Ajay_RENAMED

Everyday its a new rattle. 2 in the dashboard, 1 in the right rear door, the seat belt buckle and now the rear window. Constant rubbing sound that turns into a cracking sound when you hit a large bump and its cold out. This is nuts for a 30k for 5,000 miles. Car sounds like a POS going down a bumpy road. Can you tell that im a little upset?

Beiruty

Sorry to say, ... welcome to the rattle and Squeak club.

U2SLOW

I COULDN'T AGREE MORE.
My car has 5K as well and it's a rattle cage. What's sad is that 4 years of research and $33,000 later, this is the best I came up with.

TL4Mo

Well, I keep telling the dealership the creak/rubbing noises are coming from the rear window, last visit was #5 (of my time & inconvenience) and the dayam noise is still there. Granted, they are trying...replaced something in the b-pillar, replaced clip in the seats and latest was some spring in the trunk that was replaced. I keep telling them the noise is from the rear window......do you think they would listen to a customer? Drove off the lot last week and within 10 minutes the noise was back....getting pretty testy....especially since each visit garnishes some more damage to either the exterior or interior, thanks to the careless technicians

What up Acura?

Smelly

It sometimes helps to vent your frustrations right? I'm dealing with the same rattles, most noticable ones are the instrument panel and the rear window area. I try to drown out the noise by cranking up the radio (almost to the point it's unbearable), but no use; the front instrument rattle is so close to me, and the rear window rattle is so damn loud! If I turn up the radio to loud, the bass will actually cause the rattle (stock stereo). I've had no luck in isolating the rattles, so I'm going to dynamat every piece of sheet metal that I can find.

TL4Mo

Smelly: I don't have the instrument panel rattle (thank goodness) but I do have the rear window one. Never tested to see if the stereo volume makes it worse or not. It is extremely loud though....sounds like I have one of those cheap styrofoam coolers in the back window

It's not funny....especially on a 30k car,....but it does sound ridiculous.

copland007

I noticed twice when it was cold out (<32) that the rear window area would make a squeaking noise, like there was a stuck piece of ice rubbing against something. Is that the noise in the rear that you are refering to, or do you hear this on a daily basis regardless of temp?

Smelly

My rear window rattle is definitely a rattle, not a squeak, and very loud from the inside. It sounds almost like a piece of plastic hitting the window or metal. I've pulled on the all the wiring, and plastic clips, but still can't locate it. If I gently hit the metal support surrounding the speaker, I get that rattle. Like I said, I'll try the dynamat and let you guys know.

As a side note, as the weather has gotten colder, the car seems to have gotten looser. Maybe it's mental, but that's how it feels.

Beiruty

Rear Speaker frame rattle.

Solution stick some kind of rubber thing between the Rear Speaker frame and the read window and the rattle should go away.

samkws

i hear some noise come out too...but couldn't find out where coz i was driving...

Ajay_RENAMED

Instrument Cluster: almost like a clunking noise rather then a rattle, happens almost all the time.

Center Vent: Rubbing sound, happens almost all the time.

Both Seat Belt Buckles: Squeking sound, all the time.

Passenger Side Door: Ticking sound, very faint, happens all the time. If i roll the window down and then back up it goes away for a few minutes.

Sunroof: Enough said (fixed by dealer)

Rear Windshield: Constant rubbing sound like plastic on plastic followed by a cracking sound over large bumps. Sounds like someone is hitting the rear window with a piece of plastic. Only happens when its below 35 or so.

I called the dealer today to schedule an appointment and told him the reasons that i was bringing the car in. He said "So you are just bringing the car in for rattles" I said "Yes they are driving me crazy and I am going to crash this car through your showroom if you dont fix them".

Then he says "funny no TL owners ever complain about rattles, its a very solid rattle free car" and i said "yeah and im the pope"

1000bpm

I'm sorry to say this but if you own a TL/TLS get used to the rattles ....

The best advice I can give you is to systematically isolate each rattle, it helps a lot to have someone riding in the car with you.
Rattles don't alway come from where they appear to be coming from. Next piece of advice: remove EVERYTHING from your glove box, sunglass holder, center console, side pockets etc that may be a potential source of the rattle. You may be surpised by what this can do to reduce rattles.

Some sources of the rattles/squeaks are more common than others for ex. sunroof, rear headliner, subwoofer, seats etc. Your dealer should be able to fix sunroof/subwoofer related rattles fairly easily. The seats and the rear headliner require major surgery. I refused to allow the dealer to take apart the headliner area, just didnt want to risk additional problems. Depending on how adventerous you feel you may want to concoct homemade solutions .... I bought a couple of strips of sorbothane and used these for my center console and the glove box. Worked like a charm.

Yeah, rattles will drive all of us nuts at one point or another but keep things in perspective and remember that this is one heck of a car. .

1000bpm

lubing the seat buckes should get rid of the squeaks.

fdsonn

I have the same noise AJAY has the cracking noise from the rear window area. It is a load noise when I hit a large bump and it is cold out and not raining. It sounds like it is the rear window. I can't find the noise without driving the car. Because it seems to go away with when it rains it must be outside the car even though it sounds like it is inside.

These noises from a new car are ridiculous. Honda better find out how Toyota builds their cars. I have a four year old Camry that doesn't make noises like my new TL type S. I guess that isn't fair, I am not comparing apples with apples. The camry cost $5000 less

sniper5

If you lean on any of the rear windows from outside, they will creak (on my car anyway). If you do it fast a few times, that's the noise I get ehwn going over rough(er) terrain. Those seals just don't hold the windows in place and they have a lot of room. Dealer it they all do that and they need to have room in there. Our Infinit has some play in it, but not a sound will be produced when I repeat the above process. Driver's side window (fornt) is also quiet(er) on my Acura, so there is a way to make them less noisy. Dealerships are just full of it.

sniper5

and I just can't type...

my2sense

rattles.. you're tellin me. but mine are mostly due to the system that I have in the trunk. I swear, every time i bump the music, a new rattle is born unto my car. eh.. whaddya gonna do?

Indyjenks

Hmmmm.....just turned over 10K yesterday and the only noise I have is the creaky seat.... Guess I got one built on Wednesday or Thursday...... (knock on wood)

sniper5

bastard

billyvader

You wanna hear rattles? Buy an American car !After you drive one of those you'll think your deaf in your Acura! LOL! Go test drive a 10,000 mile Mercedes too. You won't believe the mess they've made of that car.

daverman

Hitting 11k and I've been able to fix all my squeaks and rattles except for one--there seems to be a buzzing sound coming from either the dash or the sunglass holder when I travel over certain highway surfaces. It sounds like something plasticy is resonating with the vibrations on the road.

It's not such a big deal that I'm bothered by it, but I'd like to get it fixed.

Noises I've fixed so far:

• Squeaking seatbelt buckle (WD-40)
• Clicking driver's seat (replaced driver's seat bottom)
• Whistling noise from driver's door (tightened door striker)
• Rattling armrest (foam tape)
• Whining noise from passenger seat (ejected lousy friend onto sidewalk)

billyvader

You let someone ride in your car? LOL My girlfriend is the only one I let ride in mine! She does squeek once in a while! LOL

thejavagod

I have a few squeaks and rattles but the worst is the one that resonates with the bass with I turn the music up... I am going to see the dealer sometime soon when I get the time! This sucks

y2ks2k

5K miles with springs and wheels and I dont have a single rattle or problem

sniper5

daverman,

that's funny. my driver's seat is also clicking, but the dealer is not replacing the bottom, they ordered a new back for it. you think they know what they're doing?
Anyway, the more I look at other cars I owned/driven (inlcuding american), the more I realize I will never own another Acura again.

acuraguynj

I don't think you will ever find a rattle and creak free car. My former 99 Acura TL (First Year Model) was solid and had no rattles and creaks that I could detect (turned the radio up).

It did have it's other problems, but I alway felt it was solidly built.

I checked JD POWER & ASSOCIATES reliability ratings and the TL is Top 10, right up their with the other Japanese makers.

However I still believe that a car made in Japan has a much better chance of having less rattles and creaks. The quality control over there is amazing!

Indyjenks

and you know the really sad thing? Japan learned their quality control techniques from the United States! The highest quality award in Japan is the Deming award....named after Dr. Edward Deming... Its not that they are better than the U.S.....its just that they adhere to quality standards better than U.S. corporations. Corporations here tend to scrimp on quality if they can save a buck....the Japanese understand the long term implications behind that type of action. Remember one thing....the Japanese are actually very poor at innovation...what they ARE good at is taking others ideas and perfecting/streamlining them. The Japanese society is very structured....good for perfecting things but not good for innovating....

acuraguynj

That is kind of sad and it would seem almost common sense to think of the long term effects of a well built vehicle, but sometimes money talks much louder than common sense.

You are right the the Japanese are very good at perfecting a process or item, however from that point they have launched even better items in the same category. Just look at our consumer electronics market. It's the Japanese that dominate and continue to put out the latest and the greatest. Bundle the latest technological features with quality and name brand and you can't beat it. That is why we buy a Sony TV over a RCA TV if money is no object.

daverman

I know this is O-T but...

&lt;rant&gt;
Having worked in a large corporation for the first 3+ years of my career, I am convinced that the American Corporation as it stands today is a bloodsucking disease on the American population.

And there's no-one else to blame but ourselves--the stockholders. We have demanded relentless growth, unreal returns and unreasonable performance, and we want it now. Well, we got what we asked for. Every CEO who makes it into the Fortune list has basically one mantra: raise the stock price at any cost, and do it every quarter. That desire usually translates to quarterly job losses, underfunding of R & D, drooping quality, poor workmanship, and escalating repair costs.

When corporations are unable (or rather, unwilling) to sustain growth by investing in development and the refining of processes, they are forced to acquire companies with somewhat sellable products, then freeze their research funding, force them to manufacture as many of their products as they can until they are no longer saleworthy, and then dispose of the whole division like a used rag. It's the corporate equivalent of slash-and-burn logging. The end result? Crappy products with limited lifespans.

As long as stockholders continue to demand instant ROI at any cost (instead of investing for the long run), we will forever be stuck with crappy, low-quality products that will irritate us to no end.

Happily there are corporations out there who still produce quality products and services. Palm, IBM, Apple, O'Reilly press, Amazon, just to name a few. But beware, the road to financial growth is littered with the Fords/GMs/Chryslers, H-Ps and Polaroids of today. Caveat Emptor!
&lt;/rant&gt;

Steveb

What are the long term implications? The Japanese economy has been in and out of recession for the past decade. Meanwhile, with the exception of this past year, the US economy has been booming. The US automakers had been making record profits.

If the Japanese are so good at taking others ideas and perfecing them then why don't they do so with their economy?

acuraguynj

Daverman,

I do see what you are saying, however don't you think the same thing is happening in Japan in terms of the Corporation and share pricing and making money?

The American and Japanese auto industries are the same in bothwanting to make profit, it's a business after all, but maybe the culture or the thinking is very different, that is why we are seeing such a large descrepancy in quality and build between these 2 countries in terms of making a car and many other industries.

Is it the American Auto Unions that are holding the American Auto Industry back? Back then I remember the motto, never buy an American Car that was built on a Monday or a Friday. Monday being the time when a worker just gets into work from the weekend and is just tired and Friday being the time when the worker is so anxious to get out of work for the weekend. People were finding burger wrappers and small tools inside the door panels, things like that. Hey maybe that is what is contributing to those annoying rattles.

I do believe now American car manufacturing is much better, but still playing catch up.

Indyjenks

True...the Japanese are somewhat a victim of their own success. Its a very complicated issue with the Japanes economy.....they are an island nation that are limited in growth by their geography. Also, they must import much of the raw materials required to run their industry....oil, much of their steel, etc. Much of their wealth must go back into keeping their infrastructure running and that costs them more in terms of GNP than the United States. Here, we have much of the raw material at our disposal, or if not, cost us less in a percentage of our GNP to import. Land is not an issue....we are blessed with that as well as an abundance of most natural resources. What the United States excells at is innovation. Our free society structure rewards initiative and free thinking....we are the largest innovator in the world when it comes to new ideas, products and services.

I, for one, wouldnt trade living here for any country in the world. We are truly blessed to live in this society.....flaws and all......

victor

...going back to the noises/squeeks of the TL-S, does anyone else have a problem with the arm-rest clicking when you put your arm on it? Everytime I, or a passenger, puts any weight on the arm-rest, it clicks. Any solutions out there?

Okay...now go back to your conversation on the Japanese economy.

Indyjenks

LOL.....yeah, we did get just a wee bit off thopic there! Actually, the only squeek I have is the drivers seat. They fixed it once and its back.......

Greymage

I almost had a heart attack when I started hearing this buzzing type rattle from what seemed to be the passenger dash side.

Luckily it turned to be my sunglasses
For some reason sometimes it makes the sound when it is in the sunglass holder, then I rearrange it and the sound goes away.

fdsonn

The loud noises I hear are when the temperature is below 35 degrees. Both the front and rear windshield squeak. The sound reminds me of a 50's car back when they installed windshield in rubber. The new cars are glued in with rubber around the outside. I can't find anything that was put together wrong although the door gaps are not very tight. I think the problem is with the design. I have had two Camry's both with sunroofs and neither one had any squeaks or rattles like my new Acura. My first Camry was a 1989 the second 1998.