Acura TL Bluetooth/HandsFree Link Problems

cjustins

I used bluetooth phones (Motorola E815s) with my HFL on my TL with no issues for about 2 months after I bought it. For some reason it stopped working and when I try to pair the phones again, I get all of the way thru the pairing process up till the point that I have to name the phone and then it disconnects without completeing the pairing process. I had a Acura salesman look at it and he even tried his phone and had the same result.

Has anyone else had this problem/issue and if so, what was your solution?

Thanks

new2cars

I have a Motorola Razor which works well with the bluetooth tech inside the car but I can't seem to import the phone list from my phone to the car. I followed the steps in the car manual but haven't been able to do it. Any suggestions?

njvike

That option is not available for that phone.

See this page to see what features are available:

http://www.handsfreelink.com/find/matrix.htm?ctid=5&id=37

chkntony

While I'm driving and talking on the phone through bluetooth, the sound is so low. Is there anyway i can raise the volume?

scottm123

When on a call, you can use the volume knob on the stereo to increase the volume.

new2cars

I changed the ringtone on my phone and now the bluetooth won't pick up the call. Is it due to the ringtone change? If so, do I need to re-program the car with my phone again? Thanks in advance for your advice!

taxesquire

I'm new this issue - I've had my TL for a couple of years now, but just got a bluetooth phone - so I'm not an expert, but I don't see how changing the ringtone should affect this.

Maybe you accidentally changed bluetooth setting on your phone, too?

taxesquire

I'm noticing strage problems when I try to connect. 1st, I should admit that I use Nextel, whose phones are not necessarily made to be compatible with Acura's system.

Anyway, for some reason, if my bluetooth is not working, I'll shut it off so I can make a regualr call, but then I can't reconnect my phone to the car. I've even tried shutting off and restartig the car at a light, but to no avail.

Also, during each trip, there will be one type of call that won't connect. For ex, I'll call my wife, then call my office, and but then when I go to call my wife back, it won't connect. Any explanation?

I realize these issues can be tough to resolve since you can't really know whether it's the phone or the car.

kennyg8

Some phones are more problematic than others. My Motorola has worked flawlessly. TL's voice recognition is not 100% all the time, but I never have a connection or reconnection problem. VR/BT also has inherent hortcomings. For example, when your call reached an answering system that prompts you to press 1 for x and 2 for y, VR/BT is useless because you need to press the numerical pads on your phone in order for the system to respond properly.

taxesquire

Thank you for your comments - I going to bring my car in to Acura for them to look at the bluetooth stuff - then I should know whether it's an issue of compatibility with my phone.

As an aside, with Acura's system, if your in a phonemail or other system that requires you to enter a #, you can press the talk button, say "send" then press the button, say the #, then press the button and say "send" and it will "press" that # for you. It worked for me this morning.
ANother solution that I haven't been able to try b/c I can't connect to my office vm, is that you can save a phone number, inset a pause, and then insert prompts that you might need to use each time.

kennyg8

Thanks for your hint re accessing phonemails with certain procedures you described. I'll try them to see if they work. Do you know how to do conference calls with Acura's HFL/BT system? I don't recall see instructions in the manual about this.

taxesquire

conference calls?!? That's more than I care to know!!!

z71bill

I am ready to upgrade our phone plan (3 phones) - I am having a hard time finding a phone that -

My wife & daughter like - that also will link to out 2006 Acura TL.

A Civic may be in my daughter's future - and I am guessing - that if a phone will work with our 2006 Acura it will also connect to a 2008 Civic.

What about the Motorola MOTORAZR V3xx - the new 3G phone?

Acura web site claims it fails hands free calling - anyone actually have this phone? Does it work?

The Samsung A707 Sync or LG CU500? Acura claims they will not work - we like these phones -

Nokia 6126 is a possibility- not listed on Acura web site (beibg tested). The 6102i passed according to Acura.

Any help with a good flip phone that will work with the 2006TL would be great.

scottm123

I have an 06 MDX and I believe the Bluetooth in the 2 vehicles is the same.
I have a Motorola RAZR V3m and the phone linked perfectly and I can make and receive calls without any issues at all.

mikey38

I have a V3 XX and it works fine in my 06 TL. No problems at all.

taxesquire

I can't comment directly as to ATT phones, but want to comment that I think Acura's testing on phones is inadequate and you need to just get the phone and try to get it to work within your refund period.

I'm a Nextel guy and NONE of the Nextel phones are supposed to work well. I got an i880 and based on the Acura site, I thought it would alert me to an incoming call and allow me to talk through the system, but I wouldn't be able to view phone data, initiate or terminate calls hands-free. Well, my phone synchs up perfectly with my '04. The only feature of which I am aware that does not seem to work is that I cannot make calls based on nav look-ups automatically, but everything else is perfect.

z71bill

Decided on the Motorola Razr V3 - not the latest and greatest technology / toys but we just want to make phone calls! I am pretty sure it will hook up with the TL hands free link just fine.

What a pain -
Shopped a Kiosk at the mall, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and the ATT store - they all have such different deals - and different advise.

The ATT store wanted $383 - Wal-Mart was $260 - Best Buy was $150 - but to get the $150 price I needed to upgrade to a much higher rate plan.

I finally called ATT customer service with my questions - was given the straight answers I was looking for and then they offered me 3 free phones + free shipping + free activation + I can keep my old rate plan. I am happy.

scottm123

For $400-, I most likely would have opted for the 4GB iPhone.
I'm a sucker for new tech.

I got my Moto Razr v3m from Verizon, and with a 2 yr plan, it was free.
$383 from the AT&T store seems very high.
I'm glad you were able to avoid that by calling.

wilhan01

I have the Samsung A707 Sync and it works just fine in my 2006 TL. Only thing that does not show is the signal strength and battery. Everything else works great.

aaargh

I bought an LG Chocolate (VX8550) for use w/ Verizon. Even though it has not been "approved" yet by Acura, it paired up easily with my '04 TL.

The only issue was that I had to turn off the "auto-pair" setting on the phone. The phone was trying to initiate the pairing when that setting was on, which the car doesn't allow.

The voice recognition does not work well at highway speeds (noise). It took me 4 tries to say "Home" after "Call".

taxesquire

Why do you say the car doesn't allow it? I leave my phone on autosynch and it works well with my 04 TL.

You synch it manually when you get in the car now? :confuse:

aaargh

I was referring to the initial pairing process only (one time). When in auto-pair mode on the phone, the car won't allow the pairing to be originated by the phone.

Now that the pairing is complete, the two synch up automatically when I start the car or turn on the phone.

taxesquire

Got it - thanks for clarifying

aaargh

I have been using it for a few days now, and at highway speeds (which I drive mostly), the voice recognition is POOR! Do you have the same problem?

For instance, I say CALL, then "Mom and Dad". It comes back (albeit in a very nice female voice) with "do you want to call 888"? WTF? How does "Mom and Dad" become 888?

I found myself yelling at my car!. I tried saying the number instead of the name, but did not get much further. When I slowed down in a traffic jam, it worked better.

taxesquire

It definitely does not work well with background noise, including wind noise, rain, or other people talking.

The only thing I coud suggest (this is what works for me in wind and rain) is to make sure all the windows are fully-closed, speak extra loudly, and direct your voice to the speaker, located by the sunroof button (or between the sunroof buttons and the rearview mirror - I forget).

I also noticed that the longer the name, the better able to recognize it. I changed my instructions for calling my house from "home" to "house phone" and it worked well.

I, personally, slur the words "mom and dad" - it sounds something like "momndad" - that could cause trouble, too.

aaargh

I took a road trip from Cleveland to Pittsburgh yesterday (around 2 hours one way). I borrowed my father's Garmin GPS.

As I was trying to say a number for it to call, the Garmin chimed in with instructions for turning onto I-80 east. Needless to say, there was an extra "80" in the calling number. Geesh, now we have computers talking aloud to each other!!! :confuse:

mickr

I am new to this forum, but I have been a very satisfied Acura TSX owner for well over a year. I bought my 2006 TSX Nav in late July of 2006, brand new, and have 43,000 miles on it and nothing has needed to be repaired. The original tires are still passing PA state inspection. Anyway, I have a RAZR phone that works well with the Nav system, but is there a way to use name dialing? I have only been able to make a call by either manually selecting a listing in the address book in the Navi system, or by vocally saying the number. Can I, for instance, say, "Call Bob" ? If I have that number in my phone as Bob ?

kennyg8

The voice recognition is hit or miss ;- ( So I do not dare showing this feature to people who I do not know well, for fear of being made a laughing stalk. Also, when my wife wants to dial by calling out her phone numbers, the HFL always gives her problems. She believes that the HFL (a female voice) only listens to men. LOL!

taxesquire

I have an '04 TL and I think our voice recognition/blue tooth features are similar, but they might not be the same.

You can call by name BUT (yes, I am intending it to be a big but ) you need to enter the info separately into your car's memory. You have to go into the "phonebook" and then select the options to store a # - it will ask for the name, which can be "Bob", and then the #.

Word of warning - my TL's recognition does better with longer words, so using Bob's 1st and last name might be better.

brunna

First of all, I've had the car for 2 days and I love it! I paired the new Pearl 2 (8130) with the car no problem. I can make calls, receive calls and switch from car to handset to bluetooth headset with no problem. The voice recognition software is a touch sensitive and clumsy at times, like "my home" somehow won't work, but "our house" does??? However, I really want to upload my phonebook into the the car's nav system, but I can't figure it out and the website for HFL indicates the feature doesn't work on the original Pearl. Does anyone have experience with the new Verizon Pearl 8130 and these car systems? Please help, otherwise I will go crazy having to set up 50 separate numbers and try to remember what labels I gave them, that's madness. :mad:

nring

just got the new 08 acur tl with navi..i have a verizon treo 700w (runs the windows mobil 5 platform). hwo do i get my address book or numbers from it into the car? is there a way to import?

taxesquire

don't think so

laxcoach

have an 04tl and will finally activate phone. do i need to have navi...i'm assuming no. i've heard the clarity isn't the best...any info will be helpful. thanks

aaargh

I have an '04 TL without navi. No you do NOT need navi to use the Bluetooth feature.

My experience has been mixed. The voice recognition part does not work well, especially when the car is cold for some reason. Even when stopped (no road noise), when I say call and then "Mom and Dad", it thinks I'm saying "880".

Sometimes it's fine, but sometimes not.

Also, people say they have trouble understanding me (my voice that it :P ). It's not a big issue, but if the signal is not strong, it can be.

Lastly, there seems to be a 2 or 3 second pause after you answer a call (or they answer your call) before they can actually hear you. I have adjusted to this by simply waiting the extra time before talking. Again, not a big deal.

Overall, I like the feature, but beware of the idiosyncrasy. I give it a 6 out of 10.

laxcoach

thanks for the heads up. i stored about 20 numbers today and will start experimenting with it. i'm curious to see how efficient/convenient it is as oppossed to putting the ear piece in my cell and dialing. thanks again!

aaargh

The "6" out of 10 is mostly because I don't have to touch the cell phone. I can leave it buried in some pocket and not have to fumble around for it.

It's also nice when I have multiple people in the car who want to talk to the person on the other end. On a long road trip with four family members in the car, we spent 1 1/2 hours talking to my sister. We could all hear here and talk to her, so we didn't have to take turns. That was very cool.

One thing I do need to remember though... When I have the phone on for an extended period away from the car, I have to remember to turn Bluetooth off on the phone or it will suck the battery dry. I'm exagerating a bit, but it does use significantly more battery power when Bluetooth is active.

Hope this helps.

laxcoach

thank you for your help! my wife says it's not as clear as the phone, but it is easier. at least me son thinks it's cool! thanks again!

taxesquire

Aside from the idiosyncrocies (and I generally agree with what was posted), another benefit is that the radio mutes when a call comes in. No more missed calls due to the radio being too loud!!!

Of course, I guess that can be a bad thing

PS - if you have Nextel, the direcTalk will not work; if you have a voice recorder integrated into the phone, that will not work either.

nring

i purchased the new tl 08 w/navi...i use a treo palm 700w...the phone and blue tooth pair great. however i have yet to figure out how i switch between calls. when i am on a call and another call comes in how do i swap between calls? thanks.

rebmullin

I have an 04 Acura TL but have never used the bluetooth feature. My owners manual disappeared from my car and I hate to purchase another manual just to figure out the bluetooth. Is there an easy way to get instructions? I have an ATT LG400 phone that I hope is compatible.

taxesquire

It really is easy - I don't know where you can find instructions, but try hitting your Acura talk button and say "phone setup"; then say "pair"

then listen to the instructions

Also, have your phone ready to enter "search mode"

taxesquire

I can't positively tell you how to switch back and forth - I've never tried getting back to the 1st caller until the 2nd caller hangs up - but to pick up the 2nd call, you just hit the talk button. Same as when you receive a call and you're not on the phone.

gammachaka

I have an 06TL and have been (randomly successfully) using the Hands Free capability to interface with my AT&T/Cingular 2125 Smartphone. The problem I have is when answering a call, the HFL does not 'engage' or pick-up the call. Sometimes I look at my phone and it seems the call is actually happening, but nothing over the speakers...other times nothing. At times, the caller will call back and it will work. This is very frustrating !

henryt34

I have an '08 TL w/ NAV and I just paired the LG Venus from Verizon with the HFL and so far it works great. The MID displays the battery & signal strenth levels and caller id.
Also, the phonebook import feature worked perfectly.
The only thing you must do to pair the phone and the HFL in the TL is to turn off the "HandsFree Auto Pair" feature in the phone. After that, just follow the basic instructions.

Hope this helps....

taxesquire

When that happens, can you hear the caller in the phone (not through the speakers)? If so, something triggerred the car to transfer the call from hte HFL to the phone. Hit the talk buttonon the car and say "transfer" to get it back.

I've found that some automated phone options trigger this "transfer" problem regularly, and it sometimes happens while a call is ringing, but I've never experienced this problem during a call with a live person.

carteach

I have a '06 TL. I've been using the bluetooth. But it's time for a phone change. At some point I found an official Acura site that listed what phones worked with the 'O6. I can't find it any more.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

rv65

Whats your provider? There is plenty of phones that work. Just go to handsfreelink.com/. Go to acura and then click on the enter the mini site. You might have to set your pop up blocker to allow it. Then you can choose your model, with or with out navi, Phone provider and more. Hope this helps.

slowcar

Hi, a question: how do you store a phone number with an extension? Do you just program to dial all digits including the extension or just the digits for the main number then wait for a tone or instruction to punch in the extension digits using your phone? That would be a defeat of the Bluetooth purpose for handfree phone, right? Thanks.

aaargh

There is a way to program the number with a pause, but I have NOT gotten it to work.

taxesquire

When you program a number, if you say "pause," it inserts a pause. BUT the pause is the lenght of a button-push (i.e. less than one second).

For voicemail, where I have a series of numbers, I'll have 1 entry for the number and another entry for the codes needed. For example, I have a "work voicemail" entry and a "work voicemail codes" entry.

For an extension, I'll enter the number and say "pause" eight or nine times to make sure the receiver picks up the call before the extension goes through.

If anyone knows how to set an 8-second pause or something like that, please post it.

jkisjca

I just bought a '08TL with Navi and HFL. I've had difficulty answering incoming calls. The voice prompt will announce an incoming call and when I press the talk button nothing seems to happen. This has occurred about 75% of the time. Today, I thought I lost an incoming call but after pressing the talk button twice I was finally able to hear the caller. I initially thought that the call was dropped because I heard two beeps after saying hello. The caller thought that I had hung up on her based on what she heard on her end. Placing outgoing calls have not been a problem.

I called the HFL help desk and went through a checklist with them. Everything appeared to be setup correctly on my phone (Motorola E815/Verizon).

Any suggestions for how to handle/answer incoming calls?