Well, After the long 2 month wait I finally got my SSM 04 Acura TL with Ebony Interior. It is used with only 10k miles. I have read of many complaints on this forum but mine just doesnt have them. My leather is fine...just minor butt marks which are normal. The only other thing i noticed was i do get some rattling in the back with some music but i think that is normal as well.
Two of my rims are scuffed a little, not a big deal but i do want to make my car perfect because its new to me. If i bought 2 new rims, would i have to take the whole tire off or can i just change the rim. How much do you think it would cost to get this done?
Also, the black material above the window...it looks glossy. Well there is little scratches in one area and i would like to fix this...any ideas?
Lastly, there is one 4-6 inch scratch on the trunk. Its not deep so i was thinking their is a product like a scratch remover that would work. Any ideas?

What is the best products to use on the leather and dash? Right now im using meguiars leather wipes.

Thanks to everyone in advance for their help?

Feel free to ask away with questions!

Talk to everyone soon!!!!

Cobgrats and welcome to the forum.

There is no need to buy new wheels. Get wheels repaired. Any wheel place can repair them for $50-75 a peice.

For scratch try using Scratch X.

Dash keep clean and protected with 303 Aerospace Protectant. For Leather I use Zaino Leather in a Bottle. LExol is good too. Any auto part store will have Lexol.

i use armor all leather protectant for seats and the rubbery dash. works fine. no oily shines like other ppl said. only bad thing so far is seats are little slippery for the first a few days after applied. wondering why use something we don’t know well off the internet instead something we know and proven to work for years. Just my opinion, you don’t have to agree.

btw, post your pix at pix forum.

Wait...you waited two months for a used TL? How'd that happen? Just curious.

Well, it doesn't matter. Welcome to the club! Have fun with the TL, I am....

Any rubbing compound or "scratch remover" for clear coat finishes you can pick up from Autozone or PepBoys is going to work very well. If the scratch is light, just try buffing it out with any regular polymer wax; you'd be surprised how often that can remove clear coat scratches.

As for the leather, I also use the Meguiar's wipes but I've found I am much happier if the seats are buffed down about 10 minutes after I finish with the wipes; otherwise they're too glossy and oily.

I agree with the post on the 303 protectant; it goes on just as easily as Armor All but it doesn't leave that crappy looking glossy/oily finish, even without buffing. Good stuff.

Congrats and welcome to the forum. BTW- you got the perfect color combination, although I am somewhat biased (SSM/Ebony/AT).

You should get the wheels refinished. I had a shop where I live refinish one of the curbed CL-S wheels on my Legend, it cost me about $125. The wheel appears brand new, you really can't tell the difference between the refinished wheel and the others. Acura will want around $500 or more for a single new wheel.

welcome and congrats!!! I also have a silver/ebony combo and love it.

3M sells a wax cleaning product that I use on my black, white and now silver cars. It does a great job cleaning and removing small scratches (don't know how deep yours is). Give it a try--it is NOT a finish wax, but it does a great job of removing oxidation/old wax so that you can start "fresh".

I use the Woolite/water (5:1) ratio mix to clean my leather, then I hit it with Lexol conditioner. I use 303 Protectant on the plastic, and I love the results.

Have a blast!

How do they replace a rim...if it is scratched then their is a piece of the rim messed up..how would they repair this. would this be an auto body place or specifically a wheel repair place...please give me a little more info.

Thanks,
Dave

it was a friend of my dad who is moving to canada and not taking the TL...so i lucked out and new when he was moving 2 months ago...so ive been waiting, but not any more =)

i have this guy that will sell me 4 rims for 475. Anyone want 2?

Is that $475 shipped? Are they new (perfect)? I may be intersted!

it doesnt include shipping. It would be $250 for both of us and we would each get 2 rims.

Here is a pic of the wheel that I had refinished. It had crub scratching all the way around it. If there are actual gouges in the wheel (chunks missing), I'm pretty sure they can fill that and sand it to look like new. You'll need to take it to a place that specifically repairs wheels. It's definately worth it. All my friends told me to just leave it be with the scratches, but I'm glad I spent the money to have it refinished. The place that did mine is called Wheel Medic, located in columbus ohio. If you google the name you should come up with their website.

ok how did you get the red brake pad's...what are they?
VERY VERY NICE

How much did it cost to get the wheel refinished. Can you notice when you look up close?
Im In Rhode Island, Do you know of any places up here...know of anywhere i can look to find one?

Thanks for the help!

Are they in good condition? How would we aquire them and submit payment? Thanks

Leo... Your opinion notwithstanding...

We have several members here who are pro or semi-pro detailers. They also participate in the specialized detailing forums (PM me for links).

They will recommend (and FWIW I agree) not to use Armor All or any other kind of quickie wipes on the leather.

Leather is skin. Dead skin. It needs moisturizing with essential natural oils to keep it supple and to preserve it. Our TL's leather is thirsty for those conditioners right out of the box. I put two treatments of Zaino's "Leather in a Bottle" before it stopped drinking it in (about a month apart). I will repeat the treatments every 2-3 months in the Florida weather. And... mmmmmm! It smells Soooo good.

I use Aerospace Protectant's 303 on the dash. It works great on the soft, rubbery stuff as well. It protects against UV rays and is non-glossy. It replaces the plasticizers that "boil off" the hot dash over time to keep the material soft and free from cracks.

All of this is a matter of personal preference. Some TLers put their car through an automated car wash. I would die first! Well.... you know what I mean.

Every metro area has specialist wheel repair people. Around here, they charge about $40 per wheel. They do excellent work with a Dremel rotary tool and some matching paint. Just like new. These guys usually also do tint, clear bras, paintless dent removal, etc. and are mobil. They come to you. Check Internet and yellow pages in your area or, better yet, ask the service writer at the Acura dealer. If you go thru the dealer, they will tack on at least 24% for their profit. Go direct.

XP