Hello

A new owner of 2016 TLX 2.4 w/ Tech but it's been sitting in the garage for almost 2 weeks now cuz I still have my 3 series. Will be returning that next week.

Anyways, two issues:

1) The reverse backup camera is horrendous at night with loads of pixels and noise. Does anyone else have a similar issue ? I seem to remember my friend's 2014 Accord LX had a very nice stock backup camera at night. Could it be a possibility something's up with the camera sensor ? I'll post pictures up at tonight in day and night.

2) The car drives really weird in normal mode. It feels like driving in eco mode of a bimmer or honda. A little jerky and throttle response was very slow. Even though the car was in normal mode. I am guessing I need to put more mileage on it to break in. Only got 50 miles and took it for a 10 - 12 mile drive last night. Before getting it, I test drove one on both normal and sport and it felt great.

Thanks

 

TLX comes with cheaper camera

 

I've stayed in Sport since new, no driveability issues, and I like the stiffer steering. There are many posts on the camera, yes, grainy at night, no green daytime. There have been explanations for why, some educational. It is what it is. I have a new Lexus that has a camera that looks like a good Android, this does not, but it's fine for the reason it is there.

 

That's great
Should have stuck with the bimmer :S

 

Thanks...was at least expecting better than Accord quality. Guess I'm stuck with it now !

 

My 2011 X3 had a better rear camera than my TLX, but personally, the quality of a camera is by no means, a deal breaker. It is a bit harder to see at night but if you take things slow, it's still usable.

I haven't driven my car in Eco or Normal mode yet. When I left the dealer to go home with my new car, the first thing I did was put it in Sport mode. And I'm getting ~9.2L/100km (~26 MPG) combined fuel economy (about 50% city, 50 highway).

 

I've always driven in Sport mode (or Sport+ when I want manual shifting). Like jim256 says - no driveability issues.

I'm sure the back-up camera isn't the best, but it has always shown me what I need to see, and the cross traffic alert is great.

 

I drive in permanent Sport mode, sometimes Sport+. Never normal, never Econ .

The back up camera isn't great, it's grainy at night and washes out with direct sun behind it. But, I don't rely on backup cameras anyway to reverse, it still lets me see what I need to see (objects potentially in my path).

By the way, the TCM (transmission control module) will adapt to driving behaviour. If you granny the throttle all the time, it'll shift early and feel sluggish.

I don't know why people say the throttle response is bad. It isn't. It's almost immediate! What you're missing is that the TLX has a long throttle tip-in. You need to put your foot down further for the same amount of throttle (although this distance reduces in Sport and Sport+). Also make sure you're in a low enough gear. Both TCMs (for the 8DCT and 9AT) are programmed to shift to the highest possible gear once you lay off the throttle. The car has very little torque at 1300 RPM, and a lot more at 2200+ RPM (especially the I4 version like you have). Most people mistake being in a high gear and long throttle tip-in for poor throttle response.

By the way, Sport doesn't hurt your fuel economy (Sport+ does though), because Sport always upshifts to the highest possible gear eventually, even though it holds gears longer than Normal and Econ. You might as well switch the car to Sport and never look back. I only ever use Econ on long highway cruises with little traffic, because it cuts back the HVAC system to save fuel. Other than that, there is NO reason to use it. Sport also tightens up the steering feel (and SH-AWD, but you don't have that).

 

My fiances 14 TL's camera image looks 10x better than that of my 15 TLX's IMO. Clearer image, more accurate color representation by far, and none of that annoying "curvy projected path" BS! LOL

 

I'm really disappointed with the TLX reverse camera. It has totally ruined my career in cinematography due to its inability to accurately render the colors of the scene behind my vehicle that I am filming. Top that off with those line artifacts and you can see how unacceptable this camera is for serious professional filming. Acura should be ashamed. While I am at it, I should mention that the headlights on this car are also unacceptable. The top half of the scene is not lit at tall unless I bring in auxiliary lighting. (Note that the reverse lighting is also inadequate when I am filming at night.) I've taken the car back to the dealers several times but they keep saying that these issues are "normal" and there is nothing they can do.

 

I have noticed the camera isn't very good at night, however I recently swapped the reverse lights for really bright LED's which have improved the reverse view a lot!

 

Keep in mind Acura and Honda provide wide angle and top down views from a single lens that gives you a straight down look at the bumper for clearance when back in really tight spaces. Do the other systems offer the same view options?

 

It isn't great at night, but does the job. I find the daytime views very clear. More importantly, the Cross Traffic Alert system is an excellent system and far more important for rearview safety than how crystal clear the camera is. And honestly, if you regret buying the car because the camera isn't movie quality......well......I'm speechless. Anyhow, sorry to interrupt yet another diatribe on the night time clarity of the camera. As for Normal mode, I use it most of the time and certainly find it peppier than the 4 cylinder Accord or my 2.5 Altima.

 

Coming from a 3G TL, I'm just happy it has distance and trajectory. The sensors help alot too. The backup camera is good enough quality for me, but I try not to rely on it. The sensors are far more useful imo.

 

Do you have any more information on these LEDs and the swap out process?

 

Buy a 7440 LED and just under the trunk, pull out all the tabs and lift up the liner. Once you have that partially lifted up and have access to the back of the reverse lights, turn the led housing and it will come out and you can unplug the bulb and insert new one.

Very easy install.

 

sillyjav - I got these 7440 LEDs from Amazon: LUYED 2 X 1500 Lumens Extremely Bright 7443 4014 72-EX Chipsets 7440 7441 7443 7444 992 LED Bulbs,Black Metal Aluminum Dissipate Heat With Adjustable Lens,Xenon White. And you were right - the old ones popped right out and these popped right in (they are a bit longer but no problem). However, I didn't get very good results. The top row in the picture below is of the 3 reverse views using the original bulbs. The bottom row is with the LEDs. I tried to line the car up the same way and hold the camera in the same position. Not much of an improvement if any.

 

the thing about these reverse bulbs is that they have to emit light very very evenly for the camera quality to improve at night. If there are any hotspots(common with LEDs), then it would makes the rest of the image look darker

 

Re: Backup camera.

My wife just bought a new 16 Honda CR-V and I have to say - the backup camera in the CR-V is superb. Bright and clear and very sharp. Much better than my TLX. That said - the one in my TLX is fully functional and does the job - I'm guessing the TLX MMC will see an upgrade in that regard. I'm more annoyed that she got REAL BUTTONS for the seat heaters in the CR-V - while I have to deal with the touch screen buttons in my TLX.

First world problems!

 

x2. I hate when an interface becomes a 2 step process when there was 1.

 

Not only is the camera a lower quality than the one that I had on my TL, but the placement is off as well.I don't know how many times that beads of water have made the camera useless. Never happened on my TL.

 

Just hit 850 miles on it. Drives so much better now. It had to be broken in. As for the backup camera...I am getting used to it at night. A bit grainy but does the job and it feels like it's fall around me every time it's in reverse in the day lol ! Did they cheap out on the green sub pixels ?