeks.

ChampionFiyah

Redblooded don't get too hung up on navi. The car isn't too bad without navi.

Eric Perry

I just bought an '06 with 40k on the clock. I opted out of the extended warranty. I've heard far too many stories of claims not being honored by these companies.

Also, I'd hold off for one with nav (personally).

redblooded

Thank you for all the input folks. Much appreciated.

Sigh, you guys are hardcore - adding another element to my already confused state of mind regarding this car!
"NAVIIIIII"!!!

Can't be too bad, or half the TL it could be without Navi... or is it?

So the verdict is; engine revving at 5500 and that click is normal and I should opt out of the warranty.
If it matters, the warranty provider is FCPP [First Canadian Protection Plan].

See... to me, no other opinion matters more than that of the owners of TL. I am very grateful for all the assistance thus far.

Eric Perry

The nav adds so many cool features... I think it's worth holding out for, personally. I searched for a few months before I found exacty what I want and I'm glad I did!

sddale

Navi is really nice to have but was not a 100% must have for me. If the car has everything else you want then go for it.

redblooded

For the love of god, people out there on different bulletin boards make this Acura seem like a POS of a car!

I have been searching on google and doing research non stop on an Acura TL. And it seems like the most prevalent of issues are the transmission, the paint job [delamination, peeling, fading, etc...], and an overall bad experience owning an Acura.

One site in particular www.carsurvey.com/reviews/acura/tl
really does make this car look like a very degraded product.

You AcuraZiners have been a bit of a comfort zone. I take delivery tomorrow, and still have to time to instead pick the Lexus ES330 from the same dealer.

TheRide

From a fellow Torontonian to another, I say don't buy the extended warranty. I was also given the option from the Mitsu dealer and I declined it. Bought my 06 TL with 113K KM (~70K MI) Haven't looked back since.

erdoc48

Mine's an 06 with just under 60K on it- it's been a perfect car- don't waste $$$ on the warranty.

ParaSurfer1979

I say buy the warranty IF... you cant afford a big fix if one arises. That's why I got the extended warranty. I can't afford the extra money if a big repair arises and there i am making a monthly payment on a car that wont run...lol. Keep in mind folks that not many can just opt out of a warranty because they can just pull out plastic to cover the charges. I think of an extended warranty as health insurance for my car.

tlfreek

warranty.

hmm.... 1800 is high. you can talk them down I got four years for 1500 US. so price is definatley negotiable. TLs are gadget happy cars - I would (and did) buy the coverage just for that reason. the engine is bullet proof and the car is as well, but things break. You'll have added piece of mind if you do go this route.

Also this is the first time in my life that i ever bought the warranty on anything.....

pohljm

i bought my 06 new and added the factory extended warranty just because of all the high technology electronics. I have 4 years and 65k on the car now and it has never been to the dealer for anything other than recalls. absolutely no problems. could have saved money on the warranty at this point, but have 40k more warranty so we will see.

car has built in rev limiter if your in neutral, thats what your experiencing.

nav was not necessary for me either, but the car is not complete without it and it is worth the premium just for resale alone.

Dave_W

redblooded- I have an 04 TL non-navi with 89k miles and I bought the Acura care warranty just before my factory warranty expired back in 2007. I've only put about 40k miles on my car since 2007, but haven't had a single problem that would necessitate the extended warranty. I feel that I wasted $1500 of my money when I was driving a honda product. I'm still driving that car today and am very happy with it. I plan to keep it till it dies which wont be anytime soon. AS far as the engine clicking, it rev limits at 5000 rpm in park. The tach will bounce off of 5000 rpm if you try to rev it that hi in park, though I don't recommend that. Rev limit is approx. 7000 rpm in gear. I've never heard my engine click though. As for the transmission. I worked in the service department at an acura dealer for 2 years and saw maybe 2 or 3 3G TL's in for trans replacement the whole time I was there, because the customers complained that they werent shifting smooth enough. DO the drain and fills of the trans fluid regular on the car. I'd recommend replacement of the 3rd and 4th pressure switches once a year along with the trans filter and that transmission should last a long time. I've done this with my trans which is original by the way and have had no problems at all. Good luck with the car and I hope this info helps you out.

redblooded

Quite a huge help from all of you who contributed. Thank you, thank you, thank you some more...
@Dave_W: Thank you for addressing ALL my queries and the assurance. Always tremendous help hearing from service advisors.

Here is an Engine bay picture... tons of dust/dirt on it, but the dealer assured its normal. Everything else considering normal and the support from this forum, I think I should pass on that warranty.

Engine looks ok to you folks for an '06 TL?

upnout

iTrader: (6)

That's normal engine dust, if you don't clean it! most of use keep them clean. I thought a dealer would clean it to give the impression of a well maintained car, they sell faster.
I heard the 2G TL had tranny problems.

sddale

It's good that the engine doesn't look like it's been cleaned because that will give you an opportunity to look for any leaks or clean areas that might have been worked on recently.

Chad05TL

Ya it does look pretty dirty. I seldom clean under my hood, and it doesn't look that dirty. I park outside all day, but in the evening I have a garage. Basically it just looks like the dealer has not done anything to it. My car was dirty like that when I got mine too though.

This is my first TL, and in retrospect, I wish I had bought an 07 or 08 because its more finely tuned. I was just trying to get off cheaper, but I didnt know all the differences. I have navigation but for some reason no backup camera. I think they only came on the 07+. So you have to decide now if you want a reverse camera or not. Also, the 07 & 08's got a newer version of the navigation. Its liek the difference between windows 98 and and Windows7. 2D vs. 3D. Meaning, there is more color so they provide better shading on the virtual buttons to make it look more 3D. And you cant just change the disc. You need the newer DVD player because its double layer vs. single layer(presumably). Fog lights are mounted on the 07 and 08's down low and they feature daytime running lights.. the 04 and 05 has fog lights up higher and no DRL.

The instrumentation cluster was updated on the 07/08 and some other issues were solved like a rattling subwoofer.. arg.. I think there are also a few recalls (they fix for free) for the 06(like my 05). Like power steering hose and something else.

The transmissions in the 07 and 08's have a few different modifications for better performance too, based on what I have read from this webpage. Like redesign pressure sensors or something like that. These transmissions shift weird at times. Some guys have had failures. But I think mainly its more on the 04-06 models. Maybe its just because they are older already? Or maybe they nailed the gas pedal too much? I dont know but my car just shifts extremely hard in 3rd gear. But sometimes its normal. Its so weird. Not sure why. Too many electronics not tuned properly? Sometimes I think the old 350 Turbo is still the way to go. haha But those dont fit on a FWD vehicle very well.

The camera and other things can be modified on your 06 but its a lot of work and a lot of reading.. so how much time you got?

Btw, the 04-08s do have a lot of great technology though. Like handsfree, bluetooth, navi and fully adjustible seat.. 2 driver memory (if you have a wife).. and great looks.. So, I like this car.. but it would be better to go 07 or 08 In My Opinon.. even if it cost you $4k extra. and you'll get fewer miles too. or you should anyway

d0000h

@Chad05TL, thanks for your comments. I am shopping for a TL in Canada and came here to read more about the differences btwn 06 and 07.

Any more comments from anyone else? Professional reviews don't talk about much at all. I have read from people that the 07 is somewhat quieter than the 06? Anything to add to Chad's comments? Thanks in advance.

Chad05TL

I also agree with others on here about the warranty. In my opinion its too high for only 2 years. I'd rather save the 1800 and take a slim chance on spending 2k later incase the transmission fails. But that's a long shot to say that it might fail. If it shifts fine, then I would assume the transmission is ok, but I would change the fluid though. I think. I changed mine already but I have 56k miles on it.

Most warranties dont cover wear and tare items so you might as well forget about brake pads and stuff like that on the warranty. And in my experience, dealers always try to deny warranty claims so why buy it? Oh they are friendly and telling you how much it covers when they are selling it to you, but then later, the blame game happens.. And they try to put fault on you. So its a roll of the dice even if you have the warranty. And for only 2 years? Thats like paying for the accident in advance... Why don't you just wait and see if it happens.. And if it does, then pay. And if it doesn't, then you just kept your money. Thats like the whole theory behind buying a 5 year battery vs. a 2 year battery. If the cranking amps are the same between both batteries, the only difference is in one, you are buying an extended warranty. And the other you don't. On one, you pay for 2 years and if it fails you return it and they prorate it. On the other, you pay more for 5 yrs worth of warranty and if it fails, you return it and they prorate it. Same thing. My issue is that I tend to keep a car no longer than 3 years. So, why buy too much battery? And actually, I think the cells are nearly the same anyway. Because I've had a 5yr battery fail in 2 years. So if they are the same, then why do they sell 5 yr batteries? Becuse you may not come back. And even if you do come back, they have more of your money while you are using it. So all you are really getting is just a warranty and nothing else. But I say, why buy it if the battery is going to fail anyway? Its like letting the government take out more tax than they need. They get to use your money for free until you get it back at the end of the year. Likewise, 1,800 for a warranty for 2 years, and one that you most likely don't need, is a lot and I'd rather just pay for it straight out if it fails. Rememebr these people are in business to make money. They have already done the math bud. They make nothing if that transmission fails. Thats why they have only a 2 year warranty on it. They know the odds and they are playing it. They see all the figures. They know when the average transmission goes out on the Acura TL. Its like a stock market. They are waging a bet against your transmission. they think within 2 years, nothing will happen, but beyond that, it may go out. thats why they are willing to risk taking your 1,800 in exchange for coverage.. heck 1,800 will nearly pay for it. So what are they risking? not much. They are out in 2 years and you already gave them 1,800 bux. So maybe they are risking 200 or 300 to make 1,800 and they have the numbers in their favor because they have the statistics. I say risking 200 - 300 because i'm just guessing it cost about 2200 or so to replace a totally bad transmission but you are giving them 1,800 in advance. And how many people win in the stock market without some inside supporting data? not many. haha

Chad05TL

I've never even heard of a 2 year warranty.. you can tell they've got it narrowed down. haha People are kniving out there, and evil. You gotta be smarter than them through analysis and discernment, and inspiration from above.

Eric Perry

I've only had my TL for a few weeks now, but it's been a great car. I've owned two Lexuses (Lexi? ) in the past, and both were very problematic for me, from transmission issues, elictrical problems, concerns of oil gelling, suspension problems, etc. I had an ES300 and and RX300. I will never again buy another Toyota product. I know I'm in the vast minority, and that's fine.

This is more of a personal preference, and certainly not an overall downfall, but the Lexus was too luxury for me. It felt too detached from the world. People complain about road noise, etc. in the TL. to ME, the TL rides and drives perfectly. It has a sport demeanor, shrouded in luxury. I feel and hear the road I'm driving on. I want to. The steering is quick and nimble, not cushy and insulated. When I romp on it, I hear it and feel it. Again, to ME it's perfect. Some people prefer the Lexus isolation, and that's cool. I just think it's unfair to slander another car (Acura or whatever) because it wasn't made to directly rival another manufacturer.

redblooded

Thank you for the valuable input yet again... truly thankful to this forum and the members. Eased ton of my worries and ironed out quite a few issues which no one has been able to.

Due to all your support, I have decided against the warranty and am quite excited to try out the Acura. Long devoted member to the Lexus family, but I guess its time now to 'feel the road' and not roam around in an isolation chamber!

Btw, any of you TL owners have any paint problems? Heard a few horror stories of poor quality TL paint job, to the point where it dulls, delaminates, peels off, rusts... etc.

Burnricers

It's normal for the engine to have the revs limited around 5500 in park or neutral, but if you're driving it with the gas pushed all the way down it should go nearly all the way up to redline. Sorry if that's been answered already, I read most of the posts but not all.

Congrats on your purchase, i've had mine for about a year and a half and love it. My car was a certified pre-owned so it came with the certified 100k mile warranty and I used it 3 times. However, it was always for minor things(power lock motor, and power window actuators).

blkaspec

Congrats, 06 non-navi ftw!!!!

Its a great car and you shouldn't be disappointed. Paint chips easily and is often mismatched with the bumpers on some of the lighter colors. Cant compare with other newer paints, but it doesnt compare to the awesome lead paints of the past.


Get her home, clean her up, and post some more pics

pttl

No paint issues for me.....ther than rock chips but that's not the car's fault.

upnout

iTrader: (6)

I have not had any paint assues, I look at other 3G TL's on the road and while they are parked. I have not seen one with the paint peeling!! I've seen other cars with the paint peeling off the roof and the hood. not the 3G TL as of yet!!!
Has anyone seen a 3G tl with peeling paint? I'm not talking about a wrecked one that was repainted. Original paint.

LoveMyTL-S

It's a non-navi model.

The TL is known to have thin paint and so it chips easily. Other than that, it's fine. Make sure to give it a good wash and wax.

redblooded

hmm, thin paint huh?

there were a few spots on the hood needing touching, as well under the trunk on the corners with paint chips, dealer is fixing those... making me doubt the paint quality so far.

redblooded

2006 Black Acura TL in the house!!!

Thank you everyone for your input and help every step of the way, couldn't have done without you folks.

Many many manyyyyyyy thanks to all who contributed in this thread.

I'll post pictures of the car soon.