Older Acura TLs

carguy58

I hate when people do that. This guy in his Lincoln did that to me once. He thought I had my high beams on when it was just the effect of the blue lights I have on my 02 CL. Also don't like when a person in their BMW throws their high beams on you. The person in the BMW has their bluelights on and I do too and then the guy in his BMW throws his high beams and you get blinded. I wish the luxury car companies never did the bluelight trend. Its my own fault I bought the car and thats it.

jay238

I also get flashed when I drive my 2001 CL. I've even made sure the headlights are aligned properly. It's just that HIDs produce a whiter light.

I just flash my high beams to let them know these are NOT hi beams. They have to know i'm just using lo beams.

s852

Normally the lighs are no problem, but the other day a BMW approached and the lights were blinding even though I'm pretty sure they were low beams.
The really need to make sure the lights are pointed down on the road and not into the faces of oncoming drivers.

varmint

I've heard that certain HIDs are more likely to "go fractal" than typical halogens. A dirty lens can deflect the light to places where it shouldn't shine.

Can't recall where I read that, though.

automophile

In adddition to the consequences mentioned by jaydoll, the thought is that bearing surfaces can become overheated at higher rpms before they are properly seated or worn in to each other. When this happens, the metal gets soft and "galls" becoming rough, producing higher friction for the life of the bearing. This leads to more heat, lowered gas mileage, higher oil useage, etc. etc.

Yes, new cars have much better tolerances, and Yes, oils are better than they used to be. However, modern cars have a LOT more moving parts than they used to, and they all have to "get to know each other" before operating at their best. Play it safe - keep the rpms down for at least 600-1000 miles.

rc999

I own a 2000 white pearl TL. Very proud of it.
My question is: do my 205/55R16 Toyo Garit HT
winter tires mounted on steel wheels will fit
on the '04 TL? Don't want to drive in heavy snow
with 235/45r17 tires even if they are winter tires.

gregory28

My local Best Buy had an excellent selection of these discs. I picked up The Doors "LA Woman" and Beach Boys "Pet Sounds". Best Buy was also cheaper than it's next door neighbor Border Books. I have a surround 5.1 system in my home and have a nice collection of DVD music videos. Unfortunately, because it has video they won't work in the TL (I don't have a navigation system, not sure if it would work, but doubt it). Just to reiterate, the Border Books clerk looked up their availability of DVD-A and there are only 800 titles available. So when I say my Best Buy had an excellent in-store collection I mean they had about 250 titles. http://www.amazon.com should have the complete DVD-A collection. The clerk said many new titles are coming for the Christmas rush.

gregory28

My steering wheel controls are illuminated very brightly. I have no problem seeing them at night, or any of the functions in the dashboard area. The person with the problem may have a bulb, electrical or fuse problem.

gregory28

The rubber nub at the top of the rear window is for the XM radio.

gregory28

Automophile, thanks. I'm no longer keeping it under 60 mph- 220 miles on the car. The difference in the way the engine sounds at 80 mph and 60 mph is neglible. I am keeping the rpms low though.

ruski

IMO BMW HIDs are the most blinding, they shine all over the place.

jaydoll

gregory28,

Regarding breakin, keep in mind what the red line of the engine is (6500rpm)?.If so, the only way you would be pushing it harder than you should be would using/abusing the manual shift function and hi-reving in low gears. Here is another thought for you, in years past, I have built several very expensive high performance 60s muscle car engines that involved lots of very costly machine shop work. The machinists have always advised me to vary the rpms in order to ensure that all of the moving parts in the engine are assured to get oil. In order to do this in the TL the solution is very easy, just drive as and have fun while trying to not make your first couple hundred miles highway driving where there is no variation in RPMs. Hope this helps. My TL pick up is bumped up to tomorrow. Refresh my memory, what color combo did you get?

Thanks,

J

bodble2

Thank you, my friend. Why didn't I think of that? No XM in Canada, hence no nub.

gregory28

Thanks, no red-lining for me. Have fun tomorrow!

green/parchment. Looks almost black at night. Has a deep rich look in the sun.

backcourt

Does anyone know if the under-body spoiler reduces the ground clearance, and if so, by how many inches? Thanks.

rc999

Made a mistake in # 1686 post message, should have written 215/55r16 instead of 205/55r16.

carguy58

I would buy a Base Model one not the Type S. The base model TL's of 02-03 do have some tranny problems but not as common as the Type S models have. I have a 02 CL(Base model)with 15,100 miles on it with no tranny troubles. You could probably just buy a 2001-2002 Mazda Millenia wich would probably just be as good as the TL if you are really worried about the tranny problems with the TL.

bartalk2

Tires for a softer ride. Yes, the ride over rough surfaces seemed too firm, almost harsh, aggravated by a very hard front seat. You have a solution?

bartalk2

I was told some time ago that if you live more than 75 miles from an Acura dealer, Honda will service your Acura, including warranty work.

brew99

Hello All, just wanted to relay my test drive experience. Fortunately my sales guy let me take the '04 TL on a solo run without him riding shotgun and it made for a very fun experience. As I was pulling down the on ramp to a major highway at a rather brisk pace I noticed a brand new SL500 approaching behind me in the far left lane also at a rather brisk pace. He naturally passed me being at full highway speed but slowed down long enough to give me the thumbs up. I thought it was quite interesting for a guy driving a $140k (Cdn) car to go out of his way to compliment the TL. The TL drive was very impressive and it is on the top of my list at the moment, however I think I will wait to see if prices come down from MSRP. Also, I found out what my trade was worth which was significantly less than anticipated.

njdriver2

my interior lights, buttons, steering wheel control etc., work perfectly. no problems reading the buttons. i also find that the nav system works rather nicely as does the bluetooth, now that i have got the right phone for the job. xm radio is great. that's a no brainer. the dvd DTS surround sound is also incredible!

s852

Even if that were true, the people who live even a mere 20 miles from the nearest Acura dealer will be incredibly incovenienced by warranty repairs especially if they need to drop the car off before work or pick the car up before the service department closes.

cmdpm

HID low beam alignment...

because of the incidents of being flashed by oncoming drivers that think you have your hi beams on...even after the height is determined to be correct (and there is a range, BTW), many companies are now lowering the low beam of the drivers side slightly below the passengers side. this reduces/eliminates the incidents of being flashed but still gives you a nice beam pattern and great visibility.

the visibility of HIDs is spectacular and i would never go back to halogens again.

1violinist

cmdpm: "...many companies are now lowering the low beam of the drivers side slightly below the passengers side."
I lived in Germany in the early 90s and that was required by the law! German drivers will flash you like crazy if you drive with your fog lights on, when there's no fog!

gregory28

Interesting.....my driver's side headlight low beam is definitely slightly lower than my passenger headlight low beam.

gregory28

The standard tires that come with the '04 TL- Bridgestone Turanza EL-42's have the following ratings: A for temperature, A for traction and 260 for performance. Size: P235/45/R17 93W M+S.

What is the expected mileage life of the tires? Are these Ultra High performance? How are they supposed to do in snow relative to other tires? I guess they have the max rating for temperature, but AA is the max rating for traction which presumably would be summmer tires?

mdhauke

A few states currently have legislation pending on banning HID headlights. There is a wave of complaints across the country that these lights are too bright and are causing accidents from people being blinded. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this HID backlash that’s in it’s infant stage blow up to something as big as using cell phones while driving.

chas083

Look at the consumer comments at tirerack.com regarding these tires. Acura put junk on their TL. They are not the only company to place these on on a premium car.
Standard rubber on the BMW 7- Series. I had 2 that were out of round. Bridgestone replaced these but I turned around and replaced the entire set with Contiextreme Contacts. Much better.

poolfool1

Why does Acura USA give a 4year Bumber to Bumber warranty vs, Acura Canada a 3 year Bumber to Bumber

USA 50,000 miles vs Canada 60,000 Kms

50,000 miles equals appox. 80,000 Kms

Someone must know why?
Is Acura not the Luxury Division of Honda?

All these other Luxury Makes give a 4yr / 80,000 Km in Canada

Lexus
Audi
BMW
Cadillac
Infiniti
Lincoln
M-Benz
Volvo
Jag
Saab
Crap even VW

Maybe Acura is not in the same class in Canada

I asked the Sales Manager a Toronto area Acura Dealer why there is a difference?

He said QUOTE " The US buyng public are more demanding" ....
"anyway if they give 4 yrs in the US that must mean that Acura has confidence in the vehicle and probably nothing major would go wrong in the 4th year any way"

WHAT????
I demaning also... All you posters from Canada do you feel like we're getting ripped??

rc999

WHAT????
I demaning also... All you posters from Canada do you feel like we're getting ripped??

Yes , I do because they don't sell the car in Canada with a rebate. I don't know what that means in terms of money saving for Acura Canada not giving us Canadians a fourth year warranty. I own a 2000 TL and I have to change the front rotors because they've got waves.If Acura Canada would have give 4 years bumper-to-bumper warranty, It would have cost me nothing!!!!

And what about the XM Satellite Radio ...
And the fog lights! And the Navi when you are getting out of big cities; you are losing lots of details...Don't know if it is the same in USA!

But even with thoses USA-Canada car differences, I will buy this car if the dealers in Greater Montreal area can find me one (silver/ebony w/nav).

jaydoll

gregory28,

Thanks for the endorsement of DCH. I picked it up today. I seem to have an occasional rattle coming from somewhere in the dash. Other than that, first my minor nit picks-no built in compass in the rear view mirror, ugly display color for the radio and info system. Can the lights auto shut off? if not they should (haven't read the manual yet)

Now the positives

Sound system is the best I've heard, period. Not that I would ever buy a car based on the sound system since I mostly listen to AM, but this system kicks. Compared to the $900 Bose audio in the Infiniti, there is no comparison.

Mid band power-lots of it. The car pulls hard well into the upper mid rpm range.

The abyss blue is a beautiful color and works very well with the Camel interior.

Parked next to mine was a siver with black interior. It had the front and back body kit on it. While I am not a fan of silver, and would never spend the the $1800 or so for the body kit, this car looked great with the body kit in silver/the black interior.
  
The dealer I bought from included the folowing goodies for me: splash guards/wheel locks/trunk mat/winter mats.

130 miles into it. Will report more after more miles.

njdriver2

I have about 230 miles on my car as of today. so far I can find only one thing that I can nit pick about. I don't find the front end appearance lives up to the rest of the car's lines. Driver seat is the most comfortable I have sat in so far. I drove an e320 and a g35, and sat in bmw 330 in show room. 3 series is way too small to be a practical 4 seater. headlights have auto shut off, read the manual. compass is located in navi system if you have one. i received wheel locks and all season floor mats. I think everyone is spliting hairs in comparing this car to other cars. the difference in ride quality and handling is modest. however, the interior of the tl is at the top of the market. no meaningful shortcuts to speak of.

ruski

why do German drivers hate to see fog lights when there is no fog?

1violinist

Well, German drivers are very proper and always do everything by the book. One time I forgot my indicator on and every car that passed me flashed their indicator twice and I got the message. I enjoyed driving in Germany, especially on the Autobahn where there is a "Minimum Speed" for each lane, and the left lane is actually the "fast" lane.
It would be a nice place to test drive a 2004 6MT TL! :-)

automophile

I know you are out enjoying your TL, instead of reading these boards tonight, yes?

I will get my TL next month when my current lease runs out. I will get the Anthracite / Ebony combo. This looks the most rich and luxurious to me.

Enjoy your car, just keeps those revs down for a while! Once those bearings are scarred, it's for life!

gregory28

jaydoll:

Congratulations on your purchase! I wish you many happy years of driving.

How was your dealer experience? Were they honest and did you feel like you payed a fair price? You should post the $details in the "prices paid" section. You should also "check in" into the "Members section".

You're the third person that I've seen-including myself- who has an occasional rattle coming from the dash area. I'm getting it checked this week and will report back on it.

Abyss blue/camel is a very nice combo. That was on my A-list of choices.

DCH of Montclair actually is one of the dealers I received a phone quote from. It's a bit too far for me to go.

I don't believe there's an auto shut off for the lights- I haven't read the manual yet either.

gregory28

Thanks for the info. I like you, am quite pleased with the purchase.

gregory28

You asked about cargo nets. I do have 2 cargo nets, one larger than the other. They were located next to the spare tire.

webby1

I raised that question a while ago and the answer I got was that Canadian Power Warranty is longer....100,000 Km or 5 yrs

torontotl

Thanks, I guess I didn't look closely enough for the second cargo net as I didn't know there was a second one at first. Now have that installed but not sure if I've done it right, but it does work.

dficco

Hello, all. Seems like most of you are pleased with the new TL. Stopped at the dealer yesterday to get a first hand look. The grey, parchment and camel interiors all look nice and each gives the car a distinct look. Any sense which of the the three would wear best over time? I am looking to buy a 6MT in the summer when my current lease is up. Thanks for your input.
Dane

gregory28

I have the parchment interior which I bought because I like the way it looks with the deep pearl green exterior. When you say wear I'm assuming you mean "which will stay cleaner longer?". The parchment is the worst of the three you mention. The best would be the one you didn't mention-ebony. Quartz (gray) I guess would be second best and camel would be third best.

I doubt you mean "which will last longer?". Obviuosly, they're all made of the exact same materials so it wouldn't matter which color you purchsased.

Good luck with your purchase.

1violinist

First you have to decide which exterior color you want, then see what interior colors are offered to choose from. My favorite is Quartz (gray) because it complements the black dash, the aluminum trim and the carbo-fiber wood. It doesn't show the dirt like the Parchment for example. Ebony is great but absorbs more heat, and also comes with black mats, which show dust and dirt very easily.
I guess color is a personal taste, but you have a lot of practical issues to consider. Good luck!

ihaberman

My preference for interiors is the ebony (the only one you didn't mention). I think it looks the richest, goes extraordinarily well with the real titanium accented interior, and stays looking its best the longest. Gregory28s green is a beautiful exterior color (it's not like most greens), but I'm not as big a fan of the light interiors - I think there's too many shades in the interior of the car with the black steering wheel and door handles, titanium trim down the dash, and faux wood. Just my opinion. But of all the light interiors, the parchment is my favorite.

dficco

Thanks for all of your comments. I'm not a big fan of black leather interiors-gets too hot in summer. Besides, it seems most people tend towards the black. The one drawback of both the parchment and camel is that they seem to clash with the aluminum trim somewhat. Both look good with the black steering wheel and upper dash though. The Quartz does match well with the carbon and aluminum, but just doesn't seem as intriguing as the lighter colors. Decisions, decisions...

automophile

I have a black interior in my Solara, and live in So. Calif. I don't have any problem with the black interior being hot. The glass is heat absorbent and I also have full tint on all the windows. The interior seems no hotter than any other car I'v had, and I like my cars cooool. The perforated leather is always confortable.

Maybe with older cars with clear glass and vinyl seats it was an issue.

njdriver2

Here's my first real bone of contention with the TL. During my visit to the show room, I noticed that two different display cars had pretty sizable dents in the aluminum strip on the driver side of the shifter console. When I inquired about this, the dealer said that the cars take a lot of abuse from some many folks sitting in them. For whatever reason, I accepted that response. Anyway, this evening I went to put my seat belt on and I barely touched the aluminum strip as I missed the buckle and guess what, I dented the strip. I barely touched it and it dented. This is aggravates me to no end. What do I do, go to the dealer and request new trim so I can dent it again? I can guarantee you one thing, the cars will be recalled because of this issue, the number of customer complaints about this situation will overwhelm the dealers. It's kind of a bummer because I really like the car, but I spent nearly $40k with the navi, taxes, and title so I don't expect the interior to be this fragile.

ruski

that's not a safety issue - that means I doubt they will recall it. I mean they did not recall the previous gen TLs suffering from tranny problems.

jaydoll

HAd you not mentioned it, I would have never noticed it. But then again, I don't bang the dash when I put my seatbelt on.

Gregory28, another minor nitpick- couldn't they have picked a better color for the display? When I am driving early in the morning to work and the bright sunlight hits the display, it's very hard to see.

My two cents on the Turanzas- may not be as good as the Conti Extreme Contact in terms of all season, but it's not worth replacing them. With a wear rating of 220, you will have that opportunity soon enough.

automophile-Regarding bearing scarring-Living in the Northeast, my biggest concern is cold starts so I am going to switch to synth blend or full synth at 1 K miles.

Regarding the color combos- The black interior does look great wtih the white, silver, and black exterior. In my case, I love metalic colors so I went with the abyss blue. IMHO, I think it looks great with the camel interior. The wood is great looking on the parchment and camel. All we need is a wooden shift knob. My dealer is giving me a great dela on parts so I will also add the door moldings and will think about the mini spoiler.

J

bodble2

There may be a TSB coupled with some sort of fix. I don't know what kind of fix, maybe replace it with thicker aluminum, or some sort of protective sleeve. I don't know....just wondering out loud.