Hello folks, my WDP with Parchment, 5AT, Navigation car I ordered arrived. I went to the dealership to look it over and drive it. However, when I drove it the allignment was off and it only had 1.9 miles on it. I also noticed that many people on this thread have talked about the PAINT discoloration between the bumpers and the actual car body itself. Where the body is more white and the bumpers are more of a yellowish white. I also noticed this as well and I am not to pleased or happy with this. I am actually thinking about getting a different color combination.

Any thoughts, suggestions, theories on the paint? I hate to pay $35K for a car that in a few years looks like a 2 tone colored car! I've also noticed that in the area that I reside and surrouding areas I do not see WDP hardly at all, wonder if this is one of the reasons why pertaining to the paint not matching the lack of WDP I see?!!! Thanks for any help, suggestions or thoughts on the matter.

 

Anyone have any thoughts on this come on people!!!

 

Legend75,

I had exactly the same issue with my 2002 WDP TL type S. If I had to do it over again I would probably not get WDP, I loved the white but the discoloration was too much to handle. It was not so much the bumpers but the doors versus the other body panels, especially the drivers door. I had people to ask me if it had been wrecked and the door repainted, not the questions I wanted to hear about my new TL at that time. I eventually traded that TL for a 2003.5 Infiniti G35 Sedan.. well guess what, as of yesterday I am the "PROUD" owner of a Anthracite/Camel '04 TL.. YES, once again I am in Acura heaven.... I looked at the WDP and the Abyss Blue before deciding on the Anthracite. All I can say is if you see that color difference you know others will too. If you are not happy then I would say do not part with your 35K and look for other colors...... just my 2 cents..

 

Legend75 I too have a WDP with the mis-matched paint. I think it's not worth the hassle to get it re-painted and possibly open a bigger can of worms. Mine only looks like that under certain lighting conditions or at the right angle when looking at the car. Honestly I did not notice it when I picked the car up. TomC.

 

That's BADASS in response to TLS Fiend!!! That's the color combo I am thinking about getting!! Do you have Navigation? Thanks for the advice! Yea, your opinion makes since as well!

I also agree with you as well Tom, however lot of money for a car that should in my opinion have the color match.

 

Get that combo fast!!!! I think in this part of the country (SE) the AM/Camel is pretty hard to get.... I had almost settled on the Abyss Blue/Camel until that car got traded to another dealership! ....
My dealership did a search and there were two Abyss Blue/Camel in the SE but they had the AM/Camel on the lot ready to go and I was ready to get out of my G35!
I did not opt for NAVI as that is a feature I would never use even though it does have WOW factor.

 

Yea, that is what I am afraid of. Not being able to find the Anthracite with camel interior with navigation. It has really been a joke to find the color combo I want in this vehicle. Not to mention that the Acura sales/service mentality is not pleasing me. Anyhow, I decided NOT to go with the WDP as for the discoloration of color between bumper and body. Too much money for the paint not matching, doesn't make me happy at ALL.

 

Even though it is late in the model year and combinations may be hard to find.. I think you will like a different color much better.. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, even if it is waiting for an '05!

 

My dealer had the rear bumper repainted only asking one question. Doyou want the front repainted also?
excellent paint match!

 

Apparently you got lucky chas083, the dealer I have been working with or at least the sales guy, is kind of a douche bag. I feel like I know more about the car than he does. Also when I went to test drive it after waiting 2 month's for it to be delivered, he said that they don't let people pair their bluetooth phones with the TL. I told him that other Acura dealerships let me. Thus far, I have not been impressed with Acura of Troy in Michigan.

Also, back to the subject not sure what I am going to do. I might just all together get a different car. I am sick and tired of dealing with Acura sales staff. I have had nothing but displeasure, arrogance and igonorance in dealing with Acura.

The WDP color should match everywhere on the car. No excuse for a $35K car's color not to match. The American auto's can do it why can't the Japanese. Anyhow, too much money for a car that's color doesn't match!

 

Since you noticed the color difference, I wouldn't buy the white TL. There are many color combos
on this car that are very nice. If it were me, I'd begin obsessing about the variation in color . . .
it would drive me nuts!

 

Yea, I think I already am berlinrl!

 

I have a very slight variation on all my plastic painted surfaces as well including the bodykit and the spoiler. I will live with it because it is not very noticible most of the time. I have seen plenty of white cars on the road witht the same problem.

dsc888

 

I own the exact, WDP, Parchment, Navi auto and I could not be any happier.
I did put on some Falken Toprfque 5 gunmetal rims with Falken ZIEZ tires.
I originally wanted black with Camel but am VERY happy with the WDP/Parchment.


I have noticed a very slight vibration at 55mph and will mention it to the dealer
when it goes in for it's first oil change. The car has absolutely no other issues.

I really loved it while on my first road trip going 80-85 and getting 32mpg.
Craig

 

Synoil, where did you purcahse your 04 TL at and what accessories/options did you add to the vehicle. I noticed that you are also in Michigan. And persoanlly, $35K is WAY to much money for a car that's body doesn't match everywhere, that is just pathetic for this kinda money!

 

My silver has the same problem. Check all of the cars on your dealer's lot and you'l l see that at least half of them, in all colors, don't match. This is unacceptable on any new car but it's downright outrageous on a 35,000+ car from a manufacturer that brags about its fit and finish. Sad, very sad.
By the way, unless you have a WRITTEN LETTER from Acura saying your dealer could do the repaint the paint warranty on the whole car has been voided. I hope you guys have letters.

 

Purchased from Jeffery Acura on the East side of the Detroit area. Very good sales experience.
Hmmm, let see....
'04 Acura TL VIN 39XXX, Delivered in late March.
WDP/Parchment/Navi/5AT
Mud guards
Winter Mats
Wood shift knob
Body Side Molding
Rear Lip Spoiler
Paint and Interior Treatment
$35K plus tax.
I basically paid sticker with the extras for free IMHO.
Oh, I did purchase the 7yr/100K warranty for an additional $1050 which I thought
was a good deal. With all the gizmo's on this car it would be a fortune to
fix out of warranty. I usually keep my cars at least 5 years. Last one 10 years.

I did add Falken Torque 5 rims with the Falken ZIEX tires. OEM wheels and improved
Bridgestone tires are new in basement. I will probably trade tires at Discount tire
to a different all season tire and put OEM wheels on for winter. I have heard
Bridgestone has another recall on tires but don't know if it involves the ones that
came with the TL.

I am essentially VERY happy with my TL. No squeeks, rattles, falling headliner et.
Craig

 

Thanks for the info here guys and gals, very intuitive and informative. Look forward to reading more replies.

 

As far as the bumper discoloration goes; I had the paint pealing off o my front bumper, they replaced the bumper and painted it. It matched much closer to the rest of the car. I ended up complaing about the rear bumper because it is yellow. They are going to repaint it. not sure when.

 

I have a WDP and have noticed the difference in color but it is only in certain lighting conditions. Not sure why Acura can't get them all the same, but it isn't an issue for me as I love the color and it looks great on the car.

 

Much like you, I have come to peace with the color issue. I have had my bumpers repainted twice by very, very good body shops, but with no improvement. But, once I started seeing how bad Audi A4s match (esp. in silver) and how my friend's G35 coupe does not match, I began to realize that this issue is not one that is easily controlled by manufacturers. I am sure that if Acura and Infiniti could make the bumpers match 100%, they would.

Now if I was driving an Enzo with non-matching bumpers, I would still be pissed.

 

I met with the District Rep. today. The first response was to tell me how it''s impossible to match urethane and metal body panel colors. Well, I was born at night but it wasn't last night and I told him so, Then he tells me that all other manufacturers have the same problem. That's when I walked him down the lot and showed him the RSXs that have perfectly matching panels. Then he said that the color match met "industry standards" so I asked him what agency set those standards and he said "Acura". He was nice enough about it but it was obvious that he has had this conversation before. He offered to send it to a body shop for repaint but suggested that it was at my peril since he didn't recomend painting over the factory finish. I wasn't hot about the idea of repaint on my new car so I met with the body shop manager where the car would be sent. He said don't do it but if you do here's the best way to have it done: they repaint the bumpers and then blend the color coat into the the fenders on the front and the quarter panels on the rear. Then they clear coat the bumbers, the entire front fenders and rear quarters, and across the front to rear roof post. That would leave only the hood, the doors, the center of the roof and the trunk with factory paint. Even at that he said the color match wouldn't be exact and the clear coat might be a little more or less glossy on the rework.
I can't accept that on a brand new car so I will call the district guy tomorrow and ask for a new car that I select at the factory. If they don't agree we'll go to arbitration.
Guy's I like this car alot and I would hate to let it go. I've been a loyal Honda product purchaser for my last 4 cars but this is something that I can't accept. If enough people step up to the plate and hold Acura accountable they'll fix this problem because it's a qaulity control issue and nothing else. If they put too much money into features and have nothing left over for building the best available car then I don't want it. I want all the panels on my car to be the same color. That's not too much to ask in a 35K car. How many wouldn't have paid another $500-1000 to have had better leather, better paint, fewer rattles etc.?

 

I think everyone has a valid point, but it's just part of owning white - mine is off but only really shows in the rain (dim light) for some reason.

My silver Audi S4 had a slight variation on the passenger's side door from day 1 - and the irony is that it was probably the only panel NOT repainted...

 

According to my body and paint expert, a perfect match is almost impossible due to the difference in the way metal vs plastic "takes the paint." He has exactly the same problems when re-painting a car with plastic bumpers. Although I notice a definite difference in whiteness between the body and the bumpers, the beauty of WDP outways the difference. A Toyota Solara in my neighborhood has the same discrepency, btw. I suppose if it upsets you, you should get another color combination - silver was my second choice. Of course, the TL is all-American being built in Ohio. That may explain part of the paint mis-match. The 1000's of positives certainly outway a slight mismatch to me. But, each has to decide that on his/her own.

 

Same problem here guys, the rear bumper is a shade or two darker then the rest of the car. I considered complaining but after suffering many body shop traumas in my life, I will live with the mismatched colors.

 

Rontatuaf, I agree totally with your opinion about the color mismatch and I am glad you said something to the district Acura guy! It is a shame when other less expensive vehicles can have matching paint universally and Acura can't get that right!

 

Thanks Legend. If this were an actual problem for all manufacturers I'd be a little more understanding, but this is nothing more than a quality control issue at Acura and they could fix it if they wanted to. They just don't want to spend the money and I can't accept that. I suspect I'll end up in arbitration on this because I can't look at the mismatch every time I walk to the car and Acura so far seems to think this is acceptable and I'm just being a pain in the a.. If more owners raised a stink over this Acura would find the motivation to fix this real qickly.

 

My bumpers must be repainted....I picked up mine used and there is no mismatch even under the flourescent lights of my garage.......

 

Tedanddenise, I would love to see pictures of your vehicle, if you have any post your pictures! Thanks.

 

sorry for reviving this post...

anyone experience this white discoloration with the 2005 models? any pics?

Will this be a gradual change over time or just what you see when you purchase the car?

I really want white and would consider ordering b/c no dealer here has wdp/quartz/6mt

thx for your feedback.

 

I got lucky in that my bumper matches the color of the car (unlike some other SSM TLs I've seen). However, I bought my car with the bodykit and its color is a little off from the car color. So I won one, but lost one!

 

To Legend75,
In reference to your alignment issue on the TL, I had the same issue with mine, as have quite a few TL owners. It is the steering wheel, not the alignment that is off and when I brought it up to the dealer, they fixed it and have had no problems since. Hope this helps you out.

As for the paint issue, I have to agree with Ted above. I asked about this as well and it is the paint that takes different to the different materials, but it is only really noticeable in certain lighting conditions. I had the clear bra installed on the front of mine, so if anyone notices the slight difference in mine, i tell them it's just the way the paint appears through the bra.

Happy New Year!

 

I have no problems with my black TL. Black is black.

It matches perfectly.

 

Not sure about the Acura, but most American cars have fascias in a separate location than the body. The body is painted by the carmaker in their assembly plant and the fascia by suppliers in their plants. This might account for differences.

 

I've owned 3 white cars in the past 15 years..Dodge, Chevy, and Honda. Every one of them had the problem with the paint not matching. It wasn't enough for the average Joe to notice, but I could see it when I washed my car. It's just a matter of the paint taking differently to the different surfaces. I have a desert mist Tl and it matches perfectly. White just shows the contrast more. Happy New Year.

 

Here is my WDP (two days old)...the difference is very faint but as GUMP states, the average joe will never notice it...only the anal folks that frequent message boards about their cars.