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Acura TL Care and Maintenance

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Comments

  • aaarghaaargh Member Posts: 230
    I found the Zaino board, but where are any general cleaning boards?

    Thanks.
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    I'ts called "Store Bought Waxes Part II" and I think the link is waxer, "Store Bought Waxes Part II (No Zaino Posts)" #3511, 17 Jul 2005 11:09 pm

    PS - just to be clear, I'm not criticizing your post here b/c this is an appropriate forum, too. I just suggested the others 'cause multiple opinions can be helpful. Sorry I can't offer any insight myself.
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    The Michelin Pilots are available through Costco at a price that is lower than outside tire dealers. And the good thing about Costco is that if it isn't in stock...you can order it and it will be avail in 4 days. Great pricing on all their tires with great service.

    timny....I am not in need of tires right now...but was looking into tire options when I was making my purchase decision of TL or G35 coupe. In terms of tires... decided to go TL as you will be unable to rotate the G35 coupe tires as the front and rear have different sizes...so I bet the tires will be eaten by 15k...not to mention that the brakes are known to be only good for 25k.

    Anybody else have tire recommendations?
  • timnytimny Member Posts: 142
    If your wife doesn't drive a stick, teach her - it can be a bonding experience!!!

    Believe me! If she'd go along with it, I would. Flat out refuses. Grounds for divorce?? :P
  • aaarghaaargh Member Posts: 230
    No criticizing taken. I took your post as you had meant. :shades:
  • raharris1raharris1 Member Posts: 10
    Sorry I didn't respond sooner...I really don't check in here much. I got them at Discount Tire...I paid a little over $700 for the set of 4, mounted, balanced, and with road hazard replacement, tax, etc., included. I live in a new development and there is a high risk of picking up nails, so that was a must-have for me. I think they are $129.99/each. I'm still very happy with them!
  • raharris1raharris1 Member Posts: 10
    I haven't had the Yokos in the snow. We don't get much here in the Dallas area, especially in July! ;)
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,157
    While we don't get much July snow in Boston, (weather-wise) anything's possible! I mean, The Sox won the World Series!!!

    Driving home in torrential downpours lasts week, the Bridgestone's proved to be scary in puddles, too (easy hydroplane). I'm not happy. But I did wash and Z6 the Abyss Blue yesterday and it looks fabulous!

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • frisconickfrisconick Member Posts: 1,275
    You are becoming a car-wash Z6 addict laurasdada ;)

    Saw a Blue yesterday, it was very pretty. I almost regret not buying a Blue, but I don't regret having to wash my Silver every week. :P
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,157
    It's not that I have to wash my TL every week, it's just that I HAVE TO! I'm not addicted, I can quit anytime I want...

    Actually, I've been handwashing my cars (in the New England months that allow such an activity) since I bought my first car many, many, many, many (ok, now I'm depressed) years ago: A 1978 white VW Scirocco (bought used). FWD, 77hp and a bunch of fun. And rust!

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • frisconickfrisconick Member Posts: 1,275
    LOL :P

    I love washing my TL, it's fun and show it off. :P
  • raharris1raharris1 Member Posts: 10
    FWIW, we had some pretty heavy rain here for a bit yesterday, and I was very happy with my new Yokos' performance...once again, a drastic improvement over the Bridgestones....
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,157
    Thanks, RA.

    I put Yoko Ono's on the evil wife's RX300, she loves 'em. I think Sears retreads might be an impovement on the Turanza's... :surprise:

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • rasmanrasman Member Posts: 10
    after a drive my 2003 tl sits in the garage, and every now and then i hear a psssssst sound, like its letting some pressure out of a self levelling device. IS THIS WHATS MAKING THE NOISE?
  • rtchinrtchin Member Posts: 10
    Hey, I just bought my TL about a week and a half ago. time for a wash! My problem is that my HOA in my condo complex won't allow one to wash their cars. something about using too much water, blah blah blah. i thought that's what the $330/month HOA fee paid for. but i digress...

    anyways, my two options are 1)a "brushless" car wash around the corner. i used to take my maxima there, decent job, but that was a 97 maxima, so as long as it wasn't as dirty as before it went through the wash, i didn't care. i'm a little more concerned with my 05 TL. 2) a friend's house....45 miles away. unfortunately, i live in LA and 99% of the "homes" are condos/apartments. my only friend with an actualy house is way way way out in the 'burbs.

    so , should i be afraid of automatic car wash places and just drive the 1 hour - 1.5 hours + buy my firend lunch every other weekend, or, is the "brushless" wash ok?

    thanks!

    ps, i'm also planning on claying/zaino-ing it for the 1st time this weekend. is there a major issue with getting the car washed, then driving it about 2 miles into my garage before i start claying?
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    is the "brushless" wash ok?

    I've heard that car washes with brushes are better. "Brushless" car washes have to use harsher chemicals to get the dirt off, but I guess if you were going to polish it afterward, that might be OK. I heard certain types of brushes are fine - hope someone can confirm that.
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,157
    For the first "Zaino" treatment you should go to your friends house with some Dawn dishwashing liquid along with the Zaino. You want to strip off any wax before beginning the Zaino process.

    What color is your TL?

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • rtchinrtchin Member Posts: 10
    it's silver. i haven't bought the zaino stuff yet, but it seems like the way to go.

    anyone have thoughts/feeling on those do it yourself car washes? i really just need a hose, i'd bring my own wash, towels, etc.
  • frisconickfrisconick Member Posts: 1,275
    They are great, but make sure there is no belt buckles, or metal buttons on you clothes when you wipe the car down. It's best to get a uniform that covers all buttons. :)
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    Listen to frisconick... In the 80s...my girlfriend did me the favor of washing my first car with those Ditto pants that had the pirate drawer buttons on front. Nice car wash except for the paint chips. I kept the car...I dumped the girl.
  • abstractlifeabstractlife Member Posts: 1
    I just bought myself an Blue/Camel 2005 TL Auto Nav and when it comes to cleaning, I'm in way over my head. My last purchase was a 97 Geo Metro LSI that I almost never washed. The bad news is that I really don't know how to properly wash and WAX a car. The good news it that my dealership gives free washes for life.

    What do you recommend? All this talk about stripping wax and using Zaino treatments has me really nervous about my car care.

    Oh - and does it matter what kind of towel I use for wiping off bird droppings and other occasional road dirt?

    Jonathan
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    How are the cars washed at the dealership? If you're not gonna do it yourself, I'm sure it's fine. I have a dark green/camel TL, so my problems are similar to yours. Here's some recomendations if you are gonna do it yourself:

    1. you want to use car wash for general washes; if you want to apply a polish or something that would go underneath a wax, you'll want to use Dawn's basic dishwashing liquid to wash the car.

    2. Use 100% cotton washcloths or handtowels to wash the car - don't use the tapered ends b/c they're usually tapered with nylon that can scratch

    3. Wash your car in the shade and not when the car is hot - the point is to wash and dry the car before the sun dries soap on it

    4. use back-and-forth motions to wash, dry and wax the car - not circles

    5. clean bird poop off ASAP.

    6. I like to use regular cotton towels to dry the car too.

    In general, to wash 'n wax, the order is wash, dry, wax on, wax off. If you're polishing, too, it's wash, dry, polish on, polish off, wax on, wax off.

    Those are the minimums, which is what I genereally follow. However, if your car looks filthy after a light rain, that's when I'd wash with Dawn and use a polish. Zaino's real high grade stuff. I tried a cheap turtle wax car polish, just to see what happens and I was pretty happy with the results. I washed and dried the car, then wiped polish on the car. Waited about 1/2 hour for the polish to dry, and then waxed it. I work slowly, so I'd say I spent about 4 hours on this. I'm in FL and we're in our rainy season. about 2 mos has passed an it's been rained on heavily at least a dozen times and the only place my TL shows water-spots or lack of a shine is on the lip at the base of the trunk opening. The only thing I've done since that intial wash is (1) I wiped down the car with some kind of a glossy finisher (Meguires) that said would restore shine between washes (time: 20 min.) and once recently when after parking in my garage I noticed the watter didn't run off my hood, I used a squeegy to get it off (time: 1 min). So for my dark green TL, I've spent less than 6 hrs over 2 months and my finish looks glossy and clean.

    One thing I can't figure out is how to stop my wheels from getting so black from the break dust!!!
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    Ah...for the brake dust...this might work as it did on one of my previous cars. Get some of that anti-static spray that females spray between skirt and slip...apply it on the rim. It worked several years back...don't know if it will work for you.

    I also tried silicone spray...that worked ok also. Also great to keep your rims from corroding.

    Teflon spray also worked...but that stuff is expensive.
  • frisconickfrisconick Member Posts: 1,275
    LOL :P Good move ;)
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    Thanks, Delmar. This past weekend I bought a spray cleaner specifically for rims. One of those "Spray on, wait a minute and hose off" items. Definitely worked a lot better than the hose alone, and better than using car wash, but still left a lot of dust after 2 applications. Next time I wash my car and really get those wheels clean, I'll try to remember the antistatic spray.
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    Oh...you are talking about cleaning and removing brake dust and not just preventing.

    The easy way is to not only to spray a cleaner (as you have now discovered)...but also to get a dedicated paintbrush (a bigger one...like about 3" to 5") for cleaning the rims.

    After you handwashed the car...splash the excess soap from the bucket onto the wheel then brush clean the rims. (Do not dip your brush into the soap bucket as you don't want the brake dust to contaminate your bucket and to get onto your car paint in future washes.) After brushing...hose the rim off (and the brush so it is ready for your next car cleaning...which you don't use it for anything else). Later dry the rims with papertowels and throw them out. Rims will stay clean for sometime as your rims are squeaky clean and won't attract more brake dust.
  • ggesqggesq Member Posts: 701
    hey guys,

    i have a question. how long should you wait to let the paint "cure" from the factory before applying any type of wax to the TL? the manufacture date of my TL is 06/05 or at least that's what it says on the inside of the driver's door jam. any help/advice is appreciated. thanks.

    joe
  • frisconickfrisconick Member Posts: 1,275
    Don't know, call your dealer.
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    there a special forum on car cleaning (Zaino and non-Zaino is I think how they get divided up) - those guys could probably give you general info, but probably not TL-specific info
  • billyperksbillyperks Member Posts: 449
    Just go ahead and apply your wax or silicone-whatever your choice is.

    The paint is already cure once it leaves the factory.
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    Sure it is cured...as it is dried to a touch. However....old-school wives tales is to allow 6 months.
  • ggesqggesq Member Posts: 701
    Billy,

    Thanks for the advice.

    Joe
  • ggesqggesq Member Posts: 701
    Ok, thanks. However, I thought I would try the " Acura TL Care & Maintenance" Forum first though as opposed to going to a general forum on car cleaning. Thanks again.
  • ggesqggesq Member Posts: 701
    Frisco,

    Thanks for the reply. However, I was looking more to get feedback from TL owners who have practical - real time experience in time frames for applying wax as opposed to getting a standard bureacratic answer (albeit probably true) from the local dealer. Thanks again.

    Joe
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,157
    I began applying Zaino about 5-6 months after buying my TL. The wait was mostly so that (per Zaino recommendation) the temp was 60 degrees or higher. Check out zainostore.com for interesting info.

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • frisconickfrisconick Member Posts: 1,275
    I was looking more to get feedback from TL owners who have practical - real time experience in time frames for applying wax as opposed to getting a standard bureacratic answer (albeit probably true) from the local dealer.

    My dealer is very good and helps me in many ways. For example, he told the best BlueToothe phone etc. Whenever I need help he is always very helpfull, and his advise always spot on! I understand, however, not all dealers are this good.
  • frisconickfrisconick Member Posts: 1,275
    I must add that my great dealer is Acura of Marin in the SF Bay Area. :D
  • bigbore1bigbore1 Member Posts: 5
    So, here is the stupid question of the day. When waxing my new 2005 TL (anthracite) should wax be applied to the black "molding" that separates the roof from the doors and surrounds the glass areas? Also, would the answer to my question be different if I opted for the Zaino system?

    Thanks for your patience and help.
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    You don't want to put wax on any plastic parts. Only painted metal.
  • frisconickfrisconick Member Posts: 1,275
    That's what I was thinking delmar, but I have put wax on rubber parts and it does't hurt, just looks bad. :cry:
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    wax on rubber parts just dries it out over time....not a good thing.

    BTW...I washed and waxed the heck out of my other spare car this morning. I am bushed...took me something like 2.5 hrs. I think I will take it easy by going back to work tomorrow.
  • samuelhsamuelh Member Posts: 10
    I've been looking for that long,long post on how best to wash your car. Can anyone help me find that post?

    Thanks.
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    I did a search on this forum using keyword 'wash'. I believe you were referring to the King-of-Clean....'Taxesquire' post...which follows:

    xxxxxxxxxx

    #177 of 197 Re: In over my head [abstractlife] by taxesquire Aug 12, 2005 (2:14 pm)
    Bookmark | Reply | E-mail Msg
    Replying to: abstractlife (Aug 12, 2005 1:18 pm)

    How are the cars washed at the dealership? If you're not gonna do it yourself, I'm sure it's fine. I have a dark green/camel TL, so my problems are similar to yours. Here's some recomendations if you are gonna do it yourself:

    1. you want to use car wash for general washes; if you want to apply a polish or something that would go underneath a wax, you'll want to use Dawn's basic dishwashing liquid to wash the car.

    2. Use 100% cotton washcloths or handtowels to wash the car - don't use the tapered ends b/c they're usually tapered with nylon that can scratch

    3. Wash your car in the shade and not when the car is hot - the point is to wash and dry the car before the sun dries soap on it

    4. use back-and-forth motions to wash, dry and wax the car - not circles

    5. clean bird poop off ASAP.

    6. I like to use regular cotton towels to dry the car too.

    In general, to wash 'n wax, the order is wash, dry, wax on, wax off. If you're polishing, too, it's wash, dry, polish on, polish off, wax on, wax off.

    Those are the minimums, which is what I genereally follow. However, if your car looks filthy after a light rain, that's when I'd wash with Dawn and use a polish. Zaino's real high grade stuff. I tried a cheap turtle wax car polish, just to see what happens and I was pretty happy with the results. I washed and dried the car, then wiped polish on the car. Waited about 1/2 hour for the polish to dry, and then waxed it. I work slowly, so I'd say I spent about 4 hours on this. I'm in FL and we're in our rainy season. about 2 mos has passed an it's been rained on heavily at least a dozen times and the only place my TL shows water-spots or lack of a shine is on the lip at the base of the trunk opening. The only thing I've done since that intial wash is (1) I wiped down the car with some kind of a glossy finisher (Meguires) that said would restore shine between washes (time: 20 min.) and once recently when after parking in my garage I noticed the watter didn't run off my hood, I used a squeegy to get it off (time: 1 min). So for my dark green TL, I've spent less than 6 hrs over 2 months and my finish looks glossy and clean.

    One thing I can't figure out is how to stop my wheels from getting so black from the break dust!!!

    xxxxxxxxxxx

    Regarding my Labor Day cleaning here is So Calif......I had to scold my buddy across the street. He got inspired by my washing today and decided to wash his Lexus 430 for the first time by hand. He threw Dawn full strength into his bucket and wasn't going to wax....but stopped him in time to share some of my Meguires car soap. However...that is better than the lady around the corner...she was using a used wet mop (honest) to wash her new BMW 550i. I figure she didn't want to get any soap on her hands. Hope the Ajax wasn't coming out for her.
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    taxesquire...question. You mention you use regular cotton towels. Don't you use a chamois? Don't the cotton towels contain wash detergent (Tide) which will eat into your finish?

    Also...great...I didn't realize you had a dark green pearl TL! Just as I do. The color that will be retired after 2005.
  • samuelhsamuelh Member Posts: 10
    Thank you very much for the prompt response.
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    I use cotton towels instead of chamois - I put each towel through the rinse cycle twice and I don't use a lot of detergent (I use washcloths for the messy stuff and bath towels for drying). I also keep my car towels separate from bath or kitchen towels. How do you clean chamois?

    I like towels for washing because I find the nap of the towel is abbrassive enough to get dirt off, but it won't scratch like some sponges. I use bathtowels for drying because its a lot quicker.

    Yes, Delmar, I knew our TLs are the same green color that's getting discontinued. Guess that makes us fellow-oddballs?!? What color is your TSX?

    PS - I'm not a carwash guru or anything, and my cars are rarely showroom condition. Just that when I do get around to washing, I like to do it right so I don't ahve to do it again for a long, long time!!! :D

    PPS - next time you retrieve one of my posts, please correct the spelling errors!!! :blush:
  • delmar1delmar1 Member Posts: 744
    Ah....you really don't wash a chamois. You only use a chamois on a perfectly pristine clean car. And you never use on the rims...only on the painted surface. Therefore...it is perpetually clean. Ok...not for eternity...but you replace it every few years...then use the old one on the non-painted surface with those disposable paper towels for rims and other messy stuff.

    Yeah...sorry to have forgotten about your car being dark green pearl... I still very much enjoy that color...more unique on the road.

    My wife has a Carbon Grey with Quartz interior. Typically we stick to the grey or silver (which is my other current car) cars with a unique color thrown in. She loves that color...probably the best on that TSX.

    ps...I could correct your spelling or I might just put "sic" to point them out and not to destroy the fabric of your postings.
  • frisconickfrisconick Member Posts: 1,275
    What's wrong with a chamois?
  • bob71bob71 Member Posts: 16
    One of the benefits to the Zaino system is that you can apply the wax to the rubber moulding and it does leave a discoloration like regular wax will. This makes waxing with Zaino much easier since you don't need to worry about inadvertently applying it to the rubber moulding.
  • bigbore1bigbore1 Member Posts: 5
    I appreciate your comments and advice on my thread "wax on-wax off".

    best regards,
    Jack
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