Buried on the TL site is a page that lists all the phones that are currently compatible with the BT Handsfree. Sorry, I don't remember seeing the Panasonic on it. In addition to BlueTooth capability, there is a particular protocall that it must also have.
They was a sports sedan comparison in Car and Driver March issue for sedans around 35k. It included the TL,G35,Jag X type,Saab 9.3,IS300,325i,Audi 3.0 A6 quattro all had manual transmissions. The TL came in at 3rd,BMW 2nd and G35 first. They said the TL needed to be rear wheel drive, complained about the torque steer but praised the interior and equipment. TL came in first at the track with 5.8 next was the G at 6.3.
1. They knew TL is a FWD car but they still put it in the list even they knew that RWD is a "gotta have" factor. RWD feeling is intangible but TL not on top of the list is a good marketing strategy.
2. TL won almost in every category but RWD feeling? lol
3. Only stat numbers are measurable/agreeable easily.
4. 325i won, what a surprise. Even 330i cannot outrun G35. 5. Won 3rd place not bad for an alien car 6. Sport sedan doesnt need to be fast (conclusion)
TL, if I remember correctly, was only one point behind the BMW. And I think some of the categories are subjectively rated. I drove a 6spd yesterday and it was sweet!
Premium fuel is "recommended" for TL. I just checked my local gas stations this morning for prices comparing Regular Vs. Premium (1.73/gal, 1.95/gal). That is 12% more for Premium. Which means if one got 30MPG on Reg fuel one would have to get 33.6MPG to break even on cost of fuel.
I really doubt one could gain that much from Premium fuel usage. Every 8 fill-ups of reg. fuel one would get an extra tank of fuel over the use of premium.
However, you will "lose" by using regular. You will lose power, you will likely lose MPG, and you will lose in resale value if you are honest with the person buying your car, and tell them you were willing to take a chance on your $30K car just to save $10 per month.
When I was shopping for a relatively expensive used car last year ($25-35K), every time the guy said "I use the mid-grade, premium is just a rip-off" (10 cents), I just moved on to the next car. If a guy will do that to save money, what other things have been neglected on the car?
I looked at a '01 BMW 325i convertible. Almost three years old, and only had 6800 miles. It looked perfect. The guy saved a grand total of $30 on fuel over the three years he had the car by using mid-grade. Thanks, but no thanks.
I just bought the gold TL last Saturday. The rear speakers (not subwoofer) don't seem to be doing much. Most of the sound comes from the front which seems opposite. They put a little sound out, so I know they are connected, but it just isn't much even when the sound is moved to the rear only. Anyone else feel like this or is just me.
I emailed Crutchfield to see what they would suggest replacing the rear speakers with.
Sorry to hear that. Make sure they replace the ECU also. That was added last year as a cause of the problems too. I also heard that some people get remanufactured trannys, & some get new ones. They use whatever Acura sends them. Hope you get a new one. Good luck.
what do you really lose by not using premium? For TL it may provide more than enough power for most even if non-premium is used, and MPG gain could very well be just a washout by $$. Is there proof that non-premium gas makes the engine less durable or reliable? I know it's no $$ between them but that does not mean it makes $sense$ to go premium, if you care less about a drop of 20 HP.
How does the stereo sound in CD, FM, or XM mode? I know from the reviews it is supposed to be great in DVD audio, but how about the other modes? Is it better than most systems? My 2003 MDX Bose system sounds like crap!
I think it sounds much better than the one in my CL-S. But to be honest, when I played the demo disc, I couldn't really notice the difference between 2 channel and the 5.1 surround. But then again my hearing ain't the sharpest!
For one thing, engines with retarded timing run hotter. The issue is that the engine is being forced to run in a non-normal mode. Its kinda like driving with the brakes on to keep the speed down.
When I ran this test with my previous car, my gas mileage dropped more than 12% with regular. But, let's say, it only dropped 8%. Now you are only talking about a 4% cost difference - about the cost of hamburger per month, so why worry about it and give up the performance that just MIGHT get you out of a jam one day?
You are buying a $32-35K car. If a couple of dollars a month is scaring you, maybe you bought the wrong car.
I have to agree with automophile, whats the point of purchasing a vehicle with exceptional power if all you want to do is limit it by cheeping out on the gas. You might as well buy a Grand Prix instead. Overall price is less, uses regular gas, and has about 240 or 260hp.
As far as headroom goes, I am 6'6" and I need the seat all the way back and down inorder to for my head not to hit the roof and my knees not to be in my chin. The worse thing about that is that only a small person could fit behind me. And the only problem I have for my size in the drivers seat is that it is kind of a pain getting in and out because the steering wheel doesn't go high enough. But other than that it is actually the only vehicle in the price range that I could fit the most comfortably. I also looked into a Lincoln LS which is bigger than the TL and I actually had less room. And I also made a mistake in trying to get into a 3 series BMW at a car show. To be perfectly honest the only vehicle that could actually fit me comfortably in the drivers seat and fit another person my size comfortably behind me was a 7 Series BMW and I can't see myself putting out that much money so that someone can fit behind me especially now that they made the car look like crap and changed everything around to take away its "ultimate driving machine" status.
red or yellow? Having seen a only few TLs streak past, I don't recall seeing any of them signal a lane change or turn. It seems a small thing, but in congested traffic I find yellow turn signals much easier to see. Red ones are easy to miss in the peripheral vision. Do they have some yellow LEDs hidden behind that red lens? (Of course, the addition of European-style side marker lights is a good thing.)
Automophile is right, if you're looking to pinch pennies by skimping on gas with a TL, why the hell didn't you save some real bucks and just buy an Accord? It's a perfectly fine car that runs on regular and, according to my calculations, the $10,000 you would save over a TL would be the equivalent of driving 1.2 million miles on regular instead of premium gas. At 16k miles per year, that would take me approximately twice as long as my remaining life expectancy to achieve.
Reminds me of a friend who buys a new $2,000 set of golf clubs every other year and then gets Top Flite (i.e. "Rock Flight") golf balls on sale at $15 for 18 instead of $40 dozen Titlest Professionals. Then he wonders why I can spin the ball on the green and his approach shots bounce over. Duh. (I tell him it must be his clubs).
Look, as anyone who has actually done the math knows, skimping 20 cents a gallon on gas results in no more than a $160 per year savings (20,000 miles per year, 25 mpg average), assuming no reduction in performance or fuel efficiency. Cut that figure in half if your mpg drops by 1.25 miles per gallon.
If you are really searching for a way to save a nickel and you are feeling lucky, increase your collision deductable to $1,000. Or drop it altogether. My guess is that one years worth of insurance premium savings would equate to more dollars than running regular gas for the next 10.
You are right, drop all of your auto insurance if possible. What are the odds of your car being stolen or being in an accident? Same thing with fire insurance on your home.
Re-read my post. I said increase the collision deductable. Not drop comprehensive. The only risk you will be taking is one that YOU control.
But by all means, if you'd rather take a chance with a TL's engine than reliance upon your own driving ability, go ahead and dilute the regular gas with tap water and save even more money.
Why does this even come up with respect to a $30k+ car?
I belive the rear turn signals are all red and are oriented as a vertical strip on the outside edge of the brake lights. I was somewhat disappointed in this design, both because of the non-contrasting color (as you mentioned) but also because they also seemed smaller than average and easily missed.
Yes, I checked the fader and turned it completely to the rear. With the volume set at, let's say 10, you would have to turn the volume up to 20 or more to get the same kind of volume out of the rear speakers.
What about any DSP settings (if the radio has them)? On mine it has settings for driver's seat, rear seat or all. Make sure that's not causing it. If not it sounds like a defect.
The only thing that Jaguar and Ford share in their 3.0L engine is the block. Different cylinder linings, pistons, heads (Jag uses VVT heads, Ford does not. Lincoln does as of 2003 but it's a totally different design not at all related to the Jag design), intake, PCM, etc. The Jag 3.0L makes 240 hp or so. The Ford version makes 210.
The same is true (in reverse) for the Jag 3.9L V8 used in the LS. The block is the same - after that it's unique to each mfr. Even though both are owned by Ford they don't share everything.
From what I understand before Ford took Jaguar older Jaguar's were like Kia quality. Now Jaguar's are of better quality since Ford has taken over.
About re-sales TL's have good resale value. The 96-98 and 99-03 models resale value is pretty impressive. Not as good as the 3 Series but pretty good. The issue of Resale value cars priced at 30 K are over are more important than cars priced at 20-25K.
No I am not looking to save big bucks over gas. I am just wondering why TL's Aluminum Alloy 3.2-liter, 24-Valve, SOHC VTEC™V-6 has to have premium and Accord's Aluminum Alloy 3.0-liter, 24-Valve, SOHC VTEC™V-6 does not. I know TL gives you 30 more HP on 6200 RPM, but is that it? Let's say I like TL over Accord but I only care to have 240 HP vs. 270, what's wrong with using non-premium? Is TL's engine calibrated to prefer premium other than HP and MPG sake?
Thanks akirby, I'll take a look at that and see if anything else is going on. I hadn't thought about any other settings assuming everything would be "right" from the factory.
Engines are tuned differently for different applications. Without looking I assume the TL engine is high compression while the accord engine is not. High compression engines require premium to avoid early detonation (knocking). If you use less octane gas than what the engine is designed for the computer must retard the timing to avoid early detonation. This will decrease your MPG. So what good does it do to buy less expensive gas if you have to buy more of it? I've seen several real world examples (one mentioned here) where the drop in mpg exceeded the savings in fuel cost.
The real question should be why would you pay more for fuel and get less power and a lower range?
I don't know what damage you could do to an engine by running it with retarded timing all the time, but it can't be good for it. The engineers didn't decide to use premium for no reason.
And please post your VIN number so nobody here makes the mistake of buying your car after you've abused it.
The passenger mirror will tilt if you push the power mirror switch to the passenger side. However, you can't make both mirrors tilt at the same time (nor would you really need to).
Take it easy dude. You seem to drink high octane too . I am just looking into getting a TL. I just recalled seeing a post quoting Honda/Acura enginners that even Acura cars can run regular just fine w/o damage to cars. MPG may suffer but may or may not offset the cost increase...
From what every Acura dealer has told me is that you can use regular without worry of damage. Due to the computers and sensors in the TL it can make the appropriate changes so that damage does not occur. So it is my understanding that you can use whatever grade you wish. The only warning I have always been told is that you should generally use the same grade everytime you fill-up. In other words if you are going to use regular, then always fill with regular. Once in a great while you can put in premium but that should be few and far between.
Here is a heavy topic. I was wondering what others thought of the TL's floormats. Mine have a sponge on the back and a TL logo that has already peeled off.
Because by switching back and forth between grades you can actually do damage to the engine. Take the TL for example, it is recomended that you use no less than 91 octane because the engine is precisely engineered for performance driving and the engine compression ratio is tuned accordingly. Now you put in 84 octane and because the technology is there it will change the compression ratio to run as smoothly as it can using that grade because of the knock sensors and various computers. Also your engine will also get used to operating a certin way. Now if you have always used premium but for some reason this one time you added regular nothing bad will really happen because it is a once in a great while occurance. But if it becomes more frequent you engine is basicly going into overtime trying to constantly compensate for the change and just as it finds where it should be it is being told to change again.
When you say the standard floor mats suck. Do you mean the backing on the mat is sponge and not heavy black rubber with the "nubs" that keep them where they're placed. Is there a cheaper mat that was switched by the dealer?
Look - You can run regular for an emergency without damaging the engine, but it is designed for premium. In addition, it will cost you MORE in the long run to use regular.
You can also run it with smaller tires to save the cost of buying new ones as well, but you'll buy more tires and suffer worse performance.
My 2000 TL never, ever tasted anything but premium fuel and it still runs as smoothly and flawlessly as the first day I got it. That's why my 2004 TL, also will never taste anything but premium fuel.
I've read through the manual and can see that by pressing the "DSP-Mode" button you can alternate the display through the cycle "Radio Station Number, Station Name, XM Category, Artist Name, Artist Title".
What I'd really like for it to do is alternate the display between Artist Name & Title once you settle on a channel. The only time it seems to do this is when a new song comes on one of the stations.
It's a little frustrating to have to hit the DSP button (if you have it set to Artist) to bring up the title (and vice versa).
I thought most of the Aftermarket Sat radios displayed Artist Name and Title at the same time.
I understand their are limits to the display characters (hence my question as to whether you can get the radio to cycle between Artist and Title).
Comments
2. TL won almost in every category but RWD feeling? lol
3. Only stat numbers are measurable/agreeable easily.
4. 325i won, what a surprise. Even 330i cannot outrun G35.
5. Won 3rd place not bad for an alien car
6. Sport sedan doesnt need to be fast (conclusion)
I really doubt one could gain that much from Premium fuel usage. Every 8 fill-ups of reg. fuel
one would get an extra tank of fuel over the use of premium.
When I was shopping for a relatively expensive used car last year ($25-35K), every time the guy said "I use the mid-grade, premium is just a rip-off" (10 cents), I just moved on to the next car. If a guy will do that to save money, what other things have been neglected on the car?
I looked at a '01 BMW 325i convertible. Almost three years old, and only had 6800 miles. It looked perfect. The guy saved a grand total of $30 on fuel over the three years he had the car by using mid-grade. Thanks, but no thanks.
regards,
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I emailed Crutchfield to see what they would suggest replacing the rear speakers with.
When I ran this test with my previous car, my gas mileage dropped more than 12% with regular. But, let's say, it only dropped 8%. Now you are only talking about a 4% cost difference - about the cost of hamburger per month, so why worry about it and give up the performance that just MIGHT get you out of a jam one day?
You are buying a $32-35K car. If a couple of dollars a month is scaring you, maybe you bought the wrong car.
As far as headroom goes, I am 6'6" and I need the seat all the way back and down inorder to for my head not to hit the roof and my knees not to be in my chin. The worse thing about that is that only a small person could fit behind me. And the only problem I have for my size in the drivers seat is that it is kind of a pain getting in and out because the steering wheel doesn't go high enough. But other than that it is actually the only vehicle in the price range that I could fit the most comfortably. I also looked into a Lincoln LS which is bigger than the TL and I actually had less room. And I also made a mistake in trying to get into a 3 series BMW at a car show. To be perfectly honest the only vehicle that could actually fit me comfortably in the drivers seat and fit another person my size comfortably behind me was a 7 Series BMW and I can't see myself putting out that much money so that someone can fit behind me especially now that they made the car look like crap and changed everything around to take away its "ultimate driving machine" status.
Reminds me of a friend who buys a new $2,000 set of golf clubs every other year and then gets Top Flite (i.e. "Rock Flight") golf balls on sale at $15 for 18 instead of $40 dozen Titlest Professionals. Then he wonders why I can spin the ball on the green and his approach shots bounce over. Duh. (I tell him it must be his clubs).
Look, as anyone who has actually done the math knows, skimping 20 cents a gallon on gas results in no more than a $160 per year savings (20,000 miles per year, 25 mpg average), assuming no reduction in performance or fuel efficiency. Cut that figure in half if your mpg drops by 1.25 miles per gallon.
If you are really searching for a way to save a nickel and you are feeling lucky, increase your collision deductable to $1,000. Or drop it altogether. My guess is that one years worth of insurance premium savings would equate to more dollars than running regular gas for the next 10.
But by all means, if you'd rather take a chance with a TL's engine than reliance upon your own driving ability, go ahead and dilute the regular gas with tap water and save even more money.
Why does this even come up with respect to a $30k+ car?
The same is true (in reverse) for the Jag 3.9L V8 used in the LS. The block is the same - after that it's unique to each mfr. Even though both are owned by Ford they don't share everything.
About re-sales TL's have good resale value. The 96-98 and 99-03 models resale value is pretty impressive. Not as good as the 3 Series but pretty good. The issue of Resale value cars priced at 30 K are over are more important than cars priced at 20-25K.
I'll take a look at that and see if anything else is going on. I hadn't thought about any other settings assuming everything would be "right" from the factory.
The real question should be why would you pay more for fuel and get less power and a lower range?
I don't know what damage you could do to an engine by running it with retarded timing all the time, but it can't be good for it. The engineers didn't decide to use premium for no reason.
And please post your VIN number so nobody here makes the mistake of buying your car after you've abused it.
Why's that?
The Honda had better floormats.
Per the placard posted on the fuel door, "PREMIUM UNLEADED FUEL ONLY".
You can also run it with smaller tires to save the cost of buying new ones as well, but you'll buy more tires and suffer worse performance.
Just buy an Accord if 270 hp scares you.
What I'd really like for it to do is alternate the display between Artist Name & Title once you settle on a channel. The only time it seems to do this is when a new song comes on one of the stations.
It's a little frustrating to have to hit the DSP button (if you have it set to Artist) to bring up the title (and vice versa).
I thought most of the Aftermarket Sat radios displayed Artist Name and Title at the same time.
I understand their are limits to the display characters (hence my question as to whether you can get the radio to cycle between Artist and Title).
Any thoughts?