KrylonBlue

Hopefully it’s good this time. I’ll be scheduling replacements for both my puddle lights soon.

I have been without my car for a week now. Been driving a 2018 Hyundai Elantra while the detail shop reapplies the ceramic coating because my body shop had to wet sand imperfections from when it was repainted. 😖

Oh well, I shall have it back on Monday!

jwtarbaj

I don't have anything directly myself. There are members on FB 21+ TLX Group saying they had the new bulbs put in and burnt already.

Mine were replaced in early/mid March and still working so far (knock on wood)

Luis C

Sad to report that the left puddle light failed on me a couple of weeks ago. Both of them were replaced by the dealer in February with the upgraded design. It should be noted that I do use a pressure washer to wash my car at home, so you may get more life out of it if you stick to hand-wash only. Kind of hesitant to get them replaced again, since last time dealer scratched the black trim around the mirror and had I had to make another trip to get it fixed.

KrylonBlue

Bummer.

I actually forgot my car was even supposed to have puddle lights they’ve been out so long. With the fix seemingly being a failure I’m not too eager to replace mine again either.

mapleloaf

Since my last replacements 5-6 months ago, that included putting some grease in the housings, both puddle lights are still working. I also avoid pressure washing imto the mirror face.

Christian lebron

I have a open case with Acura corporate and after several months they supposedly put new updated lights about 2-3 weeks ago so far so good. They gave me a spec all seasons mats for my troubles but the case is still open due to having to wait a few moths to see if they go out again

wizardjjr

They replaced my entire side mirror and the problem eventually returned. I honestly don't even care if the TLX has puddle lights( they aren't even that bright), but I do care that I have to waste my time having them fixed every 6months. I will have them deal with it again on the next service. This car has been out for 2 years and they still haven't fixed it? What a joke. Btw, mine went out in the rain, not related to pressure washing.

KrylonBlue

Mine also went out due to the heavy rain.

KidK

For what it is worth … my 2022 TLX arrived in December. I had the dealer add the Welcome Lights as a dealer installed accessory. Never noticed that the puddle lights weren’t working because the welcome lights rock. Skip the BS on the puddle lights and ask for the welcome lights comped due to shitty puddle light options.

ELIN

I'm pretty sure your "welcome lights" are the puddle lights we've been talking about.

I was checking out the Acura website and apparently (as of the 2022 model), puddle lights are no longer standard on the A-Spec. Apparently, this has become such a big headache for Acura they decided to reduce the number of cars on the road that come with it standard. If you own a '21 TLX A-Spec like me, then you are one of the select few to have it standard.

wilztlxs

iTrader: (8)

The Welcome Lights are different from the puddle lights, they are underneath the side skirts.

https://www.acura.com/accessories/mo.../welcome-light

ELIN

I stand corrected. They are indeed different!

Edward'TLS

How useful really are the puddle lights ?

I can only watch in amazement the puddle lights going on and off by themselves, when I sit near the windows of a restaurant or coffee place, and my car is parked right outside in close proximity.

Justy48

Do you believe that affixing an adhesive clear circle to protect the puddle light would fix the recurring problem? Amazon sells those circles.

I can no longer hand-wash my car. Pollen collects daily on the surface. So, I need to use a commercial [brush-less] spray wash regularly.

harpazo

Ok here is my experience with the whole puddle light burn out debacle...

I purchased my TLX Type S in August of last year and both my puddle lights stopped working the end of December (I wand washed my car in extremely cold weather one night and they started to flicker right after that, and within a day or two they stopped working entirely)

So I waited to have them replaced when my first oil change was due, and dropped my car off in the morning to have both the oil change and puddle light replacement done at the same time.

I received a call in the afternoon that my delearship didn't actually have the puddle lights on location, and the service manager said he had no clue on how to actually get them in, or even find out the part number because we were in Canada and the proper part wasn't available, but if I found out what part number it was from someone in the US to let him know.

Fast forward a few months and I read on this thread about someone who had actually installed updated puddle lights successfully and even said the new bulbs were even brighter than the original, so I sent him a pm and asked him if he would kindly share the part number with me so I could try and have my Acura service department order them in. He gave me the part number which was great and the next morning I called my service department and they said another Acura TLX S owner had already ordered a replacement set of puddle lights so ordering mine would be no problem.

So my puddle lights finally arrived and I made the appointment to have them replaced. I dropped my car off in the morning and got a call from the service department that afternoon that they had in fact smashed my side mirror trying to do the work and had to ground my vehicle for a few days until the replacement mirror came it. Thankfully they provided me a loaner ILX in the meantime.

Now it gets even better lol, I got the car back with the new puddle lights and side mirror installed but got home only to realize that the side mirrors will not open nor close by unlocking/locking the car with the keyfob or doorhandle button like they would previously. None of the options in the screen settings work either even though I could open and close them manually with the little button inside the door. So I have an appointment booked to have them looked at again but was wondering if someone here knew how I could fix the open/close of the side mirrors myself without having to take it to the dealer again.

Thanks and just wanted to share my experience/inconvenience.

Justy48

Yikes! I'm getting worried. My Type-S is in the shop now for puddle lights replacement. I'll update.

K3RMiTdot

Just replaced my puddle lights for the 3rd time on the Type S. I haven't washed the car since, so they're still working. I assume they're bound to fail again, but these are apparently updated versions.

ELIN

Sorry about your experience. Acura is probably happy they didn't motorize my A-Spec and lower trim side mirrors.

Justy48

Puddle lights replaced by Hunt Valley Acura.

6/7/22 - Left puddle light successfully replaced.
6/10/22 - Right puddle light eventually replaced with third replacement part. First two were bad.

Will update in a few months. I can no longer hand-wash my car. Pollen collects daily on the surface. So, I need to use a commercial [brush-less] spray wash regularly.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

My Driver's side puddle light went out....AGAIN! It didn't work when I bought my Aspec....the dealership fixed it. Now it's out again.

KrylonBlue

I had my Type S in for service today and I had them replace both my puddle lights. We will see how long these newer bulbs last.

The part that makes me laugh is at my dealer the technician records a video after the repair and sends it to me via text message. He mentions that the lights are a major issue but hopefully these are better as he hasn’t seen the new bulbs go out as of yet. But he wasn’t holding his breath.

Edward'TLS

Gee ........ Why is a mega auto company having so much difficulty to come up with a humble, long-lasting LED light ?!

This is no rocket science. Other Acura vehicles have been using puddle lights for years.

DLM1213

Taking mine in next week to get the FAKRA connectors replaced on service bulletin 21-032 for the audio issue. Both of my puddle lights have been out for a while but was just waiting for some other reason to take it in. This will be the second replacement for the driver side. Service manager told me they have the LED lights in stock now and are not replacing the whole mirror assembly. I guess I'll see how long the replacements last this time.

ELIN

Keep us posted!

dmski

Took my in the other week. The work order states 'replace both side view mirrors'. So, it's not just the hulb replacement. Will let you know if they hold up.

fiatlux

My guess is that they’re just throwing fixes at the wall and seeing what sticks. Cheaper in the short term than actually spending time and resources to figure out the core issue. I suspect they’re not taking it seriously because they don’t think it’s a widespread issue, as most owners probably wouldn’t have noticed it being out because most owners probably don’t even know it’s there. Some bean counter there is probably making the same excuses the apologists here make: “it’s not actually an issue even though a lot of people on forums complain because people who don’t have issues don’t post that they don’t have issues”

richii0207

Your last statement which was obviously indirect to me is true though. Logically speaking, people who generally don’t have an issue won’t post in the “stock issues” sections of forums… why would they other than saying “I don’t have that issue”?

caLiTLX

I’ll add my two cents here; my puddle lights went out on both sides shortly after purchasing my car (Sept 2021). A few weeks ago, I noticed my driver’s side puddle light came back to life. I’ve washed my car since and the driver side is still holding up.

Like some other owners, I don’t really care for the puddle lights hence why I haven’t bothered taking it in for replacements; however, if and when there is a long term fix, I’ll get the issue addressed.

ELIN

I've always had puddle lights on my MBs so having them on my TLX but not working when I expect them to makes Acura appear lesser in my eyes, "value proposition" or not!

fiatlux

What you’re describing is a counter-factual. You’re assuming that only people who post about problems experience the problems. I can tell you without a doubt that if my parents had this problem, they would not even realize it, let alone post anywhere about it.

Based on your logic, no problem posted on a forum would qualify as widespread, which is clearly not true. There are way more people complaint about puddlelights than the 1G ZF9 issues, yet we know those issues were widespread.

Luis C

Is there part numbers we can use to keep track of the changes or manufacture codes? From what I have seen here and on Facebook, there has been 2 revisions to the puddle lights. Would like to confirm what dealership will be installing before bringing mine in again.

richii0207

Try asking the FB group. You’ll likely have your answer since there are more actual TLX owners. There are not many owners here. If anything, this section has more non-owners.

Christian lebron

Mine have been changed with the new updated revision and since then haven't had issue. I suggest if you guys havent already done contact corporate. They have helped me and have kept my case open in case they blow out again. Since then they have been working eith no issues thus far.

DLM1213

Got my car back today and they did just replace the LED bulbs. They said in the past they were replacing the whole mirror assemblies but all of them had the bad LEDs in them. Now they have a replacement LED that should resolve the problem, so they are just replacing them. I guess we'll see, the first replacement lasted last than a month.

Roger23

I have a 2021 Type S, and my 'puddle lights' are out
The dealer originally said new bulbs can be ordered, then a few weeks ago, they said Acura was now replacing the entire mirror assembly and housing, so they ordered new wing mirrors.
'DLM', are you now saying its just the bulbs that have to be replaced ?
Updated bulbs, or the bulbs in the new assembly ?
Thx.

KrylonBlue

Ive been told it’s the bulbs that need replacement. Mine were replaced a few weeks ago and so far so good. But we shall see

DLM1213

That is correct, service manager said they just replaced the LED bulb.

KidK

Same for me. New bulbs last Tuesday. So far, so good. But also no rain or pressure washes.

TLXASPEC

Had mine replaced yesterday. So far they’ve been working through a rainstorm. They’ve been working for more time in the past 2 days than they were when I got the car in August 2021. I must say, the car gives a different look when they come on at night there’s something different for me lol. Hopefully they’ll last longer than the old ones. The process to replace those lights were way too complicated and waited too long.

randb23

I have a 2021 type s. the puddle lights were out as soon as I got the car home. I'm due for my first oil change so I'll request that the issue be resolved during the service visit.