Tom Blasing

I ordered a nose mask for my 03' TL-S and it's been frustrating to say the least. Now I'm pretty mechanically inclined and I even used to sell these things at a store for about four years (LeBra and for $54.95 for car they make it for). But this one seems to be impossible.

There are two problem areas with it. First the front fender corners don't have a gap or slot to slip the soft nylon corner underside on to. This between the headlight assembly and the fender. There is a strip of weather stripping between the two that I'm sure is there for a reason but to install this mask it would have to be removed or damaged.

Secondly, the bottom lip of the bumper is of completely different proportions to completely be covered. The material would have to stretched at least three inches front front to rear in order cover it. There is almost NO material to cover the bottom edge of the bottom lip of the bumper.

One of the sales people from this sight that I got it from says he has a TL and it fits perfectly. For those wondering the mask did sit out in the sun for an hour to warm it up. But I really don't think it would stretch THAT far to cover the lower lip and it won't do ANYTHING to allow the top fender corner to slip on.

Any solutions??

hzm82

You have an underbody kit?

Tom Blasing

No, mine is bone stock. When I say the lower lip I'm referring to the bottom part of the lower grill opening.

Maybe I should just go to my dealer and ask them to put it on so I can see how THEY do it.

2001TL4KCdude

you got the right year? Is it dramatically different from the 99-01 bras?

daimler560

the cover is a very very tight fit. First make sure you have the one that fits your car, since they changed the front end in 2002, etc. If it is, then work your way opposite of the clips, and use a hair dryer to soften the vinyl and stretch it as best as you can.

cofidis2

I had the same problem with my 03 tl-s bra. I just kept stretching till it fit. I almost took it back to the dealer because of how hard it was to install. The other big problem was what you mentioned about the headlight meeting the body and that rubber peice. I didn't think i was ever going to get that part of the cover on. but be patient and it will go on....hopefully

Tom Blasing

Thanks guys. I talked (e-mailed) to the place I got it from and they want to be sure that I got the right part number (a valid point). I'll try it again at the dealer when it's warm out. I just don't feel good about runnin' around on the highway with one of these dudes on!


cofidis2-

When you did get yours on at that headlight spot did it distort or displace the natural position of that rubber piece? I got one side on and moved the rubber piece to inside the opening. I wonder if it's crucial that that piece stays in it's opriginal position when the bra is not on. I had to detroy a playing card using it as a wedge to get the piece to come back out where it should be.

BLEXV6

I have the perfect solution. I just use the part that goes over the hood. I am not worried about the bumper material. I brought out the bottom part and said to hell with it. Its still in the box on a shelf in my garage.

HU

Any of you guys find the top piece, hood part, flaps when going at high speeds? I am wondering how far do you stretch the hooks?

Tom Blasing

Iwas only able to stretch my hooks for the hood section to hook onto the hydraulic hood supports. Noting else was even close.

BLEXV6

You are right, this is the only place to hook it onto.

HU

Maybe that is it. I hooked my hood part onto the holes on the side of the hood. I guess it wasn't far enough. Now I know!

Thanks

Type S Lady

Blasing, I know exactly what your talking about. My last two nose mask on my past Hondas have never been this annoying to install. Trying to slip that nylon piece that keeps slipping right out from under my fingers make me scream. But I have to take a deep breath, and try about five times each side to get it to slip onto those tight corners. Then when it came to fully fitting the bottom lip I could still see the Aegean Blue Pearl peeping out. It doesn't wrap around the bottom completely. This is not the perfect fitting Genuine Honda Nose Mask I'm use to. And yes, I let mine take a bath in the sun from 9a.m. till noon. It was hot to the touch when I picked it up!

bigman

when we did the bra on my friends civic it didnt want to go on. What we did was we left it out in the sun on a hot day for like 3 hours and the thing slid right on and stretched to all the corners.

BLEXV6

Is it just me, or is this from the Penthouse Forum?

cofidis2

Yes, it moved the rubber to one side...but this didn't seem to be a problem.

Tom Blasing

O.k. I feel better now. I went to the dealer and they said they'll put it on.......for $70/hour!! I don't think so. I'll have to find something plastic to move it. An old credit card maybe.

2001TL4KCdude

let us know

Tom Blasing

Well, I'm getting a little ticked at the dealer's service dept. I took the car in to have the moon roof switch and the shifter gate bezel replaced on Tuesday night and they forgot to have a loaner ready for me as they said they would do. The Mgr. had to go scrounge up the keys to the cashier's office to get to the other keys for the lot cars. He scraped up a 99' POS Integra 4 door and that thing, although only four years old, was total crap compared to the 94' Talon I just sold. The doors actually make a "Bong" noise when they close.

Day 1: I get a call that pretty much says "Yup! Gotta replace the switch and the shifter gate and we have to order those." I thought that was determined when I brought the car in the previous Saturday at 8am to set up the appointment.

Day 2: They call me to say that the shifter gate they got in is in worse shape than the one that's in the car now. And this is a NEW part?? Then he tells me that the wires from the V1 were interfearing with the operation of the moonroof switch. This would be impossible since the wire tap and extra slack wire is on the left side of the fuse block when (if you look at it with the fuse cover removed) the switch is to the right about 8-9 inches away on the right side of the fuse block!

Day3: This better be the final day because I'm embarrassed to be seen on in that lil' sh!t box they loaned me.

All this to change a switch and a plastic cover on the console!!! If I had the parts I could do it in under 1/2 hour!:flamer:

Tom Blasing

Well, after 3 1/2 days of the dealer having my car I get to pick it up with absolutley NOTHING done to it! The svc. mgr. told me he'll see if he can get a shifter ezel out of a new car and use that since UPS hasn't delivered it yet. A couple hours later he calls me again to say that the whole console has to be taken apart and that "...there's a lot of electronics in there...". Uhh...no there's not. Now UPS says the part is somewhere on a truck somewhere in Oakland, CA.


(Sunday) Got the nose mask on today. I wouldn't say it's a "tight" fit but it go on well. Since the car is WDP it get's set off with the monochromatic scheme.

To get the top fender corner on I pulled a card out of my wallet and pushed in the rubber weather stripping so the nylon on the mask had something slip in to. Destroyed the card....turned out to be my Craftsmen Tools Membership. Told them about it and asked for a replacement. Hmmm....wonder if the card has a lifetime warranty too

Tom Blasing

Now this thing is starting to remove paint off my bumper!! The tabs that tuck in between the bottom of the headlight and the top of the bumper. Here's my corospondence with autocarparts.com so far. See if you think that I'm just some sort of idiot. The most recent reply is at the top so it's in reverse chronological order.

__________

Tom,

Sorry you felt we insulted you.
We cannot speak of your mechanical abilities. However, we have been
selling
this product for 2 years. We have sold hundreds of these nose masks and

have never had a problem like this. This is a Genuine Acura Part and is
the
same accessory available at your local dealer. Installation does not
require trimming the weather stripping and does not result in damage to
the
paint.

Our advice when you reported problems with installing the nose mask was
to
take it to your Acura dealership where certified personnel could install
the
mask or, at the least, demonstrate how it fit. They would have been
able to
determine if the part was faulty.
I still fee this is the best option, to resolve the problem you are
having.

Satisfying our customers is very important to us.
And this is why I followed up with you before, to make sure everything
was ok.
Please contact us again, after your visit to the dealer, and let us know
How you made out.


Sincerely,

Tim Piscitelli
www.autocarparts.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Blasing [mailto:tblasing@fuse.net]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 10:31 PM
To: sales@autocarparts.com
Subject: Re: Same nose mask but with bigger problems this time. ACP20395


Tim,

I'm beginning to feel quite insulted. After working in the market of
automotive parts and accessories retail for 13 years I've come to know
when things just don't work all the time. My experience with masks
extend from personal ownership of brands such as Saddleman, Covercraft,
Colgan and, now, whomever makes them for Acura. This experience was
after I graduated with honors from automotive vocational school and am
now working for a litigation support company because I found it more
challenging.

Are you now your refusing to issue a credit for this poorly designed
product after all avenues of technical support have been explored? What
is the name of the owner of this business? Not the manager or supervisor
but the owner. I was hoping we could come to a conclusion with a happy
and satisfied customer with this situation but that appears to be in
your hands.

If it is suggested that the mask I put on the car was installed
incorrectly please provide an example of an incorrect installation. The
burden of proof does, after all, lie with the prosecution. To my defense
I do have photos of the mask installed on the vehicle correctly. In the
instruction sheets that come with the mask I bring attention to page "3
of 3" item "12." to quote "On each side of the vehicle, insert the two
tabs between the headlight and the bumper". Now I may not have a Ph.D.
in Mechanical Engineering but I have mastered the operation of "Tab A,
Slot B". I mean, how hard is it to screw that up?

Tom Blasing
Merit Litigation Support
602 Main Street / Suite 703
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
(800) 578-1542
(513) 381-8228
----- Original Message -----
From: sales@autocarparts.com
To: 'Tom Blasing'
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 3:58 PM
Subject: RE: Same nose mask but with bigger problems this time. ACP20395


I am sorry to hear about this Tom
If this installation was done by Acura, then we could follow up with
them
Unfortunately it sounds like it was installed incorrectly

Tim
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Blasing [mailto:tblasing@fuse.net]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2003 8:07 PM
To: sales@autocarparts.com
Subject: Re: Same nose mask but with bigger problems this time. ACP20395


The dealer didn't install it for me after all. They wanted a flat rate
of about $70 and I thought that was outrageous. I could see doing that
every time I was gonna hit the highway and take it off when it rains or
gets too bug-ridden to wash it. I was able to get it on finally by
trimming off some of the weather stripping between the headlight housing
and the upper fender corner. After doing that it went on without a
problem, but unfortunately, no more. This evening I put on some touch-up
paint and although it looks better it still looks kind of bad. For the
most part I feel I'm stuck with an accessory that causes more damage
than protection and will not see it on the front of my car again. Sorry
if this sounds brash but the thing that ticks me off the most is that
there is only one other company that even makes a mask for this car and
I believe it installs in a similar way. I'm not sure who makes masks for
Acura but it just seems to be too far of a design bumble that when I had
a previous car with a Saddleman (LaBra) mask.

Tom
----- Original Message -----
From: sales@autocarparts.com
To: tblasing@fuse.net
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2003 6:51 PM
Subject: RE: Same nose mask but with bigger problems this time. ACP20395


Thomas,

I am the one that talked to you about a month ago.
I recommended that you take it to your Acura dealer to be installed,
because you were having problems
I don't recall what happened from there.

Please provide me with your dealers phone #, and the person that
installed your nose mask
and I will get this taken care of through Acura ASAP

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me.

Best Regards,
Tim Piscitelli
www.autocarparts.com

-----Original Message-----
From: orders@autocarparts.com [mailto:orders@autocarparts.com]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2003 6:32 PM
To: 1Tim (ACP)
Subject: FW: Same nose mask but with bigger problems this time.



-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Blasing [mailto:tblasing@fuse.net]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2003 6:22 PM
To: orders@autocarparts.com
Subject: Same nose mask but with bigger problems this time.


Sirs,

A couple months ago I ordered and received a nose mask for my 03' TL
Type-S. First I was having problems getting the corners to fit over the
front of each fender near the top of the headlight assembly. I
eventually had to cut out part of the weather stripping that lines the
top of the headlight to get the nylon cup to fit over. That works well
enough.

But here is a major problem to the point where I won't use the mask any
more. There are a total of four tabs that tuck in under the headlights
to hold up the section near the top of the bumper. I came home today
from work and removed the mask to wash it and discovered four areas of
paint that have pealed off in the pinched area where the tabs are
inserted. Three of the abrasions are about 1/4" long and one is almost
an inch in length. This happening negates the whole purpose of the mask,
that to protect the front from damage but yet is causing it.

I was able to use some touch up paint (White Diamond Pearl) but the,
now, lack of a straight line under the headlights is very obvious and
discerning.

Please reply with Return Authorization Code and course of action to
repair the damage. No I'm not paying for it and neither is my insurance
company.

Thomas M. Blasing
4226 Zagar Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45245
(513) 753-7814

Date of order: 5-12-03
Amount Paid: $141.10

Thomas