Future TL Owner with Several Questions
04-04-2016, 09:00 PM
#1
Future TL Owner with Several Questions
I am in the market for a luxury sport sedan and the TL is at the top of my list. I'm having a difficult time deciding between the 2011 and 2012. The main difference from what I can tell is the front and rear. Some dislike the large front grill but I think it actually looks kind of good depending on what color the vehicle is. I've seen a white pearl TL where someone painted it and it looked pretty sharp. The other prominent thing that sets them apart (even within the same model year) is the style of wheel. I really like the 5-star wheel as opposed to the twisted 7-spoke wheel. I believe the 5-star is either 18" or 19" and the 7-spoke is a 17". Is this correct? I saw a white 2012 online with the 19" wheel and it looks flippin sweet. I think it may be lowered though because there is hardly any wheel well gap. So on to my questions:
Do you guys think the 2009 to 2011 front and rear end look better than the 2012+? Have any of you painted the grill to tone it down?
Do any of you have the 19" Acura wheels on your ride? How is the ride?
Anyone lower their TL? How much? Any issues with rubbing or harshness, alignment issues?
Does anyone have a 6-speed manual? I'd love to buy a manual but have only been able to find two or three across the entire nation.
What do you think looks better, spoiler or no spoiler? Has anyone removed the spoiler without any ill effects?
What's up with the leather in the TL and RL? Mostly every photo I see shows creases and loose leather, especially on the seat bottoms.
If a TL comes stock with the wood grain accents, can these easily and economically be replaced with the brushed metal accents?
Is there a package with heated AND ventilated front seats? I thought I came across one, but maybe it was a different model.
Think that's it for now. I've pretty made up my mind that I want the taupe or gray interior, but I cant decide on the exterior. When I seem to have made my mind up, I see a different listing and then don't like it. Then start thinking maybe I should get a V6 TSX. They look a little small to me though, which is why I like the TL--it's longer and wider. As far as exterior color, I'm leaning towards white pearl or graphite metallic, and may consider the forged silver. Again, the style of wheel makes a huge difference. If I can find the exact one I want other than the wheels. I'll likely replace them with the 19" ones. Curiously, the 19" wheels I like although shown in the Acura parts fiche, are not listed in the parts list (wheel number 14). I was able to find them third party though. Sorry for the long post!
Do you guys think the 2009 to 2011 front and rear end look better than the 2012+? Have any of you painted the grill to tone it down?
Do any of you have the 19" Acura wheels on your ride? How is the ride?
Anyone lower their TL? How much? Any issues with rubbing or harshness, alignment issues?
Does anyone have a 6-speed manual? I'd love to buy a manual but have only been able to find two or three across the entire nation.
What do you think looks better, spoiler or no spoiler? Has anyone removed the spoiler without any ill effects?
What's up with the leather in the TL and RL? Mostly every photo I see shows creases and loose leather, especially on the seat bottoms.
If a TL comes stock with the wood grain accents, can these easily and economically be replaced with the brushed metal accents?
Is there a package with heated AND ventilated front seats? I thought I came across one, but maybe it was a different model.
Think that's it for now. I've pretty made up my mind that I want the taupe or gray interior, but I cant decide on the exterior. When I seem to have made my mind up, I see a different listing and then don't like it. Then start thinking maybe I should get a V6 TSX. They look a little small to me though, which is why I like the TL--it's longer and wider. As far as exterior color, I'm leaning towards white pearl or graphite metallic, and may consider the forged silver. Again, the style of wheel makes a huge difference. If I can find the exact one I want other than the wheels. I'll likely replace them with the 19" ones. Curiously, the 19" wheels I like although shown in the Acura parts fiche, are not listed in the parts list (wheel number 14). I was able to find them third party though. Sorry for the long post!
Last edited by mossman77; 04-04-2016 at 09:05 PM.
04-04-2016, 10:09 PM
#2
The Original Shawdy
To answer your questions:
1. How it looks is a personal preference. Some like the 09-11, some like the 12+ and some like the 12+ front with 09-11 rear (factory lip kit).
2. I have the factory Advance 19's and they ride nice. Not as soft as the 18's but not drastic difference in ride quality and performance.
3. Tons of members have lowered their TL's including myself. Some like springs and others like coilovers. Rubbing depends on aftermarket rim size and tires. No alignment issues if you install a camber kit or don't lower it too much.
4. Some have manuals and yes, they are uncommon.
5. The rear trunk lip only comes with the tech package or advance. It has a backup camera lens installed inside of it. Base model does not come with the trunk lip.
6. Leather wears. Not having creases is hard after time. Especially on a 5 year old vehicle. If it's cracked it's because it was never conditioned and/or climate effected it.
7. Yes the trim pieces are removable so you can swap out the wood grain if you don't like it.
8. The only model that includes heated and ventilated seats is the advance model.
A big question you need to ask yourself is if you're interested in FWD or AWD. Lastly, wheels can easily be changed so find the color and package you like the most and just swap wheels if it already doesn't have them.
There are plenty of build threads and information on anything and everything you need to know.
Good luck.
1. How it looks is a personal preference. Some like the 09-11, some like the 12+ and some like the 12+ front with 09-11 rear (factory lip kit).
2. I have the factory Advance 19's and they ride nice. Not as soft as the 18's but not drastic difference in ride quality and performance.
3. Tons of members have lowered their TL's including myself. Some like springs and others like coilovers. Rubbing depends on aftermarket rim size and tires. No alignment issues if you install a camber kit or don't lower it too much.
4. Some have manuals and yes, they are uncommon.
5. The rear trunk lip only comes with the tech package or advance. It has a backup camera lens installed inside of it. Base model does not come with the trunk lip.
6. Leather wears. Not having creases is hard after time. Especially on a 5 year old vehicle. If it's cracked it's because it was never conditioned and/or climate effected it.
7. Yes the trim pieces are removable so you can swap out the wood grain if you don't like it.
8. The only model that includes heated and ventilated seats is the advance model.
A big question you need to ask yourself is if you're interested in FWD or AWD. Lastly, wheels can easily be changed so find the color and package you like the most and just swap wheels if it already doesn't have them.
There are plenty of build threads and information on anything and everything you need to know.
Good luck.
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JT4 (04-05-2016)
04-05-2016, 06:45 AM
#3
To answer your questions:
1. How it looks is a personal preference. Some like the 09-11, some like the 12+ and some like the 12+ front with 09-11 rear (factory lip kit).
2. I have the factory Advance 19's and they ride nice. Not as soft as the 18's but not drastic difference in ride quality and performance.
3. Tons of members have lowered their TL's including myself. Some like springs and others like coilovers. Rubbing depends on aftermarket rim size and tires. No alignment issues if you install a camber kit or don't lower it too much.
4. Some have manuals and yes, they are uncommon.
5. The rear trunk lip only comes with the tech package or advance. It has a backup camera lens installed inside of it. Base model does not come with the trunk lip.
6. Leather wears. Not having creases is hard after time. Especially on a 5 year old vehicle. If it's cracked it's because it was never conditioned and/or climate effected it.
7. Yes the trim pieces are removable so you can swap out the wood grain if you don't like it.
8. The only model that includes heated and ventilated seats is the advance model.
A big question you need to ask yourself is if you're interested in FWD or AWD. Lastly, wheels can easily be changed so find the color and package you like the most and just swap wheels if it already doesn't have them.
There are plenty of build threads and information on anything and everything you need to know.
Good luck.
1. How it looks is a personal preference. Some like the 09-11, some like the 12+ and some like the 12+ front with 09-11 rear (factory lip kit).
2. I have the factory Advance 19's and they ride nice. Not as soft as the 18's but not drastic difference in ride quality and performance.
3. Tons of members have lowered their TL's including myself. Some like springs and others like coilovers. Rubbing depends on aftermarket rim size and tires. No alignment issues if you install a camber kit or don't lower it too much.
4. Some have manuals and yes, they are uncommon.
5. The rear trunk lip only comes with the tech package or advance. It has a backup camera lens installed inside of it. Base model does not come with the trunk lip.
6. Leather wears. Not having creases is hard after time. Especially on a 5 year old vehicle. If it's cracked it's because it was never conditioned and/or climate effected it.
7. Yes the trim pieces are removable so you can swap out the wood grain if you don't like it.
8. The only model that includes heated and ventilated seats is the advance model.
A big question you need to ask yourself is if you're interested in FWD or AWD. Lastly, wheels can easily be changed so find the color and package you like the most and just swap wheels if it already doesn't have them.
There are plenty of build threads and information on anything and everything you need to know.
Good luck.
04-05-2016, 07:45 AM
#4
CTSV,TL, Audi Q7 & A5SB
To answer your questions:
1. How it looks is a personal preference. Some like the 09-11, some like the 12+ and some like the 12+ front with 09-11 rear (factory lip kit).
2. I have the factory Advance 19's and they ride nice. Not as soft as the 18's but not drastic difference in ride quality and performance.
3. Tons of members have lowered their TL's including myself. Some like springs and others like coilovers. Rubbing depends on aftermarket rim size and tires. No alignment issues if you install a camber kit or don't lower it too much.
4. Some have manuals and yes, they are uncommon.
5. The rear trunk lip only comes with the tech package or advance. It has a backup camera lens installed inside of it. Base model does not come with the trunk lip.
6. Leather wears. Not having creases is hard after time. Especially on a 5 year old vehicle. If it's cracked it's because it was never conditioned and/or climate effected it.
7. Yes the trim pieces are removable so you can swap out the wood grain if you don't like it.
8. The only model that includes heated and ventilated seats is the advance model.
A big question you need to ask yourself is if you're interested in FWD or AWD. Lastly, wheels can easily be changed so find the color and package you like the most and just swap wheels if it already doesn't have them.
There are plenty of build threads and information on anything and everything you need to know.
Good luck.
1. How it looks is a personal preference. Some like the 09-11, some like the 12+ and some like the 12+ front with 09-11 rear (factory lip kit).
2. I have the factory Advance 19's and they ride nice. Not as soft as the 18's but not drastic difference in ride quality and performance.
3. Tons of members have lowered their TL's including myself. Some like springs and others like coilovers. Rubbing depends on aftermarket rim size and tires. No alignment issues if you install a camber kit or don't lower it too much.
4. Some have manuals and yes, they are uncommon.
5. The rear trunk lip only comes with the tech package or advance. It has a backup camera lens installed inside of it. Base model does not come with the trunk lip.
6. Leather wears. Not having creases is hard after time. Especially on a 5 year old vehicle. If it's cracked it's because it was never conditioned and/or climate effected it.
7. Yes the trim pieces are removable so you can swap out the wood grain if you don't like it.
8. The only model that includes heated and ventilated seats is the advance model.
A big question you need to ask yourself is if you're interested in FWD or AWD. Lastly, wheels can easily be changed so find the color and package you like the most and just swap wheels if it already doesn't have them.
There are plenty of build threads and information on anything and everything you need to know.
Good luck.
04-05-2016, 08:16 AM
#5
One of the biggest differences between the 2011 and 2012 models on the auto transmission models is the number of gears - 5 speed vs 6. Both of them are relatively bad so try to get the manual if you can. The 5 speed has issues with failing torque converters since it is a single clutch model. The 2012 has the 6 speed with a dual clutch torque converter. It seems more reliable but still has issues. Honda designed all of these 4g's to lock up the TC as early as possible in all gears (2-6) to save gas, so they drive like a manual and downshift automatically any time you need a little power and press the gas.
Also, the leather on all of these has quality issues. The dye that they used comes off very easily - its common for these models.
Generally, Honda/Acura quality has steadily decreased over the last 5 years and stuff like this is more common. The paint quality on the 4g units is lower than the 3g - you can see it in the orange peel affect. Nothing can be done about it, its just an example of the declining quality. Just prepare yourself mentally if you've ever had an Honda/Acura before 2010 - these newer units have compromised on quality in order to meet budget and emission requirements.
Also, the leather on all of these has quality issues. The dye that they used comes off very easily - its common for these models.
Generally, Honda/Acura quality has steadily decreased over the last 5 years and stuff like this is more common. The paint quality on the 4g units is lower than the 3g - you can see it in the orange peel affect. Nothing can be done about it, its just an example of the declining quality. Just prepare yourself mentally if you've ever had an Honda/Acura before 2010 - these newer units have compromised on quality in order to meet budget and emission requirements.
04-12-2016, 09:45 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
I believe the discussions on here would say the pre 2012 3.5 L with 5 spd auto is actually more reliable.
The TC problems seemed to be more prevalent with the 6 spd. Right?
And the SH AWD cars with 3.7L seem to have many more issues, particularly the oil consumption problem. I think.
My car is a 2010 3.5L, 105,000 km and I have zero problems (except for the roof rattle which is intermittent).
The TC problems seemed to be more prevalent with the 6 spd. Right?
And the SH AWD cars with 3.7L seem to have many more issues, particularly the oil consumption problem. I think.
My car is a 2010 3.5L, 105,000 km and I have zero problems (except for the roof rattle which is intermittent).
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