Hey everyone! I am in the market for a new daily driver, and I have had my eye on the 3rd gen TLs for a quite a while. I am about 90% positive this is the car I want to get, but they are hard to find in my price range ($15K max) and less than 80K miles.

A guy I used to work with had a 2nd gen TL type S and the transmission went out it. He told me after the fact that it seemed to be a common occurrence with the 2nd gens. I don't know if that's true or not, but if so has the transmission problems been resolved with the automatic transmissions 3rd gens?

Are there any common problems I should look for when buying a used 3rd gen with the 3.2 or 3.5, and make sure I am not buying someone else's lemon?

Also, what the recommended maintenance to be performed at 100K miles on the TLs?

 

yeah tranny is bound to fail on 04-05. probably not so much for the later years but still common. thats the major problem with them the motors are great

 

Mileage isn't a concern with these vehicles at all. I have bought two of them both over 100k miles and neither of them have given me any issues. 04-05 model years are notorious for transmission problems. 06-08 are solid as can be. The 100k service includes changing the timing belt, water pump, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Check my signature.

 

Welcome to AcuraZine. Best of luck on your impending purchase.

 

No tranny problems for 07/08 for sure, most say the 06 is good and all say 04/05 are the ones that suffer from tranny issues. I can't speak for the 04-06's, but I can say the 07-08 TL Type S's are extremely reliable vehicles.

 

Whew, I am glad I decided to no pursue the 04 TL I was looking at then. I will stick with an 06-08 then, I definitely don't want to buy a different car and have throw a transmission in shortly after. I know mileage isn't a concern on Acuras and Hondas, but I prefer to get something with a low as miles as I can for my price range. Having to replacing the timing belt, having the valves adjusted, etc can add up real quick, so that is why the lower mileage and a previously well maintained car is preferred.

I'd love to have a Type S and I doubt I will find one with lower miles and in good shape for my price range, but are they affected by the same transmission problems?


Do you all think this TL is priced well? It has a little more miles than I was hoping for, but if maintenance has been done and I can haggle some, I might go for it

http://www.dixiemotorsinc.com/detail...-11111178.html

 

The pictures look great and I think you can get the dealer down another $500-800. Or asked them to replace timing belt, water pump....for the sticker price. You should be able to find a 07 or 08 in your price range too.

 

The 04-06 all have basically the same transmission. For 07 and 08 there was a bit of a change. None of them have "common" transmission failures. With any Honda transmission you have to make sure you're on point with the fluid changes because transmissions are the weak spot for Honda cars.

I get a chuckle when people say 04s have problematic transmissions but 07 and 08 are fine. First of all, every car transmission is going to fail at one point or another, depending on how much you drive it. Obviously since 04 is the oldest of the 3G TLs they are going to have the highest mileage on average of all the 04-08 TLs, therefore they would have the highest number of transmission problems. Some people just don't think.

Also if you look for an 06-08 you're going to pay about $5000-$7000 more for basically the same car, even if the mileage is the same. This would cover about 3 or 4 transmission rebuilds if you're that worried about it.

Just test drive the car, make sure they have all the records, and take it to a shop you trust to get checked out before you purchase. Other than that, you're rolling the dice with a transmission on any model year. In fact, any car you buy there's a chance the transmission will go out prematurely. You think this is an isolated Acura problem?

 

Welcome to AZ and good luck with your search. Your TL is out there.

 

Well I have a 05 TL 362,000km on it just did my idler pulley to get rid of that annoying noise that most of the people had a problem of. I think if you just maintain your vehicle and check if the 105 service is done than you should be good. Oh btw my car is still going strong

 

This weekend I went to look at a couple TLs I found online at nearby dealers, both were 06s. The first one was maroon with tan interior, and unfortunately the car looked better in pictures than in person. The car was trashed, deep scratches all around and there was huge scuffs on the front bumper where someone hit something. I passed on this one instantly.

The second one was silver with black interior, and the nice looking split 5 spoke wheels. It appeared to be in nice shape exterior and interior wise, but the closer I looked I easily tell could tell it was in a front collision. The front bumper, hood and fender were obviously replaced and repainted. I really wanted this one to be in good shape because I really liked the look of this car. But since it was a wreck, I had to pass on this one too.

I am just going to have to keep my eyes open, and see what comes up. 3rd gen TLs are hard to find used around here. If anyone else on here is in Tennessee, North Alabama, or Southern Kentucky is looking to sell their TL please PM me. Under 100K miles and no more than $15K. No previously wrecked, repainted, or modded vehicles please