Acura TL Maintenance and Repair

priggly

This whole issue of superior "handling" on the part of the German cars is primarily the product of advertising hype which has been overly successful in convincing potential buyers that the German offerings are in some way superior to the TL. The fact of the matter is that any differences are miniscule at best. Overall, the TL is the far superior choice, particularly in critical issues such as reliability and value. In all other areas the TL lacks little, if any, whatsoever.

tlshark

i think that the A4 is a great car, something that id put on my list of buying. but when i compare it to the TL there really isnt to much to compare it too. For the price of an A4 you can buy a TL plus a-spec package and other gismos and custom it however u want. with the A4 at its price you just got a basic car. The TL comes with almost everything a driver would want at a really good price(standard), the A4 you have to purchase some options sep. quality wise regarding the engine hondas got it, i cant speak for the leather in the a4 but the TL is ok to me. the resale of a japanese is much better also if u had an accident parts are easier to find just look fgor after market things.

anyways i wish u the best on either car both beautiful cars!

laurasdada

The issues I've had/have:

Fading/chalky dashboard. Not a big deal, but noticeable (to me, at least).
One rattle, only when sunroof is in "vent" position. Dealer was to fix at first service, did not.
Temp guage issue (read ---). Fixed at first service.

Oh, yeah. Bridgestone Turanza's stink in the snow. But, so far, not the snowiest of winters here in Boston area. Raining cats/dogs right now...

Leather is fine. No "harmonic vibration" (is this an "Urban Legend?" )

The TL is a great car: powerful, luxurious, good handling, nice ride, decent mpg and handsomely styled. Of course YMMV, but I certainly recommend one to consider the TL when shopping for an entry level luxury performance car. For me, it was the winner over the G35x.

ruffyoung

It seems like that I have the same problem.
About rpm 1.5, it sounds like whining sound and no power. the sound louds at that moment. My local dealer also told me it's normal. they adjusted transition time chaining gear of transmission. It was looked like engine tune up. After this, engine sounds is a bit lower than before. but the symptom didn't fixed at all.

carnaught

Hmmm...owning as many cars as I have and comparing them, I do not subscribe to the "no big deal" attitude with regard to my TL problems.

laurasdada

As I wrote, YMMV. I'd prefer perfection but, after all, cars are only human. I believe, unfortunately, that your TL has presented more problems (built on a Friday, maybe) than mine (so far?). But of the four TL owners I know (Father, Brother, neighbor y yo), no complaints.

I hope your next ride treats you better.

jimmy81

Yea this 'harmonic vibration' BS is internet chatter. I've had my TL 2 months now and have no idea what this HV is all about. If its there I don't notice it so its no BFD to me. My car's great so far. 22.5 mpg with mostly city driving - and I punch it often cause its ready to go!

I do think the driver's seat bottom side bolster is kinda hard, but I suspect it'll soften up a bit over time as I get in and out over the years. Have you noticed the same?

sydney472

Can somebody please assist with this problem. My dash lights on my 2000 TL seem to flicker (get dimmer, then brighten) especially when I apply the brakes. Any insight on what could be causing this problem is much appreciated. Thanks for any responses.

bhelsdon

You need to have the charging system checked. Also check the battery connections to make sure they are clean and tight. Make sure the ground to the body is clean and tight. Have someone step on the brakes while you look at the brake lights to make sure all the bulbs are lighting correctly. If one is dim then you have a problem in that socket that is taking too much power.

laurasdada

I'm not sure if it's softened up or not. I don't think that the TL seats are my all time favorites in that, for me at least, the seat cushion could be just a bit longer and wider (or maybe I'm too wide! ). I am aware of the bolsters. I'm not uncomfortable, but I do find myself shifting about a bit, I think, because I'm aware of these limitations. It's actually hard to describe and it does not take away any of the enjoyment I get from driving the TL.

It could be that I came from a Chrysler 300M which had bigger, softer seats. While bolstered, not as firmly as the TL.

buckyrob

I own an 04 TL with and automatic transmission. When driving at speeds of 40 mph to about 65mph, I am experiencing the feeling that the car wants to down shift but it doesn't. This translates into a rough ride. Its like a vibration and it can be felt in the steering column or any hard surface of the car. If I manually downshift into 4th, it goes away.
My other problem is that if my front wheels hit any pothole of about 3" or more in depth it sounds and feels like I just crashed into a 9 foot hole. Its the most crushing blast I've ever felt in any car upon hitting a pot-hole. This car to me, has a very HARD and noisy ride. Has anyone else experienced any of the above.
Thank you for any feed back

carnaught

This car to me, has a very HARD and noisy ride.

Exactly!

hatemytl

Don't buy the Acura TL.

I want everyone to know how unhappy my wife and I are with our 06 TL. :lemon: We are very upset with the car's vibration at 55-65 MPH. We have never had such significant problems with any car before. But more significantly, we have never been treated to such deception and disrespect by any company for any reason. Acura's position is no only wrong but inexcusable! Don't buy their TL or any other car they make, for that matter.

Don't kid yourself folks. This is a disaster for unsuspecting consumers like us who assume Honda makes a great car and stands behind it. We really feel cheated because we can't stand driving the car only to be reminded of its defects every trip down the highway.

First, we called the dealer at 200 miles to set up the service fix and found out about the "harmonic vibration" problem from the dealer's service manager upon the second visit. Everybody was playing a "GAME" that it was the first time they ever, ever, ever saw such a thing. Oh Dear! We soon found out how widespread this problem was after getting the service manager to "ride along" with me in several random new 06 TLs. Soon thereafter, he admitted this was a chronic and reoccurring problem but Acura was simply ignoring it. It is Acura's official position that this problem does not exist. Well let me just tell you folks; This problem exists and it is very, very real!

I have now officially be rejected by the dealer, manufacturer and the state arbitrator. My two remaining options are filing a lemon law complaint or a law suit. This whole thing really sucks. We couldn't be more displeased with our brand new Acura LT. Acura and Honda must have some huge problems to ignore this like it isn't there. I will make sure they have as many problems from me as possible in return for their deceptive and dishonest business policies.

Don't Buy the Acura TL!

laurasdada

"This car to me, has a very HARD and noisy ride."

Compared to a Lexus ES330, yes it does. Compared to an Infiniti G35 (or my former Chrysler 300M/wind & road noise), no it does not. At least to me after test driving 'em.

Did you actually test drive the TL? If so, you should have been familiar with its ride characteristics. For its intent, I find the TL to have a good balance of ride/handling.

I'm really, really going to try and detect the "harmonic vibration" on my '05. I really feel left out (as do the three other TL owners I know). I'll let y'all know if I can detect it. But after a year + of ownership, my TL is in perfect harmony!

mvc_jones

I can appreciate that if I had a problem and faced this same type of treatment I would be upset/angry as well. However, it appears based on monitoring these boards that this is not a problem recognized by all (and it appears most don't notice it.)

I do have to ask if you test drive cars before you buy them. If this is such an obvious, common problem that you noticed on a random sampling of new TL's as well as your 200 mile or less TL, I would assume this would have been apparent on your test drive. With such a large purchase, a careful buyer would also monitor sources like Edmunds and other Acura owners sites (and there are many of them, with lots of information.)

Certainly, shabby treatment by a dealer or manufacturer is inexcusable. However, it is the buyer's responsibility to inspect the product and determine if its inherent characteristics and qualities (and you appear to state this is an inherent characteristic that you noted on several new TL's, not a problem due to the car malfunctioning post-purchase) is desirable and worth the purchase.

I enjoy my 2005 TL/Auto/NAV, excepting a few rattles (which appear to come from the passenger seat or seatbelt, as the rattles disappear when I have a passenger) and have not noted this harmonic vibration.

My previous car, a 2003 VW Passat/1.8t/Tip had noticeable turbo lag at low speed. Some people complained it was dangerous and should be addressed. I say they should have taken note on the test drive and decided not to buy the car if this characteristic bothered them.

I would say the same of the harmonic vibration if you consider/determine it to be an inherent characteristic, which you appear to state. (or defect, as you assert) of the car as opposed to a problem that evidences itself over time due to a degradation of the car, which would, IMO, be an issue that requires repair.

Best of luck in resolving your situation. If you choose to buy another vehicle, I strongly suggest you test drive it with great attention and research some of its characteristics, both good and bad, so you know what you are most likely to get. Every car will have its own character that you may or may not like or even notice (i.e. Tip lag with VW, jerky shifting with ES330, rattles with TL, poor gas mileage with G35 or LGT, etc...)

golfnut5

ruffyoung,

About two ago I took my 05 TL to an out of town dealer concerning the whining sound. I wanted a second opinion from my local dealer. A tech drove with me and said it is a characteristic of the TL. To prove it, the tech took me for a drive in an 06 TL and sure enough it made the same whining sound. Although I don't like the sound, at least I know it is common to the TL and not just mine. The tech did not know what mechanism made the sound.

cassiri

I've owned my 2006 auto TL/nav for 2 months. From day one mine has also had the vibration but only when the tires are cold. I think many people don't feel it because they drive at neighborhood speeds for a few miles and then get up to a highway speed. For me, I pull out of the neighborhood within 1 mile of starting the car and immediatly am driving 60+. I feel the vibration, like flat spots on the tires for the first couple miles. It fades and will not return unless the car sits for at least 8 hours or so.

It's not bs. It does exist and is probably different depending on where you live (road surface, temps) as well as tire pressure.

I wonder if anyone has had luck fixing it by replacing the factory michelins.

bplayer

I can understand your anger and frustration with your situation.

You may have another option, and that is to start the repair process with another dealer. Treat it like a new problem and leave the emotion and history at home before you visit the service advisor. Without digging through the history of other reports (your quote was to a 2004 message) it sounds more like an out of balance situation with one or more wheels. This is fixable.

You have to have all your documentation is good shape to win a lemon law claim. If you do not already have it, starting with a new dealer is good idea.

I am totally satisfied with my 2006 AT TL. It had one minor issue that was resolved on a trip to the dealer. My previous car was a 99 A TL, and I was totally satisfied with that one as well.

ruffyoung

Hi golfnut5,

Thanks for your response.

is it really what they said "characteristic of the TL"? hmm, But I never had before sound like whining!

I may need to figure it out by myself.

it sounds whining with no power when RPM go about 1.5. When I try to speed up, meaning pushing the accelerator of my car down to the floor strongly, the sounds return to normal with power. at this point, RPM go out of the range 1.5.

This phenomenon can be found when you drive a stickship manual car. When the speed is getting down at higher gear, you must change it to lower gear properly. if you don't change and keep going in the higher gear at low speed, it make the sound whining with no power.

I am trying to find more information. I will go to second option as you did. Let's find more information as possible.

I will post the result.

Cheers,

hatemytl

Thank you for your reply and advice. I think the best thing we can hope for is for someone to see this correspondence and learn from our mistake. No, we did not test drive our vehicle upon delivery! It didnt even occur to us based on the excellent reputation of Honda/Acura. And no, we did not monitor the web for possible problems with the car.

Hopefully these mistakes will not be repeated by others.

Stuck with a lemon.

mvc_jones

I wish you nothing but the best of luck in resolving your situation. I suggest you try some of the alternatives recommeded in the board (try another dealer if it exists in your area, see if they will rebalance the tires, then change the tires (particularly if you have the Bridgestones) if you wish to try to keep the TL.

If you do choose the sell the TL and try another make, I commend you for planning to research the vehicle and carefully test drive the vehicle that you will actually take delivery of prior to signing a contract and taking delivery.

Even the best makes (and I myself consider Acura to be among them, with 6 good Acura experiences in my family to date, as well as at least as many Honda experiences) will have a problem vehicle every now and again, and if it happens to be the one you ordered, you have every right to refuse delivery of it and demand a new one. For this reason I recommend making the minimum deposit if you order a vehicle, put the deposit on your credit card so you can dispute (cash makes this very hard) and protect yourself any way you can as a consumer. Always remember that the dealer wants to sell you a car and you should take every measure to make sure you are satisfied prior to executing a contract.

Again, best of luck in your search for resolution or a new vehicle.

cerauli

04 TL (10,500 miles) Personally I only feel it for the first 5-7 miles when driving after the car has been sitting all night! To me, this is a tire issue although some have changed the tires and still experienced the problem.

I too am shocked that Acura/Honda would ignore this problem.
Anyone get anywhere with this problem or with Acura?

ceccam

I have a 05 TL/automatic, when the car downshifts at about 65 to 60 kmh, I get a rough downshift. The dealer has told me this is normal for TL's. Anyone else having this problem?

laurasdada

I agree that there is an issue with the Bridgestone tires flat-spotting when the car sits in cold weather. After they warm up, back to normal. I'm not sure if the flat spotting is specific to these tires or to a wider audience of high-performance/low profile tires. I'll definately be swithcing to another tire once the Turanza's time has come. We'll see if the flat-spotting continues...

According to these boards, the Turanza's were "reformulated" sometime during/after the '04s run, due to complaints. Did this help? I don't know, but Acura continued to OEM them and I don't think they are the best tires they could have chosen.

The tranny lugging or "harmonic vibration" (which I believe only happens when the moon is in the seventh house and jupiter aligns with mars... ) is a different "issue" altogether. The flat-spotting I believe I've experienced. The HV? Nope.

buckyrob

I am the person with the 04 and I appreciate the help of everyone so far. My problem feels like its in the transmission. I can only compare it to a standard shift car. If you are going too slow in a particular gear, you will feel it start to lug. (or vibrate). This is how I can best describe the feeling in my Automatic 04 TL. IF I DOWNSHIFT manually into 4th, the problem goes away or if while in 5th gear, I accelerate to 70mph, it goes away and is smooth again. I also want to point out that I do not experience whining sound or whistling sound as others have. If I am correct, Harmonic Distortion or Vibration has to do with sound (like some cars do with the sunroof open and the windows up). The problem I am having is definitely one you can feel, as described above. I hope I'm making myself clear. ALSO, DOES ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCE THE HORRIBLE CRASH FEELING AND SOUND YOU GET WHEN HITTING A 3-4" POT HOLE?
I have experience a great history of owning Hondas and never would have expected to have this happen in an Acura. When I roadtested this car (twice), the dealer took me over his pet circuit, that did not include pot holes which there are many of in New England and when we drove it on the highway, this problem was not manifesting itseld at that time. I thank you for your advise.

ontop

So because your car has this 'vibration' you hate the car? My TL doesn't do what yours does. Anyway cars vibrate to some degree. Right? If yours is really that bad why was it not detected in your test drive?

Something fishy........like a troller.....

goodegg

I agree. My 06 TL doesn't do this 'vibration' thing. And I've been listening hard for it. Am I the lucky one whose car doesn't have it? I doubt it.

Man - if this thing with your car is that big a problem have the dealer fix it under warranty. Go to another dealer if the first one doesn't satisfy you. I would if this 'thing' happens with mine. But something this big and obvious should have been noticed in a test drive.

Yea - agree - fishy post. Good luck tho.

aaargh

I've been on this board since I got my TL in May of '04. The discussion about harmonic vibration has been ongoing since I joined. Given the number of TLs that exhibit this fault, though in the minority, Buckyrob's post is not at all "fishy". Actually he describes the probable cause (early shifting into 5th) exactly as others have in the past.

Acura has not properly addressed the issue for those that have it. :mad:

mvc_jones

I see no reason to believe hatemytl's post is not an honest statement. Although I agree that a test drive should have evidenced this issue in most instances, this is a problem that has been noted by a few others in the past and hatmytl's assessment of the issue appears to be well documented and presented.

I enjoy my TL as well and have no issues, just like you. But just because we do not have issues, this in no way precludes others from having issues.

What basis do you have to accuse others of being dishonest? I see no reason to make this assertion.

hatemytl

I feel like a complete fool to have purchased the TL. I was supposed to be the "car advisor" for my wife and I failed miserably. Now we're stuck with a car we hate; yes, because it vibrates everytime we drive it. We will be selling this car as soon as it makes sense, possibly at 10k miles.

Mr_Shiftright

I don't think the issue was dishonesty...speaking only for myself as a disinterested reader of the post, I was wondering how a transmission could seize without the driver being given rather dramatic warnings prior to the incident...since seizure generally requires a lack of lubrication....also wondered if it could be a frozen differential, broken axle, etc. It's just a highly improbable event, so naturally people would be skeptical and want more facts and detailed information.

bodble2

I bought mine about midway thru the '04 model year, so maybe I lucked out and got the reformulated tires, because I have not experienced any flat-spotting symptoms --- and on a couple of occassions I have parked the car for several days straight at a ski resort in sub-freezing temperature.

sydney472

Could some please provide some advice on servicing your TL. I have a 2000 TL with 108,000 miles and need a few things done to maintain it. Everything is fine with the car just want to maintain it to keep it a long tiime. The dealership recommends a timing belt replacement or service at this mileage which consists of water pump replacement, spark plugs replaced, valve adjustment, all belts replaced including (timing belt) and the cost for this service is $1500. I checked at a reliable auto repair shop who can do this type of work for around $800. Does everyone recommend that dealerships provide all of their maintenance or do you let others perform it. ???? Also would you let other people other than dealers perform simple work such as brake work.???

buckyrob

Hello, I believe its great if you know FOR SURE that the independent auto repair shop has A HIGHLY HONEST REPUTATION FOR GOOD WORK AT REASONABLE PRICES. I don't believe any Dealer has reasonable prices and not all of their work is done correctly. If you were still on warranty, that is another issue but with the miles you have on your car, go for the job at 800.00. I have a TL and use an independent shop but specify they do everything that the Acura dealer would do. They have done it for about half the cost of the dealer.
Best of Luck

camon

For an 00TL, our local dealer "lists" $968 for the complete package of replacing the water pump, timing belt,and all other engine belts. This also includes replacing the "tensioned pulley" for the timing belt. It does not include the spark plugs.

While the normal price is $968, the dealer routinely runs "maintenance specials" and reduces the cost to $681.

I don't know what spark plug replacement costs on a TL, but on my last 6-cylinder Mitsubishi it ran over $250 because the entire air induction system had to be removed to get to the rear 3 plugs.

With respect to having the brakes done by a non-dealer, I would be sure that they had an "on caliper" brake lathe to properly turn the rotors to help avoid the problem with rotors that begin to "shimmy" if not properly turned. I'd be sure the dealer was also using the proper equipment.

klunkman

I feel like a complete fool to have purchased the TL. I was supposed to be the "car advisor" for my wife and I failed miserably. Now we're stuck with a car we hate; yes, because it vibrates everytime we drive it. We will be selling this car as soon as it makes sense, possibly at 10k miles.

Have you had the tires rotated yet? If it isn't a tire balance issue, it's probably a bent or defective wheel. If you try rotating the tires yourself (in accordance with the rotating pattern in the manual), I'd be willing to bet the vibration would be reduced or eminate from a different location. I had a bent rim on my '02 TL and it was frustrating as hell.

But of course it sounds like you've already made up your mind that you hate the car and won't try this.

armand

I own an '04 TL with 15000 miles on it. I have tried to sense the Harmonic Vibration that is talked about and think that it may relate to the sensitivity of the driver. Yes, at about 45/50 I feel something - but it is very minor and a reasonable thing (IMO). It feels like Acura has set the shift points to maximize mileage and not performance - not necessarily a bad thing. What I feel is very acceptable (to me)- having driven std transmissions for most of my life it just feels like it is shifting at a point a little earlier than some might want. If what I think is true it is happening on all TL ('04's and up) unless Aura has change the shift points which it sounds like they haven't.

Bottom line - its a great car at a terrific price.

mvc_jones

I will stand corrected if the facts determine, but looking at the past posts, it appears the question of veracity was aimed at the vibrations from a 2006 TL, not a transmission seizure.

I find the complaints of vibrations to be completely reasonable and the nature of the post to appear honest.

mvc_jones

I have thought about the vibration/HV issue, and agree it could be the shift points and a bit of lugging, due to the 5th gear 45-50 mph threshold noted.

I also thought about a fix of a reflash to change the shift points, but assume Acura would not do this as this may affect MPG ratings, emissions and other regulatory items that would be a nightmare for Acura to go through. If the shift points are a fix for those who sense this problem, I doubt Acura will do this due to the regulatory issues, and these folks probably will need to live with the issue or use SS to shift manually, if the lugging is the issue.

bodble2

Isn't the TL's auto tranny an adaptive tranny, in that it will learn the driver's style. So, if that is true, why not just drive around with a heavy right foot for awhile, so the tranny will "adapt" a higher shift point?

mvc_jones

That may be worth a try, but it probably would be an issue always gun it to teach the car to keep the transmission on 4th gear at 50 mph, and that assumes that the driver of the car wants to be more aggresive in their driving style (which may or may not be the case.) Although worthy of an attempt, I think the SS option is probably more realistic. I also think that (with no hard evidence to back this up) that at 50 mph cruising, the car will probably revert to a fuel economy vs. a spirited tranny program unless throttle input tells it otherwise, another reason why SS would be a more realistic option...

g_roc

Here is my last posting on the back subwoofer.

------

I had a vibration / rattle noise coming from the back speaker or subwoofer area. I thought it was the subwoofer. I pulled off the carpet cover in the back trunk and found that it was the center seat belt. I put some foam around it and now the noise is gone

tlshark

i was wondering if you financed this vechile or leased it? if your really displeased with the car cant you trade it in at another dealership for the value of the car?

tlshark

i was wondering if you financed this vechile or leased it? if your really displeased with the car cant you trade it in at another dealership for the value of the car?

hatethevibe

(I tried sending this earlier but it didn't get posted.)

I purchased an '06 TL a few weeks ago and have a similar 2-3 Hz vibration problem around 45/50 mph. I only notice it when the left passenger window is down. If the window is up - no vibration. When I'm accelerating at the same time its so bad people in the car get headaches and the car shakes.

I took it in to service and took them for a drive. We also checked another TL on the lot to see if it did the same thing. It did. They said it was an air pressure issue. What this really means is this is an "aerodynamic instability" associated with the TL. Its a fundamental problem with design that should have been caught by Acura in wind tunnel tests before production.

I'm very displeased. Any one have idea how to get satisfaction? Complain to the gov't? Get the car mags to notice this and report? Class action lawsuit?

buckyrob

My problem is different. I believe that some recent posts have agreed with me that the car is engineered to shift into 5th at a low enough speed to cause it to lug, hence I feel a rough rather than smooth throttle response until I get it up to a higher speed or until I manually downshift into 4th. I have not experienced the problem you are having as of yet. Good luck. I am convinced that Acura and Lexus are two different levels of refinement in their cars as far as the TL goes. Lexus, to me is of a much higher standard than Acura, sorry to say. Even a base toyota product is more reliable.

bplayer

I have owned a lot of cars and all of them exhibit some sort air vibration when the windows are open and the car is going fast. Symptom may be reduced by closing front or back windows or opening the sunroof. Best solution is close the windows and turn on the A/C.

I doubt that you will get any sympath or satisfaction from any of those avenues.

bodble2

As bplayer said, that's an inherent characteristic in any car. It's not a defect. It's just function of aerodynamics. (I don't see why anyone would want to drive with a window open at any speed above 30 anyway).

golfnut5

ruffyoung,

From you description I am experiencing exactly the same whine sound that you are. It is strange to hear the whine/winding down sound after the car has come to a complete stop. I don't remember this sound when my TL was new, but this could have been from excitement of new car and blasting the surround sound system. If you found out anything please post here. Thanks.

hatethevibe

I understand aerodynamics very well. This is something I've never encountered before in any car and it is very bothersome. Of course it is easily mitigated but the point is that I should be able to drive my car at reasonable speed with any of the windows down and not feel like someone is ear-boxing me and my passengers. And no, this is not normal turbulence. Normal turbulence is "broadband". This has a narrow frequency range (2-3 hz).

However, other than this issue, I love the TL. Just looking at a Lexus makes me bored.