Unlike the title of this tread; I love the car so far. Bought a used 06 Carbon Gray/Ebony/Navi with 15K miles on it but looks brand new. Just got the windows tinted as I live in the deep south and I can just imagine how hot a black leather interior can get here.

Just a few minor things that I think the car should have come with standard; feel free to agree/disagree or educate me if necessary:

1) Audio does not show title of artist or song name on local radio stations (my 02 Audi A4 did),

2) No auto lock of doors,

3) No daytime running lights like newer Hondas.

2 & 3 are only important to me since I have two young children and safety is paramount.

Thanks, I look forward to any replies!

 

Daytime running lights? Wow i think your the first person that wishes we had these.
I wouldnt buy the car if it had those hideous things. or id buy it and figure out how to disconnect them/ unplug the bulbs

 

I would have to generally agree with #1 and #2

1) RDS is handy but I find with XM I almost never use FM. On the rare occasion that I do it would be handy though.

2) I agree. I think there is a kit you can buy from KPTechnologies to do this for you, do a bit of searching.

3) With HIDs not sure I agree with this one because every time you start the car and just drive during the day you'd be killing the life of you headlights, unless they also included some halogens for DRLs as well. I personally don't like DRLs but can see your point.

 

You must not be as safety conscience as me; like I said, nothing is more important than my kids well being; you must not have children (or maybe you do).

 

I agree with all, though they are far from major issues. I've always driven with my headlights on at all times as I like the added visibility they provide. I don't understand any one who is against them. It has no effect on you inside the car short of occasionally preventing some one from cutting you off.

Every car with DRLs and HIDs I've ever seen has non-HID DRLs. Most American cars and some foreign cars run the high beams at half power for DRLs. Anymore though, it seems most manufacturers are going to dedicated fixtures for the HIDs.

Honestly, I wish they'd become mandatory in the US. If you drive in the city where there's lots of on street parking they make it a lot easier to pick out the cars that you need to be paying attention to. On more than one occasion I've 'lost' a slowly moving car amongst a field of parked cars. It's purely a visual information processing aid.

 

The TSX that is sold in Canada utilizes the high beams wired in series for the DRL. I am sure that it would be easy to modify the wiring to allow for that.

 

DRLs would be a fine addition. I personally put my lights on whenever it rains, is overcast, starts getting dark, basically anytime where I think another driver's view of me in their mirrors might be less than perfect. I don't feel the need for them on my car due to my own habits, but I wish they were on everyone else's because I see (or should I say kind of see) too many people who only use their lights for their own improved view of the road. My

That being said Welcome to the Forum and I'm glad you enjoy your TSX

 

Turn the lights on and lock the doors when you get in the car, then.

Agreed on #1 though, would be nice to have RDS. Not a big issue, though.

 

I do, I just wish they were automatica

 

1 and 2 are conveniences i can live without.

but 3? i really don't care for at all. besides, cars w/ daytime running lights look goofy on the road.

 

Not having the auto lock feature drives my wife crazy (We have owned 4 different cars in the past 8 years and they all had them?) but I can live with it. My kids are the MOST important thing to me as well, therefore the DRL would be nice. My last to cars were Volvo's, so safety was a big deal to me and overall the TSX seems pretty good. It does pretty well in crash test scores (although those are not the only basis I go on) as well.....I just miss the heavy Volvo doors and the feeling of driving a tank. Of course, the trade off is better handling a superiour reliability rating.

My only wishes at this point are:

1. Better stereo (it's not bad though)
2. More torque (which I was completely aware off when I bought it but the good MPG was worth the trade off)

Overall, I think the power of the car is pretty good considering the MPG you get in return. I just miss the torque from previous turbos and trucks.....I would still do it again. It is certainly a very nice car for the money!

Enjoy your new TSX! I have only had mine 2 weeks and everyday I seem to enjoy it more (especially the low operating costs compared to my Volvo's).

 

Having the lights on during the day switches the nav to dim nighttime mode making it difficult to see. It's retarded that they basicly punish you for having your lights on during the day all the while having alarms and shit when you unbuckle your seat belt - a voluntary action - or one of the tires slips in a puddle.

 

You know you can just turn the little knob next to the trip meter right? Turn it to full brightness with the headlights on and the dash and nav will go to daytime mode.

 

That's not a bad idea, but I always honk the horn by accident when I reach for it. At that point it's easier to turn the headlights off because It's not so much that I want the daytime headlights as much as Acura did no favors for anyone who does. A strange oversight for a car packed with so many safety features.

 

Wow, please don't tell me your serious!

 

^^^ That knob placement is the worst idea ever. Since I drive with my headlights on all the time I keep the dimmer cranked all the way up but when I'm on the highway at night the full blast dashboard is obnoxiously bright. It requires reaching awkwardly and dangerously through the steering wheel to turn on down the dimmer when the sun goes down. It would be doubly annoying if I had to deal with the nav blinding me too. I wonder if it would be possible to install the Canadian DRL module in the American TSX?

Pretty much all the things that bother me about the TSX are related to control layout, though they are not huge issues. The main one is the wiper controls. I hate having to push lever down to change modes. I preferred the way Honda did it forever until sometime after 2000. You used to twist the end of the knob for the mode. This left single sweep feature available when you were in delay mode, which was really nice for those light rain days when a big truck goes by and sprays your windshield. The current set up is a step backwards in usability.

 

should've did a bit more research b4 buying a tsx. or maybe you shouldve bought an accord instead.

just my

 

No I'm joking, a dimly lit nav screen is perfectly visible on a bright day.

 

If you want some kind of DRL on, without the headlights couldn't you just turn the sidemarkers on instead?

 

Everything goes dim even when only the parking lights are on.

 

The side markers are not very visible at all during the day. They just don't throw out enough light. And while it would solve the issue of running the HIDs all the time, the issue with the dash dimming remains.

 

Its not a big deal to me. If Im driving in a straight line just get a hold it of it really quick and twist, it takes like a second

 

Driving in a straight line is a rare occurrence where I live. And the few occasions where it does happen, it's usually in heavy traffic.

It's not the end of the world or anything, I just think it could have been designed better. In fact it has been, all my other Hondas have had it over by where VSA button is.

 

Just hit the "set up" button then press on "day" under the brightness menu. I drive with my HID's and fogs on 95% of the time, and when I do during the day, I just change the brightness. Easy as that

 

Coming from Canada where DTRs are law, my TSX high beams are used for the DTRs. Possibly there is a module or some kind of kit you can get from Honda to allow you simulate a Canadian model? Not sure. Agree with the autolocks. I was looking in my manual to see if there was an over ride for that feature but there is not.

 

For those who really want it, there is an aftermarket auto lock feature made by KP Technologies . It requires wire splicing and soldering though.

 

I thought the 06 models come with auto lock feature? Don't you have to adjust it using the MID? I have an 04 so I am speaking from my a$$.

Also you could always use the safety lock mechanism so that the kids can't open the door from the inside...

 

How come nobody adjusts the brightness of the dash when the car isn't moving? Like when you first turn on the car, instead of doing it while in motion and causing the awkwardness.

 

I am. I drive with my headlights on nonstop. all day long, every day. better than DRL's

 

I don't really care about the lack of DRL's or even automatic headlamps. What gets me is, how can a car this nice and with this much stuff in it have no compass? Have I just not found it yet, since I haven't read the manual? That and the fact that the exterior temp is on the bottom menu toggle, while the top menu has inst. fuel econ only. I want to see the temp AND the odometer at the same time, danggit!

KJ

 

The nav has a compass. If you got the non-navi you can compliment you car with a sticky compass accessory available at you nearest autoparts store.

One the joys in life though is getting lost on some backroads and not having any idea what direction you're heading, having no bearing on where exactly you in relation to your normal world.

 

I mean I guess it's not necessary for my daily commute, and for trips I have a portable Garmin. But still, I find it odd that there is no compass in that car. Oh well, I love driving it.

 

One more question:

I only received one fob and key for my TSX.

I purchased two new key fobs on ebay recently; I think I know how to program them based on the owners manual.

regarding two new keys; can I just get two generic keys cut or do I need an Acura dealership to cut me keys???? TIA

 

Did you purchase the fobs or the keys? The fob (i.e. seperate remote unit) can be programmed by the user. A key has to have the immobilizer chip in it and the dealership will have to program it to pair with your cars immobilizer unit. Without the programming you will not be able to start the car as the ECU will be disabled.

 

the tsx comes with two keys-two fobs and a valet key-

 

I suggest you go back to your dealer and ask why did you only get one key and one fob. You should've gotten 2 fob and 3 keys 2 are master keys and 1 valet key.

 

"Bought a used 06 Carbon Gray/Ebony/Navi with 15K miles on it but looks brand new"

only received driver #2 fob and key. No driver #1 fob and key or valet key with the purchase of the vehicle.

Anyone have an idea as to how much I can expect to purchase one key from a dealership?

 

Just spoke to a stealership and they want $45 for the key and $95 for labor to program the key to the car!!!

farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg

 

When I purchased my CPO 06 TSX (2 weeks ago) it only came with the #1 fob + Key and the valet key.....They told me when I bought it that they did not have the #2 fob + key. The dealer also told me that I would have to buy a #2 Fob + key.....?????

So here is one solution (since I wasn't satisfied with that answer). Look on the ACURA website and under the CPO warranty. Then click on the details sheet for the 150 point CPO Inspections sheet. Look at line #18, which clearly states that ALL CPO cars must come with 2 fobs and 3 keys (including the valet) unless the car has an aftermarket system. I contacted the dealer (a little frustrated after they told me I had to purchase it, when in fact it clearly says on the CPO checklist it should be provided ) and asked them to supply me with a #2 fob and key. The response was "we are not aware of that", so I asked them to refer to line #18 in the ACURA CPO checklist and let me know their answer. I got a call back about 15 minutes later and amazingly the #2 fob appeared out of the blue???? The only catch was they would not agree to cut another key....Rather than argue anymore, I just settled for the fob and said fine (I have been a little frustrated with some other issues they made mistakes on and I finally said screw it).

Bottom line is that it is stated that all CPO cars should come with this (refer to line #18). I also verified this with ACURA customer service.

Directions to find the info:
1. Acura Website
2. Certified Preowned link
3. Click on Certification Process
4. Click on "View CPO checklist"
5. Scroll to line #18 and read......

Good luck and I hope this helps!

 

I totally agree with you on the DRL. I also wish the lights were automatic. In my old Corolla I never had to think about the head lights. A study was done in Finland a while back that found that cars with DRL were 20% less likely to be in an accident than those without. After the study I heard that they began requiring them. It's much safer. That said, still LOVE my new TSX.