Piston Slap: An Airbag Light Away From Death?
TTAC commentator “Stuck in DC Traffic” writes:
Hello Sajeev, B&B and your evil doppelganger Sanjeev,
I have a 2004 Acura TSX 6MT with 263,000 miles on it. The car runs great, owned out right, still looks good, and is almost problem free except for an airbag light. Being that I live in the DC metro area and we are rated one of the worst places in the US for accidents, that light makes me nervous. What I want to know; is it worth getting fixed? Or for that matter is it even worth getting diagnosed?
Part of me wants to fix it as the car runs fine, it’s a great commuter and I don’t have to finance anything(read that as I’m cheap). I probably will get it diagnosed at least, but the other part of me remembers a money pit of airbag issue I had in the past. Twelve years ago I had a ’00.5 Audi A4 avant 6MT, but not in brown, that had an airbag light on. The airbag computer had shorted out and I replaced it. Then a seat sensor when out, then the other seat sensor, finally the airbag computer went again. At this point I had a dumped $2k plus into it and was told the only way to find the fault causing the airbag computer failure was to just start replacing every in the system till the issue when away. But in the mean time I could look forward to more new airbag computers while finding the fault. There was talk of replacing the entire wiring system for the airbags. Being 30 at the time, and with no kids, I didn’t think it was a big deal and I said I’ll drive without airbags, but my wife said no. The mechanic told me I should just trade the car and not even both trying to fix it. I ended up trading it because it was more cost effective than dumping money into it.
The Acura has high mileage and I add about 8k per year to it in dc traffic. It burns oil, about a quart a month as all old vtecs do. First clutch went about 135k miles, so I could be looking at another one soon. OBD 2 has told me nothing about the fault so this probably a dealer trip to figure out the issue. The car hasn’t reached hooptie money pit status yet, but it has soldered on enough in the trenches to make me think spending major money on it is just not worth it. Having kids and being in my 40’s now makes me uncomfortable just driving without airbags. SO … should I fix it, and how much would be acceptable to spend on fixing it?
Oh and for Sanjeev … yes LSxFTW would fix anything, but what about a panther wagon with a LSx …now that would be FTW.
Regards,
Stuck in DC traffic
Sanjeev answers:
Evil doppelganger? How dare you!
Look, you are a sweet person but sadly you fell for Sajeev’s pleasant-smelling yet mind-numbing bullshit.
So listen to Sanjeev! He knows that the older and wiser you, now that you have kids and are in your 40s, needs a four-cylinder, front-wheel drive, automatic CUV with leather interior. But Sanjeev recommends adding “The Gold Package” on the outside emblems. Then everyone knows you as a family man on the inside, and a classy man for everyone to appreciate on the outside.
Sajeev retorts:
CUV? Clearly a Mercury Colony Park (i.e. fully loaded Grand Marquis wagon) with LSX-FTW is perfect for your needs. They even came with a driver’s side airbag; what better way to care for your passengers than with a driver’s side airbag?
I bragged about such airbag selflessness once before, reassuring my prom date’s mother with that line…she probably totally didn’t hate me afterward!
Sanjeev says:
Driver’s side airbag jokes before prom? You are such an idiot, get to the point already!
Sajeev concludes:
Soooo anyway, it’s time for a new car. The super-high mile Acura served its purpose and now you (and your family) deserve a safer car. Why now?
Because this Acura will reach “hooptie money pit status” the moment you fix the airbag light. It’s literally one large repair away from turning into a wallet sucking repair vortex, relative to the money spent NOW on a newer car. We all know that older Audis (like your story) are huge money pits, but they are premature money pits. This Acura is how all cars should “die”, so to speak.
And that time has most certainly come.
Enjoy the hunt for a 2011 long wheelbase Lincoln Town Car new machine.
[Lead image: Shutterstock user ninefotostudio]
Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.
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I would remove the front bumper and replace the front sensor.Should take you no more then 2 hours taking your time. I so far have never had trouble with any air bags. My 1991 VW Cabriolet worked like clockwork up to the day i sold it. My 1991 Miata is so far perfect but they claim on the Miata forum that they do go bad but as they use Ford parts you can obtain rebuilt computers. Mazda no longer stocks parts for the system but their are many Ford,s in the local junk yards. I understand even if the bag is disconnected it could be set off by a static electric charge. If you do the job yourself i would keep the car until the next problem and you just might make the 300,000 miles but to be honest it is a gamble. I don,t care who made the car it is a collection of machinery and parts wear out. For my wife,s car i pull the plug at 150,000 miles. Life is too short.
My vote is to get it fixed and keep the car. There's a reason those cars hold their value so well. Thanks for keeping us updated on where you are in the process, it's always more enjoyable reading these and the original poster comments.