Acura TL Maintenance and Repair

roro

mod - I don't know about the Nokia but there's a similar deal (39.99 - 600 min) with Amazon for the T610. The rebates actually outweigh the cost of the phone so you're actually getting paid ~$75 just to buy the phone! I've heard many on this board talk about the T610/T616 and it seems to work well with the TL.

danny1878

It does work very well with T616. Anybody know how to transfer all datas(including the voice) from my phone's phonebook to the TL's phonebook. I hate doing it again one by one again.

kahunah

Earlier on this board, I reported that you had to have the car in Park (auto) or the Parking Brake On (manual) to activate the seat memory recall. In fact, you can also recall the seat position while the car is in motion by simply pressing one of the recall memory buttons (1 or 2) and holding it pressed until the adjustment is complete.

270hp

I've heard that there are products in the market that convert a non-Bluetooth phone into one that is Bluetooth compatible by using the earphone jack. Has anyone successfully purchased and installed any such device using the TL system?

dtate99

I was notified from my dealer that a new control unit for the seat memory is available. This is not just a software upgrade but a new unit. Due to the number of problems, however, the units will be on backorder so you will need to notify your dealer so that the order can be placed.

He says it should take about 1-1.5 hrs to install.

danny1878

Retrieving seat memory position while in motion.
Mine doesnt work while in motion. It has to be in Park position, I pressed and hold it for 3 seconds but nothin happened. Then I found a stoplight, swithed it to P then it worked. Could it be different between Canadian's TL with US's TL?

No seat memory lost, thats just how mine works.

kahunah

Make sure that when you set the memory in the first place, the car is in Park. The owners manual's instructions are very specific, so I suggest you follow them to the letter for setting and retrieving the seat memory. If it still doesn't work, you may be a candidate for a unit replacement.

bodble2

Can't comment on the new TL, but on my CL-S, the memory recall buttons don't work when the car is in motion.

kman1

I did buy the warranty from the dealer. It covers rim issues, and also covers the tires and replacement tires (provided the replacements or of the same quality as the originals). No doubt either I or the Mrs. will bang the rims again as I've not driven a car with this wide a radius.

legend91

I just got a Nokia 3650. I have not purchased my TL yet but plan to do so very soon. This short review is without using bluetooth. I assume that will work fine.

I needed a new phone, had a trip coming up so got the 3650 for the bluetooth. I think the phone sucks. Pictures and video are crap, speaker phone is hard to hear if any other noise around. As a handset I find that the phone must be positioned just right over ear to hear well. But, plenty of features and free software from Nokia website for easy IR transfer of pics and data to/from laptop via IR. My phonebook was stored in the SIM card so its all still there. Battery life seems good. The voice dialing (not in car) works but each entry must be recorded.

But, I have read that the Bluetooth works well in the TL and thats all I really care about.

Very few Bluetooth choices currently. 1 nokia, 1 ericson right now with T-Mobile.

kph

I am about to pull the trigger in a similar deal, but was planning on the Sony Ericson T610 from T-mobile rather than the Nokia (can't fathom why they messed with the dialing keys by putting them in a circle).

I really wish I could find a BT phone *without* a camera in it. The pixel size of phone cameras is very poor, and in order to make these phones cheap cheap cheap (so the wireless companies can practically give them away) the lenses in them can't be very good. I am also worried that my company will ban such phones, as others have done, because it makes it so easy for someone to send photos of documents out the building. If that happens, there is no phone I can buy that will work with my (soon to be built) TL that I could carry with me while working. *gack*

If you want good picture, buy a digital camera.

bromley22

How is the car in rain/ snow? (not with the summer tires they offer). And are people still having flatspotting problem, what's Acura saying?

roro

Just got my SonyEricsson T610 Bluetooth Handsfree phone from the special at Amazon and 'paired' it with my 2-week old TL. Very simple setup. And it's amazing. The voice recognition acknowledged the names and numbers I spoke to it and the folks who I was talking to claimed I came in loud and clear. Don't get this phone for its camera though. It has poor resolution.

danny1878

Roro is correct, the resolution of the camera is very low. Mine is T616 everything is great except for it's resolution.

steeler_fan

I have the Siemens S56 (I bought it about 3 months before I got the car) and it was very simple to pair with the TL. It does have the camera, but it is an option - it was actually being sold for an extra $20 if I bought it with the phone that day. I figured that if it was only $20, it must be crappy, and the things you all have mentioned about your camera phone makes me believe I made the right decision. I got mine for $80 (regularly $180), and now it's on sale for $60 at Cincinnati Bell Wireless (an AT&T subsidiary I think). If your service provider sells this phone, get it - you won't be disappointed.

tedescm1

I took my car back to the dealer and he said there was no way to adjust the striker on glove box.

Someone is at my dealership is either stupid, ignorant or both.

How do you adjust the striker? Did you see them doing this? For the time being I placed foam between the glove box and the door to keep it from rattling. Not too high tech but it works…

Never expected this from Acura!

kahunah

As you know, the foam solution was meant for the sunroof rattle but it's interesting that it works for the glovebox as well. At least now you're sure it is the glovebox. Anyway, I'll contact my dealer to find out exactly what they did and report back. They may have used an unconventional method.

BTW, exactly where and how did you apply the "glovebox" foam.

tedescm1

I went to HomeDepo and purchased 1/4-inch foam strips. The strips have an adhesive backing on one side. It's really window weather proofing material.

I opened the glove box and placed several strips on the inside of the glove box. You can not see the strips when the glove box is in the closed position. The foam sits between the door and the car body.

When i went to my dealer he told me the glove box could not be adjusted. He did tell me that they sometimes wrap electrical tape around the latch where the latch and striker meet. You wrap the tape around the latch and it prevents metal-to-metal contact. I did this and it helps a little but makes the door a little bit harder to close.

Should we patent this method?

legend91

I also posted this on general thread but want all to see it...

I just had an overnight test drive. Love everything, stereo awesome, Nav and voice command very cool, bluetooth worked well. Fast, great acceleration, comfortable. But....

Try this: going about 60-70 mph on highway open both rear windows. You will hear and feel a strong low frequency "pressure vibration". It felt reinforcing as if it would blow the car apart and bust my ear drums if I didn't shut the windows. I know many cars might have loud wind at those speeds and they are not designed to run at 70 with windows opened but this was disturbing.

Anyone else experience this? Any experts know if this implies anything wrong with design?

When car is hot from sitting in sun I often open rear windows to blow out hot air. In my '91 Legend I get noise but no ear busting pressure popping vibration like the '04 TL.

Please try it, let us know.

Thanks

qbrozen

i get that in every car I've owned in recent years. Even moreso in an SUV (i assume due the parachute-like effect of the rear enclosed space). But, to me, it makes perfect sense. the wind comes in, bounces off the back window, and comes back up to you. Where else is it supposed to go? It can't go back out the windows it came in because of the air coming in. The pressure builds and it forces its way out. Over and over again very quickly. I think this effect has increased due to cars getting quieter and quieter (i.e., more insulation = more airtight). Maybe I'm totally wrong, but it makes perfect sense in my mind and I see no problem with it.

njdriver2

Everyone please respond. Do any one of you a have creaking/popping sound that appears to be coming from the headliner when you drive over bumpy roads?

I believe I have identifed the source of this noise, but want to see if this problem is isolated or wide spread.

Please be kind enough to let me know your experience. My build number is close to 8,500. Thank you very much in advance.

smithdrgs

i've read about other new cars having problems, partly due to EPA standards. any trouble out there besides the regular front hood chips?

njdriver2

i have several paint chips on my hood and one on the rocker panel. i do a lot of highway driving and we had a terrible winter here in NJ so that likely explains the paint chips. although i never see chips on the german cars. those are the only paint problems so far.

dtate99

I, too, have the creaking/popping sound coming from the headliner. You can simulate it just sitting still by pushing up on the headliner above the sun visor. I also notice an ever-so-slight sound from the center of the dash that sort of sounds like a faint pitter patter of raindrops emanating from around the radio. You can also hear it when you push against the center structure with your right leg. I can't hear either with the radio on with the volume at 5 or more. But, when I have the radio off, it annoys me to no end b/c I tend to hear EVERY little noise. Maybe its b/c the car is so quiet and well insulated that on other cars you just can't hear these noises b/c of the road and wind noise. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

njdriver2

I don't think the sound is the headliner. I push on my headliner, but I can't really reproduce the sound consistently. Try pressing the black rubber weather stripping on the side of the window frame. By doing this I am able to perfectly reproduce the popping noise and I can do it consistently. I just don't want to replace the trim if it is still going to make the noise so i am trying to get more feedback from others. what is your vin #? i am around 8,500. are you in a cold weather location?

Yes, I agree that the cabin is so quiet so noises are highlighted. I don't have the noise behind the navi that you referred to. i have other noises that come and go usually over very harsh roads, but the popping noise is consistent and like chinese water torture.

raher

There are 2 Technical Service Bulletins on the 04 TL. One deals with removing the glove box which must be related to the rattling some people are talking about and the other is about the heater motor blowing up. Anybody had that happen on their TL yet ?

jmaxe

I thing the heater motor should blow down... not up.

raher

That's a different TSB..one for up, one for down

legend91

Q - I think you are correct. Notice the split in rear window, the small back portion does not open possibly increasing all the effects you pointed out.

Not a problem, was just a test. I ordered my TL today. It will be a long 3-4 week wait.

Thanks

osteoman1

I too have this consistent creaking/popping noise from my headliner above my head. To me it sounds as if it comes from the area immediately behind the handle above the driver's seat on the headliner. I occasionally hear popping/creaking noises above the Driver's sunvisor as well but not as bad. These are very annoying considering how quite the car is otherwise. Any thoughts on how to fix? I feel stupid taking it to the dealer for this but I will if I can't find an easy fix myself.

njdriver2

Trust me, it's NOT the headliner. the popping noise is the from the window weatherstripping. press on it with your hand and you can repeat the sound. Yes, it sounds like it is coming from the handle attached to the headliner, but it's coming from the trim around the window. anyway, i don't think it can be fixed. just have to wait for the weather to warm up and hope for the best.

qbrozen

congrats! yet one more person i can be jealous of.

dtate99

Can't comment on where the popping sound is coming from in your cars since I haven't been in them, but mine is definitely above the driver's visor. I tried pushing around the window seal as suggested, but it was completely quiet and solid.

keithl

I owned a 2000 I30 and a 2002 I35 and thought that moving to Acura was a step up, well I am rethinking that now and this will probably be my forst and last Acura. First as a "Honda" I expected far better build quality. Too many rattles and squeaks from door panels (passangers particularly), headliner areas (especially near roof controls), back deck from sub, and dash areas. Did they save some $$ by using less fastening materials or something? Next the tires, I think that has been beaten up enough, NOT! These are the worst tires I have every owned, horrible flat spotting and out of round issues. The dealer service manager has been great, he is fixing most things quickly, the porblme is more things keep showing up. And I only have 1,000 miles on it! He did mention Honda is working on some new tires and I would get some, problem is I hate these and don't want to wait. I am going to see if they will work some deal where I can upgrade and pay the difference. Truly this car has been a major let down and build quality is far worse than both my Infinitis put togther. Heck at this rate this TL will surpass my 98 Concorde (which had a butt load of problems over 18 months) for numer of initial problems. I hear Infiniti will have a M35 for 05, I can't wait for this TL to get to the 24 month mark so I can justify dumping it! Also how serious can Acura be, Nissan has an Acura division with a senior executive management staff and such, no such thing at Honda! I let the darn sexy styling and awesome DVD-A sound system allow me to drop my guard when I bought this, never again! Shop and research wisely!! I have owned 11 cars in 18 years and some were low end commuters (87 Sentra, etc) and the worst for problems was a 98 Concorde, but in 1 month and 1,000 miles this TL is quickly headed toward passing that up as my car with the most problems! So far the only good thing has been the Service Manager at Acura Carland who has been great! But I assume he will get tired of seeing me soon enough. I do miss my Infinitis, they were rock solid!

danny1878

FYI My TL (1.5k mile on it) is solid as a rock no rattle and love every minute of driving it.
My Accord that has 160k on it still up and running. I have been driving from chicago to colorado, Maryland/virginia, Iowa, wisconsin and San diego & fresno a lot at least 3 times a year.

I really dont understand why some people can have those problems. Keithl you just registered to this board today and the only word that comes from you is complaint (I know you've been an Infinity's fan), no research history no buying experinces and it seems those complains are nothing new. I have 3 friends (1 in San Diego) who bought this car but none of them have problem except the tire which I assumed need to be replaced by the dealer. Its not that I dont believe it, some people may have tough luck and some dont. Judging a manufacturer from some problems that occurs on your car is not a wise thing to do. Besides Infinity's reliability IMO is not as good as Honda or Toyota at least not yet.

These are problems from G35 (I tried to get some only, no time), they do speak louder but G35 owners that have no problem with their car seldom say anything. Its hard to find a brand of car with 100% free of problems. G35 has been out longer than TL.

cleon21 : The ride is extremely harsh, I know this must be the "feel of the road"
mreloc : Hard shifting from 1st to 2nd, I can feel the grin through the shifter
carnaught :the G's seats, interior in general, and exterior paint ARE wearing poorly, my 03 has had at least 10 recalls since I bought it.
msiseng : I second what carnaught writes
Fng : The engine is more noisy than I expected too
cdixon253 : I just finished washing my car, first in three weeks due to the weather, and was amazed at the amount of paint chipping
s530 : G35 sedan (silver) paint chipping!
ryoken : Passenger seatbelt inoperable in 2 weeks
kdlee: gas pedal vibration
infinityfan : squeaky brakes
froze : strut noise coming from driver's side

qbrozen

so through all of what you wrote, I can only see 2 complaints (rattles and tires). Is that all you got? A bad set of easily replaced tires (and let me mention that I have NEVER liked a set of stock tires on ANY car I've every bought) and a few loose fasteners has made you come here and trash an entire car company? Alrighty then.

bodble2

can make a car seem trashy. Maybe Keith is unlucky enough to have landed a TL with an inordinate amount of rattles. We must walk a mile in his shoes....

igiban

Did you test drive the car you picked up?

kahunah

True. However, patience is required because there's always a solution. You have to work with the dealer. I resolved my rattle issues fairly easily but my Acura dealer told me that if a car is really bad, they send it out to a company that specializes in resolving squeak and rattle issues. They basically take whatever interior portion apart, make the necessary modifications and reassemble it. It's costly but sometimes they have no choice.

achadha

all cars have some sort of rattles..i have a TL i purchased back in december i have one rattle near the sunroof everything else is solid...i don't see any flat spotting on my tires. Anyone having flatspotting on 6speeds?

kahunah

have you read my post #495? It may help.

mdhauke

I have paired up my Sony Erickson T608 with my 04 Acura TL and am having one problem. I can place calls with the steering wheel but for some reason I have trouble answering them. When an incoming call comes in I hit the talk button on the steering wheel and it just hangs up the phone. Then for a while if I held it down for more then 10 seconds it would answer the phone and keep it on. But now it’s just hanging up again. And no I am not pressing the wrong button. Anybody else having similar problems or has a solution?

vinceb81

I have all the rattles you have and then some. I am so tired of taking it to the dealer that I have almost given up. It has been in the shop for 5 days and it is no better. It is extremely frustrating to spend this much money and have a great looking car but you can't turn down the radio because of the interior noise.

Maybe we are a few of the unlucky customers. I have read many reviews from other ACURA owners who have experienced the same problems. For those who don't have the same problems, be thankful. I too will not buy another ACURA and will trade it in and take the loss. I admit I made a mistake. I should not of bought the car so fast. I did research this vehicle but nobody had the same problems I am now experiencing. With all these reviews out now, I would of thought twice and may not have purchased the TL. Knowing what I know now, I would not purchase the vehicle again.

keithl

OK to answer several in one. First I test drove 2 different TLs before buys, unfortunatley both were on warm (70+ degree) days. Both test drives were done on cars that were essentially on test drives non-stop for hours already, so the tire problme had no way of manifesting itself. It shows up horrible on colder days on cold tires that have sat a few hours. It took over 8 miles of my 17 mile commute today to smooth out enough to be acceptable. As for rattles, yes all cars have "some" squeaks and rattle,s but my long hsotory of Toyotas (2 x Camry, Avalon) as well as 2 Infinintis have had barley a squeak and then usually onlu over serious bumps or dips. Seems my TL ratlles and squeaks ove almost any dip or bump, almost as if body ridgidity were not very strong, thus flexing the interior cabin. The dealer has been great, he is killing the squeaks as quickly and best he cane, but the entire cabin just seems to be a bit "loose" I don't think it is loose fasteners, I think it is poor design. A common mistake I see in this TL as well as even my Infiniti was they put these [non-permissible content removed] kicking wub-woofers in the cars then do not fasten the cabins together to take the vibrations the car and sound system cause. They make the cabin quiet enought to hear a pin drop then faster the cabin togther loose enough to squeak. Sure All cars can have problmes, and I am sure I have more than a fair share of them on this TL, but from similr posts it seems the cabin squeaks and tires are a common occurance, as well as a few other issues that I fortunatley have yet to expierience. Maybe my expectations from the almighty "Honda" were too high, but they shoudl blame themselves from years of those "Maytag" like commercials and such. As for thr G35 references, I am not going to defend Infiniti, but most of that posted comments appear to be expactation realted, buying a sports cars and then not likeing th hard ride or throaty exhaust, that is the point of the G35, BMW3 or IS300! And the thrust of my complaint was the poor initial quality, very dissappointing for a $33K vehicle. I will say The Acura dealer (Acura Carland) has been evey bit as good as anything I have grown to expect from Infiniti as far as quality of service. Buying a car that has problems is horrible if the dealer or Mfg do not step up, at least here the dealer is stepping up very well, now it is up to Acura to buy me some new tires, lets see what they say (they promise me a call back in 2-3 days). I think anyone that spends even close to this amount on a "near-luxury" car would feel every bit as disspointed if they had these problems, regardless of which mfg it was. Like I said maybe I am unfortunalte, I know many are happy with their TLs, but there is a common list of problems begining to surface that Acura needs to address. Did I research the car, honestly, not as much as I should have. I checked Comsumer reports to make sure reliability was up there, checked the previous TL for saftey and assumed I could trst Honda's reputation, I forgot all about these forums untils I started doing google searches on the tire issues. Like I said I let the sexy styling and cool sound system get the better of me and emotions prevailed over my normal logic. Acura and the dealer can still (and may just) redeem themselves and maintain me as a customer, but my gut tells me the annoying squeaks are here to stay and will drive me nuts in 12-18 months.

keithl

FYI Legend, I took delivery of my new TL first week of MArch right after it got off the truck form the plant, so as brand new as you can get then, and my tires suck bad, also my dealer says there are no replacament tires yet, they are working with Bridgestone ona new design, supposedly a harder sidewall to prevent the flat spotting.

Legend wrote:

Tires:
pmf13 is correct about the 'reformulated' EL42s, at least according to a local dealer in Atlanta. Working with web sales I emailed concern over tires about 2 weeks ago. I got a call today from the dealership about how Acura is always continuing to test etc. and they said they are aware of problem and are now using a "New" EL42. I don't know details of change but supposedly new tires from new lot # and it should solve problems.

They claim the cars currently being delivered have this new lot # tire.

Has anyone else heard this?

Can someone with original EL42s post all identifying numbers and IDs on tires so I can compare this weekend to what is on lot here in Atlanta?

danny1878

I am sorry to hear that Keithl. I hope you'll find the fix soon.

I don't think it is loose fasteners, I think it is poor design
If it is because of a poor design, why it doesnt happen to my car or maybe to any other 20k silent majority who purchased the car. I am not defending Acura besides this TL is the first Acura that I bought. Go to NHTSA website, maybe they can investigate your case/car.

It took over 8 miles of my 17 mile commute today to smooth out enough to be acceptable
I agree that those tires need to be replaced. Mine need 1 mile or less to smooth out (I live in the northern suburb of Chicago near wisconsin and its still cold here) and I am waiting for that recall on tires.

keithl

Dannyl, I don't think you will see a recall on the Bridgestones, I suspect at best Honda will phase a new tire into production and then replace them on those cars where people have logged a complaint. Log the complaint now with your local service dealer and the Acura 800#, otherwise you may run the risk theat they say, hey you have thousands of miles on these tires and now you have an issue? My problem is logged at 650 miles with dealer and 900 with Acura.

rolsto

Has anyone noticed the lack of heat (or a/c) coming from the dash center vents when set on "Automatic"? The left vent blows most of the air. This is on my 2004 TL mfg. in Dec. 2003 Other than flatspotting the EL42s the car is fine. No rattles.

sftroy

Keithl:

My TL has a VIN ending in the 500's . . . purchased it in Nov 03. I'm one of the lucky ones who has vibrations at freeway speeds after the car has been parked all day.

Here is the tire info:

Bridgestone Turanza EL42
DU9581
DOT OB611 PVC 3603
U10R
P235/45R17 93W M+S
EL42SZ

My dealer on Saturday stated that Acura is aware of the issue but has not determined if/when/how they or Bridgestone will replace the tires or decide tell me to pound sand now that they have my $30K+ . . . . They will be giving me an update by the end of the week. Hopefully Acura will do the right thing . . .

sftroy

danny1878

I hope those rattles gone after you change those tires keithl. I really do hope so.