Hey guys new to the forum. I've been browsing acurazine now for a month since I bought the car. Only thing that has me worried is the amount of transmission problems posts on the TL section of the forum.

I just bought a beige 2004 TL with 62 ticks on the odometer. I went ahead and bought the extended warranty offered by the Lexus dealer (3 yrs, 36k), figured it would be worth it even if it doesn't cover everything.

Anyways I love my TL in both its handling and the body style, and since my monthly payments are low I want to make some improvements to it and need some advice.

The alloy wheels are pretty scratched up. Is it worth getting remanufactured OEM wheels? ($130 on ebay)

There is peeling paint on the back bumper the size of a golf ball. That is the only paint issue on the car and it's an eyesore. Any advice on the best course of action? Maaco or an Acura bodyshop?

Lastly, I've only had the car for a month and I noticed the transmission has trouble shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. My dad drove the car for an extended period of time and said there is nothing wrong and I'm just not used to driving front wheel drive. The warranty covers the transmission but I don't want to be premature and take it in if there is nothing wrong.

Thanks for any advice and forgive my newb questions.

 

Take the bumper off and take it to a shop to have it repainted.

Replace your transmission fluid and replace the pressure switches to see if that helps with the shifting. If it continues, take it back to the dealership and have them drive it.

Oh and welcome

 

I bought my 2004 TL 9 months ago with 65k miles. You should changed the 3rd and 4th gear pressure switches. 2004 TL so you might have to do the timing belt and water pump, etc. As for your bumper I had mine repainted at a local body shop for $350. I'd say plasti dip or paint your wheels if you think they are in bad shape. Congrats on the TL btw.

 

Regarding the the 3rd and 4th gear pressure switches. I am not a DIY guy when it comes to auto repair. Would you recommend going to an Acura dealer or mom and pop shop? I don't mind paying $$$ for quality work.

Thanks. My plan is to take it back to the dealer It just blows my mind that I didn't notice this while test-driving the car. The salesman at the Lexus dealer has been a family friend for a long time (even before we bought cars from him) so hopefully he didn't sell me a lemon. Nevertheless the warranty hopefully will cover it, as the dealer offered it "as-is" on the sticker (I bought the warranty in finance dept.)

 

Yeah my local shop did the install in 15 minutes.

 

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to acurazine!

The extended warranty was a BRILLIANT choice and I'm going to suggest you use it! Your car has 62K on it and is 8 years old so it's going to need some preventative maintenance:

1. Timing Belt service, even though you have 62K, at a MINIMUM replace the belt. These can snap due to age as rubber dries out over time. I'm sure a shop can cut you a pretty good deal on only replacing the belt right now for 200-300 dollars. You shouldn't need a new waterpump, bearings, plugs, etc right now.

2. Check your air filters, folks have a habit of not changing them on time! It should be a whitesh beige on top and a bluish color on the bottom if it's new (should have been replaced around 60K, every 30K FYI) and takes 4 screws and 2 clips to get to! There is a DIY in the service dept. section which pictures!

3. Change your coolant, it's something that should be done every 7yrs/105K miles as it can become acidic and cause issues! When the shop does JUST the timing belt change, the coolant can be swapped out for about 75 dollars.

4. Run a bottle of fuel cleaner through the gas tank, my personal recommendation is Redline SI-1. You can buy it from amazon for 10 dollars and get free shipping if you have prime! This will clean out any crud left over from the ethanol in the gas and make your car run in tip top shape! I usually use 1 bottle every oil change at a minimum.

5. If your wheels are curbed, in all honesty I would leave them alone and spend the money on something else. They are going to get curbed again (it's inevetable) and rather save it for a new set of wheels/tires when the tires are worn down or use it towards other maintenance/things that are more concerning! If you do really want to replace it, check out the blackmarket section here. Folks sell their factory wheels all the time. I sold a set for 500 bux shipped with tires (5-10K of tread left) about 3 years ago (3 were curbed though )

6. Where exactly is the paint peeling on the back bumper? If you look at it there's a sort of "crease" that runs along the half-way point from the bottom of the bumper. If it's below that then the Acura A-Spec Kit can cover it up! The rear lip is about 250-300 dollars and is prepainted and fits like a glove! Repainting the factory bumper at a reputable shop (not MACCO) is probably going to be $350 dollars. If you want to find a shop local to you, check out the regions section and look for a shop in your area that folks are recommending, or ask there and you'll end up with a TON of suggestions!

7. Sadly the transmission is a weak spot on these cars, and having an 04 you are more likely to have them since they were the first model year. With 62K on your car it was probably driven VERY easily and was not pushed hard. Acura recommended doing fluid changes at 60K, then 30K after that. We've discovered that the first 60K was WAY to long of an interval and was a cause of numerous failures.

My recommendation is do look into doing a 3x3 drain and refill over the course of the next 1-3 months with Acura's DW1 fluid or Redline D4 fluid, and as well to change out the 3rd gear and 4th gear pressure switches. That stumbling you are feeling will be 100% gone with new pressure switch and fluid change!

HOWEVER, if you feel that the trans is on it's way out, I'm going to suggest that you do nothing and let it fail. The warranty will pick up the cost of replacing it (minus deductible) but you should do the fluid change now as it's part of normal maintenance according to the owners manual and not doing it would void the warranty as neglect. That way you get a rebuilt transmission from acura with a 12k/12 month warranty in addition to the warranty you bought for a fraction of the price, and won't have to worry about a potential failure since the new trans will probably have updated parts!

 

welcome to the site, you can register your color here https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/tl-owners-please-chime-855960/ thnx.

looks like everyone else has said what I have to say got to love this forum.

 

Congrats. Looks like we acquired our 04 TL's at the same time. I was told mine was in excellent condition. NOT. The good thing is that seller agreed to cover any necessary repairs for the first year (family).

There is a do it your self on changing the transmission element. I recommend doing that as well. Very easy to do.