2000 Acura TL (not Type S) review from North America

The transmission is faulty. It fails to select the appropriate gear at low speeds or on inclines. This results in periodic "lurching" of the car.

The door hinges are poorly designed or installed. One door fails to completely shut unless the door is slammed. Another door fails to remain open and tends to close on your leg as you step out.

The "automatic" rear view mirror failed one month after the warranty expired. The mirror now fails to dim, resulting in annoying night-time driving.

The plastic windows covering the speedometer and tachometer were installed with greasy fingerprints on the inside.

The dash board squeaks and rattles. Pressing any of the radio buttons results in an annoying squeak from the surrounding dash.

The speaker covers came loose two times during the first year of ownership.

Rust spots appeared on the inside of the trunk lid.

The radio has remarkably poor reception.

The outside rear view mirrors create a tremendous amount of "whine" at speeds above 60 mph.

This car appears to be a great deal, but I have found it to be less than what was advertised and promised.

The dealer will tell you that with its "TLC" (Total Luxury Care) program, you will get a loaner car even when you get an oil change. For the first three years that was true. Now, my dealer refuses to provide a loaner car unless "warranty work" is being done.

The dealer was incredibly rude and hostile when apprised of the transmission problems. I am convinced that only bad publicity from major newspapers forced Acura to extend the warranty on the transmission (to seven years). Prior to the article's publication, the dealer refused to address the problem even though one technician acknowledged that Acura has had "a lot of problems" with the transmission. When the article came out, it revealed that over 10,000 transmissions had been repaired. Acura, however, told me that this did not warrant a recall!

The car has an attractive price because the car lacks the attention to detail that Lexus, Mercedes or BMW offer. The TL's are assembled with poor quality control, resulting in the annoying flaws I described above (the door hinges, the mirror, the dash board, rust, etc.) I should point out that my car has never been in an accident before; it was purchased new.

In my opinion and experience, Acura dealers are only interested in making money without the so-called care they promise their customers. For all the headaches and annoyances, you are FAR better off spending your 32,000 plus dollars on another manufacturer's car.

All my dealings with the dealer / customer support have been fruitless and futile. I find their attitude all the more aggravating given the fact that I also have a 1991 Acura Integra. I would have thought Acura would appreciate my continued patronage. Clearly, they appreciate only my money.

I will never purchase another Honda / Acura product.