louzher

Hey all, I was looking for info about a enthusiast club in St Louis for TL (TL in the STL), or just Acura/Honda. Oddly enough, there is a Prelude club here, but their site didn't have any info about just a Honda/Acura club, although I'm sure they wouldn't turn up their noses too much at my pimp ride. ('04 TL 5AT NoNavi blk w/ spoiler)

I really like the TL... I've had it for about 6-7 months/11,000mi. I only have a couple of minor complaints about it:
1. Trunk space is pretty small. That'd be okay if I could fold down more than a drink holder between.
2. 270HP? Doesn't really feel like it. Anybody side-by-side 6MT vs. 5AT? My last car was stick, but a car this classy seems somewhat incongruous with MT.
3. It keeps forgetting our seat settings.
4. I wish the audio system supported MP3/WMA.
5. The VSA doesn't seem to help with traction on ice.
6. The A pillars are a bit fat making it hard to see into turns.
7. I wish the 5AT would let me control 1st to 2nd. I hardly ever use the shift business because of that, prefering to accelerate from L and sliding into D when I'm done having fun.

What exceeded my expectations?
1. DVD-A, I've got about 10 now
2. XM, while the audio quality isn't great, I do like the service in general. I'm up'd for 4yrs.
3. VSA letting me accelerate in turns without breaking traction.
4. I love the mirror-tilt-down-deal on reverse... I remember seeing that feature back about 20yrs ago on a 7-series iL BMW and thought that was just the coolest thing. I guess some sort of patent ran out, eh?

The new RL looks okay, but I think the TL actually looks more refined. Dig the SH-AWD, the AcuraLink navi, and that cool keyless business. I can't really get it though, my dad would drone on and on about Tucker and the whole headlights that turn business.

We're getting bluetooth phones (Mot V.600) as soon as t-mobile gets 'em, which is supposed to be in July. I'm anxious to see how that works out.

-LZ

stevehil

I just got a TL 6MT with Navi and 18". Fun car. Traded a 94 Accord 5 MT.

louzher

No, stevehil, I still haven't found anything like that yet. I missed the club meeting for the Prelude owner's club which was the only thing even remotely Acura-like. Where did you get your TL? Would you be interested in a local club for TL owners? Acura owners? Honda/Acura? Personally, I've had a great experience with all 6 Honda vehicles I've owned (85 CBR500, 90 VFR700, 85 CRX HF, 90 CRX Si, 95 Integra GSR, 04 TL) and I love to talk about them all, and, after all, Acura is a badge that appears in the US only on upscale Hondas, so I would lean more towards a Honda/Acura club, however, getting local dealerships to help may be more sucessful if they aren't competing. I'm not sure that I would want to try to start a club myself, 'cause I'm not /that/ into it but I'd love to help build a club. Actually, I should have asked my dealer (Frank Leta) if they knew of one. I was just there today getting a oil change. I'll try to remember to call them sometime this week. If your dealer was Mungenast or other, can you ask them if they know of a local club? Congrats on the nice ride. What color did you get? Did you get the spoiler? Trunk tray? I highly recommend that tray, that's saved my trunk carpet three times already. What swayed you into the TL? Did you do a lot of research before buying? What did you think about the dealership?

stevehil

I got the WDP with every option except full A-Spec. I actually ended buying the car from Springfield, MO. (Springfield Acura) I did most of the transaction over the net. I would have went with Frank Leta over Dave Mungenast. I tried to work with them but they really seemed to have an attitude. I would not mind participating in a club but I don't know about starting one. I love the Honda product- they really have great fit and finish and the durability is incredible. My 94 Accord would not quit- best purchase I ever made. I just got a BT phone (Nokia). Pretty easy to setup. They must have update the voice command though because the manual is wrong. The new car thing usually wears off after a week but that has not been my experience with the TL.

StLMO-TL

I recently purchased an A-Spec from St. Louis Acura. In the past I have bought Acuras from them and Leta. I am sure I probably could have made a better deal over the internet. Of all the Acuras I have owned this one is by far the best. So far I have not had any issues with the car. Do to the lower clearance on the A-Spec I have to watch out for scraping the front end but other than that I enjoy the handling of the car. I had a 2001 CL Type-S before the TL.

I have seen a few TL's around St. Louis but I haven't run into any A-Spec versions. St. Louis Acura said they sold several A-Spec options but you know how that goes.

Good to see some other St. Louis people on this forum.

stevehil

I got the everything but springs and steering wheel. If you guys are interested in hooking up one Saturday let me know.

shill123@msn.com

japanese-cars-kick-it-777

Judging by reading your articles, it sounds like you guys take this pretty seriously. I also live in STL and own an 04 TL 5AT. It is pretty stock right now except for the two 12" subs I put in it, iPod integration kit and a RonJonSportDesign body kit. I don't have nearly the funding that I need to make this car everything I know it can be. You guys got any low-price options that make the car a lot better? (performance or exterior) Also, I've seen a lot of TL's (both in STL and on this site) that have painted headlights (The part that is orange stock is now black). Does anyone know how they did this?

paz840

iTrader: (2)

hey guys, welcome to the forum and to the STL TL scene

...for a local enthusiast club, check out the Honda and Acura Community of St. Louis (HACSTL). Google it and go to the website. They meet fairly often around st. louis.

There are a lot of low cost mods, for performance, aesthetics, exterior and interior.

The headlight mod is called clearing. The headlight is heated and separated, painted and the orange part is typically removed. I have it done to my car.

Here is a pic. My mod list is below. PM me if you have any questions.