Lemon or not Lemon?
08-14-2018, 09:42 PM
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Lemon or not Lemon?
So I recently purchased a car within a month, and found out my Acura TL 2010 base model have a sh-awd sign on the cluster. Have anyone notice this with a base model? The dealer also lied to me they fixed a crack on the front window which was still there. It was the size of a nickel and within two weeks the length measure about 16inch. Also I notice the ac blows very cold air far colder than my wife 2015 Acura tlx. And just recently I stepped on the gas and the front wheels serve right to left was completely almost lost control. Also the dealer claim it was an error when it first came out for sale and was stated a brown color. Due to my curiousity I checked the car fax the color was changed to silver. I was wondering if I’m a victim to fraud of a lemon. Can a big Acura dealer possibly sell a lemon?
08-15-2018, 06:32 AM
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I don't think the term "lemon" can apply to buying an eight year old car. That said, your car may well have issues which the dealer should fix.
08-15-2018, 02:42 PM
#3
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Welcome to the board. Hopefully you get some good answers to your questions. Having said that, it seems you were not a very wise consumer here. Literally all of these items could have been checked before you purchased the car. 
Was the SH-AWD light on when you purchased it? If so, shame on you. You should have pointed it out to the dealer right away. If not, first try resetting the ECU by pulling the battery cable for about 5 minutes, then reattaching it and see if the light comes back on. If it does come back on, take it to the dealer to have them check it out. The normal OBDII code readers won't diagnose an SH-AWD issue.
Same with the windshield crack. Did you not pay attention and make sure it was fixed before you drove the car home? Ask the dealer if they'd do a goodwill replacement since they said they'd fix the chip/crack. I doubt they will but it's worth a try. If not, go to a windshield repair place like Safelite and see if they can do one of those stop-crack repairs so you don't have to fork out $200 for a new windshield.
With the AC - first change the air cabin filter. It can become dirty and impede air flow. Second, clean the condenser. Start by spraying it down from the engine bay and through the front grill with a garden hose. If you're able to, I think it's a good idea to remove the bumper once a year and take a soft brush to it in order to remove caked on dust. The condenser is the radiator looking thing in the front of the car (it's not the actual radiator. The coolant radiator is behind the condenser). If the condenser is caked with bugs and dirt it's not going to do a very good job at cooling down the refrigerant. That's going to result in warmer air conditioning as well as increased stress on the compressor. Third, if none of those things work, take it to a shop and have them make sure the AC refrigerant is at the correct pressure. Again, you should have made sure it was blowing cool to your expectations before you drove it home.
The swerving issue sounds weird. I don't know what would be wrong mechanically to cause that. If you stamped on the gas it wouldn't be uncommon for some slipping to occur. The engine puts out 300+ hp. However, it's not too common with the AWD. If it does it consistently, have the dealer do a test drive.
How the heck did the color get mixed up without you knowing? I'm confused on this one.
If you purchased the car, didn't you like the color from the beginning? Who cares what the Carfax says. Bottom line is, the car is whatever color it is. I wouldn't care if I purchased a car that was blue, then found out the Carfax said red. I would have purchased it because I like blue.
Was the SH-AWD light on when you purchased it? If so, shame on you. You should have pointed it out to the dealer right away. If not, first try resetting the ECU by pulling the battery cable for about 5 minutes, then reattaching it and see if the light comes back on. If it does come back on, take it to the dealer to have them check it out. The normal OBDII code readers won't diagnose an SH-AWD issue.
Same with the windshield crack. Did you not pay attention and make sure it was fixed before you drove the car home? Ask the dealer if they'd do a goodwill replacement since they said they'd fix the chip/crack. I doubt they will but it's worth a try. If not, go to a windshield repair place like Safelite and see if they can do one of those stop-crack repairs so you don't have to fork out $200 for a new windshield.
With the AC - first change the air cabin filter. It can become dirty and impede air flow. Second, clean the condenser. Start by spraying it down from the engine bay and through the front grill with a garden hose. If you're able to, I think it's a good idea to remove the bumper once a year and take a soft brush to it in order to remove caked on dust. The condenser is the radiator looking thing in the front of the car (it's not the actual radiator. The coolant radiator is behind the condenser). If the condenser is caked with bugs and dirt it's not going to do a very good job at cooling down the refrigerant. That's going to result in warmer air conditioning as well as increased stress on the compressor. Third, if none of those things work, take it to a shop and have them make sure the AC refrigerant is at the correct pressure. Again, you should have made sure it was blowing cool to your expectations before you drove it home.
The swerving issue sounds weird. I don't know what would be wrong mechanically to cause that. If you stamped on the gas it wouldn't be uncommon for some slipping to occur. The engine puts out 300+ hp. However, it's not too common with the AWD. If it does it consistently, have the dealer do a test drive.
How the heck did the color get mixed up without you knowing? I'm confused on this one.
If you purchased the car, didn't you like the color from the beginning? Who cares what the Carfax says. Bottom line is, the car is whatever color it is. I wouldn't care if I purchased a car that was blue, then found out the Carfax said red. I would have purchased it because I like blue.
Last edited by losiglow; 08-15-2018 at 02:47 PM.
08-15-2018, 06:04 PM
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Good luck with this one. All the used cars I have purchased have tags on the windows stating, "SOLD AS IS. NO WARRANTY." I highly doubt an eight year old car will come with a warranty. Caveat emptor always applies to used cars. Sorry for you bad luck.
08-15-2018, 11:56 PM
#5
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So I recently purchased a car within a month, and found out my Acura TL 2010 base model have a sh-awd sign on the cluster. Have anyone notice this with a base model? The dealer also lied to me they fixed a crack on the front window which was still there. It was the size of a nickel and within two weeks the length measure about 16inch. Also I notice the ac blows very cold air far colder than my wife 2015 Acura tlx. And just recently I stepped on the gas and the front wheels serve right to left was completely almost lost control. Also the dealer claim it was an error when it first came out for sale and was stated a brown color. Due to my curiousity I checked the car fax the color was changed to silver. I was wondering if I’m a victim to fraud of a lemon. Can a big Acura dealer possibly sell a lemon?
Cracks in the windshield can be filled in with resin if they are smaller than a inch, however you'll still be able to see it from certain angles. BUT if it's done wrong or the crack is to large it won't do anything and the crack will grow naturally! A new windshield and install is going to be at least $250, talk to your insurance company and see what's up.
Left to right is called torque steer, common with these cars!
08-17-2018, 11:46 AM
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"Buyer Beware". Even if you're fairly well versed in car stuff, a $100 investment in a good mechanic doing a rundown on the car prior to purchase is a good investment. Just when I thought I knew my stuff, my mechanic brought up a couple of high ticket items that would have been expensive to fix if they got any worse (transmission related). I didn't end up purchasing that car needless to say. He only charged me $50 to do the car I ended up purchasing. $150 to avoid what could have been a few thousand was well worth it.
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10-01-2018, 05:04 PM
#8
I wouldn’t even mention the word Lenon yet, rather ask for a Buy a back or Trade Assist. Soon as you mention the word Lemon they will go silent on you so try the nice approach first and then if it goes no where then get a lawyer but don’t tell them that.
10-04-2018, 01:47 PM
#9
No, but they might have had the cluster replaced with a salvaged part from an SHAWD car. That wouldn't be weird.
The dealer also lied to me they fixed a crack on the front window which was still there. It was the size of a nickel and within two weeks the length measure about 16inch.
Also I notice the ac blows very cold air far colder than my wife 2015 Acura tlx.
And just recently I stepped on the gas and the front wheels serve right to left was completely almost lost control.
Also the dealer claim it was an error when it first came out for sale and was stated a brown color. Due to my curiousity I checked the car fax the color was changed to silver.
I was wondering if I’m a victim to fraud of a lemon. Can a big Acura dealer possibly sell a lemon?
A "big" Acura dealer could absolutely sell a lemon. It's just a thing that happens. The laws exist so that the consumer can get a like-for-like replacement vehicle or refund, and aren't out the thousands of dollars of depreciation just because they got a bad roll of the dice.
That said, you don't have a lemon, you just have an 8 year old car that's had some repair work done, needs a new windshield, is more powerful than you're apparently comfortable driving, and had some incorrect info in the listing.
I wish I had problems that trivial. Enjoy your ride. :-D
Last edited by dv-; 10-04-2018 at 01:50 PM.
10-04-2018, 03:06 PM
#10
So I recently purchased a car within a month, and found out my Acura TL 2010 base model have a sh-awd sign on the cluster. Have anyone notice this with a base model? The dealer also lied to me they fixed a crack on the front window which was still there. It was the size of a nickel and within two weeks the length measure about 16inch. Also I notice the ac blows very cold air far colder than my wife 2015 Acura tlx. And just recently I stepped on the gas and the front wheels serve right to left was completely almost lost control. Also the dealer claim it was an error when it first came out for sale and was stated a brown color. Due to my curiousity I checked the car fax the color was changed to silver. I was wondering if I’m a victim to fraud of a lemon. Can a big Acura dealer possibly sell a lemon?
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