crazydrum

Do you own a Acura TL 2004 or 2005 spd manual transmission ?

I need some survey information to decide which way to go with my existing car 2004 TL 6 speed which I enjoy driving except for a couple of problems. If you can respond to the problems I am having to see if I replace the vehicle with 2005 TL 6spd manual or 2005 TL automatic ( UGH , i HATE doing that) OR for another car all together.

1. From day 1, in June 2004, this car has had the good old squealing metal to metal loud sound when the BREMBO brakes are applied before a complete stop. ( The noise is louder than the music at volume 35 with windows closed---pretty loud hey) .
2. It has been in the shop a total 7 times for this issue .
3. They UPGRADED the pads per sERVICE BULLETIN 04-119 Nov.2004. And it still continued to squeal as loud.
4. 5 weeks later after the upgrade, I lost my brakes due to the right caliper failing ( falling off after becoming unthreaded ) for two days and the right alloy wheel
had chunks of metal removed due to the failure.
5. They fixed the car and asked t balance it and they told me they did. I noticed when I got home, the right wheel had mass weights internally added all over the place and than noticed the chunks of metal removed from the caliper failure.
6. Took it back again, and they did replace the wheel amd rebalance. Hey , I am the quality control manager and offer my free time to inspect their work !!!! this is getting old.
7. LEATHER SEATS are puckering in 3 out of 4 .
8. Vibration in the car 40-55 mph wheN they do not rebalance the tires after rotations and FROM just good old flatspots with the Turanza's EL42. These tires slide in rain and snow ...NO TRACTION and no all season tire for sure even though it claims it.
9. I talked to national repair center and asked to call dealer to fix it right and they had no answer since the service bulletin never worked.
10. I think the 2004 Brembo DESIGN is defected and engineers at ACura HAVE not fixed it.
I do not want to exchange one problem for another .
SO ANY INFORMATION WILL HELP ME AND OTHERS IF YOU ARE HAVING OR START HAVING PROBLEMS with the brakes, TIRES ( Turanza's EL42) leather seats , or vibrations.
I have only 10500 miles on the car.
I hope the 2005 TL 6spd does not have these problems.

THANKS,
The Crazydrummer of PA

icemanvko

My 05 6 speed is perfect. The breaks REALLY stop the car well, and they don't make a sound.

I have 4500 miles on mine.

imasquirrel

The brakes on my 04 haven't made any noise yet. I have a little over 7000 miles on the car now. The only issue I have is butt prints on the driver seat, but they don't bother me enough yet to have it replaced.

JackSprat01

Brembo brakes are a defective design? I don't think so. And stop spamming us with PMs about this before you are reported to the Mods.

DMZ

Mine is a month older than yours with 6300 miles and no sounds from the brakes..........at least not yet. The squealing 6MT brake issue seems to affect only a small % of these cars. I have buttprints too, but not bad enough yet to bitch to Acura.

Perhaps you should try taking the car to another dealer as it sounds like the service folks at your dealer seem to have all their heads up their asses. I had to in order to finally get a roof rattle fixed. You're right about the traction of the Bullshitstones. I got rid of them right after the 600 mile break-in, bit the bullet and bought new tires.

Good luck ............
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Nodoze2004

Brembo makes the finest BRAKES (spelling people) in the business. If said owner of Brembo product (namely YOU) did not bother to properly break them in (seeding) then you will encounter squealing. My car has 7000 miles and nary a peep has been heard from the Brems..even during bouts of seriously spirited driving.

Don't knock the finest brake mfg in the world, due to inappropriate break in!

direk_04TL

i too have a 2004 6MT TL and the brakes did squeal for some time but it has cleared up. i bought the car with the HPT option and the car is just perfect. i read a lot of bad things about the stock Turanza tires. another thing is, your brake problem was probably aggravated by poor workmanship at the service department of your dealership -- calipers just dont fall off all of a sudden. i would suggest that you speak to the service manager about it.

what you might want to do is get your caliper problem straightened out first and invest in some good tires -- like the Pirelli P-Zero Nero or Falkens (sp??). GOOD LUCK!!

JackSprat01

This is much like the idiots that sue gun manufacturers because they shot themselves. Also, be careful of hot coffee, it can burn your genitals.

acugirl

Mine squaled just a little for about two months but then it completely went away. I am actually very happy with the brakes.

I have butt print on the driver seat but nowehere else. It does not bother me much.

I also replaced the Turanzas with Falkens. Although they do flat spot, too, IMHO, the car drives much better in wet and snow.

missmyprelude

I too had the brake squealing problem for the first few months after buying my 04 TL. However, it is almost entirely gone now. Once in a long while (like once a month or less), I will hear a slight squeal when pulling into my garage or backing up, but nothing like it used to. It definitely seemed like it just took a while for them to break in.

The EL42s stink - we all know that.

However, other than that, it sounds like you were mostly hosed by poor service.

willz822

Are you breaking the pads in correctly? When I first got the car, it would squeal all the time from slowly applying the brakes. I went out and performed a few high speed stops, letting the car slow down but never coming to a complete stop. After this, my brakes have never made a sound since.

Nodoze2004

A true example of proper break in!! This was exactly my point above!!

MBI

Only 600 miles on my new car and so far everything works fine. No noise, no problelm. The only down side to brambo is their life time. I heard that about 20k to 25k and new pads are needed.

JoganJani

I've 19K miles on my 6MT had a squeaking problems and got applied with TSB-04-119 (i think) resurfaced rotors and new pads at about 7K miles. Have no other problems what so ever.

willz822

Thanks Nodoze2004. I'm a firm believer that ALL pads should be broken in to some degree. Even more so with high performance pads.

triggle

Love the brakes so far. No sounds other than low speed squealing when maneuvering. This is quite new so I hope it will subside after a good highway binge.

6mt Potenza Summers and Pilot Alpin winters. Still on the winters and so far so good.
I found the drive a bit rough on the Potenzas but then again I have only used them for a few hundred clicks before I put the winters on.

JetJock

Sounds like you need a new dealer and not a new car. I've got a 6mt and broke the brakes in properly from day one and never had any problem with squealing. The Brembo's are awesome and continue to amaze me with their stopping power. I've never owned a car with brakes this good. I replaced the HPT's with PS-2's and I'm 100% satesfied with my car at this point. I've got 5000 miles and still have yet to hear a squeak or rattle anywhere in the car on decent roads. If I drive on unpaved roads, I might hear a creak or two but it's nothing I can't live with as I don't normally drive on bad roads. I plan to have the dealer replace my buttprinted seats with the '05 style as promised so I'll report back later after they do the swap. This is one awesome car!!!

jime

I have one of the first 6MTs (VIN 155XX) that was made in late Nov. of 2003 and delivered on Dec. 10, 2003. I have had no problems at all (except my bluetooth was dead when I got the car) including absolutely no squeaks or rattles. I now have 17,000 miles on the car and the brakes squeal a little if the car has been sitting for a while, but the noise goes away as soon as I use the brakes a couple of times.

In my profession as a Quality Assurance engineer I am very intolerant of products that do not meet specification or are problematic. That is why I own two Acuras and a Lexus. My previous two Acuras (1990 Integra GS and 1995 6-speed Legend coupe ) were also almost trouble free.

boosteddsm

Got 6k on mine and it's been perfect! No brake noise whatsoever. Stops like crazy.

IL_TL

I have 7100 miles on my MT, not a peep from the brakes. I did do a few higher-speed, mildly aggressive decelerations to 5 mph. The brakes are very easy to modulate and give good pedal feel (rather than throwing you through the windshield at the slightest touch).

My wife's AT (19k mi) squeals from 15 mph down to stop. The brakes feel like they have more "grab" making them more difficult to modulate.

I believe the high speed controlled break-in is critical for the MT brakes. The heat cycling is required by the Brembo pads.

$.02

hondasaurus

Yes, mine squeals during the initial braking, but then the squeal would gradually stop after 15mph to stop. This started happening when the car turned 19K.

Acura dealer indicated that I need to replace my pads on the next service (A, 25K miles).

VTECboy

My '05 6MT brakes squeaked on two occasions....both while backing out of a parking space with the steering wheel turned. This happened back in the first few weeks. I have about 4500 miles on it now and haven't heard a peep since. No butt prints on '05 seats. I ended up with Turanzas on dealer trade car instead of Michelins on cars at local dealer, but have had no issues with them other than my personal issues with all-weather/-season tires and their lack of performance abilities......maybe they could use "the little blue pill".

HiG4s

Only had mine a few weeks, but not a sound from the brakes.

PA TL

I have a 2005 TL 6 spd no navi, and I drive in cold Canadian winter. I have the car since Nov 2004, and I have driven 6200 miles or 10000 km so far. I do not have any problem with the Bembo brakes at all. No loud noise or failure.

I have the "butt print' on my leather seat but I do not think it is a major defect as I think the leather is better than my old 1996 TL (which has no butt print but the leather is "hard").

I have no vibration problem at any speed as I shift at 3000-4000 RPM all the time. I do notice a vibration when I shift at less than 2000 RPM but this is normal for manual transmission when you are driving in too high gear for the speed.

I thought TL 6 spd comes with summer tires. I have Bridgestone RE 030 on my car. However, since I get quite a bit of snow so I have a set of Bridgestone WS 50 for the winter. I have the 235 width for the winter tire so sometimes I have to be gentler on the acceleration when I am on ice. BTW, my tire pressure is 35 psig @ front and 33 psig @ rear. Once the RE 030 is worn, I will likely switch to Michelin Pilot A/S as my summer tire.

The only problem I have is the outside temperature sometimes goes to "---" but Acura is aware of the problem (and working on a fix).

iLL TL

No squealin here now watch me drive out and hit the brakes and it start

Only problem I have it seems I have to clean my rims every2 days due to dust.
My friends automatic doesn't seem to release so much dust... Is this because our 6mt has bigger brakes or something? I keep a rag in the trunk to wipe them down every other day if not everyday

3PUTT

you have to bed in your brakes to get rid of the squealing. i followed these steps from my buddy Dave's site. he is the #1 StopTech vendor for 2003 and 2004:

http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

caball88

sorry to hear about your misfortunes with the car but i have absolutely no problems with the brembos besides lots of brake dust. they squealed when i first got the car for like 4-5K miles. i have never heard a peep after that.

Legend2TL

My 05 TL 6MT is 5 weeks old and 1400 miles, no problems with the brakes with the minor exception of a fair amount of brake dust.

Tecciztecatl

CD,


I have 12k on mine and had it since Oct 04 ... no problems with brakes at all - I love 'em. It sounds like some tech screwed them up when they were working on them. I have never had problems with any Brembo product.

Seats also look fine for now and I sit in my car for 3.5-4hrs a day... although I see where I might have the "used" look soon.

TLNJ

I have 8K miles on my TL. Definetly have got the butt prints...but I personally find that funny as all hell and point it out to my friends all the time. My car knows me so well that it molded to my ass!! Brakes have never squealed.

In fact a few weeks ago the Brembos DEFINETLY saved me from rear ending someone. We were merging into traffic. It looked like the guy in front of me was going so I peaked back to see if I was good....which I was. So I turned and just as I was about to pound the gas the guy was still in front of me stopped. I SLAMMED on the brakes....so hard that I could swear that the break pedal hit the floor. Inches...that's how close I was to this car. I'm almost positive had it not of been for the Brembos I probably wouldn't of been able to stop so short...and controlled. Talk about a close call....this is actually right after I had read about someone rear ending someone on this site!!!

AcidHorse

Mine only squeals when I' turning into my driveway. Other than that, everythings coo.

SBTL

6500 miles and only problem is dash rattles. 6MT is perfect and no brake squeels. Buttprints don't bother me. No driveline vibration. Running Falken St 115 145/40/18's

dAveSPEC

Can someone explain a high speed braking manuever to properly break in the Brembos? Should you just drive 70 mph and hit the brakes so the antilock engages or just apply very firm pressure? How many times? Average stopping distance?

I would really like to know before I pick up the goods!

KilroyR1

10 stops with firm brake pressure from about 70 to 30 with a minute of driving between brake applications to allow the brakes to cool.

Champcar1

High performance brakes have a tendancy to squeal. Especially if they are not bedded in correctly during break-in. Ever heard a 911 or a Modena stop? It sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.
I have butt prints. So does the S55 AMG sitting in our hangar right now.
EL42's are marginal in the snow, but I live just outside Denver and I have yet to have any problems getting around. Just try to take it a little easier than normal. I will say that as soon as these tires wear out, on go the Pirelli's.
EL42's vibrate because of flat spotting. After about 5 miles they have warmed up enough and it stops.
The dealer who put your brakes back together needs to be called on the carpet by Acura if they did not re-assemble the caliper correctly. This could have caused you a major problem.
I'm not saying that these issues are not real problems to you. If they are bothering you, then it's a problem to you. But I do think that some of these issues are things that at least I can all tolerate in order to drive one of the best cars around for the money.
Good luck with your car and let us know how it all goes.

TLNJ

That's is great!! The S55 AMG is what...at least a $90k car, right...yet we have people on this sight saying that should NEVER happen on a TL that is $35k. Are you kidding me?!?!

Hawhyen51

BRAKES/BREMBO: I have had my 6MT TL about as long as you have had yours. I have not had any probs with the Brembos other than the excessive amount of brake dust. Got about 9.3K on it, stops as advertised and no squealing. I don't think there are any design defects with the Brembos. BTW, my VIN 46XXX.
BUTT PRINTS: Yea, I can live with it.
VIBRATION: EL42's aren't the best tires, but I've learned to adjust my driving habits during inclement weather because of it's reputation. It doesn't get as cold here so flatspotting is not a normal occurence. I'm not feeling the vibration at 40-55 MPH, I'm usually in 4th and I shift at about 2500-3000 RPM. I've tried to duplicate it with the info from the posts I've read to no avail. CND (USAF Terminology - Cannot Duplicate)

IMO, the dealer did a piss poor job on the repair and should be held accountable. I hope you can get the problem settled. Keep us posted. G'Luck!

Champcar1

I think a lot of people on this site and others as well, are expecting absolute perfection from a $35k car. And that's ok. They have that right. $35k is a lot of money in anybody's book. I just simply think, and this is just my opinion, that if you set your expectations that high you are going to be disappointed. This car is far from perfect. I'm not sure there is any perfect car. I guess if you could build a rattle free, four door Mclaren F1, with all wheel drive, that didn't have butt prints, got 50mpg, and rode a smooth as a, yada yada yada and sell it for $20k, then maybe that would qualify as a perfect car. Until that happens, I am perfectly content with my TL.

sparky57

Don't understand the problems you are having.

Mine is a 14 month old '04. Brakes squealed only for first couple thousand miles. Brembos are outstanding.

Yes, the Turanzas are crap. I plan to replace them with S03s.

Butt print in driver's seat only.

Buy one again? Hell yes.

rw

zexi

My car has 24500 miles on it and the breaks do squeeeeeeeeeeeeel in cold weather. I have a appointment with the dealer , and they are goig to put new "Updated" brake pads on, this saturday.
They replaced my tires with michlen pilot sports .. Free. I never had the virbration just the flat spotting.
Butt print is minor .. suggest you use lexol once a month on the seats. Mine do look worn but they are the best driving seat I have ever owned except for my 83 Toyota Supra.
One continuing problem is rattle in the sub woofer with the right low base song on, about my biggest complaint. Hopefully they will fix that.

Over all Car gets 9.5 out of 10 !!