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Older Acura TLs

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Comments

  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    I am not sure Acura TL along can lead to more DVD-Audio available. I'd think it'd take more DVD-a players at homes to really make that possible. Next time I'll bring a CD to test drive/listen a TL.
  • danny1878danny1878 Member Posts: 339
    with its 5.1 channel is 500 times better than car audio that play just CD. 2 channels only maybe for CD. Well said by experts.

    I dont know much about heated seats but I think TL only has front driver/passenger heated seats. Since I bought this TL I have never brought anybody to sit in the rear seats eventhough the rear seats are more spacious than 330i. TL is not a sport car nor is 330i, they are just sporty car with different rear passenger feature. One is more spacious while the other tight but heated (back and but.t). It is an industry standard for non sporty car I guess.
  • ewoqewoq Member Posts: 37
    Oops! I must be dyslexic - misread the original question. You are correct in that the back of the seats are heated, at least in some BMWs and Mercedes.
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    You shouldn't use XM to check the quality of the TL's stereo, because some XM channels don't have that great a sound quality. You should bring your favorite CD or two that you REALLY know well to see the difference.

    TL audio system is excellent with CDs, at least as good as Lexus and Mercedes systems.

    DVD-A of course is a unique feature so far. You're wrong about what drives adoption of DVD-A and SACD formats. It's not home players, it's the car players. Personally, I don't believe DVD-A will survive as a format, unless they start releasing a lot of hybrid (DVD-A/CD) disks very soon.
  • kphkph Member Posts: 40
    Check out the following link - http://www.audiorevolution.com/news/0104/22.flipdisc.html

    The DVD-Audio people are planning to roll out a format to support reasonable cost hybrid disks.

    I too have worried whether the DVD-Audio format would win over SACD (the TL does *not* play SACDs), since the space in Best Buy is about 2:1 for SACD. Maybe this play will help to move this format to the forefront...

    Or maybe both will die, as sometimes happens in format wars.
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    It seems that people are confusing heated rear seats vs. heated seat backs on the front seats. Is it correct to say that TL has neither? Seems not a big deal but just to clarified.

    On DVD-A for those who have it can you tell us if regular DVD players play DVD-A or SACD disks? Also, how much more $$ is a DVD-A or SACD than a CD in general?
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    Is that a std TL feature? Is that by a button on the remote to open the door remotely?
  • kphkph Member Posts: 40
    I don't have either of these in my home system (yet) nor in my car, until my TL arrives in March. :) With that caveat, here is what I understand the current state of the technology is.

    DVD-Audio is a new format, and is not directly played by standard DVD-Video players. The typical audio connector between a DVD-V player and your amplifier is a S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) coax or optical connector - and the data content of DVD-A is at a higher bit rate that this interface can support.

    That said, most DVD-A disks contain both the DVD-A track as well as a track encoded as a 5.1 digital surround (DD5.1 or DTS5.1) which can be played in a standard DVD-V player. Not as high bit rate, but still a full surround sound digital encoding, as good as you get with your DVD movies.

    DVD-A's cannot be played on a CD player -- there is nothing encoded there that a CD player can read. That is, until the new hybrid "flipper" that I posted about a couple of messages ago. With that, one side plays on a CD player, the other in a DVD-A or DVD-V player.

    SACD (Super Audio CD) is a competing format which encodes a 5.1 surround signal in a different format. The difference with these is that most SACDs contain a standard two-channel 44.1KHz CD track that *can* be read by a normal CD player -- so you can use these in your CD as well as in a SACD-enabled player.

    If you want to play these formats in their native form in your home theater, you need a player - they come as DVD-A, SACD and combined format players -- the combined ones have come down to the about $400 range. Single format ones are in the $200, if I am not mistaken.

    Disks themselves run around $18-20 - a slight premium over the outrageous CD prices of $13-17.
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    The premium is far from "slight". I buy all of my CDs from BMG Music for $6-8 per CD with no shipping. Paying $18-20 per DVD-A is a HUGE premium.

    I bought three DVD-As recently and, while I thought the sound was better than on CDs (I have the same albums on CDs), it's not THAT much better. I'd be selling these on E-bay and not buying any more DVD-As until the prices come down to reasonable territory.
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    For God's sake, it's not that complicated!

    TL has heated front seats. It does not have heated rear seats.

    The seat back and bottom cushion of the driver's seat are both heated.

    Only the bottom cushion of the passenger's seat is heated because the back contains sensors for side airbag.
  • raherraher Member Posts: 99
    I bought Diana Krall's DVD-A for $14 at Best Buy. Most of the music available is re recorded older albums and a lot of them are $14. Quite a bit of classical. Some others at $24. Those will never see my TL audio system.
    Dark Side of the Moon hybrid SCD is also a very good sound in the TL. I would buy more but I already have most of them on CD.
    KPH.... thanks for the link to the article. I live in Seattle and that is one of the two test markets so I will get them as soon as they Are available. I'll let you know what I think.
  • mcg12mcg12 Member Posts: 2
    I had the dealer tint my windows about 8 months
    ago. I am having problems with the back window
    and "trails" of lights when any headlights hit
    it even during the day. It makes it impossible
    to see. I am fighting with the dealer over this
    because they keep telling me it is normal
     because of the slant of the back window. I am
    having a hard time believing that this is how it
    is supposed to be. Does anyone else have this
    problem? Or is it actually normal (as the
    dealer is trying to make me believe). Thanks
    for you input.
  • wculbertwculbert Member Posts: 8
    I have a black TL due to arrive in 2 weeks. The dealer indicated I might find a rear spoiler ( the tiny one, not the one that sticks up) over the internet. They are asking $600 at the dealership! Any ideas? Thanks.
  • wculbertwculbert Member Posts: 8
    In my area only Cingular offers bluetooth compatible phones. Is this the case nationwide? Anybody know if Verizon will have anything soon? Hate to change services just for this.
    Thanks
  • kphkph Member Posts: 40
    I have been researching Bluetooth phones for my on-order TL. I talked to a representative at a Verizon store and he said that he did not expect Bluetooth phones to be a priority for them. They are concentrating on digital services that can make them income -- they don't get any revenue from a phone that has BT.

    It appears that so far, the phone makers have only put Bluetooth on GSM phones. I expect that is because Bluetooth has taken off in Europe far faster than in the US, and GSM is the European cell phone standard.

    I have only seen reference to one BT phone (a Siemens) that has dual modes -- GSM and TDMA. Otherwise, all the BT phones are GSM-only.

    In our area, Cingular isn't a player. I have found that T-mobile is a GSM-only network, so their investments in expansion are all in this arena. They offer a couple of BT phones (Sony Ericson T610 and a Nokia 3650).

    AT&T (my current carrier) is TDMA, with a small growing GSM alternative. The sales person from their store commented about not being able to connect with an AT&T GSM phone on a drive from Minneapolis to Chicago -- so I am nervous that GSM is not a priority for them - and they are now up for sale.

    I am thinking about trying out T-mobile when my TL arrives.
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    I'm afraid you have accumulated some erroneous information. Here's my take on some of these things:

    * There are TDMA/GSM BT-compatible phones (Sony Ericsson T62u, for example), but they don't pair with the TL. Siemens does not make any TDMA/GSM phones that are BT compatible.

    * AT&T is concentrating ONLY on GSM these days. They are not increasing their TDMA infrastructure at all. In fact, according to some rumors, they are converting some of TDMA towers into GSM (although I don't believe this). Their GSM coverage still sucks compared to TDMA. Give them another year or two...

    * T-Mobile is all-GSM, as you mentioned, but they have THE worst coverage in the nation. They also don't own their own towers in a lot of places and use towers of other carriers. T-Mobile is among the very worst cell carriers, and so is Cingular.

    * Verizon's delay of releasing a BT phone has nothing to do with revenues and everything to do with being a huge bureaucracy Ma-Bell. They simply don't move at the same pace as other carriers. There are plenty of rumors indicating Verizon will have a BT phone by the end of this year.

    * There is a BT-compatible Verizon phone (Motorola 270c), but it requires an optional attachment and firmware upgrade to work. Even with those, it will work with other BT devices, but not the TL.

    * As you're finding out, we're sh*t-out-of-luck, if we want a TL-compatible Bluetooth phone, but don't want crappy GSM coverage. I have researched and tried various things and in the end decided it was not worth it giving up the great AT&T TDMA coverage in favor of hands-free capability. No matter how cool and convenient it is, I've learned that coverage is EVERYTHING!
  • gbriankgbriank Member Posts: 220
    There is a Siemens BT phone available, but in limited quantities, for Sprint. It costs about two hundred bucks... Some folks have found a way to "reprogram" this phone to work on VZ network, but some features (web, text message, downloadable features) do not work.
  • gregory28gregory28 Member Posts: 174
    I haven't been here in awhile and noticed a question from a golfer that wasn't answered. What I like is that 2 full sets of clubs fit nicely in the back of the trunk parallel to the rear axle. This way all one's other things that are contained within the cargo net don't need to be moved.

    Greg
  • gregory28gregory28 Member Posts: 174
    I purchased a kit of additional faux wood from www.exoticwooddash.com and am even happier with the wasy the interior looks. I find the interior of the car to be a bit too contemporary and the additional faux wood toned down the aluminum strips. It has added some additonal richness to the interior.

    I installed them myself in less than an hour. There's about 20 pieces and they come on a 2 large cardboard sheets. The surface needs to be dusted and wiped with alcohol, then the pieces are placed on. The final step is to use a hair dryer so that the adhesive sticks properly/permanently.

    Voila, a deep, richer interior is yours for $196. The color is an exact match.
  • achadhaachadha Member Posts: 106
    got any pics?
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    Where did you stick those 'wood' pieces on?
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    Are TL's windshield wipers turned on auto by rains?
  • mdhaukemdhauke Member Posts: 202
    Does the phone also work with hands free link in the TL? I have Sprint and thought I would have to change carriers in order to use Bluetooth. This news that they have a BT phone is great.
  • orange_peelorange_peel Member Posts: 14
    I don't know about a Siemens BT phone for Sprint. However, there is a Sony Ericcson phone (a T608) available in limited quantities. As I understand, Sprint had a deal with Ericcson that fell through. However, they produced 10,000 of these phones. Sprint started selling them on 12/22 and may be sold out. You can only get them from Sprint at 1-866-PCS-AUTO. There is information about this phone and all other sprint phones at a website (sprintpcsinfo.com). People are selling the T608 on EBAY. I have the T608 and it works flawlessly with my TL. Good Luck.
  • automophileautomophile Member Posts: 780
    mcg - Take your car to a couple of independent tint shops and get some professional opinions before you discuss this again with the dealer.

    Doesn't sound right to me. Has it been this way from the beginning?
  • mcg12mcg12 Member Posts: 2
    They have already replaced it once and it seems like the second time is worse. That is when they decided I was just to live with it. Thanks for the advise I will do that.
  • mdhaukemdhauke Member Posts: 202
    What is the maximum percentage window tinting that you can get that is legal?
  • nyshappynyshappy Member Posts: 13
    okay all this talk about bad coverage combined with lack of compatible cell phones on Bluetooth is making me really nervous.
    Can someone in the metro NY area who is driving a new TL, let me know what kind of coverage they are getting?
    Is it worse than your previous car?
    what carrier are you using?
    what cell phone are you using?

    it seems a shame to have to install a gooseneck in a car that promotes this whole idea of bluetooth hands free cell phone system....and I REFUSE to get one of those McDonald wire/earpiece crap pieces...

    pleaseeeeee someone respond!
    thanks!
  • mdhaukemdhauke Member Posts: 202
    Thanks for the info. I just called sprint and they said they were currently out but were getting another shipment in the 2nd week of February. That is good news because Sprint has great coverage and I really didn’t want to switch carriers. I checked out Ebay and the prices are ridicules. The sellers are taking advantage of the fact that Sprint is out and are price gouging (big surprise for ebay huh?). They are selling for $200 more than they are worth.
  • kphkph Member Posts: 40
    Thanks for the info - I may have been mixing up dual mode phones (TDMA/GSM) with those that are dual mode *and* have BT. I have stared at so many different phones over the Internet and with a few visits to phone stores while at the Mall of America this weekend, I can well have mixed up which was what was who... :)

    I found an AT&T Wireless forum site in my searches, and there is a thread about dual mode phones here:
    http://forums.attwireless.com/attws/board/message?board.id=gsmgpr- - - s&message.id=15886

    But none of them appear to be BT models. With AT&T it appears you can get such a phone, but if you enable it on both networks, you can't sign up for their family plan. (I was looking to consolidate my phone, my wife's phone and at least one for the kids).

    Regarding T-Mobile - the February Consumer Reports issue (the one that ranked the TL #1 in its class) also ranked Cell phones and plans. They ranked the carriers in 12 markets. In the 9 markets that both AT7T and T-Mobile were in, T-Mobile was ranked higher in 8 of them. Verizon was ranked #1 in all 12, and in many cases by quite a clear margin.

    So, being an AT&T customer, I wonder if I would be moving down to go T-Mobile. It would be great if Verizon offered a CDMA BT phone that worked with the TL.

    My pastor is on T-Mobile. He has a family plan - he and his wife have phones up here in Minneapolis, and his son has one going to school at Northwestern in Illinois. He has been very happy with the plan, the phones, and the ability to talk with his son without extra charges.

    Whatever I do, I will try and keep with a 1-year plan so I can keep flexible as this market continues to change.
  • gregory28gregory28 Member Posts: 174
    Sorry, no pics. Even if I had them to post the internet would not show how well the pieces match in color.

    Pieces were for the entire center console- from the armrest to above the radio/heat and air controls, over door locks, above glove box, overhead lights, and over the VSA/side view mirror controls.
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    Wonder what TL buyers' views are on TL's SOHC vs. DOHC on most of the cars in the class. Any pros and cons between the two valvetrains?

    Gregory, what are the real material of these Faux wood thing? It seems that you are making your TL inside look more like an ES!
  • 03oddity03oddity Member Posts: 60
    In California, the law specifies that the front windows (driver/passenger/windshield) must admit 88% of ambient light. Don't know the % for rear.

    I frequently see illegally tinted windows. They may look cool but they are a safety hazard as one cannot make eye contact with the driver.
  • marcnycmarcnyc Member Posts: 17
    Hi---I'm first learning about the terrific TL, having owned my trusted Honda Accord for nearly 20 years, and would really apreciate recomendations for good Acura dealers in the NYC/Northern NJ area. I purchased my Honda from Martin Honda, and wonder if they sell Acuras and, if so, if they have a good reputation. Thanks and enjoy your TLs!
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    If all your windows are tinted, or even just the back, it makes it easier for someone to hide inside your car and mug you (or worse) when you get in. I know minivans and SUV have always had tinted glass but personally I don't like it. Afterall, don't cops warn people about being vigilant of people lurking in & around your car when you're returning to your parked car? And isn't this also the reason cars are designed for the interior lights to go on when the doors are unlocked?
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    Monclaire Acura in Montclaire, NJ (near Newark)
  • achadhaachadha Member Posts: 106
    I found a wing spoiler on ebay for 179 seems to be a good price dealer price is 499. Just need to tell him the color of your car. I am not sure if it has the Acura emblem under the spoiler or not going to ask tomroorw. I am not too good at installing things where should I take the spoiler to be installed? And how much should i expect to pay for the install? Thanks
  • wculbertwculbert Member Posts: 8
    Here's a response I received from Verizon:

    Thank you for contacting the Verizon Wireless website. We apologize for the delay in answering your inquiry and will be happy to provide you with additional information.

    We appreciate your interest in the incorporation of Bluetooth Technology with Verizon Wireless services. At this time we do not offer products to support this technology. However, our Research and
    Development Team has been studying the ability to incorporate Bluetooth technology with our products and services. We hope to have this available by mid-year.
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    Just wonder why TL does not come with it anymore and if anyone had dealer add it. Does it look bad on TL or what as I know it comes with matching colors. Is it parallel to the door grove line above? I know it does not protect all the hits but it sure help protect door hits/dings from other cars' doors in parking lots. Most cars have it (even luxy ones).
  • eglewiseglewis Member Posts: 23
    I'm interested in buying splash guards,trunk tray,all-weather mats, and a wood knob. Any recommdations on where I can buy them at a reasonable price, instead of going to the dealer. thanks.
  • orange_peelorange_peel Member Posts: 14
    I noticed that some Acura dealers sell accessories on eBay. Just do a search for Acura TL and you will see them. For example, the wood knob goes for $80-90.

    Good luck!
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    You also might want to take a look at http://www.handaaccessories.com/. I haven't used them personally but I have seen nothing but praises for them.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    To me, the moulding makes the car look too busy. That's just my personal opinion. Others of course may think differently.
  • mdhaukemdhauke Member Posts: 202
    I have been hearing some cryptic talk about the alarm on the 04TL but haven’t been able to make since of any of it. Does the 04TL come with an alarm standard? If so what kind of alarm is it and what does it do?
  • kphkph Member Posts: 40
    I am having a raging personal debate on this issue as well. My TL (on order - coming in March) will be parked in a crowded company parking lot every day. It will be garaged in its own stall, so I have less concerns about the wife/kids hitting it.

    I have tentatively ordered the side molding, but am having second thoughts. They had cars on the lot both with and without. I like the cleaner line of the TL without. All the pics in the brochure are without.

    I just don't know if I would regret the extra door dings in 5-7 years (tend to keep my cars for a decade).

    Other thoughts? Anyone had a recent vintage car without side protection?
  • mdhaukemdhauke Member Posts: 202
    Tinted glass,

    Yea yea yea, safety safety safety. If you guys are so worried about tint impacting safety maybe you shouldn’t be driving at all. Or better yet get a car that has all windows with no blind spots so you can see 360 degrees. Also maybe you shouldn’t get a 04TL at all. There is no need to have that much acceleration and speed. If you want to be safe stay in one lane the whole time unless it’s necessary to turn, don not accelerate more than 5mph per 10 seconds, and always keep your speed at 55 or below. Just to be safe. And ohhh, if you are truly going to be safe keep your radio off at all times and only use the navigation system when parked. You need to hear what’s going on and you don’t need to be distracted by the NAV system. But GOD FORBID anybody has tinted windows because it is soooo unsafe. lol, some of you crack me up. And eye contact with the driver? What? Are we trying to capture love at first site passing a car going in the other direction going 60? What if I want to pick my nose without anybody seeing me? I am paying 35 grand for this car I think I have the right to pick my nose in it with some privacy, don’t ya think?

    Seriously though, thanks to the person who gave me the specifics of the California law who actually answered my question.
  • trosketjtrosketj Member Posts: 8
    http://www.handaaccessories.com/ is a good source. I've bought many items for my 99 Odyssey from them with no problems. They just added a section for the TL with competitive prices compared to other sites. Just search Google for "Acura accessories" and you'll get several hits for other sites too.
  • igibanigiban Member Posts: 530
    I guess the reason why Acura did not make it std. is that TL comes with that groove line along the door handles, thus adding another line may become too much. Plus it's some extra business for parts. Most cars have the molding but they don't have that TL line to begin with. There's no doubt that the molding will protect a few dings, esp. from the cars parked next to yours. The question may be which 'look' is more acceptable?
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    On dealer here (Orland Park Acura, Orland Park IL) makes the best of the situation (for himself that is), he'll sell you a lifetime ding protection package if you don't add the molding. He'll (try to) make money either way. I find the car to look kinda silly with that character line and the molding. I think I'd go with knowing a good ding repair shop and let the design of the car show. Either way the car will get nicks, dings etc over time.

    Interesting enough, the only other car I can think of that has both a character line like the TL and factory-installed moldings is the Jaguar XJ8. It looks a lot better on the Jag of course.

    M
  • scott31scott31 Member Posts: 292
    The TL has the standard alarm that just about every car has. Set it, and you can't open the trunk, doors, or hood without setting it off. There is also an engine immobilizer system (can't be started without the right key).

    You can still break the windows and reach in to take whatever you want, just don't open the door. Hence why I keep all valuables out of sight in the trunk.
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