Older Acura TLs

laurasdada · April 2006

I'm not sure about the 1 degree incline, but I do agree that these heavy doors can be pretty aggressive! If you do not hit the detent and steady the door there, they do aggressively shut. My kids do not like the TL doors! Yes, we've all been bitten... :sick:

taxesquire · April 2006

I'd like to see Acura do away with some of the double and triple activation features of the audio and climate systems

What do you mean? You don't want the seering wheel radio controls? What is the double-activation feature on the climate control? :confuse: Are you counting voice recognition?

I'm only commenting becasue I like the controls you're complaining about.

taxesquire · April 2006

I just passed a full-year with my TL and neither I nor my son has had a door-closng issue

laurasdada · April 2006

Congrats! But don't get cocky, kid! Those doors are out there. And they are hungry!

bodble2 · April 2006

I agree with you completely. The doors are way too springy. I've been "assaulted" a few times. God help you if you're entering or exiting carrying a cup of hot Starbucks and you don't hit the detent......

:sick:

(I wonder why no one has introduced power-closing doors like they do for trunks and hatches?) :confuse:

belgiumtl · April 2006

Can anyone help me to reset the oil maintenance minder? Moved to Belgium, took my TL, but to get my request across in French to the Honda dealer who doesn't even sell a TL....argh!
As for the gent having problems with his '06, I have not had any problems and have put my '04 TL A-spec through it paces from horrible Belgian roads to the Autobahn in Germany. A great car!! I do miss my friends at Oakland Acura. Never a problem, they set the bar for service.

Any assistance is appreciate with the M-Minder. :confuse:

jrourke · April 2006

I just assumed that the "extended warranty" was an extension of the same bumper-bumper 4/50K warranty that is standard with the car. A person told me that is not always the case with car manufacturers and sometimes is more of a "service warranty" and as such had more exclusions than the original.

Was wondering about the Accura version? (I haven't bought a car or warranty yet, so don't have a contract to read but am considering the extras that will come up in purchase discussions)

ezracer · April 2006

Your owners manual will tell you how to do it !!

taxesquire · April 2006

you get the maintenance minder up on the screen and then you do 1 of the following (I forget which one)

1- press the reset button repeatedly; or,
2- press and hold the rest button

in 5-10 sec.s, the screen should change. Scroll around to see if the minder comes back, and if it does, then follow instruction 1 or 2 again.

wisngamecock · April 2006

Ok belgiumtl, so inquiring minds want to know....how does your TL handle on the Autobahn??!?! How fast did you go? Did you push the top end of the car? My 9 year old keeps asking me how fast my 6SP TL will go and I tell him somewhere between 140-150, but I really don't know. I wish I could take it to Germany.

courtney11 · April 2006

Does anyone know what changes are in store for next years model? cooled seats? etc?

clipper1 · April 2006

OK folks -- when the heck is the 2007 model appearing?

buyer777 · April 2006

I test drove a TL the other day on local roads. The ride was, I guess "firm", at least firmer than I am used to. Road was not great, NJ, but not bad. I felt more than I usually due in my old 97 Intrepid. How does that translate to the highway, i iften have to do 1-3 highway trips...thoughts?

ezracer · April 2006

First of all, the struts on your Intrepid are probably " 1/2 shot " thus producing a softer than normal ride. Then, you get into a TL. Yes, the TL has a firm, but controlled ( well absorbed ) ride. For a front drive vehicle, it is a " handler " , not like your Intrepid OR my old 2000 Maxima. IMHO, the TL has an excellent highway ride.

Even though I drove (5) different TL's for test drives, I still noticed different ride and handling characteristics AFTER I bought the car. Here's the best piece of advice I can give you ( this is going to be difficult )...........test drive the car on KNOWN roads, namely, the very roads you use every day to go to work. The very first day I drove my TL to work I thought, gee, I never noticed this bump or that dip before !!!

Call a dealer ahead of time and arrange to have a test vehicle for several hours...preferably WITHOUT the sales guy.

ps: OR, just buy the car!! You won't be sorry

dr_g · April 2006

I know what you're talking about. I just moved from a Ford Contour SE to a new TL (big upgrade in class). The Contour drove remarkably smooth and had ridiculous handling skills. The whole reason in me buying a TL was so I would have a "big-boat" I wouldn't want to tinker with and peel around corners with (relative to the Contour).

The TL is smooth as silk on well paved roads - guess that's my impression moving from a Ford to a Japanese car. But it does seem to accentuate large abberations in the road more than my Contour did (despite the Contour having a significantly shorter wheelbase).

Well at least I know the TL is communicating the road to me better than I expected it would. I would rather feel a few more bumps than drive a boat like a Camry and not know when I was driving out of lane.

laurasdada · April 2006

I agree.

I came from a '99 Chrysler 300M (great car!). The M gave a smoother ride, with very decent handling. One thing I like about my TL (great car!) is the much "tighter" feeling in the handling dept. The trade-off is a less smooth ride than the M. But I purchased the TL over a G35 because (among other reasons) the TL had a smoother, quieter ride than the G. The G's handling was even tighter than the TL, but the ride (and road/wind noise) trade-off was more than I was willing to live with. So, it's all relative and too each...!

Did I mention that the TL is a great car! Can't wait to apply my first new coat of Zaino this spring...

Oh, yeah. The evil, heavy door got me again this morning. As I was lowering myself into the driver's seat, door moved and hit my ear. I guess it was beyond the first detent a bit. Ouch. Evil door.

pat · April 2006

I'm pretty sure I would hit the door back. And then I would have a hurt hand as well as a hurt ear. :sick:

landlubber · April 2006

lol - bought my TL last month after driving a Camry for the last 10 years. Do notice many more bumps in the TL, but gladly swap that for the power and handling. Plus, the TL is smoother than other cars in its percieved class.

dr_g · April 2006

I really like the looks for the G35 coupe (that tail is distintive from ¼ mile away) - the TL looks better G35 sedan because of the raked look.

I only drove the G35 twice and both times noticed that the enjoy noise was quite loud (remember I was driving a Ford Contour at this point - so a $36K car shouldn't be that loud unless it was Auto-X material). The controls on the Acura seemed more intuitive (those stand-up push buttons on the Infiniti didn't sit right with me). The Navigation on the TL is what won me over (just wish it had real-time traffic updates which is greatly needed here in So-Cal).

Biggest gripe after 3 days of ownership is that the rear visibility is kinda lacking - of course the G35 and IS350 were just as bad. What's the deal with making cars that had poor visibility. All the road-hugging sportiness in the world is useless if you can't tell when you can do a quick change :confuse:

ezracer · April 2006

Well........my wife drove my new TL for the first time yesterday. She was getting into the car and wasn't quite all the way in when suddenly, without warning the door started to close on her. OOPS!

I told her to think of the football fans that chant " Defense, Defense ". When you are getting in or out of a TL it's " DETENTS, DETENTS ".

Actually, after (4) weeks of ownership, I've already gotten accustomed to the doors.

armand · April 2006

In addition to my'04 TL I have a BMW 325XiT. In a door fight the BMW would knock the soup out of the TL door - it is a much meaner animal.

iycrra · April 2006

Does anyone know of what 2007 TL will be like? I mean the change of design or anything... Currently looking into current '06 TL, waiting for '07 Lexus ES350, '07 G35 and newly introduced RDX.

Although '06 TL's price is very favorable compare to others in its segment, what's kind of bothering me is for the kind of HP you get with TL, MPG is only 20 in the city vs. new '07 ES350, hp 272 and MPG 21 or 22 city.

Thanks in advance for any help. :confuse:

taxesquire · April 2006

I still don't get this "door problem." Like any car, as you open the door, if you open it enough, there is a kind of "catch" where the door will stay open. If you open it less or more, it will close. Either open the door enough to get it inot this "catch" or hold the door at all times.

I'm sorry for using the word "catch" - I don't really know how to describe it. :confuse:

belgiumtl · April 2006

Sorry for the delay, first off thanks for the oil minder info, actually, to reset the oil meter you have to hold it for about 20-30 seconds and it will reset to 100% (I am just impatient). As for the Autobahn, 145 mph was all I was willing to do since I threw a weight and need to rebalance my tires (even a little shimmy at 145 get me nervous). I should mention that I have the A-Spec pkg which does not do anything engine-wise, but the extra 1" lower and upgraded shocks did seem to help. I didn't get light even with a 15 mph headwind and it gripped the turns well.
A true pleasure!!!

gbockers · April 2006

Actually I'm in Boston, MA and a local dealer confirmed 06 TL's w/NAV come with Michelin MXM4's standard. w/o NAV it's the Bridgestone EL42's.

glenn386 · April 2006

I haven't experienced the door problem, but what he is saying is that so little force is required to overcome the catch that even gravity from parking on a slope, or moderate wind pressure against the door will push the door past the catch and, "wham", the door slams shut on him.

I suspect that the problem will get better when the grease in the hinge gets a little stiffer with time.

bodble2 · April 2006

Actually that's not quite the problem. The detent, or catch, is quite deliberate (for lack of a better term). But the doors seem to snap in, and out, of the detent with a little too much spring action.

bodble2 · April 2006

"...rear visibility is kinda lacking"

Don't feel bad. I've had mine for almost 2 years, and the TL has crippled my lane-change instincts, especially left to right. I just can't seem to do an instinctive quick glance over my shoulder. I have to turn my head more deliberately and take an extra split second. It annoys me because, IMO, that is potentially dangerous. In a split second, someone, or something could move in front of you and you don't catch it in time. :mad: :sick:

mvc_jones · April 2006

The cartalk guys have great tips for setting rearview and sideview mirrors to essentially get a very comprehensive rear view look with little overlap, kind of a rear view panorama, via the coordinated setting of rear and side view mirrors.

I used to set my side view mirrors to look at the rear corners of the car, this method has them set much wider, very effective for eliminating blind spots and minimizing overlaps so quick glances between rear and side view mirrors provide a very good look at what is behind/beside you.

Worth a look.

pat · April 2006

http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/mirrors/

Over all the time I've been with Edmunds, I've seen many posts in favor of this method and I can't recall a single one saying it didn't work for them, caused them problems, or anything of the kind. Very possibly, this is the only subject I can say that about!

jrourke · April 2006

"...rear visibility is kinda lacking"

Don't feel bad. I've had mine for almost 2 years, and the TL has crippled my lane-change instincts

I noticed the rear visibility on a recent test drive as well. The next day I spied a TL at the grocery store and it took me a few minutes to realize what was different: they had removed the rear seat headrests which I think was most of what seemed to be blocking the view.

bodble2 · April 2006

The rear headrests are definitely a contributing factor. The wide C pillar, and the high trunk line also don't help matters.

animalsrush · April 2006

quick question: When i was getting new insurance policy for my 2006 acura without nav the Vin check came back as Acura TL 4 DR sedan with Navi. When i asked the agent she told me that 8th chracrter of the Vin if it is 2 then it is Navi and it is 5 then it is without Navi. Howevermy Vin has 2 in the 8th position and it doesn't have Navi. So is there a place where we can validate Vin numbers

bhelsdon · April 2006

My 8th is a 2 and I do have Navi.

jrourke · April 2006

How to Decipher VIN

http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131067&highlight=construction">link title

animalsrush · April 2006

Jrourke .. Thanks for the link .. That explains a lot

jrourke · April 2006

I didn't notice the C pillars on my TL test drive. It was something that was an issue for me on the Dodge Charger I test drove.

As for trunk lines, I've realized after a few test drives of different cars, I'm never going to be able to see the rear of any car again which should make backing up interesting

dmarcus48 · April 2006

Hello all,

I'm very close to purchasing a 06 TL. I currently drive a Volvo S80 and have a "european" mirror on the driver's side. It's basically a convex mirror just the passenger side, really gives a wide angle view. Anyone know of a source for this kind of mirror for the TL?

TIA

Dave

petomlin · April 2006

WOW! Sounds fun to me!

Just wondering - What was your tachometer reading at 145? Do you have a Manual trans or the automatic?

laurasdada · April 2006

And it was revealed that it was a Cruel Winter. Many light scratches on hood and passneger side of my '05 Abyss Blue TL. Hopefully, an application or two of Zaino Z5 will cover the scratches. I don't know if I can continue to emotionally handle having a darker colored car...

buyer777 · April 2006

Laurasdada, after lurking for months just picked up TL. wanted Blue like you but they had a tough time looking so went with Anthracite. As a new car, do I need to use Dawn before using Zaino? Also, what type of towels/cloth do you use for drying? Finally do you use a car wash mixture??

Thanks!

laurasdada · April 2006

Hello, Buyer777:

For answers: http://zainostore.com/

This info is what I know from Sal's site: For the first wash, Dawn is recommended to strip any waxes/polishes the dealer may have used (Do not use Dawn after the initial wash). 100% cotton towels made in the good ol' US of A are the only way to go, per Sal. I'm using a regular store bought car wash (Meguir's, because I bought a lot before I ordered Zaino), but I might try Z7 wash with my next order. It's good stuff, especially for the darker colors.

Congrats on the Anthracite, great color. But my neighbor has it, so I just had to be different!

stepp · April 2006

I'm very close to leasing or buying a TL...except I feel guilty spending that much money. Why should I get a TL instead of a top of the line Honda Accord?

mvc_jones · April 2006

The only reason I can think of is because you want a TL vs. a top of the line Accord.

All other factual and seat of the pants information is available on websites, product brochures and via test drives.

bodble2 · April 2006

Never feel guilty about spending your money....unless you stole it!

But seriously, jones is right. It's all about emotions, your wants, not your needs, because there is no practical reason why you should get the TL instead of the Accord.

pat · April 2006

Others have asked the same question. You can see what has been discussed here: Acura TL vs Honda Accord.

tkubatz · April 2006

Does any one have Sirius radio in thier TL? Can Sirius be added on? I don't want to have a seperate tuner hanging from the windshield. I like this car but would hate to pass on it because of the radio.

bodble2 · April 2006

You would pass simply because of the radio issue? I guess you don't really like the car that much.

laurasdada · April 2006

Why should you get an Accord over a Hyundai Sonata? Or a Camry? Because it is the car you want after comparing/contrasting all the cars that meet your needs/wants/desires and finally decide which is the best fit.

Both the Accord and TL are fine choices. Only you can decide. The TL, for me, was the best choice. It's just so darn pretty...!

Good luck and enjoy the decision process! Let us know what you choose and why.

qwalls · April 2006

Both the Accord and TL are fine choices. Only you can decide. The TL, for me, was the best choice. It's just so darn pretty...!

I agree 100%. The Accord looks ok, the TL looks great! :-)

Older Acura TLs

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