Click here for my one-year review. It has links to my previous reports.

The saga of my early-build TL continues.......I suspect mine was built on Wednesday because of the paucity of issues.....

27867 miles as of this morning. Average mpg in 60/40 freeway/city driving is 21 mpg.

Reliability: Since the last report, I've only been to the dealer for routine service. I had my B2 service ($243) in February. I still have the subwoofer rattle because I was an idiot and forgot to get it fixed. I have had no new issues and if not for the subwoofer rattle and my cupped tires, it would be quiet as a tomb because I have no other rattles.

Interior: Watch out if you live in a snowy area. This winter/spring, including today, I've had nearly 120 inches in my driveway. The Cleveland airport, where official city snow measurements are taken, reported a record season snowfall as of yesterday morning. And in my TL.....salt all over the floor. The all-weather mats simply don't hold water well. As a result, salty water borders the mat and has made it uniquely unattractive. Hopefully, a thorough professional cleaning will remove the problem. On the driver's seat, the bottom side bolster is becoming increasingly worn. I'll attach a picture later. It's not so bad yet that it requires replacement, but the rear seats, rarely used, still look pristine so I have a comparison. Many complain about how fragile the aluminum trim on the center console is, but I haven't had a scratch problem with it and it looks to be in good shape. The interior has otherwise held up very well.

Handling. No change in the A-Spec's handling. I still plan on a Comptech rear sway bar, but have simply had other priorities to get to. The Falkens are cupped, likely because an alignment is needed. I'll be doing that in the next few weeks at the dealer. I've had the Falkens for just about 20k miles and they still provide exemplary traction. I'll therefore try to get another 10k miles out of them before I purchase a new set.

Exterior. The paint has held up remarkably well. Thank goodness for the Xpel kit on the front of the caar. However, someone scrached the hood of my car last week. It appears to be an accident--it looks like someone set a box or purse on the hood, and it dragged as they were picking it up. The marks are not too deep and my respond to a scratch remover--can anyone recommend a good one?

Still love the car! Sometimes, reading the forums, one would think that the TL will explode like a rear-ended Pinto. So far, mine has been pretty reliable. HTH!

 

Thanks neuronBob.

I've also had my car 18 months (VIN 2690), and the car has performed equally well. A friend of mine (who had seen the car when new) commented "wow it's holding up well."

I do primarily Atlanta "city" driving (which means quick highway trips from one part of Atlanta to another). MPG ranges from 17 (mixed city driving) to 32 (pure highway driving). My car has 13,000 miles, but ~2,000 of these are from the last month (trips to Charlotte and Greenville).

The car is a great cruiser. It's meant for the highway, not the track (as the 61/39 weight distribution will attest to). Navigation is excellent (although 2005 navi update 3.40C did little, if nothing, to improve the Georgia map database).

Issues, with resolution, are below (for those keeping track):

1. Tires -- Bridgestone Turanza EL-42 replaced with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S.
2. Seat Memory Module -- replaced under warranty.
3. Driver's Seat Heater Switch -- replaced under warranty.
4. Glove box rattle -- realigned and sound deadening installed.
5. Door rattle -- sound deadening installed.
6. Front grill piece came loose -- clip replaced.
7. Transmission -- oil jet recall fix.
8. ECU updated with latest software (twice).

Issues still outstanding:

1. Scratched tint -- need to replace rubber strips after re-tint.
2. Steering wheel off-center after tire rotation.
3. Seat leather wearing prematurely.
4. Paint peeling where front fender/bumper meet.

The only service costs in 18 months have been three oil changes, new windshield wipers, and one tire rotation. Total cost = $121.95. Unbelieveable, when compared to the $80-100 services of my Audis and Volkswagens past.

I can also say that 2005 cars (with their minor updates) feel quieter, with slightly tighter steering, but the seats are actually a little less comfortable (obviously could be new car vs. broken in car, but mine were instantly comfortable).

-josh

 

I'm considering going with Pilot Sport A/S as well. Even though I can afford them, I have been hesitant about spending $1g on tires, especially when with the Falkens I own I can replace them for under $100 a tire with good performance.

I have a question about the ECU updating. How did you know it needed to be updated?

 

try scratch x if that does not work I suggest checking out www.autopia.org it is a great place where detailing nuts hang out.

 

Thanks for the tip. Since we're in for a run of decent weather this week, I'll try it.

 

I just wanted to pipe in about my experience with Pilot Sport A/S tires. I have a set of 235/45ZR17's on my 2002 Maxima SE 6-speed. Overall, the tires are absolutely incredible. I have 31K miles on those tires and they still have about 35-40% of the tread remaining. They are very good on dry pavement and surprisingly good in the rain and snow. My only disappointment was that they visually look narrower in width than the 235/45 size would suggest (actually about an inch narrower than the 225/50 stock Bridgestones).

The only bad thing is they do set you back about a grand for a set of four (out the door).

 

This is one of the best early build 04TL I have ever seen. So far, everything on this car seems still perfect.



Another tremendous achievement.



I thought I was the first one reporting this issue an year ago. So far, only a few ppl feel this way. I put towels there all winter.



I was updating my status into your tires thread a few days ago. Mine starts to get noisy. Yet, I prolly go to get Pirelli PZero Nero M&S, IMO. Personally, I believe Pilot Sport A/S seems a little noisier, but this Michelin is great, too.



I completely agree that clear-bra is one of the best investment or accessory TL should have...

 

I am glad i caught this thread.........I was considering purchasing the all season mats......I am a realtor dealing with a lot of new construction and am always tracking dirt and leaves into the car. I have to shake the mats everyday. I figured the all season mats would keep water from getting into my carpet that would eventually make my car smell funky.

Do you guys recommend not buying the mats?

BTW my car will hit 32k this week.

 

They just updated my ECU due to "rough idle" - I believe there's a thread from about 9-12 months ago (could be longer) on it.

Go for the Pilot Sport A/S tires - although they're not perfect (partially due to the very wide 17x9 wheels on the TL), they are leaps and bounds above the Bridgestone tires. Only downside is cosmetic - they stick out a bit more due to the tire construction and rim protection.


Two other recent service items:

1. I had the high-pitched screech at full lock in my parking garage. They replaced the tensioner and belt.

2. My brakes warped (due to car washes or rain and poor brake part quality on the TL). They replaced the rotors under warranty (unsure of pads but I imagine that they were done too).

 

I think that's what I'll do next winter. Kyle, having some winter protection is better than no protection, so go ahead and buy. The mats actually do fine during the other seasons, they just can't handle the volume during the winter.

I hear the PZero Neros don't do so well in snow, which is becoming increasingly important around here.

The only mistake I made with this was not having it installed right at the dealer when the car was delivered. Lesson learned.

I'm still on my original brakes. In February, I still had more than enough pad left (according to the dealer) to make it another few months...I expect to be changing the pads soon enough. I am sensitive to the issue because I owned a 2G TL, on which brake rotor warping was such a big issue that there was a TSB (IIRC), and I had my rotors resurfaced at 20-25k or something like that. Thanks for your comment on the ECU. I've never had rough idling.

 

Thanks neuronbob and lindros2.

I don’t want to start my own thread, and hope neuronbob doesn’t mind we hijack his thread here. Hope other early build 04TL owners could post their memo here, too.


Pre-order on Sep. 6, 2003. Except neuronbob, no one picked up their TLs until Oct. 6.

My 18 months old TL has about 19.5k miles now, so far so good. Most of my driving is in New York City, MPG is around 14~19. However, once I get out of town and hit on the highways, MPG will go up to 23~32.

I have taken my TL to 2 long trips so far. In Nov. 2003, the 2nd month of having it, I drove to Little Rock, AR, the round trip was about 3.5k miles. After returning home, I just realized TL’s paint is not as reliable as my other rides. The hood was full of chips and dings. IMO, the clear-bra or full nose mask is apparently necessary. The average MPG is around 25~29. Btw, I never needed to read maps anymore. This Navi is

The 2nd long trip was to Marquette, MI, Green Bay, WI, and Milwakuee, WI, about 3k miles in July. 2004. MPG is around 26~32. During this trip, I also recorded a tank with 507 miles (15.780 gallons), 32.13 MPG. Plus, the full nose mask did pretty good job to prevent those damage happening on my front, but it’s a little annoying to take them off during the rainy days.


Navi DVD disc is still the first version of Oct. 03. Wish Acura would mail me the free update soon in 2006.

As for the maintenance, this car has had 4 MIDs indicators so far, A1, B, A1, and B, plus the 14 visits to two different Acura dealers. In Nov. 2003, I was in the dealership for the issues below:

• MIL On
• Seat Memory
• flatspotting/losing grip
• Windshield Wiper worn
• Paint damage
• Glove Box rattle, etc.

I’m sure I was the first one reporting those issues to dealer. That dealer gave me tons of BS and cannot do anything with these issues, except replacing the new wipers. Since that day, I begun to call ACS twice a month until July (2nd gear inspection recall), and visited to dealers 13 times between Nov. 03 and July. 04. I guess this is why I cannot get the free Navi DVD update.

In my 1st oil change in Dec., the dealer used 03TL schedule to service my car. It's the first 3GTL for oil change in their dealership.

My issues are:

• MIL On:
  • Reported: Nov. 03
  • Uploaded the new ECU software: Dec. 03
  
  
• Tires:
  • Reported: Nov. 03
  • Got replaced: April, 04, from PVC EL42 to TU2 EL42
  • Switched to Falken 512 two weeks later
  
  
• Slightly vibration: 5th gear/1500 RPM/50~55 MPH. Never fixed...
  
  
• Glove box rattle: It’s On/Off, never completely fixed. In my 13th visits to the new dealer, they made it hold up well so far, but sometimes it's still rattling in particular conditions.
  
  
• Seat Memory:
  • Reported: Nov. 03
  • Got replaced: April 04
  
  
• Passenger Sun Visor vibration:
  • Reported: Feb. 04
  • Fixed: April. 04
  
  
• Door rattle: On/Off, and it gets even more complicated after windows got tinted.
  
  
• Rattles: Front center speaker, central console, vents, windows, front door upper frames, A-pillar, B-pillar, seat-belt, moon-roof, etc.
  
  
• 2nd gear inspection: July 04

Except the glove box rattle, they're all fixed and gone. Overall, this car is great and above the average. After reading some early members’ disappointment with their cars and comparing with my own review, I have to echo what neuronbob said above, “Still love the car! Sometimes, reading the forums, one would think that the TL will explode like a rear-ended Pinto. So far, mine has been pretty reliable. HTH!”

 

Thanks for the report, rets! Hehe, I remember how I got mine early.....those were the days...I didn't even wait as long as you did, I preordered on 9/20. We had some of the same issues, but they're detailed in my previous reports. All, frankly, were minor except that my wiper motor went and I had to give up my cutie for 10 days.