Acura TL Maintenance and Repair

bodble2

Thanks for the tips. I did try the electrical tape method. The noise was still there so I ruled out the latch as the source of noise. I'll experiment with various types and thicknesses of weatherstripping, pads and see it it works. I've got some self-adhesive felt strips at home so I'll give that a go first.

ckk1

I am looking at getting a new phone that will work with the TL Bluetooth. Wondering if anyone has had experience using the Motorola v710 with an 05 TL?

Thanks,

CKK

delmar1

One more thing you should attempt to do to isolate it down to the glove compartment.... Drive with the compartment open to see if indeed it is the door itself.

aaargh

Bluetooth (and specifically the V710) have been discussed on other boards. Try searching the Acura TL discussions for "v710". It will give you the answers you need. Short answer: It seems to work well.

tedescm1

good suggestion..............

analyst7

Hi,

Whether you have concerns about fading dashes or frustration over certain rattles, there is a product out there that helps both, something I picked up from another forum. It is called Aerospace 3000, a liquid hand-pumped spray, which is not available everywhere but I found it at Camper's World in Valencia, Ca. It's akin to an Armour All type product but vastly superior. It protects and lubricates leathers and plastics to such an extent that if you can isolate and get to a rattle, such as the infamous moonroof visor rattle, it can eliminate the rattle if you apply the spray to all rubber, foam and plastic fittings, assuming the rattle is due to the impact of plastic-on-plastic and not loose pieces. I applied the 3000 to the sunroof in both fully opened and tilt positions, and the small rattle I had is gone, and should be for at least a few months. Apply it to door seals, windshield seals, wiper blades, switches, etc. - your car will sound tight as a drum, unless your rattle is in the deep recesses of your dash. Using it as a protectant, my camel leather and dash look fantastic. Tastes great too! (kidding)-The stuff costs $20/bottle but is worth every penny. Don't even ask me how or why it works, it just does. Search for it on the web. Note: I do not formally represent the product or its company in any way. It's just good stuff.

bodble2

But, most importantly, will it help re-grow hair? :P

bodble2

"...isolate it down to the glove compartment...."

That, I'm fairly certain I've done. It seems when I simply press one finger on the glove box door (while driving), the noise disappears. And it doesn't seem to matter whether I press near the top, or bottom. So I've concluded the trick, which you alluded to in an earlier post, is to create pressure on the door. By pressing against the door, I put pressure from without. So hopefully, by using weatherstripping, or something similar on the inside opening of the door, to create pressure from within, it would also work.

But if that doesn't work, then I guess I'll have to duct-tape the whole damn thing shut permanently, or use the glove box sans door!! :mad: :sick:

taxesquire

After reading this forum, I started looking at my '04 TL seats a little more closely. I do notice there's a little extra leather or a little less cushion in the seat than I've seen with other cars. Not sure if this is what the complaints are about, but if it is, maybe the deal is that Acura "undercushioned" the seats so we would sink into them a bit more. If you sink into the seat, rather than sitting on top of it, it holds you in better during manuevering. What do you think?

doug18

I have a '97 TL with 160,000 miles. Just learned that I have a cracked manifold that will cost $1000 plus labor to fix. Is this worth fixing at this car's age or should I just drive it as is?

My plan was to keep this car until it wore out, but I will need to get the manifold fixed to pass state inspection next summer. Is this car likely to hold together for a few more years or is it likely I will start running into on-going repair work as things wear out?

Thanks for any insight!!

delmar1

My thoughts on the cushion factor. I am not into the ottoman seats where you sink. I prefer the not too firm...not too soft seats. Too soft and I don't get the same driving sense and feedback from my rear. Too hard and it is a nasty and unforgiven drive. As for holding you better in manuevering....there are other ways to plant you in with seat contours.

qbrozen

is it a 3.2?
I did some searching because $1K sounded like an awful lot for a manifold.
Found one online for ~$650.
http://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray/jsp/item.jsp?catcgry1=TL&n=17100-P5G-000&d=ACURA_TL_IN- ._MANIFOLD

roar1

I've been looking at the Lexus IS 300 lately. If you read the fine print, you'll see that Lexus uses high friction brake pads and states that these pads will probably last only 20,000 mi. and the rotors will probably need to be replaced at 50,000 mi.

The TL is BACK on my shopping list !!!!!!!!

doug18

It is a 2.5, not a 3.2.

Thanks for the website! If I am reading it right it looks like I can get the 2.5 manifold for $505?

Is it worth fixing?

tlgal

Thanks for the correction Delmar! I just read some reviews and on top of what you've said, it looks like some good stuff! Thanks for the tip!

sobbad

I have a 97 3.2TL and having problems with the brake warning light. Seems to come on more when cold and after applying brakes and holding. The light goes out after releasing brakes. Other than fluid level and parking brake what else could cause light to come on. Also was wondering what the SRS light is. I do not have a owners manual and hav'nt bought a repair manual yet.

bhelsdon

If the SRS light is on that Means there is a malfunction with your Air bag system. It stands for supplemental restraint system.

Is the brake light the same light that comes on when you put on the emergency brake?

edsalexm

I know this topic has probably been discussed ad nauseum but, has anyone experienced unusual tire wear in their TL? I have an 05 TL with 10,000 miles +, the front tires are already showing signs of disappearing grooves, especially on the outside edges. I don't usually take corners very fast nor do I speed (not too much anyway ). The tires are the standard Bridgestones that come with the car....speaking of which, has anyone else experienced an issue that my dealer calls flat spotting? Supposedly, the tires develop a flat spot overnight. This in turn causes the front end/tires to vibrate (noticeable between 45 and 60 mph) until the flat spot goes away (after driving for 3 to 5 miles). Does anyone know if this is specific to the Bridgestones or is it common with all low profile tires? Thanks for your help!

tedescm1

The Bridgestone tires do cause flat spotting in cold weather and do not wear well but the vibration you feel at 45 to 60mph is a harmonic vibration that is inherent in many 04 and 05 Tl’s. My dealer also blamed it on the tires but it’s not the tires…. it’s the drive train.

Acura has developed a vibration damper to isolate the vibration from the passenger’s compartment. I recently had this work completed and I don’t think it works very well. My car still vibrates between 48 and 60.

I think the vibration is due to lugging in the 5th gear.

bodble2

Did you find that you had to line the entire inside opening of the glove box with weatherstripping to eliminate the noise?

edsalexm

The only reason I'm buying the flat spotting line is because the vibration goes away after driving the car for 3 to 5 miles as I mentioned before. I would imagine if it was a transmission problem that the vibration would be permanent, true?

tedescm1

Transmission problem that the vibration would be permanent, true? es....

The vibration stems from the fact that the 5th gear is engaged too early and the car lugs until it reaches 60mph. The car only vibrates in 5th gear between the speeds of 45 and 60. As discussed, your acura dealer has something to cover up the vibration.

Go to the search window in Edmunds and look up harmonic vibration.

I’ve only experienced the flat spotting in cold weather.

taxesquire

the front tires are already showing signs of disappearing grooves, especially on the outside edges

That sounds like you've been running on underinflated tires. Underinflated tires wear out the outside tread early. Overinflated tires wear the inside tread early. Properly-inflated tires wear evenly.

zkirt

I had a very unsettling experience with my 04 TL MT last week: I started the car as usual and drove for about 4 miles to get to the highway. I wanted to shift into 5th gear and it was very hard to "find" the correct gate. It seems I lost "protective" mechanism that prevents the gear to go to the far right and I almost engaged the reverse gear while trying to go to the 6th one from 4th. I drove in 4th all the way to work. Acura said that they have this protective "trick" to prevent rear gear engagement while cruising at high speed!! My wife also had the same experience while driving it in the evening of that day. Fortunately, this problem disappeared the very next day and the tranny works fine now. Has anybody had the same problem with the manual tranny? is this a frequent problem or just a transient dysfunction?
I really appreciate all your input.

Thanks

taxesquire

I haven't experienced that on my '04 6MT, but I could imagine how unsettling that would be!

I don't understand how a problem that significant could appear and then disappear?!? :confuse:

bodble2

I think it's due to all the electronics that control every function in our cars these days.

bhelsdon

Have you rotated your tires? They need to be rotated between 5 and 6 thousand miles.

zeak

I have a 05 TL/Nav about 4 weeks old. My wife drove the car for the first time yesterday and complained that all radio presets were blank. I figured it was from her being recognized as driver #2 and they had never been setup. Well, when I left for work with the car all presets were missing for me also, I programmed them in different order than I had previously. I returned to the car for lunch and when I started the car all presets were there and in the original order, so it was the original presets and not what I had reprogrammed. Has any one experienced this problem?

Also I have noticed a vibration intermittently between 40-60 MPH. My first thought was a faulty bearing.

bodble2

Those 2 problems have been reported by other owners, especially the vibration. You can probably do search on this thread and see all sorts of posts about those issues.

bodble2

I don't know if you had missed my previous question in post #3064. But, to be more specific, I was wondering if, in your case, you had to line both sides of the glove box opening with weatherstripping, from top to bottom, in order to eliminate the noise?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

tedescm1

Hi - Sorry I missed your question...

I cut three-inch pieces of weather stripping and placed them around the perimeter of the glove box.

When the glove box is closed, you cannot see anything unusual.

bodble2

Thanks! I'll try something similar. Hope it works. Rattle is driving me insane!

swami1

I have a '99 Acura TL with 80,000 miles. It has been a wonderful car generally. Recently, I noticed the driver's side automatic door lock gives problems activating from the key ring activator. It seems that the driver's door lock will lock or unlock the first time [maybe] I try it on a given day. After that, you can see the manual door latch move ever so slightly [proof that it's receiving the signal impulse to open], but it will not move sufficiently to lock or unlock the door. And all other door locks are working fine. And the driver side door lock problem had been worse on hot days and not as bad on cooler days. Lately it works one time a day, only. And, that same door lock works fine when opened with a key. However, I don't yet know if that's strictly a mechanical function or involves an electrical function also. I've removed the door panel and visually inspected and certified that the mechanical aspects of the the door locking mechanism work fine. I removed the connector feeding the solonoid activator and took voltage readings. When reading with a digital meter across the two contacts of the feeder connector, I get an indication that an attempt to activate has occurred, however, no voltage is present. And, I've traced those two wires back to the terminal strip near the fuse panel area on the left end of dash board. Taking meter readings from that point, I get the same results. And these are rather large wires and should carry a significant voltage [12V], I would think, in order to activate the solinoid. Does anyone have any ideas about this, or has anyone experienced a similar problem? Does anyone know the auto door locks are controlled by an electronic module located within the vehicle, and if so, where is said module located? The characteristics of this problem would seem to indicate a faulty capacitor, somewhere in such an electronic module, IF there is a circuit involved, and IF it's serviceable at component level. Any thoughts are ideas would be appreciated.

cerauli

I had a nasty white/gray fade developing on my black dash... (04 TL). Before I would ever get the dash replaced (...new rattles in my now rattle free TL) I figured I would try a few surface treatments. I think I found the one that works the best! "Black Magic-Pro Shine Protectant"... purchased at Walmart (believe it or not...) I apply it about once a month and it lasts that long. Takes 30 seconds to do the entire dash. I apply to the rag FIRST and then wipe it on the dash. Totally eliminated the haze/discoloration and did NOT leave a glare on the surface and in the windshield. I highly recommend it!!!

bhelsdon

I would say that if the soliniod is trying to engage then the signal/voltage is there. The problem is the solinoid/actuator. I have worked on 2 other Hondas in the past that suffered from the same problem and a new door lock actuator solved the problem. You shouldn't go around probing wires as you will cause more problems later.

bjvjs

My 2000 TL had no power when I attempted to start it today. Jumped it, it started and went dead again when I turned it off. The battery is one year old. It did not have any juice left for any accessories. Are there any TSBs or recalls for the starter or other electrical components.

Thank you.

swami1

Thanks for your input and advice regarding the automatic door lock/solonoid actuator problem on my '99 Acura. I'm sure your advice is prudent [not to probe around the other wiring], and practical as it could very well be that replacing the solonoid actuator would be the culprit. And I would be delighted if that were the problem since it's probably the easiest solution for me to solve without dealer help. At first glance looking with the door panel off, the solonoid actuator unit looked like a "bear" to replace with the tight quarters and window track obstructions. I'll take another look tomorrow with the thought in mind of replacing it. Any thoughts you have about short-cuts, suggestions or tricks to removing the solonoid/actuator that you can suggest based on your experience with it, will be appreciated. Thanks, and I appreciate your response.

ceb90

I had previously taken my car to the Acura dealer to have window sill replace, and to have my back panel fixed because of rattling from the subwoofer. When I got it back I didn’t look at the rear seat, I just took it home and parked it because I was leaving the next day for a week on business. But when I got back I noticed the rear seat leather interior was wrinkled with little like dips in the seat, as if there had been a lot of people riding in the car.
Now I have had my car for almost a month and I haven’t let no body ride in the back yet. So I assume the technician had his knees on my seat when look at the back panel. I took it back to the dealer and they looked at it and then tried to compare the back seat of a used TL.
So the dealer told me, the only thing they could do was maybe send it out to an upholstery shop, but he said it will probably look worst. Why can’t they just replace the back seat with a new one? What should I do? Can I call Acura headquarters?

bhelsdon

If you run in to any stags just ask for help. There are no real shorts cuts just take your time and don't bend any of the rods leading the door latch.

bodble2

Stags? You mean involving strippers and all? :P If I were lucky enough to run into one at my dealer, I wouldn't need any help!

bhelsdon

I really should proof read before I post my messages.

That was supposed to read, If you run into any snags and don't bend any of the rods leading to the door latch.

crushmeister

I'm interested in purchasing a new TL and was wondering how people like the lights. I had a recent lexus ls430 and found the HID lights to be unacceptable in terms of the limited distance down the road that they projected and how sharp the cutoff was between intense light and pitch blackness. There seems to be great variability between and even within car brands in terms of how HID lights are aimed and how far they project. I live in an area with no ambient light, lots of hills and deer. I plan to drive the car at night before making a decision, but would value any input on this from current owners. Also, the TL seems to be one of the only cars around with xenons for high beams also. How are the high beams?

Thanks.

bhelsdon

The lights seem to do a very good job if you keep the fog lights on. I personally see better with the low beams and fogs on rather than the High beams. One very big draw-back I have noticed is that I get high beamed ALOT from other drivers that pass by.

ceb90

I had previously taken my car to the Acura dealer to have window sill replace, and to have my back panel fixed because of rattling from the subwoofer. When I got it back I didn’t look at the rear seat, I just took it home and parked it because I was leaving the next day for a week on business. But when I got back I noticed the rear seat leather interior was wrinkled with little like dips in the seat, as if there had been a lot of people riding in the car.
Now I have had my car for almost a month and I haven’t let no body ride in the back yet. So I assume the technician had his knees on my seat when look at the back panel. I took it back to the dealer and they looked at it and then tried to compare the back seat of a used TL.
So the dealer told me, the only thing they could do was maybe send it out to an upholstery shop, but he said it will probably look worst. Why can’t they just replace the back seat with a new one? What should I do? Can I call Acura headquarters?

calwhiz

You could call Acura headquarters but I doubt they will do anything about it. I've had worse problems with my TL and they weren't helpful at all.

As for your leather seats problem...it will flatten out over time as you start having people riding in the back. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Just make sure you polish your leathers with some UV coating from time to time to keep them look new. That's more important. I have had my 04 TL for almost two yrs now and the leather seats still look quite new.

gmeythaler

could it be a wheel bearing? Have a 2001 subaru that had a left rear bearing go bad at 50k. Thought it was tires at first. Mechanic put the car up in the air, put it in gear and propped the accelerator at 40mph and walked around the car listening at each wheel. Could be totally off for your problem, but thought I would share this.

upstatedoc

I too have been "flashed" numerous times even though I don't have the highs on. Is this a tl problem or a HID lamp problem in general? Should I have them lowered? I assume they are legal since the car was just inspected.

crushmeister

Before having them lowered I would test a LS430 in dark, hilly conditions and see if you like the experience of what is sometimes extremely limited down road vision. If you go fast enough you feel you are outdriving your lights. Unfortunately, with any of these bright, highly-focused lights there seems to be a fine line between too much light for the other guy and not enough for you.http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/emotor- cons/emo_angry.gif

bplayer

If it has just been inspected then they should be aimed correctly. However, the HID lights are brighter than halogen lights and some people believe that you are using high beams. Once you know what HID lights look like it should never be mistaken for even super bright halogen lights, and it is amazing how many people still don't.

There are some advocacy groups who believe that HID lights should be banned, or if equipped, they should automatically point them lower when there is oncoming traffic. Some high-end cars have this.

Just get used to their flashing and ignore it.

strokeoluck1

I live in EXACTLY the conditions you're talking about. We live several miles outside of town and I go through some hilly areas, gravel areas and encounter deer a couple times/week. Initially I too was a little disappointed in the HID lights as I felt as if they couldn't keep up with my foot on the gas pedal. But once I found that fog light switch it worked wonders. And the brights are awesome in my opinion. Out where I live I can use the brights a fair amount. When I get in closer to town where I encounter a bit more traffic, but there's still not enough overhead light, I leave the fog lights on w/no problem. I've never been "flashed" by others. Ironically when I used to drive my Pontiac Grand Prix with the fog lights on (which were located underneath the regular lights) I'd get flashed quite a bit. I also never get flashed with my regular HID lights on, w/out the fog lamps on. We live in a slightly upscale community so maybe that has something to do with it? Maybe people are used to seeing more HID lights on the road?

- Rob