Ken1997TL

And this letter would be???

Looks pretty open to me, there's nothing here!

VTEC=happiness

:lol1:

rets

Very very funny.

bluenoser

Sorry, it didn't go the first time.

You've now been to market with the 04 TL for some three months. It's now time to check the report card to see how you've done.
Styling ; A+, nice job, attractive from most angles and very fresh.
Features ; A+, truly class leading.
Interior Design ; A+, looks better than many higher class cars.
Interior Materials ; A, great plastics, leather OK, carpets too thin.
Fit & Finish ; A-, paint blemishes, panel fit and several rattles - below your past high standard.
Ride Quality; B-, too many vibrations form engine/ transmission and tires (mostly EL 42).
Handling; A+, the dynamics of the car are outstanding.
Engine performance; A, great power, good fuel mileage, would be A+ if it weren't for the vibration/ transmission thing.
Emotional Attachment; A+++, totally new ground for an Acura sedan - ah, but your greatest achievement is your biggest problem.
Now that you've created a car that invokes such strong passion, you suffer from the fact you didn't make it perfect.
You now cater to an enthusiast element in your market. These people are more informed and have higher standards than most.
How did you ever think you could choose the lowest rated tires for the TL and get away with it?
That one single choice has overshadowed all your other good work.
You better fix it soon and fix it right, or you will permanently allianiate the enthusiast you worked hard to attract, and in the process cause a lot of grief with your dealers trying to chase these tire related problems on their own.

6spdzoomzoom

Nice letter... I don't think they care

svtmike

You're an easy grader. I'd give the tires a solid F.

Mike

bluenoser

If I was to grade on a curve (pun intended) the tires wouldn't have been that high, but I feel there's so many things right with the car's driving dynamics that even the EL 42s couldn't totally destroy it.

Norse396

So far my car is rattle free but I'd agree with the rest of the letter.
Make a car like this, it better hold up to the crowd you're aiming at.

acuraddict

Kind of a message of extremes you're sending. You start out so enthusiastic, with very high marks for Acura, and then you hit them hard with your expectations for how they better resolve the tire issue, and fast.

Nevertheless, I like the message and I for one appreciate your effort at having an impact on Acura.

bluenoser

Actually they care more than we might think. Toyota has eaten their lunch in worldwide sales due to consistently higher quality products. They're struggling to regain marketshare from Toyota. If they don't care about issues like this they haven't a prayer against Toyota.

bluenoser

That's my point, this car brings out way more passion than the previous TL. How can they make a car that damm good then screw it up with a terrible tire selection. They really inflicted their oun wounds.

adam209

the tires are such a small problem though. just have them replaced and it'll be fixed.

LED Master

Thanks, I guess I will just have to ask Dad to pay for them, NOT. Some of us just dont have an extra $900 to spend on something that Acura messed up on!

copter

:lol1:


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by adam209
the tires are such a small problem though. just have them replaced and it'll be fixed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks, I guess I will just have to ask Dad to pay for them, NOT.
--------------------------------------:lol1:

USCGMoose

I agree with the letter. I have a strong emotional attachment to my car, but this is my first and probably last Acura. I just don't have the time to deal with all these build quality problems... as much as I like the car otherwise. I was planning on buying an MDX next year to replace another car, but I'm now leaning toward a lexus. Too bad for Acura because I could have bought a lot of cars from them over the rest of my life.

Teh Jatt

Another way to increase post counts

jwaters943

You might want to check out ClubLexus.com. They aren't perfect either (no car is). Many RX and GX owners are experiencing weird vibrations similar to the TL as well as other minor problems.

If you think your TL is bad, try a VW, Audi or even Mercedes Benz. As a two time VW owner I can say that VW knows how to make a beautifully detailed and structurally solid car, but reliability is horrible. My car was in the shop for warranty repairs/recall work 8 times in the first 18 months.

I can't wait to rejoin to Honda/Acura fold, but I'm not expecting perfection. I've owned enough cars of all different makes to know there is no such thing.

technogeek

I would note a couple of other irritating items:

Number 1 - The extremely annoying legal disclaimer on the NAVI. On a car that so far is pretty close to perfect, this annoys me every time I start the car. Good grief, fire the lawyer who advised this! At least give me a check box to check to never show me this again. I get it after the first time. Please, just go to the NAVI screen when I start the car!

2. Why didn't they have the stereo play MP3 files? It would have been really neat if not only could it play MP3 files from a CD-R, that it could play from DVD-R.

Other than that I would rate it very highly. I've found very few flaws. One extremely minor paint imperfection.

As for the tires, I live in Florida, so I don't deal with the cold. I've noticed relatively minor vibration at around 50 and 80 MPH. Not enough to really complain about though, obviously not nearly as bad as others. Also the traction could be better, I haven't even pushed the car yet with very low miles, and already I've had the tires slipping on starts.