Click on the "1 year review" link in my signature to view my other reviews.

Car delivered: 10/3/03.

Mileage as of tonight: 24466 miles

Not much to report since my last report three months ago. I've required no service and my MID reads 40% (last oil change was in October).

I went on a long trip to Savannah, Georgia two months ago and really got to toss the TL around in the mountains of West Virginia on the way there. The A-Spec suspension really makes a difference.....a trip that would have been a bore in a floatmobile (e.g. standard American floatmobile like a Taurus or something ) was made a fun experience because the car becomes nearly tossable. This car is NOT a TSX or Integra (e.g. "tossable"), the A-Spec suspension holds its own.

I'm getting sick of winter around here already. Luckily, the Falkens really do very well in snow and slush around Cleveland once the car is moving. I feel more confident on the road than with the EL42s I used during the last winter. I posted a brief report on the Falkens a couple of weeks ago in the Tires section.

Still love my car. I need to buy an extended warranty because I'm already 1/2way through the warranty by miles.....and I've got more road trips coming up (NAIAS this week, Chicago next month for a home theater group get-together, back South in the spring....)

 

I had read your previous "one year" post and this one is a good supplement. I just hit 4000 uneventful miles with no rattles or other problems. I am still "making do" with the crappy EL 42s as we have had no snow here, and hopefully it will stay away. I used to travel into the mountains to ski, but I gave that up as I don't want any broken bones at my age. Thanks for the dissertation.

 

Thanks for the review neuronbob! Get the Comptech Swaybar... you will LOVE it best $110 I have ever spent.

 

My car is 9 months old, with 28000+ miles on it. No real problems. A few squeaks. But beats the heck out of the 10 year old Accord it replaced (which I put 260000+ miles on )
Matt

 

Thanks for the updated report, neuronbob! I've had my 04TL since September and love it. Have 4,000 miles on it.

Have had it in the shop for tire re-balancing (flat-spotting noticed from the start, but didn't know better until I started reading about those wonderful EL42's on this site).

The outside temperature indicator went "---" in early December for some unkown reason. My battery died over Christmas, as I was gone for 4 days. The car was parked in the garage the entire time. When the car was jumped, lo and behold, the outside temp indicator came back to life and has been fine ever since. The battery checked out fine at the dealer.

Like you, I'm sick of winter -- talk about extremes. My EL42's are pretty bad if you don't drive very cautiously. Not a lot of assurance and comfort that they will do well in snow. I've read about the Falken's and Pirelli's a lot. I guess that will be my next big purchase, but I'm going to get as many safe miles out of the EL42's as I can.

I have the customary butt prints on the front seats. The dealer said to keep them and then they will replace them just before the warranty expires. Should I wait until then or complain and get new seats now? Which means I may be going back a second time to replace the replacements if they get the butt prints, too.

The car is terrific and still gets plenty of looks down here in Columbus -- don't see many on the road (maybe they're all garaged up for the winter), yet.

 

Thanks for the report! 2500 miles and still no problems with mines!

 

Thanks for the update.

what did this do for the car in terms of neutrality? what tires are you running on your 18" rims? i think the car handles very well with the A-Spec suspension.

 

NB,

Glad to see all is well, and thanks for the updates!

 

I think vikra has a review, one of several, in the Suspension section, if you'll take a look. I'm waiting for spring to do mine. I keep saying I'll do it, but keep adding to my home theater instead.......

 

are you referring to me?

 

Yes, I am, I was just too lazy to type your whole name.

 

lol... I did not actually write a review - I said I couldn't write it because I only had the stock car for a week before installing a-spec and sway bar - so I didn't know the full difference.. Sorry

 

Read my post above...

but the falken ziex 512

 

Stupid review....

 

.... the point of your comment is what exactly?

Does anybody remember what your elementary school teachers taught you... if you have nothing useful to say, dont say anything at all

 

Neron,
Hey I dont want to hijack your thread but did you do anything special in savannah. I lived there for 4 years and just moved. Always like to here what people think of savannah. Did you take 19 to beckley. Great mountain road for the TL. I did this my self not to long ago.

 

well, in light of the fact that there is no review i'm curious as to why you want to do it on yours. did you drive in an a-spec car with the bar or have you read something somewhere else that made you come to this conclusion? just curious because as i said, i feel the car rides very well with the a-spec as it is and i'm still on the stock tires. would love to know if it actually could be made even better though?

 

PTN - there are reviews on the a-spec suspension and the sway bar... and there are reviews with both. Use the search function - https://acurazine.com/forums/search.php

I did the mod because of the reviews. I can tell you this though - between the week I drove the car without the aspec and sway bar and when I added it, the road feel is very similar - in terms of being rough. You don't feel the bumps a lot more, only a little. The big difference is going through turns at higher speeds. There is a highway ramp which I travel everyday, and before the a-spec I could only go into that turn about 30mph, after the wheels, tires, suspension, and sway bar, I can go into the turn CONFIDENTLY at 60+.... it makes the car more fun to dirve.

I can of course makeup some BS review and post it, but I am not going to do that, I can only tell what I noticed between a week of driving without and after that always driving with the mods.

Would I do it again? Yes, but without the a-spec body kit. (especially because the body kit does nothing for the handling of the car)

Do I reccomend it for people who are spirited drivers? Of course. Is the car fun to drive without it? Sure it is - but probably not as fun as with it.

For $110 the sway bar IMO is probably worth it - but thats based on reviews. I can't tell you the difference ONLY the sway bar made - because the suspension and sway bar were put on at the same time.

 

Aw, it's all good, Bitium's entitled to his opinion , and I really didn't have much to say this time around. I make these posts mostly to comment on long-term reliabillity, and not everyone here worries about that.

I was in Savannah for a medical meeting. I mostly stayed in the convention center and on River Road. The city seems like a very nice place, and the warmth was a nice break from Cleveland.

PTN--what vikrampatel said. The rear sway bar helps to reduce understeer and those who've installed it say it works well in that function.

 

ok, so i read the reviews and now i wonder... what did everyone with the MT who installed a new sway bar do with their stock bars? i have the AT and would take the stock one off your hands. anyone?

 

PTN that is actually a good idea. Seeing as how the MT bar is thicker than the AT bar.... it would save you the $110 (well you woudl pay whoever is selling it to you)

Check acuraparts247.com to see how much the bar is from acura....

I am not sure how many people with the MT actually replaced the bar...because it isnt that much of a difference between the MT bar and the comptech bar.

 

the point is create useful threads

 

then i wouldnt be alive......

 

lol sure you would.. you have provided a lot to the community... from what i remember at least..

 

haha..... getting back on task.... we hav had this car since june of last yr and no probs; 3600 miles only, great response, features, bluetooth and suspension and overall a great car.great review