boltjames

Well, it's been 8 months since I purchased my '04 TL and it's still the best car I've ever owned (and I've owned plenty) but now that the rose-colored glasses have come off, it's time for a TL reality check....I've recapped the "Big Issues" of 8 months ago with the "Reality" now that the car's broken in and it's becoming more of a mode of transportation and less of a hobby/plaything. By "Big Issues", I mean things that were pointed out to me in here during my purchase decision and how they turned out in the end.....

Big Issue: "Torque steer makes this car very touchy in hard corners!"

Reality: The car handles extremely well and, compared to other FWD cars I've owned, is a pleasure to drive. A+ on Acura's part.

Big Issue: "Ewwww......Bridgestone tires are a disaster! Go spend $800 on better shoes.....do it quick before you kill yourself!"

Reality: The Bridgestones are just fine. I've driven in tons of rainstorms, crosswinds, bumpy roads, smooth roads, fast roads, sluggish roads and the tires perform like a champ. Yeah, I could get stickier tires but who needs the road noise?

Big Issue: "Creaks and rattles make the car feel cheap and poorly engineered."

Reality: I kind of agree with this now. When I drive with the radio off (a rarity) I can hear at least three rattles (steering column, shifter compartment, rear deck) and it is very true that a luxury sedan should not suffer with these types of minor annoyances. I was afraid to let a tech in the car for fear of scratches, but I'm over that now and will get de-rattled at my next service.

Big Issue: "The headliner droops!"

Reality: No, it doesn't.

Big Issue: "There's something up with the windshield because it seems prone to chipping."

Reality: 100% correct. It appears that the acoustic properties in the glass that make the car's sound system so robust also means softer glass and great tendency to chip. Can't be bad luck.

Big Issue: "The XM Radio is just a gimmick.....you'll never use it."

Reality: 100% incorrect. It's indespensible. Fantastic to have so much music and no commercials. Great reception, great programming, fab.

Big Issue: "DVD-A is fantastic! What an innovation!"

Reality: Zzzzzzz. The only value in the DVD-A is the free demo disc and how to impress your friends with the engine off in the parking lot.

Big Issue: "You idiots that wasted your money on navigation will see! In a few months you'll wonder why you spent so much money when a $5 road map would have done the trick. Fools!"

Reality: 100% incorrect. Can't tell you how many times navi has come to the rescue and relieved me of the pressure of memorizing how to get back to the highway or took me on a journey to a town I never considered visiting. If you don't travel more than 30 miles from home it's not going to mean as much, but if you take a long trip every few months its indespensible.

Big Issue: "You should have bought a XXXXXX instead."

Reality: Nope. Still the best looking car (in its class) on the road. Still turns lots of heads. Still see people peeking in the car when they think I'm not looking. Never had more fun at gas stations. Nice curb appeal.

Big Issue: "Anthracite and Camel? I'm gonna puke!"

Reality: I get lots of compliments and I love the contrast.

Big Issue: "Why did Acura put such fragile aluminum in the cockpit?"

Reality: Very, very true. I dropped my phone from a height of 2 inches and made a dent in the damned stuff. My wife's coat zipper made a nice scratch just by contact no stronger than a cat's whisker. I'm terrified every time a passenger tries to buckle a seat belt. Looks great, but a disaster if you're a neat freak.

Big Issue: "You're going to get lots of dents and dings without body side moldings to keep car doors away from yours."

Reality: Nope. Holding up just fine.

So there you have it. I don't miss the car when I take a long trip out of state anymore. I don't have a TL wallpaper on my laptop anymore. I don't get nervous when the wife takes the car around town anymore. I don't drive by the Acura dealership to check out other colors anymore. I don't cruise by the Honda dealership to make the sales people stop and stare anymore. That said, the TL's still the best car I've ever owned and I wouldn't change a thing.

BJ

PoochaKannInc

Interesting post after a long hiatus Mr. BoltJames. Welcome back, and I agree with most of those points.

I just don't feel like pointing out which ones I agree with and which ones I don't. Call me lazy...

ali_enterprises

I have that same feeling, its werid this is the first vehicle that has given me this feeling. I think it is because the other vehicles have an elite/prestige touch to them (except for the Mustang, driven once a month).

Teh Jatt

ummmm welcome back bish... long time no see....

ummm i feel that way sometimes.....

ndabunka

I agree except for the out of town bit. I find that I REALLY DO MISS my TL when I am in a city far away in a rental car and can't find the freak'N client's office. With TL it's SOOO easy (and I am now spoiled). Replacing a business use non-Navi RX300 for a new GX470 with NAVI. I think I'll Zaino my TL this weekend. It's been a while...

2K2SilverTL-S

Its easy to take for granted how awesome the TL really is after owning it for a long time.

Go drive a car of lesser quality, a cavalier for instance, and then drive around in the TL......it wont be "just another car." Funny how easy it is to take things for granted. Sometimes you need to see how it is on the other side of the fence to appreciate what you got. There's my Philosophy 101 for the night.

TBone2004

BJ - excellent post. As others I agree with most of what you said -

XM - what did we do without it? And if I look down one more time at the FM (if I happen to have it on) waiting for the artist or station name to appear, I will go crazy!

Headliner - disgree only cuz mine fell, but I realize you were speaking of your car. And I kicked my headliners's ass anyway - so yes, non-issue.

Tires - totally agree. yes, they make better and no I did not know the word flat spotting till I came here, but they hold pretty tight for me in the rain and anyone who knows me knows I do not like to drive slow - nuff said.

And like the other post, I am too lazy to continue writing....thanks for taking the time.
-TB

And P.S. to all...I have no idea where that friggin Avatar came from yesterday and how it got associated with my ID- thankfully the Mods or someone got rid of it...

Road Rage

I agree other than the windshield statement - windshields are designed for safety and performance with the airbag first - any other design is secondary. And actually, it would seem to me that a windshield with more give would be more resilient to debris hitting it, like a trampoline vs. concrete.

ensley696

Had my car 5 months and by no means am I tired of it. Although I wish there weren't so many speed limits to allow me to open this baby up a little more.

J RIDE 81

Great post, Thank you for your review!

campIIIMAF

excellent post, and well detailed. I second the rattle issues.

Goldglv

Same here about the rattles, other than that I really love the car!

zax123

Great post!

I do have to say that I disagree with your comments about DVD-A. I'm somewhat of an audiophile and I've found that a well-mixed production sounds incredible in DVD-A. Granted, some albums sound the same as their CD counterparts (REM - Automatic for the People for example), but others (Police - Every Breath You Take for example) really shine in DVD-A.

havokgroup

Great post!!!!!

Hybrid

Just a comment about the windshield thing. I've owned lots of new cars, and they all seem to pit/chip about the same, including my 04 TL and 03 Civic. However, I do know that chips and pits are very obvious on a new car that starts with perfect glass (just like paint chips). On every forum I've visited since the beginning of the Internet, people have complained about glass chipping and paint chipping, and some have said that all their past cars never, ever had paint or glass chips. Personally, I think it's just a "memory" thing, where you get used to an older car and forget about the imperfections, especially after its sold.

rets

Nice to see you, BJ.


As ndabunka said above, I do miss this "Just A Car" TL while traveling by the rental car. In the past week, when consistently cruising at 70~90 MPH on highways in Bay Area, I really wish I could drive my TL instead of this wear-and-tear 04 XJ8 from Hertz.


I took my TL out for 3.5k long trip (from New York City to Little Rock, AR) in the 3rd week of the ownership. The rewards were dozens of dings and dents... My TL has been experiencing three 3k+ long trips (as well as numerous 400+ miles tours), I didn't put on the bra until the 3rd trip.


Thin Paint Finish is my biggest issue...



Btw, BJ, don't forget that we're still pursuing the real-time traffic system applying into our TL... there is still something interesting out there...

TL42

thanks for the update.

Have had our TL for 2+ a bit months now.

And I still like to check the garage every night...

Cuz it is so damn hot.....for a car that is..

(need to wax it again.... black has to be "BLACK" and

"SHINY" )

TL42

SouthernBoy

There is (was?) a fix for your "just a car" syndrome. It's called, "you should have gotten the manual transmission".

For my personal vehicle, I have to have one that entertains me.. keeps me interested and excited to drive it. When this feeling ceases, boredom can set in. The manual, and everything about the manual, is so well suited to this car that the interests levels are likely to stay high for a long time.

Pro Stock John

Great review, nice detail.

I've owned almost 30 cars, and this one is pretty sharp. I refer to it as my Japanese 3 series only faster.

neuronbob

That was a great post, BJ.

I agree with everything except for the windshield chipping thing, and the BS tires. I've been hit by some rocks during freeway driving during winter and summer and haven't (knock on safety glass) had any chipping yet. As for the tires....well, I think I'm going to be moving on to my third set soon--the Falkens sure are barking today!

Anyhoo, points for you.

Nodoze2004

Wow, you are browsing the forums from your car?? Now THATS a mod I want!!

missmyprelude

I agree with most of the stuff you said too.

However, on the EL42s, the damn flat-spotting drives me crazy. If they just didn't do that, I'd be happy with them (even though they aren't the greatest).

SouthernBoy

To missmyprelude;

As one who has owned a prior vehicle on which the Turanza EL34 were installed and which I removed after 33,000 miles in favor of the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's, I can tell you without reservation that there was a most definite improvement in performance. the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tire should have been the OEM tire for the TL. These are the tires I will be installing on my TL when the time comes and I can't wait. While the EL42's seem to do better on the TL than on my 2002 Altima SE (my previous car about which I speak), they are no match for the Pilots. The TL will really come alive with these tires.

Aquineas

Boltjames, I thought I'd never say this, but great post.

Southernboy, was there any difference in ride comfort or tire noise with the Michelin Pilot Sports? I'm at 22000 miles on my TL (yeah, I know, I took several long trips), and it's getting close to time to replace the tires.

SouthernBoy

Hey there, Aquineas! Great to hear from you again.

Of course you know about my prior car.. the '02 Altima SE with UDP, Frankencar/Apexi, and the full Mossy catback. And you also know the stock OEM tires were the same EL42s we have on our TLs.

Yes, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires had a noticably better ride and no flat spotting. The day I had them installed (December 9th of last year as I recall), I immediately did two things as soon as I left the tire store which is only 2 miles from my house. I checked the torque on all 4 wheels and I balanced the tire pressure to my settings. The tires were slightly oversized at 225/50-17 instead of the 215/55 EL42s. Then I went on a road test over roads I was very accustomed to traveling to get a "feel" for the difference. Several things were apparent right away.

Turn-in was better and more predicable with the Pilots. Less sidewall flex. The tires tracked better and were less affected by differing road patterns, though the EL42s were not bad in that department. Slightly more tire noise, but not a problem and this didn't really show up for maybe 4 to 5 months. And the noise was much like the slight noise our TLs make under load conditions. Kind of like a rubber-scrapping-on-the-road-surface noise or maybe a bit more similar what a tire sounds like when its tracking on a wetted surface.. yes, that's more along the description of the sound I heard.

The Michelins have a break-in period. One of the posters on TireRack claimed around 1000 miles and I had a very hard time believing this. But I would say 300 miles is probably about right for the break-in. All this means is that you will notice the tires "taking a seat" after some mileage. They will feel different. All tires feel different when first installed.. somewhat slick feeling or similar to driving on slick concrete like what you see in covered parking lots. The Pilots just take a little longer to get their street feeling, that's all.

As for ride comfort, the Pilots are better than the EL42s but where they really shine is in two areas: extremely heavy rain with puddling, and handling in corners. With my Altima SE, the EL42s would hydroplane to the point of loosing complete contact with the road surface in these conditions. That is the main reason I replaced them when they still had a good 15000+ miles left on them. The Pilots are superb in heavy rain and standing water. I never had any hydroplaning problems with them. And for all season tires, the Pilots handle extremely well.

I suspect that with the TL, these are the tires that were meant to be on the car from the factory. I would bet the difference will be well worth the price. And one more thing. They are a very handsome tire.. that can't hurt, either.

Oswald Vater

I'll second all the "great post" comments. And I agree with most of them as well, especially the rattles. But to me, the TL is still more than "just a car". I'm making a family trip to PA over Thanksgiving and we are taking my wife's minivan. I can't tell you how much I will miss my TL, most of all when I pass by a fellow TL'er one on this 2,500 mile round trip and can't wave back!

kosh2258

I'm getting used to the car and the newness is wearing off, that's for sure. But I still like the TL a whole lot more than what I was driving.

I've experienced a few, but not many, of the "problems" others have mentioned here.

I have no "rattles" of any kind and the only "squeeks" I hear are coming from the drivers door seal rubbing against the door frame trim plastic. I've addressed those squeeks by rubbing down the door seals with a "dry" silicone lubricant.

The headliner is holding just fine after I fixed the one dual lock patch that came loose.

I do have a few scuffs on the drivers B pillar trim from the seat belt buckle - something Acura has addressed in 05 as I understand it. Why they chose to let the belt buckle hang that low is a mystery to me because it's hard to reach in that spot.

As for the EL42's, they aren't the best tire around. Mine do vibrate a bit for a few miles when cold and, depending on how they perform this winter on snow and ice, I may seriously consider replacing them in the spring. But, to me, that isn't a issue with the car so much as with the component. And, so far, hasn't been a big deal for me.

The aluminium trim on the console is fragile. Sometimes a synthetic is better than the real thing and this may be one instance where that's true. I think they'd have been better off using a simulated aluminum trim on the console rather than the real thing for durability sake. I haven't put any dents in mine yet but, I suspect, it will happen regardless of how careful I am.

The "butt" prints in the leather I can live with when balanced against the potential damage the dealer could do in the repair process.

I just rotated my tires and didn't noted any unusual wear on the rears with about 6300 miles on the car.

My biggest disappointment is with the voice command system. They still need to do some work on that. It's far too slow to respond to commands and I seldom use it. I find it faster and easier to just push the buttons or turn the knobs when I'm driving.

Nothing is perfect, but I find the TL a good overall fit to what I'm looking for in a car and am still very happy with the purchase.

MSF2

Kosh,
What is a "dry" silicone lubricant and where can we get it?
Thanks!!