Metal_Driver

After just reading some of the posts in the other AC forum I have to conceed that I am more than concerned about the overall relaibility which I first bought an Acura for. I know it is just a matter of time until the AC blows and I have just experienced a HVAC center counsil light failure.

I have put our plans for a new MDX on hold given the recent rash of early AC failures (amongst other reported problems on the TSX and TL and even the new CRV which we briefly looked at) and the more I read the more I am inclinded to scrap the idea all together. I have already begun to research other products on the market. This is truly a shame as I had always trusted Honda in the past for their reliabilty. I get the feeling more people are going to start to vote with their wallets.


Jeff

fernanbev

Same exact thing just happened to me yesterday on the way back from Philly to NY. Something fell off my car and it sounded like metal hitting the road. Then AC begin to blow out hot air. Same exact mileage. Must be a defect.

LuvMyTSX

Jeff, I was wondering about the new generation of CRV. I know the last generation had AC problems, but want to know about the new gen because my mom is seriously interested in one to replace her current vehicle, which is now unusable as of today, and might be replaced very soon if the repair bill looks like it will add up to too much, since it's not really worth fixing at this point. I want to make sure she gets a reliable vehicle, and I am not so sure about Honda at this point, since I too have had an AC problem as well as the console lights issue. I'm really rather disappointed that they have not done more to resolve these problems.

Metal_Driver

The information I gathered on the CRV problem was from others who had mentioned it in passing on this or someother forum. Sorry I could not be of more help.

Jeff

knakane

Well, yesterday on my way home in the afternoon (wasn't even hot - maybe low low 80's - Tustin, CA), I heard the weird almost grinding sound followed by the pieces of metal falling out of the car & the hot air from the vents. based on what i've found so far in the forums, it appears the clutch assy. fell off the compressor. At least when I'm looking at it, I cannot see anything where the clutch assy. should be. I found a new compressor & clutch @ Acura of Peoria for about $525... I found it especially aggravating that when I called Tustin Acura to see if this is a common problem or if there is any extended warr for this & he said "Sh!t happens" & then went on to tell me that it will be about $1,400 for parts & labor to fix...

Has anyone had any experience in changing this on their own. A friend of mine knows Hondas so well that he could probably be a certified mechanic so I'm going to have him help me...

Also, does anyone have the address to send a letter of complaint to Acura???....Thanks

PACman

Acura Client Services
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746

LuvMyTSX

That sucks. Good luck.

Fox137

blah... I feel like my days are limited...
'04 ~65k miles...

LuvMyTSX

Yeah, it really sucks knowing you should just expect it. I got "lucky" this summer and had just my relay go out, not the compressor, so I too feel it's just a matter of time.

I'm at 42k now.

sho0z

yea...im so scared thats gonna happen...im at 33k now...ive had every issue everyones addressed with their 04's...i dont wanna give the car up because its sooo clean and i gotta good deal on it....has anyone else here gotten the extended warranty?

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

If this happens to me when I'm out of warranty (I have an extended warranty to 100k, at 85k now), I'll probably sell the car and buy something else.

knakane

Thanks for the address PACman, I appreciate the help!...just to follow up, I was at Tustin AutoCenter (CA) this afternoon looking around to see if there is some other car (Lexus maybe) that I might want to look into & decided to stop by the Acura dealership just for kicks...

My first question was about the powertrain warranty to maybe try to get that annoying everlasting "groaning" fixed when I'm sometimes engaging the clutch, and was told by the service dept that it "might" be covered under warranty but the problem is that i would have to pay a $500 deposit and authorize them in writing to remove & completely tear down the tranny. then they would inspect the parts & if the problem is deemed a manufacturer defect, they would pay for it...otherwise i would have to pay more to have the tranny put back together...When I mentioned my a/c problem..he smirked & said "you seem to be having a lot of problems"... what a joke!!!...

I'm beginning to lose all faith in Honda product.....

knakane

One more thing..would it be possible for someone to post or send me a copy or at least a basic outline of a letter that's worked previously for getting $$ from Acura...Thanks!...

LuvMyTSX

No....but only because I already have the CPO warranty and I plan to sell it when that is up. If you plan on keeping the car, I'd get it.

LuvMyTSX

I was feeling the same way, but fortunately, the major issues so far have been pretty limited to just the '04s. That means I won't be buying another first year model again. It took a little while for me to cool down and think about that after I had both my A/C and HVAC lights go out within weeks of each other over the summer.

knakane

Yeah, I hear ya...Overall the car's been pretty good, my issue is based on my experience & my friends & families experiences with Honda product. I have just never have heard of Honda/Acuras having issues like this.

At least I have these forums to go to for questions honest, real world answers...

gavinn58

Add me to the list of AC compressor problems. 47xxx miles here. Calling the dealer tomorrow!

knakane

Sorry to hear about that...the good thing is that you're still under warranty...let us know what they say!....

wonderin32

Same problem for me (a/c clutch), although luckily the dealership is picking up the cost of repair as I am out of warranty by 5K miles and I've done most things at the dealership up to this point.

The part is back-ordered now though, so I've been in a loaner for 10 days.

Dealerships are generally willing to pickup the cost of repairs if you are loyal (or act like you are), before trying the Acura route:
1. Tell them you know they have a goodwill budget
2. If you've been going to the dealership reliably, tell them that.
3. Make a very soft commitment to do future repairs there.

gavinn58

UPDATE: Compressor blew up, unit replaced under warranty but the dealer techs are concerned that metal shavings may have entered the rest of the system. They are going to replace the entire system under warranty in which some parts are backordered. So at this point I still have no AC and it's about 87 degrees during the day. Yuck.

sho0z

i live about 3-4hrs away from the nearest Acura dealership that I would go back to...does anyone know how much the CPO warranty will cost?

LuvMyTSX

Look on www.curryacuracare.com. Just assuming you're talking about the extended warranty, not CPO warranty. The CPO warranty comes with certified cars.

darth62

This is some scary stuff, given that my '04 has 70,000 miles on it. And, since I live in Los Angeles, I basically run the A/C every day.

knakane

Whats up people...Sunday a friend & I changed out my a/c system...got it charged on Monday & it's working better than new...Once we figured out how to get everything out, it was quite simple....also changed my MT fluid while I had the bottom piece of plastic off...& changed the oil/filter...car is perfect right now!...I took pics but haven't had the time to convert them down from raw...

davidspalding

I believe it depends on your car's mileage. Varies from vehicle to vehicle. Simple check would be to call a dealer with your VIN and ask for a quote -- saving you the drive. Who knows, if you say "I'll think 'bout it," and don't call back, maybe they'll return-call you with a better quote. Just a WAG.

Stash

Well it looks like mine blew out for the second time.....the first was just under the warranty at 49000 miles and took 2 months to get repaired. Now that I am at 104000, I wonder how they will treat me.

LuvMyTSX

That sucks. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

TSXinTN

davidspalding

... With sympathy and generosity, one would hope.

muncher

04 TSX with 29000 miles. First signs of warm weather in the NE and my AC isnt working. Never heard the big clunking explosion and my A/C isn't on intermittently, so I wonder which one of the problems I have. It was working just fine last August... didn't use it all winter and now it's dead... Oh well got an appointment on Wednesday. Lets just hope it gets fixed quickly.

rx280

Who knows, maybe what happened to me four years ago has happened to you. It could be that your AC condenser -- not to be confused with the compressor -- was hit by a rock while you were driving. The resulting puncture caused the refrigerant to leak out and, presto -- no more cold air. Here's a post of mine from 2005:
"My AC condenser was KO’d within a few months of my taking delivery. (Bought the car in October of 2003 and the condenser was hit during the winter that followed.) The service adviser at my local dealer said the warranty wasn't applicable because the damage was done by an 'outside force.' An attempt to get assistance from Acura client relations failed. Then, to my surprise and relief, my local dealer’s service manager decided to replace the condenser under warranty as a 'good-will gesture.' For anyone who hasn’t already noticed, the TSX condenser is something of a sitting duck for road debris. It’s vulnerable because of where it’s positioned and how little there is in front of it.) I’m hoping I won’t be the first person to have a condenser nailed twice, because I’m almost positive that the 'good-will gesture' was a one-time thing."
My second condenser is still intact, by the way. (Knock on wood.)

nbtx

Damage like this should be first checked with your insurance agent if you have comprehensive coverage. It's unlikely that many dealers will good will this kind of damage - sort of like replacing a windshield that got hit by a rock ...

gpayne13

My 04 compressor and clutch packed it in this weekend as well, to the tune of $1300. I gave them a hard time about the fact that the car has 63K and this is a problem that I would expect to happen until well over 100K. Is this something more owners can expect? The dealership thought it was unusual, I had a different opinion.

gpayne13

My 04 compressor and clutch packed it in this weekend as well, to the tune of $1300. I gave them a hard time about the fact that the car has 63K and this is a problem that I would expect to happen until well over 100K. Is this something more owners can expect? The dealership thought it was unusual, I had a different opinion.

JPC-TSX

Toss me on the heap of the 04's. A/C died at about 65k, I've now gotten it repaired at 84k.

A/C died in conventional fashion on 7/15/07...the sound of lots of small particles rattling around in some sort of chamber, and then the vents blowing warm air. Within all of five minutes, fan only, no A/C.

I suffered through the rest of last summer choosing not to get it repaired. Now, with a few warm days here in NJ in recent weeks, it was time to take care of things. This week, out the door from Springfield Acura, $1900. Compressor, condenser, compressor clutch, coil. They did some other minor repairs that I didn't ask for, but they were not included on the bill.

I'm holding onto my receipt. Even at 84k+ miles, I can still hope for a recall...they said that a receipt would be good for a refund if a recall came within (depending on the terms) 12 or 24 months out.

The flipside was that I got to play with an MDX for a whole week. My only complaint was the gas mileage...as a single guy with only a few passengers over the course of a week, a $65 tank of gas just ain't worth the toys and space. Still loved it...

LuvMyTSX

$1900? Ouch.

My relay died last summer and I was without A/C for a month. If the compressor is going to go, I hope it goes this year since I have one year left on my warranty. If it goes after that, I'm trading the sucker in instead of paying that much dough for a repair.

TSXinTN

Had mine repaired at about the same mileage. Got a check for $750 from Acura (see page 3 of this thread). If I were you I would try and recover some of that $1900.

TSXinTN

The dealer might think it is unusual but Acura Customer Relations knows different. I would try and get some goodwill assistance with this.

muncher

i've had so many issues with my tsx lately. been in the shop 3 times in the past 3 months for various things. only silver lining to that is i can count on a monthly free car wash =(

LuvMyTSX

I know the feeling. I lived at the dealer last summer. First, I went in for my 40k service. Then a couple days later, my dash lights went out. Took 2 trips to the dealer to get that resolved (each round trip is 2 hours!). 3 weeks after that my A/C crapped out, which also took several trips to resolve. They couldn't find the problem at first, even though I asked specifically if they checked the relay (A/C was intermittent not out completely most of the time). Finally it died completely and I took it back and they replaced the relay. But damn, I was back and forth to the dealer all friggin summer.