OK, so I call the Acura Customer Lack of Service line, 800-382-2238, and actually get someone who is pretty helpful. SHE has heard about out vibration issues in the 2004 TL and started to do a seach on her system for me. She stated that there was no TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) for this issue, at least not yet, HOWEVER, there was something called "Service News" which is an INTERNAL ONLY information publication. She said however, she was not allowed to read it too me. I told her how nice she was being and the she was the best, blah, blah, blah....

Low-and-behold...she said OK, and started reading me the SERVICE NEWS entitled: "Vibration In All Shift Level Postitions" for the 2004 TL. Here is what it stated verbatiam:

1) Drive plate defective or transmission misassembled. Check for misinstalled or damaged drive plate.

2) Set idle RPM in gear to the specified idle speed, if still no good, adjust the engine mount.

3) Check the stall speed.

That's all the info.
I asked her if this went to the Technicians at the dealerships and she said NO. That it was just an INTERNAL piece and that she really should not have read it to me... TOO LATE

Well, at least this is a step in the right direction. Let's run with this and hope for the best. Maybe a TSB is on its way , but at least ACURA knows about the problem. Hope this helps a little. If so, show me some love....

 

Maybe you should edit out her name :P Considering she was nice enough to give you info that she probably shouldn't have.

 

Your are kind of hanging her out to dry here.

Sounds like she did you a nice favor - Return the favor by removing her name ;-)

 

Done...

 

Tipped the scales in your favor JMan - great piece of detective work.

I have an '05 with no problems so far - I hope this info helps others. Another post has a guy who had his idle and engine mounts re-done and he said his problem was solved.

I hope this works.

 

Acura knew about the problem prior to releasing the car. It is like a software company; they release the products with problems. Make money right now and deal with the problem at a later time.

I can tell you, after owning an 04 for three months and and 05 (currently) for one month that the problem is there, still, and it is not only related to the tires.

The same goes to the rear suspension, front right door speaker and so on.

 

I just realized that I misspelled "owning". Sorry for the mistake. Too late to edit it though.

 

Thank you for the post, Jman. Points for you. Now if only this information could get to the dealers, as so many of our (especially early VIN) folks could use this info....sounds like a safety-related issue to me if it involves manufacture of the tranny, or the engine mount?

 

I Have The Same Problem. Yesterday I Called And Emailed The Head Of The Service Dept At My Dealership. Waiting For A Reply. Thanks For The Info.

 

JMan, thanks for the very interesting info. But I'm not quite clear on how this description relates to the 50-55 mph vibration problem that I and many others have. Also, I'm not sure what the "drive plate" is or how that might be involved in the problem. Is the problem you are describing a different vibration problem than the one I have? Thanks.

 

I understand the reasons for posting this info, but you shouldn't have divulged the source directly.

This will get back to Honda/Acura, count on it, because they do monitor this board. At best, the CSR's will be told to never do it again - assuming the one you dealt with doesn't get terminated for doing it - which means that this little under the table benefit is lost to everyone in the future.

The Internet is very useful, but it's also a double edged sword. The better way is to simply post the info and then attribute it to a "reliable source" and let the reader decide if the info is legit or not.

I'm not jumping on you personally, you meant well by sharing this, but a suggestion to anyone who comes by this sort of info in the future to be discreet about where it was obtained.

 

thanks for the info!

 

Acura is assisting my dealer with some money to trade me out of my car. The problem is not fixable according to my district service manager and is in the subframe of the vehicle.
Apparently the dealer is going to put the defective TL on their lot too. Used 04 TL buyers be aware and call the previous owner every time or you will get stuck with a "lemon"

 

Can we clarify how this vibration is reproduced? I want to see if it is the same type that I get.

 

I am bring my car to the Acura dealership on Tuesday morning to get the vibration issues looked at. I will let you know what the say and find out.

 

I'm not sure I buy items #2 & #3. Sounds lame to me.

So that means that every tranny is misassembled? Bothe autos and manuals?
I'm not really sure how helpful this is.
I want a solution and none of these seem like the solution to me.

 

Wow, thank you so much sir, I really appreciate you posting this. I feel exactly what was described. My car vibrates so much when it is idle (stopped at a light or something) and if i put it in neutral it feels a little better, but its still very noticable. This car is going in ASAP. I guess I was too quick to blame the tires when it could be something even bigger, like a misaligned engine.

 

J Man:

That procedure is not secret at all - it is in the Shop Manual!!!

 

Car went to the Dealership today. Will let everyone know what I/they find out....To-Be-Continued...

 

Definitely keep us updated JMan. I am very interested since I have been having the same issues you are experiencing. I'm scheduled to take my car to the dealer this saturday. Hopefully they can resolve your problem.

 

I am taking my TL in for a service tomorrow too. Seems to shake/vibrate quite a bit right after cold start. Sometime at the light you can feel the vibration to the steering wheel and floor. Kinda idle rough in the morning

 

Auto or Manual Transmission or both?

 

Mine is the 5AT...

 

JMan,

Any updates from your visit to the dealer for this issue?

 

i called my service mgr to set an appt up with the district rep. he said he called the rep and the rep can't do anything else and doesn't even want to meet me. he has instructed me to call the cust. relations dept. i have a feeling that's going to be a waste of time, but i'll do it just to follow procedure. my next step is to file with the bbb and to call a lawyer. i also heard the famous "characteristic" term. that's bullshit. they told me the tires develop flatspots overnight. I've never heard of such a thing! i've owned six other cars and never had a problem like that before. I'll keep you updated.

 

mine's in the shop now, at first they admitted vibration (especially cold 50-55mph), now service manager drives it and they say its "characteristic" for "high performance tires" until they get warmed up. we'll see where it goes from here.

 

Flat spotting tires IS charactoristic of our tires. If I have heard correctly back when bias ply tires were the only choice of tire, they had problems with flat spotting, but technology has gotten rid of that, tires should not flat spot, period! I can not believe that Michelen and Acura have not corrected the tire problems. Mine is not to bad in the morning because itr does not get that cold here and I do park in a garage, I can only imagine how bad the vibration would be if I lived up north. I can live with the flat spotting tires though. My vibration is torally independant of whether the tires are cold. It just seems to develop a vibration at highway speeds sometimes, sometimes it does not. The dealer has it now and is looking into it for the third time. Unfortunatley they can only rebalance the tires so many times. I told them I just wanted it documented that the problem persists so when it is time to replace my tires and if the problem is still there I have it documented to take it further.

 

Ok, they looked it yesterday and the Tech "could not reproduce the vibration." BS!!! So they kept it overnight and today they still could not feel the vibration. WTF!?!? Now I have to go to the Dealership and ride with the Tech and show him what I am feeling. I'm sure he'll tell me it's "Normal."... Bastards! I'll let you know hwta happens...

 

That sucks, I actually let the service manager drive my car home one night so he could try to reproduce the problem. The next morning they rebalanced and re-rotated the tires.... I still feel the problem!!!

My vibration is not always there, so I am sure a quick drive down the road may not reproduce it.

 

OK, so a big fat ZERO!!! I took the Tech out for a drive and he DID feel it, but said it was minor and felt it was "normal" like every other "04 & '05 TL. I stated that I wanted the idle to be re-learned and the Tech said OK. BUT, the Service Manager said NO WAY! He said I can talk to the D.S.P.S. (District Parts and Service Manager) about this issue on Monday, 11/22/04, and discuss my issues with him. He was NOT going to do anything until the DSPS gave the OK. So I am in a holding pattern and running out of gas quickly........................

 

CallED Cust Relations..what A Joke. They Told Me That They Will Log My Complaint, But Acura Is Doing Nothing About It. I Asked To Speak To Someone Higher Up And He Said Forget It. There Is No One I Could Speak To . The Dude Sounded Like He Was 19 And Was Reading The Company Handbook. Now I'm Pissed. I've Been Really Calm Thru Out This Ordeal, But Tomorrow I'm Lawyering Up. I Actually Called The Sales Mgr At My Dealer And Spoke To Her. She Apologized, But Couldn't Help Me. She Did Say That If You Yell Loud Enough, Someone Will Talk To You. So I Called Back. Needless To Say, They Couldn't Find My Case Report (from 45 Minutes Ago) And That They Will Call Me Back. Yeah Right. Call My Lawyer. This Is My 3rd Honda Product And I Just Can't Get Over The Treatment We Are Recieving. It's A Joke.

 

I submitted a complaint to the BBB. Honda says they are unwilling to correct my vibration problem or give me a new car. They say the problem is a "characteristic". I've had my '04 TL to the dealer 4 times for the vibration with 3 documented as such. I submitted to the BBB, but failed to send the final repair notice in my Lemon Law handbood via registered mail. BBB has put my complaint on hold until I submit the Lemon Law notice. After I do that (and Honda does nothing I'm sure), then I'll pursue BBB again, then my State (Florida) channels.

 

could you explain what you mean by having the idle re-learned? thanks.

 

It really pisses me off to hear stuff like this.

I used to own a 2001 Mustang Cobra. My car had a detonation problem: at a certain RPM range, you'd hear a sound like a coffee can full of marbles being shaken up in the engine compartment. Lots of other people had the same issue; Ford told us "it's normal."

I dumped the '01 and bought an '03 Cobra. I figured lightning couldn't strike me twice. Well, it did - my '03 Cobra had a tick in the cylinder head and a vibration in the driveline. So I dumped that Cobra, also, and bought a 2004 Acura TL. I bought it primarily because of Acura's sterling reputation for qualit products and great customer service. I figured that Acura would never leave a customer twisting in the wind like Ford does.

Looks like I was wrong, and that deep down car manufacturers are all the same - ot appears they'll only take care of serious problems if you hire a lawyer and threaten to sue or start Lemon Law proceedings.

 

rvmeush-
Basically it means to reset the idle to factory specifications. As you drive the car, the car's computer "learns" the way you drive. By resetting the idle, it brings it back to "Zero" as if no one has ever driven the car and it clears the computer's idle memory. Kind of like starting from scratch right out of the factory.

 

NOW will you all believe me when I had my MINOR tow problem the other night and how they treated me? I told you all to listen but people there are those who defend acura...for what reason I have NO IDEA. They should burn in hell ( acura) and you can be sure I will NEVER buyt an acura again and will make it my goal to make them pay for what they do to othersbecause they don't give a shit! You hear that Acura? You WILL get yours

 

Resetting the idle to factory specs seems like it would be a very simple operation. Why would your service manager make such a stink about doing this?

 

This is very TRUE. He was being an A$$HOLE. When I was riding with the Tech, the Tech said he would do it, no problem and it would take him 10 minutes or so. The Service Manager told him NOT to do it. He said he wasn't going to do anything that he felt was a "shot in the dark." I was so pissed. He said he was going to wait until Monday when the DSPS came in. What a DICK...

 

You hae to read the last part of my thread, it may help.

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-talk-5/nyc-auto-show-tons-pics-101007/

 

So, did the new tires fix the problem? Do you still have the vibration? What tires do you have now?
Thanks!