a_bu_lo

After having my 04TL for a year with nav.
Here's how I feel about it....
1. There shall be auto sensor for the light.
2. Rattles everywhere.
3. Cheap leather.
4. Engine is so hard to start.
5. Windows scratch.
6. Not many distinctions between acura and honda, especially dealer's attitudes.
Overall:
Acura is a good, valuable car.
But it's not a luxury one
The higher the price, the better the quality

Also have anyone notice after you release your seatbelt, it will just bounce right back and rub against the side?
And when it's raining, if you open your trunk directly, the rain will pour in from the top of the trunk, down to the rear window, then INTO THE TRUNK.

markdesign

my friend drives a 2003 bmw M3

more rattles then the acura because of the stiffer shocks.

if you don't like the rattles, probably best to go for a less sporty and more luxury.



~mark

bulacura

every car rattles! don't people get that? leather is leather! meaning it wrinkles and takes the shape of whatever is rubbing against it. like leather shoes! eventually it stretches out. so if you got a big azzz, then expect azzz prints on your leather seats.

WdnUlik2no

No rattles in my 05TL. I have noticed the engine does seem to take a split second longer to start than my other car did at the same age. But nothing I'm really concerned about. my leather is fine, but I have heard that the leather in the 04 TL's are more susceptible to butt prints.

srhewes

a_bu_lo

Why does it seem everyone likes to complain about their TL? I'm assuming you read these threads before making your purchase and that in your opinion the TL was the best value out there (I certainly did). Did you expect to find the perfect car for $35,000? I'm not sure you'll find the perfect car for $235,000... In response to "how I feel about it..."

1. the rear view mirror has an auto sensor (if this is what you're talking about).
2. if you got rattles that bug you, take your car in to the dealer.
3. find a car with cloth seats next time or keep your leather looking good with cleaners and
protectants.
4. my engine seems to start just fine -- the fuel injectors will take a sec to get going and
that is probably why you think it is "hard to start."
5. replace your windows or talk with your dealer. Let me know when you find a car whose
windows do not scratch.
6. i guess that depends on the relationship you have with your dealer, starting with the
sales person. You need to work with them ,not against them and they should take
care of you.

Overall -- yes the Acura is a good, valuable car (just go drive another car and see). If you wanted a "luxury" car, then the TL is not your vehicle. It's classified as "near-luxury" and priced accordingly. If you think the higher the price the better the quality, then trade in for the RL.

jime

After 20, 500 miles on my 04 TL, 60K on my 98 RL, 145K on my 95 Legend Coupe (sold in 03) and 115K on my 90 Integra GS (sold in 96), this is how I feel about:

My TL:
1. There should be an auto sensor for the headlights
2. No Rattles anywhere, not even one (lucky?)
3. Leather is great – but it needed a lot of conditioner as it was dry at first
4. Only real complaint is the turn signal clicker is too quiet
5. Fantastic, fun vehicle. I love my 6 MT.

Acura:
1. After owning 4 Acuras I can state for sure that Acura is a “luxury” car line. When I dive my mother’s & daughters Accords I know that my TL is a luxury car. When I drive my RL, I know that Acura is a luxury car. My 95 6-speed Legend coupe was the best car I ever owned and was definitely a luxury car. I have been driving for 40 years and have owned lots of cars, I know the difference.
2. No significant problems in 340,000 miles of Acura driving. All my Acuras always started easily and ran great.
3. I had a rattle in a rear window in the RL once, but the dealer fixed it the first time. No other rattles in any of my Acuras.

It is obvious to me that the people who put stuff on the web are the “exception” people who are having problems. Why bother to write if you are having no problems with your vehicle.

CJB

If it bothers you that much, you have a choice..............sell it!

ndx2

WOW! i better copy and save this quote... i never knew this.

nikko

My previous cars (Audi A4 and BMW 325) never rattled...so there are plenty of cars out there that don't rattle

gsrthomas

My moms 2002 Toyota Highlander V6 with 65k miles on it doesnt rattle.

oppnyc

1.Agree
2.Agree
3.Agree
4.Not in my car
5.somewhat agree

But it's not a luxury one -Agree
And when it's raining, if you open your trunk directly, the rain will pour in from the top of the trunk, down to the rear window, then INTO THE TRUNK.

Yes, I have same...

next time I will go with MB or Lexus...

ndx2

ah... so many malcontents... better luck with your next car.

NFLblitze1

just so people know....there are reasons for everything, Acura would not be able to make everything standard in the TL unless it cut back on these small costs. aswell as take precautions

1) there was a thread that talked about the auto headlight issue, as it might be a nice feature, with our new HID's, having auto headlights would lessn the life of the bulbs causing them to fade faster, this i believe is a way honda took a precaution in legnthening the life of the HID's.

2) Rattles, yes....every car has rattles, maybe not as many as the TL, but it can be easily fixed by the dealership, and if they don't fix it, because ive been fooled a few times. then take it to another dealer. as for me being fooled, i took my car in to fix the rattles, because i told them i had a rear deck rattle, they just turned down the bass on headunit (i didn't notice until a week later), i turned the bass back up, and it was still rattling, so yes some dealers might take the easy way out but you learn from ur experiences.

3) The Cheap Leather, its not cheap, its pleated, and thats how its suppose to look, aswell as the butt prints, they are there because thats what leather will do in nearly every car, Acura took the extra step for the 2nd year model and took a way to fix this, thats why people say never to buy the first year model because they will work out the bugs in the 2nd year. and as it was said before, you can easily preserve the life of ur leather by conditioning and protectant.

4) i don't know too much about engines, but ive noticed the hardstart, it dosn't affect me, sometimes ive had a failed start, but i do know a bit about engines and yes it does take a bit for the fuel injection to get going, so that is possible reasoning

5) Windows scratching, i havn't come across this yet, and hope to never come across it, but as ur car gets older, so do the parts and so does the quality and its stamina to keep going as the car u bought the first day u drove it off the lot.

6) Exterior wise, everyone has their opinions, but it is similair to the accord in some aspects but, interior wise, the TL kicks the accords ass in almost every aspect. THe exterior of the TL is beautiful and i think it catches the eye of everyone that you drive by, especially if you have the body kit which makes it lookg gorgeous, but to each his own with the preference. you could say that also about Toyota and lexus, even though lexus does a good job seperating Toyota from Lexus, there are still similarities.

7) As for the service from acura....EVERY DEALERSHIP IS DIFFERENT, you have award winning dealerships and the shittiest dealerships you can imagine, but thats why warrantys apply at every dealership. And if you are unhappy, then you can go to a different one, if there are none in ur area, you could always make a trip every so often. Not every Lexus dealership is great, there are the good ones and the shitty ones.

as for the the seatbelts, ive noticed that but it dosn't bother me, sometimes it hits the window, but its not a big deal.

the one thing that i AGREE WITH YOU AND COMPLETELY SUPPORT YOU ON...is the water getting in the trunk, i keep all my backpacks and binders for school in the trunk and i can't tell u how much it pisses me off that water gets into the trunk when its raining because the it funnels right into the trunk.

to conclude, i think the TL is one of the best values for a car ON THE MARKET, thats why there are so many of them. it is a 35k car, and you basically get what you pay for and more, i love the TL and its a great car. i intend to drive it till the wheels fall off :-).

caball88

sorry to hear you have been having problems with the car. if i were you i would just sell it. the longer you wait the more value is going to depreciate and the more you will keep complaining about it. look for something else that you might be happy with and then just take the hit and sell it.

6mtV6

The Maxima I had never had any rattles. My uncle's 04 Altima doesn't have any rattles also.

I agree that leather wrinkles. It's the characteristic of leather.

eal15

as for the hard to start thing, acura tells you in the manual (the little quick reference guide) to hold the ignition key in the on position as the car will actaully wait to start until the exhaust catylist is not giving off much emissions!

oppnyc

My old maxima (1995) had NONE ( NONE, NONE, NONE) rattles.
Acura does have a lot...It is a fact.

Dkrudop

Had my TL for 16 months now........not ONE rattle, I say unto you.

As for auto-headlights....are we REALLY that lazy that we can't just flip a little switch?? What IS the big deal?

Leather seats require care and treatment.......and often it's the LOWER class leather that resists wrinkling.

As for the trunk......I have no problem with rain coming in the trunk......has it been monsoon time there??

My engine starts right up with no problem.

I repeat a question I've asked before in here.......I wonder if the way people treat their cars might just have some effect on the way they age???

wheelsetc

Sorry you got a lemon. I love mine. 5000 miles and zero problems.

a_bu_lo

Sorry guys, didn't mean to offend the TL Hey! I am one of the TL fan here man, just some opinions
I still like it since it was "BIG" and "CHEAP".
And I CAN'T sell the car, I am only 19, and parents bought me the car
They'll be upset with me if I do it so.

geezer31

Before I bought a TL, I had 6 Toyotas (not all at once). Not one of the Toyotas rattled. I now have an '05 TL with over 16,000 miles on it. It also has no rattles. Dear Abby, have I had excellent cars or do I need hearing aids?

Actuary

I've driven 05TL for about two weeks and I have only couple of complaints.

1. Leather is aging fast - I am going to try every agent I can find.
2. I have one rattle near rear window when I crank up radio volume.
3. Engine knocked once starting the car today. It could be because I wasn't holding key at "start" position long enough or 87 octane gas I'm using

Those are all minor problems and I'm overall 10 out of 10 happy with purchase.
(Remember it's always easy to find problems with your car than finding good things about your car)

plastikman

You guys should all get bicycles, they have less rattles, and if you get one you can fix it yourself !

:gheywave:

Lokius

i like the tl, it could be better, but it is so much better than everything else in its class back when i bought it in late 03, i dont know if that is true now, but i still think it was a great purchase...

crazymjb

87 Octane?? I'm sorry man but you gotta splurge and go with the recomended 93. If you put 87 in an 11:1 engine you are gonna kill it(over time). You are guaranteeing knocks which cause more vibration and lead to rattles and the destruction of the engine. I just asked my auto teacher. The reason you hear knocking is there is detonation while the cylinder is on top dead center. Your cylinder is being pushed down by the detonation while the intertia and other detonations in other cylinders is pushing it up. Basically its rocking back and forth and you are hearing it slaming atgains the inside of the block. I am writing this in my auto class so I have a mechanics varification that that is what is the problem.

jdone

Automatic headlights will not burn out the "bulb" cause there ain't one-no filament-just electrons making Xenon gas glow. I had a y2k TL for over four years and i never turned the lights off. After four years and one month they looked as good as new.

My Lexus has automatic self-leveling bi-xenons and the manual mentions no loss of life issues.

Adam9997

My 03 Expedition doesn't rattle, however my TL does

Adobeman

Everything has a life so if it is on, then it is using up it's life. Yes HID life is high but still finite. Some things particularly "hate" being cycled on and off. HIDs are "struck" much like the bulbs in LCD/DLP projectors you may know of. Notice how the TL's lights "pop" on and then stabilize.

I'm certainly very happy that my TL doesn't strike the bulbs every morning when I start up in my garage. It's just not necessary. Even though the above reference is mainly talking about re-striking when the lamp is already hot, unnecessary striking is just not advised. I cringe every time my old-man's ES330 "pops and levels" in his garage only to be turned off as he backs out !

Actuary

I never flash at anyone in daytime since I got TL. I'm afraid bulb life will decrease significantly. In night, it doesnt matter cuz flipping to highbeam is done thru solenoid(I heard)

Adobeman

Yup. Solenoid contolled shutters I'm told. You can hear them "clack" when you switch between lows/highs. They just change how the reflector works, not the brightness of the bulb. Although it really doesn't matter I do think it is pretty neat how they switch to and from hi-beams is instantanious.

sufall96

My sister-in-law has a 05 Lexus ES330 and I drove it 3 weeks ago. I discovered a few rattles over ruff and bumpy surface, NO NOT LEXUS! No new car will rattle on a perfectly smooth surface. How do you guys explain this. When someone earlier made the statement that every car has rattles, I don't think they meant every single car on the road has rattles but probally every car maker and every model has had or have some rattles. Some Mecedes E Class may have them some may not, some BMW 7 Series may have them some may not, some Acura RL's may have them, some may not ect. You get the point.

crazymjb

Actuary, I hope you read my last post. If your engine is knocking you are gonna shave quite a few years off the life. I urge you to go to 93 octane. You really should not run anything lower then that on a car with 11:1. If you keep it up expect to start loosing Oil, you are gonna kill the rings. If the car manages to adjust to your 87 octane gas, youre engine would probably be putting out about 200 Max at the crank(thats just an estimate). You will find that using 93 will cost less then replacing rings, and possibly pistons and the block.

Bob In Miami

Rattles in a car really bug me! My '05 had a few, however all were addressed and fixed at the first oil change. Sometimes I think the suspension is too stiff, but that is my problem, not the cars. Think about it, this is quite an amazing car for the price. Dealer service at Miami Acura is excellent. Sales folks great. Six months of ownership and I am a happy camper, enough so that my next car will probably be an RL.

Life is short....don't sweat the small stuff; enjoy your amazing TL.

Bob

stretchb69

Please don't take this to offensive but,,,
My God Man, your 19 and your parents bought you a TL. I wish I had your fucking problems. You need to go buy an old used 120,000 mile Honda Civic like other kids your age. Drive it for a few years while working your ass off at a job and saving your money. Then when you can finally afford something like an Acura TL go purchase or lease it all by yourself. I'm guessing at that point you will have a whole diferent look on how good or bad a car like the TL is.
Once again sorry, I don't mean to sound to harsh,,, but humble yourself a bit brother.

ndx2

not that i'm defending him, but he's just the same as other malcontents here... sure, his parents bought him the car, but that means his parents OWN him... (i should know, my last car was a birthday "gift" from my parents) normally, unless the parents are so rich that the kid's driving an E55 or an M5, a car comes with many, many strings attached.

btw, where in MI do you live? there's a meet coming up - June 25th, check out the AZ Meet section - and it'd be great if you can make it... it's more of a fun get together than a car meet, really.

stretchb69

Cool, a meet, a meet! I didn't think thay had them in MI. Where is it held at, and or where do I look to find out? I live outside of Monroe, just north. I would love to go to a meet. What is it about? I would just love to see and hear things other TL owners have done with their cars. Man going to a meet would rock, I think.
Thanks for the heads up and thanks in advance for any additional info you can give me.
Stretch

05whitetl

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH
WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH
WHERES YOUR PACIFIER?

a_bu_lo

Maybe you are right, this is my second car.
But!! I am just hoping Acura can improve the quality of their cars
My first car was Honda accord, my second one i still Honda division