NoTLoud

Hey all, I just joined the forum as I just got a 2006 TL after wanting a 3G for about a year now. I got the 5AT with 100k miles on it. Timing belt and 3 engine mounts done right before I bought it. Second owner. Bought from same dealership it was originally purchased from and traded back into. Maintenance history seemed to be good. Car had been driven only 5k miles since 2013 as the owner had gotten a new car in 2013 that the dealership showed the previous owner had also traded in.

Anyways..... Maybe the 5k in 3 years should have been a red flag for me.

I have owned the car for only 10 days now and already have got a check engine light and this morning a completely dead battery.

The check engine light is a P0134 code. According to my research, it's the O2 sensors at the upstream of the fire wall side of the engine. Understand these should be a 100k maintenance item, but it still sucks it failed in my first 7 days of ownership.

Battery was dead this morning. Clicked, but was basically completely dead. I had noticed it was taking a 1 or 2 extra cranks the last couple days to turn the car on, but I was surprised it was COMPLETELY dead in just 10-11 hours after being fine when I let it sit for a day and a half just 2 days earlier. I am hoping it is my HFL because that seems to be incredibly common, but the HFL was working when I bought the car 10 DAYS AGO.

Other than that, the transmisson seems to shift maybe a little slower than it should. Almost like a little lag between gears, especially noticeable right after starting and in transition from 1-2 and 2-3. Not so bad from 3-4 and 4-5, which is where I understand the issue with the pressure switches come into play. Regardless, I have ordered the switches, because this car seems like it is going to be a lemon, just like my last car, so I fully expect the transmission to go regardless...

Sorry if this sound whiney, but I bought this car for its reliability. Only had it 10 days and am having numerous issues. Car went thorugh a 186 point inspection prior to me buying and is from a very reputable dealer here in Charlotte, NC, Hendrick Acura. My last car I had for just under 3 years before totalling it and, no exaggeration, had a new issue every month. I just wanted a car that worked....



All this being said... did I buy another lemon or am I just THAT unlucky?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

its an 11 year old car!
the issues you are having are SUPER minor!!


remember, used cars are used cars. a ten year old car will have its quirks

NoTLoud

Very true. It's just frustrating to have issues already popping up in 10 days, doesn't seem like a good sign to me. The dead battery is odd and also annoying because I had to get a ride to work today (luckily I could get one). Dealership should hopefully take care of O2 sensor at no cost... if I can get there.

The real concern I have is with the transmission. I had read around and it seems like when the engine is warming up, it will shift a little harder, but it almost seems like it is a delay, like a half-second hold between the gears. Normal? Seems to get a little better after driving for awhile. I don't really even notice it if I am not strictly paying attention to the shifting. I think I may just be paranoid because I know the transmission had problems on these cars. Will replacing the 3rd and 4th gear switches help with his? Ordered them, regardless, for the piece of mind.

Thanks for the reply.

*.jpg

Check the battery cable(s) for corrosion. My (+) cable was corroded the entire length and replacing it was cheap and easy and it solved my no power/can't start problem that cropped up, coincidentally enough, 10 days after I bought my 2007.

I'd double-check the CEL message again after a bit. Originally mine reported as an O2 sensor problem, but then turned into the all-too-common "tighten fuel cap" issue. I replaced the canister purge valve solenoid which I confirmed was bad, but I still have another vapor leak somewhere that I've decided to ignore. If I reset the CEL message now, it starts out with the "Tighten Fuel Cap" message on the MID and then eventually sets off the CEL again.

I can't address the shifting issue, but it seems like the 3rd and 4th gear pressure switch replacement process is fairly straightforward and inexpensive, so it won't hurt to try it.

nist7

Yeah those are fairly minor stuff. Defnitely not lemon. Reasonable buyers would expect some things to pop up after 11 years AND another red flag is 5000mi in 3 years.

Definitely do the switches and the drain and refills. Most car buyers are ignorant/neglectful of routine ATF change intervals and I wouldn't be surprised if the ATF hasn't been touched in those 3 years or more. Do multiple drain and refills, get new battery if needed, remove HFL (I had this issue), new O2 and good to go.

NoTLoud

When I looked this morning, it did not seem that there was any serious corrosion issues present, but I will give it a better inspection when I get home today. I got the "Tighten Fuel Cap" on a TL I test drove and was told after a pre-purchase inspection not to buy.

The dealership apparently did the transmission fluid before I bought it. I will do the drain and refill on my own again, probably when I do my first oil change at 105k. I will also disconnect the HFL tonight and get the battery tested. The issue with the battery is I want the dealership to replace it, but it's kind of inconvenient to get there without a running car. :P O2 sensor doesn't seem to be affecting mileage at all, I got about 30-32 on my 150 mile trip home this weekend, but engine may my idling a little rough.

Are you saying the 5k miles should have been a red flag as well? I had thought so at first, but they did show me the other car had equivalent miles put on yearly after he had bought it. Up until 2013, this car was doing 15-18k miles/year.

I did expect to replace parts, just not after 10 days.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

and I didnt expect to change out the clutch after buying my car.
but used cars are used cars.

NoTLoud

Ouch. Very true.

I guess the good news is my last car had so many issues and I did all the work and learned a lot. I feel confident enough now to do pretty much any repair, except certain things like the timing belt, but that was done already.

BreezyTL

iTrader: (8)

If its the OEM battery, just replace it. It sat for 3 years barely used, that battery should be dead after that... Also if you wanted a reliable car why did you go with the AT at 100k? You said you knew they are known to go. Well you have about 25,000-35,000 miles before that happens from what I have been seeing lately unless the fluid was changed religiously, highly doubt it if you are experiencing issues already. Hopefully with a fluid change and switches it fixes it but I wouldn't hold my breathe. Hopefully you got it for a decent price to counter repair costs.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

that's the attitude I was looking for!!

NoTLoud

Not OEM battery. It's an Interstate and I couldn't find any indicators on it as to when it was put in the car. Going to get it checked today and put a new one in, assuming it's the issue. Things seem to point to it just being dead and not a starter or alternator issue.

True on the auto, but it looks like if I do the tranny fluid and switches, I should be able to keep it going. *fingers crossed* My current plan is to do the 3x3 in 4k miles, at 105k. They changed the tranny fluid before I got the car. Switches should be done by the end of the week. I just ordered them yesterday, so hoping they get here before the weekend. I may do them every 30k instead of 50k just to be really safe since $100 each time is better than $3k of whatever for a rebuild.

Thanks! My fingers are crossed the transmission will hold out. I may go back and see about a warranty from the dealer...

nist7

I've been a bit skeptical of dealership ATF changes. My 06 TL's prior owner always took to Acura dealer for service and the ATF receipts always say "ATF flush 9qts" which at least from this forum...and from a copy of 3G TL sevice manual I have....only recommends simple drain and refill. Not to say dealers don't know exactly what they do but....make sure at least they replaced all the ATF fluids (total system capacity is somewhere north of 7qts...but only 3qts drain out each time hence the multiple drain and refills as recommended on here)

3 years of basically sitting (at only 5kmiles) is slightly concerning. May need to keep closer eye on rubbers and hoses and other fluids.

I know I remember Acura recommends changing out the brake fluid as well at 3 year interval. I would also check power steering and listen for any noise and look at the fluids. My TL's power steering fluid was real ugly/gunky looking, (and again my TL had ALL records from Acura dealer and was always "meticulously maintained") so I actually bought new upper PSF hosing, new O-ring and a new PSF resorvoir tank (there is a un-serviceable filter/screen on the PSF tank that cannot be replaced except wiht a new tank, fairly cheap...just take the part number to a Honda dealer for cheaper parts vs the Acura dealer....).

ALso look at brake pads/rotors/tires obviously, which you may have mentioned already. But I would also ask about when last time Brake fluid and PSF was changed/serviced.

NoTLoud

The car did have the oil changed twice during those 2 years, but my understanding was you want to do it every 6 months or 5k miles, whichever comes first.

As far as power steering goes, I will look into it. Thanks for the heads up. It doesn't seem to have any issues. I understand because of the hydraulic power steering set up, it feels heavier at slower speeds, but it feels great on the highway. I will take a look at the fluids when I get a chance.

Brakes seem to be fine as well. I do have a slight squeal that I notice at certain times. It looks like that may be a semi-common issue with this car as well. I will look into putting some brake grease on the pads if it gets any worse.

Tires look fairly new. I made sure to check them out when I got the car. They are Michelin all-seasons that seem pretty nice.

Transmission fluid 3x3 I will do at my next oil change. I may actually do the oil changes every 3k for awhile considering the fact it sat awhile between it's last couple changes. Not sure if it will make any difference, but I like the piece of mind.

Thanks for the responses!

NoTLoud

UPDATE:

It definitely was the battery causing my no start issue. Old battery was reading only 10.8V and a 0% charge when I had it checked. Went ahead and got a new AGM battery from AutoZone because it was the closest place to me and I had to rely on my friend to get me there.

Threw in the new battery and she started right up. Still going to try and get the stealership to help me out on this one. Hoping that Hendrick Acura will right me on this one because it's kind of shitty they sold me a car with basically a dead battery in it. The new battery was more than my car payment for the month....

Anyways, while I was working on the car, I removed the HFL entirely because I am not 100% sure if it was draining the battery, but I'd rather just remove it since I know it could potentially be an issue down the line. I'd rather not have to deal with the hassle of a dead battery again if I know I can eliminate at least one contributing factor.

While I was disconnecting the HFL, I decided to address my shaky rear view mirror. It unclips from right under the sun roof bezel piece. So I removed the rear view mirror. Per some information on the forum, I figured it was the clip it slides into the windshield on that was lose. I shook it around before removing it and could tell that it was definitely an issue with the clip. After removal, I was going to try and just bend the clip tabs on the side down a little bit, but I thought, nah, I'll check one more time to see what I need to bend exactly. I try and remount the rear view and it seemed to not go on all the way, so I pushed a little harder and it snapped into place. PROBLEM SOLVED. It seems that the clip had just slid loose and needed to be re-seated properly. Maybe someone else will run into this thread and it will help them down the line. No need for any replacement parts.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Good job!
for me, I would keep the autozone battery.
as it also comes with a warranty and will be just as good as the HONDA battery, because essentially both batteries are made at the same manufacture; JOHNSON CONTROLS

NoTLoud

Good info to know! I splurged for the AGM because from my limited research, they seem quite a bit better than the lead batteries.

I also think they are better for car audio purposes, which I plan on utilizing it for. Currently rebuilding my system from my last car (hence the name). I was running an AGM battery in it, but it died and I replaced it with the cheapest option I could because I was broke and in school still. The AGM seemed to run 14.1V pretty much all the time, while the standard lead would run at 13.8, even after I did the Big 3.

I may post some sort of build thread for it, I'm not sure yet.