Hi there, my name is Ryan and I am thinking of buying an 04 or 05 6-speed MT TL. I have always driven Honda Accords and so am curious as to what I can expect if I decide to get a TL.

How are the maintenance costs (in comparison to a lower end car like a Honda)? How much are simple maintenance such as oil changes, brakes and tires?

Also what are the engine covers? why are they there? I can't see the engine LOL. Do you have to go to a dealer to have work done so they can remove them?

Thanks,
Ryan

 

Maintenance r inexpensive and easy to diy. Engine covers r easy to come off ... U should be able to perform serivces urself by following services covered in the garage ( which is mostly all of them) lol gl!

 

Most of the engine covers are there to make everything "clean" it also helps reduce wind noise.

 

Both of my 3rd gen TL's (an '04 manual and an '05 automatic - the wife's) have had very low maintenance costs. General routine maintenance is all you need do, coupled with proper checks and common sense operation. The cars are built very well and should give years and many tens of thousands of miles of carefree ownership.

As was mentioned, the basic maintenance items are something you might want to do, not because of keeping costs down but because when you do it, you KNOW what was done.

Lastly, since I have one of each (manual and automatic), I can tell you that if you can find a manual in decent condition, go for it. This car was initially designed and marketed for the manual transmission. You will not regret it.