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Test drove a 08 TSX 6MT. Please help me identify some of these issues.

3K views 19 replies 8 participants last post by  Evident 
#1 ·
Long time lurker. I've never owned a TSX but have had several 7th gen accords including two of my own and 3 others in the family- i've always wanted to own a TSX 6MT. I drove past a gas station in my neighborhood and they were selling a relatively good cosmetic condition 08 6MT 180k miles w/ nav for $4k.
I took at look at it and test drove it.

Cosmetic:
Paint was in pretty good shape. some scratches and dings. no bubbling rust anywhere, which on 7th gen accords is SO common along the wheel wells. cosmetic damage was the side running board by the driver door and the lower driver door has a dent.

Trim: glove box won't open, and cup holder cover latch is stuck. Driver sun visor is drooping.
Minor scratches on the leather but really in not bad shape considering the age.

Mechanical:

The owner of the gas station and mechanic told me that the clutch is going bad but it should be good for a while. One of his customers sold it to him after not wanting to put any more money into it. The mechanic said he replaced the wheel bearings and did an oil change. Tires are continental extreme contact dws. tires had alot of rubber and battery looked new

I started up the vehicle and noticed the (!) and VSA light are on. I searched this and the other forums and it could have been a multitude of things such as a brake light switch or the vtec solenoid. would an OBD II sensor give me a code? No check engine light was on.

During my test drive I did notice it slipping sometimes from 3rd to 4th... I think. I admit I haven't driven a MT car in a while and never owned one so I may have just been rusty. I did stall it at a stop light but only once :grin2: At highway speeds (50-70) i noticed there was a significant vibration or wobble when i was in 5th / 6th gear. could this be a bad axle? gas station mechanic replaced wheel bearings but i think they may have missed a bad axle

It will also be my second car, my main car is my lexus IS350.

I ran the carfax and it's one owner, dealer serviced every 5k miles locally. the last record is him getting spark plugs replaced in another state, then it ended up at the gas station near my house. will be going to have it inspected by my mechanic on wed. I am hoping with some of these issues i found on my test drive he'll cut the price even more.... but are any of these issues deal breakers in your opinion? any insight is greatly appreciated and i look forward to joining this community :)

Update in post #12

Update: Purchased it for $3200.
 
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#3 ·
I would be worried about axles as they are not cheap. Usually they cause vibration when accelerating around 60-65mph. There could also be something else masking it.

When I bought my car it had a vibration from 60-70 always so I thought there was a chance the axles were fine. I put on different wheels/tires and the vibration went away except for during acceleration, replaced the axles and it is smooth.
 
#4 ·
I will ask my mechanic to look at the axles on wednesday and also ask him to go on a test drive with me. Axles being broke arent a dealbreaker, are they? Correct me if i'm wrong, They seem to be DIYable but I would ask for a hefty price discount to go along with all the other little things i see, like $1k off asking and see what he comes back with.
 
#5 ·
In my opinoin, that's a lot of major cost items you listed as known or potential issues... VSA light, slipping clutch on its way out, vibration/shaky axles, and who knows what else after you get a PPI. And 180K miles. Unless you're able to work on it yourself, the shop labor costs are going to really add up quickly.

What area are you in?
 
#6 ·
I am in the Philadelphia metro area. The costs do add up I agree.
I forgot to mention that I do like working on cars to a certain extent. it wouldn't be my daily driver (my lexus IS350 is), it's a fun but practical car for me to learn to drive stick and maybe something that i can work on when I have a second away from my kids.
My buddy has access to a lift and is willing to help me do the clutch when it goes. But from my research replacement clutches are on average $500 (Exedy stage 1 which seems to be the common replacement for daily driving). It looks like axle's are DIYable in my garage with just jack stands, but those are also $500 for parts alone. I am most concerned if there are things I can't DIY, for example if compression test comes back bad. Also, the VSA light is a huge question mark. It seems like a generic OBD II sensor wouldn't pick up a code.
Would I have to take it to an Acura dealership for a honda specific reader?
 
#9 ·
Welcome neighbor, I’m in Montco! The first gen TSX in 6MT is a real treat. $4,000 seems like a steal, even with those issues. I have an 07 that has the axle and clutch issues which seem to be pretty common. I would check the steering rack and air conditioner as those tend to be the most costly items that are known to fail.
 
#12 ·
Got my mechanic to look at it today.

Compression results
155 160 160 175

VSA light code is 84-1, which from research looks like i just need to short two pins on the obd ii and do a pedal dance to reset.

Confirmed that axles are going bad, would have to have those replaced when i replace the clutch

Oil pressure switch has a small leak

No issues with AC. Don't hear the fan making weird noises when AC is on, and also my mechanic said the steering rack had no leaks, although the fluid level looked a bit low.

He agreed to bring down selling price to $3100. what do you think?
 
#14 ·
As indicated in my several PMs, just about all of these issues are soft spots already well documented in the 2 main TSX enthusiast sites. It may take some time to search them out, and sort out the fact from the fiction, but comprehensive info is out there. You can PM me for specifics, and I'll help if I can. Have owned an 04/6MT (now at 70K) and 08/AT (now at 126K) for a long time (and still own them), so have seen and understand a lot of the issues. Great driving cars!
 
#15 ·
As mentioned already replacing the clutch is going to be expensive unless you’re doing it yourself. Also I noticed a good portion of people don’t have much luck with aftermarket axles, so that means you’re gonna need oem axles, which are $$$. Unless you can source some used ones in good condition.

They’re really solid built cars my 08 has 167K on the original clutch and no big ticket items have been replaced or fixed, besides things I did from stupidity. I think being built in Japan might actually carry some weight to it.

I live right on the boarder of Montgomery/Bucks county. :wink2:
Cool to see locals in here.
 
#17 ·
wow, that makes three of us locals. I picked it up today.
Spent about a half hour practicing driving stick in a parking lot in newtown.

Unfortunately, when I got home I noticed that my A/C stopped blowing cold air. It was running like a champ for the hour I was driving it. I am afraid to turn it back on, LOL. I hope this doesn't turn out to be another headache. I also noticed that the driver side headlamp is an aftermarket TYC and not an OEM honda. Makes sense since there was some damage on the driver side of this car. I may try and source an OEM headlamp unit. I will post pictures soon. It's so damn hot out!
 
#20 ·
Not sure if I should post a new thread, but currently doing alot of stuff to this car. I was able to get a glove box and cup holder off craigslist for $20 bucks so I replaced those pretty quickly.

The A/C Compressor dying on me was a total bummer and I am devoting the majority of my free time right now during the weeknights to replacing parts. I took it to a shop to have the refrigerant evacuated and the system flushed.

I replaced the compressor, tested the old one and confirmed that it was a bad field coil. There doesn't seem to be any debris in the lines.
I purchased a 4 Seasons replacement compressor kit that included the expansion valve and dryer, and I also purchased a Denso condenser. Replacing the compressor was a PITA, getting to the bottom left bolt was a pain, and Replacing the expansion valve was a bigger PITA, just time consuming!

About $400 into this car now.
 
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