service Acura TL 2013 Owner's Guide

For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation f or your vehicle, or on
inf ormation on gasoline that does not
contain MMT, visit My Acura at. In Canada, visit
f or additional
inf ormation on gasoline. For more
inf ormation on top tier gasoline, visit .
Because the level of detergency and
additives in gasoline vary in the
market, Honda endorses the use of
‘‘TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline’’
where available to help maintain the
perf ormance and reliability of your
vehicle. TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline meets a new gasoline
standard jointly established by
leading automotive manuf acturers to
meet the needs of today’s advanced
engines. Qualif ying gasoline retailers
will, in most cases, identif y their
gasoline as having met ‘‘TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline’’ standards at the
retail location. This f uel is
guaranteed to contain the proper
level of detergent additives and be
f ree of metallic additives. The proper
level of detergent additives, and
absence of harmf ul metallic additives
in gasoline, help avoid build-up of
deposits in your engine and emission
control system.
owners.acura.com
www.acura.ca
www.toptiergas.com
Fuel Recommendation
Bef ore Driving
469
We recommend quality gasoline
containing detergent additives that help
prevent f uel system and engine deposits.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain harmf ul manganese-
based f uel additives such as MMT , if
such gasoline is available.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance, and
cause the malf unction indicator lamp
on your instrument panel to come on. If
this happens, contact your dealer f or
service. Some gasoline today is blended
with oxygenates such as ethanol. Your
vehicle is designed to operate on
oxygenated gasoline containing up to
10% ethanol by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol. If you
notice any undesirable operating
symptoms, try another service station
or switch to another brand of gasoline.
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2013 TL

Remove the f uel f ill cap slowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank equalizes.
Place the cap in the holder on the
f uel f ill door.
The fuel fill cap is attached to the
f uel f ill door with a tether to avoid
losing the cap.
Park with the driver’s side closest
to the service station pump.
Open the f uel f ill door by pressing
the button in the driver’s door (to
open the f uel f ill door manually,
see page ). 3.
1.
2. 599
Service Station Procedures
Ref ueling
470
TETHER
FUEL FILL CAP
HOLDER
Push
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.
Stop the engine, and keep
heat, sparks, and flame away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.
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Bef ore Driving
2013 TL

Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top off’’ the tank. This
leaves some room in the f uel tank
for the fuel to expand with
temperature changes.
If the fuel nozzle keeps clicking off
even though the tank is not full,
there may be a problem with your
vehicle’s fuel vapor recovery
system. The system helps keep
fuel vapor from going into the
atmosphere. Try filling at another
pump. If this does not fix the
problem, consult your dealer. Screw the f uel f ill cap back on
until it clicks at least once. If you
do not properly tighten the cap,
you will see a ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL
CAP’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display. If the system
still detects an evaporative system
leak af ter retightening the cap, the
malf unction indicator lamp may
come on (see page ).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
Your vehicle’s on board diagnostic
system will detect a loose or missing
f uel f ill cap as an evaporative system
leak. The f irst time a leak is detected
a ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’ message
appears on the multi-inf ormation
display.
4.
5.
6.597
CONT INUED
Tighten Fuel Cap Message
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
471
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2013 TL

Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
Turn the engine of f , and conf irm the
f uel f ill cap is installed. If it is, loosen
it, then retighten it until it clicks at
least once. The message should go
off after several days of normal
driving once you tighten or replace
the f uel f ill cap. To scroll to another
message, press the INFO button.
The ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’
message will appear each time you
restart the engine until the system
turns the message of f .
If the system still detects a leak in
your vehicle’s evaporative emissions
system, the malf unction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the f uel f ill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine of f , and check or
retighten the f uel f ill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL should
go off after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If the MIL does not go of f ,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more inf ormation, see
page .
1.
597 Opening and Closing the Hood
Service Station Procedures
472
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
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Bef ore Driving
2013 TL

Lift the hood up most of the way.
The hydraulic supports will lift it
up the rest of the way and hold it up.
If the hood latch handle moves
stiffly, or if you can open the
hood without lifting the handle,
the mechanism should be
cleaned and lubricated. Put your f ingers between the f ront
edge of the hood and the f ront
grille to locate the hood latch
handle. Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lif t the hood. To close the hood, lower it to about
a foot (30 cm) above the fender,
then press down firmly with your
hands. Make sure the hood is
securely latched.
3.
2.
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
473
LATCH
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2013 TL

Park the vehicle on a level surf ace.
Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.Remove the dipstick (orange loop).
Wipe of f the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole.Remove the dipstick again, and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page .
1.
3. 2.
4.
543
Service Station Procedures
Oil Check
A dding Engine Oil
474
DIPSTICKUPPER MARK
LOWER MARK
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Bef ore Driving
2013 TL

Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, seeon pagefor
information on adding the
proper coolant. To access the radiator reserve tank,
remove the right-side engine
compartment cover (see page ).
See page f or the engine coolant
location.
Refer to
on page f or inf ormation
about checking other items on your
vehicle.
546 542
539
541
Service Station Procedures
Engine Coolant Check
A dding
Engine Coolant Owner’s Maintenance
Checks
Bef ore Driving
475
MAX RESERVE TANK
MIN
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2013 TL

Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that turns on every time you start the
engine and monitors the pressure in
your tires while driving.If you think you can safely drive a
short distance to a service station,
proceed slowly to the station,
then inflate the tire to the
recommended pressure
shown on the driver’s doorjamb.
If the tire is f lat, or if the tire
pressure is too low to continue
driving, replace the tire with the
compact spare tire (see page ).
Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Becausetirepressurevariesby
temperature and other conditions,
the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator may come on unexpectedly.
When the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator is on, one or more of your
tires is significantly underinflated.
You should stop and check your
tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure
as indicated on the vehicle’s tire
information placard.
Each tire has its own pressure
sensor (not including the spare tire).
If the air pressure of a tire becomes
signif icantly low, the sensor in that
tire immediately sends a signal that
causes the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator in the instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, you will see
which tire is losing pressure on the
multi-inf ormation display along with
a ‘‘CHECK TIRE PRESSURE’’
message. It is possible that the pressures
shown on the multi-information display
and the pressures you manually
measure are slightly different.
If the dif f erence is signif icant or you
cannot make the low tire pressure/
TPMS indicator and message on the
multi-inf ormation display go out af ter
inf lating the tires to the specif ied
values, have your dealer check the
system as soon as possible. 583
Low Tire Pressure/
TPMS Indicator
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
514
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Driving
2013 TL

If you have a flat tire, the low tire
pressure/TPMS indicator and tire
monitor indicator will come on.
Replace the indicated flat tire with
the compact spare tire (see
page).
After the flat tire is replaced with the
spare tire, the low tire pressure/
TPMS indicator stays on while
driving. After several miles
(kilometers) driving, this indicator
begins to flash, then stays on again.
You will also see a ‘‘CHECK TPMS
SYSTEM’’ message on the multi-
information display. This is normal;
the system cannot monitor the spare
tire pressure. Manually check the
spare tire pressure to be sure it
This indicator and the warning
message on the multi-inf ormation
display will go of f , af ter several miles
(kilometers) driving, when the spare tire is replaced with the specified
regular tire equipped with the tire
pressure monitor sensor.
Never use a puncture-repairing agent
in a f lat tire. If used, you will have to
replace the tire pressure sensor.
Havetheflattirerepairedbyyour
dealer as soon as possible.
If the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator and the low tire position on
the low tire pressure monitor do not
go out af ter inf lating the tires to the
specified values, have your dealer
check the system as soon as possible. Each wheel (except the compact
sparetirewheel)isequippedwitha
tire pressure sensor. You must use
TPMS specif ic wheels. It is
recommended that you always have
your tires serviced by your dealer or
qualif ied technician.
This device complies with the
appropriate requirements or the
required standards. See page f or
more inf ormation.
583 628
Changing a T ire with T PMS
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
518
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Driving
is c
orre ct.
2013 TL

This section explains why it is
important to keep your vehicle well
maintained and how to f ollow basic
maintenance saf ety precautions.
This section also includes
instructions on how to read the
Maintenance Minder messages on
the multi-information display, and
instructions f or simple maintenance
tasks you may want to take care of
yourself .
If you have the skills and tools to
perf orm more complex maintenance
tasks on your vehicle, you may want
to purchase the service manual. See
page f or inf ormation on how to
obtain a copy, or see your dealer.U.S. Vehicles:
......................
Maintenance Saf ety .530
.................
Maintenance Minder . 531
..............................
Fluid Locations .541
......
Engine Compartment Covers . 542
........................
Adding Engine Oil .543
Changing the Engine Oil and ...........................................
Filter .544
..............................
Engine Coolant .546
....................
Windshield Washers .548
.......................
Transmission Fluid .549
..........
Automatic Transmission . 549
..............
Manual Transmission . 551
................
Brake and Clutch Fluid . 553
....................................
Timing Belt .554
.............................................
Lights .555
................
Cleaning the Seat Belts . 564
.....................................
Floor Mats .565
..................
Dust and Pollen Filter . 566
.................................
Exterior Care .566
.................................
Wiper Blades .566
...............................................
Tires .568
...................
Checking the Battery . 577
.............................
Vehicle Storage .578
..................................
Interior Care .579
633
Maintenance
Maintenance, replacement, or
repair of emissions control
devices and systems may be done
by any automotive repair
establishment or individual using
parts that are ‘‘certif ied’’ to EPA
standards.
Maint enance
529
TM
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2013 TL