Hello, I am considering purchasing a preowned 2004 TL. No specific car in mind. I see great reports from Consumers Reports. I have read the sticky forum posting on Tech Service Bltns. Just trying to get some expert opinions. Some things I am curious about:

1) The previous generation seemed to have more than its share of transmission problems. I think the drive train on the G3s is nearly identical. How has the auto and 5 (6?) speed manual held up ?

2) Honda seems to get the bugs worked out before announcing the new model better than other companies. How good is a 04 versus an 05 or 06.

3) Parts prices ? I owned a few Hondas and they were not too bad with parts expense. How in your opinion are the Acura TL parts.

I am starting to see '04 models come down in price. It seems like you can get a pretty clean one with 30-40K miles for less than $24K now.

4) What is the highest mileage that we have seen on this powerplant ? Is this engine the decendant of the old 6cyl Legend engine from way back or is it a completely new design. Is is possible to see one with 300,000 miles ?

Thanks for anything you can share

 

1) I haven't had any problems with tranny yet in 49k miles.

2) The first year of any car, including HONDA, have issues the first year.

3) Under warranty---Free! I would recommend getting 100k extended warranty though.

4) Have no Idea bro, sorry.

 

1)tranny problems ar very limited in the 3rd gens to the first few produced. THey just needed an oil jet installed.
2) 04 has a few issues such as butt prints in the leather. Besides that nothing else really
3) If you get into an accident (which i hope you won't) parts are kinda expensive since there only acura seems to be only seller of parts. Otherwise they are moderately priced.
4) I have seen a few 3rd gen tls with over 100k, there are also a few on this board.

 

I have an 04 TL 6MT, and have had zero tran problems and have not seen the need to swap out fluid. Swapping out fluid for GM p/n has been fairly popular (do search and you'll see what I mean).

I have had few "1st year bugs". Minor squeaks/interior noise corrected quickly by dealer under warranty. Probably the most serious issue was electrical. It showed up as just a Seat Belt light that would not go out. However, to correct dealer ended up finally replacing part of wiring harness. The repair was all warranty and they put me in a RL loaner for the couple of days the car was in the shop so minimal pain to me.

FWIW, the TL seems to be a popular car to modify. You will get all kinds of opinions on whether these are necessary/helpful. Personally, I would look carefully at any used TL that has a ton of mods. Some will say that you will get these tossed in for a fraction of what they cost to perform. Others (me included) might see this as least a warning sign that the car has already seen a hard life in its 2 or 3 yrs. However, I have heard of few issues of mechanical probs related to modifications.

On my last car (Taurus SHO), I spent thousands on various performance enhancing mods and was thrilled by how the car was transformed. Now, other than better tires than the POS Bridgestones, my TL has stayed stock. Just my .02.

 

if you look at consumer reports, the tranny repair problems with TLs vanished in 04, when, you guessed it, the 3g came out.

No major fixes or upgrades btw 04-06. I'd pay maybe 1k more per year.

 

I have two: mine is an '04 manual (built and bought in July 2004) and my wife's is an '05 automatic (built and bought in March 2005). Both have been flawless and a joy to own and drive. The manual handles better and is a little quicker, but the automatic is no slouch.

I have done a drain-and-fill in my '04 manual (transmission fluid) and used the GM Syncrhomesh Friction Modified fluid. I have never had any of the 3rd gear problems some of the other site members have reported, either before or after the fluid change. In a word, my TL has been near perfect. And the wife's has also been perfection. It replaced her '96 BMW 328i which was not the best car to own.. her TL has it all over that BMW.

If you find a good one, you won't be sorry.

 

I bought a 2004 TL at Woodside NY Acura. I bought it used for $24000 w/19k miles, now its about 68k miles since january 2006, I drive alot. Only problems I had were a horn and cruise control not working last year which the dealer fixed free. Right now I got a check engine light bc of lower pressure in #6 cylinder. So Im doing that soon. Other than that a little rattle on passenger side window -many on these forums will confrim this also. I changed the tranny oil a few months ago. Also I wish I got Navigation, but at the time I tried to save a few bucks (~$2500-3000), & wish I got black interior instead of grey, but the grey looks very good also. Overall the car is great looking, very elegant but sporty and fast, alot of car for the money. Also dont let these dealers con you with their finance BS. Dont need no lojack or upgraded alarm (they tried to get $4000 more out of me -unbelieveable. Also watch for the finance terms they'll tell your credit is not as good as you think and try for a higher rate) Its to bad you have to deal with these moves from dealers instead of just buying the car, guess they gotta try to make a few more dollars... I walked out and reported them to Acura, & thats what you got to do dont fall for that BS. They called later & I got my car w/o their fancy $$ terms. Ill keep this car a year or 2 more or longer but I want the New Nissan GT-R

 

Forget the tranny.................the headliner will be another story

 

The transmission DID have a problem when they first came out.... there was a recall to add some oil jet.. SO, if the previous owner did NOT get this done, then you could have the problem just like the old cars..

Some people did have a problem with third gear with a manual... I remember three people that said it would pop out of gear, but all got them fixed...

I have not even hit 18K miles yet, but love the car... go for it..

 

1. The 5-speed Auto is fine. No problems that I know of. Keep the fluid changed every 30-60k and it should last you 150k miles before a rebuild. The 6-speed Manual has had shifting problems that members have very successfully hidden with the installation of GM's Synchromesh Friction Modified fluid.

2. All first year cars have a tendency to have more problems that subsequent model years. My best advice is to purchase an 05 or 06, but the 04 models are OK. You're just less likely to have minor fit and finish issues (and bugs) with the later models.

3. Depends what parts. Maintenance parts? Or repair parts? Maintenance parts haven't been an issue. Prices are comparable to any other Honda vehicle. It's hard to say about repair parts as most of us here are still under warranty so Acura or the extended warranty company picks up the tab. As for the transmission rebuild, it should cost you a bit under $3k if the costs turn out to be identical to the 2G TL model.

4. Honda engines last a very long time. As long as you keep up with oil changes, timing belt, and do not allow it to overheat, it can last well over 250k quite easily. We have someone with over 100k miles on their 04 already.

 

2004 TL 110 miles on it. I'm a IT Tech. the TL is like a mobile office for me. I do alot of miles on my car, just do the normal Maintenance parts and you will be fine.
car still runing like a champ!

 

Be sure to get a Navigation model !

That way, you won't be amongst the 10's of 1000's that didn't who've been banging their heads into the wall ever since wishing they had. As you shop around, you'll find the vast majority of used '04/5 TL's for sale are non-Nav models. Think that's just a coincidence?
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