I complain a lot but in reality, all I've ever had to do in over 60,000 miles is change the fluids and put gas in it.

I too expected a lot. All of the little rattles went away on their own except for the rear deck which only rattled with the 2 12W6s turned up and was fixed with a piece of cardboard.

For what it's worth, my friend with a $120,000+ CL65 also had to trace down rattles when he installed subs and were much harder to find than the TL. He's owned 5 CL Mercedes and every single one has been in the shop nearly once a month from a battery drainage issue that the dealer couldn't fix to a trunk that wouldn't close or would open when driving down the road to the balljoints taking a dump at 40K miles (dangerous) to the automatically closing doors not working (not supposed to slam them manually). I love the CLs but it just goes to show that every manufacturer regardless of price range has their problems and I would take the occasional rattle over any of the mechanical problems of a lot of cars.

For a reality check, all I have to do is drive the GN for a day and the Acura seems completely silent.

 

I dont mind the rattles, its the frickin' front end alignment that gets me. Allot complain about it. Man, if only Acura went RWD.

 

I am pretty confident that my car rattles the most out of any other car here.

I drive with my windows cracked 4 inches with volume 20+ ... what rattles?

I actually thought about this the other day ... I love my TL.

 

We have 13K on our 07 TL-S and I'm still thankful I bought it!

 

The only WHINING you should hear from a TL is a SUPERCHARGER!!

 

Entry-level luxury. Near luxury. Luxury Sport. Sport Luxury.

These terms are all used by 3rd parties to pigeon-hole the TL. Notice a commonality there?

"That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet." ..
.................................................. ...........................- Shakespeare

As for me, I don't let Car-Fax define my ride. My ass sits on perforated glove leather; I have hi-fi, 6 channel audio. My HVAC systems respond to voice commands. I have muscle-car performance with astounding handling in a roomy 4 door sedan. I have touch-screen, voice command Navigation. And all this is standard equipment..... for which one pays thousands of dollars extra to get on a Mercedes-Benz or a BMW.

Plus, it sips gas at an overall average of nearly 30 MPG.

And THAT is how I define luxury.

 

Xpditor = winner.

 

Very true! I had a chance to buy a two year old CL55 for the same price as my TL. I went back and forth a couple times but decided on the TL because it had everything the Mercedes had except for the ABC active suspension and actually had a better navigation with a bigger screen and Honda reliability. I am still happy with my purchase.

 

So whose whining?

You read before you buy a stereo. Why not before you buy a car? I came on this forum before I bought my beast. I heard the yays and nays. I test drove and I conquered.

Now you and I have Stella...ok I kid....I do!

 

I love you John

 

I SECOND THAT!

When I was shopping for this car, I stopped by Lexus first. After deciding the IS350 was too small and the GS to sedate, I told the Lexus salesman I was going to check out Acura before deciding. He said "well, I suppose you could go that way, but Acura's aren't TRUE luxury vehicles". How wrong he was. I see absolutely nothing in a Lexus that puts my TL in a lower category.

 

First of all, I have to preface my response by saying I have not complained about my TL at all. I haven't had a reason to.

But, I disagree with you 100% JohnJr. You seem to be waving the "stop complaining" flag and many others are quick to join you, dismissing people who complain as "whiners." But, I don't see how you can say that when you haven't experienced the same problems! If your car had numerous annoying rattles, wouldn't you complain about it? (Maybe not, I don't know).

Secondly, I appreciate the complainers. I was on here for a few months before I bought my 2007 TL-S (used). These "whiners" (as you call them) gave me an excellent checklist for the issues I needed to check on before buying my car. The rattles specifically were something I was careful to check on. As soon as I took the car for a test drive with the sales rep, he turned the radio on to show off the sound and nav systems. I asked him to turn everything off so I could hear every noise the car was making.

So, to the complainers, I thank you for making me aware of the common issues. If you write something I think is BS, I will simply ignore the thread or post that I think it's BS. But, don't let guys like JohnJr keep you from posting! This input is far more valuable than someone talking about how "dope" their TL is.

 

Couldn't agree more. I got the TL as soon as it came out, 04 TL with 56,000 Miles. Driven it everywhere in NYC. Drove it to Florida and back. Hit every pothole NYC had to offer and not a single problem.

 

The smartest post in this whole thread...well done!

 

Now, I agree with the OP, but heres the thing...

You said mentioned putting things in perspective, you need to put things in perspective as well.

If we didn't have whiners, we would have braggers... then you would come on here and talk about how much people brag about their cars because we're missing this and that... stop bragging, it's not the best car out there... etc etc.

If we didn't have whiners and / or braggers, we would have a bunch of people sitting on acurazine.com looking at 10-20 posts a month. Now, who would want to read about nothing?

I just started looking at Kawasakiforums.com, and they are DEAD. I plan on getting a 250, maybe EX or R sports bike. I see the same posts every god damn day, nothing is different. I've been on that forum for less than 2 weeks and I think I've posted more than half the people who have been on that site.

Anyways, I love my car. The only rattle I get is the rear plastic above my sub. I just got a microfiber cloth, folded it, and shoved it between the rear windshield and the plastic( the plastic hitting the windshield is whats making the rattle).

 

Thanks Ramrod!

 

I am really enjoying this string with both its pros & cons. I agree, I like to see both sides, whether I'm in the market or am a current owner.
However, re. the perforated glove leather, I read elsewhere this part of the seat is not actually leather, just the side bolsters. Not sure if true or not, but I still think it's a great car after one year. 'Our' anniversary was Febr. 4.

 

I purchased my 04 TL about 3 1/2 years ago - its been comfortable and reliable with no major issues except for a failed master cylinder - but its always been a rattle trap. The dealer has successfully removed several of the squeeks and rattles, but many remain unresolved. Great car, but the rattles really are excessive for a premium vehicle - more than any I've owned in the last ten years. Sadly, my son's 2001 Chev Cavalier seems to have less rattles than my acura. Of course, the Chev is a loud piece of junk - which probably masks the rattles somewhat. For those of you w/o the rattles - congrats - you're lucky.

 

No. The seat is actually soft, buttery, perforated glove leather. Any surface which touches you is leather. The backs of the seats and some of the sides are "leatherette" as BMW calls their vinyl. I think the headrests might be vinyl also because they stay clean and don't seem to absorb oil from your hair.

The standard leather on BMWs and M-Bs is that bumpy pig-skin type leather. You will pay about $1200 more for that in some of the lower models. If you want the premium, soft, perforated leather, you will pay even more as an option.

The softer glove leather is admired for it's comfort and ability to take the shape of your body. But, you will find dozens of ppl on this forum complaining about the "butt-prints" in their driver's seat. Of course, it shrinks back into shape after a while. It's just more flexible/comfortable than the hard leather.

I don't know of any vehicles short of Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Bentley that uses 100% leather on all the interior. The fact is that leather is skin and it will eventually get wrinkles and hair lines like all skin. I treat mine often with a good leather conditioner.

Vinyl wears better in the areas that get scuffed with your feet or on the backs of seats.

 

X the only parts of the TL seats that are leather are the middle inserts. every single other section is vinyl. and yes only high end luxury cars ur paying over 200K for is real leather including the benz 600 series cars.

 

I believe the seat side bolsters (back and bottom both) are also leather, mine have some slight creases that do not occur with vinyl. The seat sides and backs are definitely vinyl.

 

That is correct. It is not only the center inserts.

Also, the door panel inserts.

The way it was explained to me is: if you sat in your TL naked, everything that touches your skin is leather (Excepting the head rests as mentioned above).

You can thank me for the "visual".

 

yea the door panels in my car I replaced with suede no idea y they would put leather over vinyl on the door panels and elbow rests on the doors.... they get ruined toooo quickly..... the seats ive ripped apart 3 times til i found the right color suede i wanted to put in.... the rear seats in the middle portion i replaced with BMW leather because it had a nicer look n feel to it....the bolsters yes ur right i wasnt thinking of them. and the headrests are next....suede.

 

I've noticed that someone whining sparks some very informative threads over the years (been here since 2002). So, whine on, the more we talk to each other, the more we know about our cars.

 

Visualizing Dave and in his TL....

 

A trick I found to check for leather is to push on the surface with your finger. If it wrinkles up then it is leather; if just stretches and deforms (rubbery) then it is not leather.

 

LOL! Well, I have heard all kinds of views on this. But I do notice the side bolsters get wrinkled, but the perforated seats don't. Hmmm.

 

I completely disagree with you.

there is a difference between complaining and just plain bitching.

If you come here with an issue and you want to get a little off your chest, I see no issue with that. As long as you are proactive about finding a solution. But if you come here to just show me a laundry list and cry about how much you hate Acura, I dont think the members should waste their time reading it. I surely dont understand how you think this would help anybody.

We are not here to provide you a shoulder to cry on. We are here to help you find solutions to problems.

So no, dont keep starting complaint threads because I will close them

 

First: rude and uncalled for reply - especially from a moderator. Second: you contradict yourself. You start by saying that you see a "difference between complaining and just plain bitching" and when somebody comes with a problem, you "...see no issue with that...As long as you are proactive about finding a solution". But in the end - "dont keep starting complaint threads because I will close them". Maybe because I’m not a native English speaker, I don’t understand the phrase about being “proactive about finding a solution”. It looks like an excuse to close anything you don’t like. Since some problem has already happened, you cannot be “proactive” about it. You are looking for a solution and that’s why you post the thread. This is your “action” – to post a “complaint” thread, hopping that somebody knows what to do. When people have a problem - they complain! If they knew a solution, they may just do whatever needs to be done to fix a problem and not even post a thread about it. If they do post, that means they don’t know what to do, they need help and THIS IS YOUR JOB TO HELP THEM! Not closing a thread! With such attitude towards people who have anything negative to say about Acura, you shouldn't be a moderator.
You may say “I’m talking about people who are just complaining/bitching” – without asking for a specific help. Well, it happens. It seems that you have little problem with people who just “praise” Acura and are just "waving Acura flag”, so to speak – correct? Then give other kind people a slack, will you? Maybe they are not asking for a solution because they know that it doesn’t exist... After all, “Acura TL” is a forum – look this word up in the dictionary.

 

:ibtrancemission:

 

I personally don't have a problem with complaining as long as it's not a "dead end" complaint repeated ad nauseum ... ie. whining about something that's been whined about for ages and is an inherent design element in the car, not a flaw. When someone goes on and on about the torque steer or the lack of an iPod jack, it gets to a point where I want to say "well, hell, no car is perfect, and you DID know all this before you shook hands with the salesman, didn't you??"

Automobile manufacturing is a very competitive business, and even Acura has to make some compromises to continue to make a profit. If they put more R&D into the interior design than Infiniti, then they have cut somewhere else, and maybe that means using a four year old audio system design, so rather than paying Alpine to redesign it every update cycle they do it every other cycle. That's just an example.

No discriminating car buyer will ever find one car that meets all their criteria perfectly, unless they have a bottomless wallet. We all have to recognize that.

 

Well said.

 

People dont stumble upon AZ to because they are looking for a place to show off their nice cars (usually, exclude the spoiled kids). Alot of people come here because they have some issues with their car and are looking for a fix. Thus, more "whiners" than braggers.

 

Well lets see, where do I start.

Does being a moderator mean I have to kiss your ass? Its all in how you read what Im saying.

How is that contradictory? There IS a difference. I said if you want to get something off your chest then fine, but you need to be proactive to finding a solution…


Ill explain,
Lets say for example you have RATTLES, if you just complain about it then yes I will close it. Not only because there are a million threads on it, but there are a million ways to fix it. We know they suck, we don’t need to read about it everyday. So to recap, if you come into 3G and start a thread and you actively do something about fixing it then I will help you, so will the members. But if you bitch and moan about paying 30K for a rattle box and you want to find out about a lemon law, we don’t want to hear that. You’ve been there since 2003, longer then me, you should know all of this by now.


We have a search button. You’re exactly right, if you searched and found the solution then correct, you shouldn’t be starting a thread. That’s exactly what I call Nirvana. When we get there Ill let you know. But for now, you need to try to find the information on your own. There is so much of it there its crazy. You have no freakin idea how much time and effort went into the 3G garage. Its there so you don’t have to start threads.


Now this right here pisses me off. You have no fucking clue what I do and what Ive done for this site. You don’t know me and have no right telling me what you might think my job is. Ive done more then you can ever hope to do for our members. Ive worked on many many cars for our members here in Texas and asked nothing in return. Ive hosted many many meets here at my house and cooked for members. Never asked for anything in return. My job is to make sure YOU follow the rules that WE have set. My job is to look out for the best interests of AcuraZine and its vendors. I have this attitude because members like you feel as if they need to be fucking spoon fed everything.


exactly

You think that I just eat rainbows and shit butterflies all day about Acura? Yeah Im a fan, of course. But what you fail to understand is that we have a section called “Problems and Fixes” Its sole purpose is to find solutions to your problems. Go check it out. You’ll see plenty of members that are upset but are trying to do something about it.

Ive had my share of complaining about issues with them.



which is exactly what goes on here.

 

I'm 100% with you on this, trancemission. People forget that forums like this provide a wealth of info for FREE. Sometimes the attitudes get a little out of control. Members have spent countless hours authoring the informative posts found here. Moderators also spend countless hours trying to keep the forum organized and helpful - a very daunting task given that anything on the internet always trends towards flaming and chaos.

 

dude you got this all wrong, all of the whining is from the superchargers out there!

 

well said. This is probably one of the best run forums I'm a member of -especially when it comes to information and organization of threads in proper sections. Being a moderator is not an easy task, and not one I would want to do. It can be a thankless job and putting up with all sorts of people and attitudes would probably drive me insane. So, Thanks to the moderators here, and all those others that have contributed over the several years I've been reading and gathering info/feedback, for free.

gregtomash - please take a step back and recognize how much work goes into running an online forum with efficiency and diplomacy. Nobody here is only closing negative threads about Acura. There's plenty of negatively slanted threads, but usually they are posted with the intention of getting a solution. Being a moderator does not make it their job to help people with problems, they help people by keeping the forums clean and on task which includes moving and sometimes closing duplicate threads, or threads which could be found with the search button. Most moderators (at other boards) I know do it for free, or very little in the way of anything resembling compensation, so I'd say they are already helping everyone out, you just have to know it's mostly behind the scenes.

for what it's worth, I have a few rattles, not enough to really piss me off. I have the crappy leather issue and a few other minor things. But in reality, it's a car, it's going to happen at some point, and it's not something you're going to keep for 30 years like a house - nor was the TL priced like one. It's all about perspective I guess, I paid a few thousand more than I would have with an Accord, but I'm so much happier with the TL those little things just don't seem to complaint worthy. I'm by no means an waving an Acura flag, nor a fanboy, I actually am thinking I won't buy another Acura when my next car purchase comes along. Not because I don't like'em, just that there's so many other cars out there to try, variety is the spice of life, right?!

 

I totally agree and support the moderators on this board. I belong to a few other boards which pursue entirely different topics, but this is an excellent board. I know that most if not all of them are not compensated for the tough work they do. I also happen to work in a field where I deal with a lot of internal communications issues, and there simply is NO WAY to please everyone, so I truly appreciate and recognize the effort that lies behind this board.

Based on other boards I've seen, this is really one fantastic resource for pros & cons, fixit ideas, etc.

Hats off to the moderators, and to those who contribute relevant content!

 

we "whine" because we love our cars so much.

 

Yeah... the 4th gen sh-awd is gonna be insane pricey in CND dollars... =(
don't forget we have 12% taxes too LOL