Sometimes when I get in my car after it's been sitting in the sun all day a very "interesting" noise emerges from the dashboard. The noise sounds like a combination of a creak, whine and grind of something against rubber or some stuck gears meshing together. It's not every time, but it's fairly often (at least a couple times a week).

It appears to be something with the AC, since I just leave it on auto with recirculation around 70-74 degrees all the time, so it cuts in as soon as I start the car, but I don't know that for certain. Of course, since I can't drive the car in and recreate the sound because it only does it once per incident, what are the odds that the dealership will even try to fix it?

Thanks,
Mike

 

Have you tried playing around with the AC mode controls (dash, floor, defrost) to see if you can recreate the noise? Both passenger and driver side.
It could be one of the air doors moving around.

 

I experience the same problem with my car, when it has been sitting in the sun all day, when the a/c first picks on there is like a creaking noise. Its something on the evaporator, it seems like it is by the gas pedal, i think there is a door there that opens and closes and that makes the creaking noise heard. Not sure what it is actually called but i think thats it, i will look into it some more....

 

I played with the controls yesterday and couldn't recreate the sound. It didn't make it this morning when I turned it on, presumably because it hadn't been baked by the sun yet.

Xx06SickspdTlxX, that's exactly the sound I heard, and I think you're right, now that I listen more closely, I think it's further down nearer the floor somewhere.

Is this a common problem?

 

I think this is a common problem, i work as a honda tech and have heard of this on several accords, i also work with an old acura technician, if i remember i will ask him if he ever had any tl's with this issue and what the technical name for that door is!

 

I have the exact same thing on my '06 TL. Only needs to sit in the sun for 1-2 hours (after being in the shade/garage) for it to occur, and only when it's above 75-80 degrees out. I've tried turning on and off the climate controls but it still seems to happen.

Funny thing is, I'm sure it didn't do this when I bought it. But I took it back to the dealership about two months after I took delivery for a noisy center speaker (which they actually broke and had to replace) and that's about when it started.

 

I have a 2007 TLS and I have the exact same issue. It started when the weather warmed up outside.

Actually it's at the dealer now for service and that item is on the list.

I'll let you know what they say.

 

Also, does anyone hear a "snapping" sound shortly thereafter (1-2 minutes later)? It just happens once, but it sounds like a small rock hitting the windshield. Probably happens about 50-70% of the time after I hear the other sound. I assume it's another temperature expansion thing, but scares the heck out of my wife when it happens.

 

@MD: I don't think mine did it at first either. We bought it in mid-September, which is high summer here in Houston. Plus, first bit of October we took it on a 5,000 mile road trip through New Mexico and back, so it was subjected to its fair share of heat early in its life. It never made this sound until the first really warm day in March or so, and it's doing it daily now.

I hope it doesn't require removal of the dash to fix the problem. I haven't had the desire to put her in for the rattle in the passenger door and have the back of the driver-side seat put back on (again), much less introduce all the new noises that will cause. I guess the best I can do is when I put it in for the 15,000 mile maintenance they can fix all this other stuff and hopefully I get a nice loaner.


@kfhughes: I haven't heard the snap, but usually by that point either I am listening to the stereo, talking to my wife or yelling at traffic , so I can't say I've ever noticed it. I'll listen for it this afternoon.


Speaking of road trips, the whole time we were out we didn't pass a single Acura dealership besides one in San Antonio (I think), even in cities of good size (El Paso, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, etc.). I was thinking about asking her if she wanted to drive out to northern Cali to see her family and friends and then swing through some of Oregon, Tahoe and Vegas on the way back sometime late this summer (preferably before the snow begins to fall in the upper elevations).

If you take your car far afield from home and have a major mechanical problem what do you do? Call roadside assistance and get a 500 mile tow that will invariably be out of your way? Take it to a Honda dealer (but then, would the warranty cover it)?

 

Alright well here is your answer i was told from a co-worker "Master Honda/Acura technician, that it is the a/c expansion valve. He said that when the car sits out in the sun all day from the hot temperatures, some of the freon in the lines turns to liquid sort of like condensation and that when the expansion valve first opens up when the a/c is first turned on the liquid is being dispersed through the valve and that is the creaking noise that we are first hearing.

 

Interesting; how does this happen when the climate controls are off?

 

Is it something that requires repair eventually, or is it just an annoyance?

 

It is just an annoyance, i dont think there is anything that you can do about it.

 

Just pickup mine up from the dealer - they told me they couldn't reproduce the noise. Funny, it happens to me every single day...

 

I'm afraid that's what my dealer will say too: started the car this afternoon after the outside temp hit 100 degrees, and it was louder than I've ever heard it.

 

DUDE! I had this happen to me for the first time yesterday after my TL sat in a parking lot in the clear sun for 10 hours!! The sound is similar to rubber rubbing against each other. or if you had a wet suit on and you slide on a vinyl chair..it was weird as hell. But I dont have my AC on.....Climate control is set to Auto with AC OFF....Im confused...I guess you can still condensate even with the ac off, but shouldnt the line temperatures be in equilibrium with the environment since the ac is off so as not to cause condensation???

 

I sort of wondered this myself.

I'm not taking mine back in until the 15K mile maintenance, but at this rate that'll be middle to late July. I have a list of things to have adjusted and repaired in addition to the maintenance, so I'll tack this on to the list and see what they have to say about it. I'll bump the thread when (if?) I find something out.

 

Another datapoint: it's 100 degrees here again today and the car has been parked in the sun for about 5 1/2 hours. Before I left it I put a thick white cloth (like a bath towel, only about 18" long) over the top of the dash. I just started the car up without the AC on and got no noise. The dashboard itself is still very hot.

 

i hope thats all it is!

I just started hearing this myself. Sounds like a real wet fart...LOL! but its definitely getting annoying. i'm checking for this on a daily basis now, and it seems to only be on the hotter days for me as well.

 

I forgot to bump the thread: the maintenance folk looked at me like I was nuts when I told them about it and didn't recreate it (I think they locked her in the garage bay overnight). So... no goodness on my part.

 

LOL tell them to leave the vehicle out in the hot sun for the day and they will hear it but probably only once on initial startup.

 

Went to my dealership to discuss a related issue and when I described this to the service manager, he said he'd never heard of this issue and that it shouldn't make any such sound. I'm dropping it off tomorrow for them to examine (even though it's been cool here recently and we told them it may not do it then). Will keep everyone posted if they find anything.

 

I hear this everyday when i leave work, it is sort of bothering me sometimes also!

 

I've only had my car for a week and a half but I thought it was the car going into recirc mode on the climate control???

 

Got the car back this afternoon; they couldn't find anything wrong with the A/C system. They also couldn't reproduce the noise (but since they kept starting the car testing the A/C, I didn't expect them to).

Funny thing was, the loaner was an 07 TL. The minute I turned the key headed back to pick up my car..... you guessed it. So I told them if they wanted to try reproducing the sound again, just fire up the loaner tomorrow afternoon.

 

Mine has done it with and without recirc on.

 

Yep, it's definitely not the recirc. Oh well

 

I hear this snapping sound also on my '06. I haven't heard the other sound though.

 

Now that it's come back up, yes! It sounds like a loud, sharp plasticy snap or a pebble hitting the windshield. It almost sounds like something breaking over in the right-hand side of the dashboard, but it must not be because it does it quite a bit.

kfhughes, do you park your car outside or in a garage? I park mine on the driveway so it gets lots of sun, and most often I get to work late so I have to park on the roof of the parking garage, too.

At least this makes me feel better. I was afraid for a while that I had a lemon, but I guess it's just something they do.

 

At home it's park in a garage but at work it's parked outside and usually in the sun (I don't like parking directly under trees because of birds and sap). I'm pretty sure this is related to the A/C also, since I've tried turning the A/C off on hot days and I don't hear this.

 

I was able to tape the sound made by the car this afternoon. My plan now is to see if I can eliminate some other variables before I try taking it back into the dealership.

 

I have heard the exact same noise! I have a 2007 TL which was bought this past winter. Now in the summer with the super high heat this moaning noise has appeared. It happens on start up after the car has sat out in the blazing sun.

I mentioned it to the dealer at its first servicing. He was unable to reporduce the noise (of course), but he suggested that it may be related to the ABS doing a self check in the first several seconds the car starts up and that the ABS fluid has expanded in the heat.

I heard the noise again today and I quickly put the car in reverse which abruptly cut off the noise.

I've read other thread messages suggesting its related to the AC. Not sure why the noise would cut out when putting the car in reverse.

 

Are you literally hearing this when the car is started, or just with the key in the "On" position? I'm almost positive I just need to turn the key "On". Again, almost positive that when I turned the climate control off right in the middle of it making the sound it stopped, and resumed when I hit "Auto".

I've been testing different combinations of climate settings the last few days (luckily it's been in the high 90's/low 100's for the past week ) and I've found it happens:
* with the A/C and recirc off (fan on almost full)
* with the floor vents only active

Before leaving the car this morning, we set it for dash vents only (still no A/C) and turned off the system.

Just in case it could be the ABS, I'll listen from outside the car today. I swear it sounds like it's coming from inside the dash/console, but as we know the sounds can seem to come from anywhere in this car (spoken as a frustrated TL rattle hunter)

 

And when the climate system is off... just turned the key "On" and with everything turned off it still made the sound. I'm losing my mind; I'm certain it stopped once when I turned something off, and I thought it was the A/C or climate.

 

Well I've tried to reporduce the noise stopping by putting the car in reverse gear and failed. It was hot again today, the noise comes on when you turn the key from O to I position, no noise cut off by putting the car in gear.

The noise is made whether or not the AC is on or off. Very frustrating. I really hate this "hot moan"! Luckily fall is around the corner soon.

 

I took my car in on Monday for this noise (and a few other things). They replaced my compressor...we'll see if that's what it was. I just picked it back up today. I'll know when I leave work today...after my car sits in the hot garage all day.

 

Has anybody gotten this issue resolved? Having the compressor replaced quieted it by 95% for a little bit, but it's now making the "farting" noise louder than ever when I start it after it sits in the warm sun for a few hours. It's driving me crazy.

I had a friend listen to it and he thought it sounded like air trapped in the pipes/venting system that couldn't get out because of a design flaw, like maybe the seals are too tight, not allowing air to escape. Don't know...he thought it was coming from behind the mid-dash area, but I swear sometimes it sounds like it comes from the driver's seat area.

 

THANK YOU!!! i have had this issue w/ my 08 TLs since they day i bought it. never had the problem in my 06...

its not jsut when i start the car, but when i put it in park after driving a while. its this creaking chattering vibrating sound coming from the drivers dash.... the climate control seems to 'anger' the noise, and make it louder. brought it to acura 3 times, had somebody sit in the car, and it doesnt do it !!

as soon as i leave, bam.. theres the noise... and its a daily thing.. everyday
@ one point or another, it makes this chattering noise. and its loud!! WTF can i do? car seems to ride fine

 

Don't know what to do...they did hear it when I took mine in because I told them to park it out in the sun for 3 or 4 hours before starting it again.

I'll have to take mine in for an oil change soon so I'll ask again, but with the weather getting colder here where I am, it's not doing it this past week or so. Only does it around 65+ degrees outside, but mostly when it's over 70 degrees.

I'm thinking of asking my neighbor, who is a service technician for Nissan. Maybe he'll have some idea in general what it could be.

 

Well summer is here and its a year later and the problem is still there.

Brief moan/groan from the dash area on start up if the car has been sitting out in the hot sun.

Has anyone out there figured out the problem and a solution?
Dealerships saying anything?

Just wondering....