...... continues to show their ineptness beyond belief and that they're still about as useless as tits on a door.

I called the customer service number at Acura Navigation store yesterday to try and find out why there's no Navigation Disk update available for the 2004/5/6 TL. I was told Acura makes and releases the maps to Here Technology, the company that produces and sells all the Nav update disks. A call to them revealed that Acura that supplies them with the map updates and they just produce from what Acura supplies them with. A call to ACS again just pointed the finger and blame back at Here Technology, and if I want to find out the answer, I'd have to write a letter (via snail mail) to Acura requesting the information. They couldn't even give me an email address to write to! I was told the car is too old, but when I asked them why are 2020 disks available for the '07/8 TL, I just got the equivalent of DUUUHHHH.

I have found over the years that this is the caliber of service we can expect from Acura. Pretty poor to say the least for an upscale brand in these highly competitive times.

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Acura
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I'm not sure why this seems like a huge deal. Acura's not the only brand to stop releasing updates to vehicles made in 04-06.

The 04-06 navigation uses older hardware than the 07-08. If they couldn't tell you that over the phone, I can see your frustration of how useless they are.
It's the same reason why Apple stops pushing updates on older devices, it's not worth it for them and they push you to buy their newer stuff.

 

Why not buy a Navi unit from an 07-08 at the junk yard and purchase the 2020 update?

 

why even still upgrade at this point?

 

Are you telling me I can just swap the DVD unit for an '07/08 and that's all I have to do?

 

I would try it.

would be better to buy the new 13” tablet though. Have you seen them? $550 and it looks just like in a tesla.

 

Yes, but look at the age of the '07/08. This means they can stop updating a car 8 years old while still providing updates for a car 13 years old?

What's wrong with this picture?

 

07-08’ models are more popular?

 

I see about the same # s of 04/05/06 and 07/08

 

Lets have a look, these are the vehicles compatible with the orange DVD:

2004 Acura RL
2004 to 2005 Acura TSX
2004 to 2006 Acura TL
2003 to 2004 Acura MDX

Lets have a look at the vehicles compatible with the white DVD:

2006 to 2009 Acura MDX
2006 to 2011 Acura RL
2006 to 2010 Acura TSX
2007 to 2008 Acura TL & TL Type-S
2007 to 2011 Acura RDX

The vehicles in the first group are now common vehicles you find in the pick and pull yard.
Honest truth is it's not worth it for them to produce a new orange disc.

The latest orange disc was from 2014, that's about 10 years of support for the 2004 TL.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the white disc be discontinued in 2021 or 2022 (~10 years after the latest supported vehicle from the white disc group).

On the side note, yes you can put a 07/08 dvd drive in your 04 TL. I'm running one also. You'll need to get the screen also because the resolution is different. Chump change if you're lucky to find it in the junk yard.

 

So you're saying I could just replace the DVD unit in the trunk and the screen in the dash? Are the plugs all the same?
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Yea surprisingly all the plugs were the same.
If you're lucky to find one in the junk yard, the biggest concern is if the navigation drive still works and if there's a navigation code in the glove box still. Best to read over the return policies on those yards.