dom

So I guess I should be putting about $1,800 aside.

Can't wait

TSXinTN

That would imply that 1st MYs are a problem. Which we know is definitely not true.
Is the red font and the rolling eyes smiley too much sarcasm?

muncher

mine turned out to be a blown fuse. cause unknown. if it happens again they'll look for the root cause.

TSXinTN

*eyes squinting; in my best Napoleon Dynamite voice* LUCKY!

JFT253

Wife was on her way home from work, heard the "clunking" sound from the engine compartment. A/C immediately began blowing hot air. Turns out like similar posts here, a disc on the front of the clutch came off and broke up. A piece of it apparently went into the compressor and in addition to it blowing the compressor it sent metal shavings throughout the HVAC system. Dealer originally didn't know about the metal shaving contamination so quoted $1,845 to replace the compressor, clutch, o-rings and recharge the system. I complained that the car had 69,000 miles and questioned why a major component would fail 9K past warranty. The Service Writer claimed he had never encountered it before so I mentioned the threads posted here and that apparently it's a common 04-05 TSX failure. A brief discussion with the Service Manager and they decided they would cover the whole thing under warranty. They obviosly were aware it's a problem. Good thing they agreed to take the hit because further inspection while doing the R & R on the compressor revealed the metal contamination. They ended up replaceing the condensor, evaporator, all tubes, hoses and o-rings. Basically a brand new A/C system. The added repairs would have cost me $3,400 had they not agreed to warranty it. Thanks to all who posted the common problem here. Saved us a ton of $$$$$.

LuvMyTSX

Wow, you were one of the lucky few to get it covered by the dealer past warranty. Others have not been so lucky.

Also, the warranty period is 50k miles, so you were 19,000 over.

TSXinTN

Congrats!
Did you take your car to the dealership regularly for service? They are usually more apt to cover the problem entirely if you frequent an Acura dealer for service.

Yeah, I was wondering when this thread was going to get rolling again! Tis the season!

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

I wish I found this thread sooner!

My A/C finally went out for good. Three trips to the dealer and they replaced small parts here ain there. Unlike other horror stories, mine made it to 90k. Same story as above...the compressor came apart and contaminated the whole system so everything needs to be replaced. Luckily for me, I have an extended service contract. The only thing they won't cover is the compressor belt. $92.38 for the belt. I assume 2/3 is labor, lol.

LuvMyTSX

Part of me hopes mine goes this summer so I can get a new AC system before my CPO warranty runs out.

JFT253

Orig. purchased this car (04 TSX) as a "certified used Acura" from a dealer, not the same as did the repair. Purchased it w/28K on it and it came with the factory warranty fully transferable. Serviced it regularly at the dealer that did the repair until it hit the first warranty expiriation, then have had a local auto shop service it since. Yeah, we were pretty happy with the dealer's response to this even though the initial Service Writer denied knowing this is a recurring problem on the 04-05's. I fully expected to at least pay the labor based on what others have said here but they picked up all parts / labor without question.

davidspalding

Unless it was a CPO.

LuvMyTSX

In which case, 62k is the cutoff, making him 7k over.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Turns out that it's 100% belt cost. The service advisor said that there is no labor charge because it's easy enough to install since they're removing the A/C compressor anyway. He said that if the original belt is still good he'll have them reuse it. Hopefully I can get out of this without spending a dime! *crosses fingers*

P.S. - Sorry for the hijack...I'm done. lol

Miamicarfan

What does CPO or CPO warranty mean?

Mokos23

certified pre-owned

Miamicarfan

Thanks Mokos23

Miamicarfan

I am getting worried. I have been reading this entire thread today. If the 2004-2005 TSXs are having AC problems, do you guys know if the same is applicable throughout the entire Honda product line of those years?? For example, what about 2004-2005 Honda Accords and Civics??

PACman

I don't know if this is 100% accurate, but I've read it's also a problem on CRV's and Element's since we share K-series engines with the same A/C components.

davidspalding

Hey, no fair counting on your fingers...! (jk)

spoonfedhatch

MY FUCKING AC JUST WENT OUT ON MEMORIAL DAY WITH 98 DEGREE HOUSTON WEATHER!!!

Cliffs:

took it to Acura...

there were metal shavings from the compressor lockup ALL OVER the a/c system (evap, condenser, compressor, lines, hoses, etc.)

i am 10,000 miles out of warranty

price to replace - $3410

called Acura Client Services (Since I've been a customer for over 6 years).

ACS covered most of it , cost to me = $650

sucks....but at least i have a brand new a/c system for $650 i guess...

LuvMyTSX

What year is your car?

spoonfedhatch

2004 6speed

gogozy

does Acura know where the metail shaving came from?
i am in Canada and we only got 4 years warrenty on AC. my thinking is... instead of waiting mine 04 tsx A/C to fail, maybe better for me to replace the faulty parts first before it screw entire A/C system.. any suggestion?
thanks

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

It comes from the A/C compressor. When it fails or is in the process of failing, it sometimes comes apart internally. It's a fun deal.

I'm not sure if this is a part you can change yourself easily, unless you have access to HVAC tools to safely discharge and re-charge the freon in the system. It's something I'd definitely not attempt.

My car has been at the dealer for almost 3 weeks getting the entire A/C system replaced because of this. The quote was around $3,900. Luckily for me, I have an extended service contract so I only have to pay for the A/C belt ($100).

LuvMyTSX

I wonder what Acura changed on the 05+ models, because this hasn't happened to them to far.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

If that's true, then hopefully the repair will yield a long A/C life.

Out of the cars my parents have owned throughout the years, they've never had an A/C failure like this. It was always the typical "its old and leaks" sort-of deal so the freon would slowly deplete over time.

My dad's truck with 200k+ miles has never had the A/C system serviced and it still blows cold! My old '86 Mercury Cougar (bought new by my Grandma, given to me when I turned 16, and I gave it to my syster a year ago) blows ice cold when the system is charged,but it needs a charging roughly every summer. It's 22 years old so that's kind-of expected lol.

gogozy

ya, sounds like this only affecting 04 TSX, i wonder if this affect Accord or CRV as well. mine TSX was build March 2003 and i dont know if this make any differences or not!

darth62

My '04 has 75,000 miles on it. Zero problems beyond the usual first year issues (like the console lights going dim until the nav was replaced).

However, my sister had an Audi A4. After 37,000 miles, she had a very similar incident with the A/C. Compressor, condenser, all had to be replaced. Quoted price was $2400. We called Audi, and they paid for half. My sister was so irritated by the whole thing, that she traded it in on a G35.

The other sporty sedan in the family was a BMW 330i. Seven years on the road, and it experienced 5 power window motor failures. It got to the point where we were scared to roll down a window, and so that car got traded in.

The point to the last two stories is that all cars have trouble. You were just one of the unlucky guys who had a very reliable car fail. HOwever, I do think that Acura should pick up part of the bill. The problem is that it is hard to get that done after the fact. Usually, you are better off talking to Customer Support people BEFORE the work is done.

Anyway, I am sorry you had this problem and hope it all works out for you.

LuvMyTSX

Not sure about the Accords, but the previous generation CR-Vs have had this problem a lot as well.

http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/hon...OKFJGV9V3F3FGL

gogozy

ya, sounds like this only affecting 04 TSX, i wonder if this affect Accord or CRV as well. mine TSX was build March 2003 and i dont know if this make any differences or not!

dom

Holy hell.

gogozy

OMG, 214 post on this CRV A/C thread.

darth62

Sigh. Well, I shouldn't have been going off about the reliablity of my Acura.

Today, heard a clunking noise from the engine bay, and then the A/C was dead as a doornail.

75,000 miles on it, btw.

DogsTSX

I've also noticed my A/C compressor makin some noise on my '04 TSX. I'm going 2 try adding about 2 oz of oil 2 the system and what happens. I know its not leakin cause the air is ICE cold. So if the compressor is on its way out, I have only 52K miles, so i'll c what I can do.

davidspalding

You guys make me feel so glad I bought an extended warranty....

Several people in another thread pooh-poohed the added expense of an extended warranty for such a (statistically) reliable car, but when I hear about a/c going kaput at 75,000 miles, after my initial CPO extension of factory warranty would've been a year out of date, I just smile.

DogsTSX

Ohh hell yea if any1 is able 2 get an extended warranty then need 2! I have seen sooo many people S.O.L. right after there warranty goes out and it is a major repair. I couldn't get one with mine cause i bought it after the factory warrany. Ohh well, but glad i know how 2 fix them!

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

+1

I always buy the extended warranty. It's assurance that if something was to happen you're covered. It definitely pays off in this situation!

TSXinTN

Pretty sure this issue is limited to '04s. You should be safe.

darth62

Guys - I just took my TSX to the dealer. The factory rep happened to be on the floor. He said that HVAC failures had become "not uncommon" (which is factor rep speak for "happening all the time") in 2004 TSXs. He also said that as soon as they diagnosed the problem he would be in contact with the factory, and would let me know what kind of help I could expect to receive and he asked me to hold off on contacting Acura customer service. From what I gathered, Acura is already quite aware of the problem and is willing to work with 2004 owners to make sure there is a reasonable resolution.

I'm not sure how this is all going to turn out, but to be honest, is you own a 2004 I believe it is not a question of "if" the HVAC will fail - but when. That is, I think it is happening across the full line (although it may be restricted to a specific build month or something like that). So, if you are a 2004 owner, you might want to ask to have the system checked.

In the meantime, if you have an Air Conditioner problem I urge you not to pay out of pocket without 1) Asking to speak to the factory rep (who is not always onsite), 2) Calling Acura directly.

LuvMyTSX

Well it's about time. This has been going on for a few years now with no resolution.

I find it quite curious that only 2004s seem to have this problem. This tells me they might have known about the problem way back and switched to a different design or different material for the 2005+.