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New to the forum (and to Acura itself) and am open to suggestions for some start modifications to my 2000 TL. Just want simple aesthetic or small performance modifications, still want to keep the car relatively OEM. Pics below 👍🏻
Congrats!! Wow, she's a beaut! From the looks of it, it's in really good condition! I know modifying seems very tempting right now, but honestly, I would use that money to make sure she's running strong. Because there's no point in modifying a car that will break down on you... So, do a full service first! Timing belt, water pump, valve adjustment, all fluids drained and replaced, etc. This won't be cheap, unless you know how to do it yourself. First thing after the full service, I would suggest de-badging the rear because it's the cheapest thing to do (all you need is a heat gun and fishing wire! I used dental floss lol...). Then, I would slap on some window tint all around. However, refer to your local laws & regulations because it is illegal to have front window tints in certain states. After that, I would suggest lowering it on springs or coilovers (preferably coilovers). Then save up and get a nice set of wheels. I would also change out the tail lights to the 02-03 tails. The 02-03 tail lights, along with de-badging the rear emblems, really cleans up the rear of the car. After, just kit her up with a front lip, side skirts, and rear lip. Save up again, and get a catback exhaust.
There's really not much we can do to our cars because options are pretty limited. However, small details will make your car stand out! Such as color matching the door handles, color match the B pillars (or repaint them to piano black), and then work on the interior. LED interior lights makes the whole cabin feel very VIP and luxurious. It's a cheap mod, too! You're gonna have lots of fun modding this car, trust me. Just remember to do your homework first, like finding out which brands are reputable, what other users have done to their cars, etc. Good luck, OP!
>If you need help deciding what wheels will fit, questions about offset, width, and diameter, drop height, click on this link here.
>If you need a picture reference of wheel & tire setups/specs from other people, click here.
Last edited by Silencer_; 04-12-2018 at 02:22 PM.
Reason: typo
It’s in really good condition, has a new motor in it that’s only a couple years old, body itself has 252k on it. Car runs wonderfully and there are very few issues with it. Only things that I know I need to get done is a brake job and the valve cover gasket is leaking apparently; both I can do myself but don’t have the time to. All the suggestions sound great though, I will definitely do the LED interior swap and tint the windows soon. Thanks for the help 😄
Make sure the maintenance is up to date and the car is in perfect working condition first.
Then I suggest an AEM V2 dual chamber intake and a full exhaust upgrade if you're looking for noticeable power gains.
Now your TL is ULEV speced so I'm not sure how that changes the exhaust system for emissions since I've never really seen them but make note that the intake and exhaust mods can run you as much as 3grand for the quality stuff.
As for handling go for an eibach front and rear sway bar kit and bigger wheels with summer or ultra high performance all seasons. I recently put rims from my dads old 04 TL on with Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 Tires and I'll make a thread on that once this damn Ice store passes in Ontario (go figure once I switch my tires over >.>)
So I had to replace the valve cover gaskets and the water pump, but other than that everything is in tip top shape. I live near a salvage yard and they have a bunch of 02-03 TL’s, specifically those 02 brake lights for cheap. I’ve heard a couple things saying the bulb or wiring is a bit different with those? Wanting to double check before I purchase them.
So I had to replace the valve cover gaskets and the water pump, but other than that everything is in tip top shape. I live near a salvage yard and they have a bunch of 02-03 TL’s, specifically those 02 brake lights for cheap. I’ve heard a couple things saying the bulb or wiring is a bit different with those? Wanting to double check before I purchase them.
They just changed the turn signal colours on the rear tail lights. They were amber for the 99-01 models and clear with amber bulbs for the 02-03 models. But they’re interchangeable as I’ve seen older TL’s with the 02-03 tail lamps.
Just what little I’ve done so far. Maintenance and everything is up to date and am looking at some relatively inexpensive exhaust upgrades atm. Anyone have any economical suggestions for exhaust modification or should I wait and save for the full set?
Looks real clean man!
My front bumper is kinda beaten up too, but all the bumpers at the junkyards near me are in worse shape,...
What's next on your list?
I’m thinking about upgrading the headers. Not sure where or what to get however. Then most likely going to repaint the car solid black, maybe try my luck at getting replacement bumpers and mirrors from a junk yard somewhere. Any recommendations on headers?
I have an 03 TL and one thing that made my engine bay pop more was getting it nice and clean and then painting my engine and battery cover white! Then again my Acura is white so it only makes sense to have it white. If you have like a cool secondary color in mind for parts and modifications I would totally suggest this!! You can see what I’m talking about on my Acura’s if if u wanna take a look @vtec.love. Hope this helps😁
Damn Curleefries, that manifold and battery cover in white looks really good!
Marsalis, I actually am painting engine parts as well hahah. I'm going for gold with my dark green Acura - you can find a few pics I've posted in the forum here.
I've seen some header recommendations in the bigger build threads here - check those out and read through. I haven't put any thought into my headers yet so most of that info flew over my head when I read it.
What are you thinking of doing for the paint job? Plastidip, or full and proper paint job?
So I’m planning on repainting towards the end of the year and just had a bunch of stuff replaced as far as normal maintenance is concerned. Would like to improve the overall handling next. First FWD car I’ve owned, so I’m unsure what works best. Any suggestions?
So I’m planning on repainting towards the end of the year and just had a bunch of stuff replaced as far as normal maintenance is concerned. Would like to improve the overall handling next. First FWD car I’ve owned, so I’m unsure what works best. Any suggestions?
Assuming your suspension is still all stock (and within spec), the first suggestion would be a new set of light weight wheels and better tires; your best bang for the buck. Regarding suspension upgrades, I suspect (but do not know for sure) the Type-S version of your generation of TL has an upgraded suspension; you might want to swap in a Type-S version.
So just a little update on the car, I’ve had very little time to modify it due to work and other bs. However, I’ve been researching and have decided that instead of dropping 1k on a new exhaust setup, I would do a mid muffler/resonator delete and replace the rear mufflers with tsudo axle backs by the end of the year. I’m having difficulty finding any tsudo axles that are available online. Was curious if anyone had a link to a store that still sells them or perhaps a better alternative
So just a little update on the car, I’ve had very little time to modify it due to work and other bs. However, I’ve been researching and have decided that instead of dropping 1k on a new exhaust setup, I would do a mid muffler/resonator delete and replace the rear mufflers with tsudo axle backs by the end of the year. I’m having difficulty finding any tsudo axles that are available online. Was curious if anyone had a link to a store that still sells them or perhaps a better alternative
So the car has been giving me a lot of expensive/reliability issue troubles as of late, as expected with older cars. Just had to replace the fuel pump relay as the car was shutting off while doing 70 on the highway... window regulator stopped working and my passenger window fell in to the door. Also need to have the timing belt replaced soon as I have kept up with this car, but found I have no maintenance record on when the belt was replaced and the previous owner could not be reached; which was quoted to me at $800. Still love the car and how it drives, however as far as any modifications are concerned, my plans will be cancelled on that and just keep the car running for another few months. Planning on buying a 13 or 14 FRS/BRZ soon. Thanks to everyone who has helped me out since I’ve gotten the vehicle though!
So the car has been giving me a lot of expensive/reliability issue troubles as of late, as expected with older cars. Just had to replace the fuel pump relay as the car was shutting off while doing 70 on the highway... window regulator stopped working and my passenger window fell in to the door. Also need to have the timing belt replaced soon as I have kept up with this car, but found I have no maintenance record on when the belt was replaced and the previous owner could not be reached; which was quoted to me at $800. Still love the car and how it drives, however as far as any modifications are concerned, my plans will be cancelled on that and just keep the car running for another few months. Planning on buying a 13 or 14 FRS/BRZ soon. Thanks to everyone who has helped me out since I’ve gotten the vehicle though!
Sorry to hear, man. One thing about these cars is if one thing breaks, more things start breaking.. a domino effect, really. Well, check back in with us when you get the FRS or BRZ! Thanks for hanging out with us on AZine!
04-11-2018, 08:07 PM
(go figure once I switch my tires over >.>)
