adversary

My girlfriend has a TSX as well and was wondering if driving down to San Diego in one day from the bay area would hurt the car in any way. Given that I'll probably drive at 70 MPH, we'd get there in about 7-8 hours.

The car only has roughly 5k miles and is well-maintained. It's currently sitting at 100% oil life.

I'm more concerned about parking in San Diego and LA than "hurting the car" by driving for long periods of time.

turning japanese

Stop and go driving puts a lot more wear and tear on a car than long distance driving. Cars with high miles on them that were used as long distance freeway commuters are a better bet to buy used than ones that have high miles and used on city streets with stop and go driving.

The car will love the long distance cruise.

btw, parking in the Bay area (esp SF) is a lot more chancy and much easier to get damage than parking in LA or SD. SD is easy to park and the place isn't nearly as dense as up in the Bay (SF is more like living in Hong Kong in respect to density.)

adversary

thanks for your response.

we're planning on getting her car a bra to protect it from rock chips and bug stains.

i'm also going to LAMIN-X her fog lights with the 40 millimeter covers.

ceb

You're getting a clear bra, right? Not that vinyl black thing that ruins your paint when it flaps around at speed.

And you might want to check to see how thick 40 millimeters is.

adversary

we were thinking of getting OEM bra... is it that bad?

she has a graphite luster TSX, and i dont think we want to fork 400 bucks on a clear bra.

http://www.lamin-x.com/Acura-TSX-Sed...m#ReviewHeader

im just assuming the 40 mil is 40 millimeters.

ceb

The OE vinyl bra will beat up your paint quite badly. Please save your money. If you don't want to get a clear bra then either use blue painter's tape for the trip or just put on a couple of layers of wax to make bug removal easier. The type of wax is immaterial so any cheap paste wax will do.

The bra is a cloth backed vinyl. As wind makes the bra vibrate, the cloth acts as sandpaper with any spec of dirt under it. It gets even worse if it gets wet. In addition, the attachment points will scratch up your paint too.

Mil is a unit of length equal to one thousandth (10-3) of an inch (0.0254 millimeter)- 40 millimeters is a bit over an inch and a half.

adversary

thanks for schooling me on Mil. I never knew about that unit of measurement.

So you think I'm better off just not getting an OEM bra and risk getting rock chips?

How much is a clear bra?

ceb

Depends on how you get covered. The front bumper and leading edge of hood (roughly what the OE piece covers) is probably in the $300-$400 range.

The best way to avoid 99% of rock chips is not to tailgate. I had clearbra on my last 3 cars but I'm passing on this one. I'm just getting Lamin-X for the headlights and foglights.

kball

I would add if you guys have the time...head towards Monterey and down thru Big Sur. Just leave REALLY early and enjoy that drive as its one of the country's best. Your car wont remember the difference but you two will.

Its the journey...again if you have the time well worth the indirect route imo

ed_423

blue painters tape for that blue front end look!

ceb

Agreed. Make sure to bring the right type of music too.

nj2pa2nc

Was on 3 cross-country country roadtrips in our tsx. The 1st time was when the car was 6 months old. Gave the car a detail with a coat of wax before each trip. I agree parking is easier in San Diego vs San Franscisco. The majority of my chips came from driving on I95 from NC to NJ and back. Even if you do not tailgate chips appear.

ceb

If you do the painter's tape, make sure you use the good quality stuff (either 3M or that green frog stuff) and start applying it from the hood forward so that the wind can't get under the seams and lift the tape. Start about a foot up the hood and work forward. Don't forget a strip or two right above the windshield and do your mirrors. Some people do the A pillars and around the wheel wells too but that seems a bit of overkill to me.


or you could just this



Don't leave it on for more than two weeks or you'll be left with a sticky mess.

TSXKid2010

I've done quite many trips in the TSX that were 10+ hrs. and here's my only advice: CLEAR BRA, CLEAR BRA, CLEAR BRA. I regret not having one on mine so much and it's too late now. Your paint will scratch/chip. you will cry.

turning japanese

Just curious, is there something inferior about Acura paint? This is my first Japanese car and first Acura (TSX wagon.) I've never had clear bras on any of my past (or current) cars. I drove from LA to Seattle and back many times in my previous daily driver (E63 AMG Mercedes) and never had any paint chip issues. Same goes with the current cars I have (two Porsches; a 15 year-old one and a 2 year-old one.) Of course I have had a chip here and there over the years, but nothing that a Dr ColorChip application can't fix.

Is there something fragile about Acura paint that I need to be aware about? Certainly non-enthusiasts are driving Acuras without clear bras.

Thanks.

TSXKid2010

Woah woah woah. That's quite a list, which begs me to ask the question: Why a TSX? LOL. The E63 AMG Wagon is an amazing car, and would been a killer wagon....beat ricers and haul 7 people around at the same time...

And yeah, I believe the explanation that I've heard is that Acura uses a water based paint? Anyway, it is extremely prone to scratches and chips, which sucks. Poor paint qualities is one of the main reoccurring complaints about the new generation Acuras.

adversary

will the tape fly off while highway driving? i just might go that route.
ill spray wax the car with optimum spray wax 2 days before. then, i'll painter's tape it the next day and start driving a couple of hours later.

if i choose to do this, should i take the tape off once i get to LA? we decided to not go to SD; it's just too far and would cost an extra $300 (SD zoo, safari park, gas, lodging)

ceb

All manufacturers are using water based paints and Acura is no better or worse than the others. If the car in front of you throws up a rock and hits your paint then it will chip.

ceb

No, but if you put it on from the front first then it may fray a bit at the seams, flap a little and look funky.

adversary

if i choose to do this, should i take the tape off once i get to LA? we decided to not go to SD; it's just too far and would cost an extra $300 (SD zoo, safari park, gas, lodging)

i'm worried that LA heat will screw up the tape and leave residue on the paint. i'll probably bring my handy-dandy waterless spray washes.

gonzo08452

Leave your car and pickup a rental instead. Seriously though, drive your car and enjoy it. Don't stress out over it during the trip. You'll take to the fun out of it. I've driven to North Carolina twice and to Seattle in my 325i. I had a blast. Got back home, changed the oil, gave it a good detail, will repeat again in the TSX. No clear bra. After 10 years, front end looks fantastic w/ very minimal chips. I would not be concerned about driving non-stop for 7-8 hours.

ed_423

how long are you staying in LA? if you don't mind the trouble, you can always take it off, and apply it again once you are about to head back?

ceb

Don't obsess over this. Just drive the car. It'll get chips on the trip or it'll get chips at home. There isn't anything magical about a road trip that makes your car chip faster.

I suspect you bought your car to drive it - so do that.

turning japanese

The E63 was the sedan, not the wagon. A wagon I may have kept (not many of them available in 2009, I think around 30; and only 429 sedans were sold in 2009.) But when they brought the AMG wagon back last year, they used the new 5.5 twin turbo. I really liked the n/a 6.2 liter motor of the previous gen. Anyway, AMGs are very expensive to keep (more than a Porsche); a front brake job alone is $3500. As much as I liked it, it was more of an Autobahn car than anything else. At 120 mph it felt like 60 mph. But in the US, there's no place to drive it except the track. But it's not a car made for the track, it's a comfort cruiser. In all honesty, a TSX would probably be more fun on the track and a lot cheaper to run and maintain.

The TSX was a 'practical' choice. German cars are great but also somewhat burdensome. The whole point of this TSX wagon is to drive it and not worry about it. And also not to appear too ostentatious when I'm in the back country, etc.. I have the Porsches as weekend and track cars --they're just my expensive pets.

As ceb already said, all mfgs use water based paint. Although Mercedes (Daimler AG) uses a 'nano-ceramic' clear coat which supposedly is pretty tough.

"Mercedes-Benz has developed a scratch-resistant clearcoat using tiny ceramic nano-particles, each less than a millionth of a millimetre in size. The microscopic ceramic particles float around freely at first in the liquid clearcoat, before cross-linking as the drying process takes effect. The particles link in with one another in such a way as to create an extremely dense and smoothly structured network that is considerably more scratch-resistant than conventional paintwork. According to Mercedes-Benz the nano-particles provide a three-fold improvement in the scratch resistance of the paintwork and ensure visibly enhanced gloss over an extended period of time."

Exactly.

Own a car but never let it own you. When you obsess over it, it can become a burden in your life and the joy of ownership disappears really quickly.

The only time I've ever taped my car or have even seen cars taped is at the track. Leave the tape and your car detailing materials at home and just enjoy the road trip. Drive it and forget about it (it's not a collectable Italian car.)

Enjoying life is way more important than even having a car.

TrojanTSX

1st week we had our 2011 TSX we drove from DFW to the east coast. Took about a 4 week road trip and didnt have any chips until we got back to Texas. As soon as we got back we got a rock chip in the glass!!

Clear bra isn't going to save that one!!

Just drive your car and have fun. Friends who have used clear bras find that their paint is different colors after about a year. Bra works so well that it reflects UV light and the paint underneath stays fresher than the rest of the car.

gonzo08452

don't do the blue painters tape. Makes you look like an Audi/VW fanboy

centflatsx

Just drive the car and don't worry. I've had the 1st gen and the 2nd now and had this one for two years now. You will get paint chips not matter what you do. I have less on the 2nd gen because I learned to not tailgate as much. I also lease the car so that makes me worry less. You may have been a good lease candidate if you worry so much. I have the Palladium Metallic and I think I've hand washed the car about 5 times since I've had it. I love the color as it hides dirt. I had a black one for the 1st gen and that showed every little bit of dirt. Oh, and I leased both cars. One more year on this lease and I don't know what the heck Acura is doing in the next year with the TSX or TLX. I've learned to not stress over it, it's just a car. Drive that baby!

TSXy Luster

First off, LOL.

Second, I drive that distance/length/route plenty of times with my TSX (first time was when car was below 1000 miles) and don't even have a clear bra. Car is still awesome. Cars are meant to be driven. Unless you are driving them into a crusher, you don't have to really worry about hurting it.

gonzo08452

the toughest part of having a new car is keeping it looking new. I say take a few pebbles, throw it at the front of the car creating a few chips, stand back and stress out for a moment or two, take a deep breath, no more stress. Problem solved. Enjoy your trip.

you're welcome

s40 driver

I'm over in Bahrain and when the Saudi Arabian's come across the bridge to partake in debauchery, they often will put a wax paste all over the front of their vehicles, I assume to keep from taking a sandblast on the way over.

mmafighta

in 4+ years, I've almost racked up to 80K miles. I drive quite a bit 20K a year and not a single problem with the engine or chassis.

Brake pads and warped rotors on the other hand...but thats another issue. One thing you can trust Honda with are it's engines. Maintain it well and it will last forever.

nj2pa2nc

Happy to write had Excellent luck with brakes. Have the originals. I bought this car to drive not to let it stay parked. Yes it has chips. It would need a bra covering the Whole car. From a distance my car looks new. I make sure to keep up on the maintenance. Roadtrips are great. The 1st 3 years with the cross-country. Trips the car had 90k+ miles.

TSXKid2010

^ i'm starting to wonder if you're an acura spokesperson/PR agent

Acura_Dude

I didn't even know you left the country.

Nah, she's a very satisfied owner. Hell I would be too if I racked up that many trouble-free/mostly maintenance-free miles.

ed_423

with original brakes of course.

nj2pa2nc

Wish I was so the manual tsx would have tech My complaints are the lousy paint and the glass foglights. I thought acurazine was for acura fans.

PyroDave

no, its just for people with acura's...

you may be thinking of acurafanzine.com

nj2pa2nc

Thanks I thought it was for Ford owners. Thanks for clarifying it.

TrojanTSX

That would be foundonroaddead.com.

mmafighta

wow very nice. TSX are quite reliable cars I like driving these.

The 2nd gens did have problems with the brake pads going out under 15K miles or something...The warping of the front rotor discs were caused by normal wear and tear I suppose..............@ 30K miles!!! Not sure if these were issues for the 10's, 11's and up...But 09s been a P.I.A.

All in all though, I'm pretty satisfied with the car