Hi Everyone. I bought an '07 TL-Type S AT from a dealer about 2 months ago. (I know, I should've done a used car inspection, stupid me! ) This past weekend I took the car in to an Acura Dealership to do an oil change (Maintenance Minder B). I also asked them to look the car over to see if there's anything else I should consider fixing. To my surprise, I get a call from Acura telling me that there is rust "everywhere" under the body of the car and under the dashboard. They suspect that the car may be a flood vehicle that went unreported ! Carfax has no signs of a flood. I went back to the dealer that I bought the car from, and they were surprised because they bought the car at an auction and it passed the sale inspection. They're going to talk to Acura and ask if they can prove the car is a flood vehicle and we'll take it from there.

Now to my question. I took a peek under the dashboard and sure enough there was rust under there on the metal brackets and steering wheel shaft. Wires looked good. But what I had imagined was actually much worst than what I actually saw (Picture provided below). The rust is there, but it looks mild. This third generation of TL's are now 10+ years old and I wonder if the rust is normal. But it still begs the question of why Acura would make a big stink about it? Can you fellow TL owners confirm whether or not you have something similar under the dash? A general google search for rust under dash led me to posts regarding different manufactures suggesting that rust under there is normal. When I purchased the car, the interior did not have a musty smell. The plastic covers appeared to be original and the carpets were clean. No signs of rust on the body of the car; paint job looks original and in good shape. I have not seen the underbody of the car so I don't know how bad it is down there. But with the car being exposed to the elements, I would expect some level of rust to metal parts underneath the car.

As of right now the dealer is working with me on making this right, but who knows how this will end. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you all in advance for your inputs!

Picture of rust:

 

If it was a flood car, it would be way more rusted and if it got up to that steering column, the car would probably not even work properly considering the ecu is below that level. My old 06 TL was rusted like that on the metal brackets but it was a light coating where you can still see the silver metal. What region do you live in? Does it get humid? Snow?

 

Untreated metals/alloys will always rust with age...I'd say it's normal, unless something has corroded to the point where it affects the functionality of it.

Is it possible that just that area is rusted from water contact? Maybe its just from wet shoes kicking water back there when you're using the pedals.

 

I just went out and took a picture of the steering shaft of my 2006 TL; it has a little surface rust on it, but nothing like the picture above. I'll post the picture after I get home and get the horses into the barn.

 

I live in Easter PA. Per Carfax, the car was registered to a single owner up in Rochester NY. I believe winters can be brutal up there. Same owner registered the car in San Diego for a couple of years before it was registered back in NY once again.

 

I live in Houston for 4 years now and I am pretty sure mine TL didn't rust that bad, also keep in mind we got 98% humidity all day for 6 months straight.

 

As promised:

 

If the water got all the way up there as they claim then for sure your electrics would be toast. I assume your radio,hvac etc controls work without issue?

One test I always do when buying a car is to pull the seat belts and examine the belt portion that was retracted. If it was flooded that is usually never replaced and you can smell mustiness and look for dirt deposits.

My .02, your fine. Thats just surface rust in the pics shown.

 

Thanks! That's odd, your steering shaft has less rust, but the one bracket behind it coming from inside the dash looks a lot more rusted than mine. And that's located further above the ground.

 

Thanks. I'll do the seatbelt test. All of the electronics are in working order, except for the Bluetooth HFL.... but it seems like that fails on everyone's TL.

 

Its common. When I parted my car out there was the same rust on the same parts as pictured. As mentioned untreated metals with temperature change will create rust over a period of time.

 

If water got that high, the ECU/PCM would have fried. It certainly possible that it was replaced, but IMO I don't really see anything out of the ordinary in your picture. If everything else is fine except for the HFL and you don't find anything on the seat belts (great suggestion ), I'd say you are fine. It's good to hear that the dealer is willing to research the issue.

 

I noticed the same thing. Either way, I don't see any cause for alarm.