Hey guys, i'm about to buy an 08 white 6MT tl type s. I wanted an upgrade in terms of performance (especially torque) since I currently own an 04 TSX 6MT. But i also wanted to have a reliable/practiable car. I also think the type-s is one the nicest sedans ever made. I also live in Montreal where we have snow so RWD is out of the question. I obviously know gas consumption is ganna go down from my TSX but oh well....

I wanted to have some tl type-s owners opinion about the car overall. Also some things i should look out for, or some special maintenance i should do to avoid problems. Your feedback is much appreciated.

 

Man Truth be Told, I have yet to see any problems with the car. Mind you I do live in the Sunny state of Florida. Even with the A/C, it could be hot as balls outside and as soon as I turn on my car, Full burst of Cold Air everytime Ive known that BMWs have issues with that as well as my 2006 525I has issues. I get into the car and have to wait a good 5 minutes of driving before that son of a gun blast out some cold air.
Back to the TL-S I think its power over the TSX is very noticeable and maybe a few extra mods will make it out stand some more. Like Exhaust system, CAI, Nos Bottle, etc. (I was kidding about the NOS) I don't think your making a bad choice and really hope if you do buy you come hang with us some more in the 3G Forums

 

I live in Toronto, and I got my Type-S at the beginning of January. The car drives like SHIT in the snow on the stock Michelins. Luckily for me there were only a few days where we saw deep snow, but nonetheless I was sliding all over the goddamn place. On one Saturday, I didn't even attempt to take it out of the garage, and took the wife's snow tire equipped car to work. In Quebec it's illegal not to have snows I believe, so think about this. Finding basic steel wheels to fit over the Brembos will be almost impossible for you. I used this as an excuse to justify the 19s I purchased for the summer - it would allow my stockies to be winter only wheels. I also seem to get almost 100km less out of a tank of gas in the winter....other than these two "issues" I have no complaints about the car!!

 

Thx for your input, i can't wait to get it. i'm definately ganna hang around the forums more.

 

not sure if your 6MT TSX ever experienced 3rd gear grind, but some of the TL's have this.

its easily fixed by changing out the MTF and putting in GM Syncromesh friction Modified

 

its definitely a very good choice if you want more power, and it is definitely more luxurious. It does take a lot more gas, just keep that in mind. also, the paint is a pearl, so i hope youre ok with your paint not always looking the same lol. I have the wdp, and love it! Just make sure the previous owner kept up with maintenance, etc.

Once you get it, I would recommend doing full synthetic oil, i personally have used Mobil1, and liked it, but now use Royal Purple 5w-20 and its awesome! Also, the car is awesome in snow here in boston, ma, even without winter-specific tires. However, I would NOT stick with the factory Michelins if you are in snow often. I have Continental ExtremeContact DWS on mine.

Overall, I am very happy with my car, and im sure you will love it. We'll be looking forward to seeing you around the 3g TL forums. Theres a lot of us there and we cover just about any question you can think of in the 3g tl forums.

Good luck!

 

As for winter i'm for sure going to get full winter tires. The current owner has already gone full synthetic so i'm ok on that point. But what did you mean with the paint not always looking the same??

 

Hummm I know BigPZ said he hated the OEM tires in snow but I completely disagree. I am VERY happy with the OEM Michelin tires on the Type S. I live in the far Chicago suburbs and drive on open country roads that get untouched from the plow. Never had any problems with them. In the summer and rain the tires ride extremely quiet and the car handles just fine if you ask me. I would absolutely buy the OEM Michelins for this car again.

As for the Type S go for it you will love it. The 6mt really scoots when you want it to. My only complaint with the Type S 6mt is the damn clutch is soo finnicky IMO. I have had many manual tranny cars and never had this much of a issue as the Type S. Its really only 1st gear and getting started otherwise its fine. Yesterday for example I was driving with my wife and was at a light. It turned green and as I started rolling I hit a bump which then caused my foot to jolt. The car launched forward then the clutch completely grabbed and jolted the car back again. Basically what im saying is starting in 1st gear can be tricky even after owning the car for a long time. Starting in 1st with bumps is even more of a challenge and I have owned some pretty serious manual tranny cars including the 505hp Z06 over there<------ which never did anything like this car. Its probably just a combination of a touchy clutch and accelerator. You will eventually get used it though.

 

What he meant was there are a few colors from Honda that have a tendancy to look different depending on what panel its on and the lighting conditions. For example carbon bronze pearl and alabaster silver metallic being the most common you will see sometimes a significant difference in color between the rear bumper and quarter panels. You would swear the bumpers been repainted but its not. I never noticed it on the white TL's but I wouldnt be surprised. As for oil I like using Mobile 1 5w20 synthetic. Its readily available in 5qt jugs from any walmart for only 20 some bucks and its proven. Going with anything else doesnt make any sense....atleast the way I see it.
Only other recommendation if you didnt already read up on this is switch the tranny fluid over to the GM synchromesh. It will shift like a brand new car and you will never experience any 3rd gear issues. You will need 3 qts of it and fluid swap is simple. There are plenty of how to's.

 

It's funny you talk about the clutch cause thats what i hate most about my TSX and after trying the type-s i was excieted about the clutch. On my TSX the clutch was very short, meaning there wasn't much space between the clutch completely pressed in and the friction point. It was either your in gear or out, not much lee way inbetween. It was especially annoying when trying to really shift fast because it was hard to get an exact shift quick. The tl type-s seemed to be more smooth with the clutch, there was more of a transition time when it came to shifting. But i only drove it for 30 minutes, so i guess we'll see...... thx for your input!

 

Hopefully I didnt scare you away because of the clutch and who knows maybe its just me because im used to torque monsters where you dont even need to use the gas pedal to start off. Here is a better way to explain it. The TL can be driven smoothly, but it just seems there is a very fine line between riding the heck out of your clutch, driving the car smooth, and jerking the thing all over the place. From my experience it seems to be the gas thats most of the issue as the clutch pedal and feel is real nice I think. Anyway, youll get the hang of it. You will also be pleasantly surprised at how well the 6mt Type S does on fuel. I average 25-26 in the far Chicago suburbs with no highway miles.

 

Thx for your tips JTS, they will come in handy. oh and for me.... compared to the tsx, the TL-S is a torque monster!, lol. Thx for input man, apreciate it.

 

Congrats Welcome to AZ! Check out the 3G garage for tons of info. Also register your TL at www.myacura.com in the USA or https://www.myacura.acura.ca/myAcura...ToLoginPage.do in Canada. Save your Navi and Radio codes there.

I also went from a 04TSX 5AT no navi to a 08 TL-S 5AT. Wow! What a difference.

 

Congratz on TL-S. Significant upgrade over a 04 TSX.
+1 on the Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires. I had them on my 04 TL and they were my favorite tires ever.
JT---there may be something wrong with your clutch. I never have any issues in first gear and the issue I had in 3rd went away after the synchromesh fluid was put in. . Have you ever driven another tl-s 6 speed ?

Also---I currently have the stock michelins--they arent too bad but you would be wise to looking into the conti extremes. They are better in every way and also much cheaper than the stock tires. Look on tirerack.

 

Nope there is nothing wrong with my clutch. Believe it or not I owned two 6mt Type S's at the same time lol. An 07 and an 08. I have also test driven several its just the way the clutch is its tricky and both the gas and clutch are sensitive. Driving my Z06 is soooooo easy compared to the Type S. Most of the time its smooth just every now and then if your not paying attention it can be a pretty shaky start..thats all im sayin.

 

Just enjoy your Type S-congrats on your purchase.

If you want to also upgrade and change your AZ name, just let me know.

 

I live in province of New-Brunswick, same winter than Quebec, you will need good winter tires! I did purchase my Tl-s with winter tires 50% worn and last winter it was not fun at all, not able to move in first gear in a snow storm :P For sure replace trans. fluid by the Gm Synchromesh Friction Modified, It will shift lot better. For gas Millage, i did own a 05 TSX 2 years ago and it wasn't a big difference on gas consumption.

 

08 tls ftw

 

Thanks for your inputs guys. I should be getting it on the 5th of august. Can't wait! Only thing i was surprised about the TL is that it has a timing belt and not chain.... has anyone changed theirs yet??

 

My overall experience with the TL-s is positive! I agree that the TL is one of the nicest looking sedans out there that exist. Ive seen a lot of new cars, but none have made me want to change my car. Seriously, the only negative that I have for this car is the lack of a "push start" button.

Juss follow the MID display in terms of maintenence.