Acura TL Maintenance and Repair

rvator4

What did your insurance company say? They usually replace windshields free, no questions asked.

z71bill

$500 deductible - I have not called the insurance company yet - with a teenager on my policy I would like to keep claims as low as possible -

I know a few states require insurance companies to cover broken glass at "no cost" - but don't think for a second that that means its free - your insurance premiums will be higher. No such thing as a free lunch. .

rvator4

Check to see what they say about that. We did not see an increase in ours. But then, we know the insurance person well.

manmountain

Welcome to the world of TL windshields!!! I've had an 04 TL for the past 28 months and replaced 3 windshields AND I'm currently driving around with a star shaped hit right in front of the steering wheel. Glaziers say they can't fill it without making it bigger but it's 9 months old now and it hasn't gotten any bigger than a quarter. Main culprit, according to the 'expert's is (i) the aerodynamics of the car - rocks are swept up and over the front into the windshield; and (ii) the type of rock/sand they put on highways in colder climates - bigger and sharper. Insurance here in BC has a $200 deductible but the grapevine says that after more than 2 claims in a 12 month period, they bump that to $500 and if you have 2 more in a 12 month period, they won't cover you - even though we have no-fault insurance here in BC.

z71bill

While getting the price of replacing the windshield I was told (by the glass company) that they have two different part numbers for the 2006 TL - I ask why and the lady thought maybe the new part was an upgrade - but she did not know for sure.

So I called Acura customer service to ask them if a better windshield was available. The Acura customer service rep put me on hold to check things out. When she got back on the phone she said the TL had a very low rate of windshield damage - and that there is no upgrade windshield available.

bodble2

Within a month a getting my '04 TL, I got a chip/crack in my windshield. :mad: The good news is I've ignored it, and now, almost 3 years later, it hasn't gotten noticeably bigger.

rvator4

I believe you. I have a 2000 TL with 58K that I bought new. One windshield already and I have a small chip again in front of the driver. My hood is sooooooooochipped from stones. I told Acura a couple years ago about it and after they inspected said 'normal chips". I doubt I will buy another Acura because of the paint. I have never had a car's paint chip to such an extent. The car has never been on a bad road.

aliu0

Hi Sir,
I have same vibration problem after I changed two new front tires. The tire company changed new tires for me several times, and re-balanced them many times. But the car still vibrate at certain speed. It did go away slowly when the car became warmer. I need to resolve this problem.

Could you please tell me some details about the tires and wheels you changed? You help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Al

manmountain

Yes, the final new set of wheels and tires put on the car around 9,000 ks where original equipment ones that the dealer took off a newly delivered TL which didn't have the 'shimmy'. When they put them on my car, the 'shimmy' wasn't there and has never returned. The service manager still maintains that the problem is getting all the four tires and four rims in balance at the same time.

justang

By all means buy the extended warranty. I had to replace my transmission at 54K miles, just out of warranty. The cost was over $3,000 and the vehicle was not covered by the transmission warranty issue because it was outside of the coverend VIN range. Acura Customer Sevice was not willing to extend the coverage. Had I known about the trans issues I would have bought the extended warranty.

z71bill

Acura gave me a price of $954 to replace the windshield - said they could "knock off" $250 if they used - after market (non Acura) windshield.

I was a little surprised that an Acura dealer would use after market parts. Anyone have any experience with this?

If I though the Acura windshield was better I would pay the extra $250 for it - but since I know the OEM windshield is crap what do I have to loose?

garyanders

Just look in the back of your owners manual and there should be a place to order the service manual, if not ask your acura dealer. Probably will cost around $125.00.

milehitlc

I sure need some advice concerning possible arbitration w/05 TL. I have never been more frustrated. I have a recurring problem (consistant fluttering noise in engine between 2500 & 3500 rpm) that my local dealer has not been able to fix. I don't think I qualify under lemon law. My car has now been at the dealership for appx. 30 days THIS time. We have filed a complaint/report with Acura. They sent out two "engineers" one of which said new engine might be in order and another that said it was a "characteristic of the car". Funny that they have even replaced the transmission in order to fix this "characteristic". Something I am less than thrilled with since that was not the problem!

The dealer acknowledges a problem (but only offers a new 07 at $7,000 more or $3,000 more for 06 used. My car has been at the dealership 6 times in 17 mos of ownership. I took it in the first time with 4,000 miles. It seems arbitration through the BBB might be my best bet but would results in mileage charges. Now to my question, if I prevail in arbitration would mileage useage be caculated at the 4,000 miles when the problem first appeared or its current mileage of appx. 14,000.

Sorry to ramble on but would appreciate any help at all! Incidentally I USED to be a huge Acura fan, having driven only TL's since first year production in 96. How sad this will be my last! Customer service is appalling!!! :lemon:

z71bill

I depends on what state you are in - some are very customer friendly - other are not.

Have read of cases where the customer gets 100% refund - even interest paid on the loan refunded - some sack you with a usage fee - based on a % - like number of miles you have driven DIVIDED by a base number like 100,000 Times the cost of the car - and some use a set cost per mile - like $.20 no matter what the car cost.

frisconick

Seems to me you might qualify for the lemon law. I think you would in California anyway. :mad:

magesh

I have been getting this sound from the right side of the engine.

The sound is like a hissing sound & it occurs when I'm climbing a hill & the RPM is at or around 2500. And it occurs only when I hit the gas. Not otherwise. Not when I'm coasting nor when I'm at different RPM. (The hissing sound almost sounds like something is stuck and is rubbing agains the tire if u know what I mean.)

I have taken it to the dealer twice.

The first time they came back to me & stated that it was due to the gasoline I use. (I was using Chevron 89 grade). They 'recommended' I use 91 and then after about 3 cycles it should disapper.

Well its been over 6 cycles & the noise or the hissing sound is still present.

The second time, they stated it was the normal VTEC operation & the sound is within range. What bothers me is that why I did not get this recommendation about nominal sound range the first time!!! :mad:

So would appreciate any & all help. Plus if you guys can share what sort of fuel you folks use, that would help as well.

Thanks,
M

ggesq

You should always use at least 91 octane fuel in the TL. Obviously it can run on lesser octane but you risk performance & gas mileage suffering.

Acura recommends using premium fuel in the TL as well.

manmountain

I've used 89 regular unleaded in my 04 TL for the past 80,000 ks and never had any problems with it - no knocks, hisses, nothing.

rvator4

I use the 89 in mine and have never had a problem in my 2000 TL with 58K miles. If it has lower performance, it sure must be fast with the premium.
My neighbor has a TL also and has never used anything but 87 for nearly 100K and has not had a problem.

lb55

Animalsrush, you are a genius. That is exactly what the problem is. I have not been back to the dealer yet, but at least I'll know how better to describe what I'm experiencing and what it's called. This forum is amazing.

jmcbmw

I have a one month old 2007 TL-S. When taking delivery of the car I noticed what I thought left over tape on the windshield but ended up being a "bubble" in the glass. Found two of these and they replaced the glass under Acura warranty. Was given an RDX loaner for the two days and loved it! Anyway, Got the car back and now I have this awful, annoying rattle in the right front passenger door and or seat. Still trying to localize the noise. It's at time squeaky and other time clicky. Of course I took it back to the dealer rattling all the way. Got the tech in the car and voila! Gone, nothing, not a sound. The noises came back about an hour later of course and hasn't let up since. I'm actually quite suprised at the low quality. I came out of a BMW and granted took a step down in price but genuniely thought I would be getting a trouble free experience. Thought those calipers were on the hood for a reason. This noise is driving me nuts! Thanks for mentioning the seat sensor. Is it an airbag sensor? I just want to be more specific when I go back to the dealership. Well, my car does look great in black and the NAV system is awesome. Still getting used to the front-wheel drive and already had a minor scrape to one the graphite colored rims. Also, I know it's another forum but I'm lucky to get 17 to 20 mpg. I broke it in very gently and have even set the cruise control at 65 for long freeway stretches. I guess I'm rather disappointed in the Acura. Oh well, at least it's almost $200 less per month than my BMW. That covers the gas!

bodble2

Well, it seems you have already been introduced to 2 of the TL's flaws...a rattle-prone interior, and poor gas mileage (especially city mileage). Other common sources of rattles are the glove box door and the door to the storage compartment under the Nav unit. Try pushing on either one, and see if the noise goes away.

rvator4

If you are getting poor mileage, you better look at your driving. I never get less than 25 and on trips driving 90 to 95, I still get 28 to 30.

golf4hack

Yakuza,
I really liked the pictures of your TL's clear bra. I live in the south bay and would be interested in learning where you had that installed? I have a White Pearl...am hoping it won't be too visible..yours certainly doesn't.

jmcbmw

This is a Type-S with the 3.5 engine. Like I had said, I had been deliberately driving to achieve high gas mileage and still no deal.
I'm disappointed to hear that the TL has a rattle prone interior. This is one of my biggest peeves. Thanks for the responses!

bodble2

I get over 30mpg on highway trips too. It's urban mpg that really sucks on the TL. That's been a common complaint about the TL.

albert5

Yeah, I notice that one too. Sounds like something stuck on the right front side of the vehicle. I can hear it everytime I press the gas. I heard it since i got the car almost 4 weeks ago. I used the premium gas.

Any help?

Thanks

nnnnnpatel

I have about 1600 miles on my 2006 TL and I drive on the highway almost exclusively. My mileage always stays at 26 mpg. The car is only being drove at 70-75 mph. When should I expect the miles to start improving?

thanks
Angie

bodble2

At 1600 miles, your TL is still a baby! I was told once Honda engines are fully broken-in until about 20,000 miles. I'm sure that was a bit of an exaggeration, but I would say give it at least 5K miles.

albert5

HI everyone,

Does anybody used a Syntetic MOBIL 1 oil when they do their first oil change?

dumherb1

NEED HELP...I JUST BOUGHT A NEW 2007 TL (NOT S TYPE) AND I FILLED UP 2 DAYS AGO I HAVE DRIVEN 115 MILES IN 2 DAYS AND I HAVE A LITTLE OVER 1/2 TANK LEFT ( 85 MILES WAS HIGHWAY MILES) JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THIS IS COMMON WITH TL'S OR IF I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE "BREAK IN PERIOD" OF 600 MILES, GAS CAN GET EXPENSIVE IN N.Y, ALL SUGGESTION WILL HELP....THANKS

dumherb1

Im dumb....but the range for the gas in the 07' TL seems to be off when my warning light came on I had 25 miles left in range, now the more I drive the higher the range is getting could it be feasible I have 290 miles left with 1/2 tank or is the range way off??

bodble2

All I can tell you is, for my TL, I commonly get 115 miles (or less) per 1/2 tank for pure 100% city driving. But in your case, since most of that was highway miles, the mpg seems low. Having said that, I wouldn't worry too much until your car has accumulated a bit more mileage, say, another 1500 miles.

camon

I've been using Mobile 1 pure synthetic since the first oil change on my 05TL starting at 5,000 miles. I change it every 5,000 regardless of the maintenance minder % reading.

I used the same Mobile 1 schedule with my prior 2 Mitsubishi Diamantes and got 200,000 miles from each car.

dumherb1

I WANT TO MODIFY THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND FOG LIGHTS WITH THE XENON BULBS(THE SAME AS THE HEADLIGHTS)
A. DO THEY MAKE THESE BULBS AND WHERE CAN I FIND THEM
B. WHAT ARE THE BULB NUMBERS SO I CAN FIND THEM MYSELF...

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP

bodble2

I don't think you would be allowed to use xenon for DRL. Too blinding! DRL use reduced power high-beam.

BTW, turn off the cap. Hard to read all cap

albert5

That's good to hear. Are you using 5w30 or 10w30?
Do you used fram oil filter, what's the model #?

dumherb1

OK sorry about the caps.....so your saying no way I could use them?

bodble2

I guess I shouldn't say you won't be allowed to use xenon, since a lot of people turn on their headlights in the daytime, and there is no law against that. But would you really want, or need to use xenon for daytime running lights?

dumherb1

How about the fog lights then.....just for at night?

z71bill

You can buy 5W20 weight synthetic - Mobil, Penzoil & Castrol all make it.

Good idea changing oil every 5K

Good idea using synthetic

If I use regular oil I would change every 5K - if I used synthetic I would follow the oil change monitor % in the car.

I would not use synthetic and change every 5K - its over kill. It would be like wearing a belt and suspenders!

camon

I'm using 5W-30, although 5w-20 is available too and I would probably use the latter if I lived further North or if I put more minimal demands on the engine. As far as oil filters, I get the OEM filters from the dealer. They are not that much more costly, and sometimes I get a discount when I buy 3 or more at a time.

Someone else has responded that he would use the maintence minder if he used synthetic. I would agree, it would be simple and very efficient to do that, but I don't mind changing it a bit more frequently.

albert5

What do you mean weight synthetic? Is that the same thing as the Mobil 1 synthetic oil?

albert5

Yeah, I live in Washington State it gets really cold here during winter.
Do you used the Mobil clean 5000 5w-30 or just Mobil 1 5w-30?

In my case, should I use 5w-30 or 5w-20?
Can you give the part # of that oil filter?

bodble2

Xenon for foglights? I don't think that would work. You would end up blinding yourself from the light refecting back from the fog!

nnnnnpatel

synthetic is bad idea, eventally it will leak through the seals on the engine.

np

camon

The owners' manual recommends 5w-20 oil, so I'd stick with that. The oil I use "Mobile 1" full synthetic. The dealer-supplied filter is Honda part # 15400-PLM-A02. The dealer also supplies new aluminum oil drain plug washers, that should be used each time you drain the oil to get a good reseal (I don't have a part # on that).

With respect to the person that indicated synthetic oil will cause leaks down the road, all I can say is that I've used it extensively over the past 20 years in 2 Acuras and in numerous other vehicles I've owned with no problems. Also, the Acura owners' manual approves of its use and my local Acura dealer offers it too on its own dealer oil changes.

For me personally, I'd definitely use it if I were to stick to the car's maintenance minder, which will extend the oil change interval on my Acura to in excess of 7,000 miles. I'd never go over 5,000 with conventional oil, or even a synthetic-conventional blend.

Anyone using synthetic will have to make their own decision, as it's an expensive car and we all want to maximize the life of our investment.

albert5

Thanks for the info.

albert5

ypu did'nt answer my question to you.

What do you mean weight synthetic? Is that the same thing as the Mobil 1 synthetic oil?

camon

Mobile makes a number of different synthetic and conventional oils, and names them differently.

I've used "Mobile 1 Fully Synthetic" oil. This is also what the local dealer uses. The owners' manual doesn't specify a particular brand of synthetic oil. It just recommends a 5w-20 viscosity oil be used in whatever brand.

I hope that answers your question.