Never Again Will I Buy An Acura!
 

I think yesterday was the last straw for me. I get into my car only to see......


:whyme: :no:
http://i49.tinypic.com/2rmmuy0.jpg


I've already had to deal with this for awhile, but luckily it was somewhat out of sight and seemed like it had stopped cracking. It's MUCH worse than it looks & there are many more that this pic doesn't show. The cracks are separated quite a bit also
http://i45.tinypic.com/2jenxnk.jpg

So the car has 128k miles and has had countless problems. I understand you'll have "some" problems, but this is just ridiculous. Pretty sad for a car of this stature and price.

1. Transmission needed to be rebuilt
2. 3/4th pressure switches quite often
3. RATTLES
4. Dash cracking
5. All my engine mounts completely busted at around 110k miles...like...in pieces
6. Power Steering O-ring
7. Door lock actuators


and many other things. What the hell Acura...what the hell :annoyed:

You are right.... my old 99 nissan altima that u used as a beater for work and never really took care of it much besides mechanical stuff, always exposed to high heat from the sun and whatnot, never had a discoloration on the dash. It never rattled either :)

hopefully you will not have problems with your next car. Very happy with my 06 tsx. Going on 144K rattle, problem free miles (knock on wood)

So you got a car that's had more problems than some, that's no reason to bash the manufacturer. You could have bought the car brand new and had problems, you just have to face the fact that you took the chance of buying a car. And if you bought it used then that's even more of a risk.

You've been here a while so you know many of us are happy with our vehicles, some are not.

Maybe try looking at the positives, do you enjoy driving it? Is it paid off? Does it serve it's purpose to get you to and from work and/or transport your family?

You're looking at all the costs of owning a vehicle and the risks involved instead of looking at the positives.

As for this...

1. Transmission needed to be rebuilt
2. 3/4th pressure switches quite often
3. RATTLES
4. Dash cracking
5. All my engine mounts completely busted at around 110k miles...like...in pieces
6. Power Steering O-ring
7. Door lock actuators

1. The tranny is a known fault of this car (especially 04-05 models)
2. Those need to be done about every 50k miles and are really easy to DIY
3. Rattles are also a KNOWN issue with this car and again, easy to fix.
4. Dash cracking happens in EVERY vehicle.
5. Engine mounts are a wear and tear item. If you are not the original owner maybe the previous owner put a real beating on the car, there's no telling, maybe you beat the car up? My car is at 91k miles and when I have the 105k service done I will be replacing the motor mounts as well.
6. This was a recall from Acura, they will do it for free, hence "recall"
7. This could also happen in any car.

Just my :2cents: Hope I helped. Good luck in whatever path you take. :thumbsup:

I have to agree with you on this one Austin...

Name the car brand that will replace your Acura. I can rip them to shreds.

No one is perfect.

its a high mileage 8(at least) year old car.

:shrug:

I'm fed up with Acura as well. Next car is going to be a Lexus or BMW.

Why?

Just curious.

his supercharger blew out 2 AT transmissions already. too much power on stock internals will wear out anything faster. it's like going on a drug bender for a week, you can only maintain for so long.

Trunk, sorry about your ongoing problems. hope you get things resolved one way or another. at least your sound system sounds good! :toocool:

Not to hijack OPs opinions, but what makes Lexus and BMW a better car? My dad had an RX330 and ran into tons of problems while taking ownership-- more so then the TL (which is currently in the shop besides the irony). His dash cracked, had rattles up the butt, and he had to replace the suspension twice.

I agree that no car is perfect, but by getting yourself into a BMW, the same issues you have in your Acura will still be there... But now they will cost 3x more to repair.

But no car is perfect. None. My mom just got a 2013 Infinity JX and we already had it in the shop because the side panels were popping out of place due to broken clips.

OP, just get a dash mat and forget about it. I'd rather stare at a semi-decent looking mat that a boatload of new car payments. :2cents:

Very well said UA6

a car is nothing more than a contained explosion on wheels. Of course you are going to run into problems here and there.

All in all that's not too bad for the mileage, the TL is the first "import" I ever bought, When I drive my wife's 07 Impala over a rough road it's like being in an unbalanced washing machine. I'm more of a GM guy, the Honda thing is new to me, but I'm not buying another American car unless it's older than my 95 Impala SS.

Maybe all of that audio equipment you have was so powerful that it cracked your dash :snicker:

In all seriousness I'm sorry to see your dash. I dealt with that issue just a few months after purchasing my car and while I wasn't happy about it, Acura did the right thing and paid the labor cost to have it replaced.

Like others have said, no vehicle is perfect. Switching brands doesn't guarantee you a thing.

Besides dealing with my tranny issues I've had to deal with attitudes from Acura dealers, service people, warranty departments, etc. Even AFTER I fixed the first tranny out of my own pocket I still have to defend myself about it every time I go to a dealership.

I'm more disappointed with the Acura dealership experience than I am with my TL.

:werd:

Had my car in for scheduled repair Thursday/Friday and when I got home my alternator went out so now it's sitting at a local Honda dealer. They really should have checked the alternator in their 'million point inspection' so I didn't have to get it towed back to them :annoyed:

Tell me what car could you possible find that has no problems? It doesnt matter how well built they are because some will come "defective."

I guess I am the lucky one. The dealer I go to have been awesome; they multi-point check everything, great customer service, effective and efficient service plus i get a discount

just curious, do you use a sun shield or your dash is constantly baking in the sun?

I'm hoping that my usage of a sun shade will prevent this from happening.

It should help keep temperatures down in the car, which in theory will help.

I remember reading somewhere that our dashs are porous and "made to breath" and when you use cleaning compounds on the dash, it clogs those pours and causes cracking. I have no idea if that's really the case, but I only use the recommended 303 on my dash now.

So that you have to bring it in to the dealer and pay them to reset (or do whatever) to your ECU just because you put a new battery in? Ask me how I know :whyme:

I would much rather pay for Honda/Acura parts then BMW/Lexus parts. Talk about getting ripped off.

live on the coast of NC-spend lots of time on the beach. My tsx spends many hours parked in the hot sun. The sunshield is used but not all the time. I leave all the windows open a crack. Keeps heat from building up. I do use wipes on the dash.

:ibinb4thelock:

At least it didn't self-combust? So the dash cracked, remove it and go for ultra diet!

Better yet, take the opportunity to get a custom cover for it. Perhaps since it is cracked and unsightly, do some mods for better SQ and then re-cover in another material. Make the best of the situation. There are much bigger problems you could be having.

And?

So you're going to think the WHOLE Acura brand is bad just because of a bad dealership? Have you ever went to like a... Chilis, Cheesecake Factory, Red Lobster, or Olive Garden or even Subway that is individually franchised? Its like blaming the restaurant (the whole company) because the server wasn't good.

The transmission could've been built better of course. The interior could've been built with more quality.

But with the bad, you forget about the pros.

The best fucking looking car on the road for the money.
Best V6 MPG without turning off two or 4 cylinders.
A reliable car in general.
A decent size trunk, backseat, and leg room.
Technology in the TL that most other makers finally learned in 2010+.
CHICK MAGNET.

Seeing that you are having problems, maybe your AC unit will go as well. Brace yourself for that repair to. ahahah..

How about layout of driver console, just a pure beauty.

Steering feels like you actually control the car. Overall driving experience is great.

But if I'd find my dash crack like OP that would really piss me off.

Honestly, I don't blame the OP for saying the dash is the 'last straw'. Sometimes enough is enough and you walk and don't look back.

I'm very disappointed in Acura's non-response to this problem. I don't agree it happens to 'any' car. Our '02 is 10 1/2-years old and has been parked outside 24/7 for 5 years. No dash cracking.

I also think it's a legitimate safety hazard. Who knows how many flying pieces of shrapnel a cracked dash will turn in to if the front passenger airbag deploys?

Not to mention how expensive this non-normal failure is for a 'typical' owner to repair.

X2.

This thread's purpose is aimless.

Funny enough, OP and I had the same initial reaction when this happened. Probably didn't help that the bluetooth unit took a dump at the same time.

Acura was willing to 50% percent it, which is admirable for an almost 9 year old car...but I still wasn't willing to pay $1100 for something I didn't do anything to cause.

On the contrary, car always in the shade or sun shade up, religiously applied 303 protectant and STILL mine split. What really irked me was the service sales guy giving me the regular customer spiel on 2 different occasions about how Acura's engineers had determined that you shouldn't put anything on the dash...he's clueless what 303 is...then 2 weeks later, he forgets he told me that and tells me that Acura recommends to put 303 to preserve it. :(

Not cool...plus, I've got loads of aftermarket wiring and crap...and I've heard nightmares about ill fitting replacement dashes and creaks etc...and what IF...it cracks again!!! :(

So, I got over it...bought a Sedona Suede dash cover and I'm happy with it. Went online and bought a bluetooth unit for $170...and the dash cover for $80 and DONE.

Now, I have title in hand...and I love my car.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y23...s/IMAG0928.jpg

^^ that cover actually looks so good I might get one, and my car has no dash cracks. Questions:
- is that the Dash Designs mat?
- which seller did you use?
- what color is that?

Thanks

I'm really surprised about the whole dash cracking thing too. My previous car was a 93 honda, that dash was PRISTINE after 19yrs.
In some ways those old cars are better.

93 honda made in Japan
Acura TL made in USA

Reallly? NO ONE else commented on this? Everyone else would rather bash the OP, instead of the comment on maintenance of week-long drug benders? :tomato:

For sure...well maintained, an old car would still look brand new to this day with very little to keep up with. :)

It was Sedona Suede (black)...I cut holes for the tweeters to sit in...and used a ridiculous amount of velcro to adhere it to ensure it would sit flat. I'd have to look back, but I think I'm going on over a year with it with no fade and still looking great.

I paid $80 but others got it for $40 or so...managed to figure out it was identical to mine. Mine was cover king or something like that...I'd have to look it up...

others got this one:
http://www.autoanything.com/dash-mats/20A10025A1.aspx

I have a family member that will never own a car outside of its warranty. He's had countless BMWs since they have an awesome maintenance and warranty plan. Plus he enjoys having a new car every 3 to 4 yrs.

buying BMW only if you buying it new and keep for 60k miles then trade it in for another new one, then you will be problem free but at the same time you will constantly having car payment instead of owning one out right. Yes I do agree with the glass trany and dash crack issue, but I would loosing sleep over it. I would just toss a dash cover over it and call it a day, 3rd trany isn't as bad as 2nd gen AT and 6th Accord. I have an 2000 Accord V6 with 141k miles still has original AT without issue, the previous owner did every single service that dealer recommended. I had change ATF every 10k miles so I hope the trany will last awhile, if it goes bad then it just I have bad luck. Lexus and BMW, Infinity isn't much better at all, BMW 335i having issue with their fuel pump and turbo which similar to our TL AT, Lexus IS 350 has issue with Valve spring and Lexus refuse to acknowledge the 100k miles warranty if it got replace by the previous owner. My brother friend G35 coupe has broken button that control climate control and over the central computer, he has to rip the whole dash out to replace the dam thing which took 8 hours. He used to own a E350 Benz and force to sell it because every time it hit the dealer for service the bill always came in at quad digit. So you think switching brand is helping but in reality every brand has their own common issue.

I feel for the OP. I have to assume the OP bought used and possibly some of these things pre-existed his purchase, like the dash and the pw steering hose for example. I can't help but wonder if he would have had a better experience if he had bought NEW. I had the PS hose recalled 4 years ago and that is only my 2nd and last trip to the dealer in 6 years of ownership. That's not bad for me anyway.

The things missing from the vent are:

1. cases where the car left him high and dry needing a tow. I know a few BMW drivers that can't say that.

2. how many times he went to the dealer for the same problem- that is the basis for the definition of a lemon which I heard nothing about. I have heard nothing about the same problem occurring like many other drivers deal with of lessor makes.

3. While I don't have the dash issue, it has been long discussed in this forum. Perhaps the OP should have done some better research and not buy the car in the first place. Perhaps the extremely high heat we have had this summer caused this dash issue to occur recently? Perhaps the car isn't garaged and is left baking in the sun all the time. Who knows.


Based on the signature, looks like the sound system is a major part of the OPs priorities and possibly that clouded his vision for some of the more glaring issues?