Le7316

Ok I try to make short . The carfax shows there was an accident on this car and the owner told me it was the rear end collision from the previous owner. Yes he knew about it and he told me up front . Now the question is how do I verify this is only damage the rear end or anywhere else ? I know we supposed have the VIN Stickers on doors , hood , bumpers etc ? I am not local so I won't see the car until I get there . Do the two front fenders have the vin stickers ? My cousins own 07 one And I didn't see the stickers on his fenders . Can someone confirm please ?

Thanks in advance guys !!!

WDPanda

Look for body panels that are misaligned. Look underneath for any abnormalities. Make sure the paint is good on the rear end.

TacoBello

Yes. Every panel has a factory VIN tag on it. The bumpers, the hood, the trunk and the front fenders. And they should be in plain sight. If the guy starts saying "oh it's probably just covered", don't believe him. He's hiding something.

Also, the carfax should say how much the repair bill was. If you're willing to share it, we can give you an idea if he's bullshitting you or not.

Le7316

Thank you WDPanda and as far as for the VIN Stickers ....how many are there ? Are they supposed on 4 doors , front bumper, 2 front fenders, hood , trunk and 1 for the rear bumper ?

TacoBello

Unless your cousin removed them, the stickers should be there. Just pop the hood and you should see them on the inside of the fender, right where the hood closes (if that makes sense). Honda does this on purpose so you can quickly tell if a car was repaired and how much was repaired. Otherwise, your cousins car has two new fenders.

Oh shoot, yes, the doors each have one. Likely on the metal edge somewhere when you open the doors.

Le7316

Again , can anyone shoot a pic of their fenders and a front bumper where I can see the VIN tag ? My cousins one missing those VIN tag so im not sure the location of it.

TacoBello

Look for any paint runs on edges, if possible, look at the clear coat on the car. The "orange peel" look of it should match the rest of the car.

Le7316

Yes I will look into that and thank you TacoBellow but I still need a pic to show exactly the locations of those VIN TAG on the two front fenders and the front bumper. The rest I can see it.

Jackass

I just went down to the garage to check mine....Don't know where they would be easily visible on the front fenders. None of the inside of the of the fender is visible without removing the various shrouds in the engine bay. I didn't feel like pulling the shrouds off, so the only one clearly visible under the hood was the hood itself. On mine, it is near the latch mechanism in plain sight. I checked the trunk and nothing is visible there either so mine are either missing or also covered by the liner. Didn't feel like crawling around on the floor to see if I can see anything on the bumpers.

I would find a local shop to take it to for an inspection. When we bought my wife's previous car, we drove 3.5 hours to the dealer on a weekend so our options were limited. The dealer let us take the car into their shop, put it on a lift, and let me come in to take a peek underneath in detail since it was raining.

Le7316

I overheard it is located inside the fender meaning you will have to pull the inner liners out to see it. The engineers...what are they thinking ?

WDPanda

An 08 6MT is gold. If it's priced right and you can look over the car without the VIN. Panels changed are not a big deal. Frame issues and bent suspension components are far more annoying.

truonghthe

I am pretty sure my 07 TL-S trunk locate behind the liner, I though the car was in accident before too but the tag show up when I put in LED plate light and back up light as I peel the liner back which reveal the tag with the correct VIN.

Jackass

Truthfully....who cares if the VIN stickers are there or not. If the accident and repairs were before the previous owner's time and were done incorrectly, it would be obvious by now.

I had a car that got rear-ended when the car was 10 months old, wrecked again on the front-end when it was 3 years old. I kept that car for 8 years and 150k miles. Even the day I sold it, the guy couldn't believe the car had ever been wrecked....it was still in near perfect condition after all that time.

My wife's Grand Am was in multiple accidents over the 9 years she owned it. When we traded it in with 190k miles on it, the only give away it had ever been in an accident was the lack of the "Pontiac" in the rear bumper and the exhaust wasn't factory anymore. Both were cost cutting repairs due to getting hit by an uninsured motorist earlier in the year. But the body work and rest of the repair work had held up very well over the course of time.

Good body work will last...bad body work will last a much shorter amount of time. Look at the various body lines and make sure they line up. Look at the headlights and taillights to make sure they are aligned with the surrounding panels. Get under the car and look at the frame rails close to the bumper mounts to see if they have any ripples in them. Make sure you see the paint in the sunlight when it is clean to compare the finish on all panels. Take it to a mechanic to get inspected.

To note...on my TL...I didn't notice the clear coat was crap on the passenger rear bumper corner for over a month since it just kept raining. It wasn't until I did the first hand wash I noticed the texture was different. It was quite obvious the bumper had been re-sprayed, but the CarFax was clean and no other signs of repairs/damage anywhere.

Le7316

Jackass , thanks for input.

Side Note : The two VIN Tags for the front fenders are hidden inside the fenders ...you will have to pull out the inner fenders to see it. They are sitting in the middle of the fenders. For the front bumper, the sticker is underneath the car....you will have to crawl down and look up. SURE those ENGINEERS are smart LOL.

I will fly out tomorrow and drive the car.back ...its about 800 miles away from where I live. Wish me luck and I will definitely snap some pictures and post it here when I get back ....13 hours drive !!!!

Have a great Wednesday guys !

truonghthe

good luck bro.

1black_seven

iTrader: (2)

If this car is priced right it's an awesome buy. Check for stress marks in the metal, the kind that looks like white markings you would see if you bend a plastic utensil.

Le7316

Guys , what about the third gear that has been a common problem for 3G TL ? Does this happens to the Type S 6MT too ? Please reply asap because I only have a few hours tonight before I fly out in the morning to see the car .

srg818

There is a 3rd gear synchro issue on the 6MT but that is easily fixed by replacing the factory Honda fluid with GM Synchromesh Friction Modified MTF and nothing to worry about.

Le7316

i appreciate for the quick response .... but really man the moment I read that from the other article it's scared the heck out of me . I've owned 2 Si ( EF and EM1 ) and I just sold the AP2 recently to get this Type S ...none of those cars have given me any problems with the gears !

ReMiXeDg

Good luck on the buy, I am considering purchasing a Acura TL. Could you tell me more about the 3rd gear grind or anyone else? Im coming from a 7th gen accord never had any issues with the gear box. Other than 3rd gear what should I keep my eyes open for.

Le7316

Now I don't know by replacing the Honda Fluid with the GM one as mentioned above going to solve the problem or this is just a bandaid ? Any Type S 6MT owners here can confirm this please ?

srg818

GM Fluid 88900399 Synchromesh Friction Modified, easy and permanent fix to this 3rd gear shifting problem. Don't let it scare you from owning a 6MT!

Jackass

Lots of threads on here discussing the Magic Juice. I have an '05 MT and the GM juice made a difference in mine....although I didn't have the normal 3rd issue...my 2nd and 6th are a bear to engage at times which is not the more common issue. I have been running the GM juice for I think 5...maybe 6 years now. I think there are others who have been running it for quite a bit longer. Lots of people swear by it, most will state it is the fix unless there are other issues or the synchro is completely worn/shot already.

On the 6MT...the only more "common" issues are:
- 3rd gear synchro issue (usually resolved with GM juice)
- clutch can be a bitch to learn
- clutch gives little warning when at service limit before taking a shat

The clutch could be good for 20k miles...or 200k miles. All depends on how they are driven. No real way to inspect or judge it until it starts slipping.

Le7316

Ok the seller admits he felts sticky when he shifts into third gear and it happens sometimes once a week ...sometimes every other weeks so obviously the issue is there .... I don't know if I want to take this risk guys ??? I have no problem of cancel the tickets but man hard decision ....

08KBP_VA

Are you doing a PPI? I ask as 6mt in TLS are getting harder to find (not sure of miles on this one) so this might be a good opportunity to snag one at a good price. If your doing a PPI just make sure its someone familiar with the TL's and go to them with your list of issues to check. That will give you peace of mind whether to move forward or not.

Another option is asking a local board member if theyre willing to do a drive by to determine if its worth your time before flying out. Ive done it before and its worked well and Ive also done it for others, course the cars were close to me. Saved 1 guy a huge headache and future pains as the car was not correctly disclosed by dealer.

Good luck!

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

As these vehicles age, it's harder to find a very clean, immaculate condition 3rd Gen TL. Are they out there? Yes, but most aren't willing to sell and if they do, you pay the higher price. The unfortunate part, there's a greater chance on coming across one that was involved in an accident. The most important thing is making sure the structure itself is not damaged, followed by if the body work done is done correctly and doesn't give you issues down the road. For example, if the bumper wasn't done right and it starts to peel paint. The other thing is overall maintenance on the vehicle. What was done, what it's due for ect.. The 6MT type-s is as rare as it comes. You have to look at the pro's and con's to see if it's worth the cost to fly out and purchase this vehicle. I was going to fly out to Colorado to look at an 2012 ML63 which was priced right, but the dealership kept failing to send me close up pictures and under body photos. It ended up selling to Mercedes and they had done a CPO, the vehicle needed a lot of maintenance work. I had the 1st dealership assure me, it didn't need anything. Things to keep in mind. It has to be completely worth it to you, to pay the flight ticket and buy this.

Le7316

I couldn't pass myself so I decided to cancel the flight ... but I have to say the seller is a nice guy thumbs up for you if you're reading this buddy . Time to hunt another one and I might need all your helps in the future if I can locate one and if it's Close to you .....

Edit:

i found another one in Oregon but I am 1000 miles away from this car . Does any of you here in Oregon be able to help ? I just need someone to stop by and have a look and maybe a test drive ?

http://www.pdxautoimports.com/Invent...a-tl-type-s-2/

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

I don't know where you live but there's this one

2008 Acura TL Type S | eBay

Owner claims to have done 105K service, including brakes, suspension, tires and the oil pump. If it's true, it's worth discussing.

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

there is also an enthusiast selling his and at least it comes with the A-spec front lip, plus the 105K was done.
CO FS: CBP 2007 Acura TL Type S 6MT - Honda-Tech

Here are some of the photos. Very clean car (when detailed)

Le7316

04WDPSedan thanks for the infos buddy but I've seen those cars before and I prefer three colors ( Black , silver and white ). I am located in Oklahoma.

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

Not a problem,

Well, I did find one. But it's one of those "Rare" gems. 07 Type-s in WDP with 6MT and best part, only 49K! He's a bit over priced but this is one of those situations that if you're willing to bump up your budget for pretty much what you're looking for and low mileage, this one is for you.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventorylisting/viewDetailsFilterViewInventoryListing.action?sourc eContext=&formSourceTag=112&newSearchFromOverviewP age=true&inventorySearchWidgetType=AUTO&entitySele ctingHelper.selectedEntity=c7391&entitySelectingHe lper.selectedEntity2=c8324&zip=07022&distance=5000 0&searchChanged=true&transmission=M&trimNames=Ty pe-S&modelChanged=false&filtersModified=true#listing= 166641511

Best of luck, keep us posted, but this is certainly the one you want.

EDIT: Also, not sure why he paid for a 100K service, but hey it's a benefit to you. Again, with WDP, you can still obtain the A-spec kit.

Le7316

Link doesn't work and is this the one in California ?

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

Sorry about that, Yes, its a white on in CA.

The link is :
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=166641511

If not I did it this way and just scroll to it. It's the only white one on the page.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...sModified=true

Le7316

Anyone here live in Washington State ? I need your favor please .

treal512

I'm not really close, but depending on what it is, I'm in Portland. I'm sure there are some members that are close though.

DMZ

That's why I'm always getting offers!
.
.

truonghthe

^^^^$34.50...

Le7316

the car will be here sometimes next week so stay tune ...I will post some photos when its arrived !

WDPanda

Which one did you buy?
If you did need a new 6 speed they go for $1000.
not that bad compared to autos. However the GM fluid is indeed magic.

Le7316

None of the above lol but yeah hopefully it'll be here early next week . It's 07 TypeS 6M NBP !!!!

Im also in the market of looking for the G37 Coupe Stock 19" Wheels .