I'm having this really wierd problem with the dash on my 05' TL...Lets just say its no longer black (its fading really bad) and the airbag on the passenger side is clearly visible...If I put McGuires(sp?) leather cleaner on it, it goes back to normal for 3-4 days, then reverts to its faded state....

what should I do?

 

Yes, I believe acura will replace it. Take it to the dealer and complain.

 

Well, for starters ... search the board a bit more because this has been covered lots and lots.

1) The dash is supposed to be more of a matte finish to reduce glare. Don't expect it to look like the black parts of the doors near the window. That said, there is an acknowledged issue with fading and blotches and the dealer should be aware of it.
2) Acura/Dealer will most likely want to clean with their Honda Pro Cleaner/Polish and then follow up with the Honda Vinyl Protectant per the service news article they published about the issue. http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SN/B051200.PDF Many have said this really helps. This is probably an appropriate first step.
3) Try 303 Aerospace protectant. Many people on the board swear by it. Me too.
4) Avoid having the dash replaced unless it is the only alternative. That's a pretty major thing and you may end up with the same thing all over again.

 

Whats funny is they told me that I had to buy the acura cleaner & polish from them, then they would apply it. I'm gonna have to try another dealer...........I think it is a documented problem and there is a TSB about it (which I took with me to show them) they should warranty it no questions asked.

 

It seems like a defect from the factory....the airbag shouldn't show up at all. I'll take it to CC Acura and have them take a look at it.....

It also seems like the actual leather is starting to fade? Maybe its just me...who knows.

 

I would say most people on this board who have a TL that sits outside for a fair amount of time have this problem. Some are bothered by it more than others.

I started to notice it after about 6 months of having my TL and my TL sits outside in the sun 30% of the time.

303 Aerospace Protectant was suggested by a member here and I swear by it now. It took the airbag line out and I don't notice it anymore. No more fading and no more problems.

I would go this route before I let a Acura grease monkey mess up my car.

 

Is this stuff available in stores? If so, which ones?

 

http://www.autogeek.net/303aerprot.html

 

Thanks for the link

So by putting this on at this stage, it should pretty much eliminate the problem?

 

i complained about this just yesterday - they cleaned the dash and proclaimed the airbag marks and uneveneness normal. They did a good job cleaning it tho - and reccomended not using any silicone based cleaners on it like armor-all

 

Ugh, I wouldn't put armor-all anywhere near my car lol

Is McGuires gold class ok?

 

Napa Store carries them too. I also found them at Long's Drug Store.

 

Also in marine supply stores like West Marine or Boaters World. Great stuff!

 

you can also call a local camper and RV place if you have one. It is also used by that crowd as well on the EDPM roofs of RVs and such.
So you are clear this is the stuff http://www.303products.com/tech/inde...Product_ID=428

It will not get rid of the air bag shadow in the dash but it will keep it as a nice, matte charcoal color. Not a greasy mess like other products. Try it on tires as well. They stay cleaner and since you get no build up of oily dressing.

 

Ace Hardware...........

 

I have also noticed a slight fade and now the airbage lines are starting to appear. Just for reference, this also happens on other cars like the current Audi's. Since mine is just starting to bug me it is time to get some the 303 Aerospace stuff. Seriously, everyone here absolutely swears by it.

BUT: I think the previous post about being in the sun is also very true. For this reason, plus the fact my car has an EBONY interior, I decided to buy a window shade (only $12 at local car parts store!). Not only does it reduce the sun hitting the dash, it keeps the interior a touch cooler when parked at work etc...

I would recommend both.

 

Having the same issue- cleaning + 303 takes care of it for about 5 days... then the lines from the airbag come back...I assume that dust settles differently where the firmess of the airbag edges sit... Oh well- too busy to complain to the dealer- and I don't really want them taking the dash off.

 

Same here with 303. The dash looks fine but the a/b lines re-appear soon. I am learning to live with it but might try the procedure documented in the service news even though the vinyl protectant is petro based. I don't think that it has anything to do with the 303. That stuff is great it may just be that the dash needs something that will cover better.

Perhaps they should have made the a/b cutout more deliberate and part of the dash like in many other vehicles. In my dad's ES300 it is a separate sub-panel of the dash. It's arguable if that looks good but it doesn't look "unintentional" like the lines we have.

I'm convinced that a dash replacement will never look like the factory job with respect to fit and seams and that you will pick up rattles. So I see it as an absolute last option.

 

Somebody doesn't work with car audio lol

You should see the stuff we do when taking apart a car to replace speakers/install amps,nav etc...

I once had an Explorer stripped down to the frame and put back together w/ flip out nav, 12 speakers custom installed, and 4 subs in the back.

So why can't acura replace a freakin' dash? If there are rattles in my car, i'll make them do it again until the rattles are gone.

 

This is one of my main issues with the craftmanship of the car. I love this car, but the fading issue has got to be solved by the manufacturer. I've taken mine to the dealership and they applied some type of solution to the surface. It looked great for a month or so (and mine stays in the garage) but after sitting outside for body repairs, it soon looked terrible. I got the Honda product (aerosol spray) from the dealership.......................and it does nothing!
I'm now starting to see the airbag lines and I feel a certain rumble/thunder inside myself (and no, I don't have to hit tihe "jon" ). I know that I will take the car to the dealership and begin what looks like a long drawn-out issue. But this has got to be fixed!!!

I hope this goes well.......................

 

It is interesting to me that the AB lines go away just by wiping the dash with a microfiber cloth. It seems that something is almost migrating through the dash, creating the lines- Perhaps this stops after a while? Anyone with an 04 had this problem just go away after some time?

 

Got my '04 in Feb. of 2004 and it will come back if I don't reapply the 303.

 

Took delivery of my 04 in Dec 03.. Sits in the sun an average amount, I use a really good fitting sun-shield/shade, have experienced all of the white fading issues and have been using 303 for the past 2 years.

My dash and/or steering wheel have NEVER revealed any airbag lines.....

Knocking on wood......

 

Man wouldn't mind the fade or splotch if the darn AB didn't show up. My mom asked me what that wierd mark on my dash was the other day... (AB lines) Just the impression I wanted to give.

 

I noticed a couple of months ago that mine is blotchy. I've been using the 303 protectant from when it was new, so that didn't help. I really scrubbed it clean a month ago (hours of work) & that seemed to help somewhat (or at least moved the white stuff around!) Then I put 303 on it & thought it was pretty good, but it's looking worse now...

 

Use the 303 once a month. I put it on right away after I purchased my TL. It took out all the air bag lines and left a nice finish. It works great!

 

When I saw the airbag lines on my '06 Acura TL (10 months old) I thought I was crazy. But it bothers me so much I had to look in the forums if someone else have that problem.

Will complaining to the dealer and replacing the dash will fix the issue? If not, I'll try the 303.

Let me know what do you think I should do?

agi

 

I have read others that had the dash replaced, however, you need to understand that you may inherit squeaks and rattles that wasn't there originally. Somehow when the dealer redo some work it's the same as if it was installed at the factory. Rattles vs. airbag line.
I also read that somebody was successful when they used the 303 but another stated that it didn't resolve the problem.
I use the 303 faithfully and do not see the airbag lines yet. Knock on wood.

I would try the 303 first. Good Luck

 

The rattles and stuff are probably not worth getting it replaced - even if they actually replace it. My dealer said the Acura regional rep was there and looked at it - they proclaimed it was normal. I say BS but the point is - they wouldn't do it and i don't want to replace my dash....the additional rattles would drive me nuts.

 

Upon delivery of my new '06 TL last week I noticed the air bag lines in the dash. The car was made in June and was probably in the lot and in the sun for a month. The service manager said the lines were normal. While I wonder why Acura would allow such a defect, I am not keen on having the dash completely replaced due to other issues than could arise. BTW, there were three other minor issues that the dealer gladly agreed to fix.

 

Sadly the lines are normal, but with attention can be corrected. I have used 303 religiously, but the lines are starting to come up on mine. The service manager said that I have the most well mantained dash he has seen on a 04 model. They have conditioners there that will bring the color back out in the dash. At first they wanted to charge me for this, but I came back a second time and spoke to a different advisor who promptly had a tech come out and service the dash. It looks brand new again, a hopefully with using 303 it will stay that way for quite some time.

 

The dash on my 05 is fading too. I'll mention it to them next time I take my car in for service.

 

I realize this is a little late for a reply but I joined the forum to research this particular topic. Dealer said it's a known problem and sold me the Acura/Hondo pro vinyl stuff for $10 -- but I elected to hold off as I was also in the process of searching for a new auto detailer. I showed my faded/white residue dash to my new guys, they applied the 303 and told me about it later - the dash is it's normal color again but still with the air bag lines. They told me they thought the Honda Pro stuff was petro based and thought it woudn't be good to use. Was thinking of complaining to the dealer but after reading all these posts I think I'm gonna just have to live with the air bag lines, just hoping it doesn't affect resale...?

On the (very small) chance anyone is reading this in the Victoria BC area, I've found an excellent auto detailer (I'm pretty anal about the car), if you're interested let me know. They also pointed me in the direction of where to buy the 303 stuff locally.

Cheers

 

our dash sucks! my friend commented the other day that the whitish stains on the dash looked like cum stains (he was joking, of course). how hard would it have been for acura to use a slightly better material for the dash that won't fade?

 

Find and use the 303 socal16 (details earlier in the thread), it'll get rid of yr, ah, stains lol, I had 'em too as have many others, but it may not get rid of the air bag lines if you have 'em. FWIW my car doesn't spend huge time in the sun, it appeared about 10 months from new.

 

The fading seems to be a problem primarily for those who park outdoors. I don't normally park outside, but I had to do so for most of August while out of town on business, and when I got home and washed the car/cleaned the dash, the fade began to appear. So that's two years since I got the car. I tried the procedure described in the TSB, except that Radley Acura didn't have the Acura Vinyl & Leather cleaner that the TSB describes. So I used their spray polish and then used some Griot's Garage Vinyl & Rubber Dressing that I had, and that combination has worked out quite well.

 

I was a 303 believer until Acura used this product called Granitize, I think the dash is brand new again


VPC-16
VINYL PROTECTOR (16oz)
Vinyl/Rubber Leather Protector - A thick creamy formulation developed to condition and protect beyond the cosmetic appearance of the common dressings.