Bolshoi

I’m aware that some of these (or all of these) burn oil. It seems there is still no consensus whether it’s “bad batches” or if all the 3.7’s burn oil.

What else would you be looking for on a 2012 TL? This is going to be my first real car and I don’t want to regret it!

thank you in advance

dopeboy1

The only real way you can be confident it doesn't burn oil is if Acura has done the piston and rings fix on it. Otherwise it's burning will be unknown to you.

Take it for a decent Cruze on the highway to see if the prop shaft makes a tea kettle like whiney noise.

Pay attention to how well it shifts gears especially the 1-2 shift under both light and heavy acceleration.

Otherwise typical used car inspection stuff.

JM2010 SH-AWD

I'd check the oil change history of the car. If it was consuming oil and the original owner was on a 7000-8000 mile oil change interval, that could be trouble because it makes it more likely it was operated with a low oil level and the carbon fouling issue with the rings meant that the oil dirtied up much quicker. Thankfully, very early on, my dealer suggested a 5K change interval, which I followed closely, and still do now, even after the piston/rings replacement fix. Those cars that were often run with the crankcase a quart or more low later turned up with cam lobe pitting issues that make the engine very noisy.

For background, on those 3.7s that did consume oil (and not all did, nor did they all consume at the same rate), the consumption usually accelerated once there was about 4K - 4.5K miles on the change. And at about that same point, the oil turned from pretty clear to pretty dark. By changing at 5K, the oil stayed cleaner and (at least on mine) the level stayed within about .5 -.75 quarts of full.

I will say, knock on wood, once I had the warranty work done, the problem went away, and the car even runs smoother, with a little extra low end torque, and gets about 1-2 mpg better fuel mileage.

Ascension

As someone who has looked at a vast multitude of different 4G SH-AWD TL's, and having purchased two thus far, I will say that the test drive will tell you a super majority of the information that you need to know. Mileage will determine what extra information you will require to proceed with the purchase. The two purchases that I've made were because the vehicles met my standards.

1) If over 100k/200k miles, you need to check if the timing belt and water pump have been changed. By check, you need proof, either in form of an invoice/receipt, or stated on the Carfax.
2) Condition of the title, and the history from the Carfax are also important, in my opinion. If regularly maintained, it's peace of mind that it wasn't neglected.
3) The test drive is probably the most detrimental part of the purchase. Within the first 5-10 minutes, you will know if the car has been maintained, or not. 5-10 minutes of city driving, and then 5-10 minutes on the highway, should be enough to decide if the car is in the mechanical condition that you require it to be in.

With all vehicle purchases, one should always do the typical inspection that's required of a vehicle, to ensure that everything functions as it should, and not in need of replacement. I'll forego those details for now and I'll assume you're up to par in that department. Both of my SH-AWD's burn oil, with the 6MT burning more than the 6AT. I believe the reason is because of the gear ratios, especially 6th gear in the 6MT. At highway speeds, the RPM of the 6MT is much higher than that of the 6AT.

It's probably best to just assume that any SH-AWD TL will consume oil. I've been in the habit to check my tire pressures, oil level, and coolant level in my vehicles every couple of days, at most. I've done this with every vehicle that I've owned, simply because of one negative experience in the past, and I never want to deal with that again. So, I've become preemptive with maintaining my cars. Also, you should assume that you'll replace and freshen up the typical parts upon initial purchase of whichever vehicle you'll obtain. These things include an oil change, air filter change, cabin air filter change, transmission fluid change, rear differential fluid change. If you truly want to be proactive, then also the spark plugs, and other various longer interval aspects.

I've been on top with maintaining my SH-AWD's, and have not had any severe issues with them yet. One has 192k miles, and the other has 222k miles. Don't be discouraged by mileage if the car has been maintained. Again, I purchased my cars because of the test drives.

bryan916

i would also add the transfer case to the list of fluids to change as well. I usually change the fluid in the trans, transfer case, rear diff every 15-20k.