I was wondering if current 09 TL owners were experiencing any problems with their cars. I am tempted to buy one now but don't want to get stuck with a bunch of new model problems.

I received an email today from Radley Acura and they are having a sale on TL-Tech AWD for 37304. I don't think that includes destination charges. I am very tempted to bite but wonder if the price will continue to drop given the economy?

Thanks!

 

This seems to vary by region, but inventory of AWD cars will start to diminish because there has been no TL production this month and none is scheduled for next month. Full production won't resume till Apr-May.

 

Dang!...those prices keep falling and falling! I remember back in Oct. a FWD Tech went easily for $39K! I bet with a little more haggling, you could snag that AWD Tech for under $37K. What a friggin bargain at that price!

Back on topic...every 1st-year model is going to have a few problems and bugs....no car company is immune. (My previous '00 BMW X5 was in the shop at least 6 times for major repairs). That being said, so far the only problem with my TL is a slightly misaligned front grill.

 

that's about what I paid. The answer is yes, prices will drop sometime between now and when the 2010s come out, unless the economy boomerangs. Just wait till summer gas hikes come.

On the other hand, you could be enjoying the car now instead of worrying over a thousand or two dollars...

 

rhiannon1207,

Pohanka, which is right down the road from Radley is offering me and will be leaving on my 4-1/2 hour drive one way in a few minutes to pick up a new TL Tech SH-AWD for $38,000 which includes destination fees.... Not bad, 38,000 for theirs and 30,000 for my 08 TL Type-S with 16000 miles... Have not decided if I want the Mayan/Black or the Palladium Metallic/Taupe... I would like to get the Borealis Blue Pearl but it is a HPT and living in western PA it will not do the winter very well.....

 

I've had a few problems with mine so far, but nothing major. The most annoying one being this:
When I press auto down on the Driver's side window, then press auto up, it rolls about 75% up and then rolls all the way back down by itself. VERY annoying. Oh, and the fact that the caller ID only displays incoming call information about 10% of the time is very annoying. Also, it displays nothing at all for call waiting, so you actually have to look at the phone to see who's calling on the other line. What a wonderful hands-free system lol.

Other than those though, I have no problems at all. I would think these things can be attributed to it being a brand new model with new technology provided by a third party vendor I guess. Maybe they'll fix it with a firmware upgrade soon.

 

My only advice is to test drive the one that you're actually taking home. Drive it with the windows up, down, music on, off, AC on, off, etc. I bought a SHAWD in Dec and am having major problems with the engine knocking. Acura doesn't know how to fix it and they won't offer to replace it. Just a heads up, if I had the opportunity to take it back I'd go with BMW once again (for the money too).

 

NYSH-AWD - I remember your post b4 about the engine - so no change w/ that ?

 

I had this problem with my 04TL. They had to replace the actuator arm. That was in one of the service bulletins for the 04. Maybe the same problem.

 

Try rolling the window all the way down while holding the switch (not auto down) and keep holding the switch for 10 seconds after the window stops. Then roll it all the way up the same way (no auto up) and hold the switch for 10 seconds.

 

I owned an early 04 (1st year 3G TL) and it had issues, they were all cosmetic, squeaks and rattles. Honda/Acura are generally mechanically very sound cars. Consumer reports ran a thinga few years back showing the # of probelms each year of a model year and yes first year was higher, but actually if I recall correcly the 3rd year was typically the sweet spot for Honda products and sine I also had an 06 (third year) I woudl say it was probaly the best of my TLs for issues, (I owned 5 look at my tag) followed by my second 08 Type-S. That being said the 09 I have now seems better assembeld that any of my 3G TLs so we'll see. I do hear some occasioanly creaks coming from under the back deck, very rare, but there. So far car seems extremely solid. But since I'm leasing and the drive train will be under warranty through my entire lease I'm not too worried.

 

$38k is a very good price at this time. I was quoted $40k just 3 weeks ago, and there was little choice in color combo. It is a buyer's market, and if you can wait, the price will drop further come summer time, unless the economy miraculously recovers before then. Most first year cars tend to have more bugs than later years, and there is plenty of statistics to back up that statement. Fortunately, Acura cars, on the whole, are pretty good, even if they are first year productions.

 

Will definitely try this tomorrow. Thanks!

Another weird thing I notice is that as nice and solid as the driver's door is when closing it, the driver's side back door is the exact opposite. It sounds hollow and clunky, like it has nothing but wet paper towels inside or something lol. Anybody else experience this?

 

I've had a ton of minor issues, but nothing major. Pretty happy with it!

 

after 2 months, 2500K miles, nothing except an intermittent rattle near the glove compartment that may actually be something inside. Very satisfied.

 

2800 miles no problems, just not enough highway miles to enjoy it

 

My TPMS control module was defective from the factory. It took three trips to the dealer before they got to the module. Process of elimination took some time,but they were nice about everything. And I just turned 3k miles. When it's super cold I can hear some of the interior fabrics/materials rubbing, mostly way in back near the back deck,thrid brake light, but once it's warmer it stops. I've had so many new cars from Ford to BMW and they all have some interior noises. Other than that it's the same as day one.

 

I have had two miniscule issues:
1. My car came with LT instead of TL. I kept it like that for a week until the dealership could get the parts as the car just went on sale. I saw the car come off the truck and I returned later that day after the dealer prep. I walked around the car maybe ten time with about three salesmen and the sales manager hovering and nobody noticed it. I saw it when I was about to leave.



2. I broke a few of the FLIMZY clips that holds the engine cover pieces. I was wiping off a piece next to the battery and it rattled. The dealer replaced.

All and all I love the car. I can't complain about small things like that. I did think the LT thing was funny.

 

LT= light truck

 

Wow I've never seen anything like that!! That's absolutely hilarious lol. That would definitely make me kinda worry though. I mean, if they screwed up something as basic as that when they were slapping that thing together, what else did they screw up??

 

I am 99% sure the the TL logo comes as one piece (or two pieces taped together). In all likelihood, someone was playing some kind of prank. It would take effort to get it wrong by accident.

 

I have not heard anybody complain of road noise issues. That usually is a typicial Honda/Acura complaint. Is this car lexus quiet?

 

I find it to be quieter than my first rollerskate of a car, the Scion tC, and as quiet or quieter than my last car, G35x. Not sure how it compares to the Lexus. Road noise is not one of my pet peeves though, so maybe it's bad and I just don't notice it =P

 

In all likelihood, someone was playing some kind of prank. It would take effort to get it wrong by accident.[/QUOTE]

If it was a prank, the dealership didn't have a clue. They were red-faced. They went to check all the others that came in the shipment and mine was the only one like that. It probably was a prank because the LT was was kind of crooked.

 

Interestingly the latest COnsumer Reports annual car issue mention road noise, I was stunned, the TL is one of the quietest cars I have driven. The G37 Sedan is far noisier and one of several reasons I passed on it. I find the 4G TL a tad quieter inside than the 3G although the 3.7 does seem to growl a tad more. I found it almost as quiet as the Hyundai Genesis which is damn quiet.

 

I read that in CR too and couldn't believe it. I drove all of the cars that KeithL mentioned and I completely agree with what he said.

 

I find the TL to be very quiet compared to my friends similar cars. It would be even quieter if they had a better quality moon roof cover, it's too flimsy and doesn't make a good seal to help block out potential noise. Keith, regarding the debaging of your TL, is it easy to take off and put back on?

 

Probably a disgruntled lot attendant or truck driver. Really, if they are not one piece, they are attached to a backing paper and applied in one motion as a pair.

 

The reason CR bitches about road noise on quite a few Honda\Acura products can be traced to the OEM Michelin tires they have on many of their models.

 

I test drove the TL TECH this past weekend and it seems quieter then my 3G. Probably going to pick it up this week after some of this snow melts. The LT is funny. I may have been tempted to leave it that way just for conversation sake.

 

I work for Acura as a Svc advisor and own an 09 SH-AWD tech pkg.
Only real problem I've had is the hood release lever came apart and hand to replace the lever and cable assy.
And the valves/engine is a little noisey.
Not too worried about the motor though, if it fails/falls apart I'll just get a new one and get paid for it!

 

If you have the AWD w/19" wheels and HPT's, you will definately hear and feel more road noise....but it's like this in practically every car w/big wheels, taut suspension, and summer performance tires.

 

just for fun read this thread:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=349249

great to drive, but outside that free service period - big part of the why I stayed w/ acura

 

I'm running factory 17"s for the winter and when I switched to them from the 19" HPT's the only thing I noticed before switching was slightly feeling the bumps on really rough roads. Now it's a tad softer. There wasn't any difference in road noise so I think Acura did a great job on keeping it out of the cabin. Of course I'm sure there will be slightly more tire noise if you're on a bridge that's rough or some grooved pavement waiting for its top coat. But when I first test drove it with the 19"s I was expecting something that I would not want to deal with on a day to day, but I was pleasantly surprised.

So I think Consumer Reports was in driving a different car and made notes as if it was the TL.

 

Funny quote I found on bimmerfest "BMWs are an enthusiasts car. They have more than their share of troubles....but that is the cost of the "ultimate driving experience". If you want boring reliability, buy a Honda or a Subaru."

I think I'll just stick with my boring, reliable Acura 2009 TL SH-AWD

 

Ingenious idea!

 

Came up with it all by meself.

 

It's funny how the BMW site has these guys mentioning a laundry list of problems, yet consider their cars to be great dispite the problems. I guess it's whatever floats their boat. Sure, I want some excitement, but I also can't get with a car that sees the dealership more for repairs than it does for routine maintenance.

 

This is exactly why I gave up on my '05 545i.......it was great fun when everything was working.....but 6 trips to the repair shop killed the love affair.

 

The engine knock is more and more audible as the miles increase. The car is actually at the dealership as we speak. For some reason the Techs all acknowledge that there's something wrong but when they call Acura for direction on a fix, they're told that it's normal hence the dealership won't put it in writting. I'm hiring a lawyer to take care of this, I don't have the time nor energy. I've already started to contact media oriented friends, expect to see this story on full blast during the ten o clock news once I get to finalize everything. We'll see if that will get their attention when they sell less and less cars due to their horrible customer service. I really don't know what else to do, so something's gotta give.