Moscunlim

Hi,

I would like to get some insight on reliability of 2001-2003 Acura Tl 3.2 with over (250k kilometers or 150k miles) ?
I am currently deciding to get a car for about 2 years. I've looked into GS300 (2000-2002) and they seem to be somewhere in the same price range as with TL's of the same year and millage.
Not planning on spending more than $5000 on a Tl, the ones which are available are usually in 250k-290k kilometers range. How reliable are these cars ?
I heard 2nd generation has transmission issues.

Please share your thought.

BoriTL

Engine extremely reliable as long as you take care of maintenance. you are correct that they have tranny issues, but anything 00+ you can use an 06/07 Accord tranny tons of people went that route and never looked back. You try and find a 00+ with tranny issues and find a shop that will put in the accord tranny for you. I know in Orlando theres a couple TL's for less than $2k with tranny issues, maybe theres one in your area with tranny issues.

Skirmich

TRANS PROBLEMS.. < You bet you will have it..
BUT we already found the solution! the Accord V6 Transmission swap fix the issue with the trans if you have that in mind you will get one of the most reliable cars in the planet, Guaranteed..


5 Grand for a Base model is quite high.. Those prices are now for the TL-S, Don't spend that much money on a base model keep looking. As for the high mileage? don't worry these are HONDA engines and are designed to out last you... That engine will keep working with its internals for more than 10 more years if you take care of it.

Moscunlim

Transmission swap sounds as an option. How much is used Accord V6 Transmission ? and how much does it cost on average to install it at average shop ?

Skirmich

The trans itself varies from time to time... Some have been lucky (Myself included) and found the trans at less than 1K.. BUT the usual is above 1K and around 1500 bucks..


Labor for install should be north of 500 bucks so all in all you might need 2K.. THATS why you don't want to buy the car at 5K... A good price point will be 2-3K for a Base model and +3 for a TL-S with high mileage.. 5K and Above? Unless they have less than 100K on the ODO is not worth it..


Get a Base model for 2K + 2K for AV6 and Labor and you have an extremely reliable good car for 4K.. Make the same math with the TL-S and you have a moderately FAST extremely reliable car with awesome MPGs in most cases..

3.2TLc

Depending upon mileage, the "AV6" donor tranny is less than $1000. Figure another $500-$800 for installing and miscellaneous items involved. So, less than $2000 and you'll be good to go for several more years.

monte75

Thats alot of miles

3.2TLc

Yeah, if the basic recommended PM servicing is kept up and the tranny issues are addressed,
......these cars will last indefinitely.

01tl4tl

that's nothing for miles
keep up on timing belt changes- with pullies and oil changes

our mega moderator took his 00 engine apart with 200,000 Miles on it
still had honing marks in the cylinder walls- like brand new inside- at 200,000
(he then dropped a cl-s engine and 6speed in the 00 and put another 200,000 on the car!)

wrayman

I have 290,000 kms on my 02 TL-S. Drive 105 highway kms a day to work and back.
Regular maintenance from fluid changes to timing belt etc done.


Wear and tear stuff to be expected, no real big ones tho.


Tranny ok, no issues so far. Original with oil jet kit.


This has been another great Acura for us. We have similar good experiences with our Subarus....we stick with what works I guess.


Good luck.....

binary_10essee

What sort of transmission issues are you all referring to? Anything specific?

I have a 2000 TL (base). The previous owner stayed on top of all maintenance. All is well, aside from a little shake at 60 MPH, which I'm going to get it looked at shortly. But other than that, it runs strong, smooth, and quiet.

Mine just hit 186,000 miles recently. No issues outside of routine maintenance (tires rotated/balanced soon -- oil changed yesterday). Seems quite reliable to me!

Skirmich

Obvious transmission issue is over revving when the trans shift (Slips) that is a great indicative of a trans going out soon.. Under no circumstance the trans should slip it always has to shift smoothly or hard into the next gear but never slip it.

binary_10essee

Makes sense. Only trans issue I've had is a bit of a shudder going from 3rd to 4th. Asked around, and I've met several people who had the same year/model do the exact same thing. It *always* shifts, but it occasionally shudders between those two. Seems to be common on the 2000 TL, but I'm no expert.

Skirmich

Shudders are usually a good sign to change ATF. Also there isn't in issue with 3 to 4 changes when the trans start to fail is from 2nd to 3rd, in extreme cases trans won't even shift to second from all the clutch debris clogging the solenoid.

binary_10essee

Right, that makes sense. When I asked a mechanic about changing the ATF, however, they stated that they prefer not to because they said it can cause more damage, because of all the sludge build-up. Should I get a second opinion? I know someone who had the same year/model, and they had the same shudder, and they were also told that changing the ATF is not a good idea.

Skirmich

Look it this way. If the trans was going out changing your ATF or not will not stop the inevitable.. These transmissions weren't designed to hold their ATF for a lifetime they are supposed to be maintened regulary, So changing the ATF is a no brainer! These so called technicians are still giving 20 year old advices to their customers.

Do a3x3 and change the spin off filter and you Will clean all the debris inside and any indication of clogging. Otherwise old ATF is far more damaging than new oil...

3.2TLc

Yeah ....as Skirmich said that it's inevitable, if the fluid is really old and showing signs of it's age.....it's gonna sludge up the tranny's solenoids and cause issues sooner or later.

The reason that some mechanics don't want to replace the fluid is that sometimes.......the TL's old "sleeping" dog tranny can go into a state of shock and roll over dying soon afterwards. Most knowledgable technicians are aware of the TL's problematic trannys and will tend to stay away from them for that reason.

Jason504

I bought a 2003 tl base about a year ago it had 97,ooo miles when I bought it. It was a one owner the car fax had all the service at acura of Houston. I know have 138,000 miles and not one problem. I love this car. Try to find one with a good car fax

3.2TLc

There's no substitute for the owner's past documented service records, IMO.

Seabright

Our 02TL at 98k mi currently (bought new) has become our go-to every day car. Do the routine maintenance (fluids, timing belt), and it just seems to keep going - the tranny is the only real yellow flag.

Acura did well by us and replaced the tranny with an updated version at the end of the extended warranty, even though it was shifting OK but making a bit of whining noise. After that, did a 30k mi 1X fluid change with the new Honda ATF fluid and it really shifts smooth. Highly recommended.

Outside the tranny -the bitch points are engine mounts need to replaced at 80k mi or so, and it's not a BMW.

The plus points are 1) it's very reliable - I feel comfortable taking the car cross country, 2) it's inexpensive to operate (tires and brakes last a long time), 3) it's relatively cheap to maintain, at least so far, 4) it's not a BMW - see 1, 2, 3.

Muckduk

My 00 acura tl has 257,000 miles on it and it still drives like its new due to regular maintenance and proper fluids. I got my very first tranny replacement 30k ago but thats to be expected with 220,000 miles on the original tranny. Btw; I use Amsoil "Super Shift" atf and change my external filter every 30k aswell as the amsoil.

Hooray, for my first post.

Skirmich

^ You always used AMSOIL ATF? Only time I used it, it foamed inside my trans and burn it... Honda doesn't really like aftermarket ATFs so its a miracle if your trans survived that long on AMSOIL only.

Muckduk

It survived 150,000 of the 220,000 miles on the tranny not sure what was used for the initial 70k but i have my definite faith in it for sure. I tried switching to a redline atf at one point but didnt feel quite the same, I'm honestly suprised you had issues with super shift it has always been my absolute recommendation. I have heard of people having a bit of an issue in higher climate with it though..

3.2TLc

Yeah, apparently it's even more of a miracle ......if a few of the original tranny's in our 2nd Gen TL's survived with their own original Honda ATF, so basically it's Russian Roulette using any type ATF in the original tranny's !!!

Muckduk

Yeah everyones gen 2 tranny acts different from the next guys one guys can last 10k on redline the next can last 300k on honda atf lol its a total crapshoot