analogfrog

I think I may have made a mistake, what do you guys think?

I got a 2003 Acura TL-S a few days ago, it has 156,000 miles on it, with the transmission replaced at about 133k, it has a rebuilt title after getting into fender bender, the bumper was replace along with the headlight. The interior is great, the paint is good with almost no scratches (just a minor niks here and there) the SRS light is on (possibly from this accident? I'm not sure) it was safety inspected and then passed of as 'Rebuilt'.

Whether or not I made a mistake buying this or got rip-offed, this car is still my baby, the performance is great.

Skirmich

SRS Light can mean they didn't replaced the SRS CPU which dies in case of Air Bag deployment and has to be replaced in order to make it functional again..


SRS Stands for: "Safety Restrain System" and its part of the Collision system which deploy the Airbags and locks the Seatbelts in case of crash.


Bear in mind this:
If you SRS Light is ON your Air Bags will not deploy in an Accident!

Other than that I don't know what you mean you made a Mistake? They did sold you the car as "Rebuilt" Right?? So You can make them fix the SRS CPU As I'm pretty sure they cant sell you a car which cant deploy its airbags without calling it "Salvaged".

analogfrog

I bought this from a private-seller, not a dealership. Should I try to get my money back? I bought this for $3,600. I can't notice any problems except those things, but I'm anxious about it.

Skirmich

3600 with those miles on a TL-S aren't a bad deal.. If the car is solid and only got the SRS Issue better try to resolve it.


If you are having second thoughts or cold feet because of the Transmission Issue just get rid of it, These cars are now for people who love the looks and style rather than needing a car for commute (Since the trans issues they aren't 100% Reliable) so unless you really love the car and will step up when the Trans eventually fails and insert an Accord V6 Trans Swap your better off with other different car altogether and avoid the future hassles.

3.2TLc

Welcome Analogfrog !!!
Congrats on the TL S. Ya may be over reacting about your new baby.

* Positive attributes = The miles and condition are normal for the year. The price seems fair enough.The tranny only has 23k on a fresh rebuild. The interior and paint is good. The performance is great.

* Primary concern : The SRS light. It may simply require being reset. Try using the procedure described in the "DIY" sticky. If the light reappears after clearing, then the system may need checked out closer. Ask the owner if the airbags went off. If so, ask if they were replaced along with other necessary parts ?

Blown airbags are expensive to replace.
At this point, wear your seat belt and find out if the SRS is screwed up or not.

fsttyms1

Doubtful you will have any luck with that, most private sales are as is.


As for the SRS light. Get the codes read by someone that can read SRS codes. There are places that will reset the SRS module so that it will work again, or try to find a used one if that is the issue.

analogfrog

I'm feeling a lot better, you guys rock. I'm probably just anxious. I picked up a spare tire from the seller today (we had negotiated this beforehand) he says that the airbags have never been deployed but that he doesn't know why the light is on, so it's probably just a something silly (like resetting it) Thanks again.

AlanW

Seems like when I first got my car, the SRS light was on and there was a recall on it. I found the info on here and Acura fixed it for free-replaced a module or something.

3.2TLc

Sometimes the passenger side seat sensor goes bad. I think that it was under recall.

AlanW

Yes, I believe that was it. Maybe the OP will get lucky and this will turn out to be the problem.

Levithan9

Ok guys, let me chime in on this.

First, I'm an ASE certified auto tech for 16+ years. The price you paid for that car is in line for what you got. I just sold a 2003 TL type-s for $3300, and it had 250K on the odo. But mechanically, it was in better shape than cars with 60k. Being a tech does have it's advantages.

As for your SRS problem, you can have the light turned off, but since the SRS and the ABS are "self monitoring" systems, when you start the car, the SRS will do a self-test of the air bag system. If it dtected a fault, the light will come back on. In most cases, the SRS module is almost NEVER the problem. It's usually a seat-belt pre-tensioner, or a impact sensor. Since your model year is 1997, i doubt it has a PASSENGER OCCUIPATION SENSOR in the passenger seat. These came out in later year models. It could also be a bad air bag either in the steering wheel, or the passenger dash, or even a bad clock spring. In some cases, it can be the seat belts themselves.

Most problems arise when individuals won't pay a shops upcharge on air bag components. They're expensive just buying them yourself, so add to that the cost of mark-up and the cost to install. Then the prices at junk yards start looking really good. The problem with junk yards is that, the cars have been in an accident already, so you don't know if your getting a "good" part or a "bad" one.

I would have a shop check it out for you, since the cost of a scanner that can read airbag codes get pretty expensive.

If you can do that, and get me the codes...I can help you out more.

Skirmich

^^"Since your model year is 1997"?


Who your talking to exactly? He has a TL-S and he has an Occupant Sensor for the side air bag deployment.

Levithan9

Ooopps...

Yeah, I was helping another user on his 97 TL....something with a timing belt tensioner.

You are right, and I am wrong....you get to sing the I AM RIGHT SONG !!!

3.2TLc

So, can ya offer any real help to assist the OP with his problem ?