Acura RSX Maintenance and Repair

beowulf7 · February 2004

1.) In the winter, I've noticed that gas mileage is at least 2-4 mpg less than in the spring or fall and about 1-2 mpg less than in the summer. My theory is that a cold engine is extremely inefficient. And while the engine likes cold air, it performs well only after it is sufficiently warmed up.

2.) The shifter's locking mechanism won't let you go into "R" while the car is moving forward. However, the opposite is permissible (but not recommended), that is, going to 1st gear while moving backwards.

djconner · February 2004

(Posted this on the general RSX forum, didn't get any response, and someone recommended posting here instead....)

I've got about 40,000 miles on my 2002 RSX, which is about when someone else mentioned getting new tires for theirs.

Any specific recommendations for the RSX (I have the base model, if it matters?) I'm in Northern Virginia, so I'd certainly want something that *can* handle snow, but that wouldn't be the defining characteristic.

I'm kinda clueless when it comes to tires - what should I be looking for, in general? Are the "stock" tires Acuras come with good? Mediocre? As bad as the stock stereo?

nippononly · February 2004

picked up my new car tonight, and this is virtually a maintenance-free car! The oil change interval from the manufacturer is really 10K??? Being the obstinate cheapskate type, I may just follow it to the letter...

The only other thing I can see that needs regular changing is the two air filters - cabin and engine - every 30K. Methinks I like! :-)

nitromax · February 2004

Any specific recommendations for the RSX (I have the base model, if it matters?) I'm in Northern Virginia, so I'd certainly want something that *can* handle snow, but that wouldn't be the defining characteristic

Click on the link on the left for "Tire rack". PLug in year and make of your car and look at reviews for tires.
Find something that looks good and then try plugging THAT tire model into google or yahoo and add "reviews" onto the end of it.
This will give you second opinions for the Tire Rack recommendations.

Decide after doing some research.

nitromax · February 2004

The only other thing I can see that needs regular changing is the two air filters - cabin and engine - every 30K. Methinks I like! :-)

30,000 for oil filter change? Who told you that?...the dealer when you said you wanted a low maintenance car?

It's more like "change it when the oil gets changed"

My motto is "the more often you change your oil, the better off you'll be". Of course, a reasonable person isn't going to change every week, but I certainly wouldn't wait 10,000 miles to change mine either.

Look at it this way. In a perfect machine, lubrication would be constantly fresh all of the time to keep out ANY impurites that may get on the moving parts.
Obviously, this doesn't make much sense for a car since you don't have that option.

719b · February 2004

you better re-read what nippon said. he said 30k for the two AIR FILTERS. he never mentioned oil filters

nippononly · February 2004

no, I meant to include the oil filter change with every 10K oil change. Still, this car is mighty low maintenance, even if I double the maintenance schedule for oil changes and do it every 5K as has been my habit with every other car I have owned.

However, the "break-in" portion of the manual has a specific statement that the first oil change should not occur before 10K.

BTW, I never told anyone I wanted a "low maintenance car". But this car has even less regular maintenance than the Matrix I had before, which I already considered to be pretty low maintenance.

Either way, I can already see that any necessary expense would be worth it for this car. I put about 100 miles on it last night after picking it up, and I have never been so thrilled with a new car as with this one.

nitromax · February 2004

My bad. I mis-read your post about the filters.

Either way, I can already see that any necessary expense would be worth it for this car. I put about 100 miles on it last night after picking it up, and I have never been so thrilled with a new car as with this one.

I'm at 46,000 miles and am still receiving the thrills. Enjoy!

djconner · February 2004

Wow, TireRack's a great resource! I keep having to remind myself that Edmunds' "associated business partners" or whatever you call them, are actually darn good (unlike what you see on most other sites!)

beowulf7 · March 2004

I posted this on another forum in Town Hall, but I'll repeat it here since it's appropriate.

I had the "MIL" lamp turn on a couple weeks ago. I looked it up on the owner's manual (I think it's p. 276 or p. 267) and tried out their suggestions, such as removing the gas cap and rescrewing it. The light wouldn't go away. So I took it to my Acura dealer, they checked the code, and reset the light. All's well now.

I was told that the light sometimes goes off if air gets in the fuel tank, and sometimes it can only be reset by the dealer. That kind of sucks, b/c if my warranty was over, who knows how much it would've cost to have them reset the light.

I'll have to make sure that the gas station attendant doesn't top off the fuel.

bobst · March 2004

It went on in our 1999 Accord recently, so I did a web search on 'Honda Accord CEL light' and found a site with lots of very informative postings.

I read lots of sob stories about people who spent hundreds of dollars trying to get the light to turn off, but nothing would seem to work for them. There were some very frustrated people.

I talked to a good local mechanic I trust and also our Honda dealer. I got the same story - it most likely is related to the evap canister, which has no effect on the way the car runs.

The Honda has been running wonderfully. I just put a piece of black tape over the light so it would not irritate us.

I guess the light realized that we were not going to let it control our lives, so it turned off by itself. The gremlin that caused it must have gone to someone else, like you Beowolf.

beowulf7 · March 2004

Haha, yeah, that is an annoying light. It's disconcerting at first and made me think something was amiss w/ my engine. But fortunately, it was a false alarm (albeit an annoying one at that). I guess I passed that "gremlin" to another RSX owner.

beowulf7 · May 2004

Have any of you hit the 20,000-mile mark on your RSX? If so, what maintenance items did you perform on it? I read the manual and so far did the oil change, tire rotation, and wheel balance (via a local mechanic). But I didn't check hoses, etc. that the manual recommends. Is it worth it? I certainly don't want to take it to Acura to perform those seemingly insignificant tasks. Thanks.

BTW, I'm following the "severe driving" table just to be safe and not the "normal driving" table.

nippononly · May 2004

also to hear what people might say...Acura is going to want a couple hundred $$ to do the 20K - they need to stay in business dontcha' know. But most of the stuff in that service seems like fluff. I figure I will just do oil/filter/tire rotation and call it a day. But then again, I don't want any arguments over warranty service should I ever need it later...

vickat · May 2004

Hi everyone,
Been out driving my RSX base, made 22,000 miles in 10 months. Lately, something new popped up: on a rainy, or just wet, day, windshield wipers are heard on the car radio, loud and clear. Same with the sunroof. Anyone encounter it yet?
Thanks, vickat

nippononly · May 2004

experienced that one...

sgrd0q · May 2004

Our RSX-S has just over 48000 miles. It is one of the first RSXs to hit the dealers.

Not a single major problem.

Minor problems - so far I've had two burnt headlights (replaced under warranty), and a couple of small rattles or ticking noises that I isolated and fixed myself. Also, mine was one of the first RSXs so it had the subwoofer problem where two of the wires were installed incorrectly and had to be switched to make the stereo sound better.

As to service - I follow the normal schedule (except I change the oil every 5K miles, not 10K miles). I select the items that need action and ask the dealer to do just those. I skip the "inspection" items from the schedule. So far it's been a very positive, trouble-free and inexpensive experience owning this car.

I expect this schedule to be adequate. FYI we had a 1990 Integra that was amazingly reliable. We had it for 12 years and 220,000 miles and the car was still running strong when I sold it. I used the same maintenance strategy for that car.

Hope this helps.

edberg_dc · May 2004

Has anyone had the following problem: On the driver's side seat, the leather on the the side of the seat (that keeps your torso in the sport seat) is now showing many white lines and looks quite worn. It may be due to the uncomfortable way I have to get into my car in the garage (not much room there), but it shouldn't look as worn as it does at 17,000 miles.

I know that there was a TSB for the leather coming apart near the top of the seat, but I didn't see anything for the side. Any one else experience this problem? I hope it's covered under the warranty.

Thanks, Kurt

beowulf7 · May 2004

Thanks, that is helpful. I plan on going to my Acura dealer for my 30 kmi. service.

beowulf7 · May 2004

I have read elsewhere that the leather seats are covered under warranty. Well, Acura will at least replace them once, but I don't know if they'll do it more than that. I've heard the same for the crappy (shatter-prone) OEM foglights.

edberg_dc · June 2004

That's good to know... I will be taking it in for the 20K service soon and will check with them. I have the OEM fog lights as well, I haven't had any problems but I sure hope they don't shatter soon. I really should take a look at them and see if there are any major scratches.

nippononly · June 2004

something I have noticed: if I floor it at around 3K rpm, usually in second or third gear, and the engine begins to wind up, I sometimes get some brief hesitation as the revs climb. Mine is a base model, 5 speed. Anyone else ever notice this, or is it just mine?

I had my car in for the oil change and asked the dealer again to center the steering wheel, and after checking it out, they told me nothing further could be done. Which I think means nothing further can be done UNDER WARRANTY. So the top of the little Acura symbol on my wheel points left 4 or 5 degrees left whenever I am going straight. ;-(

I may pay to have it re-aligned, if I get a sec'. If it is fixed after that, perhaps I will go and show them the results.

sgrd0q · June 2004

I had the same problem with the steering wheel being off center on a BMW, and the dealer told me it was not adjustable. So I took their word for it. If you get this resolved - please let us know!

nippononly · June 2004

it could just be the tires, and I am probably never going to get time to take it AGAIN for alignment, so maybe I will see what happens after the first tire rotation.

Acura only warrants the alignment for the first 10K, understandably.
I have had several new cars of various brands delivered to me in this condition - an off-center wheel is a very common problem, seemingly. Of course, all those others were fixed after their first visit to the dealer. This one has had two visits so far, with no positive results.

beowulf7 · July 2004

I know someone who had to get the 60 kmi. service done to his Acura RSX. The basic service was over $400! And he found out he had some problems w/ his car (cracked brake pads, car out of alignment, etc.) so his final bill came out to almost $1,000!! Damn.

nippononly · July 2004

CRACKED brake pads? Sounds odd, don't know if I've ever heard of that? How was it not affecting his braking?

I can believe a 60K is more than $400 though. By the time mine is out of warranty, it will be going somewhere other than the dealer - I am beginning to get the impression the technical proficiency of my dealer is NOT all that...

jonsson · August 2004

I just picked up my RSX two months ago and lately when I first backup and turn out of my driveway, then turn onto the street, there is a small clunk in the front when I put on the brake. After that it is fine again until I turn the car back on. I had heard of some problems with some Honda models, has anyone had any with Acura?

nippononly · August 2004

mine does this too - it is normal when you back up and then the first time you go forward after backing up, for them to clunk a little. If they clunk after that, THEN there is a problem!

This was explained to me once by a mechanic friend, but I forget now what exactly he said.

acurarsx · August 2004

I got the 2004 RXS in May of this year. On startup, the car sometimes experience hesitation when I try to accelerate. It feels like its in the 5th gear when it should be in the first gear. Has anyone experience this?
Thanks, Charles

nippononly · August 2004

and mine stutters just a touch at part throttle when it is completely cold, but I would not describe it as feeling like being in too high a gear, no. However, it is revving so high at first start-up that if you are not winding out the gears, it can feel like you are in too high a gear because the engine takes much longer to drop revs between shifts, causing lugging if you do a quick shift. To compensate, you can either make slower shifts for the first couple of minutes (which is what I do) or you can rev it higher in each gear, which should produce less of that lugging feeling.

vibsr · August 2004

Regarding the hesitation in 3rd gear:
My car does the same thing. It too is a base model with the manual 5-speed box. It happens after startup when the engine is cold. I've got 8700 miles on it over 4 1/2 months (I DRIVE this puppy!). I've side-stepped the hesitation by raising the RPMs slightly in 3rd, then slowly releasing the clutch. Gotta be GENTLE! On a cold engine, it only happens when I go for 3rd the first time. After that, it's seamless shifting.

My service reminder is doing the 10-second flash right now. This thing has such a sweet little engine! I'm gonna switch to Mobil-1 synthetic.

nippononly · August 2004

yeah, good technique. I am slightly obsessed about not riding the clutch more than I have to, so I err on the other side when it is stone cold. But as you say, within two minutes or so the engine has warmed up enough for the idle to drop to where it doesn't happen any more.

That is the only time when I wish the first three gears were a little closer together - those of us with the base model have only five for a set ratio span, whereas those folks with an 'S' get six ratios in the same span.

You can reset the maintenance light yourself - I remember reading the instructions in the manual - so that it doesn't flash at you all the time.

beowulf7 · September 2004

I know, it was odd when I read about it. I guess he never had to make any sudden stops. That same guy had a dented muffler. I went to an RSX mod meet here in NJ and saw him replace his stock muffler. He had gotten into an accident several months ago (got rear ended) but never replaced the muffler until last month. That thing was hideous but was funny to see it all deformed.

I had an SRS light come on, which I wasn't too sure about. I went to my dealership and they charged me $100 to solve it. That ticked me off b/c Acura told me it would be covered under warranty. Apparently, some plug got disconnected under one or both of the front seats, which I'm thinking a local car wash shop did when I asked them to detail the interior.

tsmitt · September 2004

My stereo does not play/eject CD's on my 6 CD changer for my 2002 RSX type S. All 6 CD's will not play nor can I get any of them out. Does anyone have an idea how to fix it or how much it would cost?

troyben · September 2004

Isn't this covered under the factory warranty? I believe Acura has 4 yr-50K mile bumper-bumper; I would think the stereo should be included.

tsmitt · September 2004

It would be covered by warranty if I didn't have 104 000 km.

nitromax · September 2004

I would say it's time for an upgrade!
:-)

nippononly · October 2004

got home tonight and the A/C would not switch back from the windshield to the face vents. Guess I will go in tomorrow and see if they can fix it. Only 11K on the clock - a little too early for this type of shenanigans. At least it is due for an oil change and tire rotation - I can get it all done at once.

beowulf7 · October 2004

Good luck w/ getting your A/C fixed. I haven't heard of anyone having that problem. Maybe the vents somehow got clogged? Does heat at least come out of it? Let us know what the Acura folks find.

nippononly · October 2004

I came out to the car this morning and the thing had switched over to the face vents. I switched it back and forth a couple of times today from defrost to vent, and it made the switch each time, so hopefully it was a one-time thing and not an intermittent problem that is now going to haunt me forever! I am wondering if the car being turned off and on recycles all those interior electronics...

It was blowing heat and cold normally last night - it was the directional selector switch that was not doing its thing - it was stuck shooting the air at the windshield.

nitromax · October 2004

I came out to the car this morning and the thing had switched over to the face vents. I switched it back and forth a couple of times today from defrost to vent, and it made the switch each time, so hopefully it was a one-time thing and not an intermittent problem that is now going to haunt me forever! I am wondering if the car being turned off and on recycles all those interior electronics...

That could be it.
Computer might have gotten an electrical glitch which made the vent control stop functioning.
Powering the car down and back up again probably makes the computer perform a diagnostic test which straightened out your problem.

....or the squirrel finally found his way out.

any acorns laying around your car?
:-)

nippononly · October 2004

no acorns! :-)

So this thing turned over 11K miles, and my mind thought "maintenance time?". Went to the book, and it said oil change/tire rotation at 10K miles. So I headed to the dealer (I like to use the dealer for maintenance until the warranty is up) and had to endure 10 minutes of the sales advisor trying to pressure me into their "minor service" which he not only highly recommended but damn near insisted on. It included a bunch of junk my book say the car does not need until 20K, and their "recommended interval" for this service is 7500 miles!

Anyway, I insisted on just the tire rotation and oil change, and got out of there for $65, which includes a car wash in and out, worth $10 to me, and topping of all fluids. Which makes it an acceptable price.

What would their price have been for the "minor service"? $135! And it does not include any more actions than were already performed, just a whole bunch of extra inspections.

beowulf7 · October 2004

I'm glad your A/C seems to work again. Did you mention it to the service guy? It's a shame that your dealership is trying to scam you into the other services instead of just the 10 kmi. maintenance work that the RSX manual specifies. Acura dealership usually don't stoop down to that level of scamming their customers. : \

I'm quickly approaching 25 kmi.! So far, all is well (knock on wood).

nippononly · October 2004

no, the guy just gave me the usual "never heard of that before" response when I mentioned that the air flow would not switch over from the windshield to the face vents. Since it is was working at that time (and has not done that again since - I am hoping it was one time only), I let it drop at that.

I used to expect that I would have no repairs on any car I bought new for the first 100K miles, since I am attentive to the proper maintenance at the proper intervals. That is still my hope, but no longer my expectation. Cars are not built as well as they used to be, and that includes Acura/Hondas...

john_w · October 2004

Im considering buying a new Acura RSX, but live more than 200 miles from the nearest Acura dealer. Can any work beyond oil, lube, and inspection be done under the warranty by a Honda dealer who does not sell Acuras? --Thanks.

nippononly · October 2004

have to wait for parts and stuff if any repair is needed, but I know some underhood maintenance uses parts in common with the Civic, so that would be quicker. My local Honda and Acura dealers service exclusively their own brand, but they are also next door to each other, so that is predictable. If your Honda dealer says they will do it, I would expect it to be fine - Acuras ARE Hondas after all!

beowulf7 · October 2004

Any update on your car yet re: the A/C vents?

I'm getting really close to hitting 25 kmi. : \

nippononly · October 2004

no update - they are working flawlessly. Was it all just a dream? :-P

Seriously though, they only have to continue to work flawlessly for ten years or so, after that they can go berserk for all I care. By then my yankee Integra will be in the hands of someone else...

Just turned over 12K. I research tires almost daily and dream of replacing these banshee Michelins...

beowulf7 · November 2004

That's good to hear that your vents are doing well.

Believe me, I know what you mean about your tires. At first, I was ready to dump my tires @ 20 kmi., but I decided to stretch it out another year. So now I'm thinking of jettisoning them @ 30 kmi., but if my finances don't allow me to spend ~$2k on new tires and wheels, then I'll do it @ 40 kmi. for sure. I want to move up 17".

I will resume heavy researching in a few thousand miles as I approach 30 kmi. Let me know what your research uncovers. It looks like we're after the same kind of tires. ;-)

nippononly · November 2004

possibly, but I am (1) not going to have enough money to upgrade the stock rims, I plow all my "car money" into various upgrades on my truck, and (2) DO want better-performing tires (especially in dry and wet traction) but do NOT want summer tires. I want all-seasons with better handling, better traction, and LESS noise...asking the impossible? :-P

A month after I bought this car, I was almost ready to just burn some money and replace these crappy tires, but then I decided I could wait just a lit-tle bit longer, and 25 "lit-tle bit longers" later, I figure I will just gird up my patience and get some use out of these overpriced Michelins. Of course, the "silver lining" on these loud low-traction low-limit tires is their treadwear rating - at 12K mine hardly show any wear at all. Depending on my patience, they could easily go 50K, I think.

Funny: they have totally updated the RSX-S in so many ways for '05, but they are still using these sucko tires to the best of my knowledge. My local dealer has '05s on the lot with the same tires in a 17" version.

Acura RSX Maintenance and Repair

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles