hi all first time poster here so i apologize for the noob car lingo. i've tried looking through all the forums but couldn't really find a similar situation. i have a 2015 TLX 2.4 8DCT Tech purchased in late 2014 that has had some issues with starting the car over the last few months. sometimes when i try to start the car, the engine will sound like it's trying to turn over to start but will instead produce a puttering sound. it kind of sounds like maybe the ignition is trying to start but can't? all the lights and audio system will turn on though so i don't think it's the battery. after keeping my foot stomped hard on the brake and pressing the start button for a few rounds, the car will eventually start. it's really intermittent and i can't really see a pattern to when it happens, except that it's usually in the morning when the car has been left outside overnight so it's cold. video here if that helps: (sorry for the poor audio quality, you might need to turn your speakers all the way up to hear the engine puttering). I've brought the car to the dealer twice. they replaced the battery once thinking that was the problem, but they couldn't replicate the problem after i left the car with them, so they couldn't do anything about it. thanks in advance for any insight!

 

So did the dealer replace the battery or not? your post says they did but then right afterward says they couldn't do anything about it

 

yes the dealer did replace the battery once. it was fine for a couple of weeks before the problem started happening again.

 

What type of gas re you using? Have you tried "top tier" brand? I had a fill up with no name gas and had a couple of issues with starting. Went back to "top tier" nd no problems since.

 

i normally fill up with premium at costco and their pumps do say top tier gasoline. the starting issue happens randomly.

 

Costco is definitely Top Tier. For a test, I'd fill up with another top tier brand for the next couple of tanks.

Licensed Brands | Top Tier Gas

 

Wet injectors, maybe? You might avoid auto stop/start for a while, and you might avoid really short trips under a mile. Also you could have a bad connection to the ignition system. Finally, a weak battery might use all its power to turn over the engine, without enough to support good ignition.

 

The I4 doesn't use Auto Stop/Start.

 

Good point. I note though that I did sometimes have issues with wet injectors on my 2009 TSX which is an earlier edition of the I4 in the TLX, so OP might consider that issue, as well as anything that might be depriving the ignition system of sufficient power.

 

I've had a couple of times recently where my 2014-build V6 TL didn't start on the first press, and most recently I had to hold the button down for maybe 3-4 seconds for the engine to turn over. I attributed mine to maybe needing a new battery after over 2 years. No idea on your situation. Could it be a starter problem? If you have another dealership around there, maybe you could get another opinion?