My cracked dashboard ordeal...
06-10-2009, 04:55 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
My cracked dashboard ordeal...
My story first started in this thread https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/people-cracked-dashes-please-check-here-726211/ where I realized I wasn't the only person with a 3G TL with a nasty cracking dashboard.
Summary of everything I said in that thread:
-I purchased the car last July with ~52,000 miles
-no cracks on the dash when bought
-always garage kept
-NEVER used any Armor-All products
-always had a sunshade up when parked outside
-vented sunroof and windows when hot outside
-pretty much babied my TL since purchased
Here are some pics I took last month of the dash:
Passenger Side
Infront of the Center Speaker
Driver's Side Tweeter
On top of Gauge Cluster thingy
The day I brought the car home....7/19/08...no cracks present
As you can see, these aren't small hairline cracks, they are nasty ass long cracks all over.
I don't think any car thats $30k+ should have cracks like that only being 5 years old. My 01 CL-S had over 105,000 miles and was never garaged, and the dash was flawless. I mean my mom's shitty 1997 Dodge Intrepid's dash looks like the day we bought it brand new and my dads (now replaced) 1983 GMC S-15 was bought brand new in Florida, never garaged, and eventually came here to NC until 2003, and it never had a crack in it. There is no reason whatsoever this should be happening, especially to a "luxurious" and expensive car.
I decided I had enough of the shit and I took it to my local Acura dealership, Leith Acura. I went in there and talked to Jason in the service department, and he was awesome. Helped me through everything and had the car looked at. I mentioned I would like to talk to the parts/service manager just to see what he would say. I thought that since Jason was so nice, the manager would be as well, but boy I was wrong. The manager was obviously not happy to be talking to me about it, but also not happy about me being so "young" driving a 04 TL. He told me that they don't make the decision if Acura covers it or not, they have to give it to their district manager who works for Acura and deals with repairs like this, and he will make a decision. He also told me that he had never seen or heard of this happening to another Acura product, and that since the car was originally from Florida, the cost of the repair will not be covered. He began to say that "cars from Florida usually have this problem" and I interrupted him saying I was born and raised in Orlando and none of the cars in my family have that problem. Every single family member of mine, except my mom and dad, have lived in Florida their whole life, and they have cars that have never had a crack. I called his fat ass out on that and it made me feel good. He simply said "well we will see", then he lightly shook my hand, and walked away.
I waited a week later and Jason called me. He said the normal repair bill for a new dash is ~$1760, and Acura will over ~$1200 of it, leaving me the remainder ~$560. Needless to say, I wasn't happy they weren't going to cover all of it, but it was better than having to pay the whole $1800.
I dropped off the car Tuesday morning (6/8) and got it back today (6/10). I should have gotten it back yesterday, but they were running a little behind. I didn't mind, I got to drive my dads G35x around for the night.
Here are the pics taken today once I got home. I haven't had time to clean it up at all:
They replaced everything from the left side of the car to the right. Every dash panel there is. They did a great job. On the receipt they said they did a "Complementary Wash and Vacuum Valued at $19.95", but I can just tell they didn't. There are little pieces of plastic and grass on the carpets and the white paper floormats were still on the floor on both the driver and passenger side. I could have pitched a shit about it, but I would rather just do it myself and make sure it's done right and the way I want it to be. Jason is calling me tomorrow to follow up on everything and I'll be sure to tell him I didn't see that the "Complementary Vacuum" was done.
Overall, I'm not too happy about having to pay the $560ish to get it fixed. That money was for my textbooks this upcoming semester, and the rest was going to be put towards an A-Spec kit, but oh well. I was scared eventually the cracks would be severe enough to affect the airbag deploying, plus it was ugly to look at.
Now it's nice and fresh
Summary of everything I said in that thread:
-I purchased the car last July with ~52,000 miles
-no cracks on the dash when bought
-always garage kept
-NEVER used any Armor-All products
-always had a sunshade up when parked outside
-vented sunroof and windows when hot outside
-pretty much babied my TL since purchased
Here are some pics I took last month of the dash:
Passenger Side
Infront of the Center Speaker
Driver's Side Tweeter
On top of Gauge Cluster thingy
The day I brought the car home....7/19/08...no cracks present
As you can see, these aren't small hairline cracks, they are nasty ass long cracks all over.
I don't think any car thats $30k+ should have cracks like that only being 5 years old. My 01 CL-S had over 105,000 miles and was never garaged, and the dash was flawless. I mean my mom's shitty 1997 Dodge Intrepid's dash looks like the day we bought it brand new and my dads (now replaced) 1983 GMC S-15 was bought brand new in Florida, never garaged, and eventually came here to NC until 2003, and it never had a crack in it. There is no reason whatsoever this should be happening, especially to a "luxurious" and expensive car.
I decided I had enough of the shit and I took it to my local Acura dealership, Leith Acura. I went in there and talked to Jason in the service department, and he was awesome. Helped me through everything and had the car looked at. I mentioned I would like to talk to the parts/service manager just to see what he would say. I thought that since Jason was so nice, the manager would be as well, but boy I was wrong. The manager was obviously not happy to be talking to me about it, but also not happy about me being so "young" driving a 04 TL. He told me that they don't make the decision if Acura covers it or not, they have to give it to their district manager who works for Acura and deals with repairs like this, and he will make a decision. He also told me that he had never seen or heard of this happening to another Acura product, and that since the car was originally from Florida, the cost of the repair will not be covered. He began to say that "cars from Florida usually have this problem" and I interrupted him saying I was born and raised in Orlando and none of the cars in my family have that problem. Every single family member of mine, except my mom and dad, have lived in Florida their whole life, and they have cars that have never had a crack. I called his fat ass out on that and it made me feel good. He simply said "well we will see", then he lightly shook my hand, and walked away.
I waited a week later and Jason called me. He said the normal repair bill for a new dash is ~$1760, and Acura will over ~$1200 of it, leaving me the remainder ~$560. Needless to say, I wasn't happy they weren't going to cover all of it, but it was better than having to pay the whole $1800.
I dropped off the car Tuesday morning (6/8) and got it back today (6/10). I should have gotten it back yesterday, but they were running a little behind. I didn't mind, I got to drive my dads G35x around for the night.
Here are the pics taken today once I got home. I haven't had time to clean it up at all:
They replaced everything from the left side of the car to the right. Every dash panel there is. They did a great job. On the receipt they said they did a "Complementary Wash and Vacuum Valued at $19.95", but I can just tell they didn't. There are little pieces of plastic and grass on the carpets and the white paper floormats were still on the floor on both the driver and passenger side. I could have pitched a shit about it, but I would rather just do it myself and make sure it's done right and the way I want it to be. Jason is calling me tomorrow to follow up on everything and I'll be sure to tell him I didn't see that the "Complementary Vacuum" was done.
Overall, I'm not too happy about having to pay the $560ish to get it fixed. That money was for my textbooks this upcoming semester, and the rest was going to be put towards an A-Spec kit, but oh well. I was scared eventually the cracks would be severe enough to affect the airbag deploying, plus it was ugly to look at.
Now it's nice and fresh
06-10-2009, 05:23 PM
#2
Area on my XM
I'm glad you got that fixed. I'm using a sunshade as often as I can when parking outside in the California sun. Hopefully I don't encounter the same problem.
06-10-2009, 05:33 PM
#3
Moderator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
I do too. I baby the hell out of my car. I just don't think any 5 year old car should have this problem, being a luxury car or not.
06-11-2009, 05:47 AM
#5
Look at it on the positive side, it only cost you $500 for a new cover, installed. They could have said no compensation as they are not legally liable to offer any. It's no different than the OE rims that bend quite easily, worn/distorted leather, mirrors that turn color, different shade of paint on the bumpers, poor quality, but no compensation. It was certainly a goodwill gesture.
Take a look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee's as virtually every one with the AZC will have the blend doors fail. Chrysler has come out with updated parts, but will cover nothing. You buy the parts, have them installed and it will cost @ $1300. No wonder they went under with such poor quality.
I'm a firm believer that any company that has experienced a design flaw with their product should be held accountable, but they certainly aren't. Safety defects, if endorsed by the NHTSA will be corrected, but any others the customer pays.
Be Happy!
Take a look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee's as virtually every one with the AZC will have the blend doors fail. Chrysler has come out with updated parts, but will cover nothing. You buy the parts, have them installed and it will cost @ $1300. No wonder they went under with such poor quality.
I'm a firm believer that any company that has experienced a design flaw with their product should be held accountable, but they certainly aren't. Safety defects, if endorsed by the NHTSA will be corrected, but any others the customer pays.
Be Happy!
06-11-2009, 10:35 AM
#6
Moderator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
Yea, but it's better than paying the full price.
Any news on yours getting fixed?
Oh I totally agree. I'm glad they covered what they did. I'm just saying that clearly I'm not the only one with this problem and they aren't admitting that there may be a flaw. I think it's cheaper for them to help fix the few that are having this problem rather than issuing a "only visual" recall on the dash. Business-wise, they are doing the right thing, but as a owner of a 5 year old car, I just don't think this should be happening.
I'm just glad it's fixed and over and done with now.
Any news on yours getting fixed?
Look at it on the positive side, it only cost you $500 for a new cover, installed. They could have said no compensation as they are not legally liable to offer any. It's no different than the OE rims that bend quite easily, worn/distorted leather, mirrors that turn color, different shade of paint on the bumpers, poor quality, but no compensation. It was certainly a goodwill gesture.
Take a look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee's as virtually every one with the AZC will have the blend doors fail. Chrysler has come out with updated parts, but will cover nothing. You buy the parts, have them installed and it will cost @ $1300. No wonder they went under with such poor quality.
I'm a firm believer that any company that has experienced a design flaw with their product should be held accountable, but they certainly aren't. Safety defects, if endorsed by the NHTSA will be corrected, but any others the customer pays.
Be Happy!
Take a look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee's as virtually every one with the AZC will have the blend doors fail. Chrysler has come out with updated parts, but will cover nothing. You buy the parts, have them installed and it will cost @ $1300. No wonder they went under with such poor quality.
I'm a firm believer that any company that has experienced a design flaw with their product should be held accountable, but they certainly aren't. Safety defects, if endorsed by the NHTSA will be corrected, but any others the customer pays.
Be Happy!
I'm just glad it's fixed and over and done with now.
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06-11-2009, 06:35 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
Sh1T id be ashamed to sell a "LUXURY" product that had such a HUGE defect in as lil as 5 years.
Ive seen way older cars for much less (in the Florida sun) never have a problem with the dash , this should have been covered 100% no questions asked.
I mean this isn't an F-ing Daewoo
Ive seen way older cars for much less (in the Florida sun) never have a problem with the dash , this should have been covered 100% no questions asked.
I mean this isn't an F-ing Daewoo
06-11-2009, 09:09 PM
#10
Traveling the country
Check out my post here, lots of members with the same issue.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=726211
06-11-2009, 10:20 PM
#11
Moderator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
Sh1T id be ashamed to sell a "LUXURY" product that had such a HUGE defect in as lil as 5 years.
Ive seen way older cars for much less (in the Florida sun) never have a problem with the dash , this should have been covered 100% no questions asked.
I mean this isn't an F-ing Daewoo
Ive seen way older cars for much less (in the Florida sun) never have a problem with the dash , this should have been covered 100% no questions asked.
I mean this isn't an F-ing Daewoo
I guess I'm lucky they covered as much as they did. If they weren't going to cover at least half of it, I was going to write a letter to Acura Corporate. I actually had one drafted and saved to my desktop
Just do your best to clean it, put a sunshade up, park in the garage if you are able to, and just baby it. Kinda sad that we have to do that with Honda's "luxury" brand though. You wouldn't think they would do something about it. I guess the way the economy is now-a-days, issuing a recall on a "visual defect" isn't very cheap.
06-12-2009, 10:56 PM
#12
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My story first started in this thread https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=726211 where I realized I wasn't the only person with a 3G TL with a nasty cracking dashboard.
Summary of everything I said in that thread:
-I purchased the car last July with ~52,000 miles
-no cracks on the dash when bought
-always garage kept
-NEVER used any Armor-All products
-always had a sunshade up when parked outside
-vented sunroof and windows when hot outside
-pretty much babied my TL since purchased
Here are some pics I took last month of the dash:
Passenger Side
Infront of the Center Speaker
Driver's Side Tweeter
On top of Gauge Cluster thingy
The day I brought the car home....7/19/08...no cracks present
As you can see, these aren't small hairline cracks, they are nasty ass long cracks all over.
I don't think any car thats $30k+ should have cracks like that only being 5 years old. My 01 CL-S had over 105,000 miles and was never garaged, and the dash was flawless. I mean my mom's shitty 1997 Dodge Intrepid's dash looks like the day we bought it brand new and my dads (now replaced) 1983 GMC S-15 was bought brand new in Florida, never garaged, and eventually came here to NC until 2003, and it never had a crack in it. There is no reason whatsoever this should be happening, especially to a "luxurious" and expensive car.
I decided I had enough of the shit and I took it to my local Acura dealership, Leith Acura. I went in there and talked to Jason in the service department, and he was awesome. Helped me through everything and had the car looked at. I mentioned I would like to talk to the parts/service manager just to see what he would say. I thought that since Jason was so nice, the manager would be as well, but boy I was wrong. The manager was obviously not happy to be talking to me about it, but also not happy about me being so "young" driving a 04 TL. He told me that they don't make the decision if Acura covers it or not, they have to give it to their district manager who works for Acura and deals with repairs like this, and he will make a decision. He also told me that he had never seen or heard of this happening to another Acura product, and that since the car was originally from Florida, the cost of the repair will not be covered. He began to say that "cars from Florida usually have this problem" and I interrupted him saying I was born and raised in Orlando and none of the cars in my family have that problem. Every single family member of mine, except my mom and dad, have lived in Florida their whole life, and they have cars that have never had a crack. I called his fat ass out on that and it made me feel good. He simply said "well we will see", then he lightly shook my hand, and walked away.
I waited a week later and Jason called me. He said the normal repair bill for a new dash is ~$1760, and Acura will over ~$1200 of it, leaving me the remainder ~$560. Needless to say, I wasn't happy they weren't going to cover all of it, but it was better than having to pay the whole $1800.
I dropped off the car Tuesday morning (6/8) and got it back today (6/10). I should have gotten it back yesterday, but they were running a little behind. I didn't mind, I got to drive my dads G35x around for the night.
Here are the pics taken today once I got home. I haven't had time to clean it up at all:
They replaced everything from the left side of the car to the right. Every dash panel there is. They did a great job. On the receipt they said they did a "Complementary Wash and Vacuum Valued at $19.95", but I can just tell they didn't. There are little pieces of plastic and grass on the carpets and the white paper floormats were still on the floor on both the driver and passenger side. I could have pitched a shit about it, but I would rather just do it myself and make sure it's done right and the way I want it to be. Jason is calling me tomorrow to follow up on everything and I'll be sure to tell him I didn't see that the "Complementary Vacuum" was done.
Overall, I'm not too happy about having to pay the $560ish to get it fixed. That money was for my textbooks this upcoming semester, and the rest was going to be put towards an A-Spec kit, but oh well. I was scared eventually the cracks would be severe enough to affect the airbag deploying, plus it was ugly to look at.
Now it's nice and fresh
Summary of everything I said in that thread:
-I purchased the car last July with ~52,000 miles
-no cracks on the dash when bought
-always garage kept
-NEVER used any Armor-All products
-always had a sunshade up when parked outside
-vented sunroof and windows when hot outside
-pretty much babied my TL since purchased
Here are some pics I took last month of the dash:
Passenger Side
Infront of the Center Speaker
Driver's Side Tweeter
On top of Gauge Cluster thingy
The day I brought the car home....7/19/08...no cracks present
As you can see, these aren't small hairline cracks, they are nasty ass long cracks all over.
I don't think any car thats $30k+ should have cracks like that only being 5 years old. My 01 CL-S had over 105,000 miles and was never garaged, and the dash was flawless. I mean my mom's shitty 1997 Dodge Intrepid's dash looks like the day we bought it brand new and my dads (now replaced) 1983 GMC S-15 was bought brand new in Florida, never garaged, and eventually came here to NC until 2003, and it never had a crack in it. There is no reason whatsoever this should be happening, especially to a "luxurious" and expensive car.
I decided I had enough of the shit and I took it to my local Acura dealership, Leith Acura. I went in there and talked to Jason in the service department, and he was awesome. Helped me through everything and had the car looked at. I mentioned I would like to talk to the parts/service manager just to see what he would say. I thought that since Jason was so nice, the manager would be as well, but boy I was wrong. The manager was obviously not happy to be talking to me about it, but also not happy about me being so "young" driving a 04 TL. He told me that they don't make the decision if Acura covers it or not, they have to give it to their district manager who works for Acura and deals with repairs like this, and he will make a decision. He also told me that he had never seen or heard of this happening to another Acura product, and that since the car was originally from Florida, the cost of the repair will not be covered. He began to say that "cars from Florida usually have this problem" and I interrupted him saying I was born and raised in Orlando and none of the cars in my family have that problem. Every single family member of mine, except my mom and dad, have lived in Florida their whole life, and they have cars that have never had a crack. I called his fat ass out on that and it made me feel good. He simply said "well we will see", then he lightly shook my hand, and walked away.
I waited a week later and Jason called me. He said the normal repair bill for a new dash is ~$1760, and Acura will over ~$1200 of it, leaving me the remainder ~$560. Needless to say, I wasn't happy they weren't going to cover all of it, but it was better than having to pay the whole $1800.
I dropped off the car Tuesday morning (6/8) and got it back today (6/10). I should have gotten it back yesterday, but they were running a little behind. I didn't mind, I got to drive my dads G35x around for the night.
Here are the pics taken today once I got home. I haven't had time to clean it up at all:
They replaced everything from the left side of the car to the right. Every dash panel there is. They did a great job. On the receipt they said they did a "Complementary Wash and Vacuum Valued at $19.95", but I can just tell they didn't. There are little pieces of plastic and grass on the carpets and the white paper floormats were still on the floor on both the driver and passenger side. I could have pitched a shit about it, but I would rather just do it myself and make sure it's done right and the way I want it to be. Jason is calling me tomorrow to follow up on everything and I'll be sure to tell him I didn't see that the "Complementary Vacuum" was done.
Overall, I'm not too happy about having to pay the $560ish to get it fixed. That money was for my textbooks this upcoming semester, and the rest was going to be put towards an A-Spec kit, but oh well. I was scared eventually the cracks would be severe enough to affect the airbag deploying, plus it was ugly to look at.
Now it's nice and fresh
06-12-2009, 11:45 PM
#13
I Have A Meth Lab In
Okay, so you mentioned Armor All, and never using it. Is there some problem with using something on the dash in the TL???
I've read some other posts about cracking dash's, but haven't heard of anyone putting any blame on any products.
Anyone else have any insight on what to use/not use on the dash?
I've read some other posts about cracking dash's, but haven't heard of anyone putting any blame on any products.
Anyone else have any insight on what to use/not use on the dash?
06-13-2009, 07:24 AM
#14
Moderator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
Wow your dash is pretty bad. Ouch! I would cry to see my baby like that. Anyways I kind of did what you did except the freaking person from corporate is not even calling me back. They said the same thing to me saying that they have never seen anything or heard anything of this sort before. Man a expensive ass car not even 10 years old having this problem and an old car dont? What kind of shit is this. Ahhhhhhh I am so starting to dislike Acura's service!!!!!
What year and model Acura do you have?
Okay, so you mentioned Armor All, and never using it. Is there some problem with using something on the dash in the TL???
I've read some other posts about cracking dash's, but haven't heard of anyone putting any blame on any products.
Anyone else have any insight on what to use/not use on the dash?
I've read some other posts about cracking dash's, but haven't heard of anyone putting any blame on any products.
Anyone else have any insight on what to use/not use on the dash?
I use some sort of Meguiars interior detailing stuff. I can't remember the exact name, but it's in a black bottle. A lot of members here use some stuff called 303, and they say it works great, but I don't have any experience with that product.
09-04-2009, 06:20 PM
#16
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09-04-2009, 10:47 PM
#17
Traveling the country
Yea mine was getting worse by the day and it drove me crazy. My new ride.
This was a couple days after I bought it, I did a few mods before these pics but have done quiet a few more since. Got it for $4500 as it sits minus the boost gauge.
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PFloyd (04-06-2012)
09-05-2009, 10:20 AM
#18
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Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
^That's gorgeous man. And you can't beat that price. It looks like it's in really good condition. Good luck with it and hopefully you won't have any problems with it
09-06-2009, 02:25 PM
#20
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Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
^Good shit man. Your TL was gorgeous. Good luck with the Audi!
09-13-2009, 11:56 PM
#21
I just had my cracked dash replaced for 230$ . dealer said it was 1200$ and they was covering 80% leaving me with 230$...i was trying to argue but couldnt win the battle so i got it done anyways. It cracked around the air bag line overnight....horrible..NEVER buy another honda/acura product in my life..that is a promise. We have 2004 honda accord v6 and it is 10 times better built than my TL. Been to dealers every week for fixing. So far i got cracked sunroof, leathers seats melted on front 2 bottoms and back bottom piece, Mirror stop working on one side...cracked dash board,,,power steering whine..bad bluetooth module...that is all i can recall,,,oh yeah..crack rubber brushing and my steering wheel staring to make squeeking noise while turning at low speed..i think my rack opinion about to go...35K dollar PIECE of _ _ _ _not including 10+ trips to dealer with rattles and vibrations..car is 2004 with 60k miles...been pampered...my dad has 1995 nissan maxima which park outside in the sun and a 1998 camry who never been park in gargage with a perfect dash....my car's dash board been clean/condition according to the TSB for dash fading issues but that was just masking the problem
Last edited by xedap1998; 09-13-2009 at 11:58 PM.
09-16-2009, 12:34 PM
#22
Please help me clear that thing about the replacement.
Thanks!
Rolan
09-16-2009, 02:15 PM
#23
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Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
What do you mean by every panel there is, I thought the dash was a one peice item. I might take mine in next week, they charging me $500. Sucks but I cant stand looking at that dash + scares the hell out of me that it gets like yours. yours is probably one of the worst i have seen. I know they just keep geting worse. so Ima get rid of this. Acura will end up losing way more that $500 from future business with me, but that is not my problem.
Please help me clear that thing about the replacement.
Thanks!
Rolan
Please help me clear that thing about the replacement.
Thanks!
Rolan
I apologize for the confusion. I do believe you are right about there only being one panel for the dash. I just said "every panel" just incase there were multiple pieces that needed replacing.
Because of this whole incident I'm not too happy with Acura, but I can't afford to get rid of the car, plus which I'm not sure if it's worth getting rid of now since I paid for it to get fixed. I've considered a few times writing a letter to corporate including pictures and links to the threads on here discussing the topic to see if they would reimburse me for the fix, but I just haven't gotten around to it.
Be sure when you get it back to check all of the lights and such. The buttons to the left of my steering wheel that control the dash brightness aren't lit up anymore; the bulb must have not been plugged in properly. I would take it back, but I'm fearing they will charge me. I could do it myself as well, but I'm just lazy and it isn't that big of a deal
Good luck!
09-22-2009, 04:36 PM
#24
^^^^ Dude, take that car back and make them fix it right. if your lights were wroking and they arnt working now they have to fix it under warranty for the job.
Any recomendations on avoiding another cracked dash? I am getting it replaced as I write this and I would hate to see it crack again. Id just blow up the car I think. =p So far I think ima use 303 every now and then on it and buy a windshield shade (any recomendations as for a good shade?)
I feel just like you. Just not to par with the quality you expect from an Honda, much less from the a $45k Honda (in Puerto Rico, the car starts at $45k). I finally decided I was going to get it fixed cuz I did not want to spend more time arguing about it. But, as I said in my previous post, it is a stupid business decision from Acura, since because of this, I will not take my car to the dealer no more (except for maybe the time belt replace), and it will be my last Accura/Honda (Ive owned two accords and now this Acura). Thank god the 4G Acura is ugly (IMO), makes my parting form Honda/Acura so much easyer =p (no offense to 4G owners, its MHO)
Peace,
Rolan
Any recomendations on avoiding another cracked dash? I am getting it replaced as I write this and I would hate to see it crack again. Id just blow up the car I think. =p So far I think ima use 303 every now and then on it and buy a windshield shade (any recomendations as for a good shade?)
I feel just like you. Just not to par with the quality you expect from an Honda, much less from the a $45k Honda (in Puerto Rico, the car starts at $45k). I finally decided I was going to get it fixed cuz I did not want to spend more time arguing about it. But, as I said in my previous post, it is a stupid business decision from Acura, since because of this, I will not take my car to the dealer no more (except for maybe the time belt replace), and it will be my last Accura/Honda (Ive owned two accords and now this Acura). Thank god the 4G Acura is ugly (IMO), makes my parting form Honda/Acura so much easyer =p (no offense to 4G owners, its MHO)
Peace,
Rolan
09-22-2009, 05:40 PM
#25
Moderator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
^^^^ Dude, take that car back and make them fix it right. if your lights were wroking and they arnt working now they have to fix it under warranty for the job.
Any recomendations on avoiding another cracked dash? I am getting it replaced as I write this and I would hate to see it crack again. Id just blow up the car I think. =p So far I think ima use 303 every now and then on it and buy a windshield shade (any recomendations as for a good shade?)
I feel just like you. Just not to par with the quality you expect from an Honda, much less from the a $45k Honda (in Puerto Rico, the car starts at $45k). I finally decided I was going to get it fixed cuz I did not want to spend more time arguing about it. But, as I said in my previous post, it is a stupid business decision from Acura, since because of this, I will not take my car to the dealer no more (except for maybe the time belt replace), and it will be my last Accura/Honda (Ive owned two accords and now this Acura). Thank god the 4G Acura is ugly (IMO), makes my parting form Honda/Acura so much easyer =p (no offense to 4G owners, its MHO)
Peace,
Rolan
Any recomendations on avoiding another cracked dash? I am getting it replaced as I write this and I would hate to see it crack again. Id just blow up the car I think. =p So far I think ima use 303 every now and then on it and buy a windshield shade (any recomendations as for a good shade?)
I feel just like you. Just not to par with the quality you expect from an Honda, much less from the a $45k Honda (in Puerto Rico, the car starts at $45k). I finally decided I was going to get it fixed cuz I did not want to spend more time arguing about it. But, as I said in my previous post, it is a stupid business decision from Acura, since because of this, I will not take my car to the dealer no more (except for maybe the time belt replace), and it will be my last Accura/Honda (Ive owned two accords and now this Acura). Thank god the 4G Acura is ugly (IMO), makes my parting form Honda/Acura so much easyer =p (no offense to 4G owners, its MHO)
Peace,
Rolan
A shit ton of people use 303, I have no experience with it so I can't say much. I've been trying to only dust my dash and not put anything on it. It still keeps it clean but it just isn't shiny. As long as it doesn't crack, I'll take it.
I'm fed up with Acura and their customer "service" to say the least. I've invested too much money into my TL, therefore I'm not going to give it up, I'm going to drive it until it dies and then write a nice letter to Acura about my experience with their vehicle. Granted I haven't had any major problems, but little things here and there add up quickly. Plus a new dash, no matter how much they covered, isn't cheap.
09-27-2009, 06:45 PM
#26
FACEBOOK group on this issue
There is a facebook group on this issue.
Name of Group: Acura TL Defective Dash
Link: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui...d=106173928650
Join in a effort to have Acura Recall this defective dash. we dont know yet, but a cracked dash at the airbag deployment point could be a safety hazard. We (nor Acura) cant wait until someone is permanently injured to act upon this already known issue.
There is also a really good thread on this issue.
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/cracked-dashboard-04-tl-688828/
Thank you.
Name of Group: Acura TL Defective Dash
Link: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui...d=106173928650
Join in a effort to have Acura Recall this defective dash. we dont know yet, but a cracked dash at the airbag deployment point could be a safety hazard. We (nor Acura) cant wait until someone is permanently injured to act upon this already known issue.
There is also a really good thread on this issue.
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/cracked-dashboard-04-tl-688828/
Thank you.
09-27-2009, 06:47 PM
#27
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^I've joined the FB group and willing to help in anyway needed
09-27-2009, 09:16 PM
#28
Drifting
iTrader: (13)
Its called 303 Aerospace Protectant. Its about $14 for a 16oz bottle. You can get it from Marine Supply stores or online at http://www.303products.com/. SPF40 and works great. Leaves a subtle shine instead of the high gloss of Armor-All type products and is designed for vinyl, rubber, plastic, leather and fiberglass. As mentioned, dash cracks can appear overnight. Run out and get some now!
09-29-2009, 05:19 PM
#29
Its called 303 Aerospace Protectant. Its about $14 for a 16oz bottle. You can get it from Marine Supply stores or online at http://www.303products.com/. SPF40 and works great. Leaves a subtle shine instead of the high gloss of Armor-All type products and is designed for vinyl, rubber, plastic, leather and fiberglass. As mentioned, dash cracks can appear overnight. Run out and get some now!
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petroboy37ent (12-16-2015)
09-29-2009, 06:20 PM
#30
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dash cracked also...
Man i live in Miami and this just happened to me on sunday. the dash cracked just like in the photos. no warning, no little cracks first, it just cracked horribly. i bought the 2005 TL used with 35,000 miles and curreently has 45k. I bought it from Carmax and i am paying for their extended warranty but dont know if this is something that will be covered by them. The car is in great shape and really like it but damn, now a f up dash? Every time i see a TL in a parking lot in scoping out their dashes to see if this is a common defect. I am perplexed that a so called luxury sedan would have an issue like this.
09-29-2009, 06:23 PM
#31
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You really need to call Carmax and take the car in. It should be 100% covered by them.
10-01-2009, 06:35 PM
#32
Man i live in Miami and this just happened to me on sunday. the dash cracked just like in the photos. no warning, no little cracks first, it just cracked horribly. i bought the 2005 TL used with 35,000 miles and curreently has 45k. I bought it from Carmax and i am paying for their extended warranty but dont know if this is something that will be covered by them. The car is in great shape and really like it but damn, now a f up dash? Every time i see a TL in a parking lot in scoping out their dashes to see if this is a common defect. I am perplexed that a so called luxury sedan would have an issue like this.
). so far, Ive seen 3 random 04-05 Tl's and they all had the cracks. I also know 4 other people in Puerto Rico with a 04-05 TL and they all have the cracks. That is 7 out of 7. I bet you eventually all 04-05 will develop cracks sooner or later. Its a horrible design defect. This is what we should do:
1) Call Acura Corporate and report the issue - 1-800-382-2238
2) File an investigation request with the Office of Defect Investigation - http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
3) Keep harassing your dealer
4) Join our facebook group
- "Acura TL Defective Dash" thats just my
Thanks and good luck,
Rolan
10-12-2009, 10:51 AM
#33
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Cracked Dashboard TL 04
Happened to my 2004 TL this morning. Foot long crack on the right of the air bag area and small crack at the center front speaker. Reading the thread I'll expect a larger problem. Who needs to hear more of these problems and how to get this fixed quickly? Thanks....
10-12-2009, 03:31 PM
#34
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Ouch man that sucks. The only thing you can do about getting it fixed is taking it to your local Acura dealership and talk to them about it. It's an estimated $2000 fix. Some people have gotten lucky enough to get the dealership to cover the whole cost (customer goodwill) or you will be like me and pay ~$500 for the fix. Acura covered the cost of the supplies and I paid for the labor.
10-13-2009, 02:37 PM
#35
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I had the same exact issue happen to my car, just not as bad. Mine cracked from the windshield all the way to the SRS lettering right along the airbag line. I am having SOOO many issues with this car, I dont know where to start. My car is an 05 with 75,000 miles. Bought it on 06 with 19,000 miles.
-Changed factory tires around 50,000 miles, to directional tires (Kumhos). They were fine, and then I started experiencing a annoying humming noise-especially on the highway. Just spent $500 on new tires, get on the highway, and it is STILL THERE! Now I have to take it to the dealership to have them check out my wheel bearings and CV Joints. When I am turning hard right it feels like I have wooden wheels with huge flatspots (Which cant be true as I have brand new tires). The car has always shaked on the highway at speeds over 100mph.
-Airbag light is on-I assume due to my cracked dash
-Right front turn signal doesnt illuminate when my lights are on, but it does when I have my turn signal on.
-Paint (clear coat) on front bumper is peeling off.
-There is a slight grinding metal noise that I can hear when I am driving next to road barracades. It has always been there, and I have told the service writers numerous times, including when the car was under warranty, and it has never been fixed.
GOD I WANT MY BMW BACK!!!!
The 2000 civic si I had that I couldnt stick my foot between the ground and front lip rode 10x better than this car.
-Changed factory tires around 50,000 miles, to directional tires (Kumhos). They were fine, and then I started experiencing a annoying humming noise-especially on the highway. Just spent $500 on new tires, get on the highway, and it is STILL THERE! Now I have to take it to the dealership to have them check out my wheel bearings and CV Joints. When I am turning hard right it feels like I have wooden wheels with huge flatspots (Which cant be true as I have brand new tires). The car has always shaked on the highway at speeds over 100mph.
-Airbag light is on-I assume due to my cracked dash
-Right front turn signal doesnt illuminate when my lights are on, but it does when I have my turn signal on.
-Paint (clear coat) on front bumper is peeling off.
-There is a slight grinding metal noise that I can hear when I am driving next to road barracades. It has always been there, and I have told the service writers numerous times, including when the car was under warranty, and it has never been fixed.
GOD I WANT MY BMW BACK!!!!
The 2000 civic si I had that I couldnt stick my foot between the ground and front lip rode 10x better than this car.
10-13-2009, 05:19 PM
#37
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^Lucky bastard! I had to pay $550
My headlights get pretty foggy and nasty on the outside as well. I plan on having mine professionally cleaned by "Dr. Headlight". My girlfriend has had her headlights done on her Civic before and he's awesome. He comes to your house and does it in the driveway...$80 for both lights and a 5-year warranty
My headlights get pretty foggy and nasty on the outside as well. I plan on having mine professionally cleaned by "Dr. Headlight". My girlfriend has had her headlights done on her Civic before and he's awesome. He comes to your house and does it in the driveway...$80 for both lights and a 5-year warranty
10-13-2009, 06:01 PM
#38
Drifting
iTrader: (13)
Off-topic, but PlastX will do it for $15 and some elbow grease. Make sure you get a new bottle, as older versions did not have "micro-abrasives" and the performance suffered. Another product is Ultimate Compound. I have heard of a 3rd kit, but cannot locate the URL.
10-13-2009, 06:04 PM
#39
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^Referring to the foggy headlights? I may have to look into that then!
10-13-2009, 06:39 PM
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I have an 05 AM Navi from Florida and i just got mine replaced in march
! Cost me bout the same but i also had my headlight replaced because of condensation. Acura footed most of the $3600 they quoted me leaving me to pay $700. $1300 for headlights and $1760 for dash plus labor! I was pissed
but $700 is better than $3600.
