http://www.reflexology.bc.ca/acura/2.jpghttp://www.reflexology.bc.ca/acura/4.jpghttp://www.reflexology.bc.ca/acura/6.jpg

 

I have an 04, and mine is like that too.

I can't believe the quality of this car.
I've seen better assembled Kias.

 

yeah right !! - I think u guys expect to much from a $31,000 car. My friend got a bwm 330I 2006. Even thoe i think mine looks better and at least to me it feels faster and has more space and on and on. I realized why he paid 10 thousand more, u really feel the build quality of that car and it doesnt rattle

 

Have you tired to resolve these issues with the dealer or acura.

Did you do a visual inspection b4 you took delivery of it?

I've seen worse, I've seen better.

 

I would like to add few more pictures.
Also, just to let you know, that I fixed all these problems my self, which indicates that this is not a design problem.

 

How did you fix the dash unevenness? Mine is a 06 and also has that.

 

Actually, I did not touch the dash panel. As you can see from my picture, you have to play with the door’s panels to make the metal inserts even with the door’s panel and then the panels itself with the dash.

 

uh when i bought my 06 3 weeks ago. i rejected 2 cars they offered me excatly for the alignment problems.

 

The only issue my 04 has is the rusty hunk of metal attached to the front bumper.( I wouldn't really call that an issue) Mine doesn't have any of the issues that you have posted. Mine is even painted under the plastic. Yours must have been made on a friday afternoon.

 

1) Remove that boat anchor. I removed mine many miles ago. I noticed a very slight improvement in handling while turning into a turn.

2) My 2006 is the same as the pic. No body-color paint under the plastic panel. Sure, it is panited some ugly base color (puke color), but sure is not body color.

 

What is that chunk of metal in front of the bumper for? How do you get it out?

 

its suposedly a damper to stop vibrations.... doesn't occur to me how a 9 pound chunk of metal is going to stop a 2 ton car from vibrating.

 

I might as well take it out since my TL vibrates anyways. Do you have to take out the front bumper to get it?

 

Just lay on your back and reach up in front of the AC condensor with a 9/16 wrench. One nut on left side and one nut on right side. You *Don't* even need to jack the car up.


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Also, there is a "Baby Boat Anchor" in the trunck lid too !!!! See the red arrows that point to the installed location. You need to drop the cosmetic felt covering to get to it. If you remove this "Baby Boat Anchor", your trunck lid will pop open an extra inch. It weights approx 16 ounces (rough idea from my bad memory).

 

Darn 5 minute timeout


Here is a pic of the front boat anchor to illustrate the nuts. You want to loosen the two nuts pointing upward. NOT the nuts on the outer side.

 

You guys do realize that you are removing a counterweight, right?

 

Actually, I took this ugly chunk of metal from the top. I had to use the grinder to clean it up and then I painted it with the black-color plastic paint. But in order to put it back, you have to go from the bottom.

 

I agree with you. I would not recomend to remove this part.

 

Okay, first of all, I mean absolutely NO disrespect to any of you. I mean, when it comes to fit and finish and things being "just so", I'm just as OCD as the next person. But that being said, I think rejecting cars because they have a 1/4 inch mis-alignment in a trim piece is being a little picky, don'tcha think? Don't get me wrong... You're spending in excess of $30K for a car and you want things to be just right and that's okay, but maybe it's just me that these things aren't deal breakers?

I've had my 06 TL for a solid month today and I notice things like little squeaks mostly caused by plastic-on-plastic or leather-on-leather rubbing, but I just kinda figure that it's par for the course. If I wanted something that was super, 99.94% quiet on the inside, I think I'd have a hard time finding it.

And all cars get more rattley and squeaky as they get old. I know that the dealer told me if for ANY reason I had a rattle or a squeak that bothered me, I could bring the car in for the first year or 12K miles and they would fix it with no questions asked.

Has anyone tried to do this? I know finding and fixing these things can be highly subjective, but maybe that's a direction you can go in to get a resolution?

PS - As far as the 9 pound hunk of metal... WTF is that all about and is there REALLY a noticable difference in handling when removed? (Very curious to know!)

 

If you are the type of person that rides around rock'in with the radio, I would say that you would *not* notice. A person needs to be "tuned in" with the car to notice. I rarely listen to music, and often listen to nothing when driving. So, I easily detect small differeneces in how my car responses. I NOTICED A DIFFERENCE. It was a surprise to me. I was not expecting to feel anything. But, after the first day, I could not ignore the difference. There was a difference. I notice it when turning into a turn around town.

 

not really
i can recommend one for those who are looking - MB S550
and others in the same price range
take it for a drive over some bad roads, you will see(hear) a big difference

not much in the mid 30's though, that's for sure

 

I totally disagree, because I know why the assembly quality is bad. As a design engineer I’ve been involved into the OEM production setup (not car industry, but very close). Recently I have spoken with few Japanese QC engineers down in Atlanta Georgia. Unfortunately, I CANNOT tell you details and you know why. I just will give you one example: Last week I have tested brand new Lexus IS350 here in Vancouver (Canada). This car cost $6G ($5G US) more. I did not like the design, but Man the assembly quality is awesome. This particular Lexus IS350 was build in Kurokawa Japan and NOT in Marysville Ohio (Acura).

 

So the ONLY reason our vehicles have these particular quality issues is because of the final assembly point? With a vehicle costing more the quality should be better correct? I doubt the duty and freight would justify the cost difference between the Lexus and Acura.

I see where you are coming from completely, I just feel that QC of Honda's home market would trickle down to their other plants. No car is perfect, you could find issues with any vehicle regardless if it's made here or overseas.

 

well said, every car is gonna have some issues, just something we're gonna have to deal with, Nothing is perfect in this world, if you look hard enough you'll find issues with all cars.

 

Wow! I have read all of your posts and I think some of you might be a little bit nit-picky however, I know what you mean.....when you are paying 30K+ for a "luxury" car, you don't expect to find these imperfections.

I have noticed a few things, such as the dash/door alignment not being "even", as shown in the pics.

I examined my TL and notices some things with the quality of the body/exterior such as, a small "fleck" of dirt that is beneath the paint, and the fitting of the rear bumper (gap in seams). Other than a few "minor" things, the car is great.

The "under hood" picture - now, I was shocked to see that! My car is not like that. I would definately take it back to the dealer and point these issues out to them. That, to me, is unacceptable and should have never passed a Quality Inspection.

As someone said here....."No car is perfect", which is true - No matter what car you drive, I'm sure you can find some things that you would improve on and some things that you are not satisfied with.

Overall, I really love the car. It drives great and is comfortable and has more than enough power for me! I feel it is a very safe car and has a lot of options that you cannot find "standard" in other luxury cars, or any car for that matter!

 

You are correct, but none of the issues I have found with this car are deal breakers for me. If they were, such as the mis-aligned dash, I would not have purchased the vehicle.

The car has one or two irritating rattles that I have noticed and it has only 1200 miles on it. I've driven a brand new TSX the had rattles too and that car is made in Japan. I will however take the car in for those rattles when I find time. There is just too much stacked on my plate for me get to the dealer at the moment.

I know if we don't complain as consumers, manufacturers will just put out whatever for us to buy. The last thing I want to do is spend 35k on my next vehicle and drive around a complete pile of dog shit for my hard earned money. Some of us have a higher tolerance for certain imperfections than others. It's part of what makes us individuals.

This is my 3rd Acura and 5th Honda overall. The TL fit my budget and had a good compromise of luxury, reliability, affordability, safety, and performance. It's not perfect like I said earlier, but no car is. I really like the car and have been willing to accept some things on vehicles I have owned as it is just "the nature of the beast."

 

I agree. Some minor imperfections, I can deal with. I am very satisfied with the TL so far. I read about other TL owner's problems here and it kinda scares me. My car is still new yet........so?

You have a long history with Honda/Acura, so that must stand for something! This is my very first Honda product. I was a former Mazda owner. I was a "die-hard" Mazda enthusiast - but, just got sick and tired of tranny problems and sinking more money into a car that was just not worth it.

I hope the TL gives me many happy miles!

 

I agree with the last few posts. I just picked up a 2005 TL w/ nav and spoiler w/ 26,000 miles for $26,500. Best auto for the money I could find. I was in the market for a new lexus gs 350 or maybe used 2006 gs300. I could not justify the extra $$$$. This car is a rocket with many standard features that many luxury vehicles don't come with. The Lexus was smoother and was top notch but for the money I'm very happy w/ my purchase.

Bottom line: You get what you pay for. The TL is a great buy.


If my job picks up in the near future I'll pick up a lexus

 

japanese don't mean **** it really depends on the plant culture... i mean... look at G35... built in japan... so much problems with interior as noted by g35driver members. Esp the materials and everything...

i believe that its all about luck in terms of built quality... lets put it this way.. depending on where you live... the change in temperature can coz pieces to miss align... refering to the "design engineer" post... you just haven't haven't seen the bad IS... a friend of mine bought an IS250 AWD and found out that the front passenger seat is somewhat lose and had to take it back to the dealer to get it tighten.

 

if they really think something is wrong with the built quality,,, they wouldn't be shipping the USDM TL to China to sell.... i am sure honda dun wanna screw up their own name.

 

The thing about teh g35 is very true. we had an 03 coupe and the interior was very cheap looking and had cheap materials. which is why i love the TL. For me the interior is very big for me, which is why i don't like the 2006 3 series or any other BMW becuase the interiors are too bland, same for lexus.

and about the passengers seat being loose i noticed that in my aunt's camry. whenever she stops i feel like my chair slides a bit...

 

So far I haven't had any rattles in my TL. Hopefully we wont develope any as it gets older, but when we bought it we made sure to roll the windows up and turn off the radio to make sure there weren't any rattles...

I haven't looked under any panels under the hood, but when i get the chance I'll definately check to see if mine was painted. If not I'll be very disappointed, i was shocked when i saw yours.

But I was very impressed by the TL i felt like it has a very good quality interior.

 

I am going to check my underhood over the weekend. I am hoping it is painted otherwise I will be pissed. I will talk to my dealer to see if they can do anything about this

 

Why would you take apart a brand new car to see if panels are painted or not?

 

I am looking to swap the fog light bulbs, so I figure might as well

 

Well its not like its really taking the car apart right? i remember when we went to the dealer when our car broke the service manager just ripped one of the panels right off with one had...

 

Removing that panel is still disassembling a part of the car, also known as taking it apart.

He explained why though.

 

Have you had a chance to talk to a dealer to address this issues? Iwonder what was the outcome of the discussion, if any?

 

Honda Japan quality > Honda USA quality

 

Guys, as I mentioned in my previous posts, I had fixed most of the problems myself.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find the dealer with knowledgeable mechanics.
Most of the dealers here in Canada are unprofessional. You cannot trust them at all.