belcom

iTrader: (1)

Have to say that I really liked the car (09 SH-AWD TECH) for what it was but the hwy vibes (not the tires or wheels!!) and TC issues were just too much on long haul trips and annoyed the living hell out of me. The TC issue made the already not so great 5-speed auto slushbox even worse. I really regret that I did not spend the time to find a 6MT when I originally bought it because now it cost me quite a bit to upgrade and finance payments are now twice as much. However, I am extremely happy with the 11 BMW 335i Xdrive 6MT I just picked up and I think its worth every penny. The bimmer just feels so connected and precise right off the bat. Totally different driving experience. And having all the 300lbs/ft of torque starting at 1200rpm is awesome!! The thing would fly if it had wings

Either way, I doubt I will be going back to Acura for my "performance" daily driver but my wife still drives an 06 MDX and I actually love that car (only if she could keep it clean damn it! ) unlike the TL. I even got over the beak and actually liked it. I guess it was not meant to be.

darocc

The germans do it better I guess lol. I'm looking at picking up an 09 TL with sh-awd. I'd rather something more fuel efficient and reliable to keep for the long haul.

Any significant issues that you had with your TL besides the vibration and TC?

What kind of maintenance (costs) did you have to do on the car? i.e. tranny fluid changes, differential changes etc. over the time you've owned the car?

I went to see one that was for sale privately, but turned away because the car didn't sound good when it started. It made like a grinding or screech sound right after it started (maybe cuz it was cold outside). Might be the starter, who knows?

Thanks for your feedback

panamera125

Congratulations on your BMW! I love both the TL and 335i, and yes that 300hp is exhilarating. I know that they do have some reliability issues however, and the fuel economy is not so good. But if you're okay with spending the money for those things, it truly is a great car!

belcom

iTrader: (1)

TL is not that fuel efficient actually.

Maintenance was oil, brakes, belts, other fluids, tires 3 times!!!, TC once and it then it needed another. Otherwise reliable.

Auto tranny simply sucks and is boring to drive as hell. I think acura is just catching up with their 2015 models in that respect. And I probably have my mind set this way because acura did fuck all to help me although I was still on CPO warranty. It kind of started to make belt noise again when cold starting in the morning too and made humming noise so I am sure there were more things to fix up. But the wheel vibes were the worst and no matter what was done it didn't go away. Acura's response... "its your tires sir". Let us charge you another $120 for the car to sit in the shop for an hour waste my time and confirm yet again that its the tires. There are a few threads about other people having same issue without resolution. And my tire shop told me after a year of having the issue that I was first and there were 5-6 other TLs just like mine with same issue after me. They could never get it right. Yet they do 60-70 cars a day and 120 on a regular saturday. Pretty sure their machinery is calibrated properly.

So if you're dead set on a TL take it for a spin on hwy and drive it at 120-140km/h to make sure its smooth. Also drive it between 30kmh and 60kmh stop and go, slow down and go lightly see how it reacts. If it locks up around 1500rpm and vibrates hesitating at downshifting then you have a TC problem. It will be really hard to determine the power loss because of the TC unless you know what it drives like when new. But the best I can describe is when trying to pass people it will rev high but not pull nearly hard enough to do the maneuvre. Also when getting onto hwy a lot of times it wont downshift and just slowly keep pulling ahead.

So my personal verdict and opinion TL is a nice cruiser but far from being a real sports sedan. Boosting it to make more ponies can get very expensive too but then whats the point anyway. It has more than enough to get geoceries well when its working well of course.

belcom

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, I am actually fully aware of the potential issues with the fuel pump and possibly the turbo. Other than that its quite reliable. But thats why I have 3 year CPO until 160,000kms. Only things it doesnt cover are normal wear and tear items. But I got some hookups at the dealer so thats going to play in my favour. No more arguing and trying to prove anything.

Fuel economy is about the same as TL actually. But if I wanted to save on gas I'd be looking at other vehicles. Its about the driving experience for me. I spend a lot of time in the car so the fun factor must be there.

andrewcjduong

Our TL's suck on fuel. Whoever said they're good or better than the 335 is a complete liar. I've had a 335i for a month and honestly, the gas consumption on that is a lot better than my TL. On top of that, everything feels instant.

If I could do it all again, I would buy either a 335i or even a Lexus IS350. Reliability or not, Acura's reliability has gone down from what it use to be. Do I like my TL? Yes, but I'm not dropping a single dime in it anymore. It will continue to be my a to b point car until it dies or I trade it in for a Lexus. I went with this car because of the AWD system and reliability. The AWD hasn't let me down but the reliability is crap.

jim_c

I'm not here to defend Acura.
It's really too bad when your dealer won't fix your problems.
It's inexcusable, really. And I know the awd cars and the fwd cars are two different animals. But I think it is a bit unfair to extrapolate from a few cars to make general statements indicating that Acuras in general are crap. I have a '10 fwd base model 3.5L 5 spd auto. I have had many cars over the years. I think this car is terrific. No, it's not a sports car. No, it's not a roadburner. But I have had my used TL for 25,000 km. I've driven it to Fla. and back 3x from Toronto area.
I get consistently 34-35 mpG (Imperial), 27 mpg U.S. gallon. That's with many miles at 80 mph (130 - 140 km/hr). My car is smooth as silk on the highway at every speed. We have driven for short distances at 100 mph also. No issues. It doesn't use a drop of oil. The brakes are excellent. My only complaint is the dreaded sunroof rattle which comes and goes. I sympathize with those of you who have less enjoyable experience. I think you should always communicate to the management at your dealer that you are dissatisfied and that you will be telling all your friends and that you will never buy from them again.

belcom

iTrader: (1)

You are lucky Jim. I actually bought mine from Acura of Oakville. I can only assume you got yours there too since you live around there. I really disliked the service manager there Steve. He will lie to you looking right in your eye and make you feel like you caused all the issues yourself. A real number that guy is. Even some of the mechanics I personally knew at that dealer kinda shook their heads when I asked what is the deal with that guy. Either way, my negative experience started there and just never really improved that much. When I called Acura Corporate to complain about these issues I had. You know what they told me? We are not mechanics here, we can't fix your problems. At that point I was blown away. For some reason these people instead of going out of their way to keep the customers actually go out of their way to alienate them. What a bunch of tools.

I just expressed my dislikes about my experiences. Wanted to like it and keep it but just couldn't. As a matter of fact, I always wanted a bimmer and this was an opportunity to switch and really start to enjoy the ride instead of getting into my car thinking "nah... I'll take a slower route today because I don't really want these vibrations to bug me". It was a love/hate "relationship" for me. Looks cool, nice and comfy, great audio (wins over the bimmer even with individual audio I got in it), decent handling, great awd but at the end of the day its still a giant vibrator.

andrewcjduong

[QUOTE=belcom;15250834]You are lucky Jim. I actually bought mine from Acura of Oakville. I can only assume you got yours there too since you live around there. I really disliked the service manager there Steve. He will lie to you looking right in your eye and make you feel like you caused all the issues yourself. A real number that guy is. Even some of the mechanics I personally knew at that dealer kinda shook their heads when I asked what is the deal with that guy. Either way, my negative experience started there and just never really improved that much. When I called Acura Corporate to complain about these issues I had.

How much did you pick up your 2011 335i if you don't mind me asking. I was looking around for one in the Toronto area since there's nothing in Ottawa and I've been having a hard time to come by a 2009+ LCI model 335i Sedan with M package and Nav.

andrewcjduong

How much did you pick up your 2011 335i if you don't mind me asking. I was looking around for one in the Toronto area since there's nothing in Ottawa and I've been having a hard time to come by a 2009+ LCI model 335i Sedan with M package and Nav.

jim_c

Hi. (Geez, I hope you don't work for Bell?)
I used to live in Oakville, now I'm in Ancaster.
I bought my car in St. Catharines at Performance Acura.
They were good to work with.
When I was looking for a TL I went in to Oakville Acura and I thought they were pretty snotty and not willing to treat me like a "valuable customer". I decided just from first impressions to never go back there. How do you think they are going to pay for that multimillion dollar showroom?
I have always gone to Erin Mills Acura for repairs that I didn't want to do myself, and they have been very good, MHO. I find that there is a big difference between "maintenance" service and repairs.
For repairs I think they are very fair. All the dealers charge ridiculous prices and try to sell stuff you don't need if you go for "service". Like fuel injector cleaning, e.g., the biggest scam going. Never mentioned in your owners manual btw!
The real measure of a business is how they treat you when there is a problem. For many businesses, "customer service" is a foreign concept.

liquidneon

My buddy took over the lease on my sister's white 2009 335i 6MT w/ nav and M package...and he just traded it in recently and got a 2014 A4 S-line (lame)

andrewcjduong

He traded in a 335i inline 6 twin turbo for a 2.0 single turbo Audi that has more electrical and sensor problems then any other vehicle? Definitely a random jump

liquidneon

yeah i made fun of him quite a bit. he's not a real driver. also went from 6MT to auto. He's basically a female who buys a car for the cup holders or nice colour.

darocc

How much did you get for your TL if you don't mind me asking? I'm just trying to calculate the difference compared to what dealers are selling them for and see how much I can negotiate their price down LOL. The local acura dealer here has 2 of them for sale, same equipment going for 19,900$ and 20,900 (both are around 100,000 kms mileage)

For the issue with vibrations at high speed ,you say the dealer wouldn't cover that under warranty? OR they just couldnt figure it out? Could it have been the propshaft? I can't see anything else that would cause vibrations at certain speed besides that and the wheels/tires balancing.

BSG1

I wouldn't think anyone would buy a BMW for those shitty flip out cup holders.

belcom

iTrader: (1)

That would be true. They spend more time working on other much more important things.

Either way, I can report that the 335xi does get better mileage that the TL. The trip computer in the TL always reported somewhere between 12.5 - 14L per 100km. 335 gets 10 - 10.5L per 100km. Same driving style if not more aggressive, same roads, same routes etc.

wreak

The 335i is a beast, definitely enjoy it while it's working because I've heard those things spend more time at the dealership than on the road.

belcom

iTrader: (1)

There's nothing perfect. But I'd prefer to enjoy the drive and spend some time at the dealer rather than be unhappy every single day inside the vehicle which has unresolvable issues. And I don't like to throw money pointlessly at "possible" fixes either. It becomes a never ending chase for nothing.

MisterZDX

Yes they are shitty. Drove my cousins BMW for a day and it took me awhile to figure out where the cup holders were. I was too happy to return to the nice fit and finish of my ZDX.

acupower

The 335x is a great driver's car. I was considering one before I got the TL. It was truly by luck that I got the TL and my decision was mostly based on the low price that I paid for it.

Having said that, I don't have any regrets. The TL has been nice and reliable for me so far. And if you think that TL is a problem maker just wait until your twin turbos start acting up or your engine starts acting funny from carbon build up (and I don't wish you that by any means but chances are not on your side).

acupower

My advice is buy an oil catch can and install it right away. Also get the JB4 for additional power

darocc

He bought a 2011 335 so it's not the twin turbo N54 engine but a single twin scroll turbo on his car (N55 engine). I think the turbos on BMW's didn't just fail, but the waste gate can "rattle" but it doesn't affect performance/driveability. Carbon build up is definitely going to happen if you don't drive hard enough, those cars are made to drive hard, so open her up and you should be fine. But yes, I'd be nervous owning a bmw after warranty expires lol

acupower

You are right about the engine. I didn't pay attention to the year of the car. I hear the new single turbo is more reliable which makes sense as there are less moving parts. The old turbos, especially when they came out first were failing which led to bmw making some revisions to them. Also there were major issues with the high pressure fuel pumps. And thats another expensive repair. I hate being a dick about this though and pointing these flaws out. I really hope he doesn't have to deal with these issues. And I've got to admit that I am a bit jealous as I really love beamers

belcom

iTrader: (1)

So far so good. N55s are obviously not problem free (like any car for that matter) either but with warranty I got I am good and then I am pretty sure I will sell it and get another 3-4 year old bimmer. I already used the warranty (exhaust flap was rattling a bit and windshield wiper motor was squeking) and service was good, no questions asked, no deductibles, valet service to drive me home and pick me up from home. Pretty good experience for a used car warranty. I honestly never had such decent service from Acura. All I can remember I got frustrated every time I thought about bringing my car in to Acura.

Already got some 19" CSL style wheels that will be wrapped in Michelin PSS tires soon, KW V1 coilovers and pretty soon going to get a tune (either JB4 or Cobb AP3+Pro tune). This will soon become a very fun car.

Still miss certain features of the TL and I think overall it was a reliable car but the auto tranny/torque converner just kills all the fun.