Okay, let me first say that I used to have an 04 TSX with Navi and it rattled from the time I got it to the time I got tired of it and sold it (one year later). I have started looking to buy a used TL (05 or 06 model) and low and behold I'm finding that rattles are an issue on the TL based on some of the posts I've read here.

My question is why is it that Acura cannot seem to fix this issue? I have recently driven several Lexus ES 300's and researched them on message boards and they certainly don't seem to have any rattle issues. Isn't it time Acura address this issue? Maybe you guys have some insight that I haven't heard before on why it isn't addressed?

I don't mean for this to sound like a flame post or anything because believe me, I love the TL and am really wanting to buy one (and probably will). It just bothers me that this seems to go unnoticed by Acura. Please let me know if I'm out of line on this...it just seems that my research is leading me to believe the TL's have the rattle issues as well.

 

The rattle don't bother me. If it bothers you then you shouldn't get it. There is nothing I can said to change that fact that there are rattle. For the price, you are getting a hell of vehicle. If you like Lexus ES300 then get it, and I think now they have ES350.

I also have 2000 Lexus ES300, and my wife is driving it, I do not like it cuz I love my Acura.

Good luck make your decision.

 

I love my TL more every day

 

First - I love my TL, and it does not have any rattles - '05

Second - I have several friends who have the NEW IS 350's & ES350's, and all but one complain of rattles. (they are all tried and true Lexus owners and have complained of rattles on all of them)

Third - consider the sources you are going to - i.e. online forums - most people who actually post on the forums are a LOT more picky than 90% of the owners / drivers out there - meaning they whine a LOT more about nothing (yes of course, I am included in this group)

Fourth - get the car you like the most - you are going to have minor nuisances on ANY vehicle you purchase. Get the car that most fits your tastes and criteria, get an extended warranty from the dealer that DOES cover fit & finish, and then have them fix any rattles you find.

Finally - if you are looking at a used TL, then you can simply test drive it to determine if it has any rattles - most of the TL owners on this board who have / had rattles found them almost immediately after buying the car.

Good luck

 

Unfortunately I consider myself one of those who is an enthusiast and pick at every little nuance that is present in my cars. I guess it is more of a philosophy question and that is "Should a luxury car rattle like these do?" Just curious, do the majority of owners on this board experience rattles with their TL's?

 

We are not doing this. Do a search on rattles...

 

Here you go.

 

Mine rattles less than my Civic did

 

I have a late-build 04 TL with 28000 miles on it. Never have had a rattle since I drove it off the dealers lot 2 1/2 years ago. The car has never been to an Acura dealer for any maintenance or other issues. My only complaint was regarding the crappy EL42 tires which vibrated at 60 mph. New Pirellis solved that little problem.

 

I have an 06 and no rattles. There are probably a lot of people on this forum that never wander over to this section because they never had any problems. I am only here because of a 3rd gear issue but that is another story.

 

Good to hear that you all aren't having the rattles. Hopefully the one I find (if I find the one I'm looking for) won't have any either. My old TSX was absolutely horrible with rattling issues and it drove me nuts!

 

I think that rattles to an extent are partially in the ears of the beholder. After 29k I generally hear none. The TL's low profile tires and performane suspension combined with less than perfect roads might also contribute to some complaints.

A car is just a mass produced machine with a bunch of parts screwed and welded together, something is bound to be less than perfect sometimes. The fact that I make good use of the audio system whenever I'm in the car might help me think my car is quiet.

Good luck with your search.

 

Believe me when I say all cars have rattles. Even the new ES350 and IS350 have rattle issues. The more tighter the tolerances on the cars the more rattles.

 

plastic parts with plastic clips that go into metal will always rattle

metal expands and contracts with the cold and heat., and when this happens the plastic starts to move around. no matter what car you buy you will have rattles

 

^^^couldnt agree more rb

 

My TL has no AUDIBLE rattles with the stereo off, and I don't crank the stereo enough to cause rattles. Hmmm...hope it's not my hearing that's going...
None of my cars have had more than one audible rattle/squeak, and each was easily fixed by dealer under warranty or by me. I do not expect my cars to rattle unless it's loose interior contents or a really bad road surface.

 

So true.

My 05 has two spots that consistently rattle the front passenger side dash and the rear deck. With the stereo on its hard to hear and it wouldn't keep me from buying the car all over again. (this time I would go for the 6-spd type-s)

 

Only thing I hear are my keys jingling in the dash and those damn plastic DVD-A jewel boxes in the door storage compartments. I've since removed the jewel boxes, can't do much about the keys though.

Still rattle-free after 1 month of driving on pot-holed Delaware "on-ramps" and, well, just roads in PA.

 

Guess I gotta chime in. I've owned my 05 TL for a little over 1 month now. It sure is a nice car and has all the goodies and the power that make it fun to drive. But I have been a little more than disappointed. It began with the torgue steer and the pulling which went away (at least 90% did) after I put new tires on the car. Still pulls and still has a noticeable torque steer. So I've concluded that I need an alignment - that's coming soon. As soon as the cold snap hit Michigan about 2 months ago I began to notice a clicking sound coming from the front end. The sound ws unmistakeablly the CV joints. A review of the forums indicated I wasn't alone and so i took it to the dealer and they concluded the passenger side was worn and agreed to replace it - no charge. First experience with the dealer and it was good, despite the horror stories I've read in the forums. Front brakes have about 3k miles left on them. Considering I have the MT with Brembo, it's understandable the brakes are going to wear out a little faster than what I have been used to in the past (my last car was Accord). That being said - My car has 29k miles on it which is the basis of my disappointment. Like I said, my last car was a 2000 Accord that I sold after 131k miles and the only thing I replaced (besides oil and filters) was brakes and tires (normal wear and tear). I mean, c'mon, its the same manufacturer, Honda! Why is there this sharp contrast in the end product? I'm gonna hang in there with this car as I do truly enjoy the drive but admittedly I put Acura on a much higher pedestal than I should have. I really look forward to the next Gen TL - hopes it's SH-AWD!

 

My '04TL, purchased in June '04 has zero rattles or squeaks. I would say it's the best car I have ever owned, not outstanding in any one area, just all around does everything I need at once. I would not hesitate for one second to buy another one. From a reliability standpoint, aside from the brakes, the car has had only normal maintenance - oil & filter, air filter, cabin air filter on a regular basis - that's it. My TL currently has 64K on the odometer, and its a combination of highway and local. I'm an independent insurance adjuster and do a lot of traveling. This car is rock solid. Best part is the number of cars you can just run away from with the 6spd. I've dusted several Mustang GTs, particularly when the aerodynamics take over. It's the perfect Q-ship - invisible, invincible - now, if they would just sell it with pavement gray paint so the cops can't see me...

 

Torque steer is a problem - FWD has its problems, unfortunately. But you're also moving up substantially in HP from the Accord - ANY high HP FWD car will have torque steer - unfortunate, but true. It sounds like the previous owner of your car was very, very hard on it. I drive my car hard - it sees redline multiple times every day. It now has 64K, and the CV joints are fine, the clutch is fine, and the brakes lasted to 40K -- by the way, expect to replace the rotors as well - they will have a big lip around the perimeter. The parts will cost you around five hundred bucks - 2 rotors at $160/ea, and expect about $140 for the factory pads. Life in the fast lane, my friend!

 

Bought my new TL in May '06
Had a rattle somewhere near my left ear (while driving).maybe in the left front-to-rear window pillar or in the left windshield/left front window pillar. Was only audible without the music on and was intermittent.
Thought about having the dealer look at it but was intermittent. Finally, by Aug/Sept it was gone.
Good thing. It was driving me nuts. I even considered trading for another car. Other than that the car is of very good quality.

 

There's a such thing as a rattle free car? Every car and Suv I've ever owned rattled atleast somewhere no matter what, from old to new! If you don't want your vehicle to rattle you have to take the time out to insulate and put felt tape in all the places that are subject to rattling

 

If you have rattling issues when you buy the car and don't want to/can't take it to a stealership to fix things, do a search, because someone essentially posted quick fixes to the all the rattles in 3gens... I love TLs... I own a 2gen and I've driven quite a few miles in 3gens and IMO, you should buy a TL unless you've got a lot of cash to throw down for something that's really fast... the rattles are insignificant in the grand scheme of things and the car's nice enough that you won't regret it...

IMO, the only REAL issues, if you can call them that, are the poor choice in OEM tires, body roll (worse than 2Gs), and the audio system (I could never understand why new TLs don't come with Bose as the standard audio system any more ... probably cutting costs after having XM come standard? idk)... either way, if you're using this as a daily driver, you probably won't have any real problems with these issues and if you're into tuning, those are things that would probably get upgraded on any car you're going to buy





cliffs notes: buy a TL

 

the audio system (I could never understand why new TLs don't come with Bose as the standard audio system any more ... probably cutting costs after having XM come standard? idk)...


You are kidding about the bose, right?

 

yeah bose=crap

 

i'd have to say i agree with one poster above concerning the Honda connection. I went from an 06 Accord to an 06 TL, both new, and the TL has been in 4 times for rattles. I am bringing it in a 5th time this week.

I went driving today to look at other vehicles, and test drove a few. Passat, Subaru Legacy GT. Both had more road noise and were generally louder than my TL. I no longer am at the extreme where I want to get rid of it, BUT, the rattles are not acceptable. Luckily for me, my dealer is AWESOME. i had one problem with a service writer, and I was switched to a different one who has helped immensely, and I've found a tech who has driven with me a lot and has been a real help. If they can't fix the rattles, I am confident that I will be taken care of, as my salesman, second service writer, head of service and my tech have all been super to me!

 

Just out of curiousity....What dealership do you go to????

 

Acura of Brookfield

 

I'm not saying it's amazing... It just seems better to me than the ELS surround that comes in 3gens... the intense rattling that TLs can have might have a lot to do with it

 

they'll never get it right. you should check out my record at acura of lynnwood. i have the LARGEST files on record for "fixes". it's all bull...cause all they can do is use FOAM. yeah. good freaking luck!

 

yeah... big time rattles here. I took a lot of interior parts out to find the rattles and was able to rid of some, but some are very persistant.

So far I have three rattles that I can't find.

left side of my shoulder.
passenger seat
driver side a-pillar.

I have read all the FAQ's and taken my door/vent/dash/tweeters off multiple times and still can't locate them. But I am patient... I'll find them all.

 

^^^ thats the spirit Kenny..

Let us know how you do it....

 

They know that when they build them and if you look in some areas they celarly put felt and other bushing material to prevent noises and such, they shoudl be more deligent are addressing more of them.

 

Bought my 06 TL last December, and my driver seat creaks. If I hit the brakes at all, or make a turn I here a squeak. It doesn't bother me if I am on the phone or listening to the stereo, however, I am really dissapointed to hear the creak. It's a freaking Acura (Honda) for goodness sakes...a relatively high dollar Honda at that.

I have owned several Accords and Nissan Maximas and I have never had a creak before. The Acura IS the quietest car I've owned regarding road noise, but I will likely trade the car within a year if I can't get the squeaks stopped.

 

The quieter the car, the more creaks and rattles you're going to hear. My '04 TL is almost rattle free. Every now and then on really bad Pennsylvania roads, I might hear a rattle but it usually goes away by the next time I drive the car. For the most part, I've got NO rattles that are consistant or really bad. This is one TIGHT, QUIET, car. Can't say the same for my Honda DelSol....that thing creaks and rattles like a tin can full or bolts...just the nature of the removable top I guess. It's rattle free when the top is removed.

 

to the op- have you also read on lexus forums re: the ES300 ( and to a lesser extent the new ES350) have had tranny issues e.g. hesitation?
As far as the rattling issue is concerned, the TL's suspension is alot stiffer than the ES's so I would imagine the TL to be more rattle proned. The ES is a boulevard cruiser compared to the TL.

 

It's funny that you mention the DVD-A boxes.

The only rattle in my 2004 TL is from the driver's side door storage compartment as the four or five DVD-A cases rattle and squeak against each other.

My car's lightly used (just under 10K miles), but has been flawless so far.