2003 Acura TL instrument panel

To apply the parking brake, push the
parking brake pedal down with your
f oot. To release the parking brake,
push on the pedal again. The parking
brake light on the instrument panel
should go out when the parking
brake is f ully released with the
engine running. (see page .)59
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Parking Brake
104
P PA
A R
RKKIINNG G B
BRRAA K
KEE P
PE
ED
D A
AL
L
Driving the car with the parking brake
applied can damage the rear brakes
and axles.

CONT INUED
Your Acura’s radio can receive the
complete AM and FM bands.
Those bands cover these f requen-
cies:
AM band:
530 to 1,710 kilohertz
FM band:
87.7 to 107.9 megahertz
Radio stations on the AM band are
assigned f requencies at least ten
kilohertz apart (530, 540, 550).
Stations on the FM band are
assigned f requencies at least 0.2
megahertz apart (87.9, 88.1, 88.3).Stations must use these exact
f requencies. It is f airly common f or
stations to round-of f the f requency in
their advertising, so your radio could
display a f requency of 100.9 even
though the announcer may identif y
the station as ‘‘FM101.’’
How well your Acura’s radio receives
stations is dependent on many
f actors, such as the distance f rom
the station’s transmitter, nearby
large objects, and atmospheric
conditions.
A radio station’s signal gets weaker
as you get f arther away f rom its
transmitter. If you are listening to an
AM station, you will notice the sound
volume becoming weaker, and the
stationdriftinginandout.If youare
listening to an FM station, you will
see the stereo indicator f lickering of f
and on as the signal weakens.
Eventually, the stereo indicator willgo of f and the sound will f ade
completely as you get out of range of
the station’s signal.
Driving very near the transmitter of
a station that is broadcasting on a
f requency close to the f requency of
the station you are listening to can
also af f ect your radio’s reception.
You may temporarily hear both
stations,orhearonlythestationyou
are close to.
You can use the instrument panel
brightness control dial to adjust the il-
lumination of the audio system (see
page ). The audio system
illuminates when the parking lights
are on, even if the radio is turned of f .
71
A udio System L ighting
Radio Frequencies
Radio Reception
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures135

Once the security system is set,
opening any door (without using the
key or the remote transmitter), or
the hood, will cause it to alarm. It
also alarms if the radio is removed
f rom the dashboard or the wiring is
cut.
The security system sets auto-
matically fifteen seconds after you
lock the doors, hood, and trunk. For
the system to activate, you must lock
the doors f rom the outside with the
key, lock tab, door lock switch, or
remote transmitter. The security
system light next to the driver’s door
lock starts blinking immediately to
show you the system is setting itself . The security system helps to protect
your car and valuables f rom thef t.
The horn sounds and a combination
of headlights, parking lights, side
marker lights and taillights f lashes if
someone attempts to break into your
carorremovetheradio.Thisalarm
continues f or two minutes, then the
system resets. To reset an alarming
system bef ore the two minutes have
elapsed, unlock either f ront door
with the key or the remote
transmitter. With the system set, you can still
open the trunk with the remote
transmitter without triggering the
alarm. The alarm will sound if the
trunk is opened with the trunk
releasebuttononthedriver’sdoor,
thetrunkreleasehandlebehindthe
trunk pass-through cover, or the
emergency trunk opener.
The security system will not set if
the hood, trunk, or any door is not
f ully closed. If the system will not set,
check the Door and Trunk Open
Monitor on the instrument panel
(see page ), to see if the doors
and trunk are f ully closed. Since it is
notpartofthemonitordisplay,
manually check the hood.
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it.
62
Security System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures152
S SE
EC
CU UR RIITT Y
Y S
SYYSSTTE
EM
M L
LIIGGH HT
T

Press and release the SET/decel
buttononthesteeringwheel.The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on to
show the system is now activated.You can increase the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
Press and hold the RESUME/
accel button. The car will acceler-
ate. When you reach the desired
cruising speed, release the button.
To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RESUME/
accel button repeatedly. Each time
you do this, your car will speed up
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Push on the accelerator pedal. Ac-
celerate to the desired cruising
speed and press the SET/decel
button.
Thecruisecontrolmaynotholdthe
set speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to
slow down to the desired speed. This
will cancel the cruise control. To
resume the set speed, press the
RESUME/accel button. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on.
When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshif t to hold the set speed.
3.
Changing t he Set Speed
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures154
R RE ES
SU UM M E
E/
/
a
ac ccceel l
S
SE ET
T/
/d
d e
ecceel l
C
CA
A N
NC CEEL
L

You can decrease the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:Press and hold the SET/decel
button. The car will decelerate.
Release the button when you
reach the desired speed.
To slow down in very small
amounts, tap the SET/decel
button repeatedly. Each time you
do this, your car will slow down
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h). Even with the cruise control turned
on, you can still use the accelerator
pedal to speed up f or passing. Af ter
completing the pass, take your foot
of f the accelerator pedal. The car
will return to the set cruising speed.
Resting your f oot on the brake pedal
will cause the cruise control to
cancel.
Youcancancelthecruisecontrolin
any of these ways:Tap the brake pedal.
Push the CANCEL button on the
steering wheel.
Press the Cruise Control Master
Switch.
Tap the brake pedal lightly with
your f oot. The CRUISE
CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out.
When the car slows to the desired
speed, press the SET/decel button.
The car will then maintain the
desired speed.
CONT INUED
Cancelling t he Cruise Cont rol
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures155
C CA
A N
NC CEEL
L B
BUUT TT
TO
ON N

Pressing the Cruise Control Master
Switch turns the system completely
of f and erases the previous cruising
speed f rom memory. To use the
system again, ref er to.
When you push the CANCEL button,
or tap the brake pedal, the CRUISE
CONTROL light on the instrument
panel will go out and the car will
begin to slow down. You can use the
accelerator pedal in the normal way.
The system remembers the
previously-set cruising speed. To
return to that speed, accelerate to
above25mph(40km/h),thenpress
and release the RESUME/accel
button. The CRUISE CONTROL
light comes on, and the car will
accelerate to the same cruising
speed as bef ore.
Using t he
Cruise Cont rol
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures156

During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Avoidhardbraking.Newbrakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use f or the f irst 200 miles (300
km).
Help assure your car’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
Do not change the oil until the
recommended time or mileage
intervalshowninthemaintenance
schedule.
Youshouldfollowthesesamere-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are relined. In Canada, some gasolines contain
an octane-enhancing additive called
MMT. If you use such gasolines,
your emissions control system
perf ormance may deteriorate and
the Malf unction Indicator Lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on.
If this happens, contact your
authorized Acura dealer f or service.
Your Acura is designed to operate on
premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 91 or higher.
Useof aloweroctanegasolinecan
cause occasional, metallic knocking
noises in the engine and will result in
decreased engine perf ormance.
We recommend gasolines containing
detergent additives that help prevent
f uel system and engine deposits.
Using gasoline containing lead will
damage your car’s emissions
controls. This contributes to air
pollution.
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period
Gasoline
Break-in Period, Gasoline
174

Make sure all windows, mirrors,
and outside lights are clean and
unobstructed. Remove f rost, snow,
or ice.
Check that the hood and trunk are
f ully closed.Check the adjustment of the seat
(see page ).
Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
page ).
Check the adjustment of the
steering wheel (see page ).
Make sure the doors are securely
closed and locked.
Fasten your seat belt. Check that
your passengers have f astened
their seat belts (see page ).Turn the ignition switch ON (II).
Check the indicator lights in the
instrument panel.
Start the engine (see page ).
Check the gauges and indicator
lights in the instrument panel (see
page ).
Check that any items you may be
carrying with you inside are stored
properly or f astened down
securely. Visually check the tires. If a tire
looks low, use a gauge to check its
pressure.
Youshoulddothefollowingchecks
and adjustments every day bef ore
you drive your car.
3.2.
1.
4. 5.
6.
7.
8.
9. 11.
12. 10.
15 75
57
88
94 189
Preparing to Drive
Driving188