what to check when buying tl sh-awd?
 

I'm in the market for one and wanted to see what I should check when buying a tl sh-awd 2009-2011 model

Make sure the Takata airbag recall has been done. If not, get it to your local Acura dealer and get it done first thing.

anything else besides that? drivetrain, engine etc?

Some of the 3.7s have had excessive oil consumption issues. I'd check to see if the car has ever been looked at for that kind of issue. If you're looking for an auto transmission, there is a TSB/warranty extension for torque converters. See if the cars you are considering are covered by that and whether the service has been done. Last, some of the earlier SH AWD models had issues with the drive shaft ("propeller shaft") bearing failing in the carrier beneath the car. You can tell if that is an issue by a whining or whistling noise that increases with engine/road speed. That's about it. They're pretty solid cars.

Propeller shaft issues started appearing for my 2012 SH AWD. It is cold here in Nebraska, but I bought the car @ 75k miles and I now have 78k miles.

get a 2012 or newer

I have owned 2 Gen 4 TL's, both SHAWD's. The 2010 TL consumed oil but not enough to get any work performed on it. Unfortunately it was involved in what was a minor accident and insurance wrote off the vehicle. We purchased a 2012 TL Advanced (19" A-Spec rims) and this one also consumes an equal amount of oil so I check it quite often.

Both cars had propeller shaft issues. The 2010 was starting to get noisy (seasonal at certain temps) and the 2012 already had it replaced by the previous owner at around 40,000 miles (65000 kms).

Preference? To be totally honest, I liked the look of our 2010 better because of the two tone handles, I installed the full A-Spec body kit, blacked out the grille and rear trim piece, and it actually had better gas mileage than the 2012. Strange as people stated that it was improved with the 6 speed tranny. In my case I have data to show that the 2010 was better. Same engines but the 2010 also seemed quicker.

For options, the 2012 has the cooled seats and blind spot monitoring which is great. Just wished they had a heated steering wheel option.

is the oil consumption in vtec or just any driving?

Please tell me your looking for a 6MT? :wish:

im looking at it but cant really afford it yet

Any driving.

damn.
is there a way to tell when looking at the car ? visual inspection? or by vin number?

Wait and snag a 6MT, I'm sure you won't regret it. :2cents:

No way to tell other than possibly by checking service records if they're available. For most of those who experience oil usage, it's manageable. A few have had extreme usage and have had Acura cover replacements under warranty.

Likely Buying 2011 SHAWD 6MT on Saturday
 

Like the title says. So have been doing some research I can share with you.

Biggest thing that comes up is the oil burning issue. The 3.7 V6 motors burn some amount of oil. It seems to be due to the coating used on the cylinder walls. In my case the owner claims he adds 1/2 quart between oil changes. Some people have had their motors replaced multiple times. There's a class action lawsuit pending that you can join if think your car burns excessive amount of oil. Acura claims a quart per 1,000 miles is NOT excessive.

Which I find a bit odd. I currently have a '98 Camry V6 and I've never added oil between oil changes and it has 200k on it.

Additionally I gather that between 105 and 110K the 'Service 4' message will come on. To do all the recommended items, timing belt with water pump etc. looks to be a $1000 to $1500 hit.

The one I'm looking at comes with only 1 key, which I can't live with. If you lose your only key you're royally screwed. A second programmed key will set you back $250.

Some owners have propeller shaft issues but that seems much more limited than the oil burning.

I've researched many cars over the years and they all seem to have some problem that a subset of owners (usually small) experience. Look up Porsche Cayman and intermediate main shaft for example.

thank you for all of this. Some dinkface hit and run my 1st gen RL and its gonna be a write off so ive been looking at 2012 RL’s or the TL sh-awd, this is very useful info

is there a fix yet for the oil consumption ofr the j37?

No and there never will be. At least not from Acura.

They're not 100% sure what causes it and why some engines exhibit it and others don't.

That motor has been discontinued.

Having a tuner shop resleeve the cylinders seems like the most likely fix. But not enough (or any?) people have done that to know for sure.

so it is the sleeve/piston ring issue for sure?

I'm not sure anyone knows for certain. By inference, it is the biggest difference between the 3.5 (iron cylinder liners) and the 3.7 (silicon coating on aluminum). Most have assumed that there is an issue with the cylinder liners and/or rings on some cars that causes oil usage. The 3.5 motors are not known to have unusual oil consumption (for an Acura/Honda product).

Did they extend the warranty for the oil consumption?

Is that possible?