Rusky

I came out to my car last night to find what looked like old coca cola all over the passenger seat and the center console. Odd, considering nothing in the car at all except the car's interior. Then I noticed the mirror.

It ruptured. the chemical inside that makes it dim spewed all over my car. ...and it doesn't come off the leather. Worse (how can it be worse?), it eats through plastic! The console looks like there's been a small fire.

the dealership has replaced the mirror, it took him twenty minutes. He's seen this before. He said he'd call today to tell me what they'll do about the leather and the console.

I bought the extended warrantee. If it pans out, I will be very glad I did and very happy with the dealership. If it doesn't... What a drag.

I am trying very hard to stay positive and focus on the things in life that are going so well. It pains me to think I may never, ever get my car clean again. There may always be a splatter on my seat and burn marks in my console... I hope not.

Has anyone had this happen, what was the result? ...and is there any magic leather cleaner I should try?

later

Rusky

(I'll follow up with the dealership's answer to the trouble)

ResidualFreedom

sounds like a manufacturers defect, stand firm with the warranty. If you punched the mirror and it cracked, different story, you did it. If you came out in the morning and it was like that.....don't worry....

Plus, mention to the dealer that if mirror decided to crack while you were driving and that crap got all over your skin, or even worse your eyes!!! you wouldn't be worryin' about your interior to say the least....and they would be lookin' at a multimillion dollar suit.. I would check your carpet for marks too. If you want to go the distance find out what is in the mirror. I can almost gaurentee it is not healthy for you to be sittin on it in shorts or be breathing the fumes from it being saturated in the carpet, even after a half assed dealership cleaning. They should replace the carpet, re cover the seat and privide a new console if there is acid burns in it. Stay firm.

If your battery exploded under warranty and that acid splashed over your engine, you bet you would be getting a entire new engine (or at least all hoses and plastic components). When dealing with an acid they are usuallly pretty reasonable. Once again Stay firm......and Good Luck

patrick

Holy crap! This is the first time I've heard of this (and I've been on ATL for quite awhile now)! Like ResidualFreedom said, stay firm. This should not have happened. Good luck to you and let us know what the outcome is.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

I've never heard of this happening. Keep us updated and good luck.

Nick

Sorry to hear about the diaster. How hot was it in your area while the car was parked? How long have you had the car? Would be interesting to find out exactly why it suddenly decided to 'let go'. Can we expect more occurrences like this, or was it a one-of-a-kind quirk?

SMF-TLS

Sorry about that, best of luck in getting fixes/replacements

ORLANDO32TL

I Had The Same Problem With Mine. The Damn Thing Broke Like 2 Weeks Ago But It Didnt Explode Like Yours Did. It Just Looks Like There Are Some Hairline Cracks In The Mirror. However, When I Run My Finger Across The Surface You Cannot Feel Any Cracks Which Leads Me To Believe The Thing Broke Somehow From The Inside. Right Now My Mirror Looks Like A Ying Yang Sign Cause Half Of It Is Like A Regular Mirror And The Other Half Is Like The Normal Mirror With The Dimming. I Plan On Going To The Dealer To Get This Replaced. I Will Post Pics Later.

Rusky

Well, as of now, the warrantee people have declined to cover the damage! I expected more from Acura. I have to call Acura customer service. My dealership rep has bowed out.

So far, I'm screwed.

To answer some questions...
It was only about 80 degrees f.
I just got the car 6 months ago with 68,000 miles, it now has 75,000.

ScotTLTypeS

Well, this is a new one...

I also think that you should persue this further. If the damage was caused by the mirror cracking on it's own, they should fix it. PERIOD!!!

vinovelo

Check you states small claims court limits and get an estimate of repair.
In CA it's $5000.00 and from the sounds of it with a minimal amount of
documentation you woud win hands down with no legal costs.

/Steve

Ruski

wow, never thought something like this could happen.

LiQiCE

I've heard of this happening, not to this extreme though ... Usually the material inside the mirror "melts" and the mirror doesn't look right anymore. I think the thread was on A-CL.com ... anyways, hope Acura steps up and takes care of you!

rhizopod

Hmm... mine exploded about a year and half ago, but it hasn't dripped anywhere.... there's just a big "bubble" on the inside... should I get it changed? Is there danger of drippage?? I am no longer under warranty.

goldendragon576

wow, I'm sure they will fix it all under warranty though. Good think you weren't driving.

Rusky

I have to call Acura customer service tomorrow. I read my extended warranty literature and it indeed calls out the rear view mirror as not being covered. I don't think this is what they had in mind when the clause was written but it releases them of responsibility. This is good and bad. Since the warranty people are clearly exempt, perhaps Acura will step up and take care of this for me, rather than trying to pass the buck.

If not, I will have to check into small claims court. If it appears to be something I can do, I'll go that route. If it is over my head, I may have to get a lawyer and then pursue getting the entirety of the damage corrected. That would include the carpet stains and the driver's seat. I really don't want to go through that and feel that Acura would not produce the quality car that they do if they didn't maintain a level of excellence corporate wide. I am probably dealing with the first line of people who don't care as much as they should about their customers. We have yet to see...

p.s. I would definitely recommend that anyone seeing the darkened appearance of a defective or broken mirror replace it immediately. The liquid dripped out of the seam and truly devalued my vehicle

kman156

there is a liquid in the mirror literally! it has to do with the auto dimmer changeover, from day to night. mine ruptured 2 years ago in my 99, but the liquid puddled up inside the mirror, no leakage. sorry that crap exploded all over your car. the dealership replaced it under warranty with no problems! acura is aware of the "exploding liquid rearview mirror " when i brought it in, they had seen the problem before.

kman156

and yes , it could eventually leak...the seal ruptured, so it could be just a matter of time before that stuff eats through the mirror frame? rearview should be easy to come by. ebay, or if i remember correctly a new one was like $100? maybe the dealer will do the right thing?????

MahaRaja

mine had down it twice...once under warranty so it was covered and once out of warranty so i had to shell out 120 for it...it sucked!

mdavisii

Guys,
I too had a similar problem with the liquid (electrochomatic fluid) leaking inside of my mirror. Acura wouldn't replace it, so I ended up calling the manufacturer of the mirror itself, Magna Donnelley. They sent me a new mirror out right away for NO CHARGE! All I needed to do was to return the core. I went to a windshield shop, and they removed the old mirror and installed the new one for $25. So in a nutshell, if your mirror is defective just give the manufacturer a call. The process was real easy, and better than Acura charging you $215 for a new mirror (with labor).

patrick

When my auto dimming feature in my rear view mirror died, I asked my dealer to replace it under good will (my TL out of warranty). My dealer said OK, and I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I feel for ya tho...

rhizopod

Ok I called Magna Donnelly and they wanted to know what type of mount the mirror uses, so they can send me the right replacement! Does anybody know? She also wants me to send in Digital Camera pics.. This will be too great if I get hooked up w/ a free replacement! Thanks

2001TL4KCdude

I was fortunate. Mine just quit working (does not auto dim), it didnt leak.

nym31mp

mdavisii

Mirror type is camlock, part (model) number 011530. Make sure you give them the correct part number, Magna uses a special mirror for our cars. Hope this helps.

Rusky

So to followup... I have not gotten an help from Acura but, in their defence, I haven't gotten through to the right number yet. My dealership is a little disorganized with their numbers.

The new mirror dimmed the other day and I realized, for the first time, what it is supposed to do. It was broken when I bought the car. So, if anyone has a mirror that doesn't dim, replace it! If you are not sure if it dims, it doesn't. I wasn't sure if it was dimming because lights were never that bright in it. Now it is rediculously noticeable. Unfortunately, this nifty feature may be the undoing of a nice car...

Again, replace it if its cracked or it doesn't dim noticeably. When it ruptures, its over :>(

rhizopod

Don't go to Acura for a solution directly... contact Magna Donnelly. They sent me a replacement free of charge! You have to send them back the old one though.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

What do you mean it may be the undoing of a nice car?

mdavisii

Glad to hear that everything worked out well for you. I haven't had a problem with my replacement from Magna at all (after about 9 months). Are you installing yourself, or are you having a windshield shop do the job? I paid 25 dollars during my lunch break to have it done. Didn't want to chance shattering the windshield by taking the old mirror off (a new windshield is an average of $300 in itself)!!

bloo_tls02

How the hell does this happen anyway???

rhizopod

I am probably going to try and get it installed somewhere.. somewhere cheap, hopefully. The only problem is that the mirror is at my house in Houston, and I am in training in Dallas for my new job.. for 7 weeks! I hope that liquid doesn't leak out in the mean time.... It has been ruptured for nearly two years now, so hopefully I'll be fine.

Rusky

well, the only thing i notice these days are the freckles (stains on seat) and the plastic burn...

however, i got in touch with Acura client services in cali and i am under the impression that they are taking care of it! seat too... i am shocked and pleased. I just had mw scheduled svc and brakes done and can't wait to finish my stereo. once they fix the interior, I will have a perfect car for the next three years... what do you thinkk I'll buy in three years (when my wife graduates from her post doc and can support my habit)? you guessed it, no competition from bmw anymore, a new tl. nice job acura!

sjdb1

Call Acura's main HQ phone number and tell them you want to speak to the region DM.
I have pushed similar issues and gotten results as a "one-time' goodwill gesture.

rhizopod

Ok, I finally got the replacement mirror installed. I had to go to the dealer because my local glass place said they couldn't do it. Apparently my windshield has been replaced (I bought the car certified pre-owned) with a made in China windshield (!!) and they used some super epoxy to stick the old mirror on. In any case, it cost me $42.50 to get it done at the dealer. Looks like they did a good job though. Also, Magna Donnelly sent me two rear view mirrors for some reason, so if anyone needs one let me know. Thanks

Street Spirit

Check PM

SamirJP

Hey...My Mirror Just Busted yesterday..Got off work, went to car in 100+ degree heat inside car....the Black Liquid was leaking out...ate a HUGE nasty looking spot into the silver shifter plate.

Did anyone end up replacing that plate?? Whats the best way to go about replacing that?

I'm gonna call Magna today...This sucks

Rusky

I am still waiting in the service from Acura. Aparently, they are still negotiating with the extended warrantee people. I came out to my car yesterday to find it 100+ degrees and I swear I was petrified that the mirror was going to let lose again. I will religiously be using the sun shield from now on.

Sorry to hear about another destruction due to the rv mirror. The Console is pretty easy to remove, just pull the wood trim off (its held in place by push clips, so just tug). Remove the screws in the arm rest bin bottom. Remove the screws that were under the trim. It should slide back. Lots of plugs to unplug so go slow

Bummer...

FTM-1

Okay just an update on my rearview mirrior on my 2000TL from last week.
As I posted last week in another post on the mirrior that was leaking an ink like liquid from it. The stuff leaked from the mirrior onto the chrome plastic part around the gear shift. It also got onto the black trim around the chrome plastic. The mirrior had the halo effect & was hard to see out of. It started off with an oval spot in the mirror then it got bigger then the corrosive liquid leaked from the mirrior onto the plastic. The temps here in Washington DC. last week were mid 90s with high humidity. This should not have been a problem since I have had the car over 4yrs now. I had a service visit to the ACURA dealer for this problem MONDAY.
The service advisor wrote to replace rearview mirrior & center console.
My car is out of warranty on time but not mileage & they may not have picked up on that.
I got my 2000TL on 12/28/99 so it was out of warranty 12/28/03 & 4yrs old then. I had only 49,000 miles MONDAY so I guess they went by it was under 50,000 miles.
Everything was covered under warranty & that I am very happy for.
I have a list of parts they replaced under warranty that were damage by the liquid in the mirrior that is corrosive to plastic.
Part#76400-S0K-A01ZA DESCRIPTION MIR, RR, VIEW
#54710-S0K-A94 ESCUTCHCHEON, CON
#54716-SOK-A01ZA GARNISH, NH286L
#54714-SOK-A01ZA LID, NH286L

FTM-1

This post topic should be made sticky for the reason of the damage it could cause to other places in your car like seats or console plastics trim. I am not sure how often this happens & have never seen many post about the problem in my years on the TL websites.
I have seen some on the mirrior not diming like it should but the corrosive liquid leaking from it & causing damage like burning the plastic parts in the car.

bbdc

I contacted Magna Donnelly's Quality Manager and he agreed to send me a replacement mirror. But the problem is I paid the dealer to replace my leaky mirror before reconizing Magna ccould send me a replacement. Anyone know if I can ask the dealer to refund the mirror if I return the new one?

SamirJP

Well, I am screwed on the shifter plate. I made about 10 different calls: to the dealer, Acura warranty, back to dealer and then to warranty people.

The only reason they are going to replace the mirror is cause one of the idiot warranty representatives mistakingly said they would replace the mirror for me. Thas right Mistakingly.

And as far as the shifter plate that is 120 for replacement. $80 parts $40 labor.

This really pisses me off.....I bought an extended warranty, and this is NOT covered.

Does anybody know where I can get a replacement Shifter Plate, maybe one from a 99?


My TL is a 2000 with 90k miles.