Didn't feel like changing my oil this week in the rainy cold, so I brought the TL to AAA Car care and they changed the oil for $20.00 a great price. So, they always find other things that you need (bait & switch oil change special) and told me my Air filter was filthy and my throttle body very dirty too.
I removed and cleaned my drop in K&N air filter, oiled it and replaced it after it dried. Acura makes it difficult to get to the Air filter in the TL!


I also disconnected the Air filter hose to the throttle body. Had my wife sit inside the TL with the key in the on position and push the gas to the floor to open the throttle body plate. I then sprayed some throttle body cleaner in and used an old toothbrush to clean around the throttle body plate, being very careful not to touch it.


Done, saved about $150.00 at AAA car care center.

 

I'm a bigger fan of removing the TB and cleaning it out of the car so as not to spray the crap I just cleaned down in the car (I'm a bit OCD about these things). Also helps cleaning it more thoroughly. Obviously have to be careful not to slap the butterfly plate around and damage precisely tuned things! +1 on the toothbrush.
Downside is longer time and depending on the car might need a replacement gasket.

 

I'm planning on doing this pretty soon, I over oiled my K&N drop-in filter by accident. I took off the intake tube recently and saw a pinkish ring around the outside edge of the throttle blade.

What throttle body cleaner did you use? I know electronic throttle bodies can be real finicky when it comes to how they're cleaned, and I would prefer to avoid breaking my TB because I used the wrong cleaner.

 

TB cleaner cheapest brand has always been fine for me. Most TB, carb and non-chlorinated brake cleaners are a mixture of alcohol and sometimes other solvents. At the store you buy them in a pressurized can but most garages just have sprayers.
Take note some TBs have plastic bits that could get affected by stronger solvents and that's why I'd recommend sticking to TB cleaner to clean a TB, carb cleaner to clean a carb and brake cleaner to clean brakes.

 

Just like Bunny said a simple throttle body cleaner will do the trick, as long as its throttle body cleaner, not just carb cleaner.

Bunny - I understand you like to take the TB all the off, but I have learned that all the excess throttle body cleaner sprayed in just burns up like gasoline running through combustion. My TL-S smoked it up for a while and I let it run as the TB cleaner was burning up and evaporating.

 

I'm aware it burns off without much issue. What you see burning is mostly the carbon deposit you dislodged though, since most of the TB cleaner evaporates.

Some (most?) service manuals for Honda say to remove the TB to clean it, most GM cars also say you should take it off, but I've heard plenty of people cleaning it while installed without problem. Like I said, I'm just a bit overkill sometimes and I like to really clean it 100%.

You have to watch it depending on the car though as some have a gasket that you'll need to change if you remove the TB, so "unplanned" TB cleaning and removal isn't always a good thing.