2003 Acura TL review from North America
"It is a good car, but needs some design work"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Rock hit windshield at 11,750 miles. $500 OEM replacement was needed.
Steering wheel paint chipped at 12,000 miles. Acura dealership gave a hard time in repairing the problem and claimed that it may not be covered in the warranty.
Plastic hood piece that attaches on to the clamp that locks hood is cracked. Not covered under warranty at approximately 14,000 miles.
Alignment was needed at approximately 14,000 miles.
Realignment was again needed one week after first alignment due to poor alignment job made by dealership. I personally had a better alignment job at my local Honda dealership than my local Acura dealership.
Rattling was apparent in the center dashboard area at approximately 15,000 miles. Took this problem to the Acura (CA) dealership for repair; they failed to properly eliminate the noise. Will bring back at a later time...
Transmission was recalled. I was unaware of this notification until I was told by Scottsdale Acura.
Found a particular Acura (Thomas) (Covina, CA) dealership to have extremely poor service. Oil changes take three hours when they say half an hour. Had an appointment at 7:00 AM and waited one and a half hours until the employees finally appeared.
Found Scottsdale Acura to have better service (I go to school in AZ).
General comments?
Car handles well.
Seems like the car is falling apart fairly quickly despite my effort to take great care of it.
Interior is very subjective to weather damage when subjected to cold weather.
Exterior seems to be very subjective to damage during desert driving.
Ticking noise is now heard when car is at idle.
Recommended reviews
| I would not recommend an Acura |
| Best daily driver I have ever had |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 2003 |
| Year of manufacture | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.2L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 100 miles |
| Most recent distance | 18500 miles |
| Date of Entry | 24th December, 2004 |