I think we have about 35,000 miles on our TL, and have not had a single problem with it yet.
No rattles, not even a bulb out.

So far, its been oil changes at 20%, a cabin air filter, and I put in a different battery I had around (bosch) as I never liked the delphi crap batteries.

I also did put in a 50/50 mix of Acura manual transmission fluid and the GM friction modified stuff very early on to improve the shifting, its still working....

I also replaced the stock el42 tires, not because they were worn, but because they were so poor in the rain.

The avon tires I got work great in every respect except they dont seem to balance as well as the el42's did, there is a slight trace of vibration at high speeds.

I also added daytime running lights (fog lights on) because the wife likes that.

But so far, no problems at all, the car has not been back to the dealers in about 3 years that we have had it.

VERY different from the 2003 VW passat I had!

Brett

 

That's awesome, I wish I had your luck!

 

Nice, go TLs haha..hopefully mine will do the same

 

You're a lucky guy, that's about it.

No offense, but plenty of people have had little things go wrong here and there with their TL, so your post, while appreciated, just basically says that you've been lucky.

Congrats.

 

Right on Brett. I've got about 21K on mine and much the same experience as you. Filters, oil changes and GM SMFM in the box. I did have a few rattles in the beginning but worked them out DIY in the early days. Yes the EL42s suck and flat-spot when cold but that's not the end of the world to me.

I'd bet most TL owners are relatively happy and that this forum, like other forums, attracts much more critical owners. It's naturally that way. People without issue or deep interest in their cars simply don't frequent these forums as much as people with the critical interests or issues.

 

Well, I guess I was due for a good car after the Passat!
People here think they got problems, get a vw and you will learn what problems are all about, and what BAD dealer service is all about!

I am not sure why, but our TL has no rattles or other odd noises, and noises really bug me.

Since we got an old well used RAV4, the TL does not get as much use as it did when we only had one car, so I sort of expected MORE problems, as things that sit tend to go wrong more then things that are used, but so far, nothing, no oil use, no problems, no noise, and the performance and fuel use are great, I think we get 34 mpg at 70 mph, and have had some mostly hiway trips indicating 32mpg overall.

They must have built our car on a good day I guess.

Its also nice to contrast something like the RAV4 to the TL, the TL seems REALLY fast, quiet, and the trans shifts SO nice after driving the RAV.

Maybe because its new, the RAV4 seems more fun to drive though, and we have lots of fun off road with it.
Its also sort of liberating to drive a car you dont really care about, dont have to lock, is paid for and not worth a lot, dont have to wash and wax much, etc.

The idea of an old car started when we bought our sons old camery for $250.00.
It had 200,000 miles on it, and ran like a top (4 cylinder auto).
200,000 miles of collage kid abuse (no oil, overheating and blowing radiator hoses off, etc), a small bit of work to fix the massive oil leaks and a new radiator
($90.00) and it ran like a top, used no oil, did not smoke, got great mileage.
We put 25,000 MORE miles on it and sold it for $250.00 to another collage student who loves it, even the AC works fantastic!

We did not worry about parking lot dings, theft, used it to load plants, mulch and so on, and always left it unlocked, windows down in the summer...
It was gold, so we never had to wash it, I tried that and it looked no better...

Well, after cars we really cared about, nice expensive cars, it was like a vacation, so what if it bursts into flame, or gets stolen, or someone crashes into it, just shove it into a ditch and be done with it!

Because of the manual transmission, we plan on keeping the TL till it gets worthless, and then can then enjoy it even more...

Brett

 

I agree I think most people are quick to complain about issues but most dont come in and say "hey my car has been great." I think the majority of owners are happy and I even read in CR once that over 80% of owners would buy there TL all over again. Sure the TL might have a few rattles but there are worse things. I know the 2G TL doesnt really have many rattles but if it makes anyone feel better I have a 2000 TL pushing 100k and no weird noises.