Acura TL Maintenance and Repair

canthony

Love my new 2004 TL - but hate the (loud) squealing breaks at slow speeds. My service department also said there was nothing wrong with the car, but with 1200 miles on them, the brakes haven't quited down a bit.

dulnev

Take the car to a different dealership! The brakes should NOT make ANY sounds.

kahunah

Does your TL have the Brembo brakes?

mobofe

squeeky brakes here too when pulling out of my drive way - it dissipates after driving awhile. I don't pay much attention to it b/c i figure it's all the sand and salt on the pads. The squeeking usually disappears after i send it through the touchless carwash. haven't been able to do that for 2 weeks b/c it's freaking -10 degrees here in NH

vtec8

I took delivery of my '04 TL a week and a half ago and the brakes do squeal some at low speed and when turning left. Like into my driveway. It is a 6sp so it has Brembo brakes. I'm not overly concerned about it at all. High performance brakes do tend to squeal a bit.
Day before yesterday, I started the car after sitting at work for about 10 hours and the check engine light came on. Stayed on until last night and then went out. No drive ability problems. I have it scheduled to be looked at next week and will let everyone know what I find out. Now here's the kicker. I just traded in a '98 Accord EX-V6 coupe that I had owned since new and this was an ongoing problem from day one with that car. Honda kept insisting that the problem was a software issue in the ECU and it was nothing to worry about.I live in Denver and we have to use oxygenated fuels in the winter. The only time I had the problem was in the winter. They insisted that the combination of high altitude and oxy fuels was more than what was taken into account when the engine management software was written. They never did get it resolved. No driveability problems, just annoying. Has anyone else seen a check engine light on their '04 TL yet? I really hope I'm not going to have to go to battle with Honda over this.
Thanks in advance for your input.

a64marc

Ok the sob story- drove the car 1 day and less than 100 miles- perfect and beautiful until this uninsured a-hole caused a 4-car accident- with me in the middle- front and rear end damage now- sitting in the body shop- and they tell me the schematics for alignments and measurements for the '04 TL are not yet in any of the major supplier's systems- "ccc or Mitchell's" etc. So it sits until they are. Anyone know if this is truly the case? I can't imagine that I'm the first to sustain significant damage to the car. Even the numbers for '04 parts aren't in the books or systems yet. The car's been out for a few months- how can this be? Any help is much appreciated.

aciampi

The only time I have expierenced squeaky breakes is when the breaks are cold. After driving around and warming them up the noise goes away and are perfect. But I don't understand mobofe's comment on the noise going away after bringing his TL through a carwash. My family owns carwashes in Massachusetts and never once did my breaks stop squeaking after a cold start and washing it. And I wash my car atleast twice a week.

kahunah

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate accident. You need to contact Honda US directly and explain your situation. Whenever I had an issue that could not be resolved by my dealer's service department, I always went straight to the source (in my case Honda Canada) and got results.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Honda Automobile Customer Service
1919 Torrance Boulevard
Mail Stop: 500 - 2N - 7D
Torrance, CA 90501-2746
(800) 999-1009

Good Luck!

jeff8080

Hi,

A search of all the TL forums shows that no one is seeing the problem I'm seeing. And I don't even get as far as *trying* to pair the phone, so it's not a phone issue.

When I hit the "Phone talk" button on the side of the steering wheel, it is supposed to beep and then the MID is supposed to say SETUP. I know this is what is supposed to happen because I went into the dealer yesterday and sat in a new TL and watched it happen.

In my car, when I hit the "Phone talk" button, absolutely nothing happens. No beep. No SETUP message. When I scroll to the HandsFreeLink(TM) screen on the MID and press "Select/Reset," the message changes to "Booting Up" and stays like that forever. This is clearly wrong.

So, yes, I have an appointment scheduled with the dealer but they really don't know squat and will require the car for *days* so they can call it into Acura.

But I'm a techie kinda guy and it seems to me that one thing to try would be to just "reboot" the system, but I have no idea how. So while I'll probably have to be content to wait for my appointment, I thought I'd post this message and see if anybody had any ideas on things I might try or someone at Acura who might help. I know it's a longshot, but what the hey.

Jeff

bodble2

My condolences.

Regarding the alignment spec, there may be some truth to that. When we bought our '97 CR-V one month after they came out, we also had an issue with the car pulling right slightly. I took it to 2 Honda dealers for alignment, including one that did alignments in-house, and both said they hadn't gotten the specs from Honda yet.

Now, I'm no mechanical expert, but afterwards I was thinking why they couldn't have just put another CR-V on the rack and get the reading off of that.

a64marc

yes I'm just really flabbergasted at the body shop- we're waiting on specs from Hein via CCC for center line and cross check analysis dimensions for underbody and underhood and trunk as well as rear door openings- amongst others.

I can't imagine I'm the only '04 Tl that has sustained such damage so far- can't imagine others are waiting for these figures to have their car properly fixed to manufacturer standards- the info must be somewhere if not in these systems- an have asked the shop to check and see if what they need is in the service manual or available elsewhere so we don't keep waiting to begin said repairs.

Have also called my acura dealer now who recc'd the shop to get them involved in helping and will call honda if need be- modulating my level of response before I go ballistic.

Please please send what you have or tell me more anyone. Want to drive my TL again- and it's killing me that I'm paying for it- and since the guy who naileld me is uninsured- it's all on my u/i coverage which is limited- driving a chevy malibu rental car- some replacement....

canthony

My 2004 does have bembro brakes (it's a 6-speed) and boy do they squeal. It seems to happen as the brakes warm up, and only at slow speeds - like bumper-to-bumper traffic, stop lights, parking etc. Very annoying, and very loud.
Does anybody know of a place on the Acura web site for letting them know about this stuff? The service department here doesn't seem to have a clue that the problem even exists...

Also been having seat memory-loss with this car.

LanceL99

Last week I bought a new '04 TL with manual transmission. I tried to buy the car from my local dealer in Tampa (Ferman Acura). However, they were not reasonable with their price and the value of my trade. I bought the car in Orange Park outside Jacksonville instead.

Since I bought the car, it has had problems starting. It cranks for quite a while and either starts (and stumbles and coughs) or it doesn't start at all. This happens about 50-60% of the time I start the car, and it doesn't matter if it is warm or cold. I'm in FL.

Today, the AC went out. Being a realtor and given the weather forecast for rain, this is a problem. I called my local dealer but their service department had closed. I asked their sales manager if he could help me by letting me leave my car for service and get a loaner car. He was going to do this for me until he realized that I bought the car in Orange Park. Then he told me that he wouldn't help me because they have no obligation to help me since I bought the car elsewhere. I explained that I tried to buy the car there. He said it made no difference. I guess that as an Acura dealer they feel that they have no obligation to Acura owners. What jerks. The dealer I bought the car from was kind enough to offer to pay for a rental car for tomorrow.

Has anyone else had these problems? Also, is it unrealistic for me to expect assistance from my local dealer even if I didn't buy the car there? I literally have had the car for 10 days.

Otherwise, I love the car. Very roomy, comfortable, fast, great stereo, comfortable seats, etc.

dulnev

"Has anyone else had these problems? Also, is it unrealistic for me to expect assistance from my local dealer even if I didn't buy the car there? I literally have had the car for 10 days."

That's an outrage and is certainly not something one would expect from any dealer.

msf2

I have a dealer 60 miles away who has promised to beat any deal made by the only Acura dealer in my town. I've wondered about service after the purchase and if I'd be vulnerable to the same treatment LanceL99 had. I'm not sure I want to drive 60 miles for service if I had to. Any other's get shafted by dealers where they didn't buy the car?

redsoxx1918

I just took my TL to the dealership for the memory seat problem and the tire flatspotting problem. They told me they spoke with the corporate office in California and that they are aware of both problems. They stated that they are working on a fix for the memory seat problem and will be issuing notices when the problem is resolved. They also stated that Bridestone is "re-engineering" the tires and will be producing new tires that do not flat spot. They claim that Acura will be replacing the tires when these new tires are available. We'll see.

qbrozen

That is ridiculous. That manager should know that the money he didn't make off of you for that car sale is NOTHING compared to the money he could make off you in service while you own the car. if that happened to me, i'd make sure i got in touch with the owner of that dealership and kindly let him know his sales manager obviously does not know much about the car biz.

gbriank

I have read on another board that the issue with the starting is directly related to the computer recognizing the chip in the key. They say to insert the key and give the car 2 seconds to recognize it.

msf2

Redsoxx1918-okay, so the Acura corporate office knows about the consistent memory seat problem, and the bad tires. What happens now? Hallmark cards saying "We're sorry", or, does this mean they fix the problem on the assembly line? Did they tell you?
Does anyone else know?

jime6

Jeff,

I had the same problem with the HandsFreeLink being dead - no beep. The fix was to replace the control unit. Call your dealer and make sure they have ordered a unit before you take your car in.

jime

redsoxx1918

My dealer claims that they will be issuing a tsb when they figure out a fix for the seats. At that time, the problem will be resolved. Like I said in my post......Acura will be replacing the tires once Bridgestone has resolved their problems with the tires. It may take some time, but I figure that I'll be able to use these tires for a while and then get new ones for free. Overall, not a bad deal. No promise of a hallmark card though. Sorry to disappoint you.

gkearns56

Just to let you know I had the "flat spotting" problem with my tires. (Automatic 04 TL). My dealer treated me fabulous after I told him about those terrible Turanza EL42s. He offered to put Michelins on (previous TL models came with michelins). However, Michelin did not have a "W" rated tire that I liked tread pattern wise (didn't like the Michelin Sport A/S - they look like SUV type tires). He ask what type of tire would I'd be happy with to replace the flat spotters. In two days he ordered the Bridgestone RE750s from tirerack.com. Wow! What a difference and I really liked the super nice tread pattern. I had to call Honda's headquarters, register the problem. At that time Honda had not issued a "recall" on those tires (they use the Bridgestone RE30 on the 6 speed I believe). So the dealer had to ask the regional rep in my area for a "one time goodwill" on the tires; which he agreed to replace. Forum members: I'm telling you what a difference a set of good tires can make to your car. Now it feels like I'm driving a Porsche. I selected these RE750s because they received outstanding reviews and ratings from other people who purchased these tires. I didn't want the Michelin Sport A/S because of the SUV look and they are loud.(regardless of what their rating says). My suggestion is to open a "complaint" about the Turanza EL42s. If its on file and you pay for new tires, you would be reimbursed as long as you have your reciept, per Honda. Good Luck in your efforts.

richardgold

Gkearns56, congratulations! At least you got them to do something. I purchased the Continental Conti Extreme Contact, waiting to have them installed. I believe your tire is a summer tire and would not be good for NYC where I live.

Separately, living in NYC the rims get scrapped around the edges. Nothing you can do about this regardless of have careful I am. Does anybody know of a product to get the "black" out? I feel if the black is out I can live with the scratches. Also, is there such a thing as rim touch up paint?

Thanks

chinch

I have had my 6-speed '04 TL with front Brembo brakes for two weeks and 300 miles. The brakes almost always squeak at low speeds with gentle pressure (the sound goes away with more brake force, then will return as I ease up on the pedal). It does seem to happen only after the first few stops on a cold morning. Aware of the "high-performance organic/metallic pad compound" spiel which dismisses the squeak as normal, I took it to the dealer anyway. They disassembled all four brakes, finding no abnormalities. They then said they gently scuffed the pads of the front brakes in order to knock the glaze off. This worked for one day, then the same old squeak returned. I'm reassured that they're safe (they work great, and I crank the stereo for sanity), but I can't believe owners of vehicles like Porsche etc. must suffer through the same incessant squeaking. Does anybody have experience with the fabled Brembos in other incarnations? Is this version of the Brembo somehow different from others?
Thanks

bodble2

Brake noise has been a crap-shoot since the demise of asbestos. No one brand is particularly better or worse. I've heard some people just keep changing until they find a pair that don't make noise. Otherwise you'd just have to get used to it, I guess

LanceL99

This morning at 9AM I called Acura of North America to report my problem with the dealer. To suggest that they were unhelpful would be an understatement. They stated that offering a loaner car is not an Acura policy, but rather one that is implemented on a dealer-by-dealer basis. Therefore, the issue I had with my local dealer was not something they would be able to assist me with. I was very surprised about their policy (or lack thereof) about loaner cars.

The dealer where I purchased the car (350 miles away) called the zone manager today to report what happened to me. I wonder what the fallout will be from that when I go back to the local dealer.

The local dealer took my car this afternoon after I called three times. They did put me in a loaner car, so that was nice. The gentleman in the service department was helpful, so perhaps this experience will improve.

With the '03 TL loaner car I have, it is interesting to see how the car starts. It immediately starts right up and doesn't cough or choke at all. I don't think that the chip is causing the starting issue. It seems like if the chip didn't register yet, the starter wouldn't even crank.

Thoughts?

bodble2

I think you're right about it not being a chip problem.

micked

Is flatspotting dangerous and/or permanent?

bodble2

since it goes away after a couple of miles. I think it's just an annoyance issue.

micked

How do I know if I am getting flatspotting? Do you feel it in the ride? What does it feel like?

bodble2

I think it just feels like a bumpy ride. Sort of like driving over expansion joints.

kph

"I don't think that the chip is causing the starting issue. It seems like if the chip didn't register yet, the starter wouldn't even crank."

Power to the starter is not associated with "the chip". The chip in the key is an RFID tag that is programmed into the on-board ignition computer. If a chip with an ID is present in the ignition, then the computer will feed fuel to the fuel-injection system and command spark. No chip, no gas or spark.

The starter requires high-current wiring to make it go. It is less reliable to switch the starter on by computer, so they run regular old wires up the steering column for the starter power. A thief can crack the steering column, hot-wire the starter, and it will crank away until the battery runs dead -- but with no key with the right ID present, it will not start the engine.

I had experience with this -- had a 1995 Integra GS-R stolen (inside the car was the keys to my wife's 2000 Odyssey). I replaced the stolen car with a 1998 Accord (first to have the Immobilzer system - "the chip") and had to pay for a new key for my wife's car, and have it reprogrammed to not recognize the stolen key. Talked with the service tech on how this all works.

uncivilizd1

I just bought my TL 2 weeks ago in AZ and I haven't had any problems. It starts rough every once and a while but according to the owners manuals that is normal as "the engines management software is working to reduce emissions on startup". Wonder how true that is? The only thing I can't stand is the annoying FASTEN SEATBELT beeping!! Does anyone know how to disengage this feature?

micked

To get rid of the beeping do this simple thing: buckle your seatbelt! They save lives!

gkearns56

Folks when you get a bad dealership that doesn't help the customer out to their satisfaction or really tries to dup you one, please post it on this website: http://www.dealerrater.com/index.asp
When word gets out that a specific dealer is treating people like dirt, then maybe people will stop visiting them. If they are bad enough, maybe the manufacture will yank their dealership franchise license. A few months ago I bought my Acura TL '04. I had a flat-spotting problem with the OEM tires; my dealership was FABULOUS to work with me. Maybe we can weed out those awful ones. This is the same people that have the great website I posted earlier (www.autospies.com)

colinz

I have a 2003 TL and was wondering why my headlights weren't as bright as my neighbor's 2003 TL. It seems like his headlight is brighter and whiter also. I was wondering if this had anything to do with the bulb or how the headlight was aimed. anyone who has a response to this, please post something. thanks

aciampi

Recently in cold weather I have noticed problems starting my TL. Every so often I have to hold the key in for about 10-15 seconds before the vehicle starts, then for about 20-30 seconds the whole vehicle shakes. Now tonight it started right up but it immediatly started shaking with a vibrating noise coming from under the hood and wouldn't go away until I steped on the gas. It almost seemed that like one cylinder wasn't working. And combining all the problems I'm having with starting sounds like a fuel injection problem. Has anyone else expierenced the same problems? I'm going to call my dealer tomorrow morning about it but I am still curious if anyone else is having the same problem or even know any reason why it is happening if my thoughts are incorrect.
Thanks

qbrozen

aciampi - how many miles on your car? sounds to me like it could be a fouled spark plug.

colinz - does your neighbor have the stock bulbs or aftermarket?

klunkman

I've had my '04 TL 6-spd since 11/21. The squeal will go away. I now have 2,300 miles on the car. Not sure when the squeal disappeared, I'm guessing around 1,000 miles. Hang in there, be patient.

mdhauke

I heard that the Mud Guards on the 04TL scratch the paint. Anybody out there have any problems with it. Do the mudguards look good on the car? Do they actually do a good job on keeping the mud off the car?

dtate99

I just went back through almost all of the previous posts in this thread to see what problems others were having. Looks like I'm not alone. Just wanted to add my name to the list. I got the car 1-10-04, and have 900+ miles on it. Here are the problems so far:

1. Rough engine. I, too, thought this might be due to the increased HP. Someone earlier mentioned that it felt like a drumbeat every sixth beat, and I'd have to agree.
2. Small pops and noises from the dash and headliner.
3. Memory seat loss.
4. Hard to start sometimes.
5. XM Radio not working. I called to activate it, but I just keep getting the phrase "antenna" on the display. I was told by XM that I needed to take the car back to the dealer, which the dealer confirmed.
6. Flatspotting. Maybe just a little. Nothing obvious.

I've got to make a special trip back to the dealer anyway (120 mi.) to have them install the wind deflector, so I'll ask if any of these common problems can be corrected.

BTW, mdhauke, I have the mudguards on my car, and I think they look very good. But they're really too small IMO to do a very good job of deflecting mud, although I haven't driven through any mud yet. Haven't noticed any scratched paint, but I would imagine if it did it would be hidden under the mudflap and not noticeable.

dulnev

Read your manual! This is normal behavior caused by emissions control modules.

aciampi

qbrozen,I have 1100 miles on my TL.
I spoke to my dealer about it today and they claim they have never heard of my particular problem. They said once in a while it will take about 3 seconds to start due to what dunlev is saying, but where it is taking much longer for me they feel as though it is something else.

cyclist2

I have been in for 7500 mile service. They can adjust temp gauge up to +/- 4 degrees. It looks correct now. They can't do anything about the gas gauge showing absolute empty with 3 gallons still in the tank. I'll have to live with it. I have 9000 miles now and the car is otherwise running great.

igiban

Is that (empty gas display while 3 gal left) common or just on yours? When does the warning light come on, even earlier? And is the 'miles left to drive' calculated more in line with 3 gal left or 'empty gas'?

dulnev

"Is that (empty gas display while 3 gal left) common or just on yours?"

That's the way all Honda/Acuras are setup to prevent people from running out of gas. It's very easy to calculate how much gas you actually still have, given that the trip computer shows the average mpg and the total miles traveled since reset (assuming that you reset, when you fill up)

vinceb81

Have read through the numerous comments regarding vibrations in the 04TL. I am really disappointed in the many vibrations I appear to have in the interior. For the money, the interior should be much quieter. I have vibrations from the steering wheel, dash and now from the passenger door. If Acura could fix these problems, they would have a great vehicle. Acura is not ready to compete with the big boys. I wish I could get my money back.

dulnev

Sorry you're having problems with your TL. You should take it to your dealer to fix the rattles. It's pretty normal for a first-year vehicle to have such minor defects.

By the way, Acura *is* one of the big boys.

chinch

Klunkman, thanks for the reassurance about the Brembo brake noise. I did find Brembo's site: http://www.buybrakes.com/Brembo/faq.html#26
They describe a process known as "bedding" the brakes, as follows:
"Drive the vehicle to a remote area and perform at least 30 brake applications of 3-second duration. Use light/medium deceleration with varying starting speeds. Leave at least ½ mile between each brake application.
The purpose of this procedure is to gradually increase the temperature in the components without inducing thermal shock, and to mate the brake pad and disc friction surfaces."
I might try this and see if it helps. (G35 coupe owners seem to have similar noise issues with their Brembos, and have talked about bedding.)
Speaking of noise, my passenger-side sun visor rattled at low-rpm's, so the dealer replaced it, eliminating the problem.

vinceb81

Did take to the dealer, could not duplicate the noises I am hearing. Talked to fellow Acura owner who loves her Acura and recommended different dealer. Will take there. I took into consideration this was a first year model before purchase. There are so many positives about the car, just disappointed in the vibrations.