SilverTL

Well, I've had my car for one year now and I am very happy with my TL. It's really a nice combination of refinement and power. I have had 1 oil change and have 8900 miles on my car, yes I don't drive much but when your job is less than 3 miles away, one tends to not add a whole lot of miles.

A few remarks:

I would absolutely, positively buy this car again. Sure, there have been some minor issues like a rattle here and there, most of which are due to the climate here but really what car is perfect?

I was fortunate not to have had any vibration issues with the stock bridgestones, these werent the best tires by any stretch, rather poor traction in the rain and snow. I had planned on switching them when I found a screw in one of them which expedited my purchase of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. WAY better tire, much better rain and snow traction, worth every cent.

The car in general handles ok in the snow, but my wife's 03 accord v6 handles MUCH better in the snow. Having said that, if you haven't adjusted your driving conditions to the winter, well, say hello to the body shop/ junk yard regardless of vehicle type.

DVD-A is cool, lack of titles to choose from is a shame. I have burned many stereo tracks on to dvd-r media using discwelder, but wish the TL would read MP3 off a cd. XM radio is nice but you can get this feature on practically any car now.

I use the entire Zaino Bros line, I will never use any other product from here on out. Great products!

I had one issue that required a lengthy service visit. The TL would produce a high pitched whistling noise when cold ~2000 rpm - 2800rpm. The service dept at bloomington acura had the car for 3 weeks and they couldn't figure it out, they had the regional acura rep call me and the lady was suggesting that she would push for a replacement. Honda hesitated and wanted one of their engineers to look over the car, he flew out and investigated for 6 hours and found out that the A pipe heat shields mesh metallic washers were the culprit. I wasn't happy about the length of time it took but was very happy that both the dealer and honda did something about it.

Hands Free Link is awesome, my v600 has been flawless. I will soon upgrade to the p910a once I am sure that SE has worked out the pairing issues with the TL.

I really haven't had the major leather issues discussed here, sure they have butt prints and some wrinkling but it's not horrible.

Gas mileage is decent, not great 19 - 23 mpg in the city, really depends on your driving habits. Given the horsepower this car produces, those numbers really are good.

Torque steer is an issue for some, now can you live with it - of course! If you can't, don't buy this car. simple as that.

I hope this helps you out in your decision making process.

rets

Thanks for your review...

KJSmitty

SilverTL,
Could you elaborate on the "heat shield mesh washers" etc. Was there some form of an exhaust leak? (I may have missed one of your previous posts)

Just curious in the event it pops up.

Thanks

cheers

SilverTL

basically, they showed me the A PIPE heat shield, surprise it looks like the letter A, anyway, there are four or so mounting points and on each side there were these 1/2 Mesh metallic washers (metallic mesh like what you'd see in your kitch vent/ grease trap). Anyway, I turned one of the washers and sure enough, you could make out the a high pitch squeal. Basically, they said that when cold, these washers would vibrate and turn and emit the high hitched whistling sound, this would go away once the washers were warm/ hot and fully expanded.

And no, there wasnt an exhaust leak.

TerminaderTL

Excellent review!!

For the price, this car has a TON of value!!!

Oswald Vater

Great review. I have 8300 miles on mine (March 7, 04 purchase - I live a mile closer to work than you) and except for the occasional rattle have had zero issues even with the EL-42's. I think its the best value in its price range and also would buy again.

jjtags

I have also had my TL for a year now... 7500 miles. I work about 7 miles from home but we normally use my sister's SUV on the weekends because she only drives less than 3 miles on weekdays since she works in the city and takes the express bus in.

I love this car!

HFL has been great specially when on long drives and I need to take some conference calls for work. A little rattle here and there also specially in the passenger side visor (vanity mirror). XM radio is a joy. This has been invaluable on long drives from NJ to Rhode Island, to Boston, to Maryland and out to some places in upstate NY and PA.

I don't really notice any torque steer as I don't drive my car at 10/10ths or even 9/10ths. Traction of the EL-42's leave a lot to be desired in the snow so I might get some new shoes before next winter. Thinking of upgrading to 18s with 245/40 Pirelli Nero M+S or Avon m550 tires on tirerack.

I love just taking the car on nice Sunday drives and there's no fear of getting lost with the Navi. The navi on the car rocks!!!

The only thing I would want to add is the SH-AWD on the RL. Little things like a keyless start (no need to even take the fob out of your pocket to open the door or start the car) or even a better key fob (buttons on the key itself rather than an extra fob) would be nice.

Can't beat the value of this car... maybe the only cars I would consider to replace my TL in the future would be the Acura RL or the new Lexus GS300 AWD.

mickey3c

all reviews are under 9000 miles where are the people who put twice that or more on their cars.. I would be more curious to see how the car has held up. The tires are lousy so I know the story on those... it is almost like the manufacturer screwed up on them and gave them to jap car makers for a song...

Bmerc89

great review

if I could drive...and I had some money...I'd get this car hands down.

Gryphon

SilverTL,

Mind sharing where you purchased from and whether or not you'd go there again?

SilverTL

I got mine at Bloomington Acura, and I would buy from them again without question. My sales guys name was Nathan Kieffer, nice guy and easy to deal with.

revaudi

I also purchased my vehicle at Bloomington Acura (my wife does work for Luther Group). They gave me bottom line pricing and were very upfront. I also shopped Buerkle Acura in Brooklyn Park and they gave me the run around on pricing and trade. However, they did end up matching the price but lost the sale due to their sales tactics. Buerkle will give you the lowest price, if you don't have an employee discount.

rets

Very interesting result. I should check mine...