rockd

I am a proud new owner of a 2001 Acura CL-S. The car is in perfect shape, and is black with beige interior (a great color combo, IMO). The mileage was 101K when I bought it... that high mileage scared me at first, but the last owner was a salesman who traveled up and down the east coast racking up highway miles. He kept the car in pristine shape, and it drives better than a CL-S I test drove with 36K miles! Plus, the dealer that sold it to me offered a REALLY good deal ($10K even). He even replaced the timing belt along with all the fluids. I couldn't pass that up...

Now, I need some help from all you avid CL-ers!

First of all, I'm having some problems with the two metal bars holding up the rear speakers. They cross like an "X" near the top of the trunk, with a little bracket placed between them to prevent banging (i think). Well, the bracket is not attached to the top of the trunk, and is free to move around a little bit. That causes a clank every time the bass thumps, which is really annoying! I tried to bend the bracket to stay propped against the top of the trunk, but it becomes dislodged every time I close the trunk. Any suggestions? Is this a common problem?

Second, can anyone recommend a good product to clean and shine up my exhaust tips?

Lastly, does anyone know of a product to fix up scratches in your rims? Or of any shop around Boston that specializes in that?

Thanks!

and BTW, I'm really excited to be a part of the CL community, and I'll post pics as soon as it stops raining!

robeaneee

i know exactly what you're talking about that rattling thing. I just grabbed that little metal center piece and shoved it as far to the left as i could so that it wouldnt move around. You gotta do this with the hood closed as far as possible. So pretty much i did it with the upper half of my body in the trunk with the cover on top of me. i dunno if u can visualize that or not. Worked for me. As for the exhaust tips, i just use steel wool and scrub it everytime i wash my car and just rub it a bit with a cloth. Never really used a product and it shines like juvenile's teef.

rockd

That's a good idea! I just didn't know whether pushing it all the way left would prevent the trunk from opening correctly... I'll try that tomorrow morning. Where is that center piece supposed to be attached to, anyways?

will try the steel wool, too... any suggestions for the rims?

lead_sled_dog

Yep ... get new ones.

NiteQwill

www.ronjonwheels.com

m&b6speed

never dull work good on the tips also, its a rubbing compound. but id you have steel wool laying around, its just as good

Lord Helmet

I had the trunk problem too but I found out that it's supposed to be tig (did I say that right?) welded to the back side of the rear deck. Mile High Acura fixed me up under warranty so no more rattles or clanking everytime I open the trunk.

Sounds like you got a good deal to me.

MarbleGT

i took some advice myself and ribbed my tips with steel wool....it worked awesome!!

rockd

thx for the advice, guys! I moved the metal centerpiece as far as I could to the left... it works so far. Does anyone know of a more permanent solution, though? I can't find where it's supposed to be welded to, or else I might've done that myself.

I wouldn't want to buy aftermarket rims... I actually like the stock CL-S rims. Anybody know what the going rate is for a pair of them?

steel wool did the trick, btw!

Time For Sleeep

If anything, they're just gonna get curbed again anyway. Try buying a set of '99-'03 TL-S rims. I believe they don't stick out as much as ours.

rockd

Are the TL-S rims exactly the same except for the width? Can anyone confirm this?

MarbleGT

yes sir

GoDucksCLSPride

No, the TL rims are slightly different. Our CL rims protrude outward at the perimeter of the rim a bit more than the TL rims; making ours extremely prone to curb rash.

mclarenf3387

Ours are more prone to curb rash because of the width. The TL-S wheels are 1/2" narrower, so they are tucked in more. They are identical otherwise.

GoDucksCLSPride

Hmm....I cant tell if we are missundertanding each other here of if one of us is wrong.

Yes, the TL rims are half an inch smaller in width. However, they are also physically different. The spokes on our CLS rims protrude outward at the perimiter vs the TLS rims are relatively flat at the perimeter. If that is what you mean than we agree.

mystikk

Actually both of you are right. Because of smaller width, the TL-S rim will be tucked into the fender more, and will be less prone to rash, but it also helps that the TL-S rim spokes are flatter, unlike our CL-S wheels.

But the TLS rim being tucked in more won't help if you're turning the wheel.

VeeralS05

Exhaust Tips = EagleOne Chrome Polish..

rockd

So here are my findings with the metal centerpiece under the rear speakers:

I decided to remove metal part of the centerpiece, and keep only the plastic part (since the metal is sort of useless). I did this by snapping off the plastic thing with a flat-tipped screwdriver (there's a snap holding it together). Then, I turned the plastic piece about 90 degrees to the right and removed the metal part. Then, I just put the plastic part back on, and was able to FIRMLY wedge it to left split of the bars. Now, there is NO MORE CLANKING OR RATTLING!


In other news, after about a week of driving my baby, I've decided to put a few small upgrades in... Here's my cart so far at www.LTBmotorsports.com -

K&N Air Filter - $40.89
PIAA 19224 Bulbs (to replace the stock fog lights) - $10.88
6 NGK Iridium IX Spark Plugs (remember, my CL-S is driving on stock plugs with 102K miles!) - $41.70
Total - about $100 shipped


Any more suggestions, or cheaper stores?

clswhite

The rods that you say rattle are the torque springs for the trunk lid. Like was previously mentioned, you need to have the center bracket welded. Eventually, you will screw up the two side brackets with your current make-shift repair; and you will not be able to get the trunk lid open. Any dealer should be able to weld it for zero or few dollars. Do it right!

CL-Spell

Don't be so cheap! Fix it right. Your CL is worth that much.

rockd

I spent about an hour testing it out, and the metal centerpiece has absolutely NO EFFECT on the way the trunk opens or closes. I'm sure many CL owners have had the weldings break off, and they don't even notice it.

Trust me, I would not want to do anything to harm or jeapordize my CL. That being said, this fix actually works and has no negative side effects. (robeaneee, can you confirm this?)

Thanks!

clswhite

Whatever works for you is what I say. If you are not worried about resale.

Personally for how few a dollars it would cost, I would get mine welded. I suspect that the repair would be permanent. I have the factory spoiler on my '01 CL-S and the torque springs are bigger than those that do not have the spoiler. I have never known Honda to spend time and money for something that is not necessary. My other