njvike

Greetings!

I'm sort of new here although, I did post when I had an '07 TL several years ago.

I leased an '07 several years ago and reluctantly let it go. Well, I still had the car on the back of my mind and whenever I would see my Type S, I kicked myslef for not purchasing it.

Well, I spotted one for sale at East Burnswick Acura. It was an '08 Type S and after some negotiating, I purchase it. This made sense since I had the Chrome look-alike wheels from the '07 and couldn't sell them when I returned the car.

To the point. Since I loved this car so much and it's safe, I was wondering about getting my sons one. I saw one that has 116K miles on it and am going to test drive it next week. My question is how long does the powertrain last on these vehicles in general? I've always heard that Hondas normally last to about 250-275K before needing an engine. Is this still the case providing that the owner followed all the service recommendations?

Thanks

Ken

1black_seven

iTrader: (2)

I'd figure the Honda brand to be built a little bit more solid than Acura, but I can't argue with anything you said.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Honda= acura.

and with regular maintenance, I wouldnt doubt that a car (ANY CAR) could surpass 300k miles.
it will be the little things that go out faster than the motor.

things like:
interior
starter
alternator
suspension
battery
tires
wheel bearings
etc.

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Honda is Acura. Do you know what you drive?

Don't forget the transmission, Justin.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

ball joints
transmission(thanks Austin)
axles
navigation unit
cd player
will all go before the motor does(provided regular maintenance)

HFL
LED lights in the dash
dash will crack


ALL BEFORE THE MOTOR GOES

Yumcha

Acura is the upper-line of Honda...but, they are one of the same sir.

Like, Toyota and Lexus. Volkswagen and Audi...etc.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

unless the car you purchased or going to purchase hasnt had routine oil changes...THEN expect the motor to go.
There is also a major 105k mile service to be done.this entails the timing belt and water pump

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

inb4 Steven merges your posts

njvike

Thanks for all the replies. I think I will go for it.

When I had my knee replaced and was in rehab, I couldn't believe the majority of people there were a result of an accident. And here I thought I was in pain but after speaking to many of them and how they had plates, screws put into them, I still realized that safety should be the first thing I look into when I purchase a car. Especially, if my sons will be driving it.

The only complaint I have with the Type S is the price to do brakes. I realize the Brembos really jack-up-the price. $1,400 is the cheapest price I got quoted for them

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^thats a shame.
as with the brembo brakes; its actually EASIER to switch out pads.

we have a great community here; that can help with DIY labor.
it could be a fun project with your son!

DaeHanMeenGuk

+1 to DIY brake pad replacement.

This is from another thread. Hope this helps.

njvike

How much are they asking to do the timing belt? Interference Engine?

fraiolim07

It's an interference engine. Most folks can get it done for around $1,000-$1,500, but Hamilton Honda is pretty famous on here for offereing very inexpensive timing belt specials. Do a search for them if you can't/don't want to do the service yourself. If you go the Dealership route, try Honda dealerships rather than Acura dealerships: usually cheaper.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

$1400 for brakes? holy crap.

buy the parts and then pay the dealer to install. should be half that price.

as far as the motor lasting...million mile joe and his 20+ yr old accord and tyson with his 500k + mile legend should give you some comfort in the durability of the engines when properly maintained. there are several members on here with over 200k on their cars.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

The cars honda builds in Japan will always be better quality than the cars built in the US like the 2nd gen cl and 3rd gen tl. They also offer way more aftermarket support.

The legend and nsx were the peak of Honda/acura quality. It has only gone down hill since then.

Ofcourse the dealer will rip you off on a brake job. 1400 is a joke, you can get a new stoptech bbk for that price. I can't blame dealer for their pricing because people are willing to pay it.

UA6

Acura is gay...HONDA FTW!

IamaTL

hmm so now geography plays a part in quality...must be the smog

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

So misinformed lol.

csmeance

All of Acura's newer offerings are ROCK solid! Over the course of the last few years they have improved their quality quite a bit and are standing behind their products.

Take for example the 2007+ MDX, the one I own has been great for the last 80K and has barely needed any work done on it besides fluid changes! Plus Acura discovered that some folks were having a judder with the transmission and extended the warranty to 105K/8yrs on the MDX and as well issued a software update to correct the glitch that would cause the damage!

My 04 TL has had some issues including the trans, but Acura has stood behind it and taken care of it and me! I now have 145K on my TL and it's as great as the day I got it and have no worries about it like I do on my BMW.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Here is an example of what I am referring to. This is a quote from vectorstudy.com:

"Ford Motor Company was simultaneously manufacturing a car model with transmissions made in Japan and the United States. Soon after the car model was on the market, Ford customers were requesting the model with Japanese transmission over the USA-made transmission, and they were willing to wait for the Japanese model. As both transmissions were made to the same specifications, Ford engineers could not understand the customer preference for the model with Japanese transmission. It delivered smoother performance with a lower defect rate. Finally, Ford engineers decided to take apart the two different transmissions. The American-made car parts were all within specified tolerance levels. On the other hand, the Japanese car parts had much closer tolerances than the USA-made parts - i.e. if a part was supposed to be one foot long, plus or minus 1/8 of an inch - then the Japanese parts were within 1/16 of an inch. This made the Japanese cars run more smoothly and customers experienced fewer problems. This is an example of Dr. Deming's teachings, having been adopted by the Japanese, delivering better quality products".

Another example would be on my 03 acura cl built in ohio. After 3 years my rear passenger fender had rusted through. My other 3 fenders were perfectly fine. I examined the rusted out fender and realized the seam sealer that was applied was not even on the seams. The robotic arms that applied it were way off and the seam sealer didn't even cover the seams at all. No wonder.

What about all the tranny problems the us built cars have? Do the japanese cars have just as bad tranny problems? This is a question not a statement.

I wonder if any japan built cars have a dash that cracks in half like the tl one does.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^off topic again, I see.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

I thought this was the tl vs tsx quality thread. My mistake. No biggie.