This question is for all of you whose build date for the car is post April 2012 VIN#CA031781 and higher

Do you still notice a lag in the reponse time for the car when you floor it in any gear. I test drove the 2012 TL (May 12 build date) and it didn't seem to have any lag. However, the one I bought has a build date of 02/2012 and I do notice a lag when I floor it. Almost takes a full 1-1.5 seconds before it reacts. Reason I pointed out post April 2012 is because Acura did make some safety changes in these cars. Was wondering if they also reflashed the transmission software to minimize the lag.

Please note that even if you bought your car after April 2012, it could have a build date of earlier in the year. This only applies to cars built after April 2012.

Thanks.

 

i think its all in your head..

 

Well thanks for your useful post.

 

I bought my car in September 2011. I did feel some lagging in acceleration, it was not as responsive as my previous car. I thought it was just the way it is, or because it was in break in period. It was not a big deal.

Two months ago the Tighten fuel cap popped up a couple times. I went to dealer and they updated some software in the car. Right after picking up the car, I definitely felt a big change in how the car response. It was much more responsive to the gas pedal.

Who know, it may be in my head, may be not. But you was not the only one experience that.

 

Do you think they reset your ECU? There seem to be long threads here re: that process and the result of it seems to be what you described in your post.

As a side note for the OP: how do you find out the build date of your TL? I just bought my TL in July and it only had 4 miles on it, but who knows how long it had been sitting at the dealership. My VIN is higher than what you posted but if possible I'd like to know the exact date is was built (kind of like for Macs you can tell based on the serial number the week it was built).

I don't notice a significant lag, but there is one there for sure that I can tell because I'm coming from a manual transmission (been driving MT for 22 years, this is my first AT). But it's nowhere near as bad as some have been saying with regards to their 2012 TLs. if it ever does get that bad I'm going to try and do the ECU reset trick.

 

Look at your drivers side door jam. The build date is mentioned there. I bought my car in July as well but it had 96 miles on it. it was a dealer trade. The lag i am describing is when you stomp the pedal to the floor in any gear/speed and there is a noticeable lag before the acceleration kicks in. Have you experienced that?

 

Well that depends on your meaning of "lag". First of all, I have not accelerated hard yet because I'm still breaking the engine in. But when I've needed a little extra power say on the freeway to pass someone who just got into my lane to go slower than the speed limit, I have noticed that there's a split second *before* the engine downshifts to a lower gear in order to accelerate as hard as I want. As opposed to when I drove MT and I'd manually downshift and then hit the accelerator. If I use the paddle shifters there is obviously no lag.

Is that lag - the computer making the decision to downshift - the lag you're talking about? There isn't a "gas pedal lag" in the sense that as soon as I step down on the pedal the gas is clearly increased to the engine and it starts revving up immediately. It just takes a fraction of a second (and I mean a fraction, less than half, probably a quarter of a second) for the computer to decide to downshift and really provide the power I was after.

I don't think this is a bad thing, but in tight situations I will likely use my paddle shifters to manually downshift in order to be on top of the game.

Thanks for the tip on the build date - I'm going to look at it right now!

 

If I keep my engine spinning at above 3500 rpm at all times, there is absolutely no lag whatsoever in any gears. Throttle response is always instant in this case.

 

i would assume that the car manufacturers would not want you to speed, & put like a filter to keep you from excessive speeding. just saying

 

What is the VIN cutoff for April build dates? My car was built in May but the last portion of my VIN is CA010833. This is much lower than CA031781. Does my car being a manual make a difference?

 

You must have AWD. Manual will not make a difference. Please note that these dates are for the safety ratings as found on the safecar.gov website. I am just speculating if in addition to improving safety thye also reflashed the ECU for the newer cars.

2012 model year FWD vehicles manufactured on or after April18, 2012 (on or after VIN 19UUA8F59CA031781)
2012 model year AWD vehicles manufactured on or after April 20, 2012 (after VIN 19UUA9F75CA010093).

 

By lag, i don't mean turbo lag. What I feel is a delay. When I dump the pedal, the rpm's go up pretty quick but there is almost a 1 to 1.5 second delay before the tranny kicks in.

 

Then I can say absolutely not! Wow, I would have been PO'd if I drove and felt that! Of course, you're saying this happens when you floor it? As I said I'm breaking in the engine so I haven't floored my TL yet. I don't drive a lot (less than 1K a month) so after I've broken in the engine, and when the opportunity presents itself on the freeway (tough in Los Angeles) I'll test it out. If I find mine does the same thing, I'll post to this thread.

Oh, and my build month was June 2012 so I got lucky by getting a car that wasn't on the lot all that long (less than a month).

 

Great. Thanks. On another note, how long are you breaking it in for? 600 miles as recommended by Acura or you'll go more 1000-1200 miles?

 

I know the manual says 600 but I was raised in one of those "break it in for a 1000 miles" household. I'll probably aim for 1000 but will likely cave in to the temptation to "open 'er up" around mile 800.

 

You should've bought a 6MT

 

for the 6MT SH-AWD, there is a delay valve in the clutch cylinder that softens the clutch plate engagement with the flywheel. Idk if autos have this as well...

 

I already have a pretty nice 6MT that I thoroughly enjoy

 

 

Switch to S mode, or tap the paddle in D - the auto is strong, but is programmed for max mpg, not flying by the seat of your pants fun. Not sure the other auto's you've driven recently, but most seem to suffer from this *lag*. The car you drove that didn't seem to have it could have recently had its ECU flashed, or was so new it was still learning and most people mash the pedal on test drives. If you reset your ECU, then drive the car hard for a half hour, you'll notice a difference. I did mine after the first oil change, made D better, but still boring compared to S with paddles. Once you get it down, you'll be amazed how close to a manual it responds. I love having the shifting control without my knee moaning about the clutch

 

dsm918.....Nice BMW!

Mine was built in May 2011 (early ones) but I am not sure I can say I am experiencing what you are referring. Then again, I am not one that pushes my car excessively and often use the paddles when I do want to do a quicker maneuver.

 

Thanks. What is this re-flash you are referring to? I don't see any messages on Acura Link in my car. Is there a TSB?

Thanks.

 

dsm918 - do a search in this subforum for Flash ECU and it will come up. The instructions are different for different models (i.e. push start vs. key ignition). It involves turning the car electrical on (but not the engine) and depressing the gas pedal for 30 seconds. Read the full instructions.

The other sure way to reset ECU is to disconnect the negative lead from your battery for a prolonged period of time (like an hour I think) but that also resets your factory radio, and maybe even the nav, so you'll need the codes that came with your car if you do this.

The logic behind this, as far as I can tell, is that the ECU learns your driving patterns and adjusts to maximize its mpg, hence the longer you drive the more conservative the ECU gets in order to save gas. If you flash it, it goes back to factory standard and starts at square one. I've read people here flashing their ECUs monthly!

Since mine only had 4 miles at the point of purchase and I've been the only driver, I haven't noticed a significant change in shifting behavior in the two weeks I've owned the car. If it does start to get conservative though I may try to reset the ECU. Still freaks me out though that it involves depressing the gas for 30 seconds with the car not started. To me, from the old-school days, that's called flooding the engine. But I'm assured that doesn't happen with the carburetor-less TL.

 

Thanks. I already tried depressing the gas pedal method and it didn't work for me so I disconnected the negative terminal for 10 minutes and that seemed to reset the radio because I had to enter the code. Don't know if I should have let it sit longer before connecting it again. I did search for "Flash ECU" in the 4G TL section and nothing significant comes up. Is there another sub forum I should be searching under?

When you say Flash ECU, are you referring to resetting it or Flashing some software update through the dealer? My guess is the former...resetting it. Correct? Also, do I really need to physically disconnect the negative terminal? I noticed a fuse right next to the terminal. That should do it. an you confirm?

Thanks for the help. By the way way, my car is only 9 days old

 

I don't know about the fuse, but when I reset mine I completely removed the negative terminal and let the car sit over an hour (ran some errands to pass the time). I don't believe there is a new software flash available, at least not that I've been made aware of.

Since your car is so new, I imagine you're babying it for the break-in? I did with mine, and I think that's mostly to blame for the lag. Also, the tranny doesn't downshift until you're damn near completely stopped, so most of the time if you're coming off a corner, yield, or slowing behind someone you're stuck in 3rd under 2K rpm, which is slowsville. Thank God the paddles are there in D to at least get you a most needed downshift

My advice is play with the paddles - even in D they can make a big difference, but using S is a blast, although harsh on your mpg without good control. Also, the tranny seems to love 2nd gear. I often find at a complete stop I'm still in M2 - its not bad, but you won't get near the launch from a stop you can achieve with M1

 

Yeah my apologies, I was using flash and reset interchangeably, and I shouldn't have. I was referring to resetting the ECU.