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I purchased this car early in March '15, I was very particular about having a manual transmission, so I traveled 1400 miles to Utah, then drove it home.
First day of new car ownership, drove through mountains in Utah, great place to try out the SH-AWD.
Had a little mishap at night in Wyoming, hit the legs of a dead deer at 80mph, no damage, but blood splatter up the passenger's side.
When I returned home I ordered some very nice products from AutoGeek, mostly Pinnacle brand and spent 4.5 hrs detailing the TL, now named Pica - it's the scientific name of the white/black Magpie bird in Utah. Magpie wasn't appealing (sounds like something a cow leaves behind), so Pica was chosen.
4.5 hrs later...
Look at that glassy finish...
Need to do something about those license plate holes
I washed, dried, clay bar, polish & waxed the exterior. Cleaned & protected the leather after vacuuming on the inside. Would like to share some product reviews:
CarPro Wool Wash Mitt: I've used all kinds of wash mitts, this one is super soft, fits the hand well & easy to use. Highly recommended.
Klasse AiO Polish: Whew, this stuff is easy to use, applied with a terry cloth that I kept moist w/detailer & wiped off immediately w/a microfiber. It says it protects for 6 months. Instant immaculate shine.
Pinnacle Black Label Synergy Wax: Says something about combining nano glass particles & high grade wax, whatever it is, it's not cheap. What sold me was this picture:
The wax glides on and after 10-15 mins I wiped it off with a white cotton towel. Car feels smooth like butter.
Pinnacle Leather Conditioner: Easy to use & creates a delightful, yet slight fresh leather smell.
Although, I don't regret it in any way shape or form, I have to comment on the 'clunkiness' of the shifting (NO it is not the operator) at least in comparison to my old RSX-S which felt very smooth, in the TL I feel like I shift with purpose!
My favorite part of the car so far is at about 3500rpm.........oops there goes $2 in gas.
And I just checked for oil consumption, so far so good. Once it's due for an oil change I will switch to synthetic for good measure.
What do you think of the door guards on my car? At first I thought, "Those have to go, it's not an Olds Alero." Then they began to grow on me to the point I may have actually liked them for a couple days, now I'm indifferent altogether. I have to ask because I can't help but wonder if the car will look totally transformed in a great way if I take them off?
Here's the pica pica bird I named my car after since they were all over Utah, where I traveled to purchase the vehicle. When I Googled pica (one word) I discovered it is the name of an eating disorder, "Pica is the persistent eating of substances such as dirt or paint that have no nutritional value." Maybe I should add another pica to my username before people wonder if I eat car parts...?
Although, I don't regret it in any way shape or form, I have to comment on the 'clunkiness' of the shifting (NO it is not the operator) at least in comparison to my old RSX-S which felt very smooth, in the TL I feel like I shift with purpose!
My favorite part of the car so far is at about 3500rpm.........oops there goes $2 in gas.
that's not even when the fun part begins! (vtec activates at the end of 4000 RPM)
push it past 4k to redline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Although, I don't regret it in any way shape or form, I have to comment on the 'clunkiness' of the shifting (NO it is not the operator) at least in comparison to my old RSX-S which felt very smooth, in the TL I feel like I shift with purpose!
Hmmmm... I don't find this at all. The shifting is nice and smooth. Can do it with a couple of fingers without much effort. I had a MT accord before this and loved the shiftng just as much. Honda gearboxes are among the best out there. If you know anyone else with a 6MT TL I'd ask for a test drive for comparison.
Originally Posted by PICA
What do you think of the door guards on my car? At first I thought, "Those have to go, it's not an Olds Alero." Then they began to grow on me to the point I may have actually liked them for a couple days, now I'm indifferent altogether. I have to ask because I can't help but wonder if the car will look totally transformed in a great way if I take them off?
I feel the same way. Some days i was saying "eww wtf are those?!" other days I said "not a bad touch". In general I'm leaning towards removing them, but only if it's not too much effort/cost. They are not bothersome to the eye, but I'd likely prefer to be without.
At first I didn't like them, now I'm use to them and like the added protection from other drivers opening their doors. OFC on CBP it just sorta blends in.
Welcome and congrats. Now that's a road trip! We have the same car lol. I named her Bella. I agree it is somewhat clunky but it is still butter smooth relatively speaking. The other day to work I felt a little spirited and mash the pedal. Literally watched the gas gauge go down within 10 mins. Like 1/8th of a tank. I was starting at the 3K rpm range and just holding it up there. Crazy. Anyway, the vtec does not kick in until 4300 RPM to be exact. Read it from Honda somewhere. Side moldings are great if you want to protect them from dings and paint chips. It looks fine. At least it's color matched. But it does look cleaner without them. Any mods in the future?
Hmmmm... I don't find this at all. The shifting is nice and smooth. Can do it with a couple of fingers without much effort. I had a MT accord before this and loved the shiftng just as much. Honda gearboxes are among the best out there. If you know anyone else with a 6MT TL I'd ask for a test drive for comparison.
I don't think there's anything wrong with the car, it's just a different feeling from the RSX-S which I drove for many years. And before that I had a manual 95' eclipse with a horse**** shifter and it wasn't effortless either. I just tried shifting with the TL with only part of my hand & it doesn't work, likely because I'm female and have a smaller hand. I'm NOT saying I can't handle the car, boy I can handle it...just that I feel like I shift with purpose lol. And to boot I've had it less than a month, we're still getting to know each other.
Anyway, the vtec does not kick in until 4300 RPM to be exact...Any mods in the future?
After I wash the TL again, I'll go out and explore the vtec more, what I really like about this car is it's naturally aspirated. I didn't go overboard during the trip back from Utah because as the picture stated I was already pulled over once for speeding in Nebraska ($25 ticket!) and didn't want to press my luck. The cop spent more time asking questions about why I'd travel that far for a car, I pointed to the MT and said, "This and AWD, sir." I don't know what he thought, but I've never heard of a $25 ticket...
As for mods, I have lots of ideas, but no real intention yet. It needs to stay clean and classy. I'm going to change the LED license plate bulb, it already has OEM all weather mats, going to fill the front plate holes & when the seasons change I'll need some snow shoes for it - thinking black 18s with snow tires.
Where do I find sleek plugs for the license plate holes? I have THREE holes, who's idea was that? The first ones were too large & the second had a phillips head and stuck out to much...
I considered them long and hard, for about 10 minutes. It's a great suggestion, but I still favor the Raijin's, the RP03 reminds me too much of my old RSX-S.
Love your car. I, too, am driving quite a ways to obtain a 6 speed AWD. My wife and I are heading to Texas to trade my 2010 AWD Tech auto for a 2010 AWD Tech 6-speed. I am so excited. 700 miles each way will be very much worth it. I wanted the 6 speed but simply could not find one and then ran across the low mileage beast I own today in KC and could not pass it up. Decided to look again for the 6 speed and found it in Texas. Black on black. When I have it, pics will be posted.
I love the beast shown here, but I have to shift...
Love your car. I, too, am driving quite a ways to obtain a 6 speed AWD. My wife and I are heading to Texas to trade my 2010 AWD Tech auto for a 2010 AWD Tech 6-speed. I am so excited. 700 miles each way will be very much worth it. I wanted the 6 speed but simply could not find one and then ran across the low mileage beast I own today in KC and could not pass it up. Decided to look again for the 6 speed and found it in Texas. Black on black. When I have it, pics will be posted.
I love the beast shown here, but I have to shift...
Traveling for the 6-MT seems to be common. Make it a fun trip, look up good restaurants on the way home and plan to stop a couple times at destinations. And watch out for cops lol, especially in NEBRASKA, wait you already know because you live there....at any rate, have a good trip.
Next paycheck I plan to order Morimoto XB LED fogs, and I'm having a really hard time deciding what to do with the DRLs. I could use some sound advice here, my goals:
-Want to replace the stock yellow bulbs
-Don't want to blind people with DRLs
-Don't want to overheat or cause malfunctions/melting with new bulbs
-Don't want to lose high beam function
-Don't wish to purchase bulbs directly from a Chinese sweatshop
I ordered some from eBay, those are going back due to loss of high beam function, I have some sylvannia ZXE's in the box, haven't decided if I should open the box. What are my options?
03-25-2015, 02:40 PM
on the new car.
I named her Bella. 
I agree it is somewhat clunky but it is still butter smooth relatively speaking. The other day to work I felt a little spirited and mash the pedal. Literally watched the gas gauge go down within 10 mins. Like 1/8th of a tank. 
I was starting at the 3K rpm range and just holding it up there. Crazy. Anyway, the vtec does not kick in until 4300 RPM to be exact. Read it from Honda somewhere. Side moldings are great if you want to protect them from dings and paint chips. It looks fine. At least it's color matched. But it does look cleaner without them. Any mods in the future?
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