Acura TL Maintenance and Repair

rockinrn

Right you are!! I did not have my TL for 2 hours and the Parchment floor mats looked like s...

rockinrn

Dealer told me that the engine oil life indicator is quite accurate. I'm waiting till mine is at 25-30% regardless of mileage. This is especially important since the oil that is put in at the factory is breakin oil and should not be changed prematurely.

rockinrn

only on Canadian vehicles

frisconick

I don't believe you, replacing the trans 3 times, that's unbelievable. I have had my TL for 4 months, no rattles, no vibrations, no whining noise. I can't believe a whining noise would be cause for a trans replacement. Could be if you closed your window the noise would go away. :P

delmar1

Wow...a response to a 12/19/03 posting...

I have parchment and I had it in other cars in the past. The right thing to do is to buy all weather mats. Rubber mats that are form fitted. Pretty standard procedure.

Parchment is worth it...it is a great mix.

rockinrn

I have the same lumpiness/indentation you speak of. My dealer was willing to repalce the entire top of the dash with no promises that the replacement would be any better and cautioned me that rattles could develop. I am just going to live with this appearance defect since many of the new cars I looked at after noticing my defect were the same. Poor quality for a $35,000 plus automobile.

nightcrawler29

Take a deep breath and spend an hour trying to figure out how to put them.... but I would suggest you pay attention at the drawing in the owner's manual, since it tells you pretty much how they go....and they are 2 of'em.

brianla

These nets are a wicked intelligence test devised by the Japanese. I think I failed; however, I did attach one to the side of the trunk. Almost worthless and certainly not worth the effort and cost in brain cells!

nightcrawler29

yeah, its easier to figure out where you are when you are living by the coast... but here in TX everything is so flat.... you could stand on top of a shoe box and see the empire state!!.... so well I've been driving here for a couple months now, and sometimes I really wish I knew if I'm going south or west...to few landmarks especially if driving in a not so well developed area with lots of cows and horses. So a compass can be useful sometimes, but don't know how bulky it would look, if I installed that compass that cerauli recommended for the TL... :P

nightcrawler29

Yeah! the japanese are probably mocking at us westeners, as they see us trying to install these trunk nets.... but heck! if we were smart enough to figure out how to use our underwear, I believe we can figure out how to install these nets!... and they are usefull for sure!... Last week I went shopping and got a couple of corona six packs... put them in the trunk, and none of the bottles fell or rolled over in the trunk while driving, and all thanks to the trunk net!.... a marvelous and pretty ingenious invention. :P

bodble2

"if we were smart enough to figure out how to use our underwear, I believe we can figure out how to install these nets!..."

May be true, if you wear fishnet underwear!

"Last week I went shopping and got a couple of corona six packs... put them in the trunk, and none of the bottles fell or rolled over in the trunk while driving,"

OK, lets see you try that again, after drinking one of the six-packs! :P

taxesquire

LOL - great post-stream! I needed to look at the owner's manual, but was able to figure it out from there.

I actually thin it's an ingenius configuration. A small, cylinar like pocket is created on the side that I use for take-out, or to stop my cans of tennis balls from rolling around the car, and the larger net creates an "L" shape that allows me to separate the front trunk from the rear, and keep things tight against the front floor of the trunk. Much better than regular nets that just form bags or fences.

delmar1

I recall reading 2 mos ago about battery drain while the car sits idle for an extended period of time (which really all cars have). Does anyone have additional information, cause, cure? I realize the best way would be to disconnect the battery terminal...but at the same time don't want that hassle either when I don't even know if I will have any impact.

Reason is that I am going on vacation and will be returning next week! Yes..so Nick...don't think I abandoned the boards.

Mr_Shiftright

You can buy a cheap little "battery maintainer" which is not really a charger, just a kind of trickle device.

taxesquire

Shiftright is correct - my Dad uses them. Still, if I were you, I'd let it go and see if there was a problem. If your flying, airport security should be able to give you a jump, if need be. For what it's worth, I've taken 8-day vacations without a problem. No loss of presets or anything. I'm confident 14 days would not be a problem with my car.

bodble2

A few months ago, my wife had an accident with her car, and we got a free rental via her insurance. Since she was off work and really didn't need to drive, I basically used the rental, and my TL sat in the garage for almost a month. Afterward, I had NO problem with the battery. The car started right up.

Mr_Shiftright

Usually a car should be able to sit 2-3 weeks without a problem. If you are parking long term, you might get one of those nifty little portable jump starters and keep it in the trunk. They even make a battery that has a little extra battery built into it, good for a couple of quick starts when the normal part of the battery is dead.

tedescm1

Thanks for the advice. I'll go with Mich pilot.

delmar1

Yeah...I am not going to worry about the battery draining. And if it does...then I know I have something to work on when I return. Thanks for all the thoughts on possible approaches.

delmar1

Whatever tire you should select...I hope you post your experiences and thoughts on the tires.

btw...Costco seems to be the place to get tires. Best price and with free balancing/rotations...and road hazard coverage.

brianla

Well, I admit I did attach one to the side like nightcrawler describes but I have a better solution for organizing the trunk.

In the back (closest to driver) I have one of those big, covered, plastic storage bins secured on the bottom by velcro to keep it in place. I use it for tools, jumper cables, etc. Stuff I almost never need. On the opposite side from the net I have a cargo carrier/trunk organizer that was expensive but worth it. It has side pockets for stuff I use like windshield wipes, leather cleaner/conditioner wipes, tire gage, etc.

If the rest of me was this organized I would have the easiest life!

cerauli

Compass is unbelievably small... hardly noticable. Even hardware behind the mirrow is VERY small.

vaughn4

I agree, it's probably better to live with it since they would probably break something else or cause rattles which the car has none at this time. But I agree you'd expect better fit and finish. Maybe if it was made in Japan? So what happens if you have an accident and the airbag comes out of the dash? Does the whole dash have to be replaced? If so, I bet insurance companies hate that. :confuse:

bodble2

Thanks for the tip!

frisconick

Reason is that I am going on vacation and will be returning next week! Yes..so Nick...don't think I abandoned the boards.

LOL :P

Battery drain, for some reason, worse in hot weather areas. When I lived in Phoenix, my batteries were always going dead on me, maybe heavy use of AC, but I don't think so.

delmar1

Batteries were always going dead in Phoenix not because of heavy AC use...but I believe that the battery cells were not charging as efficiently. Doesn't do so great in extreme heat or cold. (remember those old Die Hard commericals?)

Well....tonite you will see the last of me until I return from vacation. Catching a flight soon. I will miss my TL while away....hope my cat takes care of it and don't jump on the hood and scratch the heck out of it while I am gone....

taxesquire

hope my cat takes care of it and don't jump on the hood and scratch the heck out of it while I am gone

If he's leaving that cat in the garage for 2 weeks, he deserves what he gets!!! :P

Mr_Shiftright

the cat or delmar?

upstatedoc

Everyone seems to be recommending the michelin sport pilot a/s tires as the replacements for the 04 and 05 tl. Tirerack.com actually has these tires cheaper than costco ( $191 vs. $212) and much cheaper than my local "discount" tire store ($250). Has anyone found them cheaper elsewhere?

boylan82

Anyone had experiences with non-dealer oil changes? Is there anything a Jiffy Lube can't do (ie. reset computer)? thx

ed31cincy

The instructions for resetting the oil monitor is right in the owner's manual, so yes, anyone can do the oil change. My concern is the quality of the oil and oil filter that the quick lube places use, not to mention the quality of personnel. I have only had my '04 TL serviced at my dealer so far. My Acura dealer is offering an oil change for $24.95 currently which is very competitive.

frisconick

He deserves scratches on his TL if he leaves his cats in the garage. :P

upstatedoc

Have had the oil changed twice on my 05 tl at Jiffy Lube as a matter of fact. My dealer is over an hour away. I get the synthetic which is about twice the cost of regular. Don't know how that compares to dealer prices. No problems so far. Its easy to reset the oil reminder.

newguy5

I recently had the 30K service performed on my 2003 TL. At the same time I had the dealership replace the black tape on the window frames. It had begun to bubble. The service rep at the dealership called me while they had my car in their body shop and asked me when my car had been in an accident. I told him that the vehicle had never been in an accident. He said that his body shop found evidence that the rear door on the driver's side had been dented and repainted. He said that it is not uncommon that door panels are dinged and scratched at dealerships. The paint on this door has always looked a little different to me so all this info began to make sense. Anyway, he said that I should take the car back to the dealer I purchased it from and have them rectify the problem.
Do I have any chance of getting the door repainted to match the rest of the car. It's white diamond pearl so I know that this is a very difficult color to match.

-Thanks

sox73b3

Hello, I just recently bought a pre-owned 2003 TL.

I am hearing a humming noise when the car gets to about 40mph. It sounds as if it is in a lower gear but it is not related to that.

It is a separate noise that I am hearing more from inside the car, it sounds as if it is coming from underneath or the engine compartment.

The car is running fine, no performance issues.

The tires are not new but there is still some miles left on them and the wear is pretty even.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks

taxesquire

Do I have any chance of getting the door repainted to match the rest of the car. It's white diamond pearl so I know that this is a very difficult color to match

It won't be a problem. Dealers and car-painters don't keep gallons of each car's colors lying around. What they do is use a sensor to test the color of your car, and then mix a batch up just for you. Similar to how they do it at home painting stores if you have a tough color to match.

I had an old Acura CL that wa called "Primrose" - it was silver with a bit of a pink hue. Anyway, the guy fixing a scratch told me even if they had gallons of the stuff lying around, they'd need to test the color of my individual car b/c even at the original plant, some batches of the paint might have more silver, more pink and different fluctuations like that.

carnaught

Poor [non-permissible content removed] cat. I hope it's not left alone in the garage.

ANYWAY, my car is currently at the dealer service dept. for a rattle involving the driver window. The service rep. told me that it is the side mirror(s) as this has been a recurrent observation of theirs. Anyone hear of that?

Anyway, I'll let you know if the "fix" works.

(Woohoo, for once not the "that's normal" answer!)

smolnar

T-Mobile has a compatible phone and so does Cingular.

As long as it is Bluetooth compatible, you can use with your Acura TL. I have a 2005, and I LOVE the bluetooth phone set up. Just be careful using the handsfree if you have to make a turn at the same time -- the controls are on your steering wheel !

When I got my phone, it was free after my rebate (of course, with one yr. service) !!

Shop around for the phones. I'm sure you'll find a good deal if you are a little patient.

smolnar

Yep !! Same here. And that was after the $900 Super Duper Protection Package to boot !! Fix: EBay Exact Mats. They are like chair mats at your office - cut absolutely perfectly to fit over your carpet. I've got the Camel interior. The Exacto Mats were $70 well spent !! (2 - front + 2 - back). Much prettier than those ugly all-weather mats that Acura has.

splattster

Heads up.

I have a 2000 TL.

Last weekend I noticed my rear view mirror had a clear oval in the center surrounded by brown tint. Several hours later I noticed the entire mirror was clear and there was a large drip hanging from the center of the bottom of the mirror.

There were drops of the fluid on my console around the shift gate. I wiped off the fluid but it pitted the plastic chrome looking part around the shift gates and the flat plastic down inside the gate that the shifter goes through.

I have an extended warranty which the dealership advised me didn't cover the mirror although they did replace the mirror as a "goodwill" gesture.

They wouldn't replace the console part though.

I contacted Acura Customer Service and supposedly talked to someone as high as I could go there. She said she was at the National Office of the President.

I believe Acura is very familiar with this issue and they refuse to replace my damaged console.

Their faulty part (mirror) leaked a caustic fluid onto my console and irreparably damaged it.

I am very disappointed in Acura/Honda. One of the deciding factors in choosing an Acura was that I figured I wouldn't get the run around treatment like this.

bodble2

"National Office of the President."

First time I've heard of this position --- unless she meant Bush! :P

frisconick

That was my thinking!!! Did you talk to Condi Rice or Rummy ? :P But they should have fixed with no questions asked, this is pathetic. One part messes up another, and they only fix one.

pwatts

I own a 2003 Acura 3.2 Silver with Black Interior and feel that on very hot days 95 + the inside of the car does not cool down to the indicated temp on the gauge. Dealer says it is working within it's limits. I have a Honda Pilot and it cools off that big SUV very easily and efficiently. Any one else having problems?

smolnar

The bluetooth in the car does not talk to your individual phone book in your phone. The display will show "incoming call" if you are already engaged on another call. It will show the Caller ID phone number (only) if the call comes in while you are NOT already on another call.

At least that is my experience.

You have to program the car phone book (which runs off cool voice commands) separately in the car.

smolnar

Yep ... I have a fairly steep driveway, and I my lid won't stay up. Comes in handy when I need to close the lid with one finger and I've got 4 bags in my hands though.

Typical response from technician ... "It's not a bug, it's a feature !"

Tip: back into your steep spots. And then be really careful pulling out, due to a totally low front end that you'll scrape up in a hurry if you don't pull out at an angle.

05tl6spd

Walked out of my office recently to find my 05 TL windshield cracked halfway across the windshield. I've had a few rocks hit the windshield (why didn't this happen with my old car?) before the windshield cracked, but there weren't any pits or cracks in the glass. The dealer looked at it and ordered/installed another windshield free of charge. I always crack the sunroof/windows when in the sun (and bought a shade for the dash).

Another thing I've noticed is the dash seems to be fading in spots. My wife's 99TL dash looks great at 6 years. Scared to imagine what my 05 dash will look like in that time!

05tl6spd

While I'm in complaint mode... My 05 TL, 6 speed, 11k miles, produces a very high pitched whining sound when in gear. Put the stick in neutral and no noise. My dealer checked out the car (fluid level, test drive, etc.) and said the noise is "normal". I'm skeptical... Anybody else notice this noise with their manual transmission?

Also, watch hitting the curbs with the rims on your 04/05, the rims stick out farther than "normal" tires/rims. I recently scraped the heck out of a wheel recently in a drive thru

vaughn4

Anyone out there had their dash replaced on their 04 or 05 TL with any success? Mine is looking a little strange around the passenger airbag area (indentation) and is a little faded too. I was wondering if this is an option and what the results were, if anyone had it done. Should I have it done, if it's offered by the dealer? I don't want to risk going from bad to worse if there are potential issues.

Also, the other day my 05 TL freaked out. I lost all my XM pre-sets, the outside temperature reading went to "---" and the rear window defroster stopped working. Got out of the car and locked it, when I returned everything was working again. Anyone know what's up with that?

Finally, I also have noted a strange sensation on the brake pedal as I gently start braking sometimes. It feels like something is slightly rubbing the pedal then it goes away, then it does it again, and so on. Anyone else experience this? Any fix?

Other than these issues the car is pretty solid. Great gas mileage too! :confuse:

frisconick

No I have not had any of these problems, however, I have only had my TL for 3 months.

laurasdada

"Also, the other day my 05 TL freaked out. I lost all my XM pre-sets, the outside temperature reading went to "---" and the rear window defroster..."

Not an uncommon malady, I had the same issue. At service A1, dealer replaced a computer module that controls this stuff, fine since. The most obvious symptom is the tem p guage reading ---, as you noted. When you see that, certain other computer chip maintained funcions are affected. Rebooting the car usually resets the chip as it did for you.

Great car..