I don't think any class action suit has been filed. I have not heard of any on this forum.

 

2004 TSX 6spd 79000 miles. Do not have extended warranty. I was hoping that I would not be one of the unfortunate ones whose ACs have stopped working and are charged with a enormous $3K bill, especially since my VIN numbers is one of the later ones (>40000). But I think I am going to be proven wrong.

Morning AC was working fine. Then in the afternoon when I left for lunch, the car was blowing warm air even though it was hot outside. 95%+ of the time I leave my setting on Auto and 71 degrees. I then went to my nav screen and turned the AC ON manually. Still hot air. Then after lunch while coming back to work, I turned on the car and voila- cold air. But after a mile or so it again started blowing warm air.

I haven't yet heard the compressor grenading. So could it be just the relay, like one of the posters on the thread? What do you guys think, should I wait for my AC to consistently blow warm air i.e. completely broken before going to the dealer? Or should I take an appointment right away? Is there anything which the mechanics can do before the compressor grenades completely?

 

^^Check to see if the compressor & clutch is even kicking on when you turn on the A/C. It's an audible click if you're in the cabin, but you can also see/hear it switch on/off by looking in the engine bay (the compressor is just underneath the radiator on the side of the drive belt). If the clutch is working, then the compressor should work too. If it's not, then you've got a busted compressor.

 

It's a relay, same problem I had. It won't be a huge bill to fix it.

 

Update regarding my AC:

Over the weekend I checked my compressor and clutch located behind the radiator like Pacman said. When I turned on the AC, neither the clutch was rotating nor I was getting any cold air. I then did a couple of ONs and OFFs of the AC and after 3-4 cycles suddenly I heard a click and I started getting cold air. Looked under the hood and the clutch was rotating and thus the compressor was running and giving me cold air.

So, I took my car this morning to the dealer. The service rep called me in about 3 hours saying, and I quote, "Honestly, I am confused". So apparently when they started checking the AC, it was not working. So they checked the refrigerant pressures, compressor relay, some sensors and a bunch of other things and all of them checked fine. They replaced the compressor relay, still nothing. And then something happened. While they were doing all of this diagnosis, the car battery went dead. He said to do all this diagnosis he was deliberately drawing a higher current from the battery.

So they went ahead and recharged the battery, and all of a sudden the AC started working. By that I mean the compressor kicked in and everything was fine and dandy, until it again became an intermittent problem rather than the completely non functioning AC. The service rep thinks that it is an electrical issue with the compressor not kicking in when turned on, rather than a mechanical failure.... so maybe that is good news.

Now what he suggested was he is planning to put some probes and some diagnostic equipment and his mechanic is going to test drive it for longer distances, so essentially taking my car home with him so that they have sufficient miles (80-90 miles) with the probing equipment on. So he called me back asking for my permission. I did not know what to say, and I gave him the go ahead. The one good thing he said that if it is an electrical problem then the whole diagnosis and maybe repair caps off at $230 i.e. 2 hours of labor time no more.

Oh and then by the by, he said that the battery is on its way out what with it having about 4 years 11 months and 80000 miles and he would strongly recommend replacing it and is charging me $127 total with installation for that. Again, I did not have a choice in that and I gave him a go ahead for that too, kind of agreeing in my head that I would anyways have to replace the battery sometime soon, but dissenting because he left me with an awkward decision to make.

Does all of this make sense to you guys? It really does not to me.

 

So the compressor isn't getting enough juice to switch over? Man, that's news to me. I'm NOT saying the dealer is BS'ing you. If the circumstances permit, I'd get a second opinion by a auto electrical shop. Hopefully when all is done, it turned out you just needed a fresh battery. BTW, our OEM battery sucks.

 

I guess it sounds like it makes sense, I've just never heard of that before. Maybe they should try replacing the battery before they do all the other diagnostic work.

 

So finally the dealer service rep said they figured it out (well sort of). The first time they had replaced the relay the problem was confounded with the battery being close to dead (which I am not sure it is accurate, because when I was using the car it seemed fine.... but well, who knows) and so they were thrown off by that.

Now it seems replacing the relay with a new battery seems to have taken care of the compressor arbitrarily deciding when to turn on and when to turn off. And now they say it is working nicely. Will pickup the car this evening.

So there, after spending $301, the problem seems to have resolved.

 

I would say it is definitely time for your battery to be replaced anyway. With the year and miles on the car, you'd have gotten stuck at some point, so it's good it was replaced before winter time. I just did mine earlier this year, too. Batteries typically only last 4-5 years anyway.

And you got lucky with the A/C fix, in that it was not the "big" problem. $300 is much better than $3000. :wink:

 

Yes, definitely I like spending $300 better than spending $3000. But then again, I am back to worrying when/if I will have the "big problem". Do not know what is worse, worrying about the problem or actually having the problem. Oh well...

My gripe about the battery is that, I did not have the opportunity to shop around for that and I had to pay what the dealer charged which I guess is atleast $30-$40 more.

 

^ I feel you. I've resolved to not worry about it anymore. If it happens, it happens. It just means I get a new car.

 

'04 TSX, 98,950 miles.

Boom. Sheared off the shaft at the clutch assembly on the compressor. Took it to the dealer, researched the problem here, obviously something going on. Requested goodwill assistance from the dealer, all he did was give me the phone number to Acura Client Service. Called them, requested assistance with parts cost.

Just called me back. Nothing. Nada. Zip. So now I'm out $1600 bucks or so. I've always taken the car to the dealership for ALL service since I bought the car new.

What a total screw job. Thanks Acura. Way to screw us over.

 

^ Sorry about that. Which dealership?

 

Yea, that shaft piece really needs to be beefier. Seems like it's the weakest link.

Honda recommends running the A/C regularly, even in the winter months. The refrigerant also contains oil that lubes the A/C system. I guess without proper 'lubing', the shaft can seize. Now, I wonder what the recommendation is to change out the refrigerant/lube.

 

My compressor diagnosis was at Apple Acura, York PA. (I only moved here a year ago, previously was at Fresno CA)

One funny comment from the regional customer care guy on the phone... "Well, I see here you've brought the car in at 9K, 20K, 30K etc. ... so are you taking it somewhere else for oil changes? 'Cause those are some 10 thousand mile intervals..."

me: "um... that's what your owner's manual recommends..."

 

What did he say?

 

2004 TSX 81k miles. Here's my story:
Week ago was driving in afternoon 100+ heat when A/C starting blowing warm air. Not intermittent, did not hear any loud noises. Just stopped blowing cold air. Checked low-side A/C pressure (not 0, so no leaks). Went through Acura service manual - checked fuses (ok), tried self diagnostic test (ok), sensor readings (ok), relay socket (ok). Bought new relay for $7 (pt number 39794-SDA-A03), still blew warm air.

Took to dealer (David McDavid in Austin) Thursday morning - compressor was bad. Quoted me $1200+. I said to write it up in a quote, as I would contact Acura Client Services as I knew they had helped out others with the cost from reading this thread, and this appeared to be a common problem with 04 TSX. Service rep said he could write up a goodwill letter, and in fact the regional rep was on-site that morning and could review it.

The regional rep agreed to cover all but $350 of the cost. I am happy with this since the parts alone would have cost much more than that. Got the car back on Friday and A/C is back to normal.

I talked to the service rep after my car was finished - asked him what factored into the goodwill. He said the fact that we were original owners was big, but the main thing was that the regional rep "was in a good mood". They didn't agree that this was "common" as internet postings can be "misleading". We have a pretty extensive warranty history - all the 04 problems (headlight condensation, oil leak/loss, center console, seat brackets, etc) - not sure if this played a part but I know they went through all the service records. The service rep also mentioned that the customer ratings are important - he said their salaries are based on the ratings from customers, and wanted to make sure I would give them good marks. The service rep said I was pretty lucky with having the regional rep on-site - he left at noon on the day I was there, and apparently is only on-site once every 2-3 months.

To summarize, if your compressor fails, take it to the dealer and see if Acura will help you out. I got lucky in having the regional rep there the day I was there, you might want to inquire when or if they will be on-site. If you are the original owner, and note that you will be a happy customer if they help you out, I think your chances of getting help will be increased.

I'll get my invoice posted up sometime this weekend.

Patrick

 

Forgot to add: thanks to all those who posted their experience. I would have never thought about asking for a goodwill or contacting Acura Client Services.

 

Referring to Patrick's story:

I feel that it is sorta disappointing and sad that you have be "lucky" just so you only have to pay $350 (Still substantial) to fix a common factory malfunction part. This makes me scared to buy a TSX like my orginal plan

 

I think this is a really crappy thing to base goodwill help on.

And to say this problem is not common is retarded, IMO. Clearly it is pretty damn common, and extremely expensive to fix without goodwill.

 

LuvMyTSX - I agree re: ratings for goodwill - I included that tidbit since it was clear the ratings were very important to both the service adviser and the acura regional rep - other folks might be able to use that for leverage in trying to get goodwill.

I didn't argue with the service rep about how common the A/C problem is since they gave me help anyway - but I agree with you this appears to be common with the 04 based on this thread. The service rep mentioned he had not seen one, but the number of 04 TSXs in north Austin is a small sample size. I think folks posting their repair work orders is the strongest ammo.

Deus - just to reiterate what others have said - if you're considering a TSX, avoid 04's and you should be ok. My experience has been a mixed bag - the car is fun to drive and was a good value but it was a PITA to deal with all the minor stuff that had to be fixed when car was under warranty. This was our first Acura/Honda and I expected a little better, I just won't buy a first year model again. On a more positive note, this is the first time since warranty ended the car has had any work done (besides maintenance). And this car is a pleasure to work on compared to other cars I have owned - everything goes back together the same way! Much different than my 96 Trans Am, I use duck tape on a regular basis with that thing

 

My 04's A/C died this past week and I have an appointment Tuesday @ McDavid Acura to see if they are going play nice now that this will be the third time I have taken my car for A/C problems. Acura CS was already helpful in assuring me that they are not going to leave me hanging since my warranty went out 3k miles/1 month ago. I will let everyone know what comes from this next go around w/ McDavid Acura in Austin.

 

Well good news this week! McDavid Acura fixed my A/C under the "Goodwill" policy didn't give any flack like they have in the past. I am very pleased and 0surprised that it was this easy to get it fixed; so glad my factory warranty just expired.

 

I heard the dreaded "clonk" today, multiple "clonks" in fact and my A/C started blowing warm air. Looks like the compressor is toast.
I'll bring it into Acura of Concord on Monday, I hope they'll be nice to me.

 

My A/C went out too yesterday night coming home from Canada. I didnt hear any clunks or anything that people have posted in this thread. Could it be the relay? It was working fine going to Canda, but after I crossed the border, nothing...

Another question, my car would drip water or something from the A/C, was there something leaking? Its been doing this for the longest I can remember. I called Acura and they said its normal, its just condensation.

 

Jattditutti:

What year is your TSX and how much mileage does it have?

 

2004 and 98K. Mine is auto, btw.

 

So there is a hole in my a/c condenser which leaked all the a/c freon out. Acura has a warranty on the a/c if I get it replaced from them, correct? And where can I order the condenser online, they equated me $200 for the part, and $400+ for labor. If Acura has a warranty, then I guess I'll just use them..

 

Sorry, its $200 for parts and $200+ for labor, comes out to be around 400 dollars. I was looking at the final price.

 

Service Advisor called back, said the rep agreed to 50/50 split.
Going to cost a lil over $700. Guess thats better then zero help.

 

Ouch. Better than nothing, though.

 

So does anyone here know if 2005 have this problem?

I have a 2005 Acura TSX C031400 something is the last few digits on my VIN.

Anyhow, if one was to do preventative maintainance on the A/C from exploding, what would/should I replace only?

Just the compressor or the clutch?

 

Well my AC finally got fixed.

First it worked fine and then one day just stopped blowing cold, the passenger side did a little bit. I bought a new AC relay and that didn't fix it, I bought a tool to check the freon level and it said it was full. I brought it in to our mechanic and it turned out to be a leaky hose.

 

greendestiny: The problem seems to overwhelmingly affect the 2004 model year only. I would say that more than 90-99% of the cars with this problem are 2004 models.


zguy95135: What year TSX do you have and how many miles does it have?

 

My AC just went out the other day. After reading the posts I double checked my compresser to see if the clutch is intact and its all there but the compressor is not turning on. Is there a safety feature that disables your compressor when the refrigerant is low or other issues or am I just screwed?

 

^ I'd venture to guess you are plain 'ol screwed.

 

At least you made it to 109K with the original compressor.

 

STC:

What year is your TSX and how many miles does it have?

 

Anyone know a good AC shop in the Anaheim/Garden Grove area? I dont want to take it to the dealer since my warranty is up.

 

It's a 2004, and I got it fixed at 103,000 miles but it went out at around 96k.