ss284

I just got back from my 4th balancing since I purchased my 2010 FWD TL 3 months ago. I have been having vibration/shuddering issues at highway speeds since I first purchased it, and it is annoying the hell out of me.

1st time: 1 month after purchase, from the original purchase location dealership. Result, made the shudder worse. I get an email about my satisfaction and describe the problem. No response from my service tech even after resending the email twice.

2nd time: 2 months after purchase, at a different dealership with a road force balancer. Result, noticeably better, but still not smooth.

3rd time: A week ago. Again at the dealership with the roadforce. They rebalanced, and told me that there is still shuddering due to flat spots in the tires. Awesome. They tell me to go back to the original dealership to get new tires, and give me a printout of their diagnosis.

4th time: Today. At the original purchase location dealership. I tell them my entire story. Get a call 30 minutes before closing, and my tech tells me this:
The roadforce dealership is lying. If it were flat spots, the tire warranty should cover it, and they would have replaced them. Your tires are perfect, they just need to be balanced again. We just recalibrated our balancing machine 5 days ago, it was really off. But its working great now and your car should be perfect.
I get the car back right as they close. its now slightly worse than before I took it in, and still shudders on the highway. I get back and check my wheels. They have indeed put new weights on, but in the process they scratched the inside of my wheels to get the old weights off.

What am I supposed to do in this situation? Does a balancing typically involve hard scratching at the wheel to get the old adhesive off? I just want a car that rides smoothly on well paved road, like the one I originally test drove.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Kingmeow

I encounted a similar situation last year (my thread is buried somewhere in the Main forum or the Problems forum). In the end they replaced both front tires as they had flat spots from sitting on the lot so long and the vibration/pulsing was gone.

Now there were plenty of steps in between. First they did a regular balance, then a road force balance, then replaced the tires which had a flat spot (both tires!0 which they "spotted" when they had the car up on the lift as I suggested maybe it was a defective propellar shaft (brings power to the rear wheels).

What got me is how come they couldn't tell there's a flat spot until the last try where they had the car up on a lift? AND(!) they said they detected it visually while investigating the prop shaft!!! It was wobbling! AND(!! <- 2x ) four defective tires in a row with flats spots???? (2 original and 2 replacments)

And for wheel scratches, they scratched up one of my wheels really bad when replacing both front tires. However, they automatically replaced the wheel for me even before I arrived to pick up my car. If they didn't tell me (and I thank them for their honesty) I would not have know they replaced one of my wheels due to their mistake.

What I would do go back to both dealership and play one against the other. One of them HAS to replace the tire. I would go to the roadforce dealership as the last time I check your warranty is good at ANY dealership.

Note: with my experience the problem was worked on (many times) and resolved on a dealership that I did not buy my car from. It just happens to be close to where I work. They even painted my rusty rotors for me.

ss284

I don't want to make enemies of both dealerships; wouldn't playing them off each other accomplish exactly that?

Can I pretty much assume that the original dealership is lying about the lack of flat spots?

Thanks for the input!

Mr Marco

Book says; Tire will not balance = R&R tire. Mechanics manual for dummies-101
Tell them to replace the tires or you will bring it back for a balance everyday.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

if the dealer with the roadforce balance machine is an acura dealer, and they say you need new tires under warranty, then they should put the tires on for you...doesnt matter what acura dealer you use for service/warranty work, its all the same...you can buy from one dealer, and get warranty work at another...

ss284

Will I have any luck with getting them to at least try buffing out the scratches my original dealership made to the inside of my rim when scratching off the weights? They are clearly visible when looking at the wheels from the side.

Mr Marco

If it is a deep scratch that goes through the paint, you are SOL.
I had a balance issue on an Integra that turned out to be rotors. The only way I could confirm it was to remove the wheels and tires and put on a set I knew was perfect.
Your issue is most likely a tire that is so out of spec that no amount or combination of weights will fix it. Have them R&R (remove & replace) the tire(s). This is a common place issue, even with the best tire manufactures.

ss284

I just talked to my original dealership, and they want me to make some time available to take it in for a test drive with a shop tech, with no guarantee of fixing the problem. Frustrating.

I read up on the Michelin tire warranty, and I am not covered for flat spots. I have a written notice from one dealer stating that the tires have flat spots. Is requiring the original dealership to replace the tires just made up? Is it worth complaining to some sort of higher acura representative to get this sorted out?

WheelBrokerAng

Ask your Tire persons if they have even reset your TPMS sensors everytime they took off and switched those tires around and rebalanced them. This could be your problem.

ss284

@wheelbroker: thanks, I'll definitely try asking.

I have an appointment scheduled for this upcoming weekend. I don't have high hopes, but ill definitely express my discontent with how they've been handling the problem.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

i dont believe there is anything to reset

CRAZY KEN

...find yourself a local tire/wheel shop. Goto an auto-x or competition racing forums and ask them where so they go to get tires/wheels/alignment done in your neck of the woods. Dealerships don't know jack! For instance, here in Maryland there is a famous shop that all racers goto...Radial Tires the owner himself is a season auto-xer in the Miata Club. He know his stuff about tires/wheels/suspension ect. ect. I always see porsches, ferarris, bmw, benzs, aston martins and regular cars too...go there everytime. They are always packed. So find yourself a local shop that you can trust and talk to...Never go back to the dealership except for warranty issue, recalls or maybe even an oil change! Hold up, on second thought, even that I am skeptical on doing!

CRAZY KEN

ss284

Update on the situation, the service manager called me up and said there was nothing wrong with the car. He wants me to take a drive with the mechanic that reported no vibration issues at all to see that we were "barking up the right tree". As if that is going to change things. How do I convince them that the vibration is there and they need to fix it? The TL loaner they gave me is nearly perfect in regards to vibration, something I could totally live with. Is there any way to escalate this issue to a higher authority? I don't feel like I'm driving the new luxury car that I paid for.

Ken: Amazingly I actually grew up in Potomac, and my dealer happens to be in MoCo. I would go to a specialty shop, but this is a problem that was present ever since I got the car few a few months ago, and should be covered under warranty. For future reference, is this the place you were referring to? http://www.radialtire.com/

ss284

After a drive with the head mechanic they finally admitted the tires needed to be replaced. Well, after all this bullshit, they expected me to go to a bridge stone retailer and get them replaced myself. I called up Acura care service and they said they would take care of everything.

777mycoolangelo

What a BIG Hassle... and a waste of your time! These dealerships need to Man up and fix your issue within 2 visits at the most!

ss284

The regional manager is apparently visiting the dealership where my car is located today, which is why I still don't have my car yet. Pretty frustrating that there is still no resolution about my faulty tires/wheels.

VQPower37

wow man, seems like you have remained pretty calm through this whole things ... hats off to you, i hope everything works out for you, i dont see why they just can't replace the tires at the dealership for you and have you on your way

ss284

You would think it would be something as easy as that. Sadly, taking responsibility for crappy tires and saving everyone time seems difficult for acura/my dealership.

Mr Marco

We should all chip in $1 and get you a gift certificate for Chilli's or something. You deserve a Margarita and a Fiesta on Acura. Good luck.

VQPower37

do you mind disclosing what dealership in MD your going to?

ss284

Finally got my car back yesterday after work(three weeks to replace tires!). The reason why it took so long, was because the dealership/acura was trying to get bridgestone to replace the tires under warranty, which obviously failed because flat spots aren't covered. It's pretty clear why they wanted me to try to do it. Anyways, my service tech was already gone by the time I got to the dealership. The wheels are definitely new, but they obviously didn't care too much about the whole install.

The tires themselves were never cleaned, and are coated with grimy dust buildup. The wheels, which I requested to be cleaned, are still dirty with plenty of scratches on the interior where the 4-5 rounds of alignment weights were placed and removed. There are small dings on two of the wheels near the bolts, which I guess can be expected, but still not appreciated due to the entire ordeal.

The worst part is, driving the car is still jarring. Nothing like the loaner TL, the TL I originally test drove, and even the SH-AWD I test drove, all of which drove relatively smooth compared to my car now. I'm not sure if I'm being overly sensitive, at this point, but I'm angry and disappointed in Acura as a whole. I'm not even sure if its worth complaining more; I haven't exactly come out ahead.

I drive a good 50+ miles a day, is it reasonable to give the tires a couple weeks to break in?

VQ: Rosenthal Acura.

ss284

I thought I would update this thread as its a good record of what has happened so far.

I brought the car back in on Nov 12th, requesting that they fix the vibration and the scratches on the wheels. I got finally got a call this past Wednesday from my tech telling me the stock Bridgestones were in fact bad, and they intend to replace them with Michelins.
However, Bridgestone wanted the dealership to take the wheels to a dealership with a road force balancer to determine which wheels were bad before offering a refund. The dealership is currently waiting on this and I have not heard from them since. Apparently my wheels have also been "refinished".

I am not a happy camper. Do I have any right to ask for any sort of compensation? I've calculated that my car has been in for service six times for the same issue, for more than 50 days. I only purchased it 6 months ago.

Mr Marco

In the state of Oregon you would be covered by the six trips for the same issue. However in Maryland you need to send a certified letter,

Maryland's lemon law applies only to cars, light trucks and motorcycles that:
1. Are registered in Maryland, and
2. Have been driven less than 18,000 miles and been owned less than 24 months.
(Even if you are not the original owner, the Lemon Law might apply to your vehicle if the original owner purchased it less than 18 months ago.)



The law provides that a dealer or manufacturer must correct a defect within 30 days after the consumer writes to the manufacturer by certified mail. If the manufacturer or dealer is unable to do so, the consumer is entitled to a refund or replacement vehicle under the Lemon Law if the car has:

• A brake or steering failure that was not corrected after the first repair attempt, and that causes the vehicle to fail Maryland's safety inspection; or

• Any one problem that substantially impairs the use and market value of the vehicle that was not corrected in four repair attempts; or

• Any number of problems that substantially impair the use and market value of the vehicle that have caused it to be out of service for a cumulative total of 30 or more days.

If you suspect your car is a lemon -- for example, if the dealer has tried once or twice unsuccessfully to repair the problem and you believe the problem substantially impairs the use and market value of the vehicle -- you should write to the manufacturer immediately. You do not need to wait until the dealer has made the four repair attempts, or until the car has been out of service for 30 days.

http://www.oag.state.md.us/consumer/lemon.htm

But I'm just an IT dude, not a lawyer. So check with an expert first.

mrclemson

I am going through pretty much the same. I spoke to the regional manager today, if it doesn't get solved in a reasonable amount of time, I am taking acura to the court - I happen to have legal assistance through my employer, all I can lose is $25 co-pay.

navigator

I am having a similar problem with my 2010 TL SH-AWD 6sp. Car is 3 months old and has less then 2K miles.

I have had the problem from the beginning.

Currently it is a slight vibration between 80-85mph

The dealer has even exchanged all 4 wheels and tires and the problem is much better, but still there. It use to start at 55 and got worse up to 80 then tapered off. I am taking the car to Goodyear to see if they can balance it better or have some insight.

If it is not the tires or wheels, what could cause a vibration in the steering wheel at speeds 80-85? (it starts around 70 and clears at 90). This is not a pronounced vibration that you can see the steering wheel vibrate, it is subtle and the dealership is trying to tell me it is the 18" wheels and the road surface. I have owned many cars with low profile tires and I have never had this feeling.

I am on my third set of tires from the dealership. (all Michelins)
1. Original
2. They replaced the tires, but I kept my original wheels
3. Now I have a new set of wheels and tires from a 2011 SH-AWD (wheels are a little darker, but same manufacture and make of tires)

My issue is I feel that the dealership is stuck on that it must be the tires.....what if it is not, what else could cause this?

How do you contact Acura to ask about this or at least get them involved?

Thanks for all input, comments and suggestions.

mrclemson

I had all 4 tires replaced, and roadforce balanced, still you can feel the vibration above 50 mph, particularly between 70-80 mph, but definitely better than it was. At this point, I seem to have nothing to request, all tires are within specs. And yet I found another 2 problems with this sh!t, the left side skirt is misaligned by half inch - I have been looking around in my company's parking lot where there are thousands of cars, haven't seen any car like that; and about 40% of the time when you push the right side of the horn, it doesn't work, and I pretty much use my right hand to horn 100% of the time. I really wish that I didn't buy it . . .