I am the recent owner of a 2005 TL 5MT Black/Black W/Navi. I am interested in doing some small "adjustments" to it such as Tinting, Navi Changes, and possibly side-molding. I'd like to meet some other TL owners in Virginia to talk about how their TLs turned out and get some names of some good "tinters" in VA. My last tint job was a total disaster and I'd like to avoid it at all costs. Thanks again!

Rob

 

i know a guy in richmond who did a great job on my tint job.

 

Charlottesville. I purchased my TL in Chantilly. Wasn't too fond of Crown Acura of Richmond's Customer service.

 

crown sucks we went there with a friend to get a rsx and they were complete dicks the whole time saying "oh we are going to get ours" literally to the girls face i just got up and left at that point. but i don't know a lot about shops in charlottesville only in rich, the guy who tinted mine did it for 150$ legal tint with lifetime warrenty, it came out great and we have not had any problems yet.

 

Agreed re Crown. I asked the man what price he'd give me for the TL. Guess what he said...$36,570.00...The MSRP! I was like oh ok, right. Seriously though, how much for an '05 TL?...I said I can sell it to you for $36,570.00...I said see ya! Got an awesome deal from Pohanka and the sales man was great. Really knew how to talk to his customers. Didn't do the ...And the safety ratings are...and it has homelink so you're not in the dark..or the it has X number of airbags...He was like check out this sound system, the blue dash lights, the headlights, Navi, and XM. I would suggest him/Pohanka to anyone!!!

As for the tint, you mean legal as in the correct % or he made it look like it came with the car (therefore whatever it comes with is legal)?

 

legal as in the state mandated limits 50% front and 35% rears, i got to many tickets in my old car for tint to even start dealing with that problem again.

 

Careful with Pohanka service.......

As for the tint, make sure you buy the spacers (or whatever they are called) or you will have gashes in your tint. like me.

 

Hey rlw7v;

Crown was really trying to stick you. They quoted you $900 OVER MSRP!

 

BTW, who sold you your new '05 at Pohanka? I bought two there.

 

Bryan was the sales man's name. I'll def. have someone else do it. I want to make sure the tint is done well. Also, do you use the HFL? I am using a V710 from alltel and the MID screen only shows a "Y" but doens't show the bars, just blank. It will show incoming numbers but thats it. Trying to get a phone WITH service that does both. Know of any?

Rob

 

I'll just chime in and say yes, Crown will put the wood to you when it comes to sales (I flew to Florida to buy my car rather than get raped by them.) But the service is quite good, to the point where we even bring our Accord there as well. As for the phone thing, there is a whole huge forum on that, but don't get too hung up on the bars. After a while, you won't care too much. EVERYTHING is important to you when you first buy the car. I have a V710 and it's great.

Enjoy your new Virginia TL, and welcome! If you pass through Short Pump, save the left lane for me.

 

Bought mine at Pohanka / Chantilly also, agree their service department sucks.

Had the tint (35% Carbon) done at a small shop in Stafford. Best tint job I've had on a car (and this is the 9th one I've had done). $229, for comparison. Used 35% since I will be switching to Florida tags in June.

Dave
'05 NBP/Ebony 6MT
'04 Pilot EX (tinted at the same place...)
'98 CBR 900RR (with a smoked windshield...)

 

Funny, back in the late 1990s I used to take my 1986 Legend to Pohanka for service and never had a problem. I now use Radley, which is where I bought my TL, because it is about a billion times more convenient for me than Pohanka.

Can't comment on tint since I'm not into that stuff. Just needed to put in a comment on the servicing issue.

 

Yeah, Pohanka had the car I wanted (NBP/Ebony 6MT) but Radley is much closer - I live in Stafford. Radley just didn't have the inventory. Of course, I had to bid Pohanka against some dealer in Philly to get $31,300 (non-NAVI)...

Got my first (and an offer for second) oil change for free at Pohanka, but it is 1.5 hours from home, 45 minutes from work. Might be worth the $30 to go to Jiffy Lube.

Pohanka took 2.5 hours to sell me the car, when I walked in with loan in hand. 1st oil change advertised and assured to be only "30-45 minutes" took 1.5 hours. Both put me in wicked DC traffic on the Beltway / I-95 South at rush hour.

Dave
'05 NBP/Ebony 6MT
'04 Pilot EX
'98 CBR 900RR

 

Some of the best reasons to do your own oil changes. I can name a bunch more.

 

I bought my TL at Pohanka in early February and haven't had occasion to take it in for service yet. Just what is the problem with their service department? Are they incompetent? Do they have an unhelpful attitude? Or what seems to be the problem? It's by far the closest Acura dealership to me - I live in Leesburg and work in Herndon. Clue me in! Thanks!

 

Since the oil is still in the car, I'll have to assume they are at least competent...

I change my own on the bike...haven't gotten around to buying the equipment (jack/stands) to do the car / truck.

My issue is more with service "time". I made an appointment at 1:00 pm for a "30-45 minute" oil change. Got there at 12:45, left at 2:25. Just a little longer than advertised. And, the complimentary car wash was lower quality than the Exxon spray machine...

Someone "test drove" my car also, which I don't object to on principle (though it wasn't mentioned as going to be done).

I do object to a dealer employee stopping so fast in my car that my briefcase slid off the back seat...that's only happended while I've been driving twice - in stop-n-go rush hour traffic - someone jams the brakes up the line.

At sale time, the salesman assured my we could be done in 2 hours. 3 1/2 hours later...I got to sit in beltway / I-95 non-HOV traffic (I would normally have slugs).

So, it may be just me. As long as they are going to do them for free, I'll go out there. Otherwise, Jiffy Lube.

Dave
'05 NBP/Ebony 6MT
'04 Pilot EX
'98 CBR 900RR

 

I bought both of my TL's at Pohanka, but I wouldn't take them there for service. This is not to say that I have some knowledge about their service department because I do not. What I DO mean is once I have purchased the car, I never want to take it back to ANY dealer for service if I can help it.. for reasons pointed out on this thread and more.

I do my own oil changes and brake work and other things, too. Those things I cannot do because of lack of knowledge about the car or lack of the right tools, I take it to someone whom I trust.. not a dealer.

Besides, oil changes are so easy on this car, why would anyone want to take it to a dealer if they have a place to do them? I don't want anyone touching or driving my car if at all possible.

 

When I got my 04 TL they wouldn't move on the MSRP so I went to NJ.

Service is good but never timely plus they scratched 2 of my rims. I need new front pads on my TL and I was going to do it myself. Their parts department qouted $250 for the pads even though the list is $180. The explanation from the guy behind the counter, we need to make up the profit lost by the service department not doing the work.

I now use the local Honda dealer for maintenance on my TL and MDX that I do not want to do myself. I know it's cheaper out in town but I feel better since I have the extended warranty, plus the service dept is outstanding and hooked me up with a lifetime oil change package even though I didn't buy it from them.

 

Always end up on ranting about the dealer service....

Tinting: I highly recommend the moleskin.
Side Molding: get the factory side molding. I suggest the body kit
NAVI mods: Search the forum (I do not have NAVI

You have 6MT not 5MT... right?
Your brakes might squeal for the first 7K miles... The dealer wont be able to fix it.
It willl eventually dissapear.

Good Luck and Have fun with the car.

 

Thanks, guys, for the info about the Pohanka service department. Guess I'll take a book along to read when I go! Sorry to have deviated from the original question posted in the thread.

 

Ann, my last service at Pohanka was an improvement compared to my previous visits. They fixed the rattles, ballanced the wheels and fixed the third light sag. Jayson was the CSR.

 

Herndon here, anyways i actually was pleased purchasing my TL at Radley, they rock, i got my White TL March 31st, i tried going to chantilly but Radley gave me a WAY better deal, because i got the 18inch wheels and spoiler with mine, i would not leave the lot without it. Anyways i went to Ziebart in Fairfax for my tint it looks great, i got 35% on the back and 50% on all 4 windows. my two cents.


p.s. White is the best color smirk***

 

Herndon also, here. Just picked up my 05 TL at Pohanka this Saturday. The salesman, Adam, was great. Got my Satin Silver / Ebony 5AT+Navi for 33,300 + TTF, so under $34,800 out the door with everything..

I give the salesguy great marks, but the finance folks, etc, were a different story.

1) I waited TWO HOURS for the financing guy. Granted, was a Saturday.

2) Walked in with a "blank check" from Capital One, but they wouldn't take it. (Thought they were baiting me.. maybe??) They beat Cap One's rate (got financed at 4.95%, so that's good) so it worked out in the end, but I was steamed for a bit. Things got better when they ran my credit. I'm only 27, so I think the guy was taking me for something else until he ran my FICO. Oh well. I've never liked F&I managers. That part of the deal is way more annoying than the sales deal!

3)Their computer to the DMV was down, they said -- not their fault, I know.. but I'm leaving on vacation, so I'll be on temp tags for a while.. :P.

No experience with service yet.. but..

Got home and noticed a tiny 3/4" scratch on my console compartment covers.. Stopped back by and two guys in suits (mangers?) came out and tried to rub it out with rubbing compound (GRR!) but Adam said he'd talk to them and get it replaced .

So, there's my story -- but one question for the NoVA TL folks... The tinting place Pohanka uses - ExpressTint in Centreville - does NOT do Moleskin. They quoted me 249 for the job, and said they'd do the quarter panels right -- but I'd really rather have the moleskin (and I don't have the guts to take the door panel off myself).. Anyone recommend any good tinting places in Northern VA? I'll pay extra for quality!

 

Hey all you Richmond TL's out there. I just bought one for the wife. Where are you guys getting your tinting done in Richmond? I have the TL and a 350Z I want to get done. Bought at Crown and really had no problems. $31,430 for a non-navi. Took 4 freaking hours for some reason, but no hassles.

Geoff

 

I have had very good CS from Clown Acura - the Clown BMW shop next door stinks, IMO. *

Most of the comments peeps have mentioned are anecdotal, and do not cite an experience I can hang my hat on - so Crown is tough on pricing - nothing wrong with that; and an out of towner is always more aggressive.

I got a fair price on mY TL's, but had ro go to Rick Hendrick's shop In Raleigh/Durham to get the "KD" on the NSX. But I always get a nice loaner. and the few times I have been in for service (I do my own, unless the parts are over $100)< - Crown has keot me in the loop, had the car ready when they said, and done the work right. If I felt strongly enough about butt prints and other trivialities, they would be corrected, no questioins asked. I know many of the service techs, and they are sharp - they know me as "the car guy who does his own work, and has tools we cannot get" like the Phoenix reverse brake bleeder.

Sometimes, people want filet mignon for ground beef investment. I think I have "got as good as I have given at Crown". Considering I almost never go there other than for my wholesale parts accounts ( for special work I do on NSX's, and BMW "M" Cars). Bu I am sure if I ever had a bic ticket CS need, I wouod get what is needed

* I had the Corwn BMW Prez's OK to do some photo shooting in the Service bays, for a BMW "Roundel" magazine articile i was doing on "20th century hot rodding": intake, chip, and exhaust in April, 1994 on one of the 1st E36 M3's on the East Coast (mine). The Service Mgr practically knows my expensive 35mm SLR out of my hands as I am taking a shot of the prototype Borla exhaust Alex B. had worked up for me. When I mentioned I had "mgt approval" to do what i was doing, he said "I do not give a F*&K what you have - get your chicken-shiz azz out of here" - well, I was a Marine and did some intel work later for an outfit in mclean, so I am neither used to, nor generally physically tolerant of, that kind of "in my face" crap. But my dotage has made me far less willing to skin my knuckles and risk ingfection from someone likely to have every STD in the book, so I just left. I am sure the chat I had with his Boss (who personally sold me the E36 was was writing up for the Roundel) may have had something for his chage oif heart, and seemingly endless outpouring of remorse for his "offensive remarks", which of course he ascribed to his having a migraine and a "bad day".

Maybe I blame Corwn BMW for BMW NA's lousy CS policies, bu to me they are inseparable. BMW CS did not cover the lousy head gaskets on their 1.8L I-4's, nor the infamous cylinder pocks in their 4.0L V-8's, the radiator core/tank separations on the 3 and 5-series, etc. But Acura fixed its core problemsd - BMW either made the owner eat it, or pointed fingers at someone else. On the other hand, thye busted my balls about using "defective parts" - their words to describe a Borlka exhaust, and tried to creatively blame me and my parts for every one of thge 10 major probs I had with the M3 - from a defective air cleaner, radiator leaks, a failed diff (must have been the extra 3 HP from the reduiced backpressure), etc.

Plus, in 1995 model year, one needed to have the oil changed every other day, the diff fluid every year with special boar mucous at $60/quart, the brakesflushed and bled every 2 years, etc. That was when the owner paid for it. When BMW started to "pay" for "standard service parts", oil now lasted forever, diffs were "sealed forever", you get the picture. What hypocrisy.

******************************************

So, Crown Acura (Sales **, Service ****, Parts *****, CS ***) stars out of 5.

So, Crown BMW(Sales **, Service **, Parts ****, CS *) stars out of 5.

I

 

I thought Crown was very fair. I had my laptop out, told them what I was willing to pay and why that was all, they took it. They beat the financing rate I already had arranged. They let us take the car that night and bring it back when convenient to us for the "pre-delivery" cleanup/inspection. It was 100X more pleasurable of a purchasing experience than when I bought my 350Z where they tried to tack on every crap charge you can imagine behind your back.

 

When it came time to negotiate with Crown, the salesman of the hour (the asian guy, don't remember his name) smugly showed me the sticker on the window. I walked out. I then called the sales manager, faxed them my PO from another dealer for 2.2k under MSRP and they came back with $600 off and don't ask for more! Granted, this was a year ago and navi TLs were hotcakes, but I took my business elsewhere and advised them the next time I came in to buy an RL or something, the asian dude would NOT be helping me.

That said, the service there is excellent and they seem indifferent to the origin of my purchase. Two thumbs up for Crown service.

RR, incredible story on the BMW dicks. Too bad you didn't have a condom for your fist that day! Our cabin filters are in by the way so start thinking of a good time to bring down the cooler!

 

Was his name Carven?

He just sold my girlfriend a new TSX lease. She loved how she was treated by the sales and management during the process, but I thought she could have gotten a little bit better monthly payment but she didn't want to dicker around at all.

 

Doesn't ring a bell that name but who knows. If you don't want to negotiate, of COURSE they'll be sweet as pie! If your girlfriend is happy, that's great, the TSX is a sweet ride and the girlies look hot driving them. I'm just the kind of person that feels raped if I pay more than what the market is running despite my geographic location. The TL was also our third car so I was in no dire need. Most people aren't like me though and they know it. I'm probably in the top 5% of aggressive negotiators and with their tiny allocation, they're happy to be rid of me and me of them. That's just the market economy!

 

I bought my 05 TL from Charles Douglas at Pohanka in Chantilly. He was great! I would recommend him to anyone looking to purchase a TL in the Northern VA area. Tell him Carl D sent you maybe he will give you a good deal!

As far as Pohanka Service I have had nothing but excellent service there. Actually just took my TL in for a front end alignment and they did it under warranty. I have 10K miles on mine. Every time I bring my TL in for service they amaze me. Very nice and professional people!

I would give Pohanka an A++!