Hello all,

This past Thanksgiving weekend I finalized my purchase and drove off the dealer's lot in a 2008 Acura RL with Technology Package. This is a replacement of my previous daily driver which was a Toyota Camry. This will be my second car that I presently own along with my 2004 Lexus GS. The GS is VIP styled and is my weekend and show car. The RL will become my new daily driver and I'll also use it for weekend trips and such. I love driving my GS but the car is so low that I scrape my undercarriage when I have more that two people in the car. This is why most of the time it's just me alone in the car when I drive it. Hey what can I say... Form > Function with that car. I originally was looking at getting the TSX but it was somewhat small to me. I'm not a fan of neither the 3rd gen TSX or RL so after some research I decided to go with the 2nd gen RL. I wanted the added luxurious look and feel and bigger sedan size that the TSX does not have. Other than getting light tint and upgrading some lights, I have no plans to mod this car like I did with my GS. Okay fine maybe I'll add a lip spoiler but that's about it. I'm keeping this one simple. I've already have Osram HID bulbs on order from RetrofitSource.com since I'm not a fan of the stock HID bulbs. Thanks for looking everyone and here are some pics:

The GS:



The RL:

 

Welcome Mr.G!
cant wait to see what you do with the RL!!!!!

 

Welcome to AZ! Is this picture from Black in Philly? I was at the show. I know a few guys in the group from this site years ago.

 

Looks exactly like mine did when I got it.

 

Lets hope he has better luck.

 

lol too soon

 

 

Here here. Although I wouldn't call it bad luck. Let's hope he pays better attention.

 

Thanks but I really will not be doing much with this vehicle. I'm keeping this one bone stock.

Yep that was earlier this year at Tuner Expo/Black 4. I was with the Liberty guys that day. I can only think of one of those guys you mentioned that may have been on this site. He had a tastefully modded white TL (2nd-gen I think) with a plate called "Leche". He hasn't had the car for several years now.

Not sure what happened in the past but I'm one to pay attention.


So while searching the forums, I see that most owners who live in areas that get snow opt for dedicated snow tires. I was surprised since with "SH-AWD" I didn't see the need for snow tires. I'll definitely test the waters in the RL once we receive measurable snow before I look to get snow tires. I had to get Blizzaks for my GS since it was RWD and the fishtailing really made me feel uneasy.

 

Oh one more thing, I'm leaning on not getting very dark tint. The wife says that I should not get dark tint either. I think 35% will still be too light. For the color of the car, what tint you folks think I should go with?

 

20 or dont waste your money

 

Welcome! Honestly, with your color combination, I'd go with 20%. I opted for 28% solarguard, but that's only because I drive a dark colored RL with the black interior.

 

I ran a red light and t-boned a Tundra.

No drivetrain can compensate for lack of traction. The physics always win.

35% is too light for my taste. 20-30 gets my vote.

 

007, you know your sub sales thread got closed right?

 

I have read about this car and most reviews said that it is a fine car, loaded , cheaper and reliable. For me , It looks good too though, it also depends on your preference.

 

I saw that. It happened right after you bumped it out of good will.

The info is there for anyone interested. I don't have a lot of time to be packing sub enclosures for shipping, but I will start a new thread when I do.

OP, sorry for the minor derailment.

 

I have 30% Lumar that was applied from Shades Of Gray in Philly. They use a computer to cut it so it fits perfectly.

 

Thanks for your suggestions everyone. I may end up going with 20%.


Hey 007.... sucks about the accident. I saw the FS thread and would have hopped on the shift knob but I see that it has been long sold already.

 

Congrats on your RL, I'm sure you will love it. The GS isn't so bad either.

 

Here is what 30% (front) and 5% (back) metallic Llumar looks like. Keep in mind, you are looking through two windows, so the picture is a little deceiving on the dark side. It's also overcast. 30% is the minimum up front in TX.

 

all I see is a spare tire... whats this thread about again

20... do it.

 

There were a bunch of people from this site like Rodney and Ray Horton who used to meet up. We started a crew called Tri-State VIP that never went anywhere. People found Agi through the same scene and they all took it to another level. I don't have the money to play like you all lol. I wouldn't mind having a VIP ride and another daily driver.
Leche was a 3rd gen. 2006 if I remember correctly.

 

^^ Oh yeah I remember TriState VIP but honestly I didn't follow the group. I gain interest in the scene when Gotham VIP came around and went to a few meets they had.

The two tint shops close to me don't offer 20%. The closet to 20% they have is 15% and 18%. I'm leaning on 15% because I'm concerned that 18% will still be light with my tan interior. I still have a week or so to decide since my appt is just over a week away.

On a side note I received my HID bulbs from the retrofitsource.com yesterday. Changing the bulbs was a royal PITA! It sucks even more if you have big hands and when it's cold outside lol. I decided to not remove the bumper and just work from the top by removing the panels in the engine bay. This is somewhat concerning because if changing the bulbs was that difficult it makes me wonder if routine maintenance will be just as difficult.

 

You're used to Toyota simplicity, I know that feeling

 

I guess the wife's concerns aren't shared.

Maintenance on the RL isn't bad at all. The bulbs are probably one of the tougher jobs, but HIDs aren't supposed to burn out either.

 

So today I had the P0401 code resolved but the blank navi screen issue still remains since they said the existing unit in the car is dead and a new one will need to be ordered. In the month or so that I've owned the car I have upgraded all the interior lighting to led, installed Osram HID bulbs and I had 18% window tint installed. The local tint shops in my area did not have 20% so I settled with 18% which I'm very happy with. I have the bulbs for the license plate and reverse lights but I have not gotten around to installing them. Next order of business is to upgrade to HID fogs and maybe install a sharkfin antenna and trunk lip spoiler. I have too much stuff in the garage at the moment and it's been too damn cold to work on getting that stuff installed so I'll wait until spring. Here's a quick pic I took with the iPhone on how it looks now

 

This past Thanksgiving weekend marks one year of RL ownership for me and I've been impressed thus far. The car has been a great daily driver and also good in the snow which I discovered last winter. The wife loved it when it was used for weekend excursions and a vacation road trip during the spring and summer months. There was a time where I had thoughts of trading it in and picking up and Audi but that idea was short lived. Recently I watched as my car was being driven up to me by the valet guy and it just looked slick. I just had that proud feeling that went through me as I saw it roll up. I still have no plans to mod the car with a body kit, wheels or suspension. I'm very particular about car lighting which is the only modding that I've done to the car. I'm starting to see slight hazing on one of my headlights which bothers me. I like to have clear headlights with maximum light output so I see a wetsand/clearcoat project upcoming. I still have my foglight upgrade mod to do which I had to postpone due to a health issue that arose and it being very busy at work this past summer. I'll be sure to update the thread I created (https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...ilemma-906339/) since quite a few you contributed by giving me some pointers for that project. Despite it being my daily, I've only put about 8600 miles on it since I still drive my GS here and there.

 

Im like you, car lightening is very important to me. Its sad our cars dont come with clear lens projectors like the JDM version. Some people have retrofitted those. Its the best lightening mod u can do. Check the member Carbon Legend's headlight work. Its pretty cool.

 

Welcome to the site, good choice on 18%. I have 20 all around on mine with the same body colour and I love how it looks.