emericuh

Hey, guys. I just bought a 2003 TL-S and wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions. Thanks in advance.

1. I did an oil change as soon as I got the car home, switching to Mobil 1 filters and fully synthetic oil. The car has 70k miles and isn't leaking anywhere. My question is, are most people following the Acura Maintenance Intervals on their oil?

2. I had a mechanic friend (not Acura, but one of the best Subaru guys in the city) drive the car and he says the transmission seems strong. Is there a way that I can find out the service history of the car? I'd really like to know if it is still on it's original tranny.

3. I called a local Acura dealer and priced the OEM body kit. OUCH. About $1300 painted. I've noticed that the wings west kit looks pretty similar, anyone have suggestions or feedback on what a good deal on this is?

4. $200 for a double din stereo bracket? WTF?! Is there an easier or cheaper way to do this?

5. Are drilled rotors worth it? Or should I just go for a good slotted one with a lifetime warranty?

I am sure I will have more questions, but this stuff was the first to come to mind after 3 days with the car. Again, thank you all in advance.

emericuh

To clarify, I was referring to the OEM lip kit. Body kits are atrocious.

achen0122

welcome to the club! not sure about your first two questions but as for the WW kit im thinking about that too only because its almost impossible to find a full OEM kit for the 99-01 models. as for the double din bracket, which navi are you thinking about putting in? i purchased the jvc kd-nx5000 (single din) and i'm VERY happy with it. i got the whole nine yards with it; bluetooth, ipod adapter, and rear view camera and its worked well so far. the pioneer avic-z3 didnt get good reviews since its a dvd based navi and its annoying to switch the disc everytime you wanna use the navi and the avic-z1 was too expensive.. however if you still wanna go double i found one on ebay for a decent price: http://item.express.ebay.com/Consume...mdZExpressItem

emericuh

I really want a double din, as I like the factory flush look. The price of the unit isn't what bothers me, it's the cost of the install bracket.

Bob_F

2. I had a mechanic friend (not Acura, but one of the best Subaru guys in the city) drive the car and he says the transmission seems strong. Is there a way that I can find out the service history of the car? I'd really like to know if it is still on it's original tranny.

If you haven't done this already, check to see if your TL is covered by the extended 7 year 9 month/ 109,000 mile warranty on the transmission. Not all 2003 TLs are covered.

Call Acura's toll-free Customer Care with the VIN number and they can tell you if it's covered. They can also tell you if the transmission was replaced previously by Acura.

And welcome to Acurazine!

Aman

tranny problems seem common with the 2g, and if it really seems strong, it probably has been replaced/rebuilt.

rp_guy

i'm using dino oil. 3000km change intervals are old hat. if you're on synthetic you can probably run 7500 miles without problems

you can phone into your local dealer and they can check the vin of the car to see if it's had any warranty work done

you can find used kits on the black market here for anywhere from $500-$900 shipped, and bring it to your local bodyshop to get painted.. new kits are out of production, i believe


that's not for the bracket. it's for the custom made flush mounted bezel. only way it'll look OEM. many people are happy with the product on this board.

slotted is fine. bbk if you have the money. drilled is more for the look, while slotted actually cuts into the brake pad to eliminate glazing

emericuh

whether you want to call it a bracket or a bezel, it's a $200 piece of plastic.

mcflyguy24

Sure it's overpriced, but goodluck finding it cheaper anywhere. Here's one for sale in the black market for $120, you might need to get your post count up before you can pm the person though or ask a mod to allow it. Here's the thread:
https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/fs-cleaning-out-my-garage-2g-tl-sale-387030/