4th May 2008, 01:02
This comment is in response to an August 20, 2006 reader concern about the dashboard fading. I had a similar problem with my 2006 TL. The dealer advised me that Acura had a manufacturing problem with their dashboards and that the only solution to the problem was replacing the entire dashboard. I refused to accept this solution because replacing the dashboard is major surgery on the vehicle. I felt that the cure was worse then the problem.
In the end the dealer's technician used a leather conditioner on the dashboard. This has totally restored the dashboard's original color. The service writer seemed to imply that this was only a temporary fix and that I would probably have to repeat this treatment several times per month. The good news is that it has been eight months since they polished my dashboard and it looks as good as the day they did it.
26th Sep 2009, 21:16
The turning circle and headlight issues are unforgivable? Hmmm... I think I could forgive it, with such sweet gadgets with a life much longer than an average (below-average) Mercedes-Benz's, an interior better suited to long-range driving than some older Infinitis and newer BMWs, clear gauges that don't make you squint like the digital ones on older Cadillacs and Lincolns, and reliability that will beat a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Jaguar pretty much any day. Yes, I could forgive it a large turning circle (which many newer cars have, unfortunately but truly) and inadequate headlights (newer Buicks are great on high-beam, but city limits only on low beam, and other cars share this problem. It's called a sharp cutoff by motoring magazines. Check a few, and you'll find plenty of cars with this problem.)
What's unforgivable is cars that can't be relied on, even after repair. This isn't (usually) one of them.
7th Sep 2006, 19:48
My 2006 TL has two major shortcomings. 1) the headlights do not come on automatically. 2) The turning radius is poor. Both of these situations are unforgivable in this day and age. The Navigation system is excellent.