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Acura TSX Maintenance and Repair

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  • szewslowtsxszewslowtsx Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2005 TSX with 5AT transmission with Sports shifter. I have put on 2500 KM. I have read the discussions on weird noise under the hood and have noticed a little high pitched noise from the engine. I checked the transmission fluid and found it at the lower end mark. The 5AT transmission has a convenient dipstick to check the fluid level unlike the manual transmission. After reading the manual, Acura highly recommends "ALWAYS" to use Honda ATF-Z1 automatic transmission fluid. I hope that topping up the AT fluid will fix the noise problem.

    I had to top up the engine oil (5W30 grade) after 1000 km. I am not too concerned about this issue but indeed will have to keep an eye on it.
  • jkobty2jkobty2 Member Posts: 210
    Oil consumption is a real issue on the TSX. Ours goes all the way to the lower mark or below between oil changes if I do not keep topping it up. This car burns oil like crazy.
    The good thing we found out recently about the TSX is that it can hold its own in a severe collision. My wife crashed the car when a careless driver turned in front of here (T-Boned). The other car was totaled, while the TSX might be fixable.
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    Here is an interesting article regarding the use of Premium Gasoline.

    http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-07-30-premiumgas_x.htm

    (you will have to copy this to your browser address bar to link to USAToday)

    Essentially...it is USA Today which quotes a senior Chevron Exec to saying:

    "I personally use regular even though my owner's manual says you'll get better performance with premium," says Lewis Gibbs, consulting engineer and 45-year veteran at Chevron oil company. He's chairman of Technical Committee 7 on Fuels, part of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Fuels & Lubricants Council. Gibbs knows gas.

    "My wife runs midgrade (89 octane) in her car, and it's a turbocharged engine" meant for 91-octane premium, he says

    ???What are everyone's thought other than the addage of 'follow the owner's manual' .

    :surprise:
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,535
    I haven't read the entire article, but Mr.Gibbs' quote doesn't really speak to the fact of lower performance. He just says he uses regular in spite of the owner's manual.. not because he says the manual is incorrect... And, there must be some benefit to higher octane, or even his wife would be running regular in her turbo-charged car, instead of mid-grade.

    Most articles that say premium fuel is a waste of money... use the example of a car that is designed to run on regular fuel.. and in that case, I agree with them.

    But, if the car is designed to run on premium, and has reduced performance with regular gas.. well, I don't see how you could quantify that as a waste of money.

    regards,
    kyfdx

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  • flicmodflicmod Member Posts: 21
    I personally have tried using midgrade in my TSX, and I've found that performance doesn't necessarily decrease from premium gas. BUT, it DOES reduce gas mileage a whole hell of a lot. I don't know how many MPG everyone else gets, but I can get around 420 miles average on a tank of gas on a warm day (so the engine gets to operating temp). I tried midgrade in the same conditions for about a month and my mileage was considerably less (around 320 miles or so). I've never tried regular and don't plan on it. I'm content with spending more for premium gas and get better gas mileage than spending less and getting less gas mileage.
    As a side note... What's the max mileage any one has gotten out of a tank on their TSX? Couple weeks ago I took a trip to Roanoke, VA (from Harrisburg, PA). Took a little under a tank of gas round trip and I was able to drive to and from work for half a week. I had 497 miles, but could've pushed it beyond the 500 mark. Anyone else?
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    The two responses to my posting are excellent...thanks!

    This is my take.
    1) The article I shared was in regards not to performance...but gross savings of not spending for premium.
    2) In regards to performance...use of regular does no 'damage' to the car if it does not knock or ping (for instance...no hard acceleration, steep hill climbing, or pulling a trailer). So it disputes one of the arguments against stepping down the grade.

    I have now owned my TSX for a week...and was just curious.

    What the responses do point out is that MPG does suffer. Interested to hear more from others! Also I wonder if brands also make a difference.

    Great posting.
  • flicmodflicmod Member Posts: 21
    hey delmar, you may want to go over to the thread about MPG for the TSX posted by Karen the host. I'm heading over there after I finish this post to see if it's been updated at all. Should be some good material on there for your study.

    Brands as in gas from different gas companies? I've heard rumors that gas from company A and company B are usually the same gas. It's all refined the same way and what not, but I have a hard time believing that. I usually get my gas from Sheetz (people probably arent familiar with this unless they live in central PA) but I have a BP down from my apartment that I go to occassionally. Sheetz gas usually gives me good mileage, but so does BP. I tried Sunoco gas in my '90 Civic last summer once, and I had HORRIBLE mileage and it caused the engine to seem sluggish, even made it sputter. On the other hand, I also put the high test Sunoco gas in my TSX once (94 octane I think it was). That made a drastic difference in performance, but didn't help mileage at all. I still like premium the best.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    Brands as in gas from different gas companies? I've heard rumors that gas from company A and company B are usually the same gas. It's all refined the same way and what not, but I have a hard time believing that.

    That's usually the case. Typically, there are only a couple of distributors in a given area and all stations buy their fuel from them. The difference is in the additives dumped in. Here in Boston, Exxon is a big distributor. I've seen many brands loading up at their terminal as well as independents truckers - some independents have little signs like the hazard placards that say "Delivering Brand X Fuels".
  • flicmodflicmod Member Posts: 21
    Intersting. I've never seen it myself, but if you're watching a Chevron-Texoco truck filling up at the Exxon-Mobil distributor, I'd imagine it's a little disconcerting. I guess OPEC and the petrol market has schtooped us again.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    Basic gasoline is a commodity item. The differences are in the additives that every major brand has in order to distinguish their gasolines.

    Besides, could you imagine the tangle of piplelines required if every gasoline marketer (that's what they really are) had their own distribution systems and terminals in every major market in the nation?
  • xplorx4xplorx4 Member Posts: 621
    You can get the fog lights from handaccessories.com for $283.

    Installation instructions, in PDF format, are there as well, so you can decide whether you can do it yourself or not.

    You'll probably need some way of lifting the front of the car (ramps or floor jack) so you can access the bumper cover fasteners if you do it yourself.

    That being said, I did the installation myself. It really hard, but some parts were tricky. In particular, removing the steering column cover and the bumper cover required extra care (to avoid scratching them), and routing the wiring harness to the fusebox also gave me a little trouble.
  • xplorx4xplorx4 Member Posts: 621
    What's the tire pressure in each tire? Low tire pressure can contribute to early failure. If you regularly check and maintain the tire pressure though, then you might have just gotten a bad tire or two.
  • kww5kww5 Member Posts: 1
    It seems like a year later, they are still over inflating tires at Acura of Manhattan.
    Within weeks of purchasing my new TSX, my front, driver side tire blew out; looks like a puncture so the dealer wouldn't replace it under warranty. I find out later that the other 3 tires are inflated to over 50psi! (The tires were cool when checked.) I suspect that all the tires were inflated this high and that this contributed to the tire blowout.
  • windyglasswindyglass Member Posts: 5
    I just got my new TSX 2 days ago, can anyone tell me what does break in or brake in means?? From what I heard before, the car can't perform at its optimal before 500 miles? and there's a speed limit you will have to drive under...such as driving below 60mph. is that how it is? Thanks so much
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    "Break-In" is literally....like stretching a new pair of shoes. Cars are built to tolerances...but are mechanical in nature. And because mechanical...you should allow the various fittings, joints, etc to get accustomed to being together.

    Just like an athlete. While excellent in performing their sport, they also 'warm-up' before they perform to their best.

    In your owner's manual...you will find a section regarding the break-in period. I believe they suggest for the first 600 miles you not drive your car hard (that is accelerate or brake harshly). Also you should not change your oil for 10,000 miles (I wrote a post in the past regarding that...reason is that the first oil fill includes a break-in additive). Beyond that...you wish not to run your car at a high speed...or at a constant speed (say running on the highway at 65miles for hundreds of miles at one time).

    By doing such....you may have many more happy miles ahead of you....or you will get a :lemon:

    So overall...treat your car well....and allow it to do its warm-up exercises. Feed it premium fuel...and most of all... ENJOY your TSX.
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    Seriously, you can find all pertinent break-in info in the manual, and read it in less time than it took you to post your question, but what it essentially means is no full throttle starts or hard braking for the first 600 miles. After that, have fun. Yes you can drive the posted speed limit, just try to vary your speeds when travelling on the highway.

    And read that manual, there's lots of good stuff in there! :)
  • ronsteveronsteve Member Posts: 1,234
    I'm only a *prospective* TSX owner yet, but I test-drove a TSX 6-speed today, and overall was pretty impressed with the car. However, I had a really hard time shifting from 5th to 6th cleanly, like I couldn't hit the gate. Has anyone else found the shifter to be really notchy going into 6th, or is this something possibly unique to the individual vehicle, or was the guy in the driver's seat just paranoid of pushing the shifter too far to the right and catching reverse?
    2015 Acura RDX AWD / 2021 VW TIguan SE 4Motion
  • frisbeenutfrisbeenut Member Posts: 7
    I am also a prospective TSX owner. I have test drove both an 04 and 05 model and I agree that the 5-6 shift is tight. I had the same paranoia about shifting into reverse but it is virtually impossible to do if you are moving forward...the gearbox will not let you put it into reverse or even get close to grinding any gears (which is a good thing). I did shift into 4th a few times though.
  • gmacogmaco Member Posts: 3
    Hi everyone! I have just bought my TSX and only had it for 7 weeks. I bought with 12,000km and since then put about 4,000....now one morning I was driving to work coming off the highway I noticed a strange smell....almost clutch like. I thought nothing of it....parked....then went in to the office. Worried about the smell I went to check up on the car to only see smoke pouring out from the grill. Acura has the car now and told me that the fire wall protecting the passenger compartment caught on fire...how? they still don't know. And they have had the car for two weeks now. They claim to have a special team of engineers looking at it?
    Has anyone even heard of a problem like this?
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    Ronsteve, you cannot inadvertently shift the car into reverse whenn attempting to shift into 6th gear; you are mechanically prevented from doing so while the car is moving forward faster than a couple of miles an hour.

    The shift from 5th to 6th should be very smooth. Just make sure are going over and down with a firm stroke. Do not worry about shifting into reverse at freeway speeds.

    The real problematic shift on the TSX is from 1st to 2nd. It takes a bit of practice to get it right, perhaps due to the gearing ratios.

    Johnny
  • rko2rko2 Member Posts: 40
    I just brought in my '04 TSX for some minor fixes that may address some issues people have here.

    1. The windshield pops. They didn't have to replace the clips in the windshield, but they re-insulated the windshield. It has so far fixed the problem.

    2. Rubbing from the driver and passenger doors when the windows are closed. Apparently there wasn't enough silicone applied during the door build, so the window was rubbing on the rubber without silicone. The dealer added silicone to the window track and the rubbing is gone.

    3. The seat moves slightly when cornering or stopping hard. The dealer replaced the bottom seat mount and the problem is solved.

    4. When braking, car pulses and steering wheel shimmies. Both front rotors were warped. Rotors were turned, and braking is perfect again.

    I just turned over 30,000 miles, and my dealer did everything under warranty without any questions. Hope that answers some questions. My car is now perfect :shades:
  • mldj98mldj98 Member Posts: 378
    When you windshield was popping what type of noise did it make? Could you tell where on the windshield the noise was coming from?

    How about the sounds of driver and passenger doors? What did they sound like?

    The reason I ask is because I have an appointment at my local Acura dealer on Monday and I want to give them all sorts of places to look and try and solve my rattle. As you have already read in some of my previous post I'm sure the sound of my rattle is like a screw or some sort of clips are vibrating...

    Thanks
  • rko2rko2 Member Posts: 40
    So, neither issue that I had was like clips vibrating or a screw rattling.

    My windshield had the issue that others have had here. It sounds once in a while like a rock hits the windshield, but one isn't hitting it. The popping sound is fome misplaced windshield clips that keep it in place. I think there is a technical bulletin out on it.

    The rubbing I had was coming from both side doors. It sounded like a low squeaking sound, like if you rubbed your finger along a balloon. It was the top edge of the window rubbing against the rubber track at the top of the door. Silicone fixed it.

    Your sound could be anything. Possibly a broken piece in the glove box closure or a clip holding the dash in place. I don't know. If it happens a lot, go on the test drive with a service guy to point it out. Otherwise, they might not hear the same thing you do.
  • smitty11smitty11 Member Posts: 1
    Reading this posting was like looking in the mirror. I have an 04 TSX with 35K. Everything you said I currently experience. The pain is taking it to the dealer and trying to explain everything to them. I am printing your e-mail and taking that to them. Thanx so much for the posting!!
  • mt56mt56 Member Posts: 15
    I JUST bought my TSX, and while driving it home from the dealership (an 80 mile trip), I mistakenly had it in sportshift mode instead of automatic. (I know, I know...stupid.) My RPMs were at a constant 5500 (going 60 mph), and I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't pinpoint it at the time. It wasted over 1/4 of a tank of gas...for an 80 mile trip!!!

    I was just wondering what kind of damage this did to my vehicle and if it would void any warranties. :(

    Help me here!! I was very upset with myself when I was a mile from my house and realized I was NOT in automatic.
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    Well...don't be upset on something in the past as you cannot undo the past.

    I would say you did not void the warranty as there isn't a 'spycam' to monitor your activities.

    What I would do is just make sure you check your transmission and motor oil levels to make sure you are ok. And for your first motor oil change...typically you would wait until 10k (to allow the break-in oil additives to work). However for you...you might want to change it at 7.5k.

    Make sure to use premium gas....and you really cannot do much else. Just keep an eye on things and if you have any problems....it should manifest itself during the warranty period and you'll get it fixed.

    Enjoy your car...and try to forget what happened. It was an accident. And the car will forgive you.
  • mt56mt56 Member Posts: 15
    Thanks, that made me feel a lot better.
  • kgierlkgierl Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 w/ 6000 miles on it, and I still trying to understand the transmission. I live in Pittsburgh where if you're not going up a hill, you're going down the next, and the car's adaptive transmission is psychotic. Because it has 5 gears, I'm sure that is will shift sooner and more often then a 4-speed, but its "brain" is hard to figure out. For example, when I roll from a stop down a hill, the tranny insists in staying in a low gear (usually second) well past the point where gravity would do the trick and the transmission keeps the car moving slowly. You can really feel it fighting you, and then finally it upshifts. Also, when hitting the gas from a rolling start, the car will leap forward as if the gas peddle was too touchy. Anyway, except for the lousy gas mileage, I love the car. Just seeing if anyone else had this condition...
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,535
    Any time you are heading down hill, and are lightly using the brake or not using the throttle, the transmission assumes that you don't want the car to gain speed.. and holds the lower gear for engine braking.

    Honda has been using a form of this for years... On the Hondas they called it Grade Logic Control...

    It does take awhile to get used to... If you want the car to upshift, just tap the accelerator...

    Once you learn it, it does help.... it keeps you from having to ride the brake down a long hill, etc...

    Hope this helps..

    regards,
    kyfdx

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  • kap2406kap2406 Member Posts: 6
    I bought my tsx about 10 days ago. So far I am very satisfied with a car, trying to find any stupid reason just to go drive it :) However, this is my concern. Some highways here in WA have odometer verification road signs (or whatever they are called). I think they are posted every exact mile for a distance of 5 or so miles. On my camry the odometer (trip meter) matches that distance all the time. But on my new tsx trip meter closes on the mile about 15-20 ft shorter than the distance based between the signs. So after that 5 mile check up I end up about 100 ft short based on the trip meter. I checked the tire pressure, tires are brand new from dealership. Not sure how serious this problem is and how to fix it. Can dealership recalibrate an odometer? thanx.
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    If the dealership can't do it they can send it to someone who can. If the odometer is off, it'll be covered under warranty. Doesn't sound like it's too bad if it's off at all.

    Enjoy your new car. It's a lot of fun to drive.

    Johnny
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    That may not be a bad thing.... Think long term...when you trade your car in. You will have less mileage on the car...and perhaps a higher trade. :surprise:
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,535
    Yeah...it sounds like your odometer is within spec.. 20 feet over one mile, is less than one-half of 1%... I doubt they'll do anything about that....

    Once they start messing with that stuff, it always seems to get worse, in my experience....

    regards,
    kyfdx

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  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    IIRC the allowable tolerance is +/- 3%. Besides, you really don't want to have the odometer changed out. It would require a TMU (total mileage unknown) status.
  • wheeldeal123wheeldeal123 Member Posts: 3
    I just bought my TSX last week, and I am having a serious problem (I think). When I am going at a somewhat slow speed, especially over bumpy roads, and I brake or slowly accelerate, the steering wheel gets pulled to one side. Sometimes, it's so bad, it almost gets pulled out of my hands and I feel like I don't have control of the car. I've brought it to the dealer (it is there now) and the guy who went on the test drive felt it pulling, too, but the technician said there is nothing wrong with alignment or tires or anything. Has anyone experienced this problem? ALSO, my FM tuner is pretty weak. I get static on major stations in areas that other cars I have driven get a full signal. Anyone else have this issue?
  • wheeldeal123wheeldeal123 Member Posts: 3
    I just bought my TSX last week, and I am having a serious problem (I think). When I am going at a somewhat slow speed, especially over bumpy roads, and I brake or slowly accelerate, the steering wheel gets pulled to one side. Sometimes, it's so bad, it almost gets pulled out of my hands and I feel like I don't have control of the car. I've brought it to the dealer (it is there now) and the guy who went on the test drive felt it pulling, too, but the technician said there is nothing wrong with alignment or tires or anything. Has anyone experienced this problem? ALSO, my FM tuner is pretty weak. I get static on major stations in areas that other cars I have driven get a full signal. Anyone else have this issue?
  • kap2406kap2406 Member Posts: 6
    Hey, thanks guys! I'll just leave it at that. Based on your responses I decided not do anything about that odometer. Once again, thanks for your responses everybody. :shades:
  • kap2406kap2406 Member Posts: 6
    Hey, thanks guys! I'll just leave it at that. Based on your responses I decided not do anything about that odometer. Once again, thanks for your responses everybody. :shades:
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    Well...if the current service department is unable to determine the problem...bring it to another Acura dealer service department. I am sure it will be found.

    Odd that it happens both on acceleration and braking. Typically any such problem would happen on one and not the other.
  • briandbuckbriandbuck Member Posts: 1
    I have had my TSX for 2 years and one month so far. The car has shut down on me 4 times since I owned it. Has anyone else experienced this?

    The first time was when I was driving about 45 miles per hour. I wouldn't have noticed until I didn't hear the radio. I looked down and all the gauges had gone black. I pulled over, put it in park, and after 2 attempts, it re started. I immediately took it to the dealer and they found nothing wrong.

    The second time I was backing out of a parking space and it shut down. About a month ago, I was in stop and go traffic on a major highway and it shut down. Today it shut down as I was waiting at a drive-through window.

    I have a feeling that if I take it to the dealer, their diagnostics won't be able to tell me anything since it happens randomly. Has anyone else experienced this and what was the cause? Gas? Electrical, etc.?
  • vskvsk Member Posts: 4
    I recently bought a new 05 tsx (50 days ago) and absolutely loved it, till i noticed the drifting recently. its like a big let down. after reading the posts here i found that it is a tsx problem, but when i took it to the dealer today he said it might be an alignmetn problem in which case he said it would be because i went ona bump too fast so the warranty will not cover it!! what shud i do now? how shud i convince him that it is a problem that tsx is known to hav? m taking it to the dealer to drop it off on tuesday for check up. please suggest what to do, and is it a big problem? aslo i noticed that sometimes the steering wheels turns almost to 90 degrees when braked.

    anybody around the seattle area who had similar problems and got it fixed?

    thanks in advance.
  • chucko3chucko3 Member Posts: 793
    How does the dealer know you ran over a bump too fast?
    In any case, a two month old car needs an alignment, I would insist Acura pay for it. Call Acura customer service.
    Is there another Acura dealer around? Bring the car there for a second opinion.
  • xplorx4xplorx4 Member Posts: 621
    i noticed that sometimes the steering wheels turns almost to 90 degrees when braked.

    anybody around the seattle area who had similar problems and got it fixed?


    Hold onto the steering wheel when braking! :P

    Sometimes one tire may have more grip than another, or the road surface might be slightly uneven while you brake. This could cause the wheel to pull to one side or the other. It's always best to have both hands on the wheel when braking. If the behavior is consistent and repeatable, though, it could be a problem with the brakes, and therefore a safety issue that should be addressed.

    As for the alignment concern, does the car always pull to one side when you let go of the wheel, or does it just not return to dead-center that easily?

    If the wheel doesn't pull, but just doesn't necessarily return to dead-center, it's normal At least it's the same as my TSX. I notice that I can let go of the steering wheel and the car will drift towards the direction I last steered a little (2 or 3 degrees left or right) until I manually steer back to dead center. I think it has to do with the steering and front suspension geometry.
  • yrngtmryrngtmr Member Posts: 2
    First it was my passenger side, making a crunchy noise as it moved... Now its my automatic "up" on the drivers side--takes 3 tries to work... Anyone else having problems? Thanks.
  • vskvsk Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the replies. The car used to pull towards one side when the wheel was let go. I went to the service center and they corrected it w/o any questions after looking at my low mileage. It was an alignment issue. I still dont know how that came up, but neway it runs fine now.

    lol
  • docydocy Member Posts: 2
    do you know by any chance if $90 for a simple 4 wheel alignment is too much? that's what acura dealership is offering.
  • rko2rko2 Member Posts: 40
    I don't know, but it does seem high. Call other Acura dealerships or local shops. For example, a 20k mile check was $165 at one dealer and $115 at another dealer....to do the same things. Additionally, most dealers accept other dealer's coupons.
  • chucko3chucko3 Member Posts: 793
    It's about 20 bucks over the local shop.
  • cathy2cathy2 Member Posts: 8
    Advice from anyone who has already bought one? Had I read the Jetta forum before buying one I never would have!
    I see there are issues with rattles. Anything else? Do you enjoy or regret your purchase?
    Many thank s
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    I see there are issues with rattles. Anything else?

    Take it with a grain of salt what you read here regarding 'problems'. People will post problems and few will post 'no problems'. You will get a skewed sample here regarding issues.

    Regarding your question about the elevated door lock tab....I wouldn't worry too much about that. To get to it...you would need your windows pretty wide open...which would mean you left yourself open to theft already. By the way...the TSX is engineered with a 'slim jim' protector so they cannot slide a bar or clothes hanger to open you door.....

    My suggestion.... go test drive a TSX and other cars....and make a personal decision.
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