JCL622

So I had the car brought in to check out some intermittent CEL blinks, and figured, hey why not; and had the dealer detail the inside of my car. ~ long story short, they gave me an 08 TL as a loaner....and wow, has it been an eye opener.

Keep in mind, my 3G is the oldest of the years, and there was just so much to just take in!!!....

1) not having the Navi really was an eye opener for me. Sure I paired my phone to the Bluetooth HFL; but the in car commands that i've grown so accustomed to....were not available, and by the end of the day (i had the loaner from 8AM to 6PM) it more than frustrated me.

2) the new Dash, although i don't like it as much as the BLUE BLUE of the 04 version, it was something new to stare at, and grew on me.

3) it was nice to see that the windows sported Acura stickers and not Honda stickers. (i dont know when this was implemented, but for all 04 TL's our windows still boast the Honda logo)

4) and of course, the double stitching and basic redesign of the seats, (in fact i'm thinking about looking to just buy the 08 seats, because i found them extremely comfortable)

but of course there are the cons too; and this is where my main point begins:

1) there is NOTHING worse than having have driven on an A-spec wheel for 4 years and never driven a TL with out it.....my hands felt so...empty (no joke)

2) the new steering wheel design in general, though it looks much more sportier just doesn't look as good as the old ones

3) and here's the big point; all those mods that we throw into the TL, but get discouraged by the dyno numbers, or just simply get told that the gains are negligible... the truth is, of late i always felt like i've wasted a bit of cash on the mods i've done....but today i am a different man/boy/w/e you want to call me.

a. Having had a Progress RSB for a while now, the same roads that i normally take from work to home etc etc...when the roads are empty i love to take the S turns aggressively; out of habit i tried that today, and thank god i only do things like this when no other cars are around......the RSB has definitely changed my TL.

b) then comes power mods, the CAI, the P2R spacer and gaskets, the pulley, the richieV6 down pipe and test pipes, the custom catback exhaust, the a-spec suspension, the 18" A-spec wheels and street tires vs. w/e tires the loaner had on...sure i may be giving out slightly more HP; but the important thing is it energized the TL!!...it's been so long since i havent driven in a stock, the pick up, the feeling of being sucked into my seat.......i've forgotten just how bland it used to be. going from 0-60 SEEMED to take far longer (though in actuality it was probably .5-1 second off)

I could not believe this was a TL; long story short, driving he loaner only made me cherish what i've ended up with so far; and has given me new energy to push forward with the mods...if any of you guys get a chance to use a loaner, i'd do it....it really was a huge eye opener,

TLAdvanced

iTrader: (4)

Glad you're happy with yours!! Let the modding continue...

Distorted Reality

HAHA did the dealership finally give you a loaner thats hilarious lol. Good they didnt make you wait around for hours like last time lol. I am goin up there tommorow to get some shit fixed, and pick up the more stuff I ordered the other day.

JCL622

Jay make sure you tell them you're a member of HACSTL; you get a pretty good discount. I got that 280 something Interior/exterior detail for like 170 or w/e.....yea still kinda overpriced...but HEY WHEN WERE YOU GONNA HAVE TIME TO DO IT....

i'm even thinking about just getting my window and trim piece replaced with them ~


but yea i finally got a loaner!!!

Distorted Reality

LMAO you paid for that wow, I get that full exterior/interior/claybar/polish/wax for free lol that made me spit up my water. I can't believe you paid that. Should of told me you were interested in getting that my boy is in charge of all the porters there and he does mine all the time for free.

JCL622

jay i hate you so much. go to bed; let me know if you need a ride or w/e after you drop off your car, and you can laugh at me and my paid for detailed car

Distorted Reality

No doubt, apppreicate it. Shouldn't take them more than a half an hour to fix something. I just got that done on saturday actually up there. But yeah my boy is in charge of the porters up there and I always roll up there for him to detail it for me when I don't have time to clean my car. Next time let me know and I'll have him do yours for you for free instead of spendin all that money.

JCL622

yea you...you.. man i can't even think of an insult..LOL, that could've been my R4 silverline money!! ~ though i felt like i should pay tho, cuz after this past Sat, my car reeked of sangrea and puke....LOL

JCL622

btw for all other readers, my loaner was a red 08 TL non navi. and boy can i tell you....MRP without aspec kit looks SOOOOOOO fugly.

csmeance

the 08 base TL was softened quite a bit versus the 04-06 TL's, the suspension was softened, the seats have less bolstering in them, and the driving dynamics were relaxed slightly. If you had gotten a PT cruiser or something stupid like that, you would have really appreciated your TL.

EVOLICARUS

i had a 08 loaner as well, and it had no balls!! it just seemed like my 05 6 speed was much faster.

chill_dog

I had an '08 loaner the other week. I loved the gray ash plood, guages, compass, and seats. I hated the new radio/AC display (looked weird and reflected like crazy). There was no fun-to-drive factor compared to my mildly modded '04, either.

The biggest positive of the experience was not having to park a mile from the door wherever I went. It was sad, but I was excited to get the second spot at the grocery store, something I normally would've driven past without hesitation.

EVOLICARUS

i do that shit all the time!! LOL!! i knew i wasn't alone. i feel bad sometimes when someone is with me and we park out in BFE, i usually just ask them if they would like me to drop them off at the door so i can go park, they don't get it

chill_dog

Trust me, it's worth it. My car is just over four years old and it has no dents, dings, or scratches. I always offer to drop people off, too. Usually, though, they pass, but I think they regret it once they see where I end up parking...on well, they had their chance.

Bearcat94

I think you're spot on about the suspension and performance. Going back to no springs, no RSB, etc the car would probably feel floaty and slippery.


Only thing I am not sure about is the steering wheel. IIRC, the '04 has the same 4-spoke design as the 2G (although maybe different switchology). The 3-spoke wheel, IMHO, is MUCh more comfortable.

(Not sure, but the steering wheel on the TL-S may also be either a slightly smaller diameter and/or a thicker wheel and that might be part of the difference as well.)

JCL622

yea i'm willing to bet the TL-S wheel is thicker, cuz the A-spec wheel is significantly thicker than the stock 04 wheel. ~ but did you really just use the term switchology? made my day.


on another note, i had not realized they had softened the car up that much in the later production of TL's...i mean, now i understand why I see so many women driving 07+ TL's.

jmkiang

iTrader: (5)

^ I feel like my TL handles pretty decent now. Can't wait to burn thru more gas after I get my RSB and springs installed this weekend!!!