I've heard so many say how much prettier the TL interior is in comparison to other cars. But, I say, what good is a pretty interior if it (even has the potential to) rattle, click and squeak. And, how-bout that ceiling that's falling down? It's like marrying a gorgeous blonde only to find out that she is such a terrible nag that you want to punch her in the mouth first thing in the morning and say; “that's for the rest of the day.” Personally, I would rather take the less then beautiful brunette that is dependable and knows how to take care of me (if you know what I mean).

So, what are all you 04-TL owners defending, anyway? If the interior build quality sucks (i.e. it has build/design problems) then it sucks. The sooner you admit it, the better for us all, especially potential buyers. And don't say that it’s all relative. How many of your previous cars had these problems? And how much did that car cost?

Now that I got your blood pressure up a few points, lets here from you guys that are not having interior build problems with this awesome ride!!!

X

 

I, admittedly, have been whining and complaining about the tires for some time, but (and maybe I shouldn't even think this) I haven't had any trouble with the interior. I think it LOOKS head and shoulders above the competition and the quality, at least for me, has been outstanding. No interior problems or defects.

 

Same here.

 

Had my 04 since October 2003. Not one problem. Interior or otherwise.

BTW- also had a '99 3.2TL (first one off of the lot) and never had one problem (68k miles). It's why I bought another one.

 

No creaks here - no rattles...kinda of an early build too. My headliner did sag a little - so I epoxy'd that and now my interior is A-OK! Some people on this forum sound like they got a car assembled after the Manufacturing Plant had Happy Hour or something - lot of inside noise(s)

 

No problems here. Headliner is up, rattles only occur when I put rattly stuff in the door compartments, seats have their memories intact.

There are two things going on here:

1. TL loyalists who were the very first to buy this brand new vehicle are experiencing early line production run quality issues. Happens with every new car made. Rattle here, rattle there. Not enough adhesive. Product development is an evolution, not a science. You were the first in your county to own the brand new 04 TL. That's the price you pay. Mine is 8 months old. No problems.

2. TL Performance Drivers pushing their cars to the limit, modding them with suspension kits, extra HP ducts, ground effects, spoilers, tires, blah, blah, and blah. They're driving 90 MPH in hard turns and are saddened that the car has 'tourque steer'. They're changing the tires and are shocked that the firmer ride is leading to bumps and rattles. They're going from 0-60 in 5.2 seconds between stop signs on Old Country Road. In essence, they're not typical TL drivers.

These forums are filled with early adopters whining about quality and youngsters gussying up their Accords into something they're not.

Of the 44,000 TL's made, what, 2,000 owners are in here and only a fraction of that amount are unhappy? Please. The TL's a great car when one looks at the realistic owner population, the correct age/demographic, no modding extremes, and knocks out the first few thousand that got the very first of a new product off the line.

BJ

 

No interior problems at all, and YES it is a beautiful interior, beats most cars interiors!!

 

BJ - that was one of your better posts. Is that really you?

 

i have a MB clk 430 and it rattles like you wouldnt believe, Costs 25 k more. Mercedes stated that it is operating as designed.

cant wait for mY tl... i want to compare a 35k rattle to a 60k ratttle and see if there is a difference

 

i think it's more like marrying the blond with fake tits who develops some leakage in the left breast, but since the doctor worries about his reputation he takes care of it for free, without any scarring. he also arranges for you to take home a decent brunette until your wife is ready to perform for you again.

 

I'm at about 2.5k miles....VIN is 29XXX. My interior is solid and silent........on top of looking absolutely great. And just to throw in my .02....I'd prefer a redhead!

 

No problems here. Over 2 months and 4000 miles. Awesome car!

P.S. I have a stiff and supposedly rattle inducing, headliner shaking suspension. NO problems.

 

My headliner is coming down - yes, it's annoying. But it's more akin to marrying the gorgeous blonde and finding out she badly needs a bikini waxing. I.e., it's little stuff - don't sweat it.

 

You got a lemon. I have a 2003 CLK430 convertible and not one rattle.

 

A few people have problems with thier cars, and they all voice their opinion here... The rest of us without problems stay quiet most of the time. You get the skewed perception that "everyone" has problems with interior!

 

As a follow-up, in responding, please indicate the age of your car so we can all better gauge. Thanks.

Also, kudos for the completely mature and intelligent response from boltjames. This type of response is a good reflection on 04-TL owners.

X

 

[QUOTE=Racer-X]As a follow-up, in responding, please indicate the age of your car so we can all better gauge. Thanks.

Picked mine up on Feb. 27, '04. VIN is 29XXX.

 

Remember that the complaints speak louder than the praises. No one makes a thread called "I don't have rattles!" everytime they get into their car and its fine. People make threads when they have a problem, not everytime they enjoy their car.

 

VIN 24xxx, delivered 1/30/04. No rattles, creaks, squeaks, sags, seat memory issues, or any other interior issues I've read about in the forums.

 

Lucky me, no interior problems of any kind. No squeaks , no rattles , no falling headliner. Oh and my 2 month anniversary is coming up on May 13, 2004.

 

I have a Late Feb. build and I have tons of creaks and rattles. I find that the die hard Acura fans accept this and many people have no problems at all. I have owned a decent amount of new cars the last 12 years and some American, none of them comes close to the amount of racket in my TL. I beleive most eithe rhave no problmes are are willing to tolerate some, but I also beleive Honda has poor interiir build quality on the TL, Both my Infinitis were tight as a drum, not a peep. One rear deck buzz on occasion that some simple padding quickly fixed. It too padding and 5 screws to fix the rear deck in the TL and my headliner and center console are constantly creaking and squeaking. True the interior design is sweet, the styling of this car and percieved quality are what made me buy it. The real quality is what has me aiming to trade it in 22 more months.

 

Agreed, 100%, well said, regarding your entire post....

 

Well that makes 2 out of 44,000 drivers that are ready to give up on their TL's.

Only 4,398 more to go to become statistically significant. Better form "Team Grumpthracite" asap. Keep up the good work boys!

BJ

 

Me either. Bought mine in October also.

 

Somehow I doubt the number is just 2, and to be honest I don't give a rats arse what the other 43,998 think. What matters to me is what I'm dealing with and what other people that got screwed are dealing with.

Did you absorb 1le or something, statistically significant to me is me, I don't work for Acura so what it takes to be statistically significant is very insignificant to me. Maybe people like you care, which makes Acura happy, but not me so take your team grumpthracite and shove it. :thefinger

Acura built my car as if they were all on break from the quality control department. This doesn't matter to you, which is insignificant to me and every other person who has to deal with a poorly built TL.

 

If I had a car that was clearly a lemon I would bring it back to the dealer who would replace it with a new one and then I'd be happy and I wouldn't come into a TL fan forum spreading ill-will towards the car I embraced a few months earlier.

You spent $35,000 and you're unhappy? Get your ass back to the dealer and shut the fu*k up on these message boards. Your whining is giving us a headache .

 

I admit my car is only 3 weeks old but i have no problems at all and think its a great car...

 

Again, that was BJ the good. He does well in defending the car, but bad on defacing everyone 99% of the time. BJ the good, I applaud you once again for great write-up.

Racer-X, these are the stereotypical comments that tend to generalize the forum (and TLs). Some 'squeaky wheels' painted TL’s interior as being all aesthetic and lacking quality. This is non-sense and that’s what you get for being biased towards few complainers, err, whiners. I bought my TL in late Dec and have not had any problems except for the headlining that came loose (repaired with epoxy by the Dealership). No rattle, click or squeaks. I do tend to drive my TL aggressively, but don’t overly hotrod the car and basically treat it for what it is – sedan. As for the complainers, I can’t speak for them, but I’m going to go out on the limb to say that most are probably just exaggerating. Look at most of the threads on this site and you’ll see more compliments than few repeat bitch sessions.

 

I believe the parchment interior w/wood grain trim is definitely one of the most attractive interiors in this class.

I have an early (Nov) build car and had two problems with interior noises, one hard to diagnose but easy to cure with a piece of friction tape once my daughter pinpointed the source, the second perfectly obvious (headliner rubbing on metal roof panel) and well documented, and relatively easy to fix myself.

Now, nada, complete silence--even over train tracks I cross at 35-40 mph every day.

Also, based on the number of folks reporting no interior / headliner noises whatsoever (50% in recent poll), I have to believe that a running change was made some time ago, which has eliminated that problem.

Thus I wouldn't be put off by the gripes of some owners, I still think on balance there's nothing close to the TL in the near luxury/sports sedan class, particularly if like me you live in snow country, and want fwd.

 

picked mine up 2/20/04 - ssm 5 at - not a rattle, seats work, it all works. what worries me is when my lease is up and i can afford to spend $50-60k on a car, i know i won't get one with an interior as good as the TL (unless i stick with the TL) . only complaint is torques steer when you stomp on and it seems like the computer in charge of the tranny loves 5th gear much more than 4th gear.

 

i had a 1999 ML320 and it was the worse thing you could possibly own, poor interior quality, rattles everywhere, parts falling out, you name it, this car does it, except run right

 

Well aren't you the smart one, I have done what it takes to allow Acura a chance to fix the car, this is a requirement prior to asking for lemon law status you troll. You don't take a car back after 30 days and get a new one, this isn't Best Buy.

This is a forum that allows for both positive and negative discourse, if you can't handle it then create a fanboy site for little boys just like yourself where you can be happy all the time. As for embracing the TL, I'm going to pretend you have a brain and assume that as time goes by you're capable of adjusting to how the car treats you. If you're stupid enough of a fanboy to love the TL come hell or high water then you should start a TL fanboy site, ASAP, because other little fanboys are waiting for you I'm sure.

How astute fanboy, how could you tell? Does spending 35k mean be happy with your car or else?

Really? Been there, and keep doing that, that is also part of the process.

Tell you what fanboytrollboy, when you take the forum over, hell freezes over and the TL becomes rattle/vibration/insert issue here free, I'll shut the phuck up. Until then blow me, I'll spout off about my TL every time I feel like it, in fact to make you happy I might step it up a notch or two. Now go cry to mommy.

Change the channel then you little troll, nobody forced you here, take an asprin and take your own advice, shut the phuck up.

People like you think people should be happy with their car no matter what, screw you and every troll like you. I spent 33k and DEMAND at least what people normally get from 20k cars. This TL has not lived up to the hype and I don't give a damn if yours has, mine hasn't and I can be as vocal about it as I choose to be, you're free to put me and everybody else who has problems on ignore so you can see nothing but happy posts. Or you could add to the discourse and discuss what people bring up instead of being a sanctimonious prick most of the time.

 

Agreed, I would have liked the wood to be above the glove-box though.

 

Deleted. Nothing to add..

 

I responded in a way he could understand since he posted to me that way. Responding in a politically correct or adult fashion would have slipped between his ears and out the other side. There are times when I act like a kid as I'm sure you have as well. If you never have then welcome to club perfection membership one. YES I'm miserable in my TL ownership, sorry about that, it wasn't planned I can promise you.

Do I have worse issues, sure, tell me that I'm not allowed to be pissed off or allowed to vent because my TL is a falling apart pile of steaming dung and I'll go off again, guess I have issues being human and wanting what I bought to be as advertised.

I'm sure after several visits to fix the same issues over and over and over and over again make your temperment very level and cool, good for you.

If you have no issues with how BJ posted then there is something wrong with you as well..... but then, who cares what others think, right?

 

I am your antidote. I am the anti-Norse.

You say the car sucks, I say the car rocks.

You bitch that the car is defective, I say the car is perfect.

What are you hoping to prove? What is your aim? To disuade people from buying the car? To get 'revenge' against Acura? To warn the innocent about the evil TL? Every time there's a post entitled "My TL Has _______ Wrong With It and I'm Really Unhappy Because ______" there's Mr. Norse with his "bwahh I hate Acuraaaah wahhh wahhh" spooge.

Enough already. Get rid of the car. 22 months? Be as aggressive with your words at your local Acura dealer as you are in here and you'll be in your dream G35 by June 1st.

Enjoy the 99% of your car that's acceptable instead of the endless complaining about the 1% that isn't. Or, march your ass to the Acura dealer and force them to do the right thing. Take action or be quiet. Then again, you must enjoy this type of bitch-slapping. You let Acura do it to you; why not me too?

BJ

 

It takes anyone 2 minutes in this forum to see quality is lacking (again).
Forget this??? http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73969

 

No, you're an online troll, the antidote to that is mommy and daddy pulling the plug.

Well then, we agree, I never said yours sucked, I said mine sucked. I'm glad yours is good.

If vibrating, rattling and a host of other issues are your bag of perfection, great again, Acura loves people who have no standards. It isn't my cup of tea, I ask for a product to be built as advertised, mine wasn't. You say my car is perfect I say you don't know anything about anything and are here to prove it.

I'm telling people about the issues my car has. People want to hear from both sides, you want only one side to be spoken, this forum isn't geared for one sided view points as much as you would like it to be, it just isn't, get over it.

If some decide against buying a TL because of my statements I've done some good for the day. In my mind the TL isn't the car advertised, you say it is, they get to hear both sides and decide for themselves. Democracy is a wonderful thing, if you can't handle discourse and discussion and occasional venting then ignore me, move on to the next person you're going to tell what to do and say so they can tell you to bite it also.

That is an ignorant statement to make, I'm giving Acura every chance to make this right, if they do this will be the first place I make a loud statement about it.


As long as I'm having problems with the car I will say so, as often as I wish, as loudly as I wish and in as many places as I wish. Will you be there whining about it? Get over it and enjoy your perfect TL, I would if I had one.

Agreed, enough already, I don't know you and I have ignored everything you have said until this thread. There isn't a person here forcing you to read my rants about the TL. The ignore feature is there for a reason, use it because my stance will not change until my car has been fixed.

I treat the dealership with respect and only ask for that in return, so far they have tried their level best to try and get this resolved. It's the only thing I like about the TL so far, the dealer support is excellent.

Trolling statement, whatever, nice try.

50% of my TL hasn't been perfect, and I'm being nice in that %. Who are you to decide what percentage is acceptable and what isn't? I'll do as I wish thank you. I'll complain, whine moan and groan till the cows come home, deal with it or ignore it.

You bet, march right in, get in their face and force them, with what a 44 magnum? How ignorant are you? I'm using the process as any normal person would do, when they start ascting as ignorant as you I'll hire a lawyer to get in their face. So far they have shown that they want to fix it, but unfortunately they have a high number of interior issues with the '04 TL and many of them haven't been fully investigated by Acura yet.

Part of taking action is doing what I'm doing, telling people about the issues the car has so they can make a decision based on facts from everybody. You don't know squat about what has been going on offline so get off that perch before the post takes out the brain you sit on.

Get over your little bad self, this is a forum, if trolling arguments are all you want then seek them elsewhere. You have a negative rep here that is well deserved, when you have proven yourself to be anything but a troll, let us know, until then, don't like what you read from me? Don't respond.

 

Now that is a lot to weed through.....

 

Guys, I am new to the forum and this is my first post, so please allow to run my mouth as a newbie. I joined the forum just a couple of weeks ago as I am getting ready to purchase a new car. I have been dead set on a TL since I started shopping, but you should always do your homework...so I have been reading up on you guys.

When I read this post, I got a little upset. There have been some very harsh comments made in this post that both disturbed me and trouble me as I am a serious Honda/Acura fan. I was disturbed because I was beginning to think that the 04 TL might not be a good car. I was troubled because I know that Honda/Acura is capable of more that what I was reading.

I will admit that at first, I was a little overwhelmed with the number of problems that I was reading about here on the forum about the 04 TL. After spending several days depressed about what I had read, I started looking a little more in depth. Often times I kept reading about the same problem over and over...so I started to pay attention to the posts...often times the same people were posting the same problems again and again. Furthermore, you can often sense some other brand loyalty in these hateful posts. Don't get we wrong, I am all about brand loyaltly, but not when it is used to trash something else.

I have come to the conclusion that the 04 TL is a GREAT car. It may not appeal to everyone in the same way, but that is NOT grounds to trash the qaulity of a single car or an entire manufacturer. Sure the 04 TL has some problems...most minor, a few major but many posts also indicate dealers that are willing to help.

I will say this...I am currently driving a Honda Accord with 220,000 miles on it and it just developed its first rattle about a month ago...this is what finally convinced me to look for a new car. This Accord is my 3rd Honda and I have also owned 2 Acuras. Keep your fingers crossed and in about a month, I will have a new TL and you guys will here from me some more.

Sorry for the length...just thought it needed to be said.