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Acura TSX Display Screen

kimberly_jjkimberly_jj Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Acura
I purchased the '09 TSX (without nav system) almost a month ago. I really love the car! I was actually in the market for an '09 Camry SE, but found the TSX and instantly fell in love. I was almost immediately sold on all the options that I consider luxuries that came standard in this car (i.e. dual climate control, heated leather power seats, moonroof, iPod port, Bluetooth capatability, etc.).

I am new to the "luxury" car owning experience, and even though this is considered an "entry level luxury car", I'm tickled pink whether I'm driving it or looking at it parked in the parking lot. However, I have one small issue that I've experienced so far with the car, which is with the information display screen on the dash. When driving down the road on a sunny day, the sun bounces off the dash and hits the display making it terribly hard to read. I have adjusted the contrast, but to no avail.

I spoke of my concern to the dealership that I purchased it from, and being a brand new model, they haven't sold many of them. So, they really had not received much feedback at all. I mentioned to the dealership that I will probably have the windows tinted, and they thought this would help with the issue. However, I don't feel that my after-market add-on should be used as a bandaid to make things better.

Don't get me wrong. I had a good buying experience and still love the car...even with this minor flaw. So, if you are considering purchasing, don't let this deter you.

I was just curious if there were any other '09 TSX (no nav) owners out there that have experienced the same problem. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
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    bobgwtwbobgwtw Member Posts: 187
    Your problem is not unique. I have a friend who works for a dealership in Charleston, SC; and he says the glare problem has cost him 2 sales. The problem is with both navi & non navi models.

    I'm waiting for the TSX diesel; and hopefully, Acura will have recieved enough complaints that they will replace the plastic screen with non glare glass.
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    stones3131stones3131 Member Posts: 21
    I too have the '09 TSX (w/out Nav) and know of the glare. It doesn't bother me that much though.

    And like kimblery jj, I love the car--driving it or looking at it.

    My problem is the knocking noise I hear when I am accelerating. The dealership first told me it was a result of me putting in regular gas and not premium. I purchased the car on 6/23/08 and had put two full tanks of regular gas in it before the dealership told me to use premium and the noise will go away. Well I have since had 1.5 full tanks of premium in it and I am still hearing the knocking noise. If I still hear the knock when this second tank of premium runs low I'm gonna take it back to the dealership.
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    bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    Even Car & Driver magazine pointed out that the glare problem is the one flaw with the TSX's interior, so I think this is a common problem. If Acura wanted to spend the money, I think they could apply the glass with an anti-glare coating on both sides like they do with high-end watch crystals.
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    fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    There are companies that make screen protectors for cell phones, palm pilots, Nintendo DS, etc. Couldn't you get a low glare screen to apply on the surface of the TSX screen? It would have the dual benefit of protecting the display from scratches/scuffs.

    I've never used them, but I've heard good things about this company in the geocaching community...

    http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/custom/design.php
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    bvdj84bvdj84 Member Posts: 1,724
    Exactly, get a film to cover the screen, and you will probably see a world of difference, plus it will keep the screen looking new. If you look around online or elsewhere, you'll find a shield to do this quite well.

    Problem solved, but wondering why Honda did not see this when the test the car? You would think one of their staff would drive one, and go, Hey, this car needs a non glare film on the screen. I know its not as easy as it sounds, doing so now, earlier in the production would remedy such complaints. I am not sure, this would keep me from buying a car, but rather weigh pros and cons, and see if there was a way to fix it for myself to live with. Every car has its faults, depending on each driver.

    Do a general search online, and there are several options.
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    fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    "wondering why Honda did not see this when the test the car?"

    It's because they drive on the wrong side of the road in Japan... ;)
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    nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    I sometimes get a glare on the odometer screen on my 06 tsx. Under certain street lights it looks distorted but I have learned to deal with it. I did not get the glare on the 09 tsx I test drove.
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    bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    I had a '09 TSX as a service loaner for a day. It was a sunny day, and as long as the sun is hitting the screen, which was most of daylight hours, the screen is un-readable. The reflection of the grain pattern from the dash is just horrendous. This was a major oversight on Acura's part. Simply put, this problem alone would deter me from buying the car. I don't want to have to hunt around for some after-market film (which might bubble, peel off, melt, yellow, God knows what else) to apply on the screen. It is just not an acceptable solution for any car, let alone a supposedly entry-level luxury car. :mad:
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    bvdj84bvdj84 Member Posts: 1,724
    But, as annoying as that is, just be glad your driving one of the better built cars on the road, and that that issue is nothing compared to the issues on other cars. We really should be proud of our Honda products. Though not seeing the display is a big downfall, yes, on an entry level luxury car, I would assume that I wouldn't have to do anything to it. Surprising to think Honda overlooked something like this, but atleast its not as bad as other company's that over look more than this, sometimes bigger issues. Hopefully they will correct on the next years model, adding a factory coating to the display to overcome this. I would assume Honda employees would be driving their own models to review for themselves along the way. Because I know they do.
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    nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    I owned a 05 honda civic ex-se, bought new, that was nothing but one problem after another. I sold it-great resale. My mother's new accord had to a dead battery that was replaced after it would not start (even with jumper cables) and had to be towed to the dealer. Our 05 hyundai elantra gt, bought at the same time as the honda, has been excellent after almost 80,000 problem free miles. My 06 tsx is also excellent despite the odometer that looks distorted at times. It has almost 58,000 problem free miles.
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    redbugeyeredbugeye Member Posts: 16
    I did not have the problem when I drove a loaner 09 TSX. Turing head-lights on might solve the problem. I drive my 05 TSX with head-lights always on.
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    haidonghhaidongh Member Posts: 16
    I have a 2009 TSX without the navigation, so it is not a problem for me. It only happen when the sun hit the dash board at a certain angle. Because I don't look at that screen much, not a problem for me. A antiglare film should fix the problem
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    bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    "Turing head-lights on might solve the problem" Perhaps, although I didn't try that. However, the TSX now has fully automatic headlights, so I would hate to lose the advantage of that by turning the lights to "on" all the time. (Would the lights still turn off automatically if they were turned to the "on" position?)
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    rickpoolerickpoole Member Posts: 27
    I had an 09 TSX for a few days while my 07 TL was in the shop and found the glare on the display was so bad it was readable much less than 50% of the time we were in the car during the day time. I let the local Acura dealership and Acura USA know that we considered replacing our 1999 TL with an 09 TSX but until this is fixed we would never consider purchasing one. There is simply no excuse for this obvious a problem in this class of car. The local dealer admitted they had gotten a lot of complaints in a very short time about this. Their only quick solution was to completely remove the outer plastic screen until a permanent solution is released. The didn't have any with the nav system to compare but said it too has a glare problem.
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