stollerydd

Be very, very careful with your new TL around curbs of any kind. This morning I barely touched a curb and marred the wheel with a scar almost 4 inches long. When I got out of the car and looked at it I almost tossed my cookies, but actually knew it was going to be bad before I looked, by the sound the wheel made as it touched the curb.
Anyhow, I took a close look at the wheel and tire I noticed they are either flush with one another or the wheel actually protrudes ever so slightly. In other words, merely touch a curb and you're in big trouble.
After I got to work I called my salesman to make him aware of the problem and he informed me that they'd already had one complaint from another TL owner AND they'd actually tore up their own demo car.
Fortunately I was put in contact with a mobile wheel repair man who came to my store and repaired it on the spot for $75.00. And, while I agree that $75 is a heck of a lot better than purchasing a new wheel, I can see this as a area of real concern for a lot of people.

MikeRadio

As far as parking and watching the curb, here is a feature that is sort of hidden in the manual!

If you put the mirror control to either left or right (the one you move the mirrors with), it will automatically adjust that mirror downward when you park so you can see the curb!! Then it puts it back.

If you leave it in the middle this feature is disabled.

This would really be good for parallel parking... Anyone else used this as yet?

Mike

Deets

Does this actually work? I heard "no".

Stonewolfjr

Yes it works, a demo i tryed did have the function. The driver can pick which mirror they want to go down, put the car in Reverse, and you can see the curb. Its a really nice feature

stollerydd

mikeradiio - I wish that were the case. I wasn't trying to park the vehicle. I simply pulled up along side the mail drop box at the Post Office to drop off some mail and a small portion of the curb was sticking out ever so slightly and bingo, a wheel scar. And yes, I'm aware of the side mirrors that tilt down and they do in fact work, but not in this case. As careful as I am I can only imagine what others, less careful are going to experience.

MikeRadio

Yes it does work!

I forgot to mention you had to put the car in reverse!

And I suppose it is only for parking.. I am extra careful when getting near any curb.

Mike

goldendragon576

That's nice that you can pick the side now. My 02 TL-S only goes down on the right side, and YES it does work! I have aftermarket rims on mine so I am very careful with my rims and the tilt definitely helps out!

Bear2Day

Try some curb fealers, JC Witney cat. 20$

TorontoTL

The mirror thing definitely works on both sides and it is really really useful when parking next to a curb. Sorry to here about the damage to your wheel.

mook

Another thing to watch for is older neighborhoods that have old fashion curbs that aren't necessarily part of the street. That is, the curb is a independent piece from the road surface. In some older parts of Houston these curbs lean outwards and will catch your wheel and miss the tire entirely. I put an ugly cratch on my old A4's rim that way.

Ever since then, I alway inspect the curb itself before parking. Hard lesson learned.

I just hoping that some day they come up with electronic curb feelers (like the parking assist we have now) that will let you know if you get too close to the curb. I just don't want them to be as ugly as the parking assist sensors...

samkws

moreover, watch out when u go to the automatic carwash

the rail is easy to stractch as well...becareful

MikeRadio

is it better to take the Acura to an automatic like at the gas station car wash where it is...

1) No touch.. water pressure does the cleaning

2) Touch... things come down and swish around on your car (but less water pressure)

and is there any problem with water with the Moonroof visor on...

Mike

gregory28

I washed the car today by hand at my car wash with thier water pressure hose. It's my favorite way to clean- kids like to help. One will certainly get less scratches this way than going through the automatic car wash. No problem with water and the moonroof visor on. I'm sure it's even better to use a sponge and bucket of water in your own driveway. I understand in Germany they like to take their cars to water springs in the country. Sure, maybe I'll try Evian water the next time. :-)

The side mirrors moving down when one is in reverse is a nice feature.

MikeRadio

I love the car but my free time is limited to like zilch.

Spending an hour washing it is one hour out of about 6 I have free on the weekends!

Anyone take theirs to the autowash yet?

legendguy

Yeah, that would look nice

I have basically trashed my '92 Legend's wheels through the years and can sympathize with stollerydd . I have found that my cars since then (eg. '02 Odyssey) have wheels that are inset compared to the tire and so don't get scratched when you rub the curb. I am surprised that this hasn't become the standard and so doubly appreciative for your warning. BTW stollerydd , how was the repair done and how did it look? I would actually be happy to pay $75 per wheel if mine could be fixed now.

tlinto

only problem is your wheels may get dinged up on the track that guides you through the wash on the way in(either type of wash).......

stollerydd

legendguy - the fella that did the repair for me did it at my store, so I was only able to go out and watch him work in between customers. However, after he smoothed everything out he used a device, much like an air brush to blend everything together. After he was finished I told a friend of mine what had happened and asked him to try and find the wheel which was repaired. When he couldn't I then pointed him to the left front and even then he wasn't able to locate where it'd been repaired

MikeRadio - probably much like you I work around 60 hours a week, but I still take an hour to wash my car because, believe it or not, I love to feel the smoothness of the paint job and the way everything fits together so well.

MikeRadio

I don't understand what you mean by track guides?

The car wash here you drive in.. your wheel goes over a little bump thing and sort of sits in it (the system knows you are in it when that happens).

The stuff all moves back and forth washing rinsing soaping and drying.

Then you drive off out of the little indent.

There are no tracks or guides from what I have seen...

Next time you are at the gas station take a look.

Mike

mook

Mike,

Some car washes (especially the ones at gas stations where you car stays stationary during the wash) have tubular steel guide rails to position the car correctly in the car wash. They are usually 2-3 inches in diameter and generally sit about 4-6 inches above ground level. Usually they are only on the driver's side.

If you don't get your wheel centered in this track/channel you can rub the tire and in some cases your wheel on that steel tube. Note, that at these car washes, there is usually a sign that says use at your own risk.

The tracks at most large full-service carwashes are smaller and not as high, for just the reason we're discussing. They don't want to ruin a customers wheels. These usually have a track that in only a few inches deep and has a roller that sits behind the tire pushing the car along. These are less risky, especially if it is a touch free carwash.

MikeRadio

I take great care to center my car up before entering the wash so the car is in the middle.. it just goes over the hump...

As long as you go in correctly, is there a problem?

I never ruined the tires on any other car... If you don't go in right I see that the tire can rub...

Are we talking about damaging the tires here or the rims and to what extent?

My car is dirty from our wind storm and I need to bathe it.

Mike