Acura TL Maintenance and Repair

frisconick

Why do you need a compass? Driving in the forrest? I know if I drive to LA from SF I know I am going south. :P

bodble2

Sometimes a compass does come in handy. You could go thru a couple of cloverleafs, come back out onto a main highway, and have no idea if you're going in the right direction. I know there are signs, but you wouldn't want to have to drive a few miles before finding out I've been going the wrong way. Now, of course, if the Nav in the TL, I wouldn't have that problem! :shades:

nkeen

re: "Where are you located, nkeen? What kind of snow were you driving in. I'm going to give the ELs another chance this coming (too soon!) winter, but if they are as poor as I remember, I'll probably buy new all-seasons."

Pennsylvania. The tires are wide, so they aren't ideal, but I found them satisfactory. I think that snow varies tremendously from storm to storm. I've seen a supposedly innocuous inch and a half of wet snow where my car (not the TL) literally slid slowly sideways from a standstill on the banking of I-495 in DE. Other storms by all rights should be terrible to drive in but the snow gives good traction. Temperature of air and roadway, other factors, all play a part.

huters

I concur. I had no idea that there was an adjustment for the OAT readout ---many thanks for sharing that. HOWEVER, it isn't enough offset to correct my readings. Now, instead of being 8-10 degrees off, it's 6-8 too high.

I must disagree with someone who stated that 85% of the cars have the same problem. In 5 previous cars the temp display has always been very accurate. There is no question that after the car sits in the sun for a while, or when sitting in heavy traffic, the temperature will display higher; that is very understandable and tolerable. BUT, after driving a very few minutes at any speed above about 30mph, the display should be accurate. This is either a sensor or a sensor placement problem. Thermocouples are not complicated devices! This would be an easy one for Acura to handle, but I'm sure that they consider it a very minor issue, as do I. I LOVE THIS CAR, bad temp readings or not!

As for the tires, they are certainly not the best tires Acura could have used, but they AREN't terrible. I still have a very occasional vibration, but I don't believe it is the tires - it is something inherant in the car, and something I hope Acura will eventually solve. I have about 22,000 miles on the tires, and it doesn't look like I'll need to change them anytime soon, but by the time I need to I'm hoping that input from those who have already changed tires will help with my choice.

Steve

marktl2004

Friday pm I found myself going sideways down interstate 70. We'd had rain I ended up going off the road causing some body and mechanical damage to the car. :sick: In talking with the Acura service writer I indicated the car earlier in the day had hydroplaned several times. He inquired about the milage on the car which is 25k. He informed me the Bridgestone tires were only rated for 20k which was a surprise. :surprise:

Interestly 3000 miles earlier the same dealer had check, balanced and rotated the tires without giving me any indication of tire wear.

Any recommendations on tires? :confuse:

I did call Acura's service line and recommended they as part of the service program notify owners if they see any tire wear. My ignorance, I would have never figured tires to only go 20k for wear.

camon

The OAT reading on the 05TL can be adjusted +5 to -5 degrees. The question becomes, is that reading used by the climate control system to adjust that unit's output, since the climate control computer uses several sensors?

delmar1

I don't think so as the adjustment is for the OUTSIDE temp reading when the climate control samples the INTERIOR temperature.

armand

I went from the Bridgestones to Continental Extremes and are very pleased with them

nkeen

Armand, how do you find the Continentals? Sidewall stiffness, ride, noise, ultimate grip, tendency to squeal when pushed, rain performance, etc., compared to the EL42s?

Thanks.

sentinel115

I'm getting ready for a "test drive" in the 6spd manual TL, but I'm hearing a lot of bad press about the torque steer? I'm also hearing that Acura are trying to address this with a new "management system" on the 2006. How bad is the Torque steer? and anyone know the details on the 2006 management system? - is it worth waiting for?

Thanks

taxesquire

Not sure if it was on this or one of the Edmunds' other TL boards, I posted my specific opinions on this (based on my experience with my '04 6MT TL). In general, it's significant (IMO) if you accellerate hard from a dead stop or if you drop it down a gear while in a turn (you should generally be in the gear you want before entering the turn anyway, I believe). On both of those occasions you need to be aware since you're likely to have 1 hand on the wheel and 1 hand on the gearshift.

I have not noticed torque steer on a straightaway while moving. That is, on occasions when I'm going 50 and drop it down to 3rd to accellerate, I haven't noticed it.

Re '06, I haven't heard about any torque management system (heard something about a torque converter, but I think that's different - I don't really know what it is), but I believe the only fix is going to an AWD or RWD platform.

sentinel115

Here's a "reasonable " article on the 2006. The comment is that HP is down to 258 due to measurement changes and...
"For 2006, the Acura TL benefits from a handful of changes. The most important change for 2006 is an active system to control torque steer, the car's one dynamic Achilles' heel. A tire-pressure monitoring system is now standard equipment, and there are a couple of new colors."

http://www.nctd.com/review-intro.cfm?Vehicle=2006_Acura_TL&ReviewID=1757

I might wait to test a 2006 6spd if the price is the same as 2005

delmar1

"might wait to test a 2006 6spd if the price is the same as 2005"

The msrp might be about $500+ higher...but the deep discounts for the 2005 will not be available. Potentially paying $2000 more for a 2006 when the modifications are slight. Check out the TL prices paid board for more discussion...along with real world prices paid.

armand

I find them better in all regards. They are softer in ride but still corner well (in fairness I am not a driver that pushes them too hard so all I can tell you is my limited experience), very good traction in wet weather (I haven't had a chance to use them in snow), and somewhat quieter than the EL42's. The car feels more like a good balance between a luxury sedan and a sports sedan - more like the Audi A6 I traded in for this car.

And they weren't too expensive.

frisconick

I was behind a diesal truck and could smell the fumes, so I hit the re-circulate button right below the AC button, it cooled very nice, cold and fast. But if you don't bring in outside air, don't you eventually die of carbon monoxide poisening. :P

Mr_Shiftright

You should use the re-circ after running fresh air to initiallly cool the car and refresh the air. Once the AC has been running for a little bit, you should run on re-circ (this always gives you cooler air inside) and then periodically go back to fresh air to exchange the air in the car.

frisconick

Yes, that's what I do. I am new to my car so I am still learning.

yakuza

I wouldn't let the new 258 hp rating affect the buying decision process for the TL. The engine hp is the same as '04/'05 - it's just how hp is measured that's changed.

As for torque steer - I have an '05 6MT and barely noticed it to tell the truth. I had an '02 Nissan Maxima (3.5 liter V6 255hp/246 lb/ft) and that had much more torque steer than my TL. Perhaps it's just that I got used to my Maxima's torque steer so the TL's is minor in comparison. If you're concerned, you should definitely go and test drive one.

frisconick

I thought the TL had 270hp? Not 258hp.

delmar1

Frisconick....so does that assist in getting the artic blast you wish...by going to recirculate?

I think you got the arsenal going. Recirculate....increase the fan speed manually...decrease the auto climate control.

I say that the concern of not getting the blast is that the car is more gentle in the cool down cycle.

btw...on the same note. What is up with many cars with those cheapy air vents...big round holes with only three vent fins? The plastic vents that look like it came out of an aircraft (or maybe that is why they have them). Pretty darn ugly I say.

bodble2

They've switched to a new rating system that results in a lower numerical HP rating. Same actual output though.

taxesquire

my experience is that when the temp you want is about 20 degrees cooler than the air outside, it automatically moves to "recirculate"

delmar1

So if it takes 20 degrees differential...that would mean that Nick would have to call for a 55 degree interior as Northern Calif is about 75. So if he sets his temp at 68 degrees...the outside has to be 88 degrees...maybe in Napa.

Mine typically kicks into recirculate mode initially...then goes to fresh after a few minutes.

Telling you Nick...get the Slurpee brain-freeze and you won't have to be concerned.

taxesquire

So if he sets his temp at 68 degrees...the outside has to be 88 degrees

Just sharing my observation. Of course it could also consider the interior temp (like how it ultimately determines how cool to make the air and how fast to blow it out). Maybe if it's 75 degrees, but Frisco parks in the sun on a hill and the car cooks to about 85 degrees... :confuse:

nightcrawler29

Bloody hell!!... I don't know what you are complaining about when it comes to the a/c on the TL.... I'm in TX and we have been on broil for the last couple months...90s to 100 degrees... I get in the TL and turn the a/c to "auto" with setting at 75 degrees... opened vents and turned on the air recirculation feature, and it cools the interior real quick....sometimes it even gets a bit to cold, but I don't care, cause I know its hell outside. Now if your TL has been under the sun all day and its really really hot... then do what I explained above, and in addition to that, open your windows a little bit so that the hot air goes out.... now that should work pretty nicely, but if it doesn't, then I would complain with the dealer... and if nothing's wrong, then why don't you just move to Alaska then?

nightcrawler29

oh.... and make sure the seat heaters are off...

delmar1

I was looking at the RL site and someone posted a website where a MP3 and IPod can be directly hooked up to existing cars. Looks like a winner of a solution:

http://www.mp3yourcar.com/default.asp

The Neo iON provides a direct connect to most factory and aftermarket car stereos. When the adaptor is connected your car stereo buttons will control the iPod, the iPod battery will charge, and the sound will play from your car stereo speakers. This is the best iPod car adaptor kit available on the market.

The iPod car kit includes a 11.5' (3.5M) cable that plugs directly into your iPod. The other side of this cable plugs into the CD changer port on the back of your car stereo – there is no FM modulation.

Once the cable is plugged in your car will charge and power your iPod, as well as control it (Next/Previous track, FF/RW) using your car stereos existing buttons (steering wheel controls if you have them).

carnaught

As I previously said, the a/c is NOT one of my complaints with the car. That said, the a/c in this and most cars is relatively ineffective when the desired setting is not much cooler than the outside temp. (eg. set to 72 when outside is 75).

bodble2

Last week, I finally got around to getting the glove box looked at. It looked misaligned which I thought may have been the source of intermittent rattle. The dealer looked at it, agreed that it looked misaligned, but said there is not adjustment possible. So they ordered a new complete glove box and installed it yesterday. Well, to my eyes, it is only marginally better. It seems to line up a bit better when viewed from the front. But it's still got that unsightly gap when viewed from the side with the passenger door open. Can't comment on the rattle yet since it was only an intermittent rattle. Only time will tell on that. Overall, kind of disappointed. Maybe all glove boxes on the TL has that inherent misalignment. :sick:

delmar1

Maybe the dealer will suggest a whole new dashboard so they can charge back the warranty work

taxesquire

the a/c in this and most cars is relatively ineffective when the desired setting is not much cooler than the outside temp

How is it ineffective? If the outside temp is 75 and you set the climate control for 73, what happens? Mine blows out 73 degree (I assume) air and makes me very comfortable. What does yours do?

taxesquire

Bloody hell!!.... I'm in TX

Should I be reading your posts with a British accent or Texas drawl???

And I'm in FLA - 90+ degree heat and 90+% humidity - I don't want to hear any complaints from anyone, exept those in New Orleans!!!

bodble2

then I would suggest a whole new car! :P

frisconick

Sorry for the delayed response delmar, but yes, the re-circulate really does deliver a nice cold blast in about 30 seconds, that's great. :shades:

mtydings82

My original equipment tires have already worn down with slightly lower than 20,000 miles on the car. The front tires (now rotated to the back) are worn much worse than the back tires, which have some tread left but still below the recommended amount. My question is, has anyone else experienced this? How does Acura handle this in terms of the tire warranty? Shouldn't the warranty cover this kind of wear since it's only been a year and I've had the car serviced regularly?? Anyone know if its worth going after the warranty or will they just give me some lame excuse and charge me 800 to replace all 4?? Thanks

carnaught

If my car climate control temp.setting is almost the same as that of the outside ambient temperature, it's like opening a window. There's no noticeably cooler air coming in. On the other hand it cools very well in hot Vegas temperatures.

tl05stdowner

I've been using Motorola V710 with my Acura TL 2005 and it works quite well.. Recently I changed my phone to another VerizonWireless phone, a XV6600 PDA phone.

I could pair it with the TL OK, however, when a connection is made, the sound does not come through the car speakers. I kept repeating the process of clearing the TL's settings and re-pairing from scratch. After about 50 tries, I only managed to have the sound coming out of the car's speakers ONLY 2 times. Each time, only a single call was good through the TL speakers.. Afterward it would stop working and I have to revert to use my bluetooth headset. (Note, when I was testing, I had my bluetooth headset turned off).

The PDA just doesn't seem to work with the TL audio system. The PDA does work with other cars that have Bluetooth phone support (like the Toyota Prius)..

Does anyone know why? with Motorola 710, it is fine. With this PDA, I couldn't get the sound to come through. What I ended up doing is to use the PDA with my bluetooth headset. This allows me to dial while driving using voice dialing.. However, once the call is connected, I have to wear my bluetooth headset to talk and listen.

Any thoughts? Does any know if Acura has a software upgrade?

Thanks in advance for any help.

g1cv66275

Does anyone know when you turn on the automatic rearview mirror you notice a big difference at night. I think I may have a manufacture defect on my 05 TL rearview mirror. When I turn my rearview mirrors off and on I dont see a difference. Well atleast I dont think I do. Thanks

albanytim

According to the acura.com owner link there are only 3 compatible Verizon phones: Blackberry 7250 and Motorola v710 and E815.

Samsung i730 and Audiovox XV6600 are "currently testing".

Samsung a970 and PalmOne Treo 650 are "non-compatible".

bplayer

The difference should only be noticeable when there are headlights behind you. Just turning it off and on with only moderate lights behind you will not make a difference, unlike the old manual flip type.

nightcrawler29

Yeah my glove box is also missaligned, and that's one of the first things I noticed when I got the car.... I saw other cars on the lot and they were pretty much the same. It would be nice to achieve total perfection, but it doesn't bother me, and got used to it.

taxesquire

Agree with player - I haven't conducted a formal "test" with mine, but I know that when I'm driving a car without auto-dimming mirror, the car's lights behind me bothers me. Not so in the TL with the dimming feature on.

delmar1

Regarding the tires.... what was your tire rotation schedule?

Remember folks...the tires on the TL are high 45 series performance tires that are with greater traction (hence more friction hence more wear) and not comparable to your old Camry/Accord 60 series that kinda held the road and not tuned for performance.

Just to give you an idea to competitors. The most cross shopped car when people are considering TLs is the G35. In the coupe version...you are looking at some serious tire bills. The front and rear tires cannot be rotated as they are different sizes. The sedan version also is known to eat tires too. In addition...the brakes are known to last about 25k miles. Ouch.

I wouldn't go to Acura to get tires as you are suggesting.

Perhaps when you change tires...consider the Michelin Pilot A/S. They have even higher performance than your current TL tires (Y speed rated) and should last 40k miles. And get them rotated and balanced regularily.

tedescm1

It's nice to have high-speed tires, but I don't drive at speeds of 100 mph. Can you drop the tire speed rating and purchase tires that are less expensive and last longer?

Are there any serious draw backs or disadvantages to dropping the speed rating?

Why do i need tires that are rated for 120mph

bodble2

"Why do i need tires that are rated for 120mph"

Probably the same reason they put in a speedometer that goes up to 160mph.

bodble2

I guess we'll have to resign ourselves to a misaligned glove box as standard equipment on the TL. But you'd have thunk they could've easily rectified something so minor and obvious as a misaligned glove box door! :confuse:

delmar1

The 'performance' is the capability...and the car is engineered for such tires. For instance...your anti-lock brakes and vehicle stability system is engineered for such performance. So not only to have optimal driving enjoyment and performance...but for safety through your anti-lock and stability systems.

Also...many tire shops will not sell tires that are less than what were original equipment...for that very reason.

For your information.... "Y" tires are speed rated for 186mph. Now...do you think any of us drive at that speed...no.

If you want longer lasting tires....as I suggested...buy the Michelin Pilot A/S. You will get excellent driving performance with improved longevity. And once again...the TL tires will surely last longer than the Infiniti G. It is just like gas mileage....if you wanted higher MPG the alternative is to drive a Civic.

ckk1

Update:

I HAD a high pitched whining noise coming from the front-end during excelleration from 30-50. My Acura dealer replaced the transmission 3 times and the the third was a charm!! We have put about 7500 on this tranny and everything is going well. Now if we could get rid of all the annoying rattles

rockinrn

Have an 05 TL. Have driven it at speeds in excess of 100MPH - no vibration of any kind noted.

rockinrn

Been lookin at them since I picked up my TL. Not intuitive. have not spent time trying to figure out how they attach to the trunk.