elroy

I'm on the brink of trading in my 2004 TL FWD w' Navi on a 2009 since the prices are so good. I have 125K miles on it and would probably be getting a car in the next year anyway, but I don't know if the prices will stay this good.

I love my 3G, best car I ever owned. There were a number of small complaints that were fairly widespread on this forum back in 04/05, and I was wondering how many of them don't appear in the 4G. I've seen some of these mentioned in individual threads, but thought it might be good to have them all in one.

1) Rattle in driver window - sounds like it's not the issue it was in the 3G? I have this in my 3G.

2) Rattle in rear deck was a problem in a number of 3Gs. I don't have this in mine, does it show up in the 4G very much?

3) Seat wrinkles were almost immediate, sounds like the 4G seats are wrinkle-prone as well.

4) If you tend to rest your left elbow next to the window you get a dent in the plastic/leather in the 3G. True in the 4G?

5) The paint could be chip-prone in the 3G.

6) Some reported a steering column vibration around 60-70 mph.

Those are the ones that I remember that generated a number of posts back in the day, there are probably some I'm forgetting. Is there a similar list for the 2009s?

Thanks all, I've been lurking and appreciate all the information you all have provided.

PaulNY

My 4G

1) doesnt have a driver rattle
2) no rear deck rattle that i've noticed
3) total seat wrinkles, the leather in the TL is totally getting on my nerves
4) notice that in my car as well, pretty irriating
5) my car got some pretty nice chips during the spring, but thankfully seems to be doing good now
6) no vibe here for me

PetesTL

I have about 5500 miles on my 4G so far. No rattles yet....car is pretty solid despite the stiff ride on the AWD model. No paint chip problems so far .....it helps to have a front end clear bra. The one problem I have is that my driver's seat left thigh bolster leather has a lot wrinkles on it....most likely caused by the constant going in and out of the car....still, my other cars did not have this problem.

PsychDoc

None of the problems you mentioned except the wrinkled leather. I'm not concerned about this as I believe it's inherent in the soft leather they use in this car. Doesn't bother me a bit.

PS You're going to love the car! Have you driven one yet? If you're thinking of the SH-AWD car, be sure to take it on an extensive test drive and be sure to drive it over some streets with potholes and torn up pavement because you want to know if you can handle the very, very firm suspension (I couldn't, so I opted for the FWD car and have been thrilled with it).

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

Some wrinkled leather on the seat bottom and a tiny little vibration noise on certain songs on the driver side door panel. You won't get any steering column vibrations with the electronic power steering. Paint chips... that will come with any car. :shrugs:

elroy

Thanks all for the feedback, sounds like the first year 4G has fewer of these issues.

I drove the FWD. I live in Southern CA, and there's really not a lot of road conditions where it would be necessary. It sounds like fun, but I don't mind saving the $3K...I also found when I passed 50 a couple years ago that I was turning into more of a "luxury" guy and less of a "sport" guy

From the 3G perspective, on the 4G the Nav system looked great, the sound system sounded like it has been nicely upgraded, it seemed to have less lag than my 3G. I really like the backup camera, I never felt I had a good view out the back window. I also really like the keyless entry.

I do like the external look, and though the console contains more buttons, I'm sure that will be fine too.

And all for about the same price (I hope) as my 3G! They are not getting any more 2009s, and the financing deals appear to be driving sales, according to the salesman. My local dealer has almost no Techs with taupe interior (my choice) left - plenty of black interiors but I just had to sit in one to see how hot it would be.

hydr0

I have a big dent where I rest my elbow, because I drive like that 95% of the time. But that will happen in every car I guess, so no biggie =)

crxb

I went from an 04 TL myself. the 4G is much better than my 04 was - so far as rattles - much improved (04 had rattles - in the "A" pillar, dash, center stack. )
brakes have a better pedal feel (04 was 5AT) - don't get that mushy feel my 04 had even after bleeding the breaks
the SH-AWD - beats my 04 FWD - no torque steer, no wheel spin
handling - don't get that front end plowing feel w/ quick turns - can really power thru turns w/ the SH-AWD
sport shift actually seems useful in the 4G - downshift twice - power thru the turn - when you feel like it

Overall it just seems a much more solid car

go drive the 4G if you haven't already

venom550pm

damn, i have a dent too where my elbow rests, i think its kind of annoying, i tried sitting and driving differently, but after a few minutes i'm back into my old position, so i gave up and decided to live with it

PetesTL

Dent?.....you mean on the plastic silver trim or on the door insert near the window sill?.....sounds disturbing.

crxb

on my 3G on the door panel where you rest your elbow (at the base of the window) - over time your it would have a 'dent'
worse the dashes at least w/ the earlier 3G's were known to fade - I treated mine w/ Aerospace 303 and always used a sun shad - it still looked like new 5 years later. while a friend w/ the same car - didn't and her dash was faded pretty bad

KeithL

4G TL is built way better than any year of the 3G ( and I owned 5 different 3G TLs)

The only old complaint that I carry over are, the back deck buzzes, but no where near as much as any of my 3G cars.

I find the leather seat wrinkels far less, at 6K I only see a small hint fof it, but then I condition the leather at least once a month. The 3G leather in the Type-S woudl fold and bunch up, not so on the 4G. The car is far more solid, especially for a year 1 Honda!

elroy

Again, thanks all for the feedback. I drove an FWD and really liked it, and am circling in on a deal. It looks like I'll even get it for a bit less than my 2004 TL cost new, with the current dealer incentives.

Unfortunately, most of the available vehicles around are either black (looks great, can't keep clean) or have ebony interior, which is too hot for SoCal. But I saw a Palladium and a Blue that looked good with taupe interior and I hope to get one by Friday.

Haelous

1) Rattle in driver window - non-existent in my car.

2) Rattle in rear deck was a problem in a number of 3Gs. - Also non-existent.

3) Seat wrinkles were almost immediate, sounds like the 4G seats are wrinkle-prone as well. - Yes, especially as Pete noted.

4) If you tend to rest your left elbow next to the window you get a dent in the plastic/leather in the 3G. - No idea. One of my friends was doing this and it did not leave a dent, but it leaves a mark so I told him to stop doing it and whipped out Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer when we got back to my place. That portion is definitely fake leather.

5) The paint could be chip-prone in the 3G. - Nothing beyond the small rock chips from normal driving.

6) Some reported a steering column vibration around 60-70 mph. - Nothing like that.


Good luck. Palladium with Taupe is nice.

PsychDoc

Palladium with Taupe is gorgeous. You're going to love it (but then I'm prejudiced...;-))