Tonyware

First of all, well, I am back after experimenting with a few brands, including an Audi that I would like to forget soon (lol). Somehow I ended up with my old 09 TL for a while and then I figured its just too much to fix it up and make it road worthy. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was still firing up on all 6 but suspension had to change, some speed sensors had to change, and the o2 sensors were giving me grief (or maybe the rear cat collapses ... typical when you long decelerate gear-in on an off-ramp and after a while the engine light comes on). In any case, found a '20 CPO (certified pre owned) in relatively good shape with low kilometers ~66k. Previous owner (that I would love to get in touch with, no bad feelings lol, was told traded in for a new RDX after a 3 year lease) kept her in good condition, relatively speaking. It appears either the dealership in my home town of Ottawa Ontario Canada removed the seats and did a complete job on the carpets or he did. Signs of abused mats underneath due to winter conditions were evident. No complains tho, they did a good job, wish they had done a better job re-installing them, they left some gaps here and there that I fixed. Speaking of pre-owned certified... I guess these days you can't be picky when the price is right given the market conditions. Found some below par engine filter on it, had the oil change promptly, and get this... master cylinder was almost dry! Yes, certified pre-owned with almost empty master cylinder reservoir. Can't be too picky as I said, the rest is just fine.

Things I like:
The backup collision whatever they call it sensors is way too good and accurate. It has come to this: I don't even have to look anymore! LOL.
The blue color. Makes my day every time I look at it.
The radar features: they work well, a bit over protective at times, but it is what it is, a novelty, you use them once and then go back to your regular driving habits of you in control.
Engine quality built: yes, honda only knows how to build engines, the rest come from suppliers and I am not surprised to see parts shared with GM or Toyota, i.e. Denso.
Trunk space: huge!
That new hydraulic rear diff... more seamless compare to the magnets on my old 09.
oh, did I mention the blue color, stunning when polished and clean! I get some looks, especially from Asian girls lol. That thing is a panty dropper (pardon my French lol).


Things I don't l like:
the auto whippers, wtf is wrong with Honda, can't tune a whipper to not go wild in auto mode?
the suede leather seats: they look gorgeous until you try to fit your but in them... no wonder they discontinued them
that auto stop-start when you park the car and want to adjust pisses me off.
the built quality of anything but the engine. it appears to me the material and build construction of the 09 where far better than the '20. Is it just me?
the ZF tranny: 9 gears for what again? Did the Germans told us how to do things? C'mon! not a dip stick in sight and a questionable breather valve that spits out oil making a mess.
The backup camera: not sure if my eye sight is gone, but the rims will never forgive me lol.
Honorably mentioned: Honda Canada Customer Relationships: an average Joe would think they have hired high school dropouts to "man" the e-mails and phones. I recall they were very pro-active when it came to "continuous improvement", well, now they just don't give a rats a$$.
Service department at the dealership? ah, lets not touch this subject. Bad vibes all around. Can't blame them tho, they try to survive with the soccer mom/Karen MDX types.

In any case, overall its a pretty good ride, so far, looking forward to yet another 5-10 years with this beast, until I get to half a million km just like I usually do with my Honda/Acura products (I believe this its Honda/Acura product #6, loyalty! even tho sometimes I wonder or actually have figured out why people switch to Lexus).

Questions, thoughts, ideas, gold bullion? please send.

DouglasM

Good luck with your new to you TLX

Tonyware

A year and a half later and some 20k km... things I like and things I don't like, plus some issues.

Things I like:
1. the apex pearl blue, makes me happy to look back at my car after I park.
2. random strangers (mostly younger Asian girls lol) commenting how nice this car looks.
3. the keep lane assist and radar cruise control on long highway trips. It is not that keep lane assist replaces you, but the steering wheel follows even if you have your hands on the wheel.
4. Engine and tranny a perfectly orchestrated opera. (no signs of the dreadful engine issues I keep reading about)

Things I don't like:
1. the rear view camera, they had one job to do! Not accurate at all, the 09 was way more accurate. This is short of misleading at times so you have to think you are way closer than what it shows.
2. I said the apex pearl bleu looks amazing, yet it is not a good paint job, only one coat of clear coat, as measured. Good thing is to get some ceramic wax and do it a few times to protect it.
3. the seats aren't too comfy, or at least the suede covers are a bit annoying, easily shows sights of wear and tear just four years later.
4. the green light on the D and the auto air con at night drive, annoying as hell.
5. Try holding the key fob and an iphone 13 on the same hand and then try to unlock the door by touching the inside of the handle. Nope! Somehow there is some interference there. My other google pixel no issues.

(some kudos to my local Ottawa dealer service department are in order here, it seems to me a new wind of positive change is blowing as of lately... hope it lasts)

Some maintenance:
1. rear left bearing hub went, local Acura dealer was super nice to replace under CPO warranty.
2. front right caliper sized! At the time I was way far from any dealership so I ordered from rock auto and replaced myself, also noticed the right front OEM at the usual Acura dealers web site listings is discontinued! No wonder why it seized. Remanufactured was the only option.

So, so far so good I guess, compare to other disasters out there I keep reading about other brands. Yet, I still see how build quality isn't as high as my old 09 TL. Not trading in any time soon, TLX will stay with me for another ~5 years at least. Overall sometimes I kinda get the feeling I am driving an AWD Chevy Malibu, wonder if its just me? (not that there is anything wrong with the Malibu, every time I rent a FWD in Orlando I have a blast lol).

mvl

Is it still under CPO warranty? If so that should cover rear cam recalibration if it is off.

Also (though too late now) the cpo would have paid for calipers.

Asian girls love the blue Acuras. My Asian girlfriend (now wife) loved my earlier blue RSX, and now loves her blue RDX. And my Asian daughter loves driving that same blue RSX, was begging me to give to her since she was 12.

Tonyware

In Canada, CPO warranty from the original in-service day (which i assume is the day I picked it up) is 7 Year / 160,000 KM powertrain only. Powertrain includes a long list of items that makes the car move, can’t remember if callipers are included, but bearings obviously are.

mvl

Didnt realize Canada was different. CPO in USA extends the non-powertrain warranty to 6yrs from original inservice or 2years from cpo purchase (whichever is longer), with a max of 100k odometer miles. This non-powertrain warranty covers calipers.