It just flew off when my friend saw that it was loose and he tugged on it. Looks like the plastic clamps broke off.. Anyone know where i can find one to buy online

i have a NBP 2004 TL

 

I think you mean this:

http://www.acuraautomotiveparts.org/...s=&view=normal

Item #22 and #33 in this link. They are specific by color, by Front and Rear, and by Left and Right. Easy to change. Cost ~$12. Your local dealer can get 'em. You may only need the outer cover, but the part comes with an inner "bracket" as well.

When people say they have the "Shaved Door Handle" mod, they've bought the cover for the left rear and put it over the Driver Door Keyhole.

 

yea thats the part..i wonder if i can just glue the old one back on..or use some sort of double sided 3M tape..cuz the cover itself is fine..but the latch to hook it on snapped off.

 

See TSB 43 and if this applies to your vehicle, have the dealership perform the repair.

http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SB/B07-043.PDF

 

Is this something that should be covered under warranty (it sounds like it should)?

I brought in my 04 TL for service (under my extended warranty), and one of the issues was that the small piece of trim at the back of the rear passenger door handle fell off. The little plastic latch that snaps into the metal plate was cracked.

I have been told that trim is not covered under the warranty, and that they need to go through the inside panel of the door to fix the metal plate, before attaching a new trim piece, which is going to cost me $140.

Am I being fleeced?

 

yes. you paid for an extended warranty. that isn't covered, but to keep you happy as a customer it's a $12 part (that's list, their cost is even cheaper) they should just cover it for you.

I'm aware of the shop time as well, but in all honesty; most of the techs that "fix" this problem just snap a new one in place.

 

I used silicon caulking for mine.
still 'holdin too.

 

The door handle end cap actually just clips on. Poor design and the little tab brakes off easily. Easy repair to do yourself. We see it all the time. You will want to hold the outer door handle open and use a small pocket screwdriver to hold the aluminum portion of the handle out as you push the cover in to place. You will hear a click when the cap is fully on.

 

Am I reading the service bulletins incorrectly?

Under "WARRANTY CLAIM INFORMATION" it says "In warranty: The normal warranty applies."

I bought this car as Acura-Certified, from an Acura dealer, and bought their extended warranty. Shouldn't this be covered, no matter what?

 

You would think right !?!

When I had warranty issues with my VW I had to call a lawyer to get everything settled, and the mfr eventually had to by the thing back.
Certified does not really mean anything. It's a selling point for them to make you feel better about buying a used car.

Whenever anybody starts trying to sell me on a certified car, I just reply: "Good, So I can sue the crap out of you when shit goes wrong?" ...That'll shut them up.
Another thing, If the car was certified, why did you buy an extended warranty ?
The fact that it was certified indicates that there is still some remaining warranty on your car/powertrain.

I have heard all kinds of stories of dealers rubber stamping car certified just to sell them quicker.
Do you have the certified paperwork ?
Was there a checklist, with a tech's signature on it indicating checks had been performed ?

Just some things to mull over.

 

The extended warranty will not cover that to the best of my knowledge. That is why I am saying make a fit about it by saying you bought the car CPO'd and purchased an extended warranty for the piece of mind.

Remember the extended warranty is not a bumper to bumper warranty as if it were new.

Have you driven this car more than 12k or a year from purchase? Show this to the dealer http://www.acura.com/WarrantyCoverage.aspx

 

To the OP and nkb:

Have you presented the TSB to your dealer? You'd be surprised at how many service departments are ignorant of existing service bulletins. They may not even know about it. I'd say you should have a pretty good chance of this being covered under good will as long as you are polite and persistent.

Good luck!

 

I bought my 04 TL in Feb of 08. Being Acura Certified, it had a 12-month, 12K mile warranty. I purchased (for peace of mind) the extended warranty from Acura when I bought the car, which extended it to a total of 7-yr/100K miles from the original date of purchase (sometime in 2004), if I remember correctly (I need to check my paperwork).

Yes, I have all the paperwork that went with the certification, which is why I was able to get some things taken care of which I didn't notice until after I drove away with it (some paint issues, rock damage on the front).

 

The extended warranty was sold to me as being exactly equivalent to an original warranty. Based on the note in the TSB, I would expect it to be covered, especially since it's a known issue.
They may have lied to me, but that was how it was sold to me.
I've had the car for almost 2 years, so the 1-yr/12K mile warranty has expired.

 

Thanks, I'm going to pick it up right now. I'm bringing the TSBs with me, and let's see what happened.

I'm still wondering whether this is related to getting a new service rep (the guy I usually go to has always been good to me), or being out of the original CPO warranty, or both.

 

Good Luck Man !

 

any updates?

 

I got the runaround.

Basically, I was told that, since this is an extended warranty, and not the original one (like you mentioned), things like the door handle trim and the fuse blowing out on the windshield washer/seat memory is not covered.

They called me today to take a survey of my experience, and I expressed my disappointment, so the Service Manager is supposed to give me a call.

We'll see how that goes, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

Another question about the TSB: It shows a Flat Rate Time of 0.4 hours for repairing the trim piece. Is that a straightforward number, meaning, they are supposed to charge me 0.4 times whatever their hourly rate is?

I was charged $110 for the labor, so I can't imagine their hourly rates being $200+. At this point, I will settle for a partial refund on the labor.

 

There was no question that this would not be covered by any warranty, extended or other.

Did you ask them to fix it under "goodwill"?

It sounds like you had them go ahead and fix it at your expense. It also sounds like they ripped you off on labor, assuming that replacing the door handle piece was all they did. Most shops charge $90-$110/per hour, so a 0.4 hour job should not cost $110 in labor.

If I were you, I'd get this clarified and ask to speak to the district manager. Explain to them that you think they should have covered this under "goodwill" and that you want to express your disappointment to the district manager and make him aware of their false billing for labor (assuming that the $110 labor charge was for replacing the door handle piece only). I'd also call ACS and start a file.

 

I just ordered the 2 rear covers for my car. the rear passengers fell off in the carwash and a deer ran into the driver side door on the highway the other day so i figured i might as well do the shaved handle mod. I got them at https://acura.bernardiparts.com they were on sale so they were only 9 bucks each

 

Yes, but which warranty? The car has 3. The no-rust warranty obviously doesn't apply in this case. Nor does the powertrain. Only the bumper-to-bumper would apply. And if the extended warranty you bought is "exactly equivalent" to the powertrain warranty, then you're out of luck.

 

NKB,
I had the same problem and had to mention the TSB #07-043 from 8/07. I'm sure the ".4" comes from tearing the door apart to get the "Base" loose enough (or just replaced) to permit the plastic tab to get behind it. They quoted $200 too. The service writer didn't seem to know about it but a tech did. The tech said "we'll order one" while he was talking with us and the service writer. I assumed it would be "good willed" but the Service Writer did have to get approval from somebody. She phoned us while we were driving the loaner to say they would do it for $40.

 

Yeah, that happens to me all the time. Especially if you go through a touchless car wash.

I just buy the trim piece for $15 bux and just replace the plastic trim and not the mounting bracket as it would require taking apart the door panel.

 

If the handle cap falls off "all the time," then your car is one of those subject to the TSB and should have the base replaced.

If the trim piece/cap tab just broke at some point and a new cap pops on tightly to the existing base, then the TSB can be ignored.