I see a lot of posts on Acura quality or lack thereof depending on the poster.
Before I purchased my 03 TL-S I read many of the comments on this forum
regarding issues with the TL, especially the transmission and just some general
quality issues. After a lot of thought and reading posts on lexus and inifiniti forums
I went ahead and bought my TL. I have absolutely no regrets at all. The car has been solid
and trouble free. I[B] think Acura has excellent quality and I hope that I will not be disappointed when my SSM/5AT/Navi comes in

 

Here is wishing you good luck. I have just come back from Columbia yesterday, having been in eight times since 3/1/04 for new tires, vibrations, rattles and pops on my 04 TL. After having been told that this time the rattles have been fixed, I am once again disappointed.

I am currently seeking a solution through Acura or through Columbia to part with this pos.

S

 

I am sorry to hear that and hope that your problems are resolved or you can get a buy back.

 

After one full year and no problems I doubt if you will be disappointed. I'm sure not.

 

Was the '03 TL-S put together in Japan?

 

No the 03 was built in Marysville, Ohio

 

Hope you avoid problems, as most here seem to have. The problem is that I really like all the other attributes of the car!

S

 

In all honesty, I don't think most of us have had problems. My TL is solid, rattle free and as smooth as one could hope for. I think some guys have just been unlucky....

 

Ah, that's right, the 03 Maximas were built in Jap. Now they're in Kentucky with quality problems like we have...but worse I think.

 

Here is my thought. There is a lot of bitching on these type sites because we are all very particular about our cars, that is why we spend so much time on this site. If you read all the messages you would think the TL is a POS, which it is not. However, when you see a patttern of issues there is a good chance that you might see the sames issues as well.
Before I purchased my TL I was thinking of a TSX but read all the posts about rattles etc and decided on the TL. I had read the posts on the TL as well but liked the car so decided to give it a go.

After 5 months with my car and 2400 miles, I don't drive a lot, I have most of the issues that I had read about prior to buying my car. I don't believe these issues are build related as in poor american worker quality. Rather, it is an issue with the parts or quality of the components that are being placed in the car that are causing the typical issues. The issues that I have that a lot of people have are:

Visor rattle
Storage compartment door rattle
Butt imprint on the drivers seat
various other rattles

From a mechanical standpoint my car has been perfect, it's just these annoying little issues that can drive you crazy if you are really into your car and not just using it to drive to work.

So, enjoy your TL but keep in mind that you might see some of these issues. If you have a good dealer they should be fixed but if your dealer is not that great then you may be visiting them a few times.