Acura TL Maintenance and Repair

bhelsdon

There is nothing wrong w/ your car or your tires. 25k is all you can expect to get out of the El 42s If you look at the side wall you will find the UTQG rating. this is a number that it printed on the side of every tire that tells the consumer how along a tire will last. For example: A UTQG rating of 400 will net you about 50K the bridgestones on your car are rated at 260 this means that they will only last 20 to 30k. IF you go to Lexus and look at the new IS 350 you will find a warning sticker on the back window warning the consumer that the tires will only last 12 to 15k.

billpaul

Low-profile high performance tires have a short tread life. With a sport sedan, the priority is handling and performance, not budget minded issues such as tread life and fuel efficiency. Unfortunately, if you want longer tread life, you will need to get a family car that offers high-profile lower speed rated tires. Sorry, but that's the way it is.

upstatedoc

Traded in an '03 TLS for my '05 TL. The michelins on the 03 only lasted 19,000 miles. Looks like the 05's aren't going to last much longer. Anyone know a brand that'll go 30k+?

bhelsdon

If you go down in the speed rating you will be able to find tires in any brand that will last longer. I went down to an H rated tire. The TL comes with a V or a W speed rated tire the higher the speed rating the less time the tire will last. An H rated tire is still rated at 115mph.

cerauli

I was told by a Honda dealer on my old Accord that you can't just change the speed rating without significantly effecting the handling and the ABS. I wanted to go from "V" to "H". Does anyone know if this is really true? :confuse:

bhelsdon

I am shop foreman and an ASE certified Tech at a very busy tire shop, I also own an 04 TL that I put H rated Michelins on. The tires do not affect the ABS in any way as long as they are all the correct size. As far has handling I feel that the car handles the same or better than it did with the bridgestones it came with.

You may notice a handling difference if you drive the car like the a car magazine critic. But who in this world drives their 35k Car like that, or any car for that matter.

tedescm1

What kind of tires with a speed rating of H would you suggest? How many miles can you get?

Will H rated tires cause a poor ride?

billpaul

I am a subscriber to the Consumer Reports web site, which hosts discussions with their auto experts. They strongly recommend that the tire speed rating not be reduced. The expert do not state why, but I will ask.

bhelsdon

You will not get the vibration from flat spotting first thing in the morning with an H rated tire. So, to answer your question, no it will not cause poor ride. Other than the smoother ride in the morning you won't know the difference. I put the Michelin XGTH4 on mine and I should get about 50k out of them. I already have 20k on them and they are showing very little wear.

booyahcramer

But who in this world drives their 35k Car like that, or any car for that matter.

I kinda do. But only now and then will I punch it hard and push the redline, rarely doing it in a turn and having the tires grinding. I didn't buy the car to putt putt around. I love the performance the car offers. I'm Ok. Right? The car can handle aggressive prompts.

tpacar79

Range Rover Sport fully loaded...at least if the car does break i will be driving a vehicle that commands respect on the road, acura's are the cheap luxo wanna be car...they just dont deliver, i owned an audi a4 before, nice but i am above both. happy driving, and you are damn right i am picky,i will only step up in vehicles.

tpacar79

haha funny, own a condo in atl, house in fl building a 3k sq ft home in fl own land in costa rica i do quite well...havent lived with mommy for years....but thanks.

pat

Let's drop the personal confrontations now.

There have been some recent exchanges here that have gotten a little too personal, so let me suggest that it's time to get back to the cars. Your cooperation is appreciated.

ed31cincy

Yes, yes and yes. They all are backlit in my '04 TL.

bhelsdon

Thank you very much, I will be calling to have mine fixed. I thought that they were supposed to.

bhelsdon

I'm sure your ok, afterall I think we all drive a little spirited at times thats why we bought the TL in the first place. I was just saying that those magazine editors REALLY put the car thru their paces.

bartalk3

bhelsdon: Have the H-rated tires you put on your TL softened up the ride at all? I love the TL, but the ride on the std. tires is too firm for me.

bhelsdon

No they didn't make the ride any softer. They did stop the annoying vibration from flat spotting first thing in the morning.

sultan49

Hi, I'm new on this board, I have question regarding Acura TL engine oil. Call for 5W-2o, I have Lexus GS 300 I use 5W-30 mobil 1 synthetic oil. What the effect for Acura TL if I use the same mobil 1 5W-30? any suggestion?, thank you very much

theorphan

It's somewhat disturbing to me to hear of this vibration problem at low RPM as far back as 04 models. Ok, here's my take. The vibration problem only occurs when the engine is cold. The vibration or roughness lasts about 2-3 miles and then the car runs perfectly. I suspect that owners confuse the vibrations with low RPM's only becuase it's more apparent in higher gears when cold.

I should note that when I refer to the term "cold" this means the car has not been run for many hours, usually 5 or more hours. I'm interested to see if any other owners notice this roughness or vibration at low RPM's after the engine is warmed up.

aaron_mi

My TL has no power after being totalled lastweek and I cannot eject my CD's from the changer. Hooking up a jump box, or new battery does not help. Fuses seem to be okay.

Does anyone know how to get them out without power or if there is a bypass to power up the radio long enough to eject?

They are taking my car away tomorrow (to junk yard or auction I guess) and I have 6 CDs in there I want!

Thanks

theorphan

I suggest taking either a #2 phillips head screwdriver or a flat head screw driver to the face of the player. Use and 18oz hammer and strike the butt of the screw driver with tremendous force. Depending on your strength you may have to strike the player as much as a dozen times.

Be careful not to scratch the discs inside the player.

bhelsdon

does your vibration only occur while driving or does it vibrate at idle as well?

goodegg

What degree of 'cold' are you talking about? I'm in NC and it doesn't get very cold here much. My tires (EL42s) don't have this issue. Is your 'cold' Canada cold? Do owners in Florida have this tire issue?

bhelsdon

Tires with a high speed rating tend to get flat spots after sitting over night no matter what the temp is. It is just more noticeable in the cold weather because it takes longer for them to get round again. IE. 5 or 6 miles in cold weather Vs 1 to 3 miles in warmer weather. I live in the north east so not canada cold but right around 30 to 40 degrees

al57

had small amount of snow today in NY,went to open the window to get water off the exterior and the water came into the car.anyone else notice this..some design flaw???
i now notice windows tend to bow towards inside of car leaving water only one place to go..Any fix ideas

mdchachi

Maybe it's too late but I'd suggest just taking the whole thing out of the car and working on it at home at your leisure. Shouldn't be too hard. Pop the fascia, undo the screws, and unplug the wiring harness. If you end up getting them out without destroying it, then you could sell the changer on ebay.

aaron_mi

Genius! What are you? Some kind of brain surgeon?

I'm sure the insurance company would frown on my destroying the radio. I guess they want to get something from the car when the auction off (?) the carcass.

buyer777

OOOO......range Rover, was the the second lowest rated in quality....?

pat

You said the car was totaled and the suggestion offered was sincere in trying to help. If I had 6 cds trapped in a vehicle that was functionless and had been declared totaled, I would do whatever it takes to get them out and not worry about protecting the insurance company, believe me!

No need to be insulting ... maybe mdchachi's suggestion will work for you. Hope you can retrieve them someway somehow - let us know what happens!!

ejpalm

I've had my 2006 TL w/Navi for a couple of days and noticed what you were mentioning about the roughness of the engine after it hasn't been driven for several hours. I'm in Chicago and even though the car is garaged, it still can get cold.

After the car has been running for 3-5 miles it seems to dissapate. I wouldn't refer to it as a vibration, but more of a "roughness" as you indicated.

confusedontl

I just recently purchased a 04 TL. There is a rattle that sounds like it is coming from the steering wheel. Did anyone else have this problem and was the dealership successful in fixing this problem? I have made an appt at my acura dealership to fix this problem.

cerauli

YES! Originally I thought it was in the guages. Dealership determined that it was the vol bottons and cruise in the wheel. Replaced all of those buttons with new ones and the rattle went away!

Now... anyone have any luck with rattles in drivers black window trim and down where the door, window, and the dash meet?

cars4life2

live in texas ,not cold at all.i do hearrattle noise coming from the nav area it comes and goes any ideas .i have tl 2005

mvc_jones

Noticed today in my 2005 TL Auto that at about 2400-2500 rpm in every gear but first (noticed this in auto, tested in sport shift) that there is a slight noise reminisicent of very slight knocking, more noticeable without stereo on.

I always use 91 octane (Costco usually but just switched to Chevron) and only have 2500 miles, so have little mileage and no service history.

Anyone else experience this? Unless I got some bad gas (doubtful) I thought the valves might need to be adjusted, or maybe this is a characteristic of VTEC that I did not notice in the past. Any advice, experience or input would be appreciated. TIA.

bhelsdon

Yes I have an 04 and the rattle in my steering wheel turned out to be the airbag. The dealer replaced it and the noise went away.

cassiri

My 06 auto started doing within 500 miles of purchase. It is some type of exhaust shield and is a known issue. The dealer said there is a service bulletin and they can try to bend or adjust the shield that is vibrating. I thought it was engine knocking also but thankfully not. I haven't taken mine in to have the fix done yet. I would be curious if anyone has successfully gotten rid of the noise.

bluegee

Can anyone recommend an installer in the Jacksonville, Fl area? Thanks.

trustonlyonce

I did not have the vibration til after 7k miles or so, It is not a tire flat spot issue, we changed mine twice to prove it. Along with axles, bearing, rotors, torque converter and transmission. tires, and rims, motor mounts and exhaust. It has been in the shop over 20 days and the dealer has spent over 6K trying to repair the vibration. Only after filing with the BBB did the factory get real involved and offer a lesser vehicle. The vibration they tried to hide with a TSB for the 2004 model, failed. Now they are trying to have myself the consumer and the BBB believe that this is designed into the TL. So here we go, if i get this right, I guess when they could not fix/hide the problem with the dampner in 2004 model TL's they had the engineers finially prefected it in the 2005 and 2006 models. Do you really believe they think that the hard working consumer is that stupid, as to just believe we would except that line. We can stand together and push each case to the BBB so that they will be force to do a recall and repair the vehicles that your hard work and sweat pay for. After being made an offer of #1. $1,200 cash to forget about the vibration. #2. a 6 year 120,000 mile extend warrany and just drive with the vibrations until it break or cause a accident or #3. To down trade "even" into a TSX(that I could have bought at 4k less in the begining) is when I relized that it is now a matter of personal conviction to demand back my money and then take it to a respectable Dealer/Manufacturer. Maybe one that can be trusted and stand behind their product. Do you have what it takes to fight for what you believe. I hope all that reads this will do just that. It only takes time and the "patiences of Job"

confusedontl

I have a question. Before buying my 04 TL I read many many posts on here and almost decided against because of the vibration problems people were having. Lucky for me Im at 24,000 miles and I really dont think I have that problem. What are these "vibrations" supposed to feel like? I also read about flat spots in the tired. Could it be possible that Im a lucky one and dont have these problems. The only minor problem I have is a rattle. I have also read about the many rattles coming from everywhere in the car. I guess I really am lucky.

booyahcramer

My 06TL has NO 'vibrations'. Unless you count the good vibrations from owning a comfortable pocket rocket.

michael4435

yesterday, I went to drive my car whcih was parked on the street and noticed that my doors were unlocked. Everything was in a total mess -- someone had ruffled through the glove compartment, back seat, trunk, etc. I am absolutely certain that I had locked the car with my remote.

I took the car into the dealership to get the scuff marks off the leather seats and reprogram my alarm. The service technician told me that several cars in San Francisco have had their locks picked without setting of the alarm. Has anyone heard of this happening elsewhere? Is this a common occurance for the TL? If so, are Acuras that easy to break into even though there is an alarm system?

chilamm

Hi all,

Just bought my 06 TL, very happy with it so far until I noticed scratches on my plastic side and floor plastic entrance.

The plastic side I am refering to is the piece that is in line with the front seatbelt, I am guessing that the scratches came from people flying their seatbelt back to its original position instead of guiding it back slowly.

The door entrance plastic is I think when people step in and scratches it?? Any how, the scratch is white..making is very obvious to see on those really dark plastic surface...

Help...how do I get rid of those? Thanks

confusedontl

Hi,

I have the same problem. Only my interior is camel and shows black marks. My suggestion is becareful getting in and out of the car. I've noticed that the the thicker the sole is to my shoe the harder it is to get the scratch out. I have my car professional washed once a week and they use some kind of degreaser to get the scuff marks out. Im not sure what kind it is but I would think that any kind of degreaser would work. Let me know if this helps.

confusedontl

You are right. I love my TL and am very glad I purchased an 04. I think there are people out there that are never happy with what they purchase. Im sorry that some of these people are having problems like that but its a car and each car has it's problems. There will never be a
"perfect" car. Somone will just find some glich or problem with it. Enjoy your TL. I know that I am loving mine.

chilamm

Does the degreaser get rid of the scratches completely? I've posted the same problem under a different forum and one guy suggested using meguiers leather wipe, i have yet to test it out..once i find out where to get those I will give it a shot...

confusedontl

I just had mine washed today and all of the black scuff marks that were there from my shoes are gone. I don't have any scratches on mine. The one I test drove had scratches all over in the acura silver plate. Go to a place that washes cars and asked them they should be able to tell you where to get these items.

golfnut5

My 05 TL has 42,000 miles on it. I have a vibration when I start off cold for about one mile. After the first mile it is smooth sailing. I don't know why the vibration when cold, but I think it is tire flat spotting. I have no rattles and it still runs like a bat out of hell. :P

qbrozen

definitely sounds like flat-spotting.

you might want to check all your tire pressures, though. I have this problem in my Lincoln, but only if they are a bit low. If I have them all around 34 psi, the problem doesn't show up. I'm sure its different with different tires, though.

jen14

I live in San Diego and just purchased a 2006 w/nav and I find the same problem that the engine sounds rough at first and then after a few minutes of driving the engine is more quiet. Has anyone noticed that the passenger side mirror does not sit flush on the car like the driver's side does? Mine looks terrible and now Acura is saying that it is a product characteristic. Great quality, yah right!