Acura RL

phil4vers4

When you put new tires on your RL you mentioned less road noise. Do you notice less noise or "thumping" when driving over broken pavement or slight bumps ie rough road?

prophet2

14.5 mpg? Sounds like something is off. I've never gotten less than 18 mpg.

On occasion and out of necessity, I get trapped in the morning/afternoon traffic jams on our 604 sq. mile island (we have over 650,000 registered vehicles for 1M population), taking an hour or more to travel 20 miles to or from downtown Honolulu. Still manage over 19 mpg average and have gotten 21+ mpg at times. Fuel warning light comes on at around 290-300 miles with three gallons still in the tank as I rarely have to put in more than 15 gallons each fill-up. At $1.959 for premium, I've managed to avoid the $30.00 tariff ......... so far.

l943973

I don't remember if there was less "thumping" because my AVS tires are running at a higher tire pressure than my Michelins. On similar surfaces, the AVS are quieter but I think the Michelins provide a slightly smoother ride.

l943973

So when is the new RL Type-S coming out? :-) They have a Type-S for every other model except the MDX. (NSX Type-S is only offered in Japan).

prophet2

Went 311.6 miles before filling up with 15.54 gallons @$1.959 = $30.45! Got 20 mpg on this run. No complaints on gas mileage, ride, comfort, power, etc., but ....... certainly want to see what any future "Type-S" RL might offer. V-8 power and still thousands less than the Lexus?

tgif888

I doubt it. RL is more like a luxury cruiser model. Type S is stand for Sport. It is more appropriate to put the Type S on TL and RSX.

phil4vers4

I think the RL would be perfectly suited for a Type-S model. The current HP is enough for me, but for those who would like some more oomph along with the awesome luxury appointments it seems to be an ideal match. Just because the RL is plush, doesn't mean it doesn't have a sporting nature.

marsha7

Lexus LS430 have a sport option?...why can't the RL?...Jaguar S-type has the 3.0 and 4.0, Mercedes has E320 and E430, Audi has A6 with 200HP V6 and 300HP V8, and on and on...it is actually surprising that the RL comes only in one flavor, compared to other "similar" cars having high performance editions of lower performance models.

rambo7

I had a '98 RL for a 39 month lease. 95% city driving with no A/C and best mileage I ever got was 16mpg. And I'm no lead foot.

Great car, but got a little boring for me.

How does anybody get more than 16 in one of those?

prophet2

My '96 has never gotten less than 18 mpg in mixed driving, which includes time in some of our daily traffic jams. Imagine going 15 mph on the freeway at 11:00 a.m., long after the morning get-to-work jam. Have had some runs of 20-22 mpg.

OTOH, my 2001 Odyssey EX, also with a 3.5L/210 hp V-6, got 22+ mpg on the first run out of the gate. It's in the morning traffic on M-F, taking 45 minutes to cover 20 miles one-way.

jwilson1

Okay, I promised. As the car ('02) sits in the garage it now has 2600+ miles. The trip from NE to Ohio was actually a pleasure and several people in service areas on the NY Thruway indicated they admired the car, especially the green/black paint.

Here are the numbers:

filled up six times, but never because we were empty, only wanted to take a break. Total distance, about 1400 miles. On the 600 miles out, I drove on cruise control and (to try for mileage) set it on 2500 rpm (just a bit under 70). I didn't like going slow, but I wanted to test this out! We had two adults on board, our suitcases in the rear seat, and a trunk full of heavy junk intended for family there. The first tank was 23.9, the second was 24.8, and the third (which included some city driving upon our arrival), was 23. While we were there the city driving averaged18. We filled up to leave and drove (with the trunk now empty) for 300 miles at 70 again and averaged 24.5.

Then I filled up and drove the last 313 miles -- or tried -- at 80, which is where I usually drive. Problem was, there was quite a bit of 70 mph traffic, so I kept bouncing back and forth and expected the mileage to drop quite a bit. But it only dipped a tenth, to 24.4.

I'm very pleased with the mileage and plan to *never* drive at 70 again:) My suggestion for all of those who are babying their cars and getting five or even ten miles less/gallon is to ask the dealer to at least try, real hard, for better results!

By the way, I filled up with 92 octane Sunoco in Ohio for $1.35/gallon. My gosh the dealers in NE are sticking it to us!

Take care.
Joe W.

killmon

The Senior Executive Client Manager at the Acura dealership gave me a quote of $3990 on a brand new 2002 Acura RL w/o nav. According to an article on this sight, my target price should be the "TMV". This means that I have beat that target by $937. This quote was the first number out of the salesman's mouth and, as of yet, I have not given him any indication of my feelings on his quote. Under normal circumstances I would be inclined to push this guy a little to try to get him down to a couple hundred over invoice, say around $38800. HERE IS MY QUESTION and also my dillema. Am I being unreasonable in hoping to pay right at or just above invoice cost, and, if so, is $39900 a good price or should I try to shave a bit off of that? My concern is that the owner of the dealership is a member of our country club and I've sat and had a few drinks with him on many occasions and my wife speaks to him in the work out facility every day. The dealership owner is also the man who set up our appointment with the Senior Executive Client Manager, (whom I assume is the highest ranking Sales Manager at the dealership) and he is also the one who told our sales person to charge us $39900. I'm concerned that if this is truly a very good price and I attempt to haggle with him, that our "friend" from the club, (the dealership owner), might take it as an insult. Any and all opinions would be greatly appreciated. In other words, If you were in my position, what would you do?

sburke7

This is a business,,,tell this titled sales rep,,,and the owner (if need be),,,that the car is worth #39,000 to you,,,no more,,,he should be ready to sell,,,if not,,,let me know and I will steer you to a dealer, (head man), who will sell the car to you for $39k,,,I saved $2,000 on my purchase of the 2002,,,for the money,,,a great buy!

raybear

There are other dealers in your area. Let the local guy know you're prepared to shop, and show him the TMV info.

Sometimes managers get a stick up their [non-permissible content removed] and think their time is too valuable to waste on low margin deals.

The RL is a fine car and is not experiencing high demand, I think you may be able to do better if you're willing to travel.

jwilson1

I agree with the previous responses, tho maybe in gentler terms. This is, after all, business. When the '02 first came out, first week, I dealt for $40,000 and had offers by phone to "beat" $39900. This is in the Boston area. My suggestion:

1) do some internet shopping: go to Gomez.com and pick out four or five web dealers who will give you prices.
2) take the best offer and shop it at other dealerships: "Can you beat this?"
3) take your best number back to the shop you want to deal with and ask them why you should buy from them, given that you can save so much by going elsewhere.

But I wouldn't pick a number out of thin air and try to bluff your way through -- they'll take it as a challenge and leave your head spinning.

If you have real numbers that are better than the one you have, and if your friend's a businessman, he would have done the same thing and will respect you for it. If you can't find a better deal in your area, then you'll know you did the best you could without traveling quite a bit.

Let us know how it goes!

Take care.
Joe W.

19645

Killmon

Your request is not unreasonable and the TMV price this site sounds a little high.

I just purchased a 2002 RL Navigation for $40759

I never went to a dealership. I just picked the 10 closest dealers to me and asked for their best price. The quotes came all over the board ranging from sticker to $40759

I agree with Jwilson1 shop around.

Good Luck

19645

jwilson1

Today I was at the Acura store checking out the RSX & told the salesman about my recent trip and good mileage. He said that if I added two to four more pounds of air in each tire before a trip -- i.e., higher than what is the standard on the door post -- that I should get a mile or two better still. The service manager was with us and he agreed, so ...

worth a try.

Take care.
Joe W.

hownow

I have a 2000 RL and have had intermittent problems with the trunk latch not catching and being unable to close my trunk. It's been fixed twice by the dealership, but then 2-3 months later it will happen again. Has anyone else had this problem, or know if there is anything that can be done to permanently fix it? Thanks.

smile2846

I am considering the purchase of an Acura 3.5RL and really enjoyed reading your message about gasoline mileage. Our gas out here in CA is running about $1.85 to $1.90 per gallon, which is down about 10 cents from just a few weeks ago.

How did you do your last trip?

Thanks.

l943973

I have a 99RL and its got about 61k miles on it and I'm averaging 20.27 mpg. I just wish they would make the tank bigger because I usually have to refill every 300 miles. The fuel light comes on at 14.45 gallons in an 18 gallon tank.

I remember about a few months back that when closing the trunk, the hook didn't line up exactly with the latch and it hit and bounced. This happened when my wife try to slam the trunk just because she is used to heavy trunk doors that require some effort. (Use to have an 3-door integra that had shocks which required some effort to close the trunk). I remember I did that initially too and got the same problem. (Not all the time. Maybe 10% of the time).

The RL trunk is extremely light and requires little effort to close. Now when I close the trunk, I hold the trunk door while closing and never had the latch miss afterwards.

I'm curious as to why my trunk latch doesn't catch on occasion when closing fast and letting it catch on its own. Needless to say, I didn't want to try to reproduce because it probably damages the latch. This may not be the same problem as #289 but its the only problem that I had come up with the trunk.

phil4vers4

Have you tried an external antenna yet? If so how is it working for you? We just had 6 radio stations change frequencies on July 1 and the one now using 95.5 FM comes in very clear whereas the one before (classical) had much interference. Maybe it does have to do with a station's ability to put out a strong signal.

BTW Just drove a full tank of all city driving, much stop and go, with the A/C on full blast most of the time and averaged 17.6 MPG. '00 RL has 11K miles on it. You should see the MPG improve as the car breaks in.

sranger941

Recently increased the tire pressure on 2000 RL from recommended 29psi to 32. This appears to have increased MPG by 1-2. Handling in turns also feels better. One suprise that I have noticed is that the transmission is now shifting much better at low speeds upon accelerating from coasting at low speeds. Great car overall.

sburke7

34 lbs in front
32 lbs in rear

Car rides and handles like a dream,,,24 mpg,,,hiway

SM

dsony

Hi,
I helped two people purchase 2002 RL's. Here is what they bought:

1.) 2002 3.5RL with Navigation, mud flaps, and oil change for life $40,000 + $700 for protection package (leather, dash, and paint protection)

2.) 2002 3.5RL without Nav, mud flaps, wheel locks, trunk mat, oil change for life $38460.

Is that what everyone is paying now? What did you pay?

jwilson1

I'm glad you folks are finding the suggestion useful, too. I've added about 1 or 2 mpg around town (can't tell exactly as it's been only one tankful so far) by going from 30# to 32# all around.

Before the '02 it's my understanding that the recommended pressure was 28, correct? In '02 with the new suspension tune/tires the recommendation has gone up to 30.

Take care.
Joe W.

phil4vers4

In the '00 RL model, the recommended pressure is 29#. I have been using 31# and get about 18mpg city and 24 mpg highway with 11k on the car. When the car had less than 5k on it I was going with 29# and the mileage was 16mpg in city driving, so I'm not sure if the lower mpg was purely due to tire pressure or if the car was still breaking in. Either way, I like the ride better with a few more lbs. of air in the tires and I may even try the 34# front and 32# rear combo as recommended by sburke7. Why put more air in the front tires?

sburke7

This tire pressure was recommended to me by an Acura dealer,,,the front tires at 34 lbs to compensate for the engine weight,,,I like the ride (seems firmer) better with the 34/32 mix. Was also told that the 29-30 lb pressure was meant for a "smooth" ride,,,too soft for me,,,

chief0099

I bought a 2002 RL last week in Ontario Canada. List was $54,000 Canadian (about $0.65US to $1.00 CDN) so $54,000 cdn is $35,100 US
I traded in a 1995 Legend L sedan 4 door for $15,000 CDN ($9,750 US) and bought the car for $35,500 Cdn + trade or about $50,500 Cdn (this is about $32,825 US). The car had 6 km on it (4 miles). Getting paint/leather protection $399 CDN. Too bad you can't export the car to USA!!!

dbeattie1

Being a Canadian living in USA now most of the year I do concur with you that Canadians are getting a better deal, trust me I tried but found that purchasing an RL in canada and trying to get it to the US is pointless. Reason being is that Honda will not honor warranty here. One other point is that you must remember Navi is not available in Canada.

As for mileage, just completed a 6000 mile run to Canada and back. Because of business I kept precise records of mileage. I am pleased 23.7 miles per gallon...converted to canada would be about 28 mpg... RL is a great car and not a lot matches it dollar for dollar

l943973

I'm noticing that when I slow down from highway speeds quickly, I can feel some shuttering in the steering wheel.

I remember my Integra having the same problem in the past and I ended up replacing the brake pads. That helped but I could still feel a little bit (just slightly). Should have replaced the rotors too.

I would like to replace the pads and rotors with a new set. Does anyone recommend an aftermarket brand that uses cross drilled rotors. Do I need to be concerned about an aftermarket set affecting my ABS system?

The only ones that I've seen for a 99RL has been from http://www.comptechusa.com

thanks,