SilverJ

I love my TL. Its an 04 and I have never had a major problem with it. Its a six speed manual...I now have over 90,000 miles on it though...and I am considering selling it or trading in for a newer TL.
Actually I am debating whether or not to keep it...I love it and again have no issues...it looks/drives almost like new.
How many miles can I expect to get out of the acura engine/transmission/clutch ? 150,00 ? 250,000 ?

I know the timing belt needs to be done at about 105k...how much does that cost ?

Does the TL suffer from rust issues as it gets up there in miles ?
My car is garaged and perfect just about...but I am really debating as to whether or not to keep it or sell it while it still has some value.

Also I drive the car the same way since Ive had it(minus break in period)...occasional gunning but nothing too intense. Will I have to baby the car as it gets up highter in mileage ?

Ive never owned a car this high in mileage as I usually trade them in around 60k so its new terrirtory to me. Unfortunately, IMO acura laid an egg with the new TL so I didnt upgrade. Thanks in advance for any replies...

VQPower37

timing belt is around 1k, if u take care of it (the way u seem to be) i wouldn't be surprised if u hit 250k on the car

BradE

Timing belt, water pump, spark plugs should be replaced at 105k miles. If you have it done at the dealer, it will cost about $1k to $1,300. Change the plugs yourself, they are easy to do, and it's much cheaper.

If you keep the car, don't skip the timing belt replacement. If it snaps, you'll bend the valves and the engine will be fucked.

01tl4tl

with normal oil changes at 7500 miles, the timing belt every 100,000 miles, coolant change/5 years,,other fluid changes every 60, brake fluid flush every year!!!--
you can expect it to last well into the 300s,,no kidding
Rust - it has a corrosion barrier in the primer coat of paint

a gen2 motor with 200 was taken apart and the factory crosshatch honing marks were still on the cylinder walls!- the thing was barely broken in - at 200,000 MILES
ran perfect- was often track day'd..owner was tired of replacing auto trans so he installed a CL-S motor and 6speed--thats gen2 megamod fsstyms1 (fast times Won)

Your clutch has 100 on it- wow you take excellent care of that part!
Should be ready for one by now--seen many go out after 20-50~
all depends on how you drive

SilverJ

wow. people replace their cluctch after 20k miles ? Wtf do people do to it ? I've heard my clutch squeak a little ONCE and then it went away. Good to know...the one thing I would love to replace are the front leather seats...mine still look good but I love the ones in the RDX...would love to put those in the TL

lusid

RE: Break fluid flush - what is the preventive measure for this process? I haven't done this yet and I have 43k and purchased new 11/2006.

csmeance

mositure gets into the brake fluid by nature, and this moisture can cause the lines to start corroding. If this happens, this can cause caliper failure and thus you will either have your brakes jam in the locked position (braking) or unlocked (no braking). Replace once a year after 3 years from the manuf. date.

Dave_W

Keep that 04. It's not even broke in yet. These cars are easy 250,000 mile cars if you take care of them as the other members have said. My TL is an 04 with 81,000 miles and I'm not even thinking about trading it in. Actually I'm thinking about rally stripes and doing a throttlebody spacer. Thats the thing, you dont have to worry about these cars falling apart the way the big three brands do. It's built to last. I say enjoy it for a few more years at least.

MR1

The way to get lowest overall cost per mile is to take care of it and keep it. You have already done #1 so far. Isn't it nice keeping the cash and not having a note? Even a $3000 repair would only = 4-6 monthly payments.

I'm kinda glad the gen4 is a little homely, removes the desire for a new one.

01tl4tl

wikipedia hygroscopic for info on fluid absorbtion of moisture
The ps fluid and engine oil get it too- but they get warmed up and dry out moisture.

Brake fluid-- compresses the water vapor and moves it to the calipers where it sits and makes a mess,
When any brake work is done without flushing first, that crud is stirred up by caliper motions during pad replacement- the crud gets to the thin o-ring seal that makes the brakes work and tears it- now loss of fluid or corrossion-- stuck piston

Acura lets you wait till year 3- I say start at 12 months then every 12 months
Have seen bad fluid in 2 years on east coast cars

Notice the water drops pouring out of other cars exhaust- your car does that too, imagine it in critical places~ bad news
Flush brake fluid every year

idkjai

01tl4tl gives great advice - has motivated me to change my lines to stainless steel lines. My 04 TL has about 74k miles now and planning on keeping the car well over 250k miles hopefully.

I am also thinking about seafoaming my car before my next oil change at 75k miles - maybe something you should look into if you haven't yet.

SouthernBoy

If the driver knows how to properly operate a manual transmission and there are no unusual or extraordinary mishaps to the clutch assembly, there is no reason you can't get over 200,000 miles out of the clutch. If someone is only getting 20,000 miles on their clutch, they either don't know what they're doing, they race their car, the installation was poorly done, or some mechanical anomaly occurred.

SouthernBoy

My '04 manual TL just went past 69,000 miles this week and it is still doing fine. I am still very happy with it and have no desire to dump it for something else. It still puts a smile on my face and entertains me so it will be around for some time.

shftl

All the advice in this thread so far is excellent, but these guys are pikers for mileage. I will hit 140k miles (that's about 230k in Canadian) in the next few weeks, and I expect to get that much more at a minimum. I traded in a 94 Accord with a quarter mil to buy the TL, and it was in excellent condition. I would have kept it but my wife said I can't keep every car I've ever owned. These cars are galvanized, so rust is not a large issue. At about 180k the Accord had a rusted area behind the right rear wheel that I had repaired--look at the next 94 Accord you see, it will likely have that same rusted area.

The only reason to trade is because you like something else even better, which probably won't be the 4G, or your family needs something bigger.
I'd say do your maintenance, relax and enjoy!

grodri02

Where can I get this part? And also, in NY, where can I get it installed?

Thanks!

rayrayfx

dealer said I would need a timing belt at the 60,000 mile service so, I can do a lot of work myself, but this is not a job I would tackle. is it BS. Sorry, not trying to hore up your thread, just pisses me off if this quote is true. ????
got the oem book on order

pokin

Nothing but praise and complements above. I have mainly driven Hondas & Toyotas and 90k miles is nowhere near high mileage for these cars. For the most part, care for it and keep up with scheduled maintenance - it will last 200k - easy. My mechanic almost kicked my azz when I told him the 203k Camry was traded - he wanted it for his kid!

Besides, I assume that it is paid off. So, just enjoy the benefit of no car payments for at least another 2-3 years.

SouthernBoy

Scheduled "normal" maintenance interval for a timing belt replaced for 3G TLs is 105,000 miles.

Dave_W

I just noticed that rayrayfx is in phoenix. I wonder if he should replace the belt a little bit sooner because of the extremely hot temps there. I wouldn't think 60,000, but maybe 90,000 miles just to be on the safe side. I remember a couple of the techs arguing about this when I used to work at the Acura dealer. Don't remember who ended up being right though.

Flippie

04TL is coming up on 88000 miles. Have had no major problems. Plan on keeping it for a long time. My only minor issue is the paint is coming off the front bumper in a couple of spots.

WRXtranceformed

I just hit 67k on my 07 TL-S. I obviously drive a lot. I've always been ADD with cars and traded up every other year or so, but I think I'm going to keep this one around for a while as long as it stays in the shape it's in. The motor feels strong and brand new, Japs make their cars to last. I've owned a number of Toyotas and Subarus over the years as well, they are built to last.

ABP_04TL

iTrader: (2)

holy shittttt.... i have an 04 and just hit 60,120k

sunny201

You think thats alot? I have 110K on my 07. I just did spark plugs and they were horrible when i looked at them. They where like a dark brownish color and covered the whole inner half. I just realized that I should have done seafoam before changing them. I love this car so much that Ill probably do a motor swap rather than trade it in if the motor were to die on me.

OP, I definitely think that you should keep the car because I think if mine can last 110K, then you should definitely be able to hit the 200K at least. According to the way I drive (which is "drive it like I stole it" style) I would have to think that my 110K miles are equivalent to at least 180K because my car has seen redline more than the amount of times Ive posted on here.
Also like others have mentioned, that new payment would not be worth it since the car is running fine (given that you would finance, everybody has their own financial situation). I would get a bike, or something along the lines of a new toy, with the money Im saving from not buying a new car. You could even hit up Josh from Excellerate and he can find you something to add to your car to make you love it even more lol...

/rant about how much i love my TL

MiaQbn23

I have a 2004 that just about to reach 60k. What services should I have done? oil change, Fuel injector cleaner, Cabin filter. anything else?

I plan on keeping this car for a couple years now that it is paid off and has an extended warranty untill 100k.

SouthernBoy

Good point. That could be classified as a more extreme climate because of the heat.

jryan719

On the topic of higher mileage 04 TL's,
<startThreadJack>
I'm looking at a CPO 04 TL 3.2 with 50k,
are there any major maintainence items approaching?
I'm a euro guy and this will be my first Honda/Acura ever.
</endThreadjack>

PS: I apologize for the thread jack.
But, how else are you supposed to get your 5 required posts in? Lol.

EDIT: ah, what a noob; I didn't think I was alllowed to start my own thread.
My apologies.