Lore

Hey all:

I just noticed this on Saturday when I was going to the post office. It's the weirdest thing and I don't understand how I didn't notice this before (unless the dealer screwed something up and didn't tell me!).

Do you have an unusually large gap between the driver door's trim (near the seat memory buttons) and the dashboard's trim (right by the leftmost air vent)? I have a large open gaping area where it doesn't meet the trim, probably big enough that I could shove a sharpie marker in there. And yet, on the passenger side, it's not 100% flush but much more within a reasonable distance.

I looked at the trim installation of the dash and the front door and I cannot tell for the life of me what is causing this, unless the front door trim got compressed somehow.

Anybody else, or did I just get a deformed interior?

KJSmitty

You’re not the only one.
This has been discussed before, I also have about 3/8's of an inch on the drivers yet only about 1/8th of an inch gap on the passengers. To me the dash looks "centered" when using the pillars as a reference thus the gap must be associated with a difference in the door panel construction/depth/thickness in that area. Is it that way intentionally? My guess is yes, why? I don't know. If not intentionally, then it would have to be a manufacturing flaw in the dash and or driver door panel.... Anyone check this out among many TL's on the lot??

Lets have a Poll...

Smitty

Lore

WHEW! I thought it was only me, or as if the dealer did something when thery were messing with my steering column.

As long as it's "normal" amongst the TLs out there I'm okay with that because it doesn't affect functionality nor affect sound or rattles or anything. I'll go by the dealer today to take a look at their on-the-lot TLs.

If anyone else has input, please share

JoganJani

Gap is uniform in my car, though I have a ding or some sort of impression on the driver's door where it meets the dash. Dunno what that is or how it came there. I think dealer must have had it.

Lore

Okay, so it must be a door panel thing... Maybe certain door panels are thicker than others?

rets

After reviewing lots of pictures, I found Acura prefers shooting the photos behind the passenger seat in order to cover this gap... I only found one with the better angle to see the whole panel... you will have the clear view about that gap we're talking about...


Watch out the LEFT gap and RIGHT one...



P.S. I was faultily posting this over another thread. How stupid I'm ... reckless...

TheNip73

There are some covered hole things on the side of the dash on the drivers side. Are these on the passenger side? Maybe they needed the clearance for these hole covers. Open your drivers door and you'll see what I'm talking about. I'll check the passenger side tomorrow. Its too late right now.

Lore

Rets:

Thanks for your hard work - but wow, that does show the gap. How can joganjani's be uniform then? That's interesting. I'll have to look for the holes that TheNip73 is talking about.

6spdzoomzoom

mine is that way as well... just like the picture.

funny thing though. I was driving a TSX loaner last week and it had it as well.

Vffr1

I have the gap on the left side as well, I reported to my dealer last week, they state dash is "adjustable."

They ordered me a complete new dash, since I found a small nick near the glove box that can't be repaired. Dealer states he will fix gap when they install the new dash. They are also repalcing both exhaust tips due to rust spots.

I felt well taken care of from my dealership in Los Gatos, Cal. they even offered me a loaner car when my TL into the shop.

My car is in the 21XXX and has no other real problems.

Mike Smeezy
Athracite/Ebony/Navi/5AT

Modeler

I have the same thing on my car: gap on the left is at least twice as wide as on the right.

acuraddict

I have the same gap. Noticed it within a few days and when I checked at the dealer, some had it and some did not. Dealer offered to pull out the dash and fix it, but I didn't want it done. I'm afraid this would introduce too much chance for rattles and clicks that my car has never had, so I don't want to tempt fate.

Teh Jatt

same with my car, gap on left

Lore

I wonder what that gap is for. I sat in my roommate's VW Touareg this morning on the way to work and I think their driver side gap is also larger than the passenger side -- I'll have to check later today.

Odd.

JoganJani

Lore, I again checked it. The gap in the lower part of alluminium strip is uniform and upper part is more on the driver side. I'll take a panoramic picture and post it.

Lore

Ah, I see. So it stays uniform then kind of bends outwards (towards the driver's sideview mirror) and at that point the gap increases?

You don't need to take a panaramic, just take two separate photos and put them side by side. Thanks for your help.

sirbrah

Hey, I also got my TL from Los Gatos Acura, their service is pretty good, although the loaners I got were from enterprise... I hate chevy POS's!!

Lore

Take a look at these pictures from Brucedeb1:

http://www.acura-tl.com/gallery/show...t=7&thecat=500

http://www.acura-tl.com/gallery/show...t=7&thecat=500

You can see the gap more clearly there. Sounds like most everyone has that problem?

LED Master

OK, I have to chime in on this one, but I was wondering, who really cares on this, does the gap really bother you, is it really noticable unless you look for it?

Does it cause rattles, does it leak air, let water in, vibrate the car? If not, forget it.

Whatever you do, do not have the dealer remove the dash unless absolutely needed.

I have a gap differencial also, but can never see both at the same time to care.

I know I nit pick, but on this one, I need to say, we should leave it alone.

Lore

It was more of a poll to see if anyone else had this in their interiors -- I wasn't planning on getting this fixed -- but thanks for your advice about not getting the dash replaced. I agree, unless absolutely necessary (say, the passenger side airbag is defective), I would not want them to take apart my dash.

jmichaelp

Never noticed it & don't care - the passenger will never notice that the driver's gap is larger & vice versa.

Turbowhat2

i remember sitting in my friends current gen accord and they have the same type of Dash-meet-door setup... i thought i remembered there was no gap in the accord.... someoen wanna go check?

LED Master

Thanks lore, understood.

Flanagan

Here's one to tickle your fancies, that photo from Acura isn't necessarily a photo, it's more likely a rendering. (Car companies rarely take interior photographs anymore because it's easier and better-looking to use a computer model and a specialty car interior rendering program, like Opus Realizer at http://www.opticore.com/.)

This means that the gap is designed into the car, whether intentional or not.

Woodstock

Seems all TL's are like this (mine included). Wonder why?

NOX 3.2

I have same gap, so I tried to push that piece to the left (by pushing the A/C vent to the left) and it moves !

that means there could be a solution from inside the dash panel...

it seems the whole dash piece, slides out from underneath the dial cover piece.

Z Factor

Yes, we all have it, and no I do not see it as something that needs to be fixed or replaced.

FS-TL

Actually, I did address that to the dealer when I brought mine in for little fix. In fact, I also asked them why that silver pieces on the driver side door and the console not quite line up straight, and the technician looked into it and said nothing it can be done. Possibly it was not align well when they were installed at the factory.