rtctl04

Hey peeps. Looking for opinions and/or anyone else facing the same dilemma as me. I have a 2004 TL with 153000 miles. Runs great still. But does have the typical frustrating Acura glitches...(cracked dash cover. Broken cup holder cover. Deactivated Blue tooth module, it was draining the battery. Locks not working with key fob. and of course the body has normal wear dents). My dilemma is I really like this car. Even after all its cheap Acura glitches. So i am at a point where I either commit to restoring it and modifying it and getting a commuting car or just forget it and keep running it until its got nothing left. So again. Just want some feedback from anyone that has decided to keep, restore and modify your TL (3rd generation) or anyone thats thinking the same situation as me currently? Thanks guys. They are beautiful cars.

BillMFD3

b15

Same boat as you with my 06 with 92k, although I don't intend to mod it other than minor visual stuff. I've just decided to replace the handful of worn drivetrain and suspension bits for a few hundred dollars, few hours of garage time and some beer . I added a Pioneer double din with Android auto/carplay/hd radio so that really updated the infotainment. That should keep it going and me happy for another year or two. It's my commuter car and spends 90% of the time at a commuter train lot or at the airport for days so it makes financial sense. They're not worth that much anyways and everything I want at the moment I wouldn't want to subject to the TL's current commuter duties so I'd probably end up keeping it anyhow even with a new car. Who knows though I change my mind every other week.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

I have an '08 TL-S, and am in the same boat. I like the car too much to get rid of it, plus not having a car payment. I will be painting the trunk, rear bumper cover, doors, front fenders, rear fenders, front bumper and hood later this year.

stevemk07

I still love my Tl auto base. Sometimes I think about getting a manual or Type S or both but I dont think it would be worth it at this point. I know what I have and have been replacing bits a bit at a time. Drives and rides very nicely and so is still a pleasure to drive. We have other nice vehicles but I always want to drive my TL. Wanted one since they came out in 04 and finally got one in 2012. Only mods I have done is upgrade the stereo.

Someone wanted to buy it a little while ago but not for what I said I would sell it for and we werent that far off. No thanks, I will keep it.

Levon05TL

Pair of TLs

If you're thinking of a second car, it wouldn't be a low-mileage '07-'08, would it?

rtctl04

Hey thanks for the reply and good luck with your TL....Definitely beats new car payments. Keep us posted

rtctl04

Thanks for the reply.....Happy to hear you kept it. Sure beats new car payments. I will look into these pioneer head units. I have the stock system, Def outdated...good tip

rtctl04

ha....I know what you mean about changing your mind...i Keep going back and forth on what to do also. Which is why I asked my Acura fam for their opinions and tips. I just can't get myself to move on from this TL 3rd generation. Good tip for the infotainment. I will look into it. Keep the tips and ideas coming!!!

rtctl04

[QUOTE=gatrhumpy;16220343]I have an '08 TL-S, and am in the same boat. I like the car too much to get rid of it, plus not having a car payment. I will be painting the trunk, rear bumper cover, doors, front fenders, rear fenders, front bumper and hood later this year.[/QUOTE
Share pics after you paint. That will be a good looking boy....Whos doing your paint??

rtctl04

hey brother. I wanted one ever since I saw the new look in 04. Finally got the right price/Mileage combo in 07. Its been rock solid ever since, minus some annoying cheap plastic/electrical glitches. I also thought about the S but could never get rid of my boy. def leaning to keeping it and getting a commuting car on the side. Thanks for the reply and good luck with yours!!

rtctl04

I agree...so far they are all insignificant issues. Annoying cause I like everything perfect but minor.

rtctl04

I am all ears as to what you got......but currently negotiating for a used Civic for everyday commuting

theCoffeeFiend

iTrader: (2)

Ha. I was in the same dilema with my previous car 2 years ago (93 Accord Coupe). I have a soft spot for the 3rd gens, and I kept mine for over 7 years. I decided it was time to move on, due to needing a bigger car. It had its problems, being over 20 years old and all, but what car doesn't. I would def buy another one if I ever have a chance.
I'm sure I'm gonna go through this exact same situation with the TL in a few years down the line. But what definitely kept me going(as in keeping the car for longer) was the forums, and customizing the car. I always found new maintenance, repairs, mods, and upgrades to work on with the car and would fall in love with the car all over again. And tha'ts what's going to keep you hanging in there with one particular car.

Pair of TLs

Sounds like the decision has been made...

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

I wanted to chime in on this topic. I also have a 2004 TL, which has a ton of work that done on it. When my dashboard cracked, I really cringed at the idea of installing a cover over the dashboard. I knew I wasn't going to be happy with it. I ended up getting good will replacement from Acura. I think it was a 70/30 split. I ended up paying for the cost of the dashboard with all of the light bulbs around the center console and cluster trim. They covered the full labor cost. So, that's an option. See if your local dealership is willing to help you out with the dashboard. I did find a used dash on ebay for a great price https://www.ebay.com/i/282924151419

As for the center console, that's very common, you can also obtain one new or just buy one from Ebay. The install is also very easy. As for the seats, there's many different ways to go about this. You can order slip on covers from endlessrpms, you can buy another oem set from ebay, you can have a shop redo the seats, or buy a complete oem skin replacement from leatherseats.com. I ended up getting a full replacement from leatherseats.com. I ordered a complete custom and the 100% real leather kit. I do have a DIY posted in my build thread, if you're interested in seeing the work done to my TL and the DIY leather swap. As for the Bluetooth unit, being it's a 2004 TL, you may need to get another one from a 2004 TL. Not sure if you have navigation or not (sorry if it was mentioned, I may have skipped it). When my Bluetooth failed, I ordered a new one from Acura. Specifically for a 2004 TL with navigation. When I worked at the dealership I remember most techs and the parts department, said the 04 units were different from the 05-06 units. I didn't want to chance anything going wrong, so I bought a new one. It was very expensive, but with the amount of work done to my TL, I wasn't going to cheap out. You could try ebay to see if you could get one. Maybe without navigation you could use the 05-06 units, I would verify with the dealership.

As for body stuff, you can get the vehicle paint corrected. Not every detail shop does this. It's worth it at least once in a vehicles life to get done. If your TL has never gotten a good compound, paint correction (stage 1 or 2) would be ideal. For dings, you can get a paint-less dent guy to come out and remove them. For my daily, I had a dent guy pull out every single ding and some were pretty beefy. The vehicle looks stunning. I had him pull out some tiny ones from the TL as well. Between a paint correction and a paint-less ding removal, the TL would look pretty flawless and new. At the end of the day, you can restore the TL, depending on how much you're willing to spend. You don't need to spend top dollar, just shop smart. You can buy that dashboard and have a local shop do the install. You can buy a basic leather seat kit from leatherseats.com and do it yourself or have a shop do the install. As for the paint correction and dent stuff, you could shop around and gather prices. Here is my build thread if you're interested in browsing through.
Build thread: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...meline-878670/

Leather seat DIY https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...878670/page13/

truonghthe

I just done some TLC work on my TL-S to restore it since nothing on the market currently interest me. Dash crack if you can live with the over lay or dash cover its isn't that bad but I highly doubt Acura will provide any cover like 04WDP sedan mention since the car is now 14 years old that has 150k miles.

Cup holder is an easy fix if you didn't yank the part with the handle that slide the entire lid. I put tape and super glue the tape to underside of the cup holder lit but make sure you don't tap up the part that slide in the slot, My cup holder lit is now solid lol. Or you can buy a new cup holder assembly.

Paint wise, I wouldn't loosing sleep over the dents unless they are quarter size or bigger. You can get paint correction done and this process can be PITA or you can pay someone that correct it proper way and reseal the paint, Last time I get quoted for my TL was around $1600 with 7 years warranty on the paint sealant.

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

OP still has a chance to get some good will coverage for the dashboard since Corporate knows about the defect and dealerships are fully aware of the issue. the unfortunate part is, most dealerships will play stupid and claim they never heard or seen the issue. To start the process, OP you must call Acura Corporate and file a claim. They will tell you to bring the vehicle to a local dealership of your choice. There, you may pay the 1 hour diag fee (which is worthless since its clear as day it needs a dashboard) and the service department (more or less the service manager) will contact corp and see what they can do. As for the paint correction, prices will vary depending who does it and if you want the paint to be sealed afterwards. If you plan on doing the up keep, just have a professional shop do the correction and you can use a wax sealer every so often when you decide to detail the vehicle yourself. As for the dings, I don't know how bad yours are, but they usually are eye sores. Most guys quote per panel, some guys give you an overall cost to do the entire vehicle. At the end of the day, paint correction and getting dings removed is still cheaper than a body shop fixing all the body damage and painting the entire car. Either way, keep us posted.

b15

x2 on the paint correction. If you don't want to go all out, a good clay bar and wax session will probably do wonders to restore some shine in the paint.

thoiboi

only if it's a manual,

if it's an auto, cut your losses

stevemk07

Most people would rather have an auto.

thoiboi

In an 04 ?


with its ticking time bomb?


i highly doubt that

Slpr04UA6

stevemk07

It is true

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

The process is simple but can be an ordeal as well. 1st step is calling the Acura Corporate. Tell them that your dashboard on your TL has multiple cracks and are looking for any kind of goodwill assistance in replacing the dashboard. You can tell Corp that you love the TL and always bring it in for service ect ect. They will ask you what dealership you'd like to make your appointment with. At the dealership, the service rep will take your vehicle in and have a technician look at it. The technician will obviously say it needs a dashboard. The service rep will make an estimate and talk to the service manager about the repair. The service manager is suppose to contact corp and see if they are willing to help on the repair. The dealership holds the cards, not corporate. Corporate will contact the dealership prior to your visit and fill them in. You should also provide the goodwill request # they provide you with over the phone. The process can take up to 2-3 weeks. ANY assistance is better than none at all. You may experience that the dealership may claim they never heard or seen this issue. You want to bring your vehicle into a dealership you have ANY relationship with. Even for myself, as someone who WORKED for Acura and had many connections, I had to pay a decent amount out of pocket. Looking back, I could have bought the dashboard at my cost and just done it myself. I think at my cost the dash was less than $600.

TacoBello

fishinmagician

I mean it's up to you. you can pay some money now which would essentially be a down payment on a new car, to avoid monthly payments. I bought an 04 TL about a year ago with similar mileage and restored it. Paint correction, tires, sound system, headliner, center console padding,headliner, floormats, engine mounts, LCAs, timing belt/water pump. I am very happy with the car now. really all I am looking to do next is front struts and darker tint. I am enjoying not having car payments.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Hey Gus, did I ever tell you what I paid to have my dash replaced? LMAO...it was the first time my favorite service manager and friend now had ever seen it so low, so much so he came out to shake my hand because he had to meet the guy that convinced them with charm and polite threats.

As a guy that gave up on my original TL...I will tell you, don't do it. You will buy another car and it will be new for about 15 minutes and in a year it'll have it's own list of dings and issues that annoy you in addition to having a car payment. "The evil you know" and "love the one you're with" come to mind.
I miss my original TL more than any other car.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

I don't need logic from you dude!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

^^^

Gamecock93

I just dropped $1100 in my wife's 2006 for tires, new purge valve, and new cooling fan. It also has the rear easy arms out of spec and they wanted another $530 for that (I'm holding off for now on it). The car is smooth and runs good, just a bunch of little shit too keep it looking and running nice. I figure its worth it as her's only has 115K on it. I want to drive it until it dies.

Next is the headliner that is starting to droop in the driver size rear and get the seat bottoms recovered. We have a local place that did my mother's BMW X3 and are really good.

CountryNoob

I am a DIY guy, but if you can find a better deal on a better car, I wouldn't hesitate. I am in the same situation, whereas I have to decide if I should trade my car in or restore it. By restoring it, I would have to rebuild the engine, because 110k miles of love just wasn't enough. Cracking in on costs and phoning shops, I could probably get it done with 800 bucks, about the cost of a used motor OVER 100k miles. That is if I am diligent. If I am lazy, I could probably trade it in for another vehicle. H3ll, my brother's Elantra was quoted 6 grand with a MASSIVE rod knock.

Or maybe it's a love-hate relationship between me and my car.

Pair of TLs

We just picked up our 3rd '08 TL is why I mention that.

Based on my experience with these and what you describe (is it an auto?) I'd dump it and look for an 07-08 (if auto's your thing, like me these days) with Navi & back up or a Type-S if manual's your thing.
The amount of money you'll need to put into it for all the neglected attention wouldn't make it worth it (depending on the trans.)

Duppa43

Guys, I wanted to chime in... I had a 2004 TL base for years and traded it in on a 2010 when the tranny started to slip (at 129K). At the time, I contemplated having the tranny fixed and keeping it... I loved my 3rd gen TL...

I owned the 2010 SH AWD for about 2 years prior to some (_*_) in a prius totaled it!!! I did enjoy the AWD and the power that my 2010 had, but I found myself missing my 3rd Generation TL more. I have been looking for a commute car for some time since I have been driving my truck since the crash. Just this week I found a 2005 TL with only 35,000 miles on it in mint condition... Apparently, the guy that owned it developed parkinson's Dz and only put a few miles on the car each year.

I haven't picked it up, but I agreed to spend $8900 on the car. Given that it is barely broken in and like new condition, I don't think that is bad..... What are your thoughts? I will likely swap out the stock radio, but otherwise I think it will make a great commuter car. I might even give it to my son in 8 years when he turns 16!!!

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

This is a great plan. If you pick the car up, I would have all of the rubber bits replaced (belts, hoses, and tires), and have the ATF and Coolant (drained, *NOT FLUSHED*, and replaced) and Brake Fluid flushed and replaced.

MyGuti

That's a pretty sweet deal. And +1 on horseshoez recommendation to get the hoses and whatnot replaced. A car this old and barely driven means it sat for quite some time. Spend a few extra bucks and give it a brand new start, then it'll last no problem until your kid starts to drive

truonghthe

^^^^ the best part about it is no surprise problem either once his kid start to drive the car.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

$8900 is a lot for a base, but if the story on the mileage and him not driving it checks out and he MAINTAINED IT (read, maintenance and parked in garage and kept waxed) then go for it. I can't tell you how many neglected grandma specials end up being pieces of shit and too good to be true.

Duppa43