Hello all,
The wife quit her job, so we are trading in both cars
(2002 lincoln ls V8, 2003 Passat GLX) on a white with parchment manual
transmission TL today.

We both love our cars, her LS has been totaly trouble free, my Passat
has been bad, but I love it anyway.

We are taking a bath on trade in values, but with the new TL, we will save
about $300.00 a month or more, so we are likely going to do it.

Finding a manual trans car was very hard in anything but black on black
in South Jersey.
The local dealers are both very bad as far as sales go, poor response
about what they can get, getting one, making a good deal, etc.
I guess car sales is the same no matter what brand you get, we have
had lots of lies, and delays, no call backs, etc.

We test drove a number of new TL's, and noticed there is really a very big difference in the cars between the auto and manual trans cars.
The manual trans cars all seemed MUCH quieter and smoother.
We test drove a nice red with parchment auto, but it had much more
motor noise than the manual, even when you rev the manual up, its quiet,
but the auto trans car was loud.
I wonder if they do something different with the auto trans cars as far
as exhaust routing or something....

Doing a lot of research, the TL seems fairly reliable, the manual trans cars seem
better than the auto trans cars, and the ones without the sat nav seem
better still....

Can anyone tell me when the timing belt is supposed to be changed, and if the engine breaks all its valves if the belt breaks?

The Passat recomends 105,000 miles which is madness, 30 valves and
a coolant pump driven by a belt lasting 105,000 miles!

We look forward to driving the TL and a manual transmission again.
The TL was the one car we both like, I like the Jaguars, X and S type, she
thinks they are to unreliable, she likes some other cars like the maxima which
makes me want to vomit to look at it.

We both like the inside of the TL, the manual trans, the quiet ride, the power
and MPG, I like the outside, the side and back looks very sharp, she thinks
the outside looks somewhat typical Japanese.

Both our cars are quite distinctive, and the Passat is a great car, the V6
and tip (auto) trans is a very smooth quiet setup, more room, big trunk, fold down
seats, loads of features like rain sensing wipers, great trip computer
display with short and long term MPG, instant MPG, miles to empty,
both front seats are 8 way power with memory, etc, its just very trouble
prone and the dealers are totaly worthless, worse then worthless...

I expect Acura to be a little more responsive to warrenty repairs, from what
I read around, they seem to at least try to fix things if a customer has a problem...

I read up about the oil change info, and will change the oil early during
break in.
And I guess I cant wait for the OEM tires to wear out.
Treadwear rating of 260 I think, I guess they should go somewhat quickly....

I guess the nice michelens come only on the sat nav cars, and I asked if they
could swap, but they said no.

Well, hopefully they wont screw around with us and we can pick the car up tonight, it was supposed to be ready yesterday, I called (they did not call us), and
the first guy says the white one that came in this morning?
The sales guy tells me he was just going to call as it JUST got there, and the cant
do the body side molding because the car is wet.

The sales guy says he is off today, but can come in to finish the deal, so maybe
it wont be today, and maybe they will piss me off enough to nix the deal...

I thought they would want to move the 2005 cars off the lot, but they need to be
pushed and prodded to make any sort of sale....

Brett

 

Congrats.

The belt is rated for 105K miles also in the TL.
It is a inference motor meaning the valves will contact the psitons should the timing belt break.

Leave the oil in for a few thousand miles, there have been plenty of threads that have discussed that topic. However I would not recommend changing the oil when the MID tells you to. My first oil/filter change I did at 4K miles with 50% life remaining according to the MID.

Again it might be worth searching through some of the threads on 1st oil change mileage and MID, some interesting comments on it.

 

Nice choice of cars. Your wife is right about the Jags... they suck rocks. Especially the X type. I get Jags as a loaner and absolutely hate them. The TL is light years nicer. The guys in the service dept. make fun of the Jags and how cheap of a car they are. (And this is a dealership that sells Jags!)

As for the new TL, you'll love it! I don't think there are any real reliability issues that make the manual or automatic better than the other.
Also, this board of all the car boards I've frequented over the years, is the worst for complaints and whining. I know some are justified, but this board per capita seems to be a lot more saturated with complaints than others. However, I don't think it's the TL's fault. In general, the TL is a solid car, and your odds of getting a bad TL are less than getting a bad Audi or Benz or some other competitor.

I have White w/ parchment, Auto. It's an awesome color combo. One complaint you'll hear is people saying the bumpers don't match the body color. Make sure you check that on your car before you take it home! Look at it under bright and not-so-bright light.

If you get a rattle. Don't panic. Just get it fixed.
(I haven't had one yet, but I'm sure I'll get something... every car gets one now and then)

 

Are you going to get it with Navi? The TL is a great car, but that goes without saying. I have never heard of noise difference between auto and manual. Finally, The accesory belt is different than the timing belt. As true with all cars(that I know of) if the timing belt were to break you would do quite a bit of damage. I hope you get and enjoy your new TL.

 

Do you mind me asking which dealership you ended up going to? I also live in S. Jersey and had issues with both Sussman & Classic (which I believe are the 2 you also maybe talking about)

Sussman never ever replied to me requests for quote or stock information.

Classic gave me a price and said it was only good for 7 days and that they wouldn't deal with me on the price. I was told that Acura's sell themselves we don't have to deal. Also they wanted like 2K for the extended warrenty - which is just outrageous.

I ended doing more research online and got a quote from Metro over in Philly. The internet sales person was awsome. I requested a quote almost 2 or more months before I bought the car - and he honored it.

They found the car I wanted and had it at the dealership within 2-3 days. They did all the work and gave me no issues.

They also were willing to match finacining that we got through our credit union, ended up when we went to go pick up the car it was actually lower then quoted.

Also, we looked on line for an extended warrenty prices and got one that was much lower then they quoted and they also matched that. No questions asked.

As a side note - I have purchased cars from Classic before, but I have not always been impressed with their service as a whole. In addition a lot of people that I spoke to before buying the TL always mentioned that Classic Acura never wanted to work with them. They kind of act like they are the only dealership in the whole of Jersey.

Just my 2 cents.

 

How far are you from Verona, NJ? The reason I had asked is because DCH Montclair Acura is located there, which is where I had gotten my TL although being from Atlanta. They were very professional and didn't act the way you guys are describing some salesmen to be. I was actually quite pleased with their service.

Coming into 3 and a half weeks of ownership, I haven't had any complaints regarding my car. It's very smooth, didn't have any of the rattles that some people were complaining about, and it still brings me great joy to drive in rush hour traffic despite being a manual.

 

We are going with the Turnersville place, I think its prestiege or something like that now.

Since we had 2 cars to trade in, we did not want to go real far away, plus I dont know how good the service is (warrenty repairs) at a dealer you did not buy the car at...

I had an older Jaguar some time ago, and it was a great car, sold it at 145,000
miles and it ran like a new car. Yes, I did a lot of preventive maintanance on it,
but the car was solid, and even the (real) wood and leather looked like new.

South Jersey must be some sort of auto buying hell hole, none of the VW dealers
are any good, the honda and acura dealers are downright nasty.

If we have any sort of hassle at the dealers this time, I am walking out.

I thought there was always a slight difference in color between plastic and
metal painted parts.

Yes, I know most places like this are places for people to post about problems,
and you get the idea the car is junk much more than it is, plus, people who
buy acura's are likely very fussy about their cars.
They expect top notch quality.

On the other hand, all the problems you read about on the VW sites are
very common, no end of them, my car wore its fuel pump out at 27,000 miles,
had corroded wires inside the car causing a transmission alarm, the evap system
was broke causing a check engine light, coolant temp sensors went bad, etc...

My wifes Lincoln LS V8 has not had a single problem at all.
That is really a Jaguar S type with a Lincoln design body style.

I dont mind a car with problems, if its a Lincoln or Jaguar, as they fix things
no questions asked, give you a (nice) loaner car, etc.
They also include free service for 4 years.

Well, if the dealer dont piss me off, I will see how the TL holds up, what with the
beating we took on the trade ins, we may keep the car for 10 years....it
better be well made.

We know its loads of fun to drive!

Brett

 

It's funny you say that about the Lincoln. I like the LS's.
I wouldn't get an S-Type because the Lincoln is its equal and less money.

But what is funny to me is that on all the forums where people complain, I do it too... the Ford forums are pretty quiet. My last 2 Explorers have been trouble free. No rattles, no engine problems, no nothing. The domestics get a bad rap, but many of them are very nice, solid cars.

 

congrats! Honestly, I stopped reading when you said she was considering the Max; I just had to make a comment.

I had an 04 Max SE for about 18 months, and I hated that car. I am glad you decided not to get it. no realiability issues with the car, but it just looked so cheap on the inside, drove like a boat, and the torque steer!! urrrghh, and this was with an auto, no telling how bad it would be with the stick!

Incidently when I got it back in May of 2003, I was all set to get the G35, the Infiniti dealer even let me take the G35 to the nearby Nissan dealership to compare with the Max. The dealer coaxed me into leaning towards the Max and the wife certainly didn't help things. Worst car desicion I made in my life! I sold it to this guy about 18 months later I bought my TL-Navi 6sp (Anthracite/Ebony) a few months after that. Still don't regret my decision.

 

Picked the car up today, white with parchment, no nav (hate that stuff personaly).
Sure is a sweet ride!

I am rough with the manual transmission, but the wife manages to shift
real smooth, she drove manuals for a long time.
Bad for the ego, but I told her she shifts real nice and made her day....

Brett
2005 6 speed!

 

You have got to learn how to use the manual right, those things are incredably fun, and you need an ego boost. That sounds like my father, I am sure my mom could beat him in any type of driving, except maybe keeping the car in good condition. I would get white if only it came with black interior, cleared headlights on that thing are awsome.

Now, as for your comment on hating nav, you know you would like it if you had it . Hope you enjoy your new TL for many years to come.

 

that's the advantage if you live in southeast asia! automatic is not so popular out there and much more expensive than manual which not everyone can afford. top proirity is to learn how to drive manual or else.......take a bus!

 

I agree, WDP with ebony would be a sweet. Too bad they don't make that combo. I got Anthracite with Ebony. Although Quartz was my favorite interior color at the time, I decided that I wanted more contrast between the interior and exterior. Quartz still looks great though!

 

I love manual transmissions, this is my first car with a stick and honestly I don't think I will ever go back to auto!

 

^Until DSG is an option on all cars...

 

Congrats on your car. I've got an 04 WDP/parchment but with the AT. No issues whatsoever in 10k miles. If you really want to set it off nice, get your windows tinted charcoal. Enjoy.

 

your absolutely right!!!!! i luv manual, problem is my wife doesnt know how to use it

 

Congrats on your purchase. As everyone has mentioned, the MT is a blast to drive. On that note, a lot of folks had to drive the car for a couple of weeks to get used to the clutch. Here's a thread that you should read, specifically post #8 by SouthernBoy. Lengthy, but very informative. Again, welcome to the forum .... enjoy the car and most of all enjoy driving it.

 

COngrads on your new TL.

You gave me a surprise when you mentioned the Turanzas on a 6MT. I thought all 6MTs came on Potenza RE030s.

I just checked the Acura.com website and found that the 6MT is being offered on the Turanza's and the RE030 summers are an option. I'm wondering if this a recent change or has it been an option since '04 ?

 

It has been an option for as long as I can remember, the summer tire package. I want a manual, but I recently red the C&D review and the said the LSD puts down way too much torque steer. Either way, the auto wont touch the 0-60 run in 5.7(the C&D drivers must be great).

 

Just to clarify this post. I neglected to mention that I'm Canadian. Here the 6MT comes with RE030 summers in a package. It's not an option and you can't get the Turanza's on the 6mt.