03TL_S

I know i know. just venting to see how many out there agree with me....
thanks for the input!!! But i LOVE MY ACURA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bigman

It's funny.My father's 87 260E never needed anything but routine maintenance. He sold it in 2001 with over 200,000 miles. My 1999 TL didnt fair so well. I went through 4 transmissions, multiple shift gate getting stuck situations, and other misc annoyances that kept me in integra and rsx loaners until i got rid of the car in 03. Back in 03 i felt the same way about acura that you feel towards mercedes now. The feeling has gotten less bitter with time, but my 4 American cars that i have owned since may not have the fit and finish of the acura, but they all get me around with no problems other than oil changes.

phee

iTrader: (5)

i fucking hate my acura.

Gfaze

My dad has an '03 ML350 with 77K miles and no problems so far.

Rapture

I dunno, Mercedes does tend to get quite a good reputation from what I've seen. That plus the cars are apparently expensive to maintain (I personally haven't looked into a MB before) so based on those two, you'd kind of hope the cars would be more reliable than the slew of more economical cars out there.

CL6

There are some issues with the Mercedes from that era. Mainly, supplier issues due to the Chrysler merger. For example, the E Class supplier was dumped at the last minute because of Chrysler and the replacement HVAC controls did not play well with the rest of the car which caused electronic gremlins to wreck havoc on the vehicles. I believe Mercedes is different than Honda in how the various systems tie in to one another. For example, if your right rear turn signal bulb burns out the car will tell you that on your speedometer. Never heard of that happening with the Honda product. This is a great feature but obviously if a part from supplier A isn't compatible with a part from supplier B you will have problems.

There was also an issue with the 06 E Class when the 7 speed transmission was introduced. Fortunately, almost all of these issues have been addressed. Of course, Honda had a fiasco with their automatic transmissions when they went to the 5 speed auto.

A Mercedes will burn through the brake faster than most cars however this is not a defect it is by design due to how the ABS/ESC works on the car.

Perhaps having a star on the hood makes up for it in some ways but my experience has been that one Benz will be perfect while another will be a basket case. Of course, when the ML was first produced there were all kinds of issues with things like the paint. Basically, Mercedes had problems when the bean counters took over from the engineers.

No car is perfect and certainly German cars have more stuff on them and this can lead to some costly repairs. But if you had three transmissions replaced on your Accord/TL/CL/Odyssey/MDX/Pilot you'd probably say Honda/Acura sucks.

Hapa DC5

In the 60k+ I've owned my TL since it was new I would say that my issues have been with the quality of the components and fit/finish then anything major. My window regulators have been replaced twice (LOUD squeaks going up and down with the front windows), door lock actuators twice (very noticeable whine when locking, starting up again), front speakers twice (when using HFL, or talk radio the front speakers sound blown, again), not to mention the countless rattles from various parts of the car before it had even 10k on it.

I would venture to say the drivetrain (cross my fingers on the tranny) will last on the car. Maybe even the navi will hold up well past another 3-5 years.

My GS-R that was modded to all hell, did not produce any problems similar to the TL (sans the rattles, had motor mounts, sound deadening removed, etc). My RSX-S was actually flawless (except a side air bag sensor that had to be replaced and leather quality) and I sometimes regret getting rid of that car, it was modded as well. I felt like it was time to "grow up" with a TL...

I've also owned a Civic Hatch that I put almost 200k (another solid car I regret selling) on and a '02 Tahoe which wasn't horrible (window regulator failed, battery failed all before 20k). Family wise we had an Alero and other GM products way back when that were piles of shit.

Long story short, my TL has been my most problematic Honda product, but I can't seem to part with it (even though I keep looking at a G37 or new 4G with RJ grille). I can't pull the trigger on those cars just yet. I like my TL and wouldn't mind having it for another 60k and beyond. Knock on wood, I still don't expect anything major to give me problems with this car.

Black Tire

I have read that Mercedes prior to 2006 are POS due to they’re dealing with Chrysler. 2006 and on ward are much better. Avoid getting the top of the line S-Classes because depreciation is insane and mechanical faults are more due to they’re extensive electronic equipment.

C-Classes and lesser models are cheap cars with M-B badges. E-Classes and CLK are the sweet spot in the M-B line-up. But you have to expect to pay for maintenance on these German cars.

CL6

With the previous gen C I agree but not the current one. It is a fine car.

tmnhs81

Every time I read title of this thread I read "Why Acura is better POS than Mercedes..."

FiveLiterCheater

No surprises here...Every Mercedes in the family has been a complete turd(even had a loaner car crap out)They're fun to read about, but I would never even consider purchasing/leasing one.

Saintor

This sounds excessive, no doubt.

I never owned my BMWs more than 39mo they treated me well.... This one I plan to keep for 7yrs / 120000 miles. I think that it is to be expected to have 3500$ in bills (including 2 set of brake pads and 1 set of rotor with service, about 1200$) for in that time frame. I'll try to stay away from the dealer.

Legend2TL

Almost all cars from the 60's to now, when a turn signal burns out the turn signal indicator on the dash flashes rapidly so that's nothing new. A simple thermo-switch flasher switch does this.

First time I saw a Honda Accord in the 70's I thought the instrument car info display was novel, telling you which door/hatch was ajar, and it also indicated if any of the brake lights were not burned out. That's something I only saw on Datsun's (280ZX and 810). Mercedes and others took a long time to integrate a burned out brake light warning indicator into their products.

Myxomatosis

All I'll say, is they're an expensive car regardless of age or model. Parts are quite expensive and really if you cannot afford a merc, bmw, lex etc, than don't buy a used or cheap one. I can afford to drive an Acura therefore I do.

mcmguti

iTrader: (2)

werd.... its all about preference anyway. People will always talk shit back and forth but in the end if you don't like a car then don't use it/buy it, sell it/trade it and try your luck with another one. This is coming from a 21 year old who owns a 3g acura TL bought used. Previously owned a toyota camry and chevy impala.


As far as them breaking down...i don't have to worry bout that, all i pay for is parts, cause my dad and 2 uncles are 20+ years mechanics.

CL6

My 03 CL never gave any warning messages on dash.

Legend2TL

There's not specific warning light, the turn signal indicator on the instrument panel flashes more rapidly when a turn signal light is burned out. On Honda/Acura the flasher mechanism is integrated into the turn signal/flasher relay. This is required by law in the US (DOT) and most countries.

From Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_signal#Turn_signals

"Turn signals are required to blink on and off, or "flash", at a steady rate of between 60 and 120 blinks per minute.<sup id="cite_ref-FMVSS108_4-10" class="reference">[5]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-R48_14-9" class="reference">[15]</sup> International regulations require that all turn signals activated at the same time (i.e., all right signals or all left signals) flash in simultaneous phase with one another;<sup id="cite_ref-R48_14-10" class="reference">[15]</sup> North American regulations also require simultaneous operation,<sup id="cite_ref-NHTSA_Interp_Sequential_33-0" class="reference">[34]</sup> but permit sidemarkers wired for side turn signal functionality to flash in opposite-phase.<sup id="cite_ref-FMVSS108_4-11" class="reference">[5]</sup> Worldwide regulations stipulate an audiovisual telltale when the turn signals are activated; this usually takes the form of one combined or separate left and right green indicator lights on the vehicle's instrument cluster, and a cyclical "tick-tock" noise generated electromechanically or electronically. It is also required that audio and/or visual warning be provided to the vehicle operator in the event of a turn signal's failure to light. This warning is usually provided by a much faster- or slower-than-normal flash rate, visible on the dashboard indicator, and audible via the faster tick-tock sound.<sup id="cite_ref-FMVSS108_4-12" class="reference">[5]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-R48_14-11" class="reference">[15]</sup>"

Nothing complicated, just a thermo switch.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/turn-signal2.htm

Legend2TL

A never ending debate, for me CR still offers the best reliability info. Far from perfect, but it's still better than anyone on the web telling his/her tales. It's impossible to build a perfect vehicle but some manufacturers can build them with fewer defects on average than others.

My Mom had a 95 C280, complete F'ing disaster for non-maintenance repairs (all under warranty). However I know of at least three 190E's that are over 250K miles with only minor non-maintenance repairs. And I know plenty of Honda/Acura owners with auto transmission woes too (99-03) so nothing guaranteed to follow CR's predicted reliability either.

This was already posted but the latest CR listing.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Have to slightly disagree here.

Part of the CR reliability predictions are based on past reliability. The way they get the data for that is reader surveys. We used to be subscribers, and one time when the surveys came out I was on my second TL tranny and was not happy. So I gave the car bad reviews... probably worse then deserved b/c I was pissed at the time.

So, the CR results are taken from the same people who may be posting web tales... only difference is that they're mailing it in to a magazine instead of posting it on a forum...

03TL-S

I have an 07 MB E350 and an 08 BMW 335i. I haven't had an issue with either car so far. My 03 TL-S however had a few issues that made me switch to Infiniti. The TL was a rattle box and the tranny died at about 800 miles. Kept the car a little longer and the tranny was slipping again.

My parents still have a 94 Acura Legend GS sedan and that car is still good up to this day without any major problems. Now that is a great car. Can't say the same about my old TL-S

My former TL-S and my brother's former CL-S convinced me never to buy an acura product again. Plus, the new grille's look hideous to me.

TLGabs221

German cars DO suck!! My boyfriend has been driving an Audi for 2 1/2 years and that thing ALWAYS has some kind of problem. It never fails that he has to dump a grand into it every few months. Too bad he loves his car wayy too much to every try and sell it. I keep trying to convince him to get a TL but he has too much money in his Audi by now to even think of getting rid of it!!

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

^ Which Audi does your boyfriend drive?

And you know this is an old thread?

vas25tl

My old TL seems much more reliable than some of the new products out there.

Be-in my TL

My navi on my 06 TL just went on me. I got it fixed, but it was a real inconvenience for 2 weeks. The Nav unit fucked up, and it wouldn't load the disc anymore. I also just moved to FLorida, so I don't know where I'm going. Luckily I didn't have any plans for those two weeks.

My brother's power steering went about a month ago on his 06 TL. He took it apart and found some O ring that fucked up and started blocking fluid.

My intake whistles like a mother, and I havn't had the time to find where the whistling is coming from. (all stock by the way)

My torque converter is about to go; I can feel the car shaking at idle in gear. The second I put it in neutral, it goes away. I havn't done any investigation, but a torque converter sounds viable. The car also shakes around 50MPH in 5th gear, right around when the torque converter clutch applies. Can't say it's just my car since I havn't driven many TLs around 50k miles. Maybe y'all can give your inputs on this one.

There is probably more, I just can't think of it.

I didn't mention any good things since I'm trying to make a point. I still love this car despite all the shit I've had to deal with. Every car is like that. Some people LOVE toyotas for their reliability / great milage. Some people LOVE BMWs for their performance. Some people love Mercedes to stand out as a Benz owner.

I'm a littlebiased, I love BMWs since I work for them. I've seen how they build cars in their plants. They use very precise tools to get exactly what they want / need. Laser and cameras are used to determine perfect fits. They spend 7-8 years between model changes to get everything perfect. Even with all the things they do to perfect their cars, I still see BMWs with problems. It's nature, we're dealing with mechanical things here, people. Some will break, some won't.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

^ perhaps good time to install AEM V2?

mmafighta

True I guess it depends on the model?

My aunt has an 07 S550, over 70K miles and other then having minor body work done (ran into my garage....) and maintenance there hasn't been one electronic or engine failure on her car.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Not sure if I should or . What year Audi does he have that he has to dump $1k/month into it? Newer Audi's (2005 +) are nothing like the Audi's of old.

We have had two Audi's over the last 4 years or so and both of them have proven to be more reliable then the Acura's I used to own (CL and TL-S). Additionally, many people in this section own German cars. Good luck telling them German cars suck

For my money I'd pick German over Japanese 80%-85% of the time...