Bluetooth Fails
06-25-2011, 12:54 PM
#121
Moderator
Hi. I'm new to this forum. Here's what I have learned about the HFL. When it fails it CAN and may drain the battery in less than 2 hours, especially if you accidentally hit the button on the steering wheel. This is a common problem and why it does need to be replaced. Botht the dealer and an independent Acura mechanic told me this is a common problem with the HFL. The independent mechanic also told me that he has had to replace so many of the units that it should be a recall item but that Honda will not do anything about it. Apparently the supplier had 3 in stock, and given that the item is so expensive, that tells you he expects them to sell very quickly. I have not contacted Honda because I believe it will be a waste of time given what I've read on this and the Edmunds forum. I am going to try and find a consumer class action attorney to handle this as I don't have the time and I'm sure neither do any of you. I'll keep you posted.
06-25-2011, 01:20 PM
#122
I think I may have a different issue...I was able to take out the unit and when I would move it around and unplug and replug it, it would come back on. So threw a huge tiewrap over the whole unit to keep the tension on the plug and ensure a good connection and so far so good. We shall see. 
06-25-2011, 03:56 PM
#123
After hearing all the stories I spoke with Acura and they suggested I have the dealer diagnose the problem and and see if they do a goodwill for me. If the dealer can not do anything for me. I am to contact Acura they would at that point see what they could do for me. I did bring up the point that I had an 04 TL lost in accident my current 07 type -S HFL not working and my wife's 04 MDX. I will be bringing it to the dealer next week I will keep you guys posted on what happens.
Having a great dealer reprecenting you helps.
07-16-2011, 02:53 PM
#125
Intermediate
Sorry if this has been answered before.
But my HFL was stuck in "Booting Up" last night and even into the morning and I just got into my car and it was warmer outside and the HFL was working *Knock On Wood" is this a symptom of a bad capacitor?
It is not the money I am worried over I just hate to waste my time if this is not the solution.
Anyone with a prior like experience please let me know. FYI my car is an 05'.
But my HFL was stuck in "Booting Up" last night and even into the morning and I just got into my car and it was warmer outside and the HFL was working *Knock On Wood" is this a symptom of a bad capacitor?
It is not the money I am worried over I just hate to waste my time if this is not the solution.
Anyone with a prior like experience please let me know. FYI my car is an 05'.
07-19-2011, 04:33 PM
#126
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Found this thread too late, but FYI - I whined about the price tag on the part and my local dealer (bought the car used from another brand's lot) got Acura to cover 50% as goodwill, and they took half off their own labor. $380 is better than $7xx.
07-19-2011, 08:58 PM
#127
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baby_igor (08-03-2011)
07-20-2011, 07:12 AM
#130
Dang...then that's not really goodwill! You're still under warranty (at least by date) 
I got all excited thinking they may goodwill mine but mine is almost 8 years old.
.
pop the bottom of the whole plastic assembly that houses the garage door opener and 2 lights...then 4 10MM bolts...then uplug 2 plugs and pull assembly out and there are 4 star pattern bolts. The bluetooth is below that.
I got all excited thinking they may goodwill mine but mine is almost 8 years old. .
pop the bottom of the whole plastic assembly that houses the garage door opener and 2 lights...then 4 10MM bolts...then uplug 2 plugs and pull assembly out and there are 4 star pattern bolts. The bluetooth is below that.
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cad2335 (07-20-2011)
07-20-2011, 04:50 PM
#131
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My HFL doesn't wotk either on my 06 TL 
This is a safety defect. Hand free was put in place to aid in people could keeping both hands on the wheel.
This was one of the reasons I bought my Acuras. I thought alot more of Honda than this.
This site has enough members to get something like this resolved. This fix maybe simple but this should all be on honda. Its all a matter of us taking our cars to the dealer, to get this on the books. DO NOT GET THE REPAIR UNLESS THE DEALER IS REPAIRING FOR FREE. Come back to the site and simply get a thread like this one started. Actions will be taken when a large number of people starts to complain all at one time. We all just need to hold Hondas feet to the fire......
This is also a way to get a recall on this item. Remember, this is a safety defect and it should also hurt resale value.
This is a safety defect. Hand free was put in place to aid in people could keeping both hands on the wheel.
This was one of the reasons I bought my Acuras. I thought alot more of Honda than this.
This site has enough members to get something like this resolved. This fix maybe simple but this should all be on honda. Its all a matter of us taking our cars to the dealer, to get this on the books. DO NOT GET THE REPAIR UNLESS THE DEALER IS REPAIRING FOR FREE. Come back to the site and simply get a thread like this one started. Actions will be taken when a large number of people starts to complain all at one time. We all just need to hold Hondas feet to the fire......
This is also a way to get a recall on this item. Remember, this is a safety defect and it should also hurt resale value.
Going to dealer for mine tomorrow. Will report back.
07-28-2011, 04:36 AM
#133
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I replaced the cap as described and initially it looked like the repair worked (i.e. when I connected boards, the phone paired immediately). However, when I started to put everything back together, starting first with replacing the plastic cover securing the board stack, the problem of the random turning on and off returned. It feels like there is a loose connection somewhere but not obvious as there was no board twist or wire or wire connector tug that would turn it on or off. Thanks for the great thread and advice but it appears my problem is different or at least I have additional items to address. Any suggestions on next step(s) would be appreciated.
07-29-2011, 11:20 AM
#134
Yes, CJTTL. This is identical to my experience. My feeling at this point is that it is a design flaw. I believe that the location of the unit is the problem. Eventually the heat does something to the electronics or connectors that causes this cascade of issues.
08-02-2011, 07:17 PM
#136
I did in fact take some photos of the module:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=mjmclendon&target=ALBUM&id=5534950078 261825233&authkey=Gv1sRgCK3f5ILx4PScDg&invite=COHj 7KsI&feat=email
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=mjmclendon&target=ALBUM&id=5534950078 261825233&authkey=Gv1sRgCK3f5ILx4PScDg&invite=COHj 7KsI&feat=email
I notice that the capacitor was not bulging in this pic. Is that not always apparent in a bad cap? Thank you!!!
08-03-2011, 09:34 AM
#138
Wait, they agreed to replace your bluetooth unit for only $80 bucks?!?!
I spoke with my service advisor and he said that the quote would be $776 for replacement...of which they'd likely cover 1/2. I told him MAYBE I'd pay $200 but he wants me to come in to troubleshoot. For $80...I'd jump on it.
Another thing I wanted to mention, been having this problem for a couple of months now. On Sunday I realized my car battery was not cranking the car. Checked it out on Monday and sure enough...it was dead so swapped for a new one (still under warranty) and ever since then my bluetooth seems to be connected without a problem.
Do you guys think a weak/dying battery might be the problem for us?
I spoke with my service advisor and he said that the quote would be $776 for replacement...of which they'd likely cover 1/2. I told him MAYBE I'd pay $200 but he wants me to come in to troubleshoot. For $80...I'd jump on it.
Another thing I wanted to mention, been having this problem for a couple of months now. On Sunday I realized my car battery was not cranking the car. Checked it out on Monday and sure enough...it was dead so swapped for a new one (still under warranty) and ever since then my bluetooth seems to be connected without a problem.
Do you guys think a weak/dying battery might be the problem for us?
08-03-2011, 09:57 AM
#139
In my opinion, No. I had a weak/dying battery for months with no bluetooth issues.
The battery finally gave out during a week of zero car usage. I replaced the battery and the bluetooth is not working now.
08-03-2011, 10:02 AM
#140
Moderator
08-04-2011, 07:52 AM
#143
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Ok so I've been reading this thread and now mine HFL is acting up! Mine was working fine with no issues and now all of a sudden my phone buttons on the steering wheel are dead. My voice commands and radio volume buttons work fine but the phone buttons are dead and my HFL says "booting up" now. I know it's not my phone cause it's the same phone I was using when it did work. But here's what's funny, for the past week or so the HFL hasn't work but the other day when I got out of work (6:00pm in the heat) I started the car and accidentally hit the phone button and it worked! I heard it beep and I said "systems" and went through that whole thing. While I was doing that I turned my iPhones bluetooth back on and it connected perfect! I thOught everything was great again.....and then 2min later it was back off and back to "booting up". I'm not sure now what's going on. I'm the second owner of my 07' type-S and I only have 95k miles. What's the normal warranty on these cars? 100k mile/5yr? Also is there an Acura Care Center phone number I can call and talk to them about this just in case my dealer tries to charge me the $800 deal?
08-04-2011, 09:24 AM
#144
Moderator
Ok so I've been reading this thread and now mine HFL is acting up! Mine was working fine with no issues and now all of a sudden my phone buttons on the steering wheel are dead. My voice commands and radio volume buttons work fine but the phone buttons are dead and my HFL says "booting up" now. I know it's not my phone cause it's the same phone I was using when it did work. But here's what's funny, for the past week or so the HFL hasn't work but the other day when I got out of work (6:00pm in the heat) I started the car and accidentally hit the phone button and it worked! I heard it beep and I said "systems" and went through that whole thing. While I was doing that I turned my iPhones bluetooth back on and it connected perfect! I thOught everything was great again.....and then 2min later it was back off and back to "booting up". I'm not sure now what's going on. I'm the second owner of my 07' type-S and I only have 95k miles. What's the normal warranty on these cars? 100k mile/5yr? Also is there an Acura Care Center phone number I can call and talk to them about this just in case my dealer tries to charge me the $800 deal?
Second, if your HFL is saying "booting up", and that message won't go away, the module is most likely dead.
08-04-2011, 11:13 AM
#146
Moderator
When mine went, I came back from being out of town for almost a week, went to start my car an nothing. When I got it jumped, I noticed the "booting up" error and jumped on Google; that's when I discovered the battery drain issue. Fortunately, I had an extended warranty or I would have been out the $800.
08-04-2011, 02:08 PM
#147
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Yeah it looks like I'm stuck. But you know, knock on wood my battery hasn't given me any issues. The car starts just fine and has never died. I'm just mad that this thing had to happen now cause I'm getting close to having to do my 110 mile tune up.
08-06-2011, 05:00 PM
#148
Went to the dealer and am relieved to find out that it's NOT draining my battery...so I guess my battery was just on it's way out.
Anyway, same diagnosis I expected...it's a bad unit. I'm thinking of doing this whole capacitor swap and see what happens. After changing the battery it SEEMS like the link is a LOT better, but I still drop calls off of BT and lose pairing randomly.
Anyway, same diagnosis I expected...it's a bad unit. I'm thinking of doing this whole capacitor swap and see what happens. After changing the battery it SEEMS like the link is a LOT better, but I still drop calls off of BT and lose pairing randomly.
08-08-2011, 01:52 PM
#149
Good News People!!!! I just bought a new module on Parts.com for $166 for my 2006 TL. Apparently, with all the complaining, they found a new way to manufacture it for far less. I'll keep everybody posted on how it works. I'll probably receive it in about a week.
08-08-2011, 04:39 PM
#151
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My HFL just went out too on my 2006 TL. Im 8 month past warranty.
Thanks to everyone on the board I will try a install new capcitor. Ordered a panasonic one from Mouser. After reading the specs on this site - it states the lifespan of this capacitor is only 2000 hours.
No wonder it's failing everyone after about 4 years. I ordered 2 just incase. I hope this fixes my issue.
http://parts.digikey.com/1/parts/539...-fk1h221p.html
Thanks to everyone on the board I will try a install new capcitor. Ordered a panasonic one from Mouser. After reading the specs on this site - it states the lifespan of this capacitor is only 2000 hours.
No wonder it's failing everyone after about 4 years. I ordered 2 just incase. I hope this fixes my issue.
http://parts.digikey.com/1/parts/539...-fk1h221p.html
08-08-2011, 06:18 PM
#152
http://www.parts.com/oemcatalog/inde...archCatalogOEM
08-08-2011, 06:58 PM
#153
Hey, since you guys seem to know a lot about this stuff...my subwoofer amp is giving me a grumbling noise and the gain seems to have a mind of it's own. I had this problem once before and had it repaired...I did a little research and it seems like it's a bad capacitor. Any idea what to look for when a cap goes bad and is there a generic one I can add to my BT mouser order that would work?
08-09-2011, 12:33 PM
#154
Moved to the LOU
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ended up going to the dealer about 3 weeks ago. And I got the standard response... Out of warranty and the cost to replace is close to $800. I explained to them that it was a safety concern and I wanted Acura to replace the unit in "good faith". He called his rep and after 3 weeks he called me and said that Acura would cover 80% and my out of pocket would be $180.
better than nothing.
better than nothing.
08-09-2011, 03:09 PM
#156
Moderator
ended up going to the dealer about 3 weeks ago. And I got the standard response... Out of warranty and the cost to replace is close to $800. I explained to them that it was a safety concern and I wanted Acura to replace the unit in "good faith". He called his rep and after 3 weeks he called me and said that Acura would cover 80% and my out of pocket would be $180.
better than nothing.
better than nothing.
08-12-2011, 08:53 AM
#159
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I called my dealer and told him the same thing about it being a safety issue and that they should cover some if not all of it since my car is only an 07'. He explained to me that once out of warranty nothing is covered at all and even though it is something of safety it's covered. My dealer even said that it's $95 just to diagnose the problem. What a rip! I wish I was as lucky as "the apostle" and at least have them cover 80%.
