Had My Fun; Returned To Acura

[Mike_TX]

Mike_TX, glad to hear you made it out of that hydroplaning incident alive.

Lol yeah, thanks. That was a number of years ago (about 2000 or 2001, as I recall). I was on a trip through Colorado with the wife, and that poor Bimmer had to come home on a truck while we drove a crummy rental car home.

Pro tip: Rainstorms can develop quickly in the mountains, and you can come up over a ridge to find there is a downpour on the other side. And going downhill on a very wet road is like doing the Super Slide at the local water park.

 

[Aquineas]

Lol yeah, thanks. That was a number of years ago (about 2000 or 2001, as I recall). I was on a trip through Colorado with the wife, and that poor Bimmer had to come home on a truck while we drove a crummy rental car home.

Pro tip: Rainstorms can develop quickly in the mountains, and you can come up over a ridge to find there is a downpour on the other side. And going downhill on a very wet road is like doing the Super Slide at the local water park.

Out of curiosity, what kind of tires did you have on your Bimmer when it hydroplaned? I know that any tire can hydroplane given the right (or wrong) circumstances, but some are more resistant to that than others. It i.s indeed one of my bigger fears when driving. In fact, the reason I bought an AWD G70 despite living in Texas is for wet weather traction.

 

[G70 Owner]

Out of curiosity, what kind of tires did you have on your Bimmer when it hydroplaned? I know that any tire can hydroplane given the right (or wrong) circumstances, but some are more resistant to that than others. It i.s indeed one of my bigger fears when driving. In fact, the reason I bought an AWD G70 despite living in Texas is for wet weather traction.

Do You Need an All-Wheel-Drive or Four-Wheel-Drive Car? | Edmunds

All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive help a vehicle accelerate in slippery conditions, but they don't aid with braking and only sometimes improve handling.

www.edmunds.com

 

[Aquineas]

Yeah, I've seen that article. I have also can felt my car pull itself out of situations when it has been rear-traction impaired. Despite the compromises, I would make the same decision 100 percent of the time again.

 

[G70 Owner]

Yeah, I've seen that article. I have also can felt my car pull itself out of situations when it has been rear-traction impaired. Despite the compromises, I would make the same decision 100 percent of the time again.

not saying I wouldnt! its just a common misconception that AWD helps with wet handling

 

[Helo58]

I never knew torque steer could be really bad until I drove my wife's Ford Focus ST. It will snatch the wheel out of your hand. On the other hand, the Civic Type R has more HP/TQ than the ST and has no torque steer. My last 4 cars have been RWD and I would hate to go back to FWD. I would be willing to go AWD but not FWD.

 

[Revvdmedia]

I never knew torque steer could be really bad until I drove my wife's Ford Focus ST. It will snatch the wheel out of your hand. On the other hand, the Civic Type R has more HP/TQ than the ST and has no torque steer. My last 4 cars have been RWD and I would hate to go back to FWD. I would be willing to go AWD but not FWD.

I still recall to this day my test drive in a Dodge Caliber SRT4, that thing had beyond ridiculous torque steer, it's like they weren't even trying to mitigate it. Did a pull on an on-ramp onto the freeway and the car tried to aim itself directly to the wall on my right.

On my old Cobalt SS Turbo, it had a bit of torque steer but that car became really grumpy when you punched it on those roads with the big grooves from heavy tractor trailers, the car would bounce back and forth in the grooves, made it look like you didn't know how to drive. It was still a fun ride, even if being junk quality.

 

[Mike_TX]

Out of curiosity, what kind of tires did you have on your Bimmer when it hydroplaned? I know that any tire can hydroplane given the right (or wrong) circumstances, but some are more resistant to that than others. It i.s indeed one of my bigger fears when driving. In fact, the reason I bought an AWD G70 despite living in Texas is for wet weather traction.

I can tell you exactly, since those tires have been on my ****list ever since. They were Continental Conti Sport Contacts, and they had less than 10,000 miles on them at the time. To this day I won't buy Continental tires. lol.

 

[Ty Davis]

I was getting pretty annoyed with the rattles in my 2019, so I finally took it to the dealer. They told me there are 3 major sources of the rattles, thumps and bumps in the Stinger, and they fixed all of them on my car. Now it's quiet.

BUT ... it's the first car I've had in years that wasn't tight as a drum. I mean, I thought the concept of rattles in cars was fixed years ago, but my Stinger, like many many more, had them, and it was disappointing. My Optimas and the wife's Souls didn't have any rattles, either, so it's not because it's a Kia. Some things just weren't engineered as well as they should have been.

Did your "thumps and bumps" come from the rear of the car?
What caused it and what was done to fix it?

 

[Mike_TX]

I never knew torque steer could be really bad until I drove my wife's Ford Focus ST. It will snatch the wheel out of your hand. On the other hand, the Civic Type R has more HP/TQ than the ST and has no torque steer. My last 4 cars have been RWD and I would hate to go back to FWD. I would be willing to go AWD but not FWD.

Back in the day I had a couple of FWD company cars, and they were awful. But that was back in the '80's and '90's (a 1988 Olds Delta 88, and later a '95 Nissan Maxima), and they both had vicious torque steer. Manufacturers have for the most part learned how to tame it, though, and I've had a bunch of FWD cars since then that I couldn't MAKE misbehave if I tried (Acura TL's, TLX's and RDX, as well as a couple of Kia Optima's).

By the way, another thing I like about FWD cars is on wet streets or in the occasional ice or snow, they pull away from a stop with no drama and no fishtailing, while RWD cars are going sideways. lol.

 

[Mike_TX]

Did your "thumps and bumps" come from the rear of the car?
What caused it and what was done to fix it?

Yes, mostly from the rear half of the car. Here's the invoice describing the repairs:

 

[Aquineas]

I can tell you exactly, since those tires have been on my ****list ever since. They were Continental Conti Sport Contacts, and they had less than 10,000 miles on them at the time. To this day I won't buy Continental tires. lol.

I won't buy Continentals anymore either due to some unfortunate personal experiences:
1. In my personal experience, their performance degrades drastically as the tires wear. They get a lot noisier and have less grip as they wear (to be fair they are pretty amazingly quiet when new)
2. I've suffered tread separation on two of them

Actually the only tires I'll buy now are Michellins. Pricey, but worth it. Others may have a different opinion, and I'm okay with that.

 

[Rakker]

I had 2 Acura's (2005 TSX A-Spec 6spd, 2012 TL) before moving to the Stinger. I'll admit they were great driving and solidly built cars, the dealer experience was also well above beyond what KIA offers in my area. The problem was Acura lost its sporty edge and the cars were pretty boring to drive in comparison to the Stinger. I do have my eyes on the new Type-S TLX though.

Sounds to me like you're making the best move for you and what fits your driving style so all the power to you. I do think those A-spec models look pretty nice on the road.

Same here, i had a 2006 TL and was about to buy a new TLX but was waiting around for them to come out with a true sport type with something decent under the hood. Acuras are great cars (had an MDX as well) but agree they've lost (or maybe never had) that sporty edge. I saw that new TLX-S but will believe it when I see it at the dealership lol.

 

[Revvdmedia]

Yes, mostly from the rear half of the car. Here's the invoice describing the repairs:

View attachment 46639

HAHAHA, that's a good dealer, honestly. Customer complains of one rattle, tech found 3 rattles, fixed all.

 

[ProsperDad]

Honestly, that is a real shame considering the cost of investment to make a change is quite minimal. Obviously that dealership wouldn't incur the cost of expanding the bays, but to invest in a better coffee machine (a few thousand?), a TV (can get a 55+" 4K TV for about 1K if you want to cheap out), and maybe a dividing wall to separate sales and service (a few grand) would greatly improve that area of the dealership.

Agreed, but...I don't even want to wait in the waiting area (I've been spoiled, I know). I want to show up (service or warranty work), drop off my car, pick up a loaner, then return when they call me when the work is done.

This is what my Acura dealer provides, my Infiniti dealer provides (wife's car) and what 3 separate Kia dealerships did NOT provide.

 

[Nocostinger]

I just went the opposite direction. Been an Acura owner since my 08 TL type S, had a 2014 TL SHAWD, took a break to drive an M3 for a while then a 15 and 18 TLX. I had hoped the A-spec in 2018 would fix the ZF 9speed which, for 5k miles it was fine. Around 6k, it started jerking and lurching again soon after accompanied by a chirping from the fuel rail due to “high pressure”.

FYI, if your transmission starts seeming sluggish, turn it on in accesory mode and pin the brake pedal until the CEL turns off. This signifies that your transmission computer has been reset. Used to have to do it every week.
I also recommend doing coilovers on it. It handles SOOOO MUCH BETTER with decent suspension. D2 superstreets are damn nice for the price.

Well, as the post says, this was fun, but after inconsistent and poor service levels from my local Kia dealerships, and constant annoyances with creaking at the door seals and sunroof that needed constant lubrication of the seals, it was time.

Add to that, the fact that given what I paid (lease buyout technique) and the value I was offered for my trade (which I felt was likely high) I've moved on.

Picked up an Acura TLX A-Spec last weekend...Still Night Blue Pearl with red leather interior. Is it almost 400HP, nope...AWD, nope. Is it smooth and quiet on the freeway, absolutely. Does its 3.5L V6 produce the power I need for my driving style, yup! And with this being my 8th Honda/Acura product and 5th with this particular engine, it gives me confidence in reliability.

I think Kia is making radical changes, but at the same time has a ways to go in changing brand perception. I hope they keep launching products like the Stinger and Telluride, but at the same time, if they are going to continue to attract buyers of premium brands, they have to up their game on the service side.

Cheers all!

View attachment 45835

 

[RaiderMike760]

Well, as the post says, this was fun, but after inconsistent and poor service levels from my local Kia dealerships, and constant annoyances with creaking at the door seals and sunroof that needed constant lubrication of the seals, it was time.

Add to that, the fact that given what I paid (lease buyout technique) and the value I was offered for my trade (which I felt was likely high) I've moved on.

Picked up an Acura TLX A-Spec last weekend...Still Night Blue Pearl with red leather interior. Is it almost 400HP, nope...AWD, nope. Is it smooth and quiet on the freeway, absolutely. Does its 3.5L V6 produce the power I need for my driving style, yup! And with this being my 8th Honda/Acura product and 5th with this particular engine, it gives me confidence in reliability.

I think Kia is making radical changes, but at the same time has a ways to go in changing brand perception. I hope they keep launching products like the Stinger and Telluride, but at the same time, if they are going to continue to attract buyers of premium brands, they have to up their game on the service side.

Cheers all!

View attachment 45835

Sounds a bit fishy....

 

[NS_Stinger]

Sounds a bit fishy....

He joined in September of 2018, if you're suggesting this is an Acura sales guy or something trying to drum up business with a fake story, 2 years is one hell of a long time to be undercover on a forum haha

 

[jazzdabb]

I just went the opposite direction. Been an Acura owner since my 08 TL type S ...

Sigh ... 3G TL. Has their ever been a finer looking car? I miss my TL but not sure I'd trade it for the Stinger.

 

[ProsperDad]

Sounds a bit fishy....

Wow...no words...