portoar

I have an unusual problem. Got my TL less than a month ago. Right away I had rattles. First I took it into the dealership for the center speaker rattle. They fixed it -- sort of -- it still buzzes intermittently. But, the whole front passenger side also rattles. I took the car in yesterday, they spent 4 hours on it (they say), the service guy said they have a "rattle expert" and when they called me they announced all the rattles were fixed.

I picked the car up, started driving it home, and if anything it rattles worse than before. It's really hard for me to pinpoint where the rattles are coming from, but when I go over some rough road (not always!) I get rattling noises from the passenger door area -- maybe near where the front door meets the dash.

So, I bring it back today, and first the tech who worked on it drove with me and he "didn't hear anything." Then the service guy who takes the orders drove with me and declared it's one of the quietest TLs he's ever heard.

Then I take a former mechanic I know for a drive in it. He doesn't hear anything.

Then I take my husband out in it. He hears the rattles I'm talking about but doesn't think it's any big deal because it's only when I go over bumps (duh).

Then he drives and I sit in the back seat --- I was thinking maybe the rattles go away when someone sits on the passenger side and that's why no one hears it. While I'm sitting in the back seat I don't hear any rattles up front but do hear them in the back deck.

I am literally the only one who is listening to the rattles and perceiving a problem. I'm a woman, I don't know anything about cars or how to isolate and fix these myself (checking the oil is my level of expertise). My husband wants me to take his advice and just live with it because he feels it's a minor issue.

The dealership is washing their hands of me, everyone thinks I'm overreacting. But my TL rattles and it's so unpleasant I'm beginning to wish I'd never bought it.

What to do? Any advice?

bluenoise

I posted a thread in the Problems and Fixes area on how to isolate the rattles so that you can then point them out to the techs. It doesn't work on all the rattles, but it was enough to get my car rattle-free. I'll see if I can find it and will post the link here.

Glenn Davis

Dealing with squeaks/rattles:

Make sure you drive with the tech in the car and pinpoint the rattles to him during the testdrive. Do not end the test drive until you have duplicated each rattle that you want fixed and *he agree's that he hears it too*. Make him verbally confirm that he is hearing each rattle after you demonstrate it. That stops him from getting back to the shop and saying there's nothing wrong.

As a note, your car is designed to be squeak/rattle free. Honda/Acura will fix any squeaks and rattles under warranty. Don't let them tell you that it is "normal", it's not. It may take you some time, but after enough trips they'll get it right... especially after you've established yourself as a customer will bring the car back at the slightest sign of a rattle.


Tell me exactly where you think the rattle is coming from, I might be able to tell you how to fix it. With my 98EXV6 00EXV6Coupe and 05TL, I have become nearly as good at tracking down the noises as the dealer. Most were simple fixes.

bluenoise

Exactly. There is no reason to have to put up with rattles in a new car.

Here's the link I mentioned above: Link

Good luck!

jtow

The rattles in my TL make me want to:

jsong83

because of this thread, i think im going to take my car in to fix the rattles in my car.

i would have my car for 3 weeks now this coming weekend and i know if i dont fix the rattles now, theyll get worse over time.

bluenoise

It may take a couple of visits. Mine were all fixed with the first visit, but then, several months later, a couple of new ones appeared. I did the CD thing again and now they're all gone again.

BustedJack

If you're the only one that hears it, perhaps you're paranoid...................
turn on the music....... enjoy the car, don't let small things get into your head........

There's not once I drive my car without music............ so do yourself a favor and turn on the XM radio..............

tgj1099

I bought mine in late April. It began to rattle in the left and right rear as I went over a bump... It only has 2200 miles on it. It is in the dealer for the fifth time. I started talking to American Honda in California regarding the problem. As time went on I was told that all TL's rattle and it was characteristic of the car. Well needless to say that was the last straw that broke the camels back. I told them if they are so aware of the problem that the car rattles then maybe a disclaimer should be on the window sticker next to their 37,000 MSRP (THIS CAR RATTLES). Naturally they had no answer. They don't know what is wrong. They even did the entire brake sytem over because they thought it was coming from the brakes. Well, it wasn't apparently, and it still rattles.

The only advise I can give you is to keep your own detailed records. Acura knows they have a serious problem on their hands, but right now they don't know how to remedy it other than tell you there is no problem and that it doesn't effect the safety, value, or usage of the vehicle. As of Tues 9/5, my vehicle will be in the shop for two weeks. The way I am remedying the rattle problem is:

I have notified the State of New Jersey Attorney General's Office Department of Consumer Affairs and have started the lemon law process in my state. I have also hired an attorney at no cost to represent me. By Law in NJ if the vehicle comes under a possible lemon law the manufacturer is responsible for all costs incurred besides having to replace or buy the vehicle back. I originally was willing to accept a new vehicle but from the info I have been hearing and reading I want a full refund.

Also one of the service reps. at my dealership informed me that they just got two more complaints with the same problem in. Acura knows about it and until more people go public or start to sue they are just going to drag their feet....Good Luck!!!

portoar

An update . . . at first my husband was enthusiastic about the CD solution, we got the cassette adapter, downloaded the software. But he didn't exactly duplicate bluenoise's protocol, and the only definite rattle we could pin down is the rear speaker. He became rude and angry with me and complained that because he bought me this $34K car he couldn't afford a car for himself (he drives a '94 Acura Integra beater with almost 200k miles that he loves), and he's offended that I'm making a deal over the rattles when I have a luxury car and he's stuck driving a garbage car.

Never mind that he has been keeping the car over my objections that it's not worth fixing up and he should get a new car. I've been arguing all along that he needs a new car (I've been suggesting the honda fit or Rav 4, or, if he loves Integras so much, a newer used Integra in better condition with fewer miles) and I would have gladly bought a less expensive car to fit two cars into the budget. Up until yesterday he wanted to put $7K into his Integra and keep it; now he's "stuck" with it because I bought a luxury car that I'm complaining about . . . go figure. I don't put up with that crap and shot it right back at him.

So basically, he wants to make the CD that reproduces the rear speaker rattle, have me go to the dealership to get that fixed, and then he wants me to shut up about it.

The REALLY weird thing is that it ONLY rattles when I'm the only driver. Get someone else in the car in the passenger or back seats, and it's quiet. I also discovered yesterday the rear headseats are up. I put them down and hope that solves some of the problem. Otherwise I'm inclined to think the issue may be with the passenger seat or b pillar seat belt assembly . . . I can't explain the fact of the rattles going away otherwise.

But for now I'm stuck . . . no support from Acura or husband.

Adobeman

Actually, that's not weird but makes sense. The other people in the car will either stop the rattles by placing weight on or near the rattling surfaces or they will block the sound of the rattle from bouncing off off glass in the car.

My news is not good if you are looking for the dealer to track down the rattles. Honestly it can be quite tough for them to do so since they don't know what the exact sound is that they are looking for and they probably are not driving the same roads as you when the rattles happen.

In many cases I find it is the contents of the car rattling. Perhaps something in the side pockets (this includes the rubber sun glass holders) or something in the glove box. Double check those things first. They account for at least 80% of the time I think I have a new rattle. Also, find someone you trust to drive your car that is sympathetic about rattles and have them drive while you pinpoint the rattles. This way when you find them you can either fix them yourself or be very specific with the dealer.

Be patient and you will find them. The ">30K shouldn't rattle" mantra is old and tired and just plain overly optimistic. Cars rattle and yes they can be found and silenced. Sometimes patience is all that wears thin. I get upset about it too but in the end I find the rattle. You can too.

count by 5s

I believe you! MY 06 TL is only 4 months old and I hear rattles intermittently. I've been to the dealer three times for one particular one but it didn't help. This was at Fresno Acura and though the problem hasn't been fixed, they were very nice about it. My first rattle was in the front passenger door near the door pocket area. They replaced the entire door panel for me...but it still has sound. I've isolated the problem myself now and found that it is due to the door pocket rubber stopper rattling against the door. This seems to happen more when the weather is really hot. Usually I just reach over and open the pocket a notch, push it back in and smack it....kinda goes away, at least for that trip. Been thinking about taking it back into the dealer but haven't found the time. I also have a rattle in my drivers door which I only hear when I'm doing about 70-80mph sometimes. I can't duplicate the rattles which is why I haven't taken the car in. I think your best bet is to try to pinpoint the rattles yourself, and try to duplicate it. I had my girlfriend drive the car around for a few minutes as I listened for sounds. It's going to be hard to get rid of all the rattles so good luck!

TriniBwoy

I wouldn't exactly call an Integra a garbage car at all. I had a 98 Integra w/ 170K miles on it before I finally decided to get a TL. This car had no rattles.

I believe though. My new 06 TL with only 1400 miles has a rattle from somewhere in the steering wheel or instrument panel, passenger door, driver's door (when window is half way down), rear deck rattle (when bass is set to max on the subwoofer) and a squeak from around the glove compartment area...again only 1400 miles!

pinky_ttc

I feel for you. My 05 TL has a couple rattles and my boyfriend doesn't hear it when he's in the car. I think it is something about when someone is in the car and it adds pressure/weight so that the car does not rattle.

Anyways. Your husband shouldn't be angry or rude to you about the fact that you have rattles. He should feel for you and be more helpful and patient while the two of you try to pinpoint the rattle. The two of you are a team so both should help when one has a problem.

However, you mentioned to him that he should get a rav4 or honda fit (or another used integra). I find that almost a slap in the face if I were him. How come you can drive a 34-36k car and he gets a honda fit (~13k) or a rav4 (~21k)?!?!?!?! I understand that the two of you may be on a budget, but jeez. Those cars are pretty lame (no offense) if the two of you are equal. You should offer him a 'better' car that is comparable to yours. Even if the price is not the same, he should feel comfortable driving in a new/used car comparable to yours and I don't really think that either of your suggestions are it (especially not the fit).

Tell him to lighten up and offer him a better car.

I'm not choosing sides, just telling you how I see it.

RVC

I believe it rattles..I have had mine for 5 days and the rear deck rattles, the drivers door has a buzzing coming from it, and the sunroof rattles. I am slightly irritated but not too bad. I have just gone through a 9 month ordeal with a certian automaker and the problems I had with that car. I had to hire a lawyer and finally got the vehicle re-purchased by them. I do not want to say much right now as my case is not tied up yet. The re-purchase agreement has been given and it's a done deal. I can tell you that it was an 05' and a brand that you would not think had many problems. My TL is going to the dealer on Thursday to have the rattles fixed.

berite100

can we guess? so we can try to avoid it?
bmw?

RVC

LOL! well it wasen't BMW.

berite100

was it lexus?

RVC

Nope...not Lexus either. Ok maybe you would suspect them!

portoar

However, you mentioned to him that he should get a rav4 or honda fit (or another used integra). I find that almost a slap in the face if I were him. How come you can drive a 34-36k car and he gets a honda fit (~13k) or a rav4 (~21k)?!?!?!?! I understand that the two of you may be on a budget, but jeez. Those cars are pretty lame (no offense) if the two of you are equal. You should offer him a 'better' car that is comparable to yours. Even if the price is not the same, he should feel comfortable driving in a new/used car comparable to yours and I don't really think that either of your suggestions are it (especially not the fit).

Tell him to lighten up and offer him a better car.

I'm not choosing sides, just telling you how I see it.

[/QUOTE]

There's a good reason I get a better car than he does . . . I'm a realtor. My car is my "office." I drive clients around in it. I give them a comfortable, quiet ride and show them I'm professional and successful. My car is part of my business. . . like walking into a nice restaraunt to a linen tablecloth and wine glasses rather than a plastic checkered cloth and plastic mugs. It goes hand in glove with the professional attire I wear on the job.

When we are out together, he gets to do all the driving and have fun with it. When I'm not showing homes, he uses it. But he doesn't want or need a fancy car, and it's not necessary for his profession (software engineer). Our budget doesn't accomodate more than one "luxury" car . . . two would be a waste . . in our personal lives we do not even aspire to "luxury." In reality, our cars are not "mine" or "his," they are family cars. He would not even want a second car like that. He likes the TL but he wouldn't have chosen it for himself. He wants something he can drive to the desert, haul stuff around in, put the dogs in the back. And when I say I suggest he get a Honda Fit or a Rav 4, I'm suggesting he get something better than he would choose on his own.

We choose our cars to fit our needs, not our wants. We needed one nice car for me to show clients property, because that's my profession, and we need another car that he would like to have and also fits our needs. And a $32K+ car is not what he wants or needs.

You shouldn't make assumptions like you have. It's offensive, and frankly stupid to have a mentality like "you got to spend $32K on a car so I do too."

Adobeman

Oh man, I know I'm way out of line but I just can't stand it when someone associates "success", or even worse "professionalism", with the car they drive or any of their other material goods. It just makes my skin crawl. I come in contact with enough people that are "overly well dressed in lieu off competence" at work to be pretty sensitive to it and easily identify it. Luckily my management focuses more on results than the cost of my clothing, the car I drive or the golf clubs I hit with. But they do love the car, rarely waring socks hasn't lost any work yet and it really bugs them when I crush a drive with custom titanium clubs I chose the parts for and assembled myself.

I don't know you so I'm not about to assume anything good or bad about your skills as a realtor. By all means give your clients a comfortable ride but please leave out the BS about why your car says something about how professional or successful you are. And yes, seriously, I know image and presentation will go a long, long way with many of your clients and you can't afford to prove principle by driving them around in a beater!

But before you get mad at me lets get back on track and help you fix those rattles.
This thread has veered too much. Is there any update on your rattles ? I'm a firm believer that they can all be fixed with the right attitude and patience. Please update us and we can probably help.

BTW - I am working on a audio test and diagnostic DVDA that will have, among other things like pink noise, individual 15 second tracks with frequencies from 20Hz to 60Hz. If used with care (low volumes) this may be helpful for you to find rattles without needing laptops and cassette adaptors like the other thread referenced. All I need is a place to host the ISO (disk image). Anyone got some space I can FTP it to or suggestions as to where to store it for free ? Probably less than 1 GB.

pinky_ttc

Just because you drive a 'luxury' car means that you're professional and successful? I've seen very many successful and professional realtors drive less expensive cars and they do very well for themselves (granted, this is Northern VA; everything sells).

Obviously you think that everyone is very shallow and you follow en suite with that concept by purchasing the car for what it may mean to others.

I find it funny that you think I'm offensive for saying that the two of you should be equal and he should get a comparable car and you don't.

Also, please don't tell me what I should or shouldn't have thought - I stated that what I said were my 2 cents. It was my opinion, take it or leave it.

Btw, get those rattles checked and fixed at least for the sake of your clients who may want to enjoy a nice and quiet ride to the next house.

Try out adobeman's test. Hope it works out.

verse101

I've owned my 06 TL for a little less than 2 months and the rattles have only been bugging me for the last week or so. To the original poster, no, you're not being paranoid. Small things can really big annoyances. Will a $32k car be perfect, no, but it's irritating that these rattles are specific to this specific car, so you know it is blamed on the design and production quality.

Here are the 2 culprits.

1. The most annoying is the glove compartment. Rattles when it goes over small bumps in the road. I initially thought it was a CD case I left inside of it. I'll try to fix it buy tightening screws, if that doesnt work, take it all apart and put it back. Maybe some bushings may help.

2. On the front doors, the carbon fiber looking trim above the door handle. This rattles with low frequencies on the stereo. This isn't too bad because it happens when you play loud bass, and the music masks the rattle most of the time. I think this is just bad adhesive. Anyone tried taking this off and reglueing it back?

Other than these 2 rattles, I'm happy with how quiet the car is.

portoar

I don't really have an update on the rattles. Like another poster in this thread, the rattles seem to happen when I'm the only driver; when there's a passenger in the front seat it doesn't rattle. That makes me wonder if the rattles are coming from the seat of the b pillar seatbelt assembly. But I can't pinpoint the origin. Sound really bounces around.

I also found, irrtatingly enough, that the car seems to set up some weird harmonic vibration with my purses; they rattle like crazy when I'm driving (can't change purses, I have two and they were expensive) so now I put my purse in the trunk. Also, same thing with my key chain, so I need to go buy a new key chain.

And yeah, I did need a car like this for real estate. I started out with a PT Cruiser, which I though would be perfect for being "nice enough" + have loads of room for throwing signs in the back. Turns out it was so noisy on the road that I couldn't even have a comfortable conversation with my clients if they were in the back seat. It was so underpowered (an '02) I had to get a manual transmission, and I'm not a talented MT driver (honest here) so my driving skills were not good. And I was on the road so much I found it a grind to drive.

And while a "lesser" car is o.k. for driving around most clients (in the up to $1 million category), I do live in San Diego here, and showing $2-4 million homes you frankly need to drive them around in something better. Before, whenever I had a client like that I would rent a premium car rather than drive them in my PT Cruiser.

I picked the TL because it put me in the "nice" car category without bein a Mercedes/Lexus/BMW, which are typical "realtor" cars, and it got me the "nice" car pretty close to the $30K point. It's the cheapest luxury category car going, and we had a great experience with our '94 Integra, which we bought new, so . . . .

I'm glad I did too, because we just have a new law signed in against talking on cell phones without hands free link.

I'll keep monitoring everyone else's solutions to rattles and see what I can do. Thanks for the help and thoughts, everyone.

Adobeman

Could this be it ? There is a section in this post about a fron passenger seat rattle. I had it too and fixed it as described in the thread. Good luck.
https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-video-electronics-navigation-22/infinity-perfect-6-1-does-not-fit-125087/ this one too https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1240898

bluenoise

I've been driving a rental this week as my car is getting the bumper fixed from my bad day at the gas station posted elsewhere. It's a brand new Camry and one thing that strikes me about it is that it is completely free of rattles. While I've been successful at silencing all the rattling pieces in my TL, there is one thing I haven't attacked yet. That is, when I hit a large bump, the whole car sounds a bit loose. Hitting the same bumps in that Camry, it sounds like a solid one-piece object. While the Camry goes, "Bump," my TL goes, "Ka-CHUNK-a-buddle," if that makes sense.

I plan on getting a service manual and seeing how much of the interior I can tear down and pad, secure, lubricate, etc. to try to tighten it up. It's a pretty amazing difference that has me a feeling pretty disappointed about my TL's overall appearance of quality.

AMIC

We had an 06' Camry hybrid rental on our vacation last week and the damn car rattled worse than my TL ever could!! It was coming from behind the stereo and was really annoying. The car had 4000 km on it so it wasn't that old. We also had a Pontiac Vibe too that had some piece of metal rattling inside the seat belt pillar among various other dash rattles. Bottom line: all cars will rattle.

SirAlosha

I have the same problem as you count by 5s. my car has less than 3000 miles on it. i also open the passenger side door pocket. As well as the noise on the drivers side going around 70 mph. it seems to make the noise where the window meets the top of the door. if you have any luck in finding out how to fix the problems please let me know.

count by 5s

I will let you know if I find out anything. I'm trying not to go to the dealer too much cause I don't want them to start hating me for being so annoying...hehe. I'll bring up the rattles again next time I go in for an oil change or something.

tgj1099

In reply to everyone who has rattles. All I can Say is document everything and keep your work order receipts from the Dealer's Service Dept. Then check with your state on lemon laws. I was just awarded a FULL REFUND. I am getting my money back. I didn't even have to go to a court hearing or arbitration. American Honda/Acura settled. They even have to pay for the attorney under the Lemon Law Guidelines in the ST. of NJ. Apparently, Honda knows they may have a problem with this vehicle but are not to quick in correcting it. You have to challenge them. For over two months they tried to tell me that that was CHARACTERISTIC of the vehicle. I couldn't believe their attitude or answer; so I got legal backing VIA Lemon LAW and Walaaaaa!!!!! It was a different story.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!! BE PERSISTENT AND KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!!!!!!
IF THEY WANT TO CHARGE THESE PRICES FOR CARS THEY HAVE TO BACK THEM...

oppnyc

I am glad that you did it.
I am about to get rid of mine. It is so poor built...

RVC

How long did your re-purchase take? What did they base the re-purchase on ( what were the problems) and how did you get the process started? Thanks.

Johndoyle

I bought my car because I was frustrated with my BMW and Mini and the numerous attempts to fix rattles. This one rattles too, but not as bad. I have very little confidence in the service department's ability to fix the rattles. They require a lot of detective work to find and a lot of disassembly and effort to fix right. I don't know what's changed, but my recent experience is that the dealer will tell you they found it and fixed it, whereas in the past they used to say they couldn't duplicate the condition. Maybe they want to look like they tried or they just think you're imagining it? I haven't made an attempt on the TL yet, but there are numerous rattles from several locations, so I'm in the same boat you are.

tgj1099

First everytime you bring the vehicle in make sure they give u a copy of the work order and repairs done.
Depending on what State u live in, I live in NJ, you have to contact either ur Better Business Bureau or in my case (NJ) I had to contact the St Attorney General's Office Dept. of Consumer Affairs. U tell them via phone the problem ur having and they send u a packet. In the packet was a form letter that u use to send to the Vehs' Corp. Hqts. telling them that ur vehicle is possibly a lemon law veh. and they have one last chance to make repairs. ( This step is a must for ur case). U send the letter cetified return receipt. They have 10 CALENDAR not business days to fix ur vehicle from the time they receive ur letter. (The only catch is when they get ur letter and call u to make repairs u have to be ready and avail to bring it in because the clock is ticking on their end and they will say you delayed bringing the veh. in). If the vehicle is not fixed in that time u can call the Better BUsiness Office Back or ur A.G. office and they will send u an application for a hearing. If u meet all the req. they ask for a $50.00 fee for the hearing (which the car Co. pays u back if you win). If u win its probably 4-6 weeks in all hearing, decision, refund. The other route is get an attorney via the Lemon Law, you give him all your evidence, he examines it and decides if you have a case or not. If thery accept their is abosolutely no charge to you under Lemon Law in NJ. The car manufacturer pays all the fees. That is what I did.

In answer to how long it took me......From the time I started the process till now is approximately 8 weeks. I am waiting for a call fro the manufacturer to sign over the car and get a ck. in hand. it will be anyday I will get the call. Since that time they have been paying for a rental I have driven for over a month now. Good luck!!!1