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Older Acura TLs

9045 messages,  Last post on Jan 07, 2012 at 6:27 PM

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What is this discussion about? Acura TL, Sedan

Messages Page 657 of 905

#6559 of 9045 Re: 270 HP is your answer... [kyfdx] by habitat1

Dec 06, 2004 (3:51 am)

Replying to: kyfdx@Edmunds (Dec 05, 2004 10:31 am)
With all due respect, 270 hp is not the answer, at least not for me.
 
My point in posting my other experiences was to show that in every other car I've owned over the past 10 years, my "mixed" driving routine has produced actual mileage of approximately 10-15% above the EPA City estimate. In the case of the TL, the same exact "mixed" driving is producing actual mileage 15-20% BELOW the EPA city estimate. By that reckoning, the EPA City estimate on the TL should be 15 mpg, not 20. And that would result in a hefty gas guzzler tax.
 
Even the "pure highway" mileage, although at or close to the EPA estimate, is below the 10% to 20% above EPA estimate that I was able to achieve in my 1995 Maxima and 2002 S2000. And, in the case of the Maxima, it didn't have a 6th gear. In the case of the S2000, 75 mph was close to 4,000 rpm (vs. about 2,500 in 6th on the TL).
 
As for the 270 hp on tap, I can only take so much comfort in that. Drove my old Maxima to pick up Pizza last night, and with "only" 190 hp, but 205 ft-lb of torque, it is minutely less quick from 0-50 than the TL. The heavier TL, with "only" 238 ft-lb of torque, only shows it's power advantage at speeds that are way above my "mixed" driving routine. And, I must again point out that in my type of mixed driving, when a 3.2 liter 6 cylinder TL with 270 hp and 238 ft-lb. and weighing under 3,500 lbs averages about the same as a 4,000 lb M5 with a 5.0 liter V8 and 400 hp / 369 ft. lbs., something IS wrong. Don't make excuses for Acura on this one.

#6560 of 9045 by kyfdx@Edmunds HOST

Dec 06, 2004 (9:38 am)

Some cars are tuned to take advantage of the EPA tests (or come by that trait organically), and some others are just efficient by nature in the real world.... The gearing and lower weight may make your Maxima nearly as quick as the Acura, but its also possible that the lower weight and different gearing/axle ratios make it more efficient around town as well..
 
Also, the EPA rating system is constantly being tweaked to get it closer to real-world MPG.. What they did in '95 might not be (and most probably isn't) what they are doing now...
 
And, if you think the M5 gets the same mileage around town as your TL?.. I'm betting in the same conditions, it is closer to 8-10 MPG, regardless of what the EPA says...
 
My main point is.. 16 MPG around town is not that bad, and doesn't surprise me.. YMMV (literally).
 
regards,
kyfdx

#6561 of 9045 Re: [jjabbytaylor] by mdhauke

Dec 06, 2004 (10:31 am)

Replying to: jjabbytaylor (Nov 30, 2004 10:51 am)
"I think you can still use all of the functions of the display screen (Audio, Climate Control, etc.) without agreeing to the warning. You just can't use any of the NAV features."
 
Yes, but the annoying thing is that even if your not going to use the NAV the warning still stays up there for 30 seconds before you can change anything.

#6562 of 9045 Acura TL reliability? by exb0

Dec 06, 2004 (10:38 am)

Just looked the TL in Consumer Reports’ Reliability by Category, and our TL is just a notch above “Average” under the Upscale Cars category. It is below both Lexus’, G35 and TSX (which is fine), but it is also below Saab 9-5, Volvo S60 (FWD) and Cadillac CTS. What is scary about this is that this category is full of the European contenders (MB, Jag, and Audi), so average reliability in this category is probably lower than any other category. I know that CR is not perfect, but never the less it is close to reality.
 
I guess my question is, should I buy extended warranty for my TL? I know I would have bought one if I had a Volvo or Cadillac, and TL is rated below them!! My car is a year old with 10K on it, and I had the usual problems like the transmission recall, tire vibration, seat memory problem and rattles, but nothing “unusual” that everybody else didn’t have to deal with. My biggest concern is the tranny, it is getting “jerkier” with age. Is this a sign of tranny going bad?

#6563 of 9045 More on gas mileage by bodble2

Dec 06, 2004 (1:51 pm)

My mileage is in Imperial gallons, which are 20% more than US gallons, so my mileage is actually even worse than what you guys are getting. But the reason for that, I suppose, is that my urban commutes, compared to yours in the larger US cities, consists of very short distances (about 5 - 7 miles), at 100% city street driving with lots of traffic stops, with zero driving at higher speeds. And I noticed the mileage really dipped after the onset of cold weather when the engine probably never gets fully warmed up.
 
And for the record, I checked the gas mileage for my wife's V6 Accord, and it's getting similar mileage.

#6564 of 9045 Re: Acura TL reliability? [exb0] by maldorf

Dec 06, 2004 (1:59 pm)

Replying to: exb0 (Dec 06, 2004 10:38 am)
Yes it is a sign that the transmission is going to fail. I leased a 99 TL and my transmission went out at about 37k miles. It started driving rough about 5k miles before that, and slowly got worse. If you take it in and its not acting up, they cannot do anything for you, and so you are stuck with what I had to do. You have to drive it until it breaks down on the freeway!! That was fun at 6:30 am on the way to work.
    There is now a class action law suit underway against Honda and the transmission flaws. There are 2 different problems happening with the tranny. That 99 TL I leased had the problem, and the idiots still put the same design into the new 05 TL. As you are aware, all the TLs and accords equipped with auto tranny/v6 were recalled for that cheap fix they came up with. I have seen reports of the tranny still failing after this latest recall. My advice, SELL THE CAR AS SOON AS YOU CAN. A lawyer from San Diego is coming out to my home tomorrow to film my experiences for a big meeting between both sides of the negotiation. They have gathered many sworn testimonies and are now in the process of gathering video taped interviews for more impact.

#6565 of 9045 Re: TL vs. G35 [danny1878] by maldorf

Dec 06, 2004 (2:10 pm)

Replying to: danny1878 (Nov 23, 2004 12:12 pm)
The new model Acura TL was recalled like the rest of the model years, the same transmission was used. I have seen at least one report here on Edmunds of a tranny failure on the new TL. Of course you will not see many yet, as the cars have little miles logged on them, but wait a year or so and they will begin to pop up. I had the tranny on my 99 TL go out at about 38k miles. There is a class action lawsuit underway now by a legal team in San Diego. I will be meeting with one of the attorneys tomorrow for a video taped interview to show at the meeting to go along with my sworn testimony.

#6566 of 9045 Re: 03 TLs Transmissions [habitat1] by maldorf

Dec 06, 2004 (2:14 pm)

Replying to: habitat1 (Oct 17, 2004 8:42 am)
Yes, Honda has been lying to its customers about this transmission problem. It is still present on the newest model TL. Honda tried to blame on of the problems, there are at least 2, on the company they outsourced the 2nd gear to. It turns out the gears did not meet requirements needed.

#6567 of 9045 Re: Acura TL reliability? [maldorf] by highender

Dec 06, 2004 (2:47 pm)

Replying to: maldorf (Dec 06, 2004 1:59 pm)
maldorf:
 
can you give me info on the class action lawsuit....and how to become a member if the occasion arises ??

#6568 of 9045 CR still rates it best in class by igiban

Dec 06, 2004 (3:07 pm)

Thought maybe add some positive stuff among all the recent negative posts for TL.
 
http://www.smartmoney.com/consumerreports/Autos/index.cfm?story=b- - estinclass_1112&nav=CR_nav
 
About the MPG: If you have a real time mpg display like the one in ES, you'd see how bad city driving can be for mpg. Anytime you stop and go the instantaneous mpg would be on single digits. If you do that a lot on local, then you'd not get 20. EPA testing on local is not based on heavy stop and go for sure. For TL, 20-25 mpg for mixed driving is probably very normal.

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