Older Acura TLs

trackbandit · August 2005

Who makes the Nav for the TL? I've read many posts and it seems the DVD data is somewhat old. I'd like to find out when an updated disc will be available and how much it will cost. On my Nissan, the updated disc is $185 through a company called Zenrin (they make Nissan's Nav system). Their data is updated annually and is typically available in 4th qtr. each year. I hope Acura's isn't that expensive.

trackbandit · August 2005

The TL's Navi is made by Alpine and updated discs are $185 at https://iweb.alpine-usa.com/Acuradvdsales/naviorder.php
The website says updates are usually available in the fall for the current version 3.40 is probably from fall of 2004.

taxesquire · August 2005

I think your view of American cars is a bit outdated - esecially the cars the makers put money into (like the 'vette as opposed to Dodge Stratus). Regardless, you need to be comfortable. But then I guess the Cadillac XLR is out of the question, too!!!

Back to the G35 Coupe. My main issue with G35s, in general, is strictly a matter of opinion - I think they use too much metal. As an aside, my in-laws have a G35 sedan, and they've complained that the metal fascia has a matte finish that scratches easily.

Still, as far as sport-luxury Coupe's, I think the G35 is in a class by itself!!!

bodble2 · August 2005

I too think the G coupe, and the Z visually have too much metal and not enough glass. Kinda look like those Hot Wheel cars where they purposely distort the proportion. The result is the cars have sort of a big-[non-permissible content removed], heavy look. :P Still, very striking and sporty, but I'm not sure if the style will stand the test of time. For me, something like a Vette or an SLK350 would be a nice change-of-pace complement to a sensible 4-door TL. :shades:

delmar1 · August 2005

When I had a G35 courtesy car....I found that the metal from the center console to be reflective and created glare. Not a big deal...but it did bounce some rays.

The big [non-permissible content removed] look you mentioned is because the attempt is to make a car that seats four to look like a two seater.

My wife wants me to trade in one of our vehicles for a Mercedes SLK.... That thing is a blast to drive or even to ride in.

bodble2 · August 2005

Your wife's got good taste!

delmar1 · August 2005

...she even has a fine eye for cars.

However....she botched me with urging me to get the BMW 7. She is attempting redemption by selecting the SLK. However...I am going to have a tough time peeling her out of that driver seat. That is ok...I'll get the TL all for myself.

frisconick · August 2005

My wife also has a fine eye for cars and value. I told her you can buy any car you want, and she chose the TL.

I am checking out the Alfa, or is it Alpha? Very cool looking whip!

liferules · August 2005

I don't recall where you live, Frisco, but here in Dallas, the BMW's and G's are about even.

I had opportunity to participate in the BMW autocross when it was in town last weekend. It allowed you to test drive at the speedway (some pylon created tracks) the 330 vs the G35 vs. the A4 3.2. It was a blast, to say the least. I personally was impressed with the G35's interior...much more luxurious than the others, but WAAY too soft in the turns. It was the mushiest car out there, which surprised everyone. I thought I was driving a Lexus! The A4 had the best combination of luxury and drive, while the BMW obviously had the best drive, but the most spartan interior (though better than from prior years)...

Anyway, if you can't go for another TL (which I agree would be redundant), then I favor the BMW or A4 (a love it or hate it look).

Good luck!

frisconick · August 2005

I live in San Francisco, couldn't you tell from my handle. :P

I test drove a G35 coupe and didn't feel it was mushy in corners at all. The TL's only prob is a wide turning raduis, it doen's feel as good around corners as the G35 however. Audi's are out of the running for me, just don't like the look of the car.

laurasdada · August 2005

I thought San Fran denizens hated calling the town "Frisco."

Gonna go wash the Abyss Blue TL now, throw on a spritzing of Z6 also. I installed a new kitchen lighting fixture and bought new shelves for the garage. I'm feeling very manly... :shades:

frisconick · August 2005

I am a native, and have the right to call it Frisco :P

I love your blue, but my Silver always looks clean

laurasdada · August 2005

But not as clean as the evil wife's (refrigerator) white Lexus! My dad has a white TL with Camel interior. NIce.

liferules · August 2005

Well, its funny, though, because there's a Frisco, TX nearby...

Anyway, good luck with the car hunting...its always a fun thing to do.

deanvit · August 2005

Has anybody compared the TL's stereo with the G35's Bose and/or ES' Mark Levinson? Thanks.

taxesquire · August 2005

Is the ES' radio the same as the one in the LS? The LS' radio is really nice, but I haven't heard it since getting my TL, so I don't think I can do a comparison.

I really like the TL's radio - I find that it's pretty clear, but I must admit that I don't think I have a fine ear for those things. One negative I find is that I think the TL radio tops out volume-wise too soon. THere's been a handful of times when I really wanted to blast the radio, and it's maximum setting wasn't "max" enough.

delmar1 · August 2005

I found (and prefer) the TL's stereo system because each of the speakers seem to have more 'separation' than the the other systems. That is...each speaker has its own distinct sound and role in the song. Instruments appear 'separated' and distinctly coming from different parts of the sound stage.

Bass...plenty with the TL's subwoofer. That is the least of anyone's concern as that is a easy thing.

Volume....I don't crank mine to the max...so don't know.

Highs...good range on all.

frisconick · August 2005

White is a great color!!! But my evil wife said "I am not going to own a plain white car!"

I think the White TL really shows off it's style more than the Silver, very pretty.

frisconick · August 2005

I know there is Frisco TX, get many tourists? :P

Thanks, car hunting is very fun, just love it. All the comparos in different rags, I mean mags, is a blast.

taxesquire · August 2005

I must say, white is not for me. I agree with Frisco's wife - I think it looks like a rental car, and I don't think anything shows off a car's lines as much as metallics - silver or whatever.

I do think white with tan is a nice combo - classy, but it's just not my preference with cars.

frisconick · August 2005

Hey tax lawyer, how you doing

I understand, white is not for everyone. I was a big critic of the Anthracite, but color is a very personal choice, so I have softened my attitude and think the TL looks great in any color. In fact I see more Anthricites in San Francisco than any color.

delmar1 · August 2005

Hey Mr Engineer....what were the comments regarding Anthracite?

Agree...TL looks great in all colors. Well...almost....I am not a fan of the gold/tan on the TL...just me.

frisconick · August 2005

I just didn't get why people would buy a charcol gray car. Then someone pointed out to me that it was a classey color, and I had to agree. It's not as flashy as a the Silver or Red, but classey like Black. I had to agree. I am not an engineer, I am a true Scientist :P Just kidding you engineers out there

priggly · August 2005

TL's ELS system blows the others away:

http://www.audioworld.com/news/0403/15.acura.els.audio.challenge.shtml

liferules · August 2005

Actually, Frisco TX has some great TexMex!

All this talk about colors has me wondering why the TL didn't get all the fancy names that the RL did...they get some extra adjectives that WE lowly TL's don't... but that don't really add much to the color.

REDONDO red
PREMIUM white
OPULENT blue
NIGHTHAWK black
METEOR silver
LAKESHORE silver
CELESTIAL silver
DESERT MIST metallic
CARBON grey

I guess you get what you pay for...

frisconick · August 2005

I lived in Tempe AZ for a couple of years and they had fantatistic Mexican food. But come on, Frisco TX and compete with Frisico CA for dinning :P

I thought we did get those cool color names?

liferules · August 2005

Arizona? Mexican food? PULEEZE! Anyone who's anyone knows that TexMex is ONLY available in TX. AZ has good rattlesnake, but leave the Mex for the Texans...

I think I'll call my wife's anthracite, Aquaphoric Anthracite (with better wax, it may be aquaphobic). What do y'all think?

pat · August 2005

...we are not. As much as I enjoy conversations about food :-P

we really need to keep to the TL.

aaargh · August 2005

But Pat, we can drive our TLs to Texas or Arizona to determine who has the best Mexican food. Doesn't that count? :P

pat · August 2005

Uhhhhhh, no.

But thanks for playing.

TL anyone?

frisconick · August 2005

LOL Pat :P

uhhhh, the TL, it's the most attractive car on the road, what else can I say

taxesquire · August 2005

Just want to voice a minor annoyance with my TL that I think is too nitpicky to go in the "problems and solutions" forum (they seem to be on this anti-TL tire thing that's really gotten repetitive). It's great to have all the audio options it gives you, but since I don't have XM radio, it's really annoying that as I scroll through my audio modes via my steering wheel controls, I need to scroll through both sets of XM stations. It'd be nice for it only to go there if you subscribe. Then again, I bet it's part of the deal Honda struck with XM.

If there's anyone out there who sees this and says "Oh, man - I better not buy a TL" - let me just say that I've had the car since February and that's my only complaint!

billyperks · August 2005

Then you have nothing to complain about.

laurasdada · August 2005

Yeah, I hate it that I have to walk around the indoor pool in my home to get to the hot tub. What a pain! :shades:

Just kiddin', Taxman. I've thought exactly the same thing about the scrolling feature of the remote. A minor annoyance.

And I have no pool or hot tub inside or outside my modest abode.

habitat1 · August 2005

Come on, you're a tax attorney. You can afford to subscribe to XM.

I don't know if they are still doing multi-year deals, but I got 4 years for $369 back in July 2004. I added our 2005 MDX at 6.95 per month (family plan) and get XM.com on my computer thrown in for free.

I am pretty pleased with XM, both for our frequent highway trips and locally to avoid the annoying DJ chatter. Although listening to Kramer's Mad Money on CNBC on my drive home can get a little annoying with all the hooting and hollering.

Disclosure: I am an XM shareholder (I liked the service so much, I bought the company - or, rather about 0.006% of it). That's XMSR for you home gamers.

delmar1 · August 2005

I am still in my 3 mo trial period with XM....and still thinking about whether to renew or not. For my wife's TSX...maybe. For the TL...I am going to take advantage of the 6 cd changer...and tired of going under over-passes and getting no signals (today was under an overpass waiting for a green light for 3 minutes...with no signal...bummer).

Now...here is the deal. I understand after the 3 mo free trial...if you call and ask for promotional pricing...you could get 12 mos of XM for $77....or $6.42 a month ! And if you pass your 3 mo promo period...they keep calling and calling with offers. I figure my wife is worthy of XM...why not.

??? What are people's thought on XM??? :confuse: Anybody else with a lower priced plan??

taxesquire · August 2005

I really enjoyed XM radio. Fact is, though, I only travel locally, and after buying my TL, I needed to buy a house so I could garage it.

So now with my 2nd child on the way, something's gotta give - and in my world, it's the XM radio that I enoyed so much for my 30 minute commute.

PS - for those using XM, I found it easier to scroll while in the "category" setting. Then, if I wanted news, I'd hit my MSNBC preset, and could use the scan button to just scan other stations in that category. That might be an obvious "technique," but if I can help one lost sould out there... :P

frisconick · August 2005

I love XM, especially the comedy channel. Really, if can afford a TL, you can't afford XM :P

liferules · August 2005

I guess I'm in the minority. I really don't find XM very good. I at times find stations that have good songs, but living in the metroplex, I have many great FM stations at my fingertips with even better playlists. The only use of XM for me is long trips, when I don't want to have to scan the local stations...

I went ahead and purchases a year on the XM, but will likely not renew, especially with the new increased prices.

But I understand for those in regions of the country with poor radio station options, it is a good feature...

laurasdada · August 2005

I let my 3 month trial expire. XM was nice, but why pay for what is free? I mean with 18 presets, 6 cd changer and casette (I've got a lot of casettes, child of the '70s and '80s) I just didn't see the need.

They do aggressively telemarket and email with offers, so don't automatically renew. As suggested above ask for some kind of "promotional price" if you do want to continue the service. Besides, Howard is on Sirius!

It doesn't matter what you can afford. It matters what you find of value for your hard earned $$$. At this point, for me, it ain't satellite radio. You don't get rich (or at least comfortable) without making your money work for you.

delmar1 · August 2005

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on XM. Here are mine if anyone is interested.
My wife and daughter prefer a 'fresh' playlist so that includes all the top 20 junk. Daughter really likes the feature how the XM faceplate shows who the artist is and song title...which means she can go ahead and hunt as ask me to get more CDs...go figure. Wife likes the concept that there is no commercials...so that her 8 mile commute to work isn't where she catches one song. So for my wife's car...going to renew at $6.41 a month....why not. Another toy for now where I can always cancel and get a refund.

Me....I have an extensive library of CDs and content. I also have a MP3 player...so I can play a host of songs. Only complaint as you have heard over and over like a broken record...is that there is no direct mp3 hookup....so it gets channeled through FM reception...which defeats the digital quality. So my primary source of music will be CDs! Yes....we have the ability to have six discs loaded in the dash...and that will be just fine for me. I also find the quality of sound is better from CDs vs XM. I also am getting annoyed by how XM drops out when under a bridge...that sucks (in many way...I cannot wait for the day that my XM subscription expires so I don't feel guilty for not using the free service).

So...XM for wife and kid. Me...CDs!

??? Does anybody know if they will continue to offer special discounts when my current one year $77 deal expires or do they only throw the bone once?

bodble2 · August 2005

Daddy, what are "cassettes"? :P :P

kyfdx · August 2005

LOL...

dumont · August 2005

For about 50 bucks you can buy a program called Ulead Burn Now (there are others that are more expensive or you could find some freeware on the net but far more complicated) and have upto 99 full CD quality songs in each of the 6 slots so almost 600 songs. To me that beats an MP3 player. Of course if you have an Ipod or something I can understand you'd rather just plug that in. But I don't :P
Dumont

delmar1 · August 2005

That does beat the MP3 player that isn't a direct hook-up as I have now...and being in a digital format. One thing is that the songs are not indexed and in play lists.

However...tell me and others more about Ulead burn. How is it different from other burners and what option to get the 99 songs? And how does it lay it in a DVD-A layout when the source is not in the format?

dumont · August 2005

It is a drawback that all 99 tracks are in one directory and our TL's don't show the files names like MP3 players. There are other programs that allow you to have different folders so you can have separate "albums" but again you can't see the names... Ulead will rip CD files direct to DVDA or even MP3 files to DVDA.
Have a look at their website http://www.ulead.com/bn/runme.htm and also this
thread on Acurazine website (great place for TL lovers and haters) http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111785

delmar1 · August 2005

ok..another dumb question. To rip the files to maximize capacity...do I need a DVD burner drive or a CD-RW?

Any noticiable degregation in sonic quality?

Thanks for this wonderful tip.

dumont · August 2005

Hi Delmar1

Yes you definitely need a DVD burner. I would imagine as long as it is not an older model it should be compatible with DVDA burning software. You may want to check the software companies website or even Acurazine where some people have commented about workable burners. I have a year old Sony computer and it worked fine. There is absolutely no difference in sound quality burning CD to DVDA, as for MP3 to DVDA it will of course depend on the quality of the MP3 file. I have done it with a few different size MP3 files and the quality on the DVDA came out just as good as the original MP3.

Dumont

habitat1 · August 2005

Howard is one of the reasons I subscribed to XM and bought the stock. Sirius paying $500 million for a foul mouthed shock jock isn't exactly my idea of a good business decision. And I confess as a "dada" myself, I have a low tollerance for even accidentally scrolling though his vulgarities with one of my kids in the car. Mind you, years ago thought the "The Greaseman" was pretty funny, but it seems that Howard's appeal is limited to ....... nevermind, I won't go there at the risk of offending someone, and possibly the Host.

Oh, and the answer to someone's question about what are cassettes - they are that new improved format I'm going to try out as soon as I get rid of of my 8-Tracks.

laurasdada · August 2005

Casettes are what I used to record Paul McCartney songs from the band he was in before Wings. Can't recall the name...

I will admit that 8 Tracks were (just) before my time...!

"Son, you sound like a broken record!"

"Daddy, what's a record?"

"Pass the Geritol."

Older Acura TLs

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles