Acura 2008 TL Type S

jaguar0027

Hi I just purchased a 2008 TL Type S a few weeks ago and I love it so far. I just have a few quick questions.

1. Back in the day, I always used to have my first oil change at 1000 miles (due to break in period). My question is do you think I need to do this with this car? Or is that overkill since the technology has changed over the years?

2. Somewhere between 75-80mph there is a slight vibration in the steering wheel. Should I get a high speed balance done or is there a TSB for this that Im not aware of?

That's all I have right now. Thanks in advance for any/all replies.

thebink

I was told not to change my oil until the car said so. I confirmed in the owner's manual. Haven't noticed any vibrations, but rarely can I go 75-80 in D.C. gridlock.

jaguar0027

Thanks a lot. I have to be honest I have not fully read the owners manual. I wonder why they say to not get it changed until the car says so. Thanks for the reply.

sloquark

Try balancing first. If the vibration is still present, swap the front and rear tires. If the tires are causing the problem, this should change the characteristics of the problem. If the vibration changes or goes away, then you can assume that a tire is causing the problem. I would then expect that a belt is not aligned in a tire and request that they replace this tire. A misaligned belt will shorten your tire life.

jaguar0027

Finally took my car in on Thursday. They balanced all four tires. They said they were off slightly. Little to no improvement. Next time I go in, I will have them swap the tires front to back. Maybe that will fix it?

Do you think it could be anything serious? I can try to bring it in sooner but I'm just really busy right now. But if I have to make the time for it I will.

whit5

you should not have to rotate the tires, they are either not balancing your tires correctly or you need an alignment. OR you have a damaged tire or possilbly bent rim..

best rule of thumb when i have balanced tires is to rule out balancing issues
.
1. break the front tires down for the rims. let the air out, break the seals and rebalance the tires completely as if u were putting on new tires. Sometimes the tires seal wrong. I have had this with many aftermarket rims and tires. After re-doing them ,they were fine...Try this 1st, if its not that, then you have another issue above.

however your car is new so the dealer should take care of it.. make a stink. get it fixed.

willis3

Regarding oil change, follow the Maintenance Minder. I had my first oil change at 5,500 miles.

vaughn4

Any one notice a strange mild whine/slight chatter type noise coming from the left front-passenger (engine) area of the vehicle? It's most noticeable in Park and seems to go away when car is put in gear. I have it on my 08 TL Type S which the dealer told me is coming from the transmission. Told it was the gears and bearings and that all Type S' make the noise but it seems odd since I only have 10K miles on it. The transmission seems to be working fine and the fluid seems good too.

Any ideas? I just fear it will continue to get noisier and sound like an old clunker.

tonymontana

I have an 08 Type S with 5000 kms. Mine has a noticeable vibration over 70mph as well. I live in Vancouver BC where everyone thinks 25mph is fast so I guess I'll be living with the vibration. Does anyone else notice the slow gear selecting response when manual shifting? Also, anyone else notice the "fly by wire" throttle has a slight delay? These things don't really matter but it's supposed to be a performance model.

mikenaka

Hi,
I recently purchased a 2008 Acura TL Type S. My first new car in 18 years. Prior to that I drove a 1990 Toyota Tercel that I never bothered washing or cleaning.

Consequently, I have some silly questions about cleaning the interior of my TL.
1) What should I use to clean the seats? Some kind of leather cleaner? The seats are leather, correct?
2) What should I use to clean and care for the dashboard? Is the dahboard vinyl or does it have a leather covering?
I have no experience with anything other than vinyl (seats, dash, etc.).
Thanks for any suggestions and help!

GerryHS

The filler hose shuts down when the fuel level reaches 14 gallons. With a lot of time and effort, I can squeeze in 3 more gallons, 3-4 ounces at a time.

Does anyone have a similar problem, and if so, how have you cured it?

keithl

Having owned 5 different 3G TL cars from 04-08 I can tell you the only thing to use on your dash is the Honda Cleaner, it is $4 can that you spray on. The TL has a nasty probelm of leeching chemicals from the dash that make the dash look faded and blatchy. If you use other stuff you'll not be happy over time. Use the Honda cleaner, there is also a Honda vinyl protectant that is decent. I only use those 2 treatments. There was a Acura TSB about the dash that lists both products and the proper way to clean the dash.
As fo rthe seats I use LeatherCPR, totally awesome. No film or residue, cleaner and condition in one and leaves leather feeling soft and supple.

chicago1231

Got a quote from a dealer in chicago area for used 2008 w/15,877 miles, pretty loaded. That seems pretty high.

upsettlowner

I purchased a 2008 certified pre-owned Acura TL in March '09 which was a dealer loaner. After owning the car for 8 mos, the car broke down out of town - the steering rack busted and I could not steer the car while in motion! It was towed to the nearest Acura dealership. That dealer's service department inspected the car and pulled the service records from the selling dealer and determined the damage was caused by shotty workmanship from the selling dealer when the car was serviced while operating as their loaner. It needs a new steering rack and subframe to the tune of $2800. Acura Client Services said the repairs had to be done by the servicing dealer since they did the original work and it was not a warranty item since there wasn't a "defect" and the car was towed back to that dealer yesterday. That dealership is the LAST place I want the car repaired. I have no confidence in their work and no longer want the car. I want to trade the car in and demand a good price on the trade-in and get a good deal on a brand new car (under invoice), or threaten to file a Lemon Law claim. Is this reasonable? Any suggestions? Do I have to have that sloppy service department fix the car? I don't want to get behind the wheel of that TL ever again!

dualtrace

Just bought a 2008 TL-S few days ago. Was too excited and have not noticed this noise during the test drive. It's not really loud, but it's similar to the sound my 16 year old Ford was making. Hard to describe, but what comes to mind is worn out ball bearings.
I kept reading about road noise here, but mine seems to be different.
Thanks,
Dual Trace

dualtrace

Took the noisy car to an Acura dealer for the standard check and came out OK and they said noise is normal.
However something really bad showed up when they washed the car. Water leaks badly (pours) around the ceiling lamps. They also said the windshield is not the original Acura one and thought maybe it was not properly sealed, etc. They advised me to take the car back to the non Acura dealer I bought it from and if they can't fix it, then they should contact Acura dealer and they will fix it and charge the other dealer.
All the controls underneath (navigation, heating, stereo, etc.) and the transmission stick were soaked.
Took the car to the first dealer and asked money back. They said the only option is to trade it for another Acura. I left the car there because they need to fix this anyway and told them I will weigh my options until the leak is fixed. What's your experience about returning a used car within a week of purchase date?

velcro999

To upset tl owner please advise the name of the dealer where you had an experience with shotty workmanship. Thank you

onlyoneleft

I just recently bought a 2008 Acura TL Type S and the only problem I seem to have so far is that the fuel cap light keeps coming on and says it needs to be tighten when it already is. The major problem I have and is questioning is the steering because unlike other cars it doesn't want to go straight I constantly have to steer back and forth just to stay on my lane which makes me like a drunk driver. My question is, is that how these new cars are or is my steering wheel just messed up? Also, sometimes when I break really fast I completely lose control of my car which is scary as heck. Is my steering wheel messed up or are you guys having the same problem? Please comment and let me know so I'll know if I should waste money at the dealership or not, Thanks.

billyperks3

'Also, sometimes when I break really fast I completely lose control of my car which is scary as heck. Is my steering wheel messed up or are you guys having the same problem? Please comment and let me know so I'll know if I should waste money at the dealership or not, Thanks"

Its called torque steer- that's what you get when the car is driven by the front wheels plus all that power.

spathy

Hi,

Does anyone know a good place where I can get my Audio system repaired, I have something stuck in the cd changer and the CD/DVD audio will not play or change discs. I live in Dallas, TX. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.