Engine

COMMON PROBLEMS: Oil Leaks, Oil Consumption, Rough Idle, Misfires, Valve Adjustment

The ILX motor holds up well, but age brings oil leaks all the same. The valve cover gasket tends to seep first, and you'll usually smell it before you see it, that hot-oil odor after a drive. Keep an eye on the dipstick too, because some burn a bit between services. Tired plugs and coils show up as a rough idle or the odd misfire. These engines also like a valve adjustment now and then, and if you skip it too long you can end up with a tick or rougher running. We trace the oil and read any codes before we talk repair.

Transmission

COMMON PROBLEMS: Low-Speed Shudder, Jerking, Torque Converter Issues, Fluid Breakdown, Warning Lights

This is the complaint we hear most on the ILX. It shudders or jerks at low speed, worst crawling through traffic, then smooths right out once you're up to freeway pace. Usually the culprit is the torque converter clutch paired with fluid that's worn down and lost its grip. A proper fluid service clears it up more often than owners expect. The dual-clutch on certain trims has its own low-speed quirks. We check the fluid, take it for a drive, and pull the codes before we recommend a thing.

Cooling System

COMMON PROBLEMS: Water Pump Leaks, Coolant Loss, Overheating, Thermostat Failure, Radiator Leaks

Coolant trouble on the ILX tends to show up as a smell before anything else. Sweet, faint, hanging around after you park. That's usually the first hint the water pump or a hose is starting to let go. The thermostat can stick and mess with your temperature reading, and the radiator gets brittle with age and seeps at the plastic ends. None of it looks like much at first. The catch is the ILX won't make a scene about low coolant until the engine's already too hot, so we'd rather catch the leak while it's small. We pressure test it and find the source.

Brakes

COMMON PROBLEMS: Squealing, Vibration When Braking, Premature Wear, Grinding, Soft Pedal

Most ILX owners hear the brakes before they ever think about them. A high squeal at low speed is the built-in wear tab, there to nag you while there's still pad left. Let it run and the squeal becomes a grind, which means the pad is spent and the rotor's taking the damage now. Feel a pulse in the pedal instead? That's usually a warped rotor, and the shake grows the longer you ride it out. A pedal that sinks or feels mushy is a separate issue, and that one shouldn't wait at all.

Suspension

COMMON PROBLEMS: Clunking Noise, Worn Bushings, Uneven Tire Wear, Steering Vibration, Rough Ride

The ILX isn't a big car, so when something underneath wears out, you feel it quickly. A worn sway bar link or a tired bushing starts knocking over bumps and dips. A ball joint going bad adds looseness to the steering, like the front end isn't quite as connected as it was. And worn parts quietly pull the alignment out of spec, which chews the edges off your tires and can set up a shimmy at speed. We put it on the lift, check the joints by hand, and read the tires to see what's actually going on.