My '04 manual TL, which has been garage kept its entire life, just surprised me yesterday with a strange looking semi-oval "clear" spot at top center of my rear view mirror, about four inches long and an inch+ high. The other part of the mirror not affected by this oval, reflected images that were distorted and with ghost-like secondary images.

After researching on this site for a little bit this morning, I enclosed the mirror in a freezer 1-gallon ZipLock bag, then using my Service Manual, and some logic, I removed the mirror and packed it in a small cooler (no ice) to take to Pohanka Acura on Monday. Their parts department knows about this problem, said it was pretty common, and has the newer mirrors in stock.

If this happens to your 3G TL you need to fix it, or have it fixed, as soon as you are able. Do not let this linger because from what I was able to find out, it can cause damage to your interior and be dangerous to you.

Glad this didn't happen a few weeks ago when I was on vacation.

 

huh? what caused it?

 

This is interesting as the 2G cars had this problem (my old 2G included), requiring mirror replacement. Lots of folks on the 2G forum indicated that they had mirror leaks as there's fluid in the mirror giving it the anti-glare property. Mine never leaked, but I did have it replaced for free (back then, the mirrors were made by Magna Donnelly, and they had an exchange program for a while, but MD doesn't supply the mirrors anymore).

It's concerning if it's happening to the 3G cars now. I would agree if you see changes in the image on the mirror (area of no glare reduction in a surrounding area of the image), it might be a good idea to get the mirror replaced.

 

Yep, unfortunately common on these mirrors.

 

2G Mirror problem which sounds similar: https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/rear-view-mirror-exploded-549093/

 

I was completely out of thin air so I can only guess that it was due to problems others have reported for both 2G and 3G TL's. One moment all was well then yesterday when I started up my TL to pull out of my garage to go someplace, I noticed it right away. No advanced warning of any kind with this.

 

The best way to describe what I initially saw was as I mentioned up top. A clear section of mirror, somewhat oval shaped, with precisely defined borders and the other part of the mirror still appeared to be tinted. But the other part acted something like those mirrors you see in amusement parks where they distort images, though not nearly as much as those mirrors. And when viewing white lines in the road behind me in the mirror, there was a ghost-like extra white line next to the real one. Images in that section were also a bit out of focus. Turning off and on the Auto setting switch made no difference.

I am going to pick up two mirrors on Monday; one to replace the one I removed in my '04 this morning and one for my '05. I'll go ahead and do the replacement for the '05 anyway just so my wife won't run into this problem.

 

Thanks, Bear. I read some of the posts on that thread. See post #717 and you'll see where I added a response.

I had no idea this was a know or "common" problem.

 

The top edge of my inside rear view mirror looks like there is a liquid melting under the glass. It is full width and about a half inch high. It is probably not even noticeable except to the driver but is annoying.

Is there potential harm if the liquid leaks out?

 

From what I've heard, there apparently is. Damage to your leather seating and plastics is what I have been told could result.

It's a simple fix and only takes about 10 minutes. When you are fitting the new mirror onto the base on your windshield, move it up to its spot carefully. If it doesn't click into place, insert a straight blade screwdriver into the slotted openings and carefully pry the mirror foot up until you hear a click.

 

great another thing i have to paranoid about... thanks for the heads up.

 

what is the danger though? it will explode? I should check my 04 then...I have a broadway mirror that covers my oem one.

 

i'm guessing it's just a road safety thing. having a rear view mirror that shows double images would make it hard to determine where the actual car is in your rear view. that, or it could blow up

 

I have read that it could blow up but I doubt that actually means an explosion. I would guess what those posters meant was perhaps the mirror case rupturing and thereby allowing some of the chemicals to leak out. With mine it was one moment all was well, then next moment saw a weird clear bubble behind the glass and distortion in that part of the mirror which did not have that bubble (which had distinct borders, BTW).

Having researched this on these forums, I found that this was not all that uncommon with some Acura years and anyway, that didn't matter because that mirror was getting replaced ASAP.

The complexity of modern feature-laden vehicles has its attendant problems along with its luxuries. These auto-dimming mirrors are perfect examples of this little fact. They are great to have and really do their job remarkably well until they fail.

 

I will be leaving town for over a month and my TL will be in the South Florida driveway with a car cover over it.

Since I don't have the time to replace the THREE mirrors, I will bag the interior rv mirror with a zip lock plastic bag as a preemptive measure to prevent the fluid from causing damage should it leak out.

Dave

 

Has anyone used the aftermarket (manufacturer says exact fit) listed below for their 3g? My 2004 TL mirror is wacked (bubble on about 1/2 mirror. thanks for any input.



Gentex K2 Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror

<li class="ecxheading">Gentex K2 Auto-Dimming Rear View MirrorVehicle2004 Acura TL
SubmodelAll TL models
AutoAnything SKU3821418
Part Number50-GENK2AM

 

Why? Pretty sure the OE mirror is cheaper. Pretty sure they are only about $85.

 

I'm curious what you meant by using a bag to store the mirror and inside a cooler. Why?

 

Thanks. I assumed the OEM was going to be double the aftermarket price and didnt bother to look there first. After your suggestion, I looked and I was able to find a OEM unit for about that price plus shipping. With the OEM you know it will fit.

 

76400-SEP-A02ZA is the part no, 85.44 on acuraoemparts.com

He was going to do it as a preventative measure since he was leaving for a bit. The fluid inside the mirror is like an acid and will eat anything it comes into contact with!

OEM is the way to go!

 

another thing I need to check for tomorrow. It's bad enough the mirror squeaks horribly when I adjust it, now I need to check if it has this bubble syndrome.