Originally Posted by dampfnudel

Maybe you should have considered the RL. Some current RL owners on this board upgraded from a 3G TL and I'm sure quality was a major reason.

Originally Posted by TampaRL

One here. There are several on the RL board who did so. As much as I loved the TL, I could not tolerate the build quality and rattle issues. The RL is substantially better built, and after owning one it underscores the issues posted here on the TL. No one will ever convince me US assembly is as good as Japan, no matter what the brand.

Originally Posted by cbronze07

My experience with the 2007 Acura TL-S is probably not something that you guys want to read about. Mine has absolutely been the most troublesome new car that I have owned, and I have had a bunch of them. Here is the list:

1. Clunking rear suspension?
2. Clunking front suspension?
3. Drivers memory system intermittently losing memory?
4. Low oil pressure indicator illuminated at 3100 miles?
5. Engine rattles from spark knock on 93 octane fuel?
6. Horrible intermittent squealing noise from engine after start up?
7. Rattle inside dash on passenger side?
8. 21 days in Dealer service facility within 3400 miles

Horrible dealer service & attitude, even though my wife and I have really tried to be absolutely cordial to deal with. Acura Corporate has been no help (lip service, and documentation).

1. Dealer repeatedly refused to provide documentation of warranty service (violation of law in my state).
2. Service Manager gladly (with smile on his face) said that they did not fix any of my problems.
3. Dealer service dept. damaged the finish on both rear wheels (yet to fix).
4. Car returned so dirty so as to ruin light colored clothing, and took three hours to clean the taupe leather, but grease stains still remain on the headliner.

I might be stuck with this jewel for a while, but do you honestly think that I would purchase anything with the Acura name on it agian? NO WAY! I truly get a sick feeling in my stomach when I have to pass by (and look at) the local Acura dealership. Never Agian Acura, DO YOU HEAR ME, Never Agian!

Originally Posted by MR1

Sorry I didn't mean to offend anyone with my question about test driving your vechicles. My experience has been quite different from that which most of you have lived with.

As recently as today, I have been pleased with the overall build quality of my particular unit which now has ~33,000 miles. I had my battery replaced and the radio was disconnected and I didn't have the code with me. I drove about five miles on city streets with only my car sounds for entertainment. I heard engine noise and nothing else.

After reading your experiences, I feel very lucky to have received one of the well constructed TL's. I still think you may be dreaming about greener pastures with Japanese build however. Good luck to all with your battles.

Originally Posted by three

Short-time lurker here that really wants to get a TL. However due to all the issues I think it would be foolish at this point to do so. I do really appreciate all the honesty here as it helps potential owners get a little clearer picture of the brand outside of Consumer/Edmunds glowing reports.

I am posting not to flame but because maybe someone else may read it and help them in their decision process.

I had always assumed that Acura was an upscale brand but certainly the quality of the TL does not bear this out. I mean just charging a consumer a certain amount of money or haphazardly throwing premium features together certainly doesn’t make one a near-luxury auto. At least not in my opinion.

I had previously owned a couple Hondas back in the day so I figured that Acura would be at least the same quality if not better. After spending the better part of a week reading up on everything about the 3Gen I can say that I don’t believe that to be the case any longer.

For the first couple days I think I was ready to overlook at lot of things because of the “more for less” mentality. I now would rather pony up the 5-7k more for any of the TL’s competitors then take a chance and go through the potential hell of getting to know every Acura Service man on a first name basis just to save some money.

I cannot image, as one poster had their car in the shop 20 days in the last couple months, being able to tolerate this kind of luxury. My last seven cars combined have not seen half that time for unplanned service issues. These cars span from economy to full luxury vehicles.

To those that have few(er) quality problems you are indeed fortunate to have your vehicle assembled by someone who was both competent and actually cared to do a job in the manner in which they had been paid. To the others here I for one am sorry to read about the aggravation of your TL ownership.

Originally Posted by NVMYT

I was stationed in Japan for 10 years and yes cars are built by robot-like computers arms in Japan. I've been to the Honda, Nissan and Toyota plants and it is an awesome site to see!! They also have a laser guided quality control mechanism that check clearances. Not to mention, the Japanese factory worker moves around the factory with a purpose. They don't talk, laugh or joke around on the assembly line. THEY ARE ALL BUSINESS ON THE LINE!

However, we are not so lucky here in the U.S. In the U.S. effort to keep the economy strong, US manufacturers employ humans to assemble cars. Because of that, the quality is not up to par with the Japanese. In fact, because of the U.S./foreign trade agreement, Japanese automakers were forced to open U.S. assembly plants here in the U.S. if they wanted to continue to sell the same amount/more cars here in the states. So while the parts of your car are still made in Japan, the final assembly (up to 95%) is done here in the states.