You are looking for a 2nd gen Legend and you think you have found one at a great price. You go look at it and it looks great, better than you thought, a great combination of luxury and power at a fair price. You test drive it about two miles down to the local grocery store and back. That's all it takes to know that this car is special. What a deal. Why would anyone want to sell a car like this? you ask yourself. You buy it and proceed on your way.
About a week later while out with your favorite girl or "other" and notice the temp gauge acting erratic. The next day you get on the internet and look for an answer. You find www.acura-legend.com and make your first post. It will look something like this: :eek2:
"I recently purchased a 95 Legend LS and have been searching the forum for misc. repairs I may need to do if the previous owner didn't take care of their car properly. I have been reading alot of threads about BHG and I think I have one but I'm not sure. My temp guage sometimes reads overheating and the RPMs go up and down. There is no coolant leak. Also, usually when idling, my heater sometimes blows cold air. From what I've read it sounds like a BHG, but I'm not sure. I was wondering what you all thought."
Over the past few months I have read a new post simular to this one at a rate of about 3 per week. Unbeknown to the new Legend owners, These cars have HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS. Owners/dealers are selling these cars with known problems. The problem is not very noticable and most "excited new owners" think it is a simple fix. It's not! You will spend a lot of $$$ trying to diagnose it only to find out it's got a bad head gasket that can only be repaired by removing the heads-$$$$-$2000 + and replacing the headgaskets.
If you are looking for a Legend to buy you must:
1. Do a complete test drive. Drive it at least 10 miles or more on the interstate at highway speed. After the test drive let it run for 5-10 minutes at idle. "MONITOR the temp gauge constantly during the test drive". Once it reaches normal temp it should not move any. Any movement of the temp needle after reaching normal temp is a "RED FLAG". Normal temp is about 1/3 up from the bottom of the range. If it doesn't come up to normal temp it could be an indication that the thermostat has been remove to relieve the overheating symptoms enough to sell it.
2. ASK the tough questions. "Has this car had ANY overheating problems?" Tell them you are aware of the headgasket problems with this model. Watch their reactions to the tough questions. Ask for a 3-5 day warranty on any overheating problems, write it in the bill of sale. Take it on a long trip within those 3-5 days.
I'm not making this up or being "paranoid". It's real. You will find yourself on the Headgasket Highway if you don't heed this warning.
BUYER BEWARE
2/13/06-
About a week later while out with your favorite girl or "other" and notice the temp gauge acting erratic. The next day you get on the internet and look for an answer. You find www.acura-legend.com and make your first post. It will look something like this: :eek2:
"I recently purchased a 95 Legend LS and have been searching the forum for misc. repairs I may need to do if the previous owner didn't take care of their car properly. I have been reading alot of threads about BHG and I think I have one but I'm not sure. My temp guage sometimes reads overheating and the RPMs go up and down. There is no coolant leak. Also, usually when idling, my heater sometimes blows cold air. From what I've read it sounds like a BHG, but I'm not sure. I was wondering what you all thought."
Over the past few months I have read a new post simular to this one at a rate of about 3 per week. Unbeknown to the new Legend owners, These cars have HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS. Owners/dealers are selling these cars with known problems. The problem is not very noticable and most "excited new owners" think it is a simple fix. It's not! You will spend a lot of $$$ trying to diagnose it only to find out it's got a bad head gasket that can only be repaired by removing the heads-$$$$-$2000 + and replacing the headgaskets.
If you are looking for a Legend to buy you must:
1. Do a complete test drive. Drive it at least 10 miles or more on the interstate at highway speed. After the test drive let it run for 5-10 minutes at idle. "MONITOR the temp gauge constantly during the test drive". Once it reaches normal temp it should not move any. Any movement of the temp needle after reaching normal temp is a "RED FLAG". Normal temp is about 1/3 up from the bottom of the range. If it doesn't come up to normal temp it could be an indication that the thermostat has been remove to relieve the overheating symptoms enough to sell it.
2. ASK the tough questions. "Has this car had ANY overheating problems?" Tell them you are aware of the headgasket problems with this model. Watch their reactions to the tough questions. Ask for a 3-5 day warranty on any overheating problems, write it in the bill of sale. Take it on a long trip within those 3-5 days.
I'm not making this up or being "paranoid". It's real. You will find yourself on the Headgasket Highway if you don't heed this warning.
BUYER BEWARE
2/13/06-