Sold my 2008 TL S-type after 160,000 miles. Bought it brand new.
I shouldn't complain. 160k would be a huge cause for celebration for one of my 1980's GM products when I lived in the rust belt. But I live in the south and I bought Honda for a perception of quality and was, in some respects, disappointed.
My issues, in no particular order:
1) had a pulley fail in the first month of ownership. seriously? My previous car, an FCA product (300C) did better than that!
2) The navigation buttons went out within 3,000 miles of the warranty expiration. Ridiculous cost to replace with a new copy of the same flawed unit. It didn't get fixed. At least I had voice controls, until:
3) The HFL battery drain bug. Nice surprise, after 2 new batteries and being stranded 3x, to learn Honda knew about the flaw and kept their mouth shut. Honda dealer still was "kind" enough to charge me a ~$100 diagnostic fee (plus the cost to fix) to detect a problem they already knew about. Again, for a high cost I could've had it fixed with a new copy of the same bad part. Ergo, no more nav system. Still get emails imploring me to upgrade my nav disk.
4) torque steer. RWD is just better in a performance car (sorry - Civic R). It just is.
5) motor mounts- disintegrated at 125,000. This is to be expected, I guess. Was able to replace front and side myself.
6) Power steering rack -- started failing at 130k. Made it a little tougher to steer but not a huge issue. the $4k dealer quoted me to fix would've been an issue.
7) Transmission started slipping minimally at 158k.
8) Leaks -- steering rack, main seal at 130k. No big deal.
9) interior quality -- poor. Seat leather particularly bad. That being said, Interior---especially the red gauges at night, was really attractive-looking when new.
10)paint- the color (Moroccan red) held up much better than I expected. The clear coat (I think) was soft. Much more susceptible to swirls, for example, than wife's dark colored hyundai. On the plus side, it was much easier to fix with compound than the hyundai.
11) plastics - many of the under hood plastics were completely disintegrating when I sold it. Important items -- like relay box and less important -- intake tube from air box.
12) the timing belt--- $1,000 maintenance item. ugh.
For a while, I'd say I enjoyed the car. the engine was bullet proof. But when a Lexus IS could've been had for the same price, it seems like I was ripped off. Further, the luxury features that distinguish Acura from Honda were of particular low quality.
I suspect Acura is just cruising on reputation alone- my buddy has a 2000 Integra, which he bought new, with only minimal problems.
Skimping on details will catch up with Honda / Acura.....I bought a Highlander instead of a Pilot for a daily. I was offered a great price on a new NSX and went with a Lexus GSF (not comparable cars, I know) and used the extra money to get my wife a Q7 instead of the MDX she wanted. (No, I don't expect reliability from Audi).
I shouldn't complain. 160k would be a huge cause for celebration for one of my 1980's GM products when I lived in the rust belt. But I live in the south and I bought Honda for a perception of quality and was, in some respects, disappointed.
My issues, in no particular order:
1) had a pulley fail in the first month of ownership. seriously? My previous car, an FCA product (300C) did better than that!
2) The navigation buttons went out within 3,000 miles of the warranty expiration. Ridiculous cost to replace with a new copy of the same flawed unit. It didn't get fixed. At least I had voice controls, until:
3) The HFL battery drain bug. Nice surprise, after 2 new batteries and being stranded 3x, to learn Honda knew about the flaw and kept their mouth shut. Honda dealer still was "kind" enough to charge me a ~$100 diagnostic fee (plus the cost to fix) to detect a problem they already knew about. Again, for a high cost I could've had it fixed with a new copy of the same bad part. Ergo, no more nav system. Still get emails imploring me to upgrade my nav disk.
4) torque steer. RWD is just better in a performance car (sorry - Civic R). It just is.
5) motor mounts- disintegrated at 125,000. This is to be expected, I guess. Was able to replace front and side myself.
6) Power steering rack -- started failing at 130k. Made it a little tougher to steer but not a huge issue. the $4k dealer quoted me to fix would've been an issue.
7) Transmission started slipping minimally at 158k.
8) Leaks -- steering rack, main seal at 130k. No big deal.
9) interior quality -- poor. Seat leather particularly bad. That being said, Interior---especially the red gauges at night, was really attractive-looking when new.
10)paint- the color (Moroccan red) held up much better than I expected. The clear coat (I think) was soft. Much more susceptible to swirls, for example, than wife's dark colored hyundai. On the plus side, it was much easier to fix with compound than the hyundai.
11) plastics - many of the under hood plastics were completely disintegrating when I sold it. Important items -- like relay box and less important -- intake tube from air box.
12) the timing belt--- $1,000 maintenance item. ugh.
For a while, I'd say I enjoyed the car. the engine was bullet proof. But when a Lexus IS could've been had for the same price, it seems like I was ripped off. Further, the luxury features that distinguish Acura from Honda were of particular low quality.
I suspect Acura is just cruising on reputation alone- my buddy has a 2000 Integra, which he bought new, with only minimal problems.
Skimping on details will catch up with Honda / Acura.....I bought a Highlander instead of a Pilot for a daily. I was offered a great price on a new NSX and went with a Lexus GSF (not comparable cars, I know) and used the extra money to get my wife a Q7 instead of the MDX she wanted. (No, I don't expect reliability from Audi).