nwhite202

Hi Everyone,

Just purchased a 2012 TL Advance with SH-AWD with 50k miles about two weeks ago. Its a beautiful car (White with Black interior) and I love the look with the 19's.

I am coming from a 2010 TSX and have been very happy with that Acura so I figured buying another one would be a smart idea.

However, I may have been blinded by this cars good looks. I have a list of problems a mile long that have me worried I bought a lemon. I am stuck with this car so I need your help to talk me off the ledge.

List of problems:

1. Ride is terrible - there is a lot of noise, clunking, knocking, banging from the front and rear suspension. The ride is stiff but a little bouncy. Every single road imperfection is felt and heard inside the car. (BTW - it has brand new michelin primacy mx4 tires) I already purchased new struts and shocks, as well as new sway bar links with the hope this would reduce the noise and improve ride quality. Who knows if this was the right thing to do.

2. Transmission slips - I believe this is 100% related to the torque converter issue that so many other folks are seeing. The car will surge and rev during gear changes, sometimes so badly that power is lost momentarily. This happens in all gears. Also, When parked and with foot on the brake the front of the car will literally rise and fall when shifting between reverse and drive. I don't know if this is due to the torque converter or possibly bad motor mounts.

3. Passenger side SRS aribag light turns on and off - If I put a bad or my wife sits in the passenger seat the light turns on and off.

4. The car smells like oil - After getting this car home and removing all the plastic shrouding I can see that there was once a very large oil leak coming from the front valve cover gasket. The entire front of the engine block is coated in a dirty oil residue. It appears to have been repaired but if I had seen this I probably would not have bought the car. There is also oil leaking from the rear valve cover around one of the valve cover bolts.

5. Rattles - There are so many rattles in this car it is driving me insane. Instrument cluster, sunroof, front dash, you name it, it rattles.

6 Oil Consumption - I have owned this car for 1 week and the oil level has already dropped by about 1/5th. I have read a lot on the forums about an oil consumption issue with these cars so this also concerns me.


I have no idea how this car was treated prior to my ownership but I am starting to get very worried that this will turn out to be a very expensive car. There is still 20k miles of power train warranty left, but I fear the dealership may try to deny any claim which would require showing regular maintenance and service.

Anyone willing to talk me down off the ledge would be greatly appreciated. I want to love this car but I am off to a pretty bad start.

012TL-GLM

Wow - sounds like the car was driven hard. Is it certified? The powertrain warranty should cover the torque converter. That's a well documented issue. Sounds like you're leaking more oil than consuming it, hopefully getting that straightened out will resolve your oil level issue. The rattles were a common problem in the pre-MMC 4th Gens, I also have a 2012 SH-AWD and have no rattles. It sounds like that car was mistreated. The ride is rough in the 4th gen SH-AWD models, probably more-so with the bigger wheels. Not sure there's much you can do for that. Sorry for your troubles. I love my TL, but I bought new and treat her like my first born child

nwhite202

That was my concern. Hopefully I can bring it to an Acura dealer and have them investigate these issues.

Are there any common issues with suspension components that would create a lot of noise other that struts and sway bar links? Perhaps Ball Joints or Control arm bushings?

nwhite202

No it is not certified. Can I get it certified? what would this cost?

potmilkz

i see where you problem lies.. you pretty much bought the car without having anyone check it out.. for all you know it could have been in a flood and never reported.. or an accident.. it can be 100's of things

if you have commited to it already.. sorry to say you bought a lemon.. time to bring the lawyers in

nwhite202

That's true I bought a car without having someone else look at it.

I was hoping for some help or ideas on how to fix the problems. I have been working on cars my whole life so some of these things can be resolved on my own. I just need help on what to look for with the symptoms i've highlighted.

SilverJ

Wow. Where did you buy this car from ? How many miles ? How long have you had the car ? I bought a 2012 sight unseen and have none of those issues. I did pay 130.00 prior to purchase and had the dealer I was purchasing from drive it to a Local Acura dealer for full inspection/piece of mind.
If you are still under full warranty you may be OK, if not. Well you may have some serious issues.

nwhite202

I bought it from a used car dealer in Topsfield MA. They sell mainly German cars and did not know much about it. It has 50,890 miles on it so it is just out of the full warranty. Only powertrain warranty left. I have had the car for about 8 days.

I am bringing it back to this dealer tonight to resolve some of the issues but they are not willing to resolve all of them (Suspension issues mainly)

ABDomega

Did any of these issues present themselves during your test drive?

nwhite202

The transmission issue was something I noticed but was not as worried based on the manufacturers warranty. The other issues were not known about. Smooth roads hid the suspension sounds. The oil leaks were hidden by the plastic shrouding in the engine compartment. (This is my fault I missed this)

The airbag issue was something I did not know since nobody sat in the passenger seat.

Basically I am screwed. I'm just really surprised a Honda product could be this bad. The transmission issue is common and something I can't even blame on the previous owner.

ABDomega

Will the leaks be covered by either the factory warranty or the shop that did the repair? I'd look into that.

Check the manual about the airbag. I believe if there is weight on the seat and the seatbelt isn't used, the airbag will be turned off.

This is language directly from our manual:

"The passenger’s advanced front airbag system has weight sensors under the seat. Although Acura does not encourage carrying an infant or small child in front, if the sensors detect the weight of an infant or small child (up to about 65 lbs or 29 kg), the system will automatically turn the passenger’s front airbag off. Be aware that objects placed on the passenger’s seat can also cause the airbag to be turned off.

When the passenger airbag gets turned off by the weight sensors, a ‘‘passenger airbag off’’ indicator in the center of the dashboard comes on (see page 34 ).

If the weight sensors detect there is no passenger in the front seat, the airbag is automatically turned off. However, the passenger airbag off indicator in this situation will not come on."

It looks like your car was beaten on but I don't think you got a lemon or a bad car. I'd take the car to a shop and have them look over the suspension. Commonly when sway bar end links go they clunk so check those for sure. If the previous owner didn't mind the pot holes they may have shorted the life of the shocks, too.

My car has rattles but they're not as bad as my previous car (2005 WRX). They're worst when it's cold but seem to dissipate when it gets warmer.

The oil consumption is something you should keep your eye on. Definitely bring it to the dealer's attention if it burns more than a quart per 1k miles.

ucf_bronco

iTrader: (1)

I'm sure it's the least of your worries, but the airbag light is functioning correctly.



Cont'd...



***EDIT - looks like ABDomega beat me to it...

nwhite202

Thank you for the help and word UCF_Bronco. You are pulling me back from the edge of the cliff.

My hope is that I can talk to the dealer I bought the car and get them to address some or all of these issues. After that I will be taking the car to my local Acura "Stealership" to see what I can have repaired under warranty.

I have already purchased new struts and shocks, front and rear, as well as all four sway bar end links. One of the wheels is actually bent (dealership is fixing this) so perhaps the car was beat up and driven hard. The strange thing is it's in great shape on the outside and inside. Minus all these other issues of course. Pitfalls of buying a used car I guess.

nwhite202

Yeah the light also comes on in my instrument cluster when my wife is sitting in the seat. She weights probably 100 lbs so i'd think that wouldn't trip it. If the calibration was off from the 65lb setting it would be close. There is nothing in the car now so I can't imagine there is something interfering with the sensor. I will give it a more thorough investigation tonight.

Drei

iTrader: (2)

Pretty much yes, your fault though. Before committing to buying ANY car, new or used, ALWAYS look the car over and inspect EVERYTHING, that means, removing all the plastic covers and shining a flashlight and looking for leaks, lifting the car and give it a thorough inspection. Make the time to check the interior too, speakers, window switches, etc. If you're not sure what to look for, pay a mechanic to inspect it for you BEFORE even thinking about buying it.

You shouldn't be surprised at all really. ANY car that has been neglected like the TL you bought, will have issues, you can't blame Honda on this one bud.

Good luck though

SilverJ

Well, you cant really blame this on Honda. ANY car if not maintained and beaten on will break down. Any car, any brand.
These aren't manufacturer defects, they are as a result of negligence on whoever owned the car prior to you. I would imagine you saved a lot of money buying a car that was out of warranty, unfortunately you are probably going to wind up putting whatever savings you earned right back into the car and then some. Good for you that you know a bit about cars, that's knowledge is going to be put to good use.

johnd3546

I had the same issue with the Transmission in my 12. It's actually at Acura now getting the Torque convertor replaced (under warranty)

Same issue with the Air Bag light. My GF was sitting in the car the other day and the light was flashing in the dash.

nwhite202

Hey John,

Did you have any issues getting Acura to fix the torque converter?

Perhaps the problem is we have skinny attractive women in our lives. I should have married a heavy hottie.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^

johnd3546

LoL, nah they replaced it no problem. Once the tech took a ride in the car he immediately diagnosed the program. Replaced within 24 hours.

nwhite202

That's great. Sounds a lot better than some other stories I've heard on the forum.

As a follow up to the issues above, I brought the car back to the dealer and they have re-calibrated the seat airbag sensor, and are also replacing both valve cover gaskets.

They are also repairing the two rear wheels, (they were both bent) and are also doing to coolant pressure test to make sure the car isn't leaking any coolant. (The coolant reservoir was almost bone dry).

They claim the suspension is fine and shows no signs of wear. I'm not sure about this but if I can get the other issues taken car of that's a good start. I still need to make an appointment at Acura to have them look at my transmission. Sigh...

DidiBob

For whatever its worth....When i test drove the Advance vs the Tech AWD, I noticed the harder ride on the Advance which is what steered me away. It might just be the wheel and slimmer profile on the Advance wheel package which allows less give, thus making us think the suspension is faulty. You may want to consider "test driving" tech package with the 18" and if you like it, go online and find four 18"s to swap out with your current wheels. There's always a remedy.....just pricing is always expensive. Good luck!

dyp

I would try to buy factory extended warranty since it is a 2012. I believe it is avail for 2011 and after right now. I just bought a 2012 and planning to buy to get covered to 100K.

gravityedge

Any luck with the dealer? I also have an 2012 Advance and live near the Topsfield area in case you need a comparison.

mrphilipanderson

1. Mine road like that from the start. The suspension is different from TSX and even the Base model TL. if you got the SH AWD version ytou're in for s STIFF ride. Potholes feel like craters. you feel every bump. Shakes the WHOLE car. But it corners like a mutherF.
2. A simple visit to the Dealer for a Torque COnverter Update should fix most of it along with a fresh fluid. ANother thing I used in mine for a while was Seafoam Transtune for the like of the fluid.
3. Im facing that same problem RIGHT NOW. They reset it, it turns back on. Im almost to the pong of just ignoring it.
4. Uh oh. This sounds like a red flag to me. But could be just stains from befor it was fixed. I often get my engine steam cleaned to show the true state of the engine if any leaks.
5. Thats how the car rides. The sport suspension causes this. The WHOLE Life of my car this has drove me nuts.
6. The consumption isse was so bad acura fixed (for free) thousands of Peoples TLs with new cylinders and pretty much an engine rebuild. Outside of that...There is no fix. some cars have it, some dont. Mine did I got the fix from Acura at no cost.
7. Just sell it...A car should make you UNhappy. Im approaching my last nerve with the car but I love driving it so much. The thrill it gives me. The looks of it. But here I am about to pay for new factory seat covers smh...and I just paid 7l at dealer to get leaks and belts fixed alongw ith engine mounts and water pump etc..
I also replaced the springs. Stiill hits every bump hard. But it feels stable.

John from PA

Worth checking the date on things since this thread is from 2015.

mrphilipanderson

I dont care when it hwas from i wanted to reply so I did.. But thanks for your feedback.

Pair of TLs

I want to reply, too, but I don't have any 4G TLs...

Frankyy

I’m interested on a update on what he did to resolve it or if he sold it

vertigo2

I bet that after 9 years that car is long gone and became someone else's problem.

John from PA

Last Activity of the OP was 04-27-2015 04:51 PM.

thoiboi

you don’t care about spelling or grammar either evidently