LyNX31

I am close to purchasing a 2004 TL 6 speed TL w/ navi...

The only problem is that the TL is pretty far and I have to fly in to pick it up. The current owner has been pretty good about disclosing any issues and exterior flaws with me, but i wanted to ask you guys what other types of issues concerns questions i should ask about purchasing a 2004 TL

so far, he has addressed that he has the moon roof TILT rattle.. and the buzz / rattle by the navi unit.. i saw some fixes for both in the 3G garage.

the other question i raised was the condition of the leather since i read from this forum that the 2004 is infamous for "butt" marks on the seat.

the owner has been good about sending any closeup shots i ask for also.

*are there any other specific questions I should ask about the car? What were other concerns for 2004 6 spd navi models? I read something about third gear sometimes not shifting smooth and that a tranny fluid change takes care of it. Does that apply to 2005 only or 2004 as well? Are there differences in the wheels b/w 2004 and 2005?

I want to thank this forum for being helpful and extremely informative!

DeadLock

I recently purchased a 2004 6spd Navi TL, it only had 10k miles and was Acura Certified Pre-Owned.

I personally dont have many if any rattles, but I did have excessive wear on the drivers seat bottom, which was replaced by the dealer. The third brake light cover was sagging and was also replaced, I also got free new tires from Acura under the service bulletin. But it all dependson the millege.

Leather conditioner keeps the seats lasting, and the butt prints are not something you can do anything about, in the 2005 model they added a new stich line, which also doesnt help much.

The 2005 has a pass side air bag light over the hazard light between the center AC vents. The base wheels are idemtical, in 2006 the wheels have TPMS sensors (tire pressure monitor)

In 2004 A Spec wheels were 18 x 8.5 with Yokohama ES100 235/40/18 which are too narrow for a 8.5" wide wheel, and caused excessive curbage for some people.

The 17" wheels are 17x8 and have 235/45/17 tires which were Michelins on the 2005+ Navi models and cheaper tires EL42 on the 2004 all models and 2005 non navi models.

6spd have brembo front brakes, which makes aftermatket wheels harder to get because of the clearance issue.

Thats all from the top of my head, goodluck.

LyNX31

Thanks for your response deadlock.

how does transferring a warranty work with a private sale? The car is in another state so will i be able to get any TSB's done in my state if I bring it in to any Acura dealership? The car has 20k miles on it so i doubt the dealership would get the tires replaced for free.

i saw this thread that listed TSB's but I wondered how many of them are popular for model 2004?

triggle

Make sure you inspect the brake pads and rotors. Pads are pretty spendy if you need to replace them. Also make sure there are no curb rubs on the rims. Does the car have the Potenza RE050s or the Turanzas ? If it has the RE050 you may need snows. Is this car an Aspec with the 18"s ?

Ask him to throw in any DVD-As he has, if he can't use them in his new car. And make sure you get the radio codes and the demo disk that comes with the car. A couple routine maintenance items you might want to address are the air filter and the cabin filter especially if it is a smoking car.

DeadLock

The tire issue according to Acura, was due to bad rear bump stops, when the rear is overloaded with passengers, the tires toe is off and they wear unevenly.

I had them replace the rear bump stops while they did the tires.

It might not apply to you, and they might not want to even bother, it depends on the dealer.

LyNX31

if someone buys a TL under factory warranty, can you have the car serviced at any Acura dealership for a TSB?

oh yeah.. found out the tires are the turanzas

TailsToo

I'm sure you can - I bought a Dodge years ago (I was a stupid college kid then and moved from NJ to Fl, and needed lots of warranty work done when I was down there. I'm sure Acura would be use the same.

DeadLock

yea, as long as the car is within the year and millege that Acura covers the car, doesnt matter who owns it or how many times its been sold/bought, so you deff have coverage until 50k miles on a 20k mile TL.