The adult VTEC: 2006 Acura TL

I'm a sucker for good headlights...

Low beams:


Fog lights:


High beams:

I'm jealous. The Jeep's headlights kinda suck compared to modern stuff.
 
I've been having an issue where the transmission pops out of third gear. It's been intermittent, maybe once every two weeks, and I've started moving the lever into gear and keeping my hand on it until I got off the clutch and was back on the gas - not a big deal. It's a tricky manual to drive anyways so this didn't bother me.

Well, last night I accelerated quickly, went for third, and ended up revving it almost to redline when I hit the gas without realizing that it wasn't in gear. A WRX next to me took that the wrong way and tried racing me :rolleyes: Clearly this needs to be addressed. Luckily it doesn't look like I need to worry about the syncho, as Acura forums are full of posters that swear by the GM synchromesh friction modified transmission fluid as the proven go-to fix; apparently even dealerships are aware of this and will happily do the fluid change if you bring in the GM stuff.

Car goes into the dealership Tuesday morning. Will report back.
Possibly a placebo, but it feels better! Will know more when I drive more this weekend.

Meanwhile, here's some night-time cruising on suburban backroads:

[video=youtube;FhVbn--YU0A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhVbn--YU0A[/video]

Last but not least, my snow tires arrived yesterday.
 
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Drove about 220mi into Canada and averaged 31mpg. The ease with which this thing cruises on the highway continues to amaze me, though snow tires are definitely on the loud side. The clutch is tricky (as CrzRsn found out) but not hard to get used to and the rear visibility still leaves much to be desired but dat passing power is nice. Very uneventful ownership :)
 
The clutch isn't hard to get used to, I think I was fine after the 2nd or 3rd launch, but I still didn't like it. Everyone always praises Honda clutches as the best thing since sliced bread. I just don't see it. The bite point was really high, the feel was almost binary and it was far too light. Apparantly theres some valve job you can do to the system to inprove it (as LeVeL keeps telling me), so I'll need to retry it after he does that.
 
There's a valve in the clutch slave cylinder that slows the flow of the fluid. A popular mod is to remove that valve in order to get "normal" clutch feel. Here's a good description of it from an Acura site:
This was posted for the people that are interested in getting rid of it....which they asked, and I had done it...and so i shared it

Check valve inside the slave cylinder prevents the clutch engaging all at once by slowing down fluid return once you let go of the clutch pedal... this was done for smoother shifts, and not really for true enthusiasts.

if you're just a regual driver, and never really beat on the car...u should leave it alone.

but if ure someone like me, or drive half of the way i do...then that checkvalve is making ur clutch wear out much faster, and at the same time ur power is not being put to the ground fully, initially once you shift and pop the clutch....

slower clutch engagement caused by the checkvalve results in huge amounts of slippage, especialy near redline quick shifts....

also for those who have an aftermarket clutch setup...this is an enemy...its preventing you from taking full advantage of ur new high performance clutch...and in my case, it would destroy the flywheel being that the clutch disk is ceramic... and like i said... not putting down full power on each shift....

once the checkvalve is removed, then there's nothing in between the pressure plate and ur clutch pedal...only free flowing fluid.... the heavier ur pressure plate, the quicker ur engagement, no slippage, and more power to the ground.

hope that clarifies everything
 
Ah a clutch delay valve. My 1 series BMW had the same thing. I hated it.
 
I have a stuck rear caliper, which has quickly run the pad down to zero, which, in turn, has begun scraping the rotor.

Dealer price to resurface the rear rotors, install new rear pads, replace the one caliper, and do a full flush: $932.95
Cost to order four brand new rotors, four new pads, the one replacement caliper, brake fluid, and a six-pack and a pizza to gain access to a friend's lift: $350
 
Hit 40mpg at one point but not for long, as my patience ran out and I missed hanging out with my friend The Redliner.

:wave:
 
Dirty in the winter; pics taken on 12.31.15.








Easy ownership continues. My snow tires were limited to 99mph but the three-season Potenza RE970AS that I just put back on the car can safely and easily go well over that, as well as gripping much better and reducing noise.
 
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Quite a good looking car, this. Very much like that design line that runs trough the door handles.
 
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To do list:
-Replace RSB links - already purchased but my floor jack that I've been using for the Miata doesn't go high enough to raise the TL so I need to invest in a new one.
-Replace Handsfree Link module because Bluetooth has been acting up lately.
-Hardwire dashcam.
-Tint the windows before summer gets into full swing.
-Remove intake resonator.
-Remove clutch slave cylinder valve.
-Grease squeaky clutch pedal.
-One LED on the steering wheel is out. Quite frankly, I don't care.
 
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LED on the steering wheel?
 
Weird - that switch pack doesn't show up on the parts diagram.

CpYENeX.jpg


But, if its anything liket he radio and cruise controls, it should be backlit by a single bulb and easy to fix.
 
Ah, I see.
 
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