acoga

I love my 05 TL (5AT), but one thing that bothers me is that it vibrates a lot at idle when I start it up in the morning. I'm not talking about the driveline vibrations at 50+ MPH (which I also have). This just feels like an older, cruder engine design. I used to have a 2000 Honda Accord V-6 that had an unbelievably smooth engine. Could barely feel it running at idle. This thing feels almost trucklike; not like a Japanese V-6 at all. I have about 800 miles on the car.

Does anyone else suffer from this? If this is unusual, I want to take it in to the dealer, but I want some facts if they say "they're all like this."

Thanks.

SouthernBoy

I get some vibration when starting my engine cold.. as in the morning. It goes away pretty soon. I attribute this to a more aggressive state of tune and a higher compression ratio.

willz822

you're lucky.....my vibration doesn't go away...it's minimal when the car warms up but I can still feel the vibration thru the steering column and wheel. Honestly, it's annoying at times but it never takes away from the joy of driving the 6MT.

TheWhippingBoy

my tl does not vibrate

New2004AcuraTLman

I also have a rough IDLE when cold and first started and then it smoothes out somewhat but not all when it gets warmer. What the heck is tha all about? I understand engines with higher compression ratios and alot of HP can be rough but this engine should be quite refined by now and smooth as a baby behind don't you think? Not that big of a deal but still annoying nonetheless for a 35k CAR. I'll have to see if my friends new 350Z does this. If not, shame to blame on acura

BlackTL12

I have the same problem, I have 9,500 mi. and it idles a bit rough at startup. When warm it is not as bad, but noticable. Let me know if you take it in and what they say.

Bluenote

Sounds pretty much normal to me. If it's a concermn for you, you will want to leave it overnight so the dealer can look at it cold. Or, you could always stop by the dealer & ask your salesman to grab a couple of keys to some stock vehicles & compare them yourself.

New2004AcuraTLman

In my opinion it does not matter if a brand new TL with zero miles on it does this, because that is not the issue. The issue is whether it is NORMAL for a car to do this period and to me it is not and unacceptable. Of course acura will say " oh but it's just a normal characteristic of the car" Ir's a BS excuse they use to get out of any and all responsibility for their defects and should the consumer who pays good money for ANY product have to deal with a company that downright lies and deceives the hands that feed them? NO. It's an insult is what it is and It's time for the little man to stand up for his or her rights in today's society. Prime example: Driveline vibration. They know damn well they have a problem an they are doing nothing to fix it or console the consumer other than the same BS excuse of " normal" to the car. How Pathetic

NFLblitze1

all i hear on this website....is complaining...about vibrations in your car.....i have the 04' TL and i don't have any vibration problems...not ones that bother me atleast....i mean when i get to around 80+ mph i feel a little bit of shaking...but normally i don't go passed 80 unless on an open road which in new jersey is very unlikely....or when i feel like flooring it which ive dones once and heard banging and learned my lesson from then on in...but i don't have any vibration problems....what exactly causes the vibrations??

New2004AcuraTLman

lol that is true but how can they fix the problems if no one complains and bring it to their attention? That's what the forum is for amongst other things and I think it's one of the best!

SouthernBoy

Guess I am one of the fortunate ones. I don't have any of these problems. No driveline vibrations. No vibrations at speed from the suspension or steering. No hesitation or slow-to-respond throttle (in fact, just the complete opposite).

Bluenote

Ok, I think you missed my point.


The reason I suggested checking out a few other '05 TL's is to see if others do the same thing yours does. Nothing more. If they all do it, I would say that's the definition of "normal" in my opinion. Comparing a customer's vehicle to a stock unit is one of the best ways to determine if a car is acting the way it was designed.

Your cynicism upsets me. There are lots of hard working, respectable men & women in the field of vehicle service, and sales for that matter. You don't know what your servicing dealer will say, you're making an assumption based on emotions. The "witch hunt" mentality I find here from time to time disheartens me.

Just because you find a particular characteristic of a vehicle annoying doesn't mean it isn't normal. And the only way to find out if something is normal is to take it to someone qualified to make that determination.

I would hope that when you do take your TL in for service you take the "I think this car idles too roughly when it's cold & would really like you to do what you can to reduce the vibration" stance and not "You sold me a peice of crap & don't try and tell me there's nothing wrong with it" attitude.


Happy Holidays.

bfogarty

Yeah I thought I had mine solved when they retaught the idle. The thing about the vibration in the floorboard and the steering wheel is it really takes away from the driving pleasure of the vehicle. Whoever said it reminds them of an unrefined engine is right. My first Honda was a 1983 Honda Accord, 5 speed. That engine purred like a kitten, and many times I restartred the car before I learned to check the tach. This engine purrs but you always know it is running because of the BS vibration feedback through the steering wheel and the floorboard. It is not a bad vibration which really pisses me off since it is hard to say to the dealership that the car sucks. I love the way it looks but I may be moving up to an LS 430 if they come up with a more aggressive design.

SouthernBoy

Another way of getting some info is to talk to other owners that you might see on the street. Get their take and see if you can arrive at some sort of "poll".

Good luck to you.

New2004AcuraTLman

Bluenote:

NO, you missed MY point. If a dealer has 10 new tl's on the lot and every singl one of them idles rough , does NOT make it "NORMAL". Just because they all do it. That is a major lack of foresight and reasoning to assume that it is. There could be a design defect or flaw in ALL of them and is NOT considered normal to a consumer that is paying for an item that is not to their satisfaction and a dealer is responsible for fixing it or making it right, not to blow off and piss off a customer by making up an imaginary " normal" clause for every single thing that is wrong on a car. That in my book is BS and needs to be adressed. Prime example: The bumper discoloration on the car compared to the rest of that car color as stated in plenty of other threads. It is NOT normal and is NOT acceptable when some cars have it and some cars do not. Tell the damn manufacturer of the cars that do have it to contact the engineers at the manufacturers of cars that do not have it and get their shit right. It is pathetic is what it is. For you to say that I do not respect or value master techs who are honest and trustworthy is pure malarchy because I never brought that up and never even insinutated such a thing. Again you assumed. When corporations realize that the existance of their very business is in power and the hands of the paying consumer, they will come to terms with the fact that the will be out of business if we all take action and complain about things OR stop buying their products. There is way too much competition in this world for them to take a stance on things and think consumers will take it. Not me and not others who think like me. Corporate america craes only about money and botom lines and what corners you can cut and toes to step on to get there. It's about time for a Mutany!!! lol

BTW Happy Holidays to all!

SouthernBoy

And what would you wish to see installed in place of capitalism?

producrdel

Okay, the info that I have gotten from both the manual and the dealer is that startup vibration is perfectly normal, it is the ULEV system adjusting for the current emissions. Hence if the car is cold it will vibrate more, if it has just been run should not.

Norse396

Cam profile has more to do with idle quality than compression does. If it idles smooth warm it should idle smooth cold. Mine idles smooth as glass always so my guess is this has more to do with gas quality and the computer than what we might perceive as aggressive tuning.

SouthernBoy

The phrase, "state of tune", includes camshaft design. My use of the word "aggressive" simply means just that.. a bit more aggressive. In camshaft talk, that would tend to equate to longer duration and a higher lift.

Engines, even in the best of cars, will have a slightly rougher idle when cold (I'm talking cold here.. as in sub-freezing temperatures) than when fully warmed up. If you have an engine that has a higher compression ratio and a more aggressive state of tune, it's likely to be prone to even more roughness when that cold. I don't mean a roughness like I suspect acoga refers to with his car, but noticable. Mine is a little more like that. I wouldn't call mine a roughness or such.. just something I would expect from a smaller engine of this size and in this state of tune.

Mine warms up quickly and an such "roughness" is completely gone just as quickly. Then it's quite smooth at idle. As for the fuel I use, it's Amoco. And I never buy from an older station. I drive to one 12 miles from my house because it's pretty new and it's also the closest Amoco.. at least for the next few weeks then a closer, newer one opens up.

Anyway, we're probably pretty much on the same page.

xedap1998

I have the same problem in the morning. It seems like the tachometer jump up and down a bit 100RPM if you really pay attention to it. Also. i believe that it is related to the engine mount or tranny mount. Try this, Rev your engine to 1300 to 1500 RPM it should shake(vibrate) more . In the morning when the car first start up the engine spinning at 1200-1300 rpm that is why we feel the rough-shake more than when it is warmed up and running at 700 RMP

Let me know

gbriank

Yup, i've got the rough idle at start. Once the engine is warmed up, it smooths out.

mio

u r just too sensitive or ...???

every car got some vibration when starting my engine cold in the morning~

bfogarty

After putting 2,500 miles on the TL, it is my opinion that the engine/exhaust transmits a vibration through the floorboard and the steering wheel at certain rpm's. It may be inherent in the design of the car, but it does take away from the driving experience of the car. I have 2 4cylinder Accords, a 6 cylinder Camry a Honda Pilot and a Subaru. The Pilot is very, very smooth sort of like the Camry. The others are rougher and have vibrations, but their vibrations are at a different pitch or more obvious and don't bother me. The TL vibration because of its nature is annoying. By the way I am use to rough cars, I drove a Porsche every day for 10 years before I had kids.