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(Or how about, "Yikes, there's a severed finger in my chili!!!")
Most carmakers will now intentionally design a 2 to 3 gallon reserve beyond the yellow light or gas gauge on "E", to idiot-proof their cars and virtually eliminate the odds of someone getting stranded on the side of the road for lack of fuel.
In our litigious and "blame someone else" society, when drivers run out of fuel, a small percentage will undoubtedly shift the blame on the carmaker, alleging that the gas gauge was defective. Some will try to twist their own stupidity into an opportunity to gouge the carmaker to compensate them for the mishap.
Acura (and other brands) include 24-hour "free" roadside assistance, OnStar, etc., so one way to minimize your potential costs under such programs is to eliminate the most common reason for a car getting stranded---running out of fuel. This allows Acura to actuarially lower the cost of such consierge services to a measurable minimum.
Don't like to write hypothetically not owning a car, however, I have noticed that many do.
Still enjoy my new RL. The best part is driving down hill on curve wet roads which I have plenty of in my town
I'm not sure where, but I'm pretty sure I read in the manual that you can drive approximately 50 miles after the computer says you're empty and have 0 miles to drive. I wasn't paying much attention one day and made it down to a range of 5 miles and it only held 16 gallons. So, I pretty much assume I can take it down to 0 miles (though I rarely do) and still have a safe reserve - unless I'm driving where there's a long distance between gas stations.
Just a little aside....We gave your University Jerry Tagge, who years ago led Nebraska to a championship. He returned to his home town in Green Bay and tried his hand for the Packers. He had a tough time in the Pros as do most QB's coming out of college. One former Nebraska running back Ahman Green on the other hand is having a great run in Green Bay.
Yes, curves are great! I have a curve I drive frequently. The posted caution speed is 45. I take it at 60 and I'm pretty sure I could take it at 70, but due to a merge lane on the other side of the curve, haven't had the nerve to go that fast.
That's true. The interstate is fine, of course, but in western central Nebraska where I'm originally from (north of North Platte), the gas stations get few and far between - 35-50 miles, easily. You wouldn't have to wait too long for a kind Nebraskan to offer help, but I still wouldn't want to run out of gas in some of those areas.
By the way I bought the Motorola V551 Bluetooth Cell Phone today and will pair it up with the RL in the morning. Been reading good things about the phone for months. Nice phone...took a picture with it and e-mailed it down to our out of state daughter's e-mail address while we were riding. She received it OK and was amazed at the clarity.
Do you get all the phone redaings on the car's display? I am going to Cingular to check the phone on Sat.
I am enjoying the car. Almost try to find an opportunity to drive.
After using the first tank can report an average of 18 mpg mixed and somewhat aggressive driving which is what I expected based on other posts.
The car is just a bit slow taking off but I seem to be able to fix it shifting on my own, keeping the car in the second for a few seconds. After that, I think, it is near perfect. I say "near" because I feel some bouncing on a concrete highway. It is not nearly as bad as others described but it is there. Perhaps I will need to invest in better tires
Interestingly, there are already 4 new RLs on our corporate parking lot. I guess Acura is selling them..
I have had the motorola V551 thru cingular for about 2 months now. I do not get the battery level reading on the cars display. Other than that everything seems to work well with my RL. The only other problem I have experienced is when I paired the phone to the car it would not contact acuralink. The dealership has not been able to get it do do it either. They think it could be the phone is not capable of this function.
Hope you enjoy your car as much as I am enjoying mine.
I live in Connecticut and took a trip to Newark, NJ last week. The car got 24.5 mpg on the highway.
On the highway coming home I missed a turn for route 95 because I was busy paying the toll and not watching the navigation system and ended going thru the holland tunnel and ended in lower New York city. Without the navigation system I would have been terribly lost, but buy following it I was able to get back on the road with no problems at all. I will never buy a car without navigation again.
Jack
Sorry for being off-topic, but I thought I would interject a bit of local football history.
In case you haven't figured it out yet...xmradio.com...click "listen now" at the top...set up an account with your radio id and you are good to go! How is the healing coming?
Seriously, that would be a much better choice than a 20K-30K Bonneville... even at the same money...
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Thanks, I'm coming along slowly. I graduated from a walker to a cane. Not as friendly as those four legs, but more indicative of my progress.
I haven't been on the website for a while, either. Thanks for the XM instructions. I'll get right on it.
Many thanks for your interest.
Regards,
George
I have decided to give Verizon a chance before switching to Cingular. I got the Motorola 710 and paired it with the car. No issues at all. And it works well.
BTW it does show the battery level on car's display
I think I'll keep it
Works great in terms of the sound quality and RL shows signal strength, battery capacity and the phone number
DIB
My wife had the Toyota nav system in her Land Cruiser and presently has it in her Toyota Sienna. The 2005 RL nav system is far superior to Toyota's. Toyota needs to work on there voice recognition...Her 2003 Land Cruiser had poor voice recognition. I impress my wife all the time with the RL's voice recognition for climate control, audio system control along with nav controls.
Sorry if i misled you into thinking that I had bought the V710 - I've just been waiting patiently for some assurance that it has no bugs.
I read the recent posts, which were encouraging. However, I called Acura today and they said that the V710 still can't pass their engineers' tests, and that calls were being dropped, among other things. It's possible that they're just stuck in that groove and haven't kept tabs on the situation. I would love to buy the 710 and have been assured by the Verizon store in Manhasset, Long Island that every 710 in stock has the patch. But, is Acura's criticism justified? Are there any recent 710 buyers here that have had difficulty? I've read nothing but plaudits recently.
My leg brace was given 45 degrees of flexion today, with the promise of 90 degrees on June 3rd, my next surgeon's visit. I haven't driven my RL in five weeks! I look out the window and lick my chops! -;)
Warm Regards,
George
Have Acura tell you the version of the V710 software they are using. I bet it isn't latest
My phone does not drop calls and everything works as advertised. By the way, why don't you try it and return if you don't like it
r2d2
As regards RL vs. GS: how often do you put your car in reverse and would actually ***need*** the rear camera? Very rarely. I love my 2005 RL but admit the ride is a little tight, just a little choppy...I'm used to it now, have found I get precise handling as a payback. I've heard the GS does not ride too cushy either. Main thing is that XM Satellite radio is totally integrated into the RL (you can give a voice command XM channel one thirty three for instance) whereas GS makes it an add-on and I wonder whether the radio info shows on the big nav screen like in the RL. List price for an AWD GS with Satellite is probably a few thousand more than the RL.
Raja
(No smoking, drinking, or chasing women )
Glad that your tests proved negative. However, chasing women is considered aerobic and should be encouraged, according to JAMA -;)
Regards,
George
To Your Good Health,
JJ
I owned a 2001 MDX the first year they were out and I just bought a 2005 RL about 2 months ago. I love both vehicles, but man the are as different as night and day. SUV AND A LUXURY CAR? The 2001 was in the transmission recal for adding a second gear oil line. Had minimal problems with it, just a one problem really, a stuck air flow control valve. replaced under warranty.
I havent had one problerm with my 2005 RL!!! You have to remember a new model change always has a few bugs and on here you are hearing mostly from people who have had a problem. Most of the other proud owners are out enjoying their trouble free RL's
I am would not be scared to buy either again, but I would have to decide if I wanted a CAR or SUV.
dennis
As mentioned, the MDX is a completely different vehicle and is among the best values of any SUV out there. I would not hesitate getting either again and would not be concerned about reliability as a general rule, although every vehicle line will have exceptions, but rather focus your selection on the kind of vehicle that suits you the best right now. If its a sports/touring sedan in the luxury area then the RL should be looked at closely. If it is a SUV then I would think that the MDX would be a finalist in a SUV in this price range. The safety features and the third row seating, as well as the value, gave the MDX the edge over similar vehicles for us.
I'd simply advise that you choose the one that suits your needs best.
I thank you again for your advice.
How do you find your car drives in regards to other Acura's you've owned in the past?
Raja
I have a ’00 RL that I bought new. I’ve never had a problem with the red SRS light staying on until last week. I believe the thing that triggered the code was: At the exact same moment I began to crank the engine, I hit the garage door opener button on the visor. The SRS light did not go out and remained on until I recently reset it. I normally hit the door opener and then start the car. I’ve since read that similar electrical (radio wave)transmissions can set the code and cause the light to stay on. This procedure should work on all RL’s, except the '05. The company didn’t make many changes over the years.
Use a small mirror to look at the backside of the knee bolster (bottom edge of the lower dash) on the driver’s side (about half-way between the steering column and the hood release) to locate a small yellow plug that appears to be plugged into the back of the bolster. The wires leading to it are wrapped in a yellow covering. The plug is not actually plugged into anything; it’s there solely for this reset procedure. Carefully unhook it from the mounting by squeezing or pushing in on the opaque white tab on the bottom until the yellow plug pops up and free of the mount.
The plug has a small yellow cover on it that is removed by squeezing the tab. You’ll see two small contacts at the end of the plug. Bend a small piece of light gauge wire into a U-shape to use for connecting or jumping the two contacts. Here is the actual procedure:
1) car off at least 10 minutes,
2) insert wire jumper into yellow plug,
3) turn the key to “on” position – dash lights should come on (do not start the engine),
4) the SRS light will light for about 5 seconds then go out,
5) within 5 seconds of the light going out, pull the jumper out of the plug,
6) the light will come back on,
7) within 5 seconds of the light coming on, put the jumper into the plug,
8) the light will go out,
9) within 5 seconds remove the jumper wire,
10) the light will blink twice if the reset is successful.
This may sound difficult but really isn’t. The hardest part is getting the plug out of the mounting to begin the reset! If you mess up or it doesn’t appear to work, just turn the key off and start over. It may take several attempts to get the timing right, but it does work.
1200 miles (I drive about 50,000 per year);
No problems;
No rattles, squeaks, funny noises;
Love XM traffic on NAV, works flawlessly (L.A. area), has gotten me around sigalerts already;
Working on upgrading Treo 600 to Treo 650 (with Bluetooth) - need to get ok because it's a company phone.
My only complaint is sun reflecting off dash wood at times, like off of a mirror.
Just received my first RL service...the oil change, tire rotation and the 4 updates. Ready to drive up to Door County early in the morning which is the peninsula that has Green Bay at it's base ...it juts out into lake Michigan for 60 miles and is about as beautiful of country as you can find in America. My sweetie and I are going to enjoy ourselves for the weekend. Will spend Sunday afternoon in the Packer Hall of Fame, on our way back home. Good luck with your new RL. It is a fine, fine pleasure ride with punch!
Thank you in advance.
Oh, I envy you, my friend. Not only do you have a nice car, but you have such an understanding wife who would let you go off on romantic weekends! :P
One of the guys in the office has the new A6 4.2, so I get to compare with the RL directly. It's been back to the dealer twice (dead battery, replaced; water in rear lens, replaced lens). Great acceleration in the straights, but the RL keeps up on the curves, no problem. Not that we're racing or anything. Audi is jealous of my voice recognition (available but not equipped) and XM live traffic.
Have a great weekend.