Hi guys! I have a 99'' TL and my was not working when i bought it last year and i tried going to a dealer and fixing it, but they said that my system is old because i have an ALPINE hardrive. does any one know any body who can fix this kind of problem. I live in NYC and if knows a local person who can fix it. If I can get an estimate. Thank you...

 

How exactly is the system behaving? Are you getting any sort of error message on the nav screen?

The 1999 nav units often fail as the PCMCIA-based hard drives fail. For that problem, you can buy a used replacement on eBay. You can also build or buy a Compact Flash card-based replacement.

Search this forum for "PCMCIA" for other threads with more details.

Bob

 

The navigation does not work at all, I can only use the temp. option and noting else...

 

So the nav screen doesn't power up at all?

 

it powers up but it does not go to the navi option and it asks for a password..

 

OK, that's just the anti-theft system in action. I got the same message on my 1999 TL's navigation screen recently after I disconnected the battery.

Did you get a card with the radio and navigation system security codes with your car? If not you might be able to get the code from your local Acura dealer. You'll need the VIN number of the car.

I was able to retrieve both codes for my TL by contacting the original dealership where the car was purchased.

And sometimes the code is hidden somewhere in the car. Search the forum for "navigation" and "Security code" to find places to look.

Good Luck!

Bob

 

i will try that thank you!!!

 

I only have the code for the radio. when I turn on the car it say's that the hard drive needs to be formatted and to see the dealer.

 

I'm not sure but that message may mean that the hard drive inside the trunk-mounted box has failed.

If that's the problem, you could assemble a solid state replacement with a 512 MB Compact Flash card and a $7 PCMCIA adapter. But you will need to find an Acura dealer that can load the needed navigation files into the assembled unit. Some dealers will do this for free while others might charge ~$80.

Other dealers can't even do this as they no longer have the equipment to load the files.

Here's another thread with more information on putting one of these together:

https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/why-does-always-seem-140469/

Paul Mooney sells these units pre-made with the needed navigation files for about $125. See Paul's site for more info:

http://navhelp.com/

Paul might also be able to help you diagnose what's wrong with your system. He's very knowledgeable about these units.

As another option, you can upgrade to the DVD-based units that were used in the 2000-2003 TLs. You can find those at times on eBay, in the Acurazine Black Market forum and at salvage yards. Paul describes that option on this link:

http://navhelp.com/other.html


Good Luck!

Bob

 

You should just upgrade to the DVD based unit, I am going to upgrade mine pretty soon if you need a copy of the HD contents before I sell it let me know, I live in the NYC area.