Kidd

ok i had to express my anger somewhere... but here I go.

A two weeks ago i test drove the TSX... last sunday I made my order and downpayment for the car...

The guys at the dealership said, don't worry kid it comes in two weeks; so i was pretty happy about it until... Mr Wong, the car is going to be here in mid august because the one we promised you was already deposited for, but no one marked it down, so you have to take the shipment after that.

I was gonna go nuts... oh well i guess its another painful wait for another two more weeks... I know its worth it, but for a 20 year old that wants to drive a new car and get rid of this body rolling 96 Nissan Quest...is yeah quite painful.

Did anyone else run into something similar? I would expect acura to be a bit more precise on their terms.

oh well... btw, this would be the first new car that i will take car of... i got a few question, and i can't run a search on the forum so.. imma ask here

1) what is exactly a "break in period" I heard enough of it and too many opinions, can a car guru tell me please what to do? and what happens if i don't?

2) When i want to apply (zaino, claybar, 3m solutions... etc) how long do I have to wait before i put it on? I heard i have to wait for the car for three months so the paint can cure???

3) What kinda precautionary stuff do you guys do so you don't get stuff dirty or have people key and ding your cars?

Thanks in advance guys, appreicate it



Sincerely,
Peter

Soon to be TSX owner
CG/5AT/No Navi

gcomstock

Hi Peter-

I don't even have a TSX (pretty excited by the car, but paralyzed maybe waiting for the new TL) and I've only bought cars in stock; so my responses will kinda generic...still, sounds like the dealer has taken you lightly, if not treated you outright shabby...

1. Break-in period: your manual will spell out the details, but the basic idea is to baby the car (keep the RPM's down, don't run it too long at exactly the same RPM, gentle on the brakes, etc.) for a short while to allow to allow mechanical parts to burn-in, seat themselves, acclimate, whatever. Sort of like the first couple dates, where best behavior and hyper-courtesy prevails.

2. The various message threads here aren't so long that you really need to search 'em...just browse. The Car Wash FAQs thread has some great, very detailed instructions and discussion for applying polymer polish.

3. Living in a nice area and having a garage helps; where one works and hangs out will often dicatate just how much they can do to avoid parking lot mischief. I've always annoyed my friends for looking for the parking spots way the hell away from anyone else...walking an extra 100 ft. seems like no big deal, and over three years I've not gotten a single ding. I never valet park my car if I can help it, and I never eat in my car (coffee only with a cover). Naturally I've never let anyone smoke in it either. If you're going out to clubs at night, parking in sketchy areas, etc...I guess all you can do is 1. have good karma, and 2. try to park in the best illuminated areas you can. Do be careful parking under trees, some drop sap...or branches in high winds.

Good luck, ~Geo.

Yui

Hey Kidd,

I had the same thing happen to me. Had just finished negotiating on an MSM TSX that was physically on the lot and was about to sign papers when we were told someone else who'd put down a deposit had decided they wanted the MSM 5AT on the lot instead, so they got to have the car. And then we were told there were no other MSM's in the state of TX save one that was used as a mall demo down in Beaumont (how convenient). A quick phone call to the two other dealers in the DFW later that afternoon, both of which had an MSM 5AT in stock, and one that would be willing to sell his to us for the same price we'd spent all afternoon negotiating. I'm not even going to take my car back to the first dealership for servicing, even though it's half an hour closer than the one I ended up buying the car from.

Regarding caring for your car's paint: do it as soon as possible. Before doing so, I'd suggest the following: get some nice microfiber cloths to use as polishers. Get some large microfiber cloths to dry your car with. A nozzle for your garden hose that will let you control the water flow is a definite plus.

The reason you want to wax as soon as possible is so you can add a protective layer to your paint. It'll last longer this way, have a nice shine, and also be much easier to clean as well. I definitely recommend that you go with the Zaino system - very nice. There is a nice sticky thread in the Car Wash section that will get you started.

Good luck!

ClutchPerformer

Man, that IS the suck!

Sounds like they're jerking you around because you're young. I know a bit about this treatment because I'm only 22 myself. This may be humiliating, but if possible go back to the dealer with your parent(s) and make the dealer explain to them what the problem is. Then ask for a further discount and/or free accessories/up your trade-in value. Basically YOU'RE paying (with your time) for THEIR mistake (in bad bookkeeping). Make them understand this, and you should be in a better position to bargain. If they tell you the price is already finalized when you put in your 1k deposit, that's BS. You'll have to come back to sign more paperwork dealing with the price of the car just before delivery. AND...it's not too late to take your business elsewhere.

1). Basically the car requires a break-in period because of the way engines are manufactured. Internals are not machined to the highest precision possible on purpose so that the individual engine/user can complete the machining process in such a way that will make the engine compatible to how it will be used. The basic idea is to run the engine through a variety of RPMs and load situations because if you don't, the engine will not be comfortable doing so later in life. For example, running at the same RPM for an extended period (like travelling a good distance on a highway) is bad because your engine gets too used to that single RPM/load. You should operate the engine very gently when it is brand new 0-100 miles (and don't rev over 3500 RPM). From 100-500 miles, you gradually increase the loads you put on the engine and the RPMs you use. By the time you get to about 1000 miles, you should be driving the way you normally would. I have an article at home that has a full and detailed explanation of the how's and why's of break-in. If you want (or someone else wants), I can post it tonight.

Break-in is important in some ways, but in general it's not a big deal. A lot of people get a new car and drive it like they hate it from day one. And that's fine because break-in quality only shows itself later in engine life and it's easy to chalk up a failure to something else by then. Basically, a bad/good break-in makes the difference between a 100k mile engine and a 250k+ mile engine. If you're planning to lease without exercising the buy option at the end, don't even worry about it. Have fun. But if you plan to buy and keep the car for a long time, a good break-in will keep your engine strong and reliable well past 100k. Sorry for being so wordy. Engines are my life

2). Not sure about this one. I don't know jack about paint.

3). For dings, park FAR AWAY from the front door of wherever you're going. But don't go so far as to take up two parking spaces. I don't think there's much you can do to stop someone from keying you. It's an act of jealousy and cowardice that's usually a personal attack. Just try not to flaunt your new car is the best advice i can give here.

MrChad

PM Moda_way about waiting for a TSX.

I'd keep looking around & hit up all the dealers you can still.
How much of a deposite did you put down? I'd try and find one cheaper still, then go an get your deposit back.

If you laid down 500bucks, try and find a TSX for 500bucks less then you agreed to pay for this one. Then even if you get shafted on your deposit you get the car at the dollar value you at least originally agreed to but much sooner

It would take a fairly special limited run car for me to lay down cash for a car unseen. I guess I don't see the TSX as that kinda car. If it were a run of 1500 type-R's I would lay down cash, a 15,000 unit per year run of TSX's

moda_way

:pee:MrChad...

You're just jealous and it was totally worth the deposit and wait, although at the time I was waiting it was very painful. I put my deposit down prior to build, so I knew my car was mine from Japan to San Diego to Ohio... beginning to end.

Of course, I'm very happy now.

Kidd

hey thanks alot guys, the answers really helped me, from now on I will browse around the forums before I start asking question that have been answered couple times around. I will try the tip to go back and talk to them to see if they will lower the price or some accessories on my part for their mistake and my agony. Learned much about the car engines, thanks alot guys, now I know that my father is a good care taker at cars, our 92 Volvo 940 has 152 Miles and still runs strong.

Anyways, thanks for the tips and advice everybody

Sincerely,
Peter

larchmont

Hey Peter -- No problem. Nothing wrong with sometimes asking something that's on other threads.

Heck, I say the same dumb things on EVERY thread! (Not that I'm a role model!)

Good luck -- that did suck.

tony4311

You can wax it the day you get the car. With new cars the paint is already cured at the factory so theres nothing to worry about.
The 60 day wait is for repaints and bodyshop paint jobs

MrChad

Hey Bimmer Boy-- oh that's right you couldn't afford one so you came to Honda world to feel special. :pfawk:

I told him to PM you for advice--I wasn't slamming you, you dork