Disappointed with Acura Overall

[WLTRWYT]

Hello fellow ITS owners,

I have to say I'm very disappointed with Acura overall.

I used to own Integra's back in the day and I've transitioned more-so to Germany vehicles, i.e., Mercedes at this time. I bought my first Acura Integra PWP Type-S back in June 2024. Never drove it, just saw reviews and videos, and was chasing nostalgia. I have to say I fell in love with it.

What really let me down is the build quality. I've attached some photos of dust in the paint and drip marks. I found an extra ECU cover that damaged the fins on the inside of my radiator. I mean I paid 2k for the PDI - why wasn't this noticed? The only solution I got from dealership was to have it painted by some third-party body shop and a warranty extension on the rad. I don't want to have my new car painted. I deferred but it stuck with me, left it how it was. I was recently at the dealership getting an oil change and was offered the same price on trade-in as I purchased it for. I was considering the 26 UGP for a while, and this decision made sense. I pick up my new UGP and it has blobs on tailgate, paint chipping at the tail lamp. What the hell? Another 2K on a PDI and they didn't see this. Sure, sometimes it's not the dealerships fault, but come on. The dealership is like "we'll figure out a solution" yeah - to have it painted again, I don't want that. I want Acura to step up and do more. So I'm off to fight with them for not meeting the basic standard of producing a decent vehicle. Literally, JUST took delivery of the vehicle yesterday, brand new. Two in a row, I'm disappointed to say the least.

Anyway, has anyone else had defects like this, issues with their paint, etc.? Has Acura stepped up outside of doing the bare minimum and repainting my car? Is this what is to expect from Acura/Honda?

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[Victorofhavoc]

Look up my "back on track" thread. I started it as a build thread but haven't updated much recently.

My first week of ownership was great, and then I started noticing all sorts of things. The first wash and detail I did left me very disappointed in the paint quality. You just can't compare it to anything German, even a lowly vw.

Whats worse is how much debris I found in nooks and crannies all over as well as just poor assembly, broken plastic clips, plastic interior panels that didn't align, headlight that didn't align with the bumper garnish, plastic panels that didn't align properly. I measured the paint across the car and found variance of 2mils all over including just across the hood. Worst of all my brake fluid was highly contaminated and had actual copper deposit at the bottom of the master cylinder.

Recently one of the techs I met outside of the dealership just smugly smiled and said, "yeah that's just acura." Almost like he was proud of it. His "who cares" attitude really tripped me up.

At the end of the day, this is not a luxury car. It's a tin can with a decent suspension setup, decent front brakes, and an okay engine. The shifter is solid, the clutch is meh, and the factory exhaust is well built but beyond quiet for a performance oriented car. Its biggest advantage is that it's "light" by 2024 standards, and very well balanced. If this was my daily i would have traded it for another gti or golf r in a heartbeat, but as a third car it's fun and can fit two of my kids in the back for fun grocery store runs and demonstrating to my students on track that a fwd "large sedan" can go fast.

Many people have left this car to go German. Usually the people looking for material quality, build quality, straight line acceleration, low end hook, gas mileage, and prestige. Car reviewers don't live with a car daily that THEY paid for, so it's easy for them to ignore or be blind to a lot. They don't align with the general public perception, and that's pretty evident in what people actually buy vs what they tout.

 

[UWU-mancer]

Expecting German levels of refinement and fit and finish from Acura is something I didn’t even consider. It didn’t cross my mind at all. No one’s gonna out do the Germans when it comes to that kind of stuff. Especially not the Japanese (to be fair I feel like Lexus does get close)

my issue is the thing with the rear hatch. With both handles falling off. And I don’t trust any Acura dealer enough to solve it

meanwhile. I take in my wife’s 2025 Audi s5. I can tell these cats, my car smells like a fart. And right away, no gas lighting, no bullshitting, one way or the other these mf’s figure it out.

We get what we pay for I guess

 

[mugendc4]

I have the tail light rubbing the bumper issue. I read a few people also have that as well probably due to how the corner tail light angles down and vibration scrapes the corner. I ended up just putting touch up paint and cut a small ppf to protect it from rubbing.

Another paint issue I had where the driver door was rubbing the fender bracket, had to bend it slightly to prevent it.

My last paint issue where the passenger fender was rubbing the A-pillar. Didn't notice it until I was washing my car and saw a bit of rust on my PPF. There was zero tolerance in gap causing it to rub and scrape a bit of paint. All I did was touch it up and added another small piece of ppf to protect it from scraping.

A bit annoyed on these exterior imperfection but the interior rattle drives me nuts more. Other than that, I still enjoy the car since it's a blast to drive but wish build quality was a bit better.

 

[ABPDE5]

I won't contest anything here, and I'll add that the dealership experience is best avoided completely.

That said, one thing to keep in mind:
When this car was released, the base Integra started at just over $30k. While that's a CVT with a different engine, transmission, suspension, etc., the interior and exterior of the car are the same and were designed for / targeted towards that price point. The highest spec trim this interior / exterior was designed for was targeted at $35k, and it came with tech that the Type-S doesn't even have. You are paying $50k+ for a car with a "luxury" barometer at $30k.

 

[asone]

I had one ceiling speaker cover not clipped on properly.
The piano black piece outside of the C pillar on the passenger side was popping out.
Two rubber bushings on the liftback was not fully on and were just hanging.
I don't know how many other things could be wrong in places I can't see.
I've had Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda, but Honda/Acura is the worst quality by far. But the driving feel. It's worth it.

 

[honduken]

My front driver side dash vent is missing a clip so it's easily popped up, and my rear bumper cover was missing 2 screws. Since I was installing the mud guards anyway, I just used the extra screws i took out to fill in one of the holes. The hole was completely untapped so it was obvious there wasn't even an attempt to add the screw. The other hole was missing its thread clip entirely.

My 2007 Honda accord SE puts this car to shame in terms of quality/fit and finish.

But...

The A spec with Tech package is 39,000 with the 1.5T. By spending 14,700 more they drop a K20C1 in it (essentially a crate engine) and a very robust 6 speed manual. In addition to that you get much more sophisticated and robust suspension in the front, with Brembo brakes and upgraded rotors. Given the prices of these components, I assume about 3-4 grand went into the suspension and brakes with the rest going into dropping the K20C1 and transmission setup under the hood, then there's the added wide-body panels. It's a great car if you're into Hondas, but they certainly need to build them better. It's just a shame they don't make many driver cars these days with manual transmissions.

I also assume a lot of the chincyness (minus the missing fasteners, that's ridiculous) has to do with weight savings. The car is only 3219 lbs and has a fairly large footprint for that weight. I assume that's where some of the chincyiness comes from.

As far as the paint issues and random ECU cover in the engine bay.. that's wild.

 

[optronix]

Yeah I'm not seeing anything egregious here. The ECU cover thing is weird but I also had a Macan that didn't come with a bolt in the driver's seat bracket. Shit happens. Otherwise, some very forgivable paint blemishes. Wouldn't bother me personally.

Paint fit and finish is one of those things that's best left for something you're paying north of six figures for. That said, my paint was fine. Bad luck I guess for those of you who run into these little issues?

Mine makes noises I wish it wouldn't. The dealer service experience is LOL. But I just crossed over the 3 year mark and I still love this car.

Overall I get that things like this lessen the experience but that's just the thing about having expectations. They kind of ruin everything, don't they?

 

[UWU-mancer]

Yeah I'm not seeing anything egregious here. The ECU cover thing is weird but I also had a Macan that didn't come with a bolt in the driver's seat bracket. Shit happens. Otherwise, some very forgivable paint blemishes. Wouldn't bother me personally.

Paint fit and finish is one of those things that's best left for something you're paying north of six figures for. That said, my paint was fine. Bad luck I guess for those of you who run into these little issues?

Mine makes noises I wish it wouldn't. The dealer service experience is LOL. But I just crossed over the 3 year mark and I still love this car.

Overall I get that things like this lessen the experience but that's just the thing about having expectations. They kind of ruin everything, don't they?

I think. If you’re spending less than maybe 65-75k. Best you can do is want the car and be super happy when and if U get that car. Zero expectations of anything, considering what automakers consider the standard and considering dealership experience (not all dealers are bad. I get that)

 

[honduken]

Yeah I'm not seeing anything egregious here. The ECU cover thing is weird but I also had a Macan that didn't come with a bolt in the driver's seat bracket. Shit happens. Otherwise, some very forgivable paint blemishes. Wouldn't bother me personally.

Paint fit and finish is one of those things that's best left for something you're paying north of six figures for. That said, my paint was fine. Bad luck I guess for those of you who run into these little issues?

Mine makes noises I wish it wouldn't. The dealer service experience is LOL. But I just crossed over the 3 year mark and I still love this car.

Overall I get that things like this lessen the experience but that's just the thing about having expectations. They kind of ruin everything, don't they?

I would assume if one was really particular about it you could just have PPF put over it from the factory, and if the paint was bad from the factory you would just refuse delivery and find a different one. The only thing body wise on mine is the rear hatch panel gaps are a little off on both sides. I got a paint chip in mine in less than 600 miles because of a small rock but I also understand its meant to be enjoyed so it's what it is.

I have never owned a new car before so I didn't really know what to expect. Probably won't ever do it again, just wanted to try it once. lol

 

[Victorofhavoc]

I would assume if one was really particular about it you could just have PPF put over it from the factory, and if the paint was bad from the factory you would just refuse delivery and find a different one. The only thing body wise on mine is the rear hatch panel gaps are a little off on both sides. I got a paint chip in mine in less than 600 miles because of a small rock but I also understand its meant to be enjoyed so it's what it is.

I have never owned a new car before so I didn't really know what to expect. Probably won't ever do it again, just wanted to try it once. lol

This paint does chip way too easily because of how it's applied. The paint thickness variance is a concern, point blank. It's Tesla level bad. Also the ppf I've had removed in areas has occasionally taken paint with it .

I'm in the process of some repairs due to an off course excursion, and I will not be doing ppf again on it. I'd rather just replace parts and repaint sections every few years at this point because it's not a garage queen.

 

[UWU-mancer]

This paint does chip way too easily because of how it's applied. The paint thickness variance is a concern, point blank. It's Tesla level bad. Also the ppf I've had removed in areas has occasionally taken paint with it .

I'm in the process of some repairs due to an off course excursion, and I will not be doing ppf again on it. I'd rather just replace parts and repaint sections every few years at this point because it's not a garage queen.

I will politely and respectfully disagree with you

I don’t think it’s anywhere near as bad as teslas I’ve detailed and coated for neighbors but yeah, Acura paint and paint process is definitely shit

Tesla wishes their paint was as good as Acuras imo

 

[Victorofhavoc]

I will politely and respectfully disagree with you

I don’t think it’s anywhere near as bad as teslas I’ve detailed and coated for neighbors but yeah, Acura paint and paint process is definitely shit

Tesla wishes their paint was as good as Acuras imo

That's fair. I've had my hands on two teslas and seen literal sprayer defects under the clearcoat. I think most of my acura paint issues were dealer related. Couldn't see them in the sun, but once they were under my detailing light, they were painfully obvious and bad. It's like they left the car under a tree for a few months .

 

[UWU-mancer]

That's fair. I've had my hands on two teslas and seen literal sprayer defects under the clearcoat. I think most of my acura paint issues were dealer related. Couldn't see them in the sun, but once they were under my detailing light, they were painfully obvious and bad. It's like they left the car under a tree for a few months .

Ouch. That sucked I’m sure

I’ve seen some fucked Tesla paint. One of my neighbors who got one of the first model 3’s. I literally told him we could not coat the car without possibly making the paint situation worse. Tesla of course refused to do anything for him till he lawyered up

at the time. Only a small handful of body shops were Tesla certified. Car had to be picked up. Driven almost 3 hours away and repainted

when it was done. We decided to leave it alone till after winter. Around Mother’s Day, gave it an extremely light polish (shop did an excellent job) and coated it.

 

[WLTRWYT]

I have the tail light rubbing the bumper issue. I read a few people also have that as well probably due to how the corner tail light angles down and vibration scrapes the corner. I ended up just putting touch up paint and cut a small ppf to protect it from rubbing.

Another paint issue I had where the driver door was rubbing the fender bracket, had to bend it slightly to prevent it.

My last paint issue where the passenger fender was rubbing the A-pillar. Didn't notice it until I was washing my car and saw a bit of rust on my PPF. There was zero tolerance in gap causing it to rub and scrape a bit of paint. All I did was touch it up and added another small piece of ppf to protect it from scraping.

A bit annoyed on these exterior imperfection but the interior rattle drives me nuts more. Other than that, I still enjoy the car since it's a blast to drive but wish build quality was a bit better.

I'm probably going to do the same thing and have it touched up - what choice do I really have? The mechanical/noise deficiencies I can live with.

This paint does chip way too easily because of how it's applied. The paint thickness variance is a concern, point blank. It's Tesla level bad. Also the ppf I've had removed in areas has occasionally taken paint with it .

I'm in the process of some repairs due to an off course excursion, and I will not be doing ppf again on it. I'd rather just replace parts and repaint sections every few years at this point because it's not a garage queen.

I hope when I decide to remove my PPF the paint doesn't come off with it...

I won't contest anything here, and I'll add that the dealership experience is best avoided completely.

That said, one thing to keep in mind:
When this car was released, the base Integra started at just over $30k. While that's a CVT with a different engine, transmission, suspension, etc., the interior and exterior of the car are the same and were designed for / targeted towards that price point. The highest spec trim this interior / exterior was designed for was targeted at $35k, and it came with tech that the Type-S doesn't even have. You are paying $50k+ for a car with a "luxury" barometer at $30k.

I get this point, but whether I'm buying brand new at 30k or 150k, I expect the paint not to have runs in it/orange peel/ craters/ dust, etc. I mean they charge extra for colour options, I'm paying for it, why would I settle on anything less than the bare minimum expectation? Has no one had these issues and reached some kind of decent resolution - i.e., a discount off the MSRP price point?

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