richnbc

Please point me to the thread for dyi fog lights (the whole kit) installation. I can't locate it in the dyi threads. thanks!

Skirmich

What Fog Light are you talking about? OEM +02 or Retrofit?

Better ask your question, What do you Need?
Installing fog lights (OEM) is pretty straight forward thats why there´s no DIY...

01tl4tl

99-01 modify fake opening
02-03 install light in current opening

richnbc

Thanks for the comments! I'm not too handy with car stuffs, especially with the TL, so was looking for a step by step to install the OEM fog lights. The were no fog lights present on the front bumper at all, but the wires were there. So, I purchased a complete kit, the housing comes with the connecter (both end blue with a black and white wires run from one end to the other). I wonder that this blue ends connector is supposed to hook into the light (one end) and the to the white clip wire from the car (the other blue end)? Or I don't need this blue ends connector at all and just connect the white clip wire directly to the light bulb on the fog light? How the fog light housing is held onto the bumper? Thanks for advice!

Aside the needed advice, let me share my story of trusting someone: I bought this 03TL from someone I thought I knew (stupid me!) about a month ago. The guy said that it's his mom, who's old and didn't drive much so the car mileage was like 25K on the odometer. The car was well kept, and looked good in and out. I did get a autocheck report from Emperian and everything seems clean, didn't list any issue (one owner, no odometer tempering, etc...). He said he was in some financial difficulty and if he sell lower than KBB for quick cash. So, after a 30 minutes test drive around the city, and highway road with no transmission jerking or signs of slipping issue, I thought he needs $5000, and I could help a friend (why would I think he's a friend??? stupid me!!) out, then it's a reasonable deal. So, I gave him the $$ and got the car. Only the next day on an hour drive to work, the trans (after ~45 minutes running), it started to slip and a banging sound at every go or slow down at traffic lights. I managed to get to work safely. But not so, on the drive home! Again, it started out OK for first 30 minutes or so. Then, that revving engine, slipping and banging sound, and jerking things happened. As the very next traffic light turned green, I got a "boom" and the car only roll from its momentum. Luckily, I managed to get onto a shoulder without causing an accident, and called the tow truck to the local transmission shop in my town. Left axle broke into halved, and need a trans complete internal rebuilt....$380 for left axle, $2275 for trans rebuilt (plus tax). The car was in shop for 7 days, during which time I contacted acura and talked to the dealer about the transmission, which was reported fixed from their recalled campaign. I got nothing out of acura and the local dealer, except more bad news! Their last record of 6 months ago indicated the car had 176K miles?? I was in shocked! How the hell that could happened and autocheck didn't pick it up, and the DMV transfered the title without questioning the reported mileage??...The "friend's" cell phone now no longer worked, and the goddame guy seemed to disappear.....
I got the car back fron the trans shop in hope all problems fixed. After 10 days, the slipping came back; brought back to shop, P1740 code. The trans shop replaced the 3-4 shift solenoid. I got into a verbal fight with the trans shop after learning that they use Dextron3 atf, and refuse to replace with dw1 atf on my request. They're even threaten me to void their stupid 1yr/12K miles warranty if I change out their fluid. Added more onto the sucker situation is this problem: when I turn on the engine, every time I step on brake petal when the car in park, I notice there's a clicking sound right at the shift lever pack. The shift lever isn't stuck, but that clicking sound when it was in park?? I didn't even drive out of their shop yet, so I went back in for another shouting match. The guy came out and check and said it's the "shift interlock selenoid" and it has nothing to do with their transmission job. What really made me angry was the fact that it didn't happen when I first brought it back for the slipping problem; it happened right after they changed the switch to solve the slipping problem, and they didn't care to notice it. I noticed it on my first step on the brake petal and not even a roll of the wheel on their lot. I don't know much about car to know if this clicking sound has anything with the previous trans repair? The shifting solenoid is ~100 and the dealer can't order it until Monday morning; and this stupid shop wants $125 for labor to replace it when I have the part. I drove the car out of the lot but deep down I wanted to drive it right through their office....

Sorry for the long thread, but I need to get my thought out there. It's pathetic to seek for sympathy, and I'm not looking for that, just want to share a horrible story and we all can learn from my stupid mistakes (can't trust people, and there's no good Transmission shop, especially on Route 38 Cherry Hill, NJ). Take care, guys!

victus1

Your story is very sad and I wish you the best of luck!!
Regarding changing to DW-1...it is impossible for them to know you did this (unless you tell them) and refuse to honer the 1yr warranty. What are they going to do when a warranty claim comes in....go get a molecular analysis report indicating that the used fluid in there is not Dextron?

richnbc

Victus1, I know what you meant. Once I found out they used Dextron, I told them drain that out and put in dw1, they were just being an a$$, tried to bs me about the warranty so that they don't have to do it. Honestly, after the verbal exchange, I don't even want to deal with them anymore. Just hope that the trans doesn't act up again after I do the 5x3 with dw1, and I don't have to deal with them. Quite frankly, I can't trust them to do anything good. Another bad decision on my part to have them do the trans in the first place.

Anyway, as regard to the fog lights, do they attach to the bumper by anything? I noticed a slot on the bumper and on the light itself, what are they attached together with? A snap-in or screw nut??
About the clicking noise at lever console when step on brake petal, some threads here mentioned that it's not a major issue except the annoying sound. I guess, I let that be rather than to replace the shift interlock solenoid, which may not be a resolution to the problem. Any comment on it is appreciative from this writer. Thanks.

MOBB

hmmm.... a car without the OEM fogs installed should have raised an alarm during the test drive. Usually it means the car was in a front end collision and repaired owner prob skipped the fogs to save on the repair costs. Check for re-paint, new aftermarket headlights (OEM Have HONDA/Stanley stamped on the bottom, usually after a collision body shop will install aftermarket brands TYC, Depo..ect) and poor alignment of body panels indicate a front end re-build.

Now to check for mileage tampering the speedometer records the actual mileage not the ecu. Swapping the speedo cluster will alter your actual mileage and display whatever mileage the "new" cluster has thus explaining your 25k. Now check your interior panels around the speedometer see if there is excessive spacing between the panels and the cluster could be a good indication of an old cluster being taken out and a replacement being put back in.

Sucks you got suckered into a trap I hope you can look into your legal rights and maybe pursue the guy who sold you the car into maybe getting a refund.

richnbc

Thanks, MOOB for the helpful check! I actually questioned about that, and checked for collisions. There was no sign of re-paint or front end damaged. The fog lights missing were the fact that they were broken and were not replaced. However, I totally didn't know about the mileage tampering until talking with the acura where they had the previous record of the car being service at their dealer. There's no spacing indication around the speedometer, but it definitely was replaced with one that had low mileage. Anyway, what've done is done. The car is not a total trash; I keep it to run until it becomes trash then donate to a technical school for repairing training or whatever. I will not re-sell it to another person, because I would never do the thing that that last guy did to me. Thanks for the legal rights suggestion, I thought about it before fixing the trans, but the thought of "it's not worth the time" won my delimas battles. The trans problem was somewhat fixed for now. It's time to move on with life with hope for the better. Hey, we live to experience, and use money to buy memories. If people, for just a few thousands, willings to commit a felony, then it will catch up with them, we don't have to worry about that. Just be aware, and that's my reason to write my story out here.

Skirmich

You can Change the ATF for DW-1 and they will never know, My Shop actully said the same thing (About avoiding Warranty) and I did it anyway went for a check up and they said the ATF was surprisingly Clean

About the shift lever "Click noise" thats the release Magnetic mechanism for out of Park when it Clicks it just show how old it is, A clear sign that the car doesnt have 25K on it

The car could be Viable if it wasnt for that Odometer your driving a Federal Crime right there... Sad becouse once you had your trans properly repaired that 03 could be such a nice car.......


Truly Sorry about your Situation and your "bud" was a Total Prick....

MOBB

Props to you for having a positive outlook on this whole situation! Nice to see there are still some good people left ! Keeping the car is also not a bad scenario just get dw-1 in that tranny ASAP. Other than that the tl is pretty solid car and is ready to be run into the ground I'm sure you still will have a couple of years before you pull the plug on it.