Am contemplating buying a 04 TL with Navi. I'm a bit concerned though about the HID getting stolen like the earlier TL models. Are they still being stolen in the 04 models? Are they harder to remove? Also heard that the bulbs get bad when its taken off, and this was by design to deter theft. Is that true?

Also, is the TL's Navi also a hot item that the thiefs target? How about the DvdAudio Sound system?

Appreciate all comments since I'm about to make the deal in a week or two...

Thanks!

 

HID theft was brought up in other postings on this forum. The basic response was that Acura made it difficult to get to the HIDs - a lot of parts need to be removed to get there.

No idea on the 04TL theft, though. One forum participant had his stolen a month or two ago (he was a cop, too). I can't remember who it was off the top of my head.

Don't rely on reports that say that the Honda Accord is one of the highest theft rate vehicles. Some of those reports include older models, not just the recent ones. The new designs should reduce the chance of theft.

However, I did buy a LoJack for my car. Considering the cost of the TL, I think it is a (relatively) cheap form of insurance.

 

I trust in the Gap insurance to do it's job. If my car gets stolen I don't want it back unless they catch him in my driveway. I've seen too many car chases where thy find the car beat to crap.

 

I flipped through a book awhile back called "How to lie with statistics" at Barnes & Noble. Very interesting. Lo Jack is definitely cheap insurance. I wouldn't worry about it too much because if a thief wants something from your car, they will take it.

 

The 3rd gen (04) TL has been out for only 1/2 year, not much statistic on theft yet. For the headlights, I believe the theft rate should be considerably lower, because they can't be used on any other cars, except for some one who has same car with a broken or stolen headlight. The newer 2nd gen TL & CL's came with HID's that are interchangeable (plug & play) with older 2nd gen cars that did not come with HID's. Those headlights are relatively easy to remove, just pry them out. I pass by this body shop that specializes Acura/honda, everytime I see at least one 2nd gen TL &/or CL in the lot with missing headlights, & need body work around the headlight openings. Same situation with the 5th gen Maxima's (02/03 with HID's & 00/01 without), hi theft rate on the HID's, which retails $1300/pair. The 04 TL & Maxima's headlights are much harder to remove, Nissan even sells anti-theft kit which deters most amateurs.

I've heard that NAVI systems are the latest favorates (over airgags) among thieves, but again, a stolen system is probably only useful as a replacement for another NAVI equipped 04 TL. It is difficult to upgrade a non-NAVI model with a stolen NAVI system, let alone other make/models/generations.

 

Well, I got hit by something like this in the past. I had an '82 Camaro (first model year) with T-Tops. The T-Tops were stupidly easy to steal (less than 10 seconds each), and there was a crime ring in the area that was stealing them.

As soon as mine were stolen, I was an instant customer for a new set of tops. My insurance company offered me a deal, though - Get some T-Tops from a junk yard instead of the dealership, and they would drop the deductible. If I ordered them from the dealership, they were back-ordered by 2 months due to the crime ring's activities.

So, I got the replacement tops from the junk yard.

The funny thing is that since the Camaro was a new design, there shouldn't be too many at junk yards yet. I always wondered if I bought my original T-Tops back again.

 

Yes, the Honda Accord is one of those "most stolen" vehicles. What they FAIL to tell you is the fact that because of the sheer number of Accords out there is the reason why. If it were cars stolen per 1000 Accords, I'm sure its quite low.

Once again, so called "informed" polls and statistics are being spun.

As for the '04 TL itself, the headlights are a PAIN IN THE ASS to remove. The 2nd generation were quite easy to get to. The 1st generation again are a PAIN in the ass to remove, I'd know, I had to replace one, took me almost 2 hours to wiggle it out of place.

 

Maybe that was the main reason the T-top Camaro's (along with the Tran-Am's & Corvettes) died a quick death, & the Convertibles eventually came back. I lived in NYC for 19 years & had wheels/tires, radios, batteries, wiper blades, tail lights (67 cougar) stolen. Convertable top & tires slashed. Some times there were people going door to door to solicite stolen properties. I knew a friend who bought his own set of tires back.

 

Wonder if thieves would know the TL 04s from the older models. If they knew that the lights won't fit the Hondas, then they won't bother with the 04s since there would be no market for them.