When I turn on my high beams it just changes the angle of the low beam light. Regular headlight systems add extra light for the high beam, but on the TL it just changes the angle of the light. You can actually hear the mechanics of the light angle changing when you are outside of the car. I think they call the lights Bi-xenon, meaning both the low beam and high beam are HID. If you could check to see what lamp is used for the DRL I would really appreciate it.
The HID lamps on the '04 and newer TLs are bi-xenon, meaning low and high beam are HID. It is actually one bulb. A shutter covers part of the beam for low beam. For high beam, the shutter is moved out of the way.
for your responses regarding my new TL that had 7 miles on the odometer when we signed the papers and sealed the deal... but when we went back, it had an extra 23 miles on it...
at first I thought that was odd...since theoretically it was my car after I signed and paid for the car right then and there ( we used the home equity line of credit so as to be able to write off the interest) ..... but I thought maybe it was just a group of employees going out for a ride during lunch...nothing big about it....but I did not think that they may have taken it out joyriding or letting it rip...thus not breaking it in......
And boy, is it easy to get to 85 and the TL feels quite secure and comfy at that speed.
Boy is it easy! I have never had a moving violation, and the other day I noticed how slow everyone was going. They weren't going slow, I was going 90! But slowed down, didn't get a ticket. :P
Nah. You were right the first time. Everybody else was driving slowly. Because with "only" 270 hp the TL can't really go as fast/quickly as G35s and 330s...
The Sox are killing me. Luckily The Yanks are doing even worse...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Can anyone tell me how well the TL performs on roads with ice? I am planning to buy one soon and also moving to Maryland. In general, does the rear wheel or the front wheel drive does well under these conditions? Your reply will be appreciated. Thanks
I just brought an 02' TL with 17,900 miles for $20,700. (1 prior owner) Engine Type 3.2-liter 24-valve VTEC™ V-6 engine Ext. Color: Eternal Blue Pearl Int. Color: Parchment
40 month certified warranty / 100,000 miles
Kind of late to ask but was this a good deal? Kelly Blue Book values it at $22,880
Wife has 04 TL and we live in snow belt. Have about 3+ months exposure to snow and ice. She bought Dunlop winter tires (SP Winter Sport M2) and extra set of rims from Tire Rack in Nov 03. We have used car over 2 winters and it is very good on snow or ice. Tire size is 205x50x17, a little narrower than stock, to give better traction in winter conditions.
There have been many posts on this thread regarding TL owners' experiences with the stock Turanza tires which are all-season.
My opinion, if in snow belt, and have to do daily and a lot of driving, all-season tires not a good choice. It seems that 1k for winter tires and extra set of rims is cheap insurance to give extra measure of control of a vehicle. Would rather spend this on a car than some cosmetic or convenience stuff such as sunroof, leather, etc. if they were options. But, with TL, only factory option is NAVI I believe.
Old fashioned cars with rear wheel drive (not having traction control) were very difficult to drive on the ice. Had to drive as if a raw egg under your shoe and gas pedal. Just the slightest amount of too much power when on ice will send the car sideways. In contrast, first FWD car we had many years ago did not have traction control (not invented yet) and it was very controllable and forgiving on ice compared to RWD of that era.
There used to be many more crashes on overpasses in winter in our area (these surfaces freeze before roadways do) in years past because of RWD instability. With FWD being so common over last 20+ years, plus traction control, don't see as many overpass crashes in the winter in recent years.
Would be interesting to hear from folks that have both FWD and RWD cars with traction control and experience driving on snow/ice in these recent technology cars.
I too live in the northeast and put Continental snow tires on and felt that the bad weather performance was reasonable good. I didn't get a narrower tire but I hear that makes sense.
Up here we may get a measureable amount of snow 2 weeks out of the year, max. Some years less. Some years even none! I've concluded that, rather than deal with the expense, and hassle especially, of changing tires twice a year. I'd just rent a car for the times when there is sufficient snow for stop me from taking the TL. Side benefit is you save your car the abuse from the elements when driving in snow and ice.
I bought my wife a TL about 2 weeks ago and love the car, but it's been only 2 weeks so my knowledge is limited. However, I can say that highway milage has been about 29 mph. I live in N. CA and most of my driving is highway.
I have the camel interior. The leather is wrinkly in areas but I have not had problem with dirt showing. But mind you, I'm not the type to toss all kinds of garbage into my car, and my kids know I'm obsessive in that regard and they behave accordingly when they ride with me.
There is definitely torque steer when you stomp on the gas, manual or automatic. Problem is exasperated when road surface is uneven.
I've had my '04 TL 6 MT since February and absolutely love it. The only negative is that there is definite torque stear that is really annoying when you're trying to have fun.
The camel interior is great - not hot, like black, not easily marked like lighter colors. I bought the car used, and there were some creases in the drivers seat from the prior driver (he had it a full year), but no big deal.
The navigation & voice recognition is absolutely amazing. I wouldn't get the car without it.
Accelleration is great (definitely more power than I can use), handling nice and tight (MT has tighter suspension, and I have summer tire option, which is tighter still), and brakes and road grip are the best of any car I've had (MT also has better brakes than automatic). It's an all-around great car that fun to drive, has cool luxury features and a very classy interior.
Re looks, keep in mind that the camel and tan interiors come with fake wood trim, while th black (is there a gray option?) has fake carbon fiber.
29 mpg sounds very good, but how fast are you going? There may be a big difference in mpg at 60 mph vs. 80mph. I do a lot of driving on interstates at 80 mph. When I test drove a TL recently, the salesman told me I could get 30mpg or better if I used 93 octane gas, less with lower octane. I do not find this especially credible, but I would be interested inany comments anyone may have in the highway mpg they get,especially at higher speeds. Thanks for the help.
Yes, there is a gray interior option. I have an Abyss Blue with the gray, with faux carbon fiber. The gray is admittedly a bit "conservative" but with the Blue exterior the only other interior option was Camel which I found to be too bright, too much of a contrast with the Blue. If Parchment were offered, I would have considered that...
TL is a great car.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
I've had my 2005 auto w/nav since November. Car is great. Comments:
Climate: I'm in SoCal. Auto climate control is great. I had an Audi A4 and while it did a good job, the fan was really noisy. The TL's auto climate control is much quieter and I haven't had any problems keeping the car cool on 90+ days.
Camel interior: This is what I have. I had grey in last car and wanted a change. I wasn't so sure about Camel at first, seemed too "orangy" to me. But took the plunge and am now very glad I got it - looks much richer and a bit different than black or grey. Didn't have parchment as an option on my exterior color (Abyss Blue). Haven't had any big dirt problems but I'm pretty picky and careful, and I've wiped up any spots immediately. Car is still basically very clean inside after 7 months.
Handling: Handles very well, although I was spoiled by the A4 - TL is definitely NOT as good a handler as the Audi. Steering feel is quite good but the car is a bit floaty on curves. Probably my biggest area of disappointment about the car, but understand that I was spoiled by the Audi - it's still pretty good. I bought automatic partly due to torque steer, plus wife hates stick. Almost never notice the torque steer in the auto, when I test drove the manual and hit the gas at a start, the torque steer was a bit alarming with very quick application of gas.
MPG: It seems the 'range' of mpg is greater on this car than others I've driven. MPG in the computer is very accurate, within 1mpg of actual, which I check when I fill the car. In pure city driving you might see 17-19, on straight highway you can get around 30. A mix puts you in the 22-24 mpg territory. Adding a lot of city driving really pulls it down, but if you can cruise for long distances at 50-80 mph you'll see high mileage.
Like you, I am also quite fastidious about the interior of my car. I haven't bought a TL yet, as my 03 Maxima only has 12k miles after 2.5 years. When my wife's 97 Max reaches 60k miles (it only has 45k now), I will sell it and buy a TL. Maybe at that time the TL will come with SH-AWD :P
I too don't drive much. I have a 2003 Passat reaching 3 years and I have 22,000 miles. Hence, I do about 8000-9000 miles per year. I used to lease because I had a string on bad luck with getting rear ended, but my luck (knock on wood) has changed, and with this low mileage, buying makes sense.
I am still considering buying the 2003 Passat off-lease due to low miles and decent buy-out price, but am very concerned about VW long term reliability and service. To date, through, my Passat has been very good, does not have anywhere near the bells/whistles and comfort/HP of the TL, but is a decent car nonetheless except for long therm reliability concerns.
One more question: For those in 100 degree + hot climates (again, I am in Southern Nevada), how is the TL's A/C performance. This is a very important issue for me.
Surprisingly, my Passat has exceptional A/C. My older 1999 Saab 9-3 had terrible A/C. Want to know about rear world longer term experiences with the TL.
Have TL 2005 WDP ; Here in Ohio its been 90 degrees & humid - I am NOT finding that the TL's a/c is a quick cool like my Toyota Camry was ... tho the TL is quieter. I do miss the quick cool function....its also developed a couple of intermittent rattles which seem to be located about the glove box and the sunroof. Altho it handles nicely, I did expect better build quality.
We have had constant 85-92 degree hot and humid weather for last week and a half. My tl ac has been quick and cool with ease. With ac on the tl has plenty of power.
You're right, AC has no effect on the power of the TL. Oddly enough, I find the car actually runs a touch better with the AC because it seems to tame the throttle tip-in just enough to take away that slight lurchiness at slow speed.
I just traded a Camry in for a new TL, and I also thought the Camry cooled faster, until I adjusted the AC to cool enough, now it's cools just as fast as the Camry. If your AC says 68 it's too high, go down until you get the quick cooling you want. I thought the Camry was a tad quiter, and my TL has no rattles. I think build quality is outstanding, even in it's class I think it's superior.
On a recent highway trip of 375 miles at an average speed of 75+/-, I got 30.4 mpg with my 2004 TL 6-speed. The car has 16,000 miles and was running on 93 octane Shell. I generally average 28-31 on the highway at those sppeds, with the lower figures being winter driving over hilly terrain.
My City mileage is much worse than expected, with 16 mpg the average for a mix of moderate city and beltway driving. The 6-speed seems to get worse than the automatic in the City, but better on the highway, where the 6th gear is perfect for 75+ mph cruising.
Own a 03 Accord. The driver side seat "back" and "bottom" heats up. Only the seat bottom on the passenger side heats because of an air bag sensor. I know this is also the case with the TSX. Do both the driver and passenger seat bottoms and backs heat on the TL? Thanks!
Can anyone provide me their experiences in maintenance costs/items for their TL? I am not concerned about factory-scheduled maintenance, but more like items such as brake pads, rotors, tires, etc and when replacement occurred. Trying to get a sense of the cost of operating beyond time specific maintenance. Thanks.
I recently bought a 05 TL A-Spec. I love the ride. This is by far the most fun car I've ever owned. Can anyone tell me if the A-spec package gives the engine more horsepower? Also, are the tire valve stem caps supposed to have the acura logo on them. Mine do not have the logo. Did I get ripped off?
I suggest you phone around to Acura dealerships in your area for maintenance costs. Most TLs are too new for owners to have much data.
I have a 2004 TL 6-speed that just had a 16,000 mile "B" service. The high performance tires are still showing 50% treadlife and the front (Brembo) and rear brakes are at 75%+ remaining life. I don't drive like a maniac, but I don't baby it eaither. I was told that my tire life is better than average, with most of the HPT package tires needing to be replaced at 20,000 +/- miles. The good news with the TL is that the tires can be rotated, adding to tire life. My former S2000 and all BMW 3 & 5 series with the sport package have different front and rear tire sizes that can't be rotated.
Also, my service manager thought the TL should be as good as my former 1995 Maxima SE on brake pas / rotor wear. I only needed two sets of fronts and one set of rear pads in 153,000 miles and NEVER needed the rotors ground or replaced. Unfortunately, the TL does have a drive belt instead of the Maxima's drive chain, so that will be an extra expense down the road.
Having read many boards in the last few weeks, a lot of TL's seem to have been purchasing for 'the wife'. Is the TL a 'chick car'?
Don't mean this in an derisive manner, just there seem to be cars more aimed or purchased by females (VW bug, Mazda Miata) vs. males (Mustang, Lexus IS), etc...
** 60% male ** 75% married (hence maybe why so many purchases for the wife...as us guys still want so fun with the wife's car) ** 75% college grad with median household income of $100,000.
If my "chicks" (daughters) are any indication, they preferred my former Honda S2000 to our TL. Perhaps it was the Spa Yellow (cool) vs. Anthracite (boring) color. More likely it was the wind in their hair and sun in their eyes.
I find your examples of the Mustang and Lexus IS as "male" cars rather amusing. The latter especially has been dubbed a "boy racer" in other Edmunds forums. Not exactly the image a professional male wants to project, if one is concerned about such things.
The Mustang is a bucket of bolts, terrible reliability and no fit and finish. BTW, your daugters have great taste, the S2000 is a great car, but not in TLs class. Just a very different car. :P
Can anyone tell me the mileage tire interval changes on the bridgestone and michelin OEM tires,and are the michelins adequate in new york winters without buying separate snows and by the way in this market the TL is not a chick car but the MDX, now thats a different story
What I have gleaned from this forum is that the Michelins are superior to the Bridgestones, however, with respect to snow I have know idea, I live is San Fransisco and we have not had snow since 1972, :P
Comments
Maybe the DRL are run off of separate lamp? I'll have to check into that.
If you could check to see what lamp is used for the DRL I would really appreciate it.
but when we went back, it had an extra 23 miles on it...
at first I thought that was odd...since theoretically it was my car after I signed and paid for the car right then and there ( we used the home equity line of credit so as to be able to write off the interest) ..... but I thought maybe it was just a group of employees going out for a ride during lunch...nothing big about it....but I did not think that they may have taken it out joyriding or letting it rip...thus not breaking it in......
I willl talk to the dealer about it.....
thanks to all your input, fellow TL'ers
And boy, is it easy to get to 85 and the TL feels quite secure and comfy at that speed.
Boy is it easy! I have never had a moving violation, and the other day I noticed how slow everyone was going. They weren't going slow, I was going 90! But slowed down, didn't get a ticket. :P
The Sox are killing me. Luckily The Yanks are doing even worse...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
I am planning to buy one soon and also moving to Maryland.
In general, does the rear wheel or the front wheel drive does well
under these conditions?
Your reply will be appreciated.
Thanks
Engine Type 3.2-liter 24-valve VTEC™ V-6 engine
Ext. Color: Eternal Blue Pearl
Int. Color: Parchment
40 month certified warranty / 100,000 miles
Kind of late to ask but was this a good deal?
Kelly Blue Book values it at $22,880
There have been many posts on this thread regarding TL owners' experiences with the stock Turanza tires which are all-season.
My opinion, if in snow belt, and have to do daily and a lot of driving, all-season tires not a good choice. It seems that 1k for winter tires and extra set of rims is cheap insurance to give extra measure of control of a vehicle. Would rather spend this on a car than some cosmetic or convenience stuff such as sunroof, leather, etc. if they were options. But, with TL, only factory option is NAVI I believe.
Old fashioned cars with rear wheel drive (not having traction control) were very difficult to drive on the ice. Had to drive as if a raw egg under your shoe and gas pedal. Just the slightest amount of too much power when on ice will send the car sideways. In contrast, first FWD car we had many years ago did not have traction control (not invented yet) and it was very controllable and forgiving on ice compared to RWD of that era.
There used to be many more crashes on overpasses in winter in our area (these surfaces freeze before roadways do) in years past because of RWD instability. With FWD being so common over last 20+ years, plus traction control, don't see as many overpass crashes in the winter in recent years.
Would be interesting to hear from folks that have both FWD and RWD cars with traction control and experience driving on snow/ice in these recent technology cars.
Good or bad points for the car from those who have owned for some time, particularly relative to warm weather climates (I live in Southern Nevada).
Experience with the Camel/Parchment vs. Quartz interior colors as to wear and ability to keep clean.
Handling quality as the car is FWD with 270 hp (torque steer issues?)
MPG in your experience.
Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.
There is definitely torque steer when you stomp on the gas, manual or automatic. Problem is exasperated when road surface is uneven.
The camel interior is great - not hot, like black, not easily marked like lighter colors. I bought the car used, and there were some creases in the drivers seat from the prior driver (he had it a full year), but no big deal.
The navigation & voice recognition is absolutely amazing. I wouldn't get the car without it.
Accelleration is great (definitely more power than I can use), handling nice and tight (MT has tighter suspension, and I have summer tire option, which is tighter still), and brakes and road grip are the best of any car I've had (MT also has better brakes than automatic). It's an all-around great car that fun to drive, has cool luxury features and a very classy interior.
Re looks, keep in mind that the camel and tan interiors come with fake wood trim, while th black (is there a gray option?) has fake carbon fiber.
TL is a great car.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Climate: I'm in SoCal. Auto climate control is great. I had an Audi A4 and while it did a good job, the fan was really noisy. The TL's auto climate control is much quieter and I haven't had any problems keeping the car cool on 90+ days.
Camel interior: This is what I have. I had grey in last car and wanted a change. I wasn't so sure about Camel at first, seemed too "orangy" to me. But took the plunge and am now very glad I got it - looks much richer and a bit different than black or grey. Didn't have parchment as an option on my exterior color (Abyss Blue). Haven't had any big dirt problems but I'm pretty picky and careful, and I've wiped up any spots immediately. Car is still basically very clean inside after 7 months.
Handling: Handles very well, although I was spoiled by the A4 - TL is definitely NOT as good a handler as the Audi. Steering feel is quite good but the car is a bit floaty on curves. Probably my biggest area of disappointment about the car, but understand that I was spoiled by the Audi - it's still pretty good. I bought automatic partly due to torque steer, plus wife hates stick. Almost never notice the torque steer in the auto, when I test drove the manual and hit the gas at a start, the torque steer was a bit alarming with very quick application of gas.
MPG: It seems the 'range' of mpg is greater on this car than others I've driven. MPG in the computer is very accurate, within 1mpg of actual, which I check when I fill the car. In pure city driving you might see 17-19, on straight highway you can get around 30. A mix puts you in the 22-24 mpg territory. Adding a lot of city driving really pulls it down, but if you can cruise for long distances at 50-80 mph you'll see high mileage.
I am still considering buying the 2003 Passat off-lease due to low miles and decent buy-out price, but am very concerned about VW long term reliability and service. To date, through, my Passat has been very good, does not have anywhere near the bells/whistles and comfort/HP of the TL, but is a decent car nonetheless except for long therm reliability concerns.
One more question: For those in 100 degree + hot climates (again, I am in Southern Nevada), how is the TL's A/C performance. This is a very important issue for me.
Surprisingly, my Passat has exceptional A/C. My older 1999 Saab 9-3 had terrible A/C. Want to know about rear world longer term experiences with the TL.
Many thanks for all the feedback from all of you.
The TL requires 91 octane or greater. I've used 93 and found absolutely no difference in MPG.
Pure city MPG is closer to 22 MPG.
My City mileage is much worse than expected, with 16 mpg the average for a mix of moderate city and beltway driving. The 6-speed seems to get worse than the automatic in the City, but better on the highway, where the 6th gear is perfect for 75+ mph cruising.
I have a 2004 TL 6-speed that just had a 16,000 mile "B" service. The high performance tires are still showing 50% treadlife and the front (Brembo) and rear brakes are at 75%+ remaining life. I don't drive like a maniac, but I don't baby it eaither. I was told that my tire life is better than average, with most of the HPT package tires needing to be replaced at 20,000 +/- miles. The good news with the TL is that the tires can be rotated, adding to tire life. My former S2000 and all BMW 3 & 5 series with the sport package have different front and rear tire sizes that can't be rotated.
Also, my service manager thought the TL should be as good as my former 1995 Maxima SE on brake pas / rotor wear. I only needed two sets of fronts and one set of rear pads in 153,000 miles and NEVER needed the rotors ground or replaced. Unfortunately, the TL does have a drive belt instead of the Maxima's drive chain, so that will be an extra expense down the road.
Don't mean this in an derisive manner, just there seem to be cars more aimed or purchased by females (VW bug, Mazda Miata) vs. males (Mustang, Lexus IS), etc...
I saw demographic info during my purchase:
** 60% male
** 75% married (hence maybe why so many purchases for the wife...as us guys still want so fun with the wife's car)
** 75% college grad with median household income of $100,000.
Step foot in a demo and see for yourself.
I find your examples of the Mustang and Lexus IS as "male" cars rather amusing. The latter especially has been dubbed a "boy racer" in other Edmunds forums. Not exactly the image a professional male wants to project, if one is concerned about such things.