What's up guys haven't been on in awhile... been busy with getting my last semester of school set up right after a trip back from Denver , which was awesome !

Just figured I'd give a little update on the TL.. So I have had her for about 1.5 years now and about 17k miles since purchase.. Still to this day it puts a smile to my face whenever I drive it.. I bought it with 91K (maybe 92, I know low 90ish) and she now has just about 108k...

I got most of the maintenance outta the way.. I decided to do the timing belt a little early at 95K along with the water pump and all the seals, tensioner, outer belt, etc.. I did spark plugs I believe right at 98K... I ended up swapping to the GM synchromesh fluid at 100K because my third gear would grind every now and then.... I did have to replace the oxygen sensor on bank 1 last winter because the check engine light which drove me crazy... I have replaced all sway bar end links and bushings to get rid of all that clunking... The only time she has left me stranded was earlier this year when it was wet and I decided to turn off VSA and launch her.. Snapped my driver side axle right in half... Had a coworker tow her into work and I replaced it there ( I'm a wrench monkey for toyota ) ... Been meaning to replace the other side but I haven't had much time (and to be honest been quite lazy) ... Other than basic oil change, etc.. this car has been bulletproof... I have a lead foot when I drive and she just keeps taking it no problem day after day ( get it ? lmao) .. Next major maint I can really think of is the clutch but it still feels pretty good... no slipping or high release point so I'm hoping it has plenty of life left

Observations
-leather seats... my buddy has an 06 also and his driver seat make me want to vomit looking at it... I guess I could always get them redone if needed, but my seats are fine now... just normal wear and tear for a 11 year old car (I'm very anal with my vehicles)
-I've been driving manual for quite some time now, but I still seem to struggle a bit sometimes with getting the smoothest ride in the TL... Theres days where I drive it like an automatic, and theres days where it feels like it's my first day... I know I've read on the forum somewhere about deleting something in the clutch (something similar to the IS300 I had which was a 5 speed).. Other than that I love the gearbox the way it shifts and everything... Especially with the extra 6th gear (my first 6th speed)
-Bluetooth audio streaming!!!

Honestly those are my only complaints with the car really...Beside wishing I had the navi, I love the thing even after 1.5 years still... I recently just installed the 07-08 fog light mod with 3000k HID kit... I love it... Can't believe I waited so long to do it...

Mods (so far):
-Tein S. Tech Springs (should've gotten coils)
-XXR 530's 18x8.75 +20 offset all around (possibly changing soon)
-Tanabe Medallion Touring exhaust ( wanna change to Endless soon )
-Type S tails
-07-08 Fogs 3000k HID
-Plastidipped front grill and rear emblem ( debadged besides Acura logo)
-Carbon Fiber shift knob
-15% tint all around 40% tint windshield

All I can think of now.. might be leaving a thing or two out... but onto the pics

 

When I was shopping for my 2006 TL 6MT earlier this year I compared the TL's NAV unit to my portable Garmin unit; no comparison, the Garmin is so-so much better. After that I looked exclusively for non-NAV TLs.

 

the TL is one of the HARDEST cars to master the clutch. it took me nearly a month to get the hang of it, and to this day i'm still not as smooth as I want to be.
on the other hand, it took me only 1 day to master a 2010 Challenger SRT's clutch

 

Car looks great with the A-Spec lips! How long did it take you to retro the fogs? I'm thinking about doing the Euro Accord fogs.

 

Pretty much how I still feel about my '05.
This is pretty much how a lot of us feel about the clutch in the TL. Other than my wife's car, I haven't owned an automatic since 1997. I still can't drive the TL smoothly every time....even after 8 years and 130k miles.

 

black interior tend to be fare better than light color (Ahem *** Taupe***) I also had a IS300 that car is fun but get no top end, its all about low end and mid range everything die out after 4k rpm.

 

Car was down for about a day total... I work from 7am-6pm so I probably started taking everything apart around 7pm ish after dinner... had it done the next day right before sunset... The hardest part I think is trying to get the fogs flush with the bumper and mounting them... other than that the wiring was honestly probably the easiest part... I cut the wires from the original fog lights and just soldered the new connectors onto the old wires to retain the stock fog light switch... all in all it wasn't that bad of a job .. a bit frustrating but very doable

 

I agree with u on the IS300.. Really miss the RWD tho.. Other than that I enjoy driving the TL more.... although I wouldn't mind looking at the IS300 gauge cluster in the TL

 

One of the issues I had with my car besides learning the clutch on the then new to me TL Type-S, was that the accelerator position sensor for the gas pedal was starting to go. This led to a VERY fine line between smooth acceleration when letting the clutch out in 1st gear to massive amounts of RPM increase/fluctuation causing jerking in first gear. Once replaced the car has been a dream to drive and when shifting from 1st to another gear you can't even notice the gear shifts.

 

Did you buy it with cash or do you still owe on it?

Don't feel bad about the clutch being difficult. I took it to this one dealership where two techs said "the clutch is slipping" because they had no idea how to drive the car.
That was about 10K miles ago and still no slipping I have seen.

 

I still owe on the car. Got another 2 years till its mine but thinking about paying it off early to get a tundra

 

I've had mine for 19 months and it appears we've had different experiences. My seat was totally ripped so I bought aftermarket skin and had upholstery shop install it. Quality is much better than OEM. I've had to get the radiator replaced (twice) after it left me stuck on the road one morning. Now I have a clunking noise when I go over bumps at low speeds.

A little background. I get a $700 per month car allowance and drive a TON for my job. I bought the car with 71k and now have about 96k on it. The timing belt and water pump were replaced prior to purchase (one of the reasons I bought it). That said, I bought it with the understanding that it was very reliable. It hasn't really been that, but the engine does feel strong. I've been saving half my car allowance each month to set aside for repairs. Due to my busy work schedule and family obligations, don't have a lot of time to DIY.