Macktron

Hey everyone! First post on the forum so I figured I'd introduce myself. My name is Dane and a few days ago, I bought a 2004 6MT TL down here in Dallas. It's nothing special, just the base model with 172k on the clock. The guy who owned it before me used it to drive to Vegas and back several times a year to play poker (must be pretty good at it I guess). Anyway, it just had a new clutch and flywheel installed as well as new suspension bushings, timing belt, tensioner, water pump, power steering rack, and spark plugs. It drives like new and I know I will be very happy with it for years to come.

I guess I should probably explain why I bought a TL. Well, we used to be Toyota people when we lived up North in Washington State. My wife had a 2000 4runner and I had a 2005 Tundra and a 1987 Turbo Supra. Up there, it made sense to have a vehicle with 4WD. When I got stationed down here in Dallas, it didn't make as much sense to have such large vehicles when we don't have dirtbikes to ride or mountains to climb. Long story short, she bought a 2010 TSX with the 4-banger auto and I bought a 2006 Touareg V10.


Now, the Touareg is a luxury SUV. That twin turbo diesel V10 is powerful and smooth, the interior is comfortable, it has onboard air, 4-zone climate control, front and rear heated seats, and even though it weighs slightly less than the Moon, it gets 22mpg. Unfortunately, it is underutilized for what it was designed for. We don't have kids, nor do we have anything to tow with it, so next week I'll be putting it up for sale. Anyway, enough about that. A couple weeks ago, my wife and I got to talking and decided I need a decent, but inexpensive sedan with leather interior that I can use for my 35 mile (each way) commute for work. My stipulation is it had to have a manual transmission, at least 200hp, and be under eight grand (I wanted to pay cash). We made a list and I test drove:
E46 BMW 330i
Mazdaspeed6
Infinity G35 Sedan
VW GTi
Subaru Legacy GT
Acura TL

I'm sure you can guess which one I ended up with. The Acura have me everything I needed. Plus, the shifter was the smoothest one out there. The Infinity had to be the worst! That being said, the Acura had a few issues. The dash was cracked, the stereo was quiet and yet very noisy, the cruise control power switch didn't stay latched, the headlights were VERY oxidized, and it doesn't have NAV. A thread on this forum helped me fix the stereo (bad capacitors) for $6.50.

I took sandpaper and polishing compound to the headlights. I think it improved it immensely.

A $.90 switch from Mouser fixed cruise control. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of that. The only thing left is to swap over the Nav system. Oh, this is how it all looks now after a bit of elbow grease.





Best thing is, we are a Honda family again!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

woot! welcome!

that touareg is a beast!

erdoc48

Very nice, and I'm sure you got it at a decent price. I do have a recommendation about putting in a Nav system (OEM or aftermarket). I was just in Florida for a vacation, and used a rental Ford Focus (with the Sync system, so i had BT audio streaming and BT phone). I had taken a portable TomTom GPS which actually didn't get used on the trip. I used the Google Maps app on my iPhone for getting around and it worked very well, with navigation instructions verbally told over the speakers via BT. You can add OEM or aftermarket Navi if you want to do so, but it's kind of an expensive upgrade that may not be worth it financially. What I would recommend is putting an iSimple, USA Spec with additional BT adapter, Blitzsafe adapter, or Grom BT adapter, so you'll have BT audio and if using your phone for Google Maps or Mapquest apps, you then have automatic GPS (or if needed, you can use a portable GPS). All of the adapters are generally < $150 and installation of them is very easy. It's just a recommendation to save you some $$$.

Best of luck with the new ride!

Macktron

Hey thanks guys! Yeah I mainly wanted the nav for the backup camera and the diagnostic feature. BT audio streaming would be pretty awesome as well but that isn't a huge deal.

Yeah the Touareg is a beast! It even sounds like a beast!

M.I.N.O.

iTrader: (1)

Welcome! Nice job cleaning up the headlights.

Macktron

Thanks! I used 1500 grit sandpaper and wetsanded it. I then discovered I didn't have any 2000 grit, so I used rubbing compound for a while then switched to polishing compound. The last step was using headlight polish and buffing it. Took me probably 30 minutes per headlight.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

we also have a pretty good group of DFW acura owners.

I'm in Houston

check out the Texas Regional thread to get chatty with the DFW folk

Macktron

Sweet thanks for the tip. I am the southern DFW area so I'll see if I can meet up with anyone.

mvp2765

iTrader: (1)

nice pick up!

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Welcome to AcuraZine and congrats.

I wish all first posts were as well written and thought out as this one.

Macktron

Hey thanks! I was worried it would be a bit too long winded. I really like the way the car rides. During the 40-mile trip home, the engine was so quiet that I would forget to upshift. I guess there are far worse issues to have though! First world problems.

NBP04TL4ME

Congrats!!

se05

Congrats on the TL. The elbow grease was worth it...looks good. What are your thoughts on the VFR? I'm thinking about that as my next bike?

Macktron

Thanks! It was a lot of work but well worth it in the end. It can only get better from here! Anyway, I have a 1992 VFR. I absolutely love it! The engine sounds like a little V8 and if you go past 7K, it starts to sound like a NASCAR motor. Riding it is very comfortable and it just eats up the miles. I could ride it all day. A few weeks ago, my friend and I swapped bikes on the ride home and I felt a new appreciation for how stable and easy my bike is compared to his KTM Super Duke. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this bike to anyone. Oh, here is another pic after I washed it.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Very nice, Welcome, man...loving the Honda family!
PS...consider buying this to prolong the return of the headlight oxidation.

Macktron

Hey thanks for the tip. I've never used that stuff. I'll check it out though. I need to buy some of that 303 treatment stuff too.

truonghthe

congrats on the purchase BTW jusnspace love meat, especially regional meat.

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

welcome! i would also suggest putting some kind of protection after doing the headlight polish. i did my wife's headlights 3x and finally after the last time i decided to get it clear covered by a local tint place. 80 bucks and it has a 7 yr warranty. the headlights look amazing and won't oxidize for a while!

some good basic upgrades for the manual is gm friction modified synchromesh MT fluid and check valve delete. if you want an even better feel, i would suggest hybrid racing bushings, a heavier knob like the skunk2 knob, and the comptech short shifter.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Congrats Dane-welcome to AcuraZine. Nice handyman work too.

06TLMatt

Best car on the list you made, I love E46 BMW's , but you just can't get the reliability, performance , features, and last but not least, killer good looks for the money on anything else.

Macktron

Thanks guys! Yeah I read up on the GM MTF. I might have to buy some and change it out here soon. The transmission shifts great right now, but I would like to take care of issues before they crop up. I might get a weighted shift knob as well. The shift knob in the car right now is kind of worn from use so it would be logical to replace it.

As far as the cars go, yeah I'm confident I made the right decision. Sure it isn't RWD but it is civilized and looks nice without people thinking you are an ass. I was kind of afraid the BMW would attract the wrong sort of attention as well. I really like building engines and modding them, so unfortunately the Acura lacks a bit there compared to the Legacy GT or Mazdaspeed6. The Supra here was a ton of fun building up, especially considering I got the car for free!

The thing is, keeping this nice and mostly stock will allow me to focus more energy on building a purpose built car when the day comes. It is always nice to have that nice reliable daily driver!

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Welcome and congrats Dane!

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Ahhh, your Aventador impression!

Macktron

Yeah, that was a demo of my anti-lag setup for some of the guys there. After I did that, we left pretty quickly. I ended up trading a spare Supra motor for the AEM standalone EMS and tuned it myself. When I ended up selling the car, the new owner put it on the dyno where it made 420hp at the rear wheels. Not bad for DIY tuning! The thread documenting the build with lots of pictures is HERE

Anyway, this morning I decided to tackle the project of removing the intake resonator. I decided to do this instead of installing an aftermarket CAI because:
It was cheap
It was easy
I love induction noise, and
It is probably just as good as the $250 option.
Thanks to the wonderfully organized DIY threads in this forum, it took me less than 35 minutes to accomplish. I was wary of pulling the bumper off, but it really is an easy thing to do. Thanks Acura! The next thing is probably going to be the installation of an aftermarket J-pipe. I get emissions tested here in Tarrant County, so I probably won't be able to remove the 3rd cat; what a bummer.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

good thing the third cat doesnt have any sensors on it and the emission testing wont catch that it has been removed.



I'm fully catless here in houston and as long as i dont throw a CEL, i pass emissions all day long.

Macktron

Oh that's awesome! I noticed there were no sensors on that cat, I just didn't know if they sniffed the tail pipes for the test here. Apparently they just plug into the OBD2 port for that. That makes it more convenient. Well, next paycheck it seems I'll be buying a J-pipe!

Macktron

Well, not much of an update. I ordered a CT short shifter, a Skunk2 weighted shift knob, and a screen to slowly start acquiring parts to install the Nav system. I downloaded the wiring diagrams so it shouldn't be too difficult to make the harnesses myself. I will take plenty of pictures as well. Progress has been slow because I've been busy with Navy stuff (planes gotta fly). The only thing I have done to the car as of now though is paint the intake manifold lettering. Since I'm not a Type-S, I didn't think it was right for me to use red paint.

Macktron

Well, not much of an update today. I got the weighted shift knob in so I decided to install it. It was easier than I anticipated which is always nice!

Now once the 7219 bulbs come in, I'll be able to fix the lights in the steering wheel.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I like the shift knob!

Macktron

Oh thanks! Tomorrow I hope to test out the way it shifts. I also saw the thread on painting the calipers. I plan on doing that as well. I love all the ideas on this site!

Macktron

Well, the mail came and dropped off little O-ring for my power steering. I had that whine that seems to be common among our cars so I decided to do something about it. I pulled off the power steering fitting and saw an orange O-ring in there already. Out of curiosity, I compared it (left) to the one I bought (right) and it was noticeably thinner as you can see here:


I wonder what part number the other one was. Oh well. The new one slid in with a bit more force so that makes me feel better. While I was working on the car, I got a visitor as well. I'm a sucker for animals so she distracted me for quite a while before she continued on her way.

Not a bad morning really.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Macktron

Well, got some parts in today! GM synchromesh MTF arrived as well as a trunk spoiler and my 7219 lights for the steering wheel buttons. The spoiler isn't an Acura Spoiler because I couldn't find a color matched spoiler for it. All in all, I think it looks nice though. If I find the Acura one some day, I'll remove this one and swap it out. It's held on with 3M tape. Here is how it looks:



These are the little lights I replaced. Not too difficult really.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to swap out the gearbox oil.

NBP04TL4ME

Looks pretty good to me.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

^^^ +1

Macktron

Hey thanks guys! I think I spent $38 on the spoiler. I was pretty nervous about applying it so I test fitted it and had the trunk all marked up with dry erase markers before I removed the backing on the tape. It is an M3-style spoiler. If there was one thing I could change on it, I wish it was a little bit bigger, like the Acura one. Oh well. I can't complain for the price!

NBP04TL4ME

It would look better with a bigger spoiler, but hey, for $38 and a little of your time, I don't think you can beat it.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

^^^ True-it looks good, no worries.

Macktron

Well, more parts arrived today. like I said earlier, I am collecting parts to do the navigation installation. The display unit arrived and then I realized that I don't have any connectors for the harness. Thankfully Mouser Electronics is pretty much down the street from me. After about an hour searching through their catalog, I found some connectors that looked like they would be the right ones. I placed a Will Call order, and an our later I had the connectors for the display and 50 terminals. I should probably share the part numbers, so here they are:

22-pin Connector "E": IL-AG5-22S-D3C1 $1.86/each
14-pin Connector "A": IL-AG5-14S-D3C1-A $0.76/each
Socket terminals: IL-AG5-C1-5000 $.087/each

As you can tell, it is much cheaper to buy them this way versus going to the dealership. They are JAE Automotive Connectors. Oh, here is a picture of them with the display:



Now I need to buy the PA-21 Crimp tool to make the harnesses.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Nice!