Older Acura TLs

boe_d · November 2005

I saw a few mentions in various news articles that Acura is hoping to have a hybrid out next year. The unfortunate part (I thought) was that they were more concerned about more speed than better gas mileage by adding the hybrid to the TL. I would be perfectly happy with the performance of the Accord Hybrid in a TL package. I really don't think I need any more than 255HP - more than I have in my current 2001 TL which has plenty of pep (but lousy mpg)

tlrulz · November 2005

I bought an '06 TL non-Navi a couple of weeks back and I noticed that the rear seats already have stretch marks on them, also I noticed a couple of lines developing on the drivers seats. This is my first Acura, and I am sure there are a lot of you out there, that might have experienced this problem(s) with '04 and '05 TLs. Would you classify these are manufacturing defects and get Acura to fix it, should I take this back to the dealer?

Thanks for your advice.

highender · November 2005

Yes...I have the marks on mine too....

I compared it to a 2002 TL....and their seats have stretch marks too...albeit smaller ones.

This topic/problem has come up earlier ...earlier this year there was some discussion of it. You can search it.

heisnstein · November 2005

Do you have any recent cites? All I can find is an article in Ward's done almost a year ago that said that hybrid Acuras were "not in the short term plan."

boe_d · November 2005

I wish I had more. That is the last article I read as well.

boe_d · November 2005

For anyone interested in reading the article we are talking about - http://wardsauto.com/ar/auto_acura_hybrid_definitely/

strokeoluck1 · November 2005

I have an '05 TL with 5,500 miles on it and I too have noticed what I would consider excessive wear on the driver's seat (I'm the only one in the car 99% of the time). If you do a search on this forum, or the "problem" forum you'll find many listings of this same issue. The next time I take my car in I plan on discussing this with the dealer, though I'm doubting they can/will do much about it. There are some good car "touch up" companies out there and I'm hopeful that eventually they can slap some concoction on the seat to eliminate that look.

- Rob

strokeoluck1 · November 2005

All, I have an '05 TL and live in southeast Michigan. Do I need to buy winter tires?

I don't recall purchasing any unique package with the car, just the standard TL (non-Nav). Any thoughts, ideas, recommendations?

Thanks, Rob

taxesquire · November 2005

Did you need winter tires with your last car? Was that car FWD?

The TL is a FWD car with traction control. The traction control does not increase traction, so much as it reduces slippage (it stops power to the slipping tire, I believe). FWD cars get better traction than RWD b/c there is more weight (gravity) over the powered tires. Still, if you experience a lot fo snow and ice, it'd be wise to get winter tires. From what I understand, it's generally a storage problem more than a cost problem b/c by using winter tires, you are prolonging the life of your non-winter tires.

bplayer · November 2005

If you will be driving in snow regularly and have a reasonable amount in inclines/declines in the road then snow tires are recommended for all 4 wheels, not just 2. Traction is better and stopping distances can be as much as 40% less than all season tires.

Do you experience freezing rain or black ice? If so forget it with all season tires.

The key to winter driving is moderation: gentle starts, allows lots of stopping room. Also hope that other idiot does the same.

armand · November 2005

I put snows on my '04 TL and it made a big difference. I live in NY and think the TL needs snows even with FWD and traction control.

roar1 · November 2005

Honda/Acura should be sued over the CRAPPY interior of these TL's. And this is what $30,000 to $35,000 buys.

I've owned Toyotas and Nissans for 35 years and some vehicles I've had for 12 years and 180,000 miles and the interiors looked better than a 1-2 yr. old TL. It's incredible. If you are not having interior problems, you are in the minority and should consider yourself EXTREMELY fortunate.

I've spent several weekends cruising the back lots of 4-5 Acura dealers looking at '04 and up TL's. I've seen at least 15 TL's and they have ALL had one or more of the following problems:

1) Cracked / stretched leather
2) Dinged center consoles
3) Faded / milky / blotchy dashboards
4) Passenger side dashboard. Airbag either SUNKEN or the airbag unit outline beginning to show.

I must admit that the owners of these vehicles might have them at the dealer for these very reasons. I did not talk to the owners.

I know the car has other fine attributes but it's hard to overlook these interior problems. I also know that the car is still on my shopping list but it is now at the bottom of that list and the G35 has risen to the top. I'm trying to persuade my wife that we can afford an M35. I've got my fingers crossed ! Meanwhile, my advice to Acura is " DO SOMETHING " !!! IMHO of course.

laurasdada · November 2005

New England resident here. If you have the Bridgestone Turanza EL42 and plan on driving in snow, I'd consider snows. I found these tires to be poor in the snow last winter. I always got where I was going, but I had to be extra, extra aware of these tires. I've always driven FWD and never really had a snow issue, until these tires. We take the wife's RX300 into ski country, I wouldn't take the TL with these tires.

A better snow rated all-season would probably be an improvement/alternative if you didn't want to do the changeover, check tirerack.com for reviews.

laurasdada · November 2005

Hi: 11 month old '05. The only interior issue I've had is the faded/milky dashboard. Cleaning seems to help, but it is still somewhat noticeable. And I do see the airbag outline, if I really, really look for it. Leather, while not looking brand new, looks ok. It has some wrinkles, but no cracks or stretch marks.

It stinks that such a great interior has been marred for some with these issues. One of the reasons I bought the TL over the G35 was the superior interion style/materials...

priggly · November 2005

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-17-2005/00042191- 03&EDATE

tlbuyer2 · November 2005

Hi. It seems that a lot of people complain about "harmonic vibrations in automatic models in the 5th gear". What does it mean "in the 5th gear"? Is it over 5000 rpm or certain speed or what? How does the whole "gears" thing work? Thanks.

strokeoluck1 · November 2005

Thanks Laurasdada. Since the mid-80's I've always driven front-wheel drive cars and have always lived in Wisconsin or Michigan. But I've never had a car where the tires "slipped" so much as this one does on wet surfaces (up until now I've only driven it on rainy days since I purchased it in June). I figured it was a combination of power and the performance tires, even though it has t/c.

So Laurasdada, what tires did you wind up buying for your TL? (Others please chime in too!) Also, what did you do, put new rims AND tires on the car? Or did you just have the tire place swap out the tires on the same rims? Thanks!

- Rob

laurasdada · November 2005

Ah, inertia...

After having railed on about the Bridgestone's more than once, I've done, well, nothing! I'm going to soldier on this winter with the tires and, as I did last winter, rely on my (too) many years of snow-driving experience, FWD, TC/ABS and, of course, snow plows to keep my path straight and true.

If, however, I feel it's just too dangerous, I will probably buy a set of highly snow-rated all seasons as I don't want to store/change-over to snows. As I've mentioned, I've always driven FWD w/o snows in snow country and done just fine. If I had a RWD, I would do snow tires. Again, with the Bridgetones, joke's on me as I chose the TL over the G because of FWD (well, one of several reasons why I chose the TL).

When the Turanza's time comes, though, they shall not be renewed on my TL.

I'm not saying this is the best plan, Rob, but for now it's my plan. Bring on the snow, I'm ready to hit the slopes!!! In the wife's AWD RX300, of course.

strokeoluck1 · November 2005

Thanks for the honesty! I too have mostly driven FWD vehicles in upper midwest conditions w/o snow tires. But then again I never had a car with more than 190 HP, or with these types of performance. On the one hand I think to myself that I only drive about 10,000 miles/year, mostly to/from work. Outside of that we're "mostly" in my wife's FWD minivan that handles ok (should have got the darn traction control!), better than I'm guessing the TL will handle. We drive her van on several winter trips each year and we go ~7 hours each way on these trip - through snow. So maybe I'll try and stick it out w/the mfgr TL tires for this winter and see how they treat me. If I have any issues I'll switch over to some sort of all-season tire. I really don't care to change tires (or rims) every winter/fall though so I'd prefer to get a tire I can keep on all year.

- Rob

podres · November 2005

The MT version comes with different brakes. Does it also have different tires? If so, are they any better?

yakuza · November 2005

The MT doesn't automatically come with different tires. However, you CAN buy the High Performance Tire package for about $200 but I'd save that money and invest in even better tires than the ones that come with the HPT package. I forgot the exact tire brand/model but from what I've heard from people that got the HPT package, the tires were just ok and didn't last very long.

taxesquire · November 2005

I thought my HP tires handled very well, and while they don't last very long (mine lasted just under 20k mi), no true HP tire does.

HP tires have shorter sidewalss, so wouldn't that mean the rims a different? Maybe not the looks of the rims, but the actual size? If so, you'll need to consider that. After my HP Potenzas were done, I switched to Goodyear Eagle F-1s and have been very happy. They handle the same as the Potenzas, and are more comfortable.

habitat1 · November 2005

I have a 6-speed with HPT package - they were Bridgestone Potenzas (vs. the standard Bridgestone Tourenzas). The wheels are identical - both the standard and HPT tires are 17" 235/45 size.

Foregoing the HPT package and getting even better high performance tires makes some sense. Except that, unless you do that immediately and essentially throw out the standard tires, you are stuck with poor performing tires vs. moderately good ones. Perhaps they have imporved the standard tires, but when I bought my TL in May 2004, there were a lot of complaints about the standard tires being noisy, flat spotting, etc.

I replaced the HPT Potenzas at 19,000 miles with Avon Tech M500's recommended by Tire Rack. That was a little early (3,000-5,000 miles left), but I needed to replace one tire due to a slow leak. I also went up[ to 245 widths (still 45s) to better fit the relatively wide wheels of the TL. The speedometer read 3+/- mph too high at 65 mph, so the slightly larger tire diameter actually helps close that inaccuracy. The Avon's ran a total of about $550 for 4, plus $80 for mounting, balancing and dumping the old tires.

So you can go with HPT at $200 and have decent high performance tires for 20-25k miles. Or you can forego HPT and spend $650+/- for very good high performance tires whenever you make the switch.

xrunner2 · November 2005

(Others please chime in too!) Also, what did you do, put new rims AND tires on the car? Or did you just have the tire place swap out the tires on the same rims? Thanks!

In Nov 03, bought 4 winter tires and alloy rims for wife's 04 TL from Tire Rack for about $1K. Will be putting on soon for third season. We get about 3-3.5 months snow/ice. Tires are Dunlop Winter Sport M2 205/50HR17 for smaller footprint, but approx same circumference. Rims are ASA. Loss of skidpad handling/interstate ramps with 205 vs stock size is not a big deal. Most times in winter months, the ramps/roads have a glaze of salt residue that precludes trying to drive with gusto. Have been very pleased with snow/ice/dry performance.

It is a hassle to store extra set of rims/tires, but it is well worth it in terms of extra margin of safety in handling - starting, turning, stopping, straight ahead stability in ice/snow. I put on/take off tires myself. One thing about 04-06 TL is that they are very low at the sill and you have to finagle your floor jack to get it exactly under the jacking plates to avoid damaging the bodywork in that area.

rattler2 · November 2005

j47-

i recently noticed a very light and annoying rattle under the hood as well. i have a 2005 TL and i noticed that it occurs only when i accelerate and everyone I tell about it can't hear what I am describing. it doesn't sound serious, but it's extremely annoying to me. it sounds very "american"-much like a beat up oldsmobile I used to drive. have you talked to acura about it?

bodble2 · November 2005

Could it be engine "pinging" you are hearing?

vtxmik · November 2005

Help.. :confuse: I want to clean my 05 Acura TL dash board top and bottom, but I wonder if I can use Amorall leather wipes or something similar. I use it for the seats and they look good, a little shiny, but it's :shades: I did the search on the forum, but only found posts from way back 2001.

bplayer · November 2005

Detailers suggest that Armoral is not recommended, but products can change over time. If it works for you and you are happy, who cares. Some recommended products are:

- 303 Aerospace Protectant
- Meguiars NXT Tech Protectant
- Zaino Leather in a bottle
- Lexol leather conditioner
- Pro Honda Vinly/Leather Protectant

taxesquire · November 2005

I use armorall for my dash and am pretty happy. If your dash is faded (looks gray instead of black), you may need 2 or 3 coats over several days to get it back in order.

habitat1 · November 2005

In the past, Armorall products contained alchohol - an absolute no-no for long term use on leather, according to the experts I have spoken with (Mercedes, Porsche, other collectors).

I used Maguires wipes on my dash (and the seats) and it looks like new. Maguires as a brand has a much better reputation than Armorall. As do the high end products that spend more money on ingrediants and research than marketing.

jojowhite · November 2005

Can anyone figure out how to fast forward in a track on a cd? For example, if I am listening to a book on cd and am in track 4, and I want to go forward or back to rehear something in track 4, etc., how can I do this and not skip ahead to track 5 or back to track 3?

bplayer · November 2005

Press and hold the scan - or + buttons.

podres · November 2005

I recently said in a post that the used car evaluations for the TL in Consumer Reports did not rate the TL above average in "body integrity". I was incorrect. The 2004 TL (the most recent model for which I can find used car data) shows the TL as above average in body integrtiy and body hardware. It only looks bad by comparison because in all other categories the TL is rated much better than average.

So the squeaks and rattles crowd here is either fussier than the average CR responder, or a skewed sample -- people who are happy with their cars are out driving them, not posting messages on websites.

sunset120 · November 2005

I am seriously considering buying in next 6 weeks. Which combo of wheels / tires will give the smoothest ride? My 00 TL does great on Michelin MXV4s.

strokeoluck1 · November 2005

I've been using Armorall for the last seven months with no ill effects. It works well.

- Rob

wyman · November 2005

I love the TL without the front license plate. Much nicer look. I'm ordering a new '06 A-Spec and would prefer not to have this on. Anyone know if this is required by law (in Canada)?

taxesquire · November 2005

In general, cars look better w/o the front license plate, and if they're not required, they probably would only give you 1 plate (it costs the Country $$$ tomake a 2nd plate).

That's how it is in Fla - you only need 1 so you only get 1. I bet that if you look around and see all the cars having 2 plates, it's becasue that's required by law.

As an aside, in the US, 1 plate v. 2 is a state issue, so you may need to look at the rules of your various provinces, as opposed to national law, if that's what you were planning to do.

donni1 · November 2005

Other than an FM transmitter or cassette (both of which deliver inferior sound quality), I have found no simple solution for utilizing an iPod or other player in my car (I have a 2002 Acura TL with in-dash 6-CD changer). The solution I am contemplating now is a complete gutting of the Bose system (receiver, the five speakers, etc.) and replacing it with something that is iPod compatible. I've been told it can be done. The only issue is cost. If I can get it done for under $800, I just may go for it.

habitat1 · November 2005

It's your cash, but that sounds like a lot of money to put into a 2002 TL just for the ability of listening to an iPod. And it will probably be worth about 5-10 cents on the dollar when you go to sell or trade the car. How long do you plan on keeping the car?

xrunner2 · November 2005

The solution I am contemplating now is a complete gutting of the Bose system (receiver, the five speakers, etc.) and replacing it with something that is iPod compatible.

Would you be getting lesser fidelity in that iPod supposedly not true CD high fidelity sound as you are getting from CD player and Bose system?

bodble2 · December 2005

You can move to Alberta, where I know they don't require a front licence plate. :P

wyman · December 2005

I moved to Alberta once before and almost froze my n*ts off. I'll stay in BC with my front license plates and warm weather.

bodble2 · December 2005

It ain't so warm today though!

laurasdada · December 2005

OK, first day in the snow with the dreaded Turanza's. With ~1" on the road, no problem getting up my driveway/steep road to Main St. On the way home, TC came on climbing hill onto my side street. No problem. Only 5+ months of winter to go!

oh3007 · December 2005

As was driving my 2004 TL yesterday and the green indicator the shows that you are in drive was blinking while the car was set in drive and in motion. When I stopped the car and put it into park, the indicator showed a solid red by the P for a park but the green indicator next to the D for drive continued to blink. When I shut the car and restart everything was normal again. I bought this car used and are learning the ins and outs. Can anyone tell me what is happening?

bodble2 · December 2005

I don't mean to alarm you, but I think a blinking D indicator may indicate tranny problems. Does the car still drive normal? Keep an eye on it and see if it blinks again.

buyer777 · December 2005

Please keep us posted on how it handles in the snow!

xrunner2 · December 2005

OK, first day in the snow with the dreaded Turanza's.....Only 5+ months of winter to go!

If you got this much snow to put up with, you ought to really consider snow tires on separate rims. Peace of mind, safety, etc.

cassiri · December 2005

Ok so it just got cold in Texas today. My TL is only a month old and I'm hearing light knocking. It only occurs when the engine is not completely warmed up and with partial throttle. At full throttle it goes away and it also goes away once the engine is completely warmed up. I assume it has to do with the cold temps and possibly the gas they sell for such weather. Anyone seen this before? And yes I've used only 93 octane from two different gas stations.

laurasdada · December 2005

Hello:

I'm considering a couple of options. However, being a life-long New Englander, skier and snow driver my first plan is to stick with the Bridgestones until their natural tread life is over. Then replace with a set of all-seasons that are highly rated for snow. I've always driven FWD w/all seasons and gotten hither and yon without incident. FWD, common sense, snow driving skill and plain ol' good luck I suppose! I bought the FWD over the G35 for just the snow reason. I considered the G35x but chose the TL for a number of reasons.

Last winter was my first with the TL/Turanza's and they are probably the poorest tires in the snow that I can remember. But, I made it through a (record, or close to it) snowy winter here in Boston with adjustments to my driving for the tires. I will post updates as I spend more time in my beloved white stuff! Beloved for viewing and skiing, that is. Not so much for shoveling or driving in!

Older Acura TLs

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