I just took delivery of my 2002 Acura 3.2TL Type S w/o nav. It is Diamond Pearl White with ebony interior.

I went with Autoflex as I can't seem to keep a car more than 3-4 years. My broker was able to get $900 below MSRP in Dallas.

I was a little disappointed when I got in it, at first. It was raining, and the car was very dirty. They didn't detail the car because of the weather. The ebony interior was dusty and looked very different in the daylight from when I had looked at it before. I also gave up interior space from my previous car and my right knee was crammed against the middle console. My mirror didn't auto-tilt in reverse and the remote would not set the seat and mirror preferences.

OK, that's the end of the negative. I drove the car and it quickly won me back over. It handles so well it brings tears to my eyes. I have no unusual noises so far. It got dark outside, and the interior looks great. I figured out the reverse/mirror thing requires the L-R switch be parked in the middle. The remote must be programmed to set the seat preference for you (press lock and unlock at the same time until the light comes on). The silver guages are catchy. I really like the Bose system. The suspension may be a little stiff, but it really smooths out the big dips/bumps. Each time I get in the car I like it even more.

I do have a couple of questions. Is there a light that reminds you to change the oil? Is special oil required? Do you really need the premium fuel? Has anybody had a tow bar put on an acura TL to tow behind a motorhome?

 

Could you post some pics since there is not very many on the board.

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'91 Honda Accord
'01 Mazda Millenia
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1514319

 

The Maintenance Req'd light will come on when it's time for a normal servicing (including oil) and there is an Oil Pressure light as well. I believe they recommend 5W-30.

Per the owner's manual, you may use gas less than 91 octane with "decreased performance." But apparently no harm.

Don't know about the towing.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by davest on March 28, 2001 @ ]</font>

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by davest on March 28, 2001 @ ]</font>

 

Regarding your oil & fuel questions; using a lower octane fuel will not hurt anything other than performance as the timing is automatically retarded by the computer to compensate, however your gas mileage will probably also suffer. As far as oil is concerned any 5W-30 with an SH rating will be adequate but I have always preferred to run synthetic in all my vehicles for it's increased mileage and wear properties. Hope this helps.

 

I will probably do 2 oil changes at 5000-7500 and 10,000-15000 then change to synthetic.
Once changed, I will change oil at the interval of around 7000-10000 miles.
If you aren't doing all highway driving, you may want to cut that down to 5000-7000.
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Hey Flying Pig,

Great pics! I see you got your car at Springfield Acura--same as Zodiak. Do you mind sharing what kind of deal you got with them? I work 10 minutes from that dealer and would like to go in with whatever ammunition I can find! Thanks.

 

NOPE....they recommend 5w-20......

 

Prokell, very interesting that you got you TL-S for $900 below MSRP. I live in Arlington, and just picked my TL-S w/Navi on Saturday. However, I contacted all four of the dealers in local area, plus one is San Antonio, and they all would not budge off MSRP. So, ended up I paying MSRP at Vandergriff Acura.

Congrats on your new TL-S and paying less than MSRP.

 

I agree with the 5W20. It is in my owners manual. I was also told to leave the original oil in until the mileage is reached regardless of elapsed time because it is a special break-in oil. Also I was told by a Honda mechanic not to use synthetic until 10-12K miles because the engine won't break-in properly with synthetic oil.

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02 TLS Silver/Ebony

 

This car actually came from Vandergriff. I use Autoflex for all my cars. Their lease rates are really good. I have gone into dealer after dealer to get the best price I can on a car with the best lease terms, and Autoflex always beats it. The broker said that most dealerships were not willing to talk on the price of the TL-S, but Vandergriff saw a sale or no sale, and budged at bit. I have a broker that works with the dealers. This is the way to go if you want to lease a car. He even has the car delivered to my front door and brings the papers in to me for signing.

 

Prokell, thanks for the info. I financed mine, so maybe (or maybe not) that could have come into play with my deal. Oh well, I'm very happy with my TL-S!