mikester

I just turned over 6000 miles on my TLS, and the A/C is fried! I was driving to work yesterday, and I noticed I was a little hotter than usual. I usually leave it on Auto with the recirculating air on. I kept turning it down and it didn't help. Finally, near the end of the trip, I was all the way down to 64 on the thermostat. The air it was blowing was not very cold at all, and it was very moist.

On the way home, it just blew hot air no matter what I did. That was a nice ride, in the 90 deg. heat, car sitting in the sun all day. For once, I was regretting the black leather seats.

Last night, I checked all the fuses and they were fine. Unfortunately, the dealer couldn't get me in until Tuesday, so I have to put up with 1 more commute with no AC. I am starting to have some regrets getting the TLS. I love the car overall, but my '00 TL that I traded in was perfect. This car has already been through 2 recalls, a re-recall, a chronic center console lid problem that took 3 attempts to fix, and now the AC! Makes me wonder WTF is going on in that Ohio plant?

Just had to vent. Thanks for listening (reading).

AzNTL

u need to take it to the dealer and let them recharge it... its FREE of charge.. its under warrenty

mikester

Um, yeah, but the big question is, why does it need to be recharged after only 5 months?

Anyway, I am dropping it off at the dealer first thing in the morning.

TL4Mo

Mikester,

Who are you taking it to? I have not been overly impressed with Charlie Thomas Acura.

mikester

John Eagle Acura. That's where I bought the car, it's convenient, and I have 2 years free maintenance there (of course this is a warranty item, so any dealer can fix it).

8ball

Uh, no doubt! Please let us know what they tell you is the cause.

I drove my Maxima SE for 11 years and NEVER had to have the A/C recharged. It still blew as cold as the day I bought it.

wilchan

It happened to my TLS also when it was only 30 days old.
I took it to Stevens Creek Acura. They kept the car for
3 days and came back and said some ice blocked something
in the AC unit. They flushed it all out in several attempts
and re-charged it. I asked how come the ice does melt
in 90+ degree hot summer and he said this was a
weird case and this was the first he saw... Sounds like
B.S. to me but it is working so far after 1.5 months.

I need
to keep monitoring it but it seems that the weather in
Bay Area is getter cooler (less than 70 degree during
morning and night)...

Let us know what your dealer said...

-- william

mikester

Well, the dealer says it's the blower motor. That doesn't make sense to me, since the fan blows at all speeds, and that doesn't really explain why it isn't dehumidifying the air. When they first called, they tried to tell me it was operating within normal parameters. I told them there was no way, and they called back a little later and said they had just been able to reproduce the problem.

I am going there to pick up a loaner car this evening, since they will have to order the part. I have about 0 confidence that this will fix the problem, but at least I will have a loaner until they get it fixed.

I'll keep you all posted.

TL4Mo

Mikester,

I spoke to the Svc. Manager at Southwest Acura and he seemed very knowledgeable. I am seriously considering using them as my Houston dealership, even though it means driving across town. Charlie Thomas Acura just doesn't seem to be cutting it.

Pawel

I'm not sure that I'm right, but if the AC stops cooling the air, doesn't that mean that there is a leak in the system, so recharging it will not do anything, just prolong the issue.

Robbdogg

I liked there service department, but not there sales dept. The guy I used to deal with over there, (who was VEY helpful), is no longer there. But it sounds like they still <I>might</i> be running a tight ship over there.

Mikester....that SUX! Let us know what happens after they "fix" your a/c.

dbox

a guy named kevin in the service department is gr8 with my car make sure u get him and not the lil short fat dude

mikester

Well, they put the new blower motor in yesterday and - surprise, surprise - it didn't fix the problem.

They now have my car for the 3rd day, and as of last night they still don't know what's wrong.

TL4Mo

Mikester,

BTW, what kind of loaner did JE give you?

mikester

They gave me an Integra. Must be a bottom of the line model, too. No acceleration, cloth seats, no frills whatsoever. Last time they gave me a TL, but this time they didn't have any loaners available. They had to scrounge one up for me when they kept my car overnight.

Looks like I will get to "enjoy" the Integra a bit longer. I called and they said that there is a resistor that is out and the part is on national backorder. He said he was going to have to call Acura to see how long it will take to get the part. It doesn't sound good, and I have very little confidence since they have already ordered one part and that didn't fix it.

TL4Mo

Mikester,

Sorry man, that's a bummer. Charlie Thomas Acura gave me the filthiest, grodiest, 4-dr. Integra on my last visit w/them. And when I say filthy, it's in a literal sense. The thing looked like it had NEVER been cleaned since 2000. However, Gunn Acura (where I bought my car) is making up for that! I was able to get an '01 CL-S. It's black with a spoiler. Looks like I'll have it for 2 weeks as my car is not ready yet. Back to YOU, anyway you can call JE's Gen. Mgr. and explain your situation and then ask for a TL??????? It's worth asking don't you think?

Hope you get your car back soon, I know the withdrawal is horrible

mikester

Yeah, I got one of the junked out Integras from Gillman Acura a year ago. They must have been running a special on them back then.

Where is Gunn Acura? It's not in Houston, is it? Only dealers I know of in Houston are John Eagle, Gillman, Charlie Thomas, and Southwest.

I talked to the service guy again. He said it is a transistor that is blown. He said when the blower motor broke, there was no load on the motor, which made the transistor fry. Sounds feasible to me. They said they have a list of 40 dealers that are supposed to have the part, and they are calling each one to see if they can spare one. If not, I have no idea when I will get my car back. I asked him about getting a better loaner, and he said they would do that, but their good loaners are out until Monday.

TL4Mo

Mikester,

Gunn Acura is in San Antonio. Yes, I am in Houston. But back in July when several flood victims were looking for new cars, they were pretty scarce. In fact the very day I was there at Gunn, there were 2 other parties from Houston that bought a car. Anyway, I do have to drive to S.A. to get their service but since my wife's family is there we just make a trip out of it. In fact, when we go to pick up our baby, we are going on a lake trip to go waverunning with my wife's brother. Get to drive a CL for 2 weeks, get my TL back with a new repainted hood and get to go waverunning. Not a bad deal!

In regards to the GM at JE....at least he would be willing to give you a better loaner....but loaners are out till Monday???? Is he a dealership or car rental? How can he be so sure they are all out till Monday? That just sounds a little weird especially when dealerships don't like their loaners being out for more than 1 night (at least from my experience w/ Infiniti). You would think SOMEONE came back w/ a loaner that had a 1-day service jaunt w/ their car. Maybe just call again tomorrow...if it's worth it to you.

Either way, hope someone comes through w/ that part for you!

mikester

Thanks.

I figure if they come through finding the part, I won't worry about it, because I would get my car back in another day or two. If I have to wait for the backorder - I will definitely escalate things and demand they give me a better loaner or pay for a rent car.

So far, I have only been dealing with the service manager. If I have to, the next step will be to escalate this to the GM. I met with the GM once when I bought my car, because I was getting screwed around by them. He gave me the old "if there's anything I can do for you, let me know" speech, so I may just have to take him up on it.

TL4Mo

Great plan, Mikester. Now try to set it aside and enjoy your weekend....even in an Integra

mikester

Well, got my car back last night after a week in the shop. AC works fine now. Man, I missed it. After driving an Integra for a week, I feel like I'm in a Rolls Royce.

After 4 days of them trying to find the part, I called the service manager yesterday morning. Within 30 minutes, they called me back and said they had found the part - at another dealership in town! They had a list of 40 dealers to check, and they said they went down the list alphabetically. Wouldn't it make sense to try the local guys first?

So, since the part was in town after all, they got it put in yesterday. Yippee!

TL4Mo

Excellent Mikester! Well Gunn Acura still has my baby and even though I am enjoying the CL loaner...I miss my TL-S! If all goes according to plans, I can go pick up my car this weekend.....can't wait....but am going to be critical of the workmanship and paint job on my hood.

wilchan

I think Pawel is absolutely right. AC on my TLS has
gone out again in 2.5 months (just few days I posted
a reply to this thread.)

No more cool air.. I will need to bring it to Pleasanton
Acura to see if they find the radical problem. Now
I hear water snoshing noice on passenger side dash
when the 'Auto' is one. Sounds like AC is working hard
on something.

TL4Mo, did your dealer tell you what kind of transistor
they replace?

-- william

wilchan

Oops, I mean 'mikester , did you dealer tell you what
kind of transistor they replaced?'

-- william

wilchan

Well, just got a call from Pleasanton Acura and they said
the AC high pressure hose has leak. All the feon leaks
from there. They have ordered
the hose. But manufacturer has no release date on this part
since it is a 2002 model
and it may take 2 weeks to 2 months for that part to
arrive...

Their explanation seems to be more logical as opposed
to ice blockage in AC system by Stevens Creek Acura..
But waiting part for possibly 2 months seems very bad.

What should I do to escalate this issue to Acura??

-- william