I drive a 2006 Acura TL with ~106,000 miles. The car drives just fine, though my main concern is the ride is noticeably bumpy at times.

Took the car to an Acura dealer last week to get an alignment; they perform a multi-point inspection and they come back with a fairly long list of issues (some I already knew about but most I didn't):

-front and side engine mounts broken
-both transmission mounts broken
-cracked compliance bushings (was aware of issue from 3-4 years ago but driven the car without issue since then)
-some leaking in oil pump housing seals
-broken air filter hose
-leaking power steering pump (was aware of issue; had issue for ~2 years)
- leaking rack and pinion
- recommend power steering flush
- recommend transmission flush

I took car to local mechanic earlier today for estimates on all issues but looking for thoughts on prioritizing fixes? At this point, I'm prepared to spend the dough necessary to fix most of these but don't think I'll be fixing everything at once. My main concerns are 1) minimizing long-term significant damage to my car and 2) resolving the issues with the bumpy ride I've had for a while; given this are there any thoughts on how I should prioritize fixing the issues above? Thanks for any suggestions...

 

I'm a stickler for maintenance, so I myself would do everything at once. Why not? Chances are you'll never have to do any of that stuff again, save for maybe the compliance bushings.

Otherwise, I'd maybe break it down into two steps:

1. Flush ALL fluids (including brakes, coolant, whatever else), air hose, air filter, rack and pinion, oil pump (has your timing belt been done? I'm guessing no since your oil pump is leaking. Do it now too), water pump, valve adjustment.

2. Do engine/ transmission mounts, compliance bushings and front/ rear sway bar end links. I have no idea how bad these are on your car, but it sounds like your engine is about to fall out, lol, hence why I'd do everything plus more all at once.

How long have you had the car? How long are you planning to keep it? How much have you been quoted for the work? You have to decide if it's worth doing or selling the car.

For all of that, I'd budget around $2,000-2,500.

 

Wait-- has the car gone through the service "4" - timing belt service-- yet?
It usually comes up around 105K to 115K, and should include replacement of the water pump, tensioners, pulley, etc.
If not, you can probably get a pretty good discount on the engine mounts, airbox duct and oil pump leak work-- maybe free labor, with parts cost only. IDK if that applies to the transmission mounts, though.

Some cracks in the bushings and mounts are negligible and don't require replacement, but "broken" mounts do, so that's something to ask the mechanic.
Best to talk to a mechanic who has looked at the car (not a service advisor) about the work.

Service "3" is the transmission fluid change-- did that already occur? Sometimes done every 30K miles or so, but service 3 should come up every 60K or so.

The PS fluid change should come after repair of the PS pump and rack and pinion, but how much are they leaking? Any fluid hitting the ground or engine block? If yes, I'd put that high on the list.

Brake fluid should be changed every 3 years-- regardless of mileage.

Someone should check the shocks to address the "bumpy ride," too.

 

the leaky rack and pinion got my attention.

if the rack and pinion goes out, it'll be super hard to steer.

then mounts....tranny and engine mounts need to be done all together. (when 1 is broken, it will lead to all of them being broken. be sure to replace all of them.)


and Will Y. brought up another great point, the 105k mile service...water pump and timing belt.

 

Yeah, sounds like your car needs a total overhaul. Won't be cheap, but it is definitely required if you plan on keeping it around. I'd also stick to someone who specializes in Honda/acura- doesn't necessarily have to be a dealership, but I wouldn't trust just any garage.

 

Yeah, I assumed it hasn't been done either. Otherwise the oil pump wouldn't be leaking.

 

Thanks for the advice, all. Ended up doing the following:


- Getting my mounts replaced. (Out of the 6 transmission and engine mounts in my car mechanic said 5 were broken and should be replaced so I got those fixed.)


- Replaced air filter hose (only charged $60 parts + labor for this so went ahead and fixed this).


- Replaced right front lower control arm bushing (to resolve compliance bushing issue).


- Replaced right rear brake caliper. This was not an issue spotted by dealer but mechanic pointed it out and strongly recommended I fix it ASAP.


- Transmission flush


Mechanic said rack and pinion was not an issue and that I could afford to wait another 10,000 miles or so before replacing timing belt, pumps, etc. so I'm looking to do that probably next summer (no I haven't gone through service "4" yet). Also said power steering leak wasn't critical issue so didn't get that fixed for now.