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Older Acura TLs

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Comments

  • fuzzywuzzyfuzzywuzzy Member Posts: 958
    Your buying a $30K+ car there should be no reason to buy cheap gas if the car takes premium. You can use it. The cars ECU will compensate, you will get worse MPG & worse perforamnce though.
  • mobofemobofe Member Posts: 51
    i agree with you - i find my self doing that alot. i wish it would have an option to cycle through - it makes much more sense. unfortunately, i have no solution to this annoyance.
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    Has anyone found the rear headrests a bit too high that can partially clock a driver's rear view? And also while the two main rear seats are comfy, the central rear is not at all. I guess TL's more meant to be 4-seated car?
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    Rear-ward vision is a bit restricted in the TL. And not only because of the headrests. The smallish back door windows and back light are also contributing factors. I find I have to crank my neck a bit to get a better view when backing up.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    I'm a writer working on a story for Acura Style, the magazine that is sent to all Acura owners. I'd like to talk to early buyers of the new A-Spec package for the TL. If you've bought one and are willing to tell me what you think of it, please send me an email at jennielp@aol.com.

    Thanks.

    Jennie Phipps
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    pat's real name is Jennie Phipps?
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Ah -- the secret is out. :)
  • lobito17lobito17 Member Posts: 20
    1. Can you use the auto off headlights without having the chime ring when you exit the car? I like to use this feature, but it kind of defeats the purpose if it sounds off each time you open the door with the lights on.

    2. Can you increase the volume of the beep that signals that you have properly locked the car with the remote? I have put it to "beep sound on" in the Key settings, but I still can't hear it.

    Blerner2 -- Glad someone else noticed that XM radio deficiency. (Not being able to see artist and song without manually toggling.) It's been driving me crazy!
  • gbriankgbriank Member Posts: 220
    paul: Yes, the cheap mats included in the car suck. Acura All-Seasons are worth the $$$.

    bodble: Stop contorting your neck, get the rear park sensors.... I did!
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    The rear park sensor costs $$, and I'm not sure I like the effect on the looks of rear bumper. Also what happens if someone bumps your rear bumper. Any chance of the sensors getting damaged?
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    Apparently you cannot increase the volume of the lock confirmation "beep", much to my chagrin. But it shouldn't be so feint that you can't hear it though. Stand on the other side of the car and see if you can hear it.
  • aciampiaciampi Member Posts: 66
    I spoke to my dealer yesterday about this because I find it very annoying that it is at such a low volume. They called Acura for me and said that there is no way of raising the volume. And the reason they gave me for it being so low was that last year they recieved a lot of complaints because the beep was way to loud. So maybe next year they will find that happy medium.
  • kahunahkahunah Member Posts: 448
    "last year they received a lot of complaints because the beep was way to loud"

    I think it has more to do with the new car's improved sound deadening and Acura just didn't account for this.
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    Why is it related to new car's improved sound deafening? This is to be heard from outside of the car right? On ES you can adjust the volume. In fact, even tho TL comes with some firsts like DVD-a and BT, I found a few already luxy features on ES like this and a few others (eg., auto rain sensing wipers, power one touch up-down for all windows, rear power sunshades) missing. I am kinda disappointed about it. But then TL does have revertng side mirrors on R gear, and the remote can set the seats b4 entrance. Maybe I am expecting too much from the latest stud.
  • lobito17lobito17 Member Posts: 20
    Any responses to the auto headlights question?
  • gbriankgbriank Member Posts: 220
    I paid $578 US installed. I think it is worth it. They don't look half bad on the bumper, and I am not sure if someone hitting you would damage them. But doesn't insurance cover that? The way I see it, they save me money. These new cars coming out are longer and definitely harder to see out of. The sensors have saved my rear atleast twice now while backing up.
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    "These new cars coming out are longer and definitely harder to see out of."

    The thing is TL is shorter than b4! The only reason rear sensors become a topic on this near-lux. mid-size sport sedan is because the rear visibilty is poor (small rear window + high rear headrests, and high/tall trunk...). Got to be a minus from inside looking back/out.
  • kenm8kenm8 Member Posts: 71
    We noticed on the test drive last October that the rear headrests significantly reduce rear visibility, especially for my wife who is a few inches over 5 ft tall. When we purchased the car, our solution was to remove the rear headrests and put them in the trunk for usage on those rare occasions when having a passenger(s) in the back seat. My wife traded in a 2001 TL and it had better visibility in all directions than does the 2004. Most every other aspect of the 2004 TL was improved over the previous generation except for visibility which was made worse.
  • kahunahkahunah Member Posts: 448
    Yes, rear visibility could be better which is why I thought a rear camera system would be perfect for the TL, since a center display screen is already in place. The TL Concept featured this technology in place of side-view mirrors.
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    to show what's behind? BTW, when installed can it really replace side mirrors' views?
  • raherraher Member Posts: 99
    I was in a friends Lexus SUV the other day and it has a view on the NAV screen when you are backing up. I thought is was pretty cool. I decided it was fairly useless in most situations however.
    I was downtown last night in the rain and had to back up to get to a parking spot. The visibility sucked as the rain and the reflection of the street lights on the rear window pretty much obscured whatever vision was possible. Looking into your NAV while backing up on busy city streets isn't really an option since you have to be loking for cars and where you are going while in reverse. The TL does have limited visibility out the back window and the side mirrors are very small.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    Yeah, I do find the side mirrors kind of small, especially coming from the CL which has elephant ears for side mirrors! Of course, the upside to the small mirrors is super side visibility when cornering.

    In regard to igiban's question, the rear sensor option on the TL is not a rear camera, is it? I think the rear sensor just emits a beeping sound as you back closer to an object.
  • paulg54paulg54 Member Posts: 60
    Can anyone who owns a TL please describe the floor mat with other adjectives besides suck. I am trying to figure out whether there are several different carpet floor mats available and I just got stuck with some lousy ones or not.

    These are a thinner carpet, the logo is not embroidered in, and the backing is gray sponge. Is this "normal?"
  • aciampiaciampi Member Posts: 66
    The ones you describe are the same mats that came with my car. As far as I know the only optional mats are the all season rubber mats. But if you decide not to spend the money on the rubber mats you could always do what I did. Hit the nearest BJ's Wholesale Club and pick up a set for $15 and cut them to size. I saved quite a bit and only took me about 2 min. to cut the correct amount off the sides to make a perfect fit.
  • kahunahkahunah Member Posts: 448
    The floor mat sets for both my TLs (00 & 04) are still in their original packaging and I don't plan to use them until I sell the cars. Instead, I opted for all weather rubber mats in both cars.
  • paulg54paulg54 Member Posts: 60
    Well, at least now I know these are stock. The Honda mats were quite heavy, with a rubber, knobby backing. They were not light with a gray sponge as the TL's. I found a company (ggbailey) that you could design your own carpet mats but further reading says they are also sponge on the back.

    I guess I'll opt. for the all weathers if they cover the whole floor.
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    is just one of the clues which make me feel that TL's saving a bit on the luxury dept. (esp. materials). Lexus' is certainly nicer (well in this case even Honda beats it). The all seasons mats are heavy duty but don't look as refined for a luxury car's interior.
  • paulg54paulg54 Member Posts: 60
    I know Lexus is known for their luxury, but they definitely give over the sporting side to Acura. With the exception of the now dated IS300, their all pretty much BLVD/HWY cruisers.

    One place Acura's luxury really shines is in the rear wheel wells with this carpet like material instead of hard undercoating. :) What's up with this stuff? I just got to work in the rain and heard the car "draining" from the wheel well. I thought my dog had followed me to work and was going on the tire again.
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    Yep ES is long on luxury but short on sport. Between TL and ES it seems that the trade off is quite obvious. IS is too small a 'sedan'. The next GS or RL can be a nice have-both sedan, but will be 10K more at least I think. For 30K you get more on one or the other but not both. It's a pity. If TL can be just a bit more luxurious with finer materials it'd be perfect, but the world is not.
  • blerner2blerner2 Member Posts: 47
    I'm sure this may have been discussed somewhere before:

    I just noticed on my '04 TL there is what I'll call a "Dummy Plate" next to the VSA and Mirror switches, that is typcially put on when a customer opts out of a certain option.

    Since there are no options (and I don't think its'related to Nav units) does anyone know what this is for? Plans for a switch for a future option by Acura perhaps?
  • kphkph Member Posts: 40
    Interesting discussion on Slashdot today about an admission by Nokia that their Bluetooth phones have a security problem.

    http://slashdot.org/articles/04/02/10/0654252.shtml?tid=126&t- id=137&tid=172&tid=193

    Being involved in such issues in my work, I am saddened to see such a fundamental issue get missed -- especially since cell phone companies have had to worry about security issues on the phone communications protocols for years.

    Wonder if the other manufacturers are better?
  • jlmvcrjlmvcr Member Posts: 6
    Can anyone tell me where I can find a list of these phones that work in Canada.

    Thanks
  • soljcsoljc Member Posts: 11
    For those who are interested, the frontal crash ratings for the '04 TL have been posted.

    http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCAP/Cars/2641.html
  • kahunahkahunah Member Posts: 448
    Although not a feature you would normally see on many high end luxury cars, they do come in handy when installing aftermarket options on the TL, such as fog lights, suspension hydraulics, nitrous-oxide, anti-gravity generator, cloaking device, warp-speed engine, and photon torpedoes. : )
  • danny1878danny1878 Member Posts: 339
    Are you talking about The Enterprise or Starcraft?
  • kahunahkahunah Member Posts: 448
  • danny1878danny1878 Member Posts: 339
    I dunno why my cloaking device does not work properly. Wherever I go, I always find people staring at the car(especially the KLINGON). Could it be a malfunction of the neutron accelerator? or its just the anti matter generator
  • brew99brew99 Member Posts: 86
    Buried on the acura.ca website under "High Tech Features" from the home page is a small section on the bluetooth phone feature. They then list two things "Compatible phones" and "Supported Phones" but don't describe the difference between what that means. Also, if you click through on the phones it takes you to the Fido website for more info. I have not found anything anywhere that is a reliable list for Cda. Bell Mobility after talking to them say they have no phones that are compatible and they are the largest carrier in Cda. pmf13 in the meet the members discussion group mentioned that Rogers does have some phones. I checked with the dealer a couple of times on the question and they had no clue......

    http://www.acura.ca/AcuraEng/Innovation/Technology/Related/HiTech- Features.htm
  • kahunahkahunah Member Posts: 448
    Buddy of mine is a "big wig" at Motorola Canada. He told me they're coming out with Bluetooth products for Canada very soon (couple of months ±). Most likely will be available through Rogers first. Soon as I have more info, I will post.
  • raherraher Member Posts: 99
    So I decided the stereo in the TL needs more power. First stop was the internet to search for 5.1 power amps. I wasn't sure they even existed since the TL has the only one in a production automobile. I ended up at Audiobahn.com. Nice stuff. The following is the spec sheet and a short description. This is the only 5.1 power amp I have found yet.

    Audiobahn has created a true sonic monster with our new A5100T. With 6
    RCA inputs, two separate power supplies and crossovers for front, rear, center and subwoofer channels, we're not messing around. The center channel is giving out 75 watts, while the front 2 channels are at 125 watts and the rear 2 channels are at 75 watts a piece. The best part is that th subwoofer portion of the amp contains a
    separate high current power supply that is putting out 300 watts at 4 ohm and is 1 ohm stable. This amp is so sweet you could go into insulin shock.

                                                       

    A5100T 5.1 surround amplifier
    Class A/B MOSFET — High Current Hybrid Circuitry PWM MOSFET Power Supplies Double Sided Glass Epoxy Circuit Board
    THD: 0.02%
    S/N Ratio: >100dB
    Frequency Response: 10Hz - 40KHz (+/- 1dB)
    Variable 18dB Hi-pass Crossovers: 30Hz- 500Hz
    Variable 18dB Low-pass Crossovers:30Hz To 120Hz
    Center Channel Hi-Pass, Full or Bandpassfor Mid-bass
    Bass boost @ 45Hz: 0/18dB
    6-Channel RCA Input Connections
    3-way Protection Circuitry: Thermal,Short Circuit and Overload; Cooling Fan
    Cobalt Blue Illumination
    High gloss Chrome Plated Finish
    Nickel Plated Block Terminals

    Circuit City was shown as a distributor so I ambled over there at lunch today. Yes they can get it and yes...it is $1200. They were doing some checking for me to see if there are any installation issues. I think the Acura ad men say the TL stereo is 270 Watts? but I can't find out how that is split. I also doubt the sub-woofer will handle 300 watts but that just means replacing it. You can never have too much power under the hood or in the trunk in the form of a power amp! It will take some real talking on my part to convince my wife this is something we can't live without but she listens to music in the car all day every day so I will be persistent..
  • mdhaukemdhauke Member Posts: 202
    Thanks for the info and please keep us up to date. I am interested in getting more power out of the system. I like my music loud sometimes.
  • pmf13pmf13 Member Posts: 68
    Kahuna, the dealer told me not to let the Americans know about the special options only available on Canadian models! That's what we get instead of XM radio.
  • automophileautomophile Member Posts: 780
    It may be a lot simpler to replace the speakers. A 3dB increase in sensitivity is like doubling the amp power. ALL standard auto speakers are well known for being the lowest cost product that will (somewhat) work.
  • raherraher Member Posts: 99
    I am anticipating I may have to replace the speakers but want to wait until I get the specs to decide. I recently replaced the OEM unit in my Dodge Durango ( it was an infinity based system )with a nice pioneer head unit with 50W per channel and the speakers sound much better because they are getting more power and it is much cleaner sounding. The tweeters are much more noticeable. Maybe the TL will do the same but I doubt it.
    It is like anything else you decide to upgrade, once you start there is no stopping because everything affects everything else and on and on and on. I am however looking forward to a really fine sound in a really nice car !
    I started reeling my wife in tonight as to why this needs to be a priority in our lives. She didn't give me as much resistance as I thought she might so I believe I am good to go.
    The adventure begins.
  • s4givens4given Member Posts: 11
    Thought I'd let you all know. After reading these posts (THANKS GUYS & GALS) and doing a lot of checking, I ended up today with a 2000 TL, with Navigation. There are almost 75,000 on the odometer, which I'm a little concerned about.

    It seems she's been babied. Hardly a scratch on her. Obviously garaged. Barely any outward signs of wear.

    QUESTION - With 75K on the odometer, should I be expecting some major repair bills in the near future. The TL has received many high ratings for reliability, but you guys know best. I have read that there have been transmission issues.
  • s4givens4given Member Posts: 11
    I also wanted to add XM Satellite radio to my 2000 TL if possible. Has anyone done this?

    Thanks in advance.

    Also, I paid $13K for it. Couldn't believe the price. I think I did very well. Any comments on this would also be appreciated.
  • kahunahkahunah Member Posts: 448
    s4given - Wow $13k. My wife's 2000 TL (that I babied during the four years I drove it) has about the same mileage on it. It runs like day one...very strong and smooth. And, I never had a tranny problem (knock on wood). Along with regularly scheduled maintenance (highly recommended), you will have to change the timing belt soon.
  • s4givens4given Member Posts: 11
    Kahuna - Thanks for the reply. Timing belt should run around $400 US I believe. I'll have to check. The tranny is shifting just fine in the 150 miles I've put on it. I'll keep my fingers crossed on it.

    The dealer knocked an additional $500 off the price during final negotiations today, bringing the purchase price down to $12,500. I found out that they were about to dump the car at an auction from one of the porters. I'm now convinced I've got a really great deal. Lucky me. Other 2000 owners take heart...I couldn't find a single one in the Chicago area this nice for even close to that. I really believe it's a one-off. They are going for even a little more than that on eBay.

    Anyone have any experience on getting XM in the 2000 TL? Thanks in advance.
  • kahunahkahunah Member Posts: 448
    Have you considered purchasing an extended warranty package (just in case)?
  • montrealloumontreallou Member Posts: 25
    I can't figure this out from the manual. Is VSA on when yellow triangle is on the dash, or is it off?
    When I start the car there is no yellow triangle, and it comes on only when I press the VSA OFF button. But since there is no light on the button itself, I do not know which is on and which is off! The OFF button is obviosly an ON/OFF button, so what is which and when????

    BTW, had my '04 TL w/Navi for a month now and have never been happier with any car I ever purchased. I hope this keeps up.
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