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So my 06 TL trans blew up and then everyone got COVID....it was time to see if a good deal can be had. Browsed around and a 07 TL-S KBP 6MT came up. Pretty sorted. All you regulars know this car already so no need to re-hash. See: (https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...ead%85-942090/)
Quick background: I joined AZine way back but was too poor (and then too cheap) to buy any "enthusiast" level car during college years. When I finally finished school I got a 06 TL 5AT and became a bit more active on this forum...vicariously living through you guys and drooling over a TL-S 6MT someday.....still too cheap to actually get a nice car...finally the opportunity hit back in July/August of 2020 when I saw J put up his KBP 6MT for sale and we bullshitted (cyber bromance) back and forth for sometime. I was STILL too cheap....but I think he got the sense that I'd be a good care taker for a car such as this....he then gave me an offer that I couldn't refuse and given both of our circumstances (and clearing it with both of our better selves/GF/wives) I flew down to Florida late friday night in August and did the deed and she was mine.
Drove 1500mi back to KC in about ~20hrs. No pics since was trying to make good time to get it back by sunday. 0 hiccups. Sorted it is. No issues at all. Some cringe pot holes/road imperfections but that is to be expected on such a long drive. Shifts great and not bad to learn MT on, especially with the check valve deleted already.
Got it at about 197k mi. It now has almost 205k miles. My daily commuter (40mi each way for work) + weekend fun car. 0 issues in the 8k miles I already put on since late August. Drone not bad if you try to stay out of about 2500rpm+/- 200rpm or so in 6th...so basically 75mph is pretty much like stock car or if you go granny-style and cruise at 60-65mph.
Did a couple of hyper-miler experimental tanks...E91 with 0% ethanol from a well-known local gas station (not "Top Tier" but I think high quality nontheless)....cruised at about 65mph for about 800miles total between 2 tanks.....avg 34mpg and got 480mi+ to a single tank (still had 2 gallons on reserve when I filled up after the gas light came on). Quiet, comfy, getting ECONOMY CAR mileage (for a 2007 NA V6...) and almost 500miles to a tank!! Or if you give it the beans...it gets up and go nicely...bit jekyll and hyde like.
I used to think the waffles are THE BEST wheels BUT After living with the A-spec wheels since August....I am definitely loving these A-spec rims a ton.
Initial impressions: handling/cornering is definitely tighter and more responsive than my 06 TL. Intake/exhaust note is noticeably better (duh with what's been done to this car) but I can see how some people may be annoyed by the drone/loudness after a while. I had VERY slight 2nd doubts but after having it for longer now...I am fully happy with my decision. And just as J told me....the way this car is modded I think is perfect....aside from the ride height which can be an issue depending on where you live/roads....it's done well I think for the 3G platform. No axle vibrations and drives smooth and straight. I did have him take off the spacers before I took delivery and the only other thing I MIGHT do is raise it a bit and maybe meatier tires??....we'll see....not too bad so far in KC/Missouri roads. As a MT n00b, learning this car hasn't been bad at all. Besides the occasional embarrassing stall (usually if I have the AC blasting and starting from a hill....) it's great...of course it's not completely OEM MT setup as it has the check valve deleted and short throw shifter...otherwise it goes into gear incredibly crisp and smooth once it warms up. Still trying to get better at rev matching downshifts.
So far no plans for any more major mods. As J have told me and is clearly evident...it's pretty well sorted at this point. It's probably the most "racecar" I think for me as a daily beater/commuter. And at some point...even though it's never "finished" (there's always something else to do)...it's well enough that it gives me plenty of joy.
If I were to keep it long-term....probably respray the hood, front bumper and back bumper, touch up the trunk and some paint correction....then ceramic + PPF to keep it looking better long-term. But will hold off on now as winters pretty harsh and commute long so will get more chips/battle scars in few months....plus looks quite nice already from a far. I'm not planning to win trophies. And keep interior as good as it can. The extra padding that J did for the center armrest is great and much better than my 06 TL. Sound system is awesome with wiring already done for additional subs if I want...I think this also has that OEM+ upgraded OEM amp and it sounds great vs the stock 06 TL I have.
Meeting J outside FLL airport with full protection on both sides:
Some basic cellphone pics for now:
Highway battle scars present. (To fix or not to fix?.....hmmm...local shop quotes between $500 to $1000 for a Acura dealer body shop....)
Not a fast TL
Some paint peeling visible from back bumper....not bad but may be needing some TLC in future...
This car has been around AZine members and it stays in this community still. Like a cliche that's been said too many times...I'm just taking care of it for the next owner/generation/(for J when he buys it back later....lol). Hence I think of this as the AZine lease car.
Go easy on her, I hear the lease return inventory manager is a real prick!
Bro, finally a thread! I didn't want to be the one to share it...it was great meeting you and even better
hearing that she's treating you right. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we get together...I'll buy
that bitch back in a couple of years from now at 300K! It's a torrid love affair!
Go easy on her, I hear the lease return inventory manager is a real prick!
Bro, finally a thread! I didn't want to be the one to share it...it was great meeting you and even better
hearing that she's treating you right. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we get together...I'll buy
that bitch back in a couple of years from now at 300K! It's a torrid love affair!
lol yup....when its safe to meet up and not wear protection anymore....
Yeah, love it as a daily. Quite well sorted and I have no doubt it can go for another 100k!!
Probably gonna keep it pretty basic....keep up with maintenance and look more into paint repair options after the winter is over
K.I.S.S.
for sure...
that's how I'd want her back for when you get your GT-R or move back to the big Island
I will fly up, protection or not and bring her back to Sunny South Florida!
Congratulations! Only few individuals I would consider a personal friend from Acurazine and buy anything from. You did well!
Thank you and totally agreed. Especially reading though J's thread and all...you KNOW it's not going to be shoddily fixed/kept. That's why I was not hesitant to drive it 1500 miles and bought it basically first time seen it in real life without concern. I would never do this for any other typical car sale.
Originally Posted by Yumcha
The storyline of this TL-S is pretty remarkable...changing hands with regulars on this forum. That's just darn neat.
Indeed. I think this is one of the best ways to "own" a car as generally between enthusiasts it will be taken care of a bit better than the avg beater/car.
There are certainly financial incentives (ie, not lose too much value if/when you do resell it later with properly maintained mechanicals and body work....OR due to pure passion/joy you spend the $$$ and the value of joy is worth the cost). Especially in this case, given my current situation and how the car behaves...it perfectly suits many things: affordability (in both outright purchase AND maintenance/repair - honestly just honda parts, 6MT avoids the AT issues altogether), economy (gets up to 34mpg!!!), practicality (4 seater, trunk, has hitch and roof rack also), looks (KBP with A-spec goodies), power/fun (6MT with mods so that it can turn into a very fun car in an instant and is one of the last gen of analog sporty sedans).
I've thought about jumping in and getting a "proper" modern big power sports car....but given the MUCH increased cost (cars I'd be interested likely in the 50k+ range...)...figured this TL-S is great and fits pretty much ALL the criteria minus it being perfect cosmetically....which is no big deal since I've never owned a car that when I bought it had less than 150k miles...lol. This things gets me tons of smiles/fun per dollar. I could've gotten something lot faster but given my work schedule and whatnot....I would've barely been able to drive it properly....
K.I.S.S.
for sure...
that's how I'd want her back for when you get your GT-R or move back to the big Island
I will fly up, protection or not and bring her back to Sunny South Florida!
haha, not sure if wife will approve of GT-R....but I can say it is not that much worse than the TL-S because it still has 2 back seats, a trunk, and it is NOT a MT so she can also drive it if needed.....very close friend of mine dream car is a R35....I've got too many ideas bouncing around for my next "big" sports car purchase....each week I get infatuated with something else with internet-window-shopping.
If we do move back to Hawaii......we'll see....I didn't see that many 3G TLs at all over there. Could be great for street cred with all them , lol.
All I am hearing is widebody hellcat
Maybe C8 Vette...
Anyway, glad you are staying safe.
Quite serious compliments from both of you guys and I appreciate that very much.
Transparency is my biggest thing...I like the deal to make sense to both people...I'm weird as you know...
I'm as happy about someone buying a car I have for sale as I am having them say it's not the one for them
and I get to keep it Thus far I've been able to avoid selling on FB marketplace and Offerup and that's
saying something!
dude, just saw a charger hellcat coming into work this morning...was nice
Funny you mention Hellcat/C8 cause I'm definitely very intrigued by the challenger hellcat redeye widebody and then I'm also waiting to see about the C8 GS when it comes out. Love the challenger hellcats and it's super roomy inside and comfy ride (driven a scat pack challenger last year) and honestly I can see myself loving that much power and pure straight line speed/adrenaline...C8 GS would be interesting too...I think the C8 GS should have power bump vs the base C8 as opposed to the C7s where the GS was just some better handling mods....
Yeah life been busy....new dog, moved just around the time I got the car and was still unpacking...then work has been pretty busy with the hospital and then having to manage some COVID patients (thankfully still safe and healthy...whew!) and so the weekends been just pure de-stress and chillout....finally got some time/energy to make a thread.
Reaching out to the 3G TL experts/OGs: opinions on paint repair/correction and how to find a proper body shop?
I called a few places in KC and got some quotes for the following:
Front bumper (pretty bad rock chips all over, basically strip and repaint and clear coat)
~$600 (local shop #1, good online reviews, does enthusiast cars based on their social media)
~$840 (local shop #2, good online reviews, family owned place, no major social media presence)
~$1000 (Acura dealer body shop, over the phone, estimate based on needing to strip and re--do the entire bumper and blending the paint/color)
Hood (rust bubble with some chips here and there, strip and repaint and coat)
~$650 (local shop #1)
~$650 (local shop #2)
~$1000 (Acura dealer body shop, phone estimate)
Rear bumper
~$500+ (local shop #1, says will need new rear bumper part....so probably closer to 600 to 700? Dude never got back to me on this part....)
~$700 (local shop #2)
~$1000 (Acura dealer body shop, phone estimate)
Basically looking at anywhere from about low end local shop of $1500+, to local shop #2 of about $2200, and $3000 for Acura shop.
Sounds about right? I know it will be more expensive overall since they've got the A-spec part to deal with for the front and back. And of course matching/blending the color right with the rest of the car. I don't know if Honda still makes paint for KBP or how long they keep that or if shops can basically try to match it as close as possible....seems like it'll never be true OEM-factory color match quality....?
Hard to choose...if I'm gonna do it right...is it worth it for dealer shop to at least look at it or maybe go with a local shop that seems to have done enthusiast cars?
Appreciate any help in this regard for those that have had body work/paint shop experience!
Paint is just paint codes...it's not a Honda product so there's no worries there...
with that said there are usually variants of the color and a good body shop does spray outs to ensure a match...
if you do bumpers you must blend onto fenders to really make it not obvious...
I think you're getting individual prices which will add up to more than just showing up to a reputable shop
and talking to them about your goals in person.
You don't need a new rear bumper...that can be worked and fixed, same with front. Anyone that tells you that is lazy
or not confident in their body work skills. Both indications to pass that painter up...
Focus on the painter not the shop...at Acura you're going to pay Acura rates no matter what the skill level of the painter.
I like the one that has social media presence...go talk to them and ask them to talk directly to the guy that would be painting the car...
not a sales guy. Then get a feel for his knowledge...
Paint is just paint codes...it's not a Honda product so there's no worries there...
with that said there are usually variants of the color and a good body shop does spray outs to ensure a match...
if you do bumpers you must blend onto fenders to really make it not obvious...
I think you're getting individual prices which will add up to more than just showing up to a reputable shop
and talking to them about your goals in person.
You don't need a new rear bumper...that can be worked and fixed, same with front. Anyone that tells you that is lazy
or not confident in their body work skills. Both indications to pass that painter up...
Focus on the painter not the shop...at Acura you're going to pay Acura rates no matter what the skill level of the painter.
I like the one that has social media presence...go talk to them and ask them to talk directly to the guy that would be painting the car...
not a sales guy. Then get a feel for his knowledge...
Good points. Thanks man.
Yeah for this type of work definitely helps if you know someone in the business..so to speak. I don't really trust any google/yelp reviews....most ppl just look at it casually and feel its all good. But for people like us who are anal....it's another level for enthusiast cars.
I'll definitely be looking around when I have some time....seeing the shop having done other enthusiast cars is definitely more reassuring...knowing those customers are probably more A_hole/anal as well.
Might not be a bad idea to go all stalker internet sleuth and reverse backtrace them... find some good examples of customers they've had and contact them to see what they say.
Because like you said, enthusiasts like to talk about their stuff (even if you want them to just STFU about it already, gaw), so they'd probably give you the straight poop.
Might not be a bad idea to go all stalker internet sleuth and reverse backtrace them... find some good examples of customers they've had and contact them to see what they say.
Because like you said, enthusiasts like to talk about their stuff (even if you want them to just STFU about it already, gaw), so they'd probably give you the straight poop.
Great idea. I will be reverse backtracing the F out of them.....they dun goofed!!!
But yeah good thought...it's like when you're buying a home I've heard some people recommend to talk to the neighbors and those who live there already to get a locals feel.
Acura shop is out the question, when come to paint you need a good painter. What wrong with the rear bumper? broken tab? split? a new OEM Type S bumper cost around $350 from your local dealer. Make sure you take your time and inspect the pain at the shop before you bring the car home. Even the best painter has his/her "oh sh*t" moment as it happened with the painter who paint your TL caliper lololol.
There is one shop in KC that not recommended (can't remember the name at the moment) when they repaint my KBP fender some part end up missing for "weight reduction".... FML
Reaching out to the 3G TL experts/OGs: opinions on paint repair/correction and how to find a proper body shop?
I called a few places in KC and got some quotes for the following:
Front bumper (pretty bad rock chips all over, basically strip and repaint and clear coat)
~$600 (local shop #1, good online reviews, does enthusiast cars based on their social media)
~$840 (local shop #2, good online reviews, family owned place, no major social media presence)
~$1000 (Acura dealer body shop, over the phone, estimate based on needing to strip and re--do the entire bumper and blending the paint/color)
Hood (rust bubble with some chips here and there, strip and repaint and coat)
~$650 (local shop #1)
~$650 (local shop #2)
~$1000 (Acura dealer body shop, phone estimate)
Rear bumper
~$500+ (local shop #1, says will need new rear bumper part....so probably closer to 600 to 700? Dude never got back to me on this part....)
~$700 (local shop #2)
~$1000 (Acura dealer body shop, phone estimate)
Basically looking at anywhere from about low end local shop of $1500+, to local shop #2 of about $2200, and $3000 for Acura shop.
Sounds about right? I know it will be more expensive overall since they've got the A-spec part to deal with for the front and back. And of course matching/blending the color right with the rest of the car. I don't know if Honda still makes paint for KBP or how long they keep that or if shops can basically try to match it as close as possible....seems like it'll never be true OEM-factory color match quality....?
Hard to choose...if I'm gonna do it right...is it worth it for dealer shop to at least look at it or maybe go with a local shop that seems to have done enthusiast cars?
Appreciate any help in this regard for those that have had body work/paint shop experience!
I had my front bumper painted by an Acura specialist (the painter for the dealership I had worked for). He matched the WDP paint 100% WITHOUT blending. To be honest, I didn't want him to blend anything. I do have very minor damages on both rear qt fender lines and some on the rear A-spec lip. On those parts, he told me he would need to blend the paint and with my OCD he said just live with it, so I did for all these years. An experienced painter can match the color, the issue is how well the existing paint is. I was told detailers domain, before they do the paint correction and ceramic coating, it was best to have a body shop fix the misc damages. I explained why I wouldn't do it and they respected my wishes. They did the paint correction with ceramic coating and it looks great. My paint has always been taken care of, so it was in very good condition prior to them doing the work. Paint correction and coating is the last step and I'm sure you already know this. Best to do research and check out the quality of work of each of these shops. I'm sure they have repaired vehicles on the lots. Get up close and inspect everything.
Last edited by 04WDPSeDaN; 12-01-2020 at 01:59 PM.
The irony for me is that the only guy I trust has an online following, and is a detail oriented painter AND works at the Acura dealership...
triple threat!
Acura shop is out the question, when come to paint you need a good painter. What wrong with the rear bumper? broken tab? split? a new OEM Type S bumper cost around $350 from your local dealer. Make sure you take your time and inspect the pain at the shop before you bring the car home. Even the best painter has his/her "oh sh*t" moment as it happened with the painter who paint your TL caliper lololol.
There is one shop in KC that not recommended (can't remember the name at the moment) when they repaint my KBP fender some part end up missing for "weight reduction".... FML
It's bit worse after commuting on the highway at 65mph+ in a couple heavy rain storms....the water/rain when I drive at highway speeds seems to pull/push those peeled paint areas even more now along where the bumper meets the trunk.
Thanks for advising on no need to go to "dealer" paint shop....looks like it's all about the specific skill of the painter him/herself....
Yes sir...but here's the thing...that's just the paint not adhering to the bumper substrate...that's not damaged body work or plastic...just needs to be sanded down properly and a good bond.
I had my front bumper painted by an Acura specialist (the painter for the dealership I had worked for). He matched the WDP paint 100% WITHOUT blending. To be honest, I didn't want him to blend anything. I do have very minor damages on both rear qt fender lines and some on the rear A-spec lip. On those parts, he told me he would need to blend the paint and with my OCD he said just live with it, so I did for all these years. An experienced painter can match the color, the issue is how well the existing paint is. I was told detailers domain, before they do the paint correction and ceramic coating, it was best to have a body shop fix the misc damages. I explained why I wouldn't do it and they respected my wishes. They did the paint correction with ceramic coating and it looks great. My paint has always been taken care of, so it was in very good condition prior to them doing the work. Paint correction and coating is the last step and I'm sure you already know this. Best to do research and check out the quality of work of each of these shops. I'm sure they have repaired vehicles on the lots. Get up close and inspect everything.
Yeah I sense a theme...basically do my homework and find a skilled guy/girl who will NOT skip steps and do it properly....
Honestly I wouldn't mind paying even a hefty price $1000 per part....IF the work can be basically flawless and as close to OEM as possible.
I'll have to start networking and dig around.....I never got into the car 'scene' as heavy as other guys in my 20s (given money and school and whatnot...)so don't have much connections to local car places...but I'll need to start and screw around and see who I can find.
Having done some DIY work on our own stuff, looking around at our apartment, and also reading about home repairs/contractors....and of course car repair business.....majority is about getting it done fast and cheap....quality and properly done work is few and far between.
I did join a local 3G TL facebook page so gonna send out some feelers and@swoosh or @Steven Bell ...both local AZiners can of of help? Both still have their 3G/OG TLs too.
Originally Posted by rockstar143
The irony for me is that the only guy I trust has an online following, and is a detail oriented painter AND works at the Acura dealership...
triple threat!
Noice.
That's great.....when they are so passionate...they actually work and get paid by ACURA!
Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiet, if all else fails...might as well do another road trip down to FL and get it done properly that way!!!!
I'm actually shocked RS wasn't a bro about it and got all that done before handing it over. Must not have wanted to make a friend.
Sad really.
Here was my dilemma...
if I took the time to get it looking perfect, I wasn't going to want to sell it.
It's a slippery slope so instead I discounted enough to account for the next guy taking care of it
thus giving him the option of daily driving it without losing sleep and developing OCD OR make it
perfect and pretty.
We're at $3000 quoted to repair things here and there. In my opinion...I would drive the shit out of it as is...
keep it washed and waxed so it's good looking enough for now...and when the time comes where you aren't gonna
be throwing rocks at it at 80 mph for 80 miles per day, THEN respray the whole car properly. A good paint job without
a color change won't run much more than what you're being quoted for piecing it together anyway.
Another factor is that the rest of the car that won't be getting touched are now 13 years old and have seen the elements...
it isn't gonna match a fresh paintjob and in the end are you going to want the stuff you paint to match that or want the whole
car to match the fresh paintjob? A question for the sages and the ages.
Here was my dilemma...
if I took the time to get it looking perfect, I wasn't going to want to sell it.
It's a slippery slope so instead I discounted enough to account for the next guy taking care of it
thus giving him the option of daily driving it without losing sleep and developing OCD OR make it
perfect and pretty.
We're at $3000 quoted to repair things here and there. In my opinion...I would drive the shit out of it as is...
keep it washed and waxed so it's good looking enough for now...and when the time comes where you aren't gonna
be throwing rocks at it at 80 mph for 80 miles per day, THEN respray the whole car properly. A good paint job without
a color change won't run much more than what you're being quoted for piecing it together anyway.
Another factor is that the rest of the car that won't be getting touched are now 13 years old and have seen the elements...
it isn't gonna match a fresh paintjob and in the end are you going to want the stuff you paint to match that or want the whole
car to match the fresh paintjob? A question for the sages and the ages.
Yup.
Wife and I talking about the car and i was telling her that this is a "cult classic" car and that a super clean 08 KBP 6MT TL-S sold for $20k on an auction site (obviously much lower miles and very clean body and inside...though its without the A-spec goodies)....and it does have financial incentive to repair the body and then can sell it for decent amount (aka no huge loss like other used cars).
But then it's like...wait if we take the time and effort and money to get all the body right...then we sell it...sure make a bit of money....BUT then again we essentialy did all the work for the next owner to enjoy...what.....so basically like you said J....the goal is to do it at the right time (like you said....no 80-90mi daily commute at high way speeds)...and then enjoy it for long term. Cause if I was gonna fix it up right...I'll want to enjoy it!! And of course do PPF + ceramic to protect it even more. And at that time...maybe look into even getting a brand new dash and touch up a few little things on the interior....might be close to ~5k for ALL the things to get fixed up (cracked dash, dim info panel display above center vents, passenger door panel small imperfection, maybe redo/re-upholster the front seats). Then at this point it's like...wait you did all this work to find good painter, spent the time and money...and now I want to enjoy it...probably at least 5 years IMO.
Like the other thread on the main 3G forum.... @DMZ with his super clean and well maintained 06 TL...wondering if its worth it to let that go for $5k....when it's so well kept and very well sorted...even at 330k+ miles...at that point the value to him of keeping it is more than $5k cash. Similarly....if I dump just $5k into this...this will be basically 90-95% up to par....and no where else can I get a similar car for $5k of investment (old school MT, sporty, great economy/practicality when I want it, pure sex looks, AND basically already at bottom of depreciation....its already over 200k so another 100k no big deal so no need to worry about putting miles on it). Plus this car already has the big 200k mi service done with the TB/WP/plugs/and the engine/trans mounts feel very solid still.
Wife drives the 06 TL for now as a pure beater.....if manufacturer incentive/time is right next year...might get new daily beater for us. Used cars and new cars flying off dealers right now...terrible time to buy car (at least from dealer) but private party probably higher prices too....
Ad look into living closer job situation....this car will be lot less on the high way duty so often and makes sense to do some of the body fix up.
11-29-2020, 11:31 AM
, lol.
Both still have their 3G/OG TLs too.