smartypants

Well folks, like many others here, that day has finally come.

After purchasing my 1999 new and riding out the ownership until the very end, have now decided to scrap my old friend. Having said that, I have mixed feelings about the whole experience of Honda's legendary quality.

My car has 110K miles on it and the rust on the underside components finally did the car in. Interesting, the body had very little visible rust but the underside was full of it. Most of the metal lines (brakes, fuel, power steering) rusted out so completely to a point were they would disintegrate if touched. This coupled with a rotted K-frame spelled the end of my TL

After 15 years I would say that my overall opinion on this car is neutral. It had some very strange defects that affected all the fleet which caused owners to pay the dealers big dollars or forced to become technical "experts" on our cars.

The one bright spot in all this was this site. I received outstanding help and advice from many here and I hope I was able pay back with some advice or experiences of my own.

Thank you all and I will miss my trusted advisers and information source.


Goodbye and thank you all !

smartypants.

3.2TLc

Hey Smarty.......sorry to hear about ya leaving. Thanks for your past contributions to the forum. So.....the big question: What are ya going to replace the TL with ?

The '99 models were the first of the 2nd Gen bodystyle and had the more durable 4speed AT. They did indeed have their teething issues such as the EGR system and some other quirks.

However, the undercarriage rusting must have been due to the winter climate and road chemicals in your area. More than likely, any other car would suffer the same fate unless precautions were taken. Proper cleaning and rustproofing materials normally help to deter the inevitable.

Is the "K-frame" in the front ? If so, the subframe is replaceable. Did ya consider a southern stateside TL or a newer model ? Your body panels and drivetrain at 110k would be well worth salvaging towards restoring another TL with superfiscial body damage or tranny problems. Anyways....tell us what ya got and stay in the family !!! Bon jour.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Honda has been resting on its laurels for a long long time.
there is no reason to be brand loyal any more when other manufactures bring the same tech and value to their cars.

wondering what car you ended up with!!
post pics!!

smartypants

Hi All :

No question the salt played a major role in my TL demise. However, I thought we were over that and cars were made more resistant to salt. Clearly the body panels stood up better but why didn't they use more resistant brake lines, for example.

Also, replacement car is a 2014 KIA Cadenza. Looked at the new TL's and couldn't make the $10K jump.

3.2TLc

Congrats on the new replacement car. The Korean car companies are really trying to challenge their competition lately. The 10 year/100 K warranty helps also.

If the prices were closer, would've ya considered one of the new 2015 TLX's ???

By the way, ya may wanna consider a top quality rust preventative product such as Ziebart on the new KIA. I rather doubt that it'll fare any better than your TL ..... as the road chemicals these days are really aggressive and will corrode most cars over time, IMO.

smartypants

I certainly hope this one lasts at least as long as the TL did, hopefully longer.

One thing that really stands out for me is that I paid slightly less for the new car that I did for the TL fifteen years ago ! Not to mention more HP and a nav.

Nicks2001tl

Salt wreaks havoc on any car. After this last winter there is so much salt covering everything in the engine that I spent at least an hour wiping most of it off. I also think some of that is due to using the under body flush when I take it through the car wash. It sprayed all the salt over the engine. Will have to detail further to get all the crusty salt out of there.


Good Luck on your car.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

awesome choice on the Cadenza!!!
post pics!

3.2TLc

Hey Smarty, lots of things can happen down the road.....maybe you'll get tired of the Kia in a few years and decide to come back to Acura. Despite your issues with the TL, it apparently served your purposes rather well.

Personally, IMO....technology has become cheaper, but it's really hard to beat the old school Honda engineering and dependability in the long run. Time will only tell the true story and verdict.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

new school honda isnt any better than the koreans.

3.2TLc

Yeah, gotta admit that Honda has been dragging their feet the past few years and became a bit complacent. Hopefully, the new upcoming competitors will wake them up.