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Whatever your dealer does has to be clearly documented so when you resell the car there would be easy to trust the miles shown on the odometer and those miles make sense on a CarFax report.
-Timing belt
-Front Engine Seal
-Strut replacement
- Broken Control Arm on the front
and the warranty on my rebuilt Acura Transmission runs out this month.
My mechanic says I am looking at around $2,800 to do the repairs ( non-dealer). I fear I will make the repairs and the transmission will break again ($5,000). Retail Blue Book is around $6,000.
Should I sell it/ send it to the junkyard or fix it and hope for the best? I can afford a new car, if necessary.
Especially since my loved one were traveling in it from home to school and back!
Aside from the transmission what annoyed me about our MDX were lousy gas millage, audio reception, unreliable electronics of the engine computer and other "quality & finish" issues compared to Lexus. Even Korean brands are much better than Acura!
Just 3 months ago (December 2012) there was a warranty recall notice for a part on the Transmission which I noticed when I ordered a CarFax during our marketing on the car for sale! Dealer had no help when we tried to have the work done, claiming that they don't have the part for servicing the warranty repair. So, I had to create an addendum to the sale contract that we had notified the buyer.....etc.
Even our experience with our Jeep Grand Cherokee was much less harrowing that an Acura MDX. We sold 2004 MDX with only 117,000 miles on it! I had the timing belt replaced last year.... but was just living on constant fear of something else breaking on that car!
I am thrilled to be rid of our MDX and will NEVER buy or recommend a 6 cylinder Honda or Acura to anyone including my enemies.
Lexus folks gave us 4 brand new Michellens on a LEASED car when I complained about the noise from the worn out OEM tires. Compared that to Acura Customer Service folks who refused to wave the $1500 fee for a rebuilt transmission!!
Bottom line, compared to other luxury brands, Acura has a still a long long way to go. So, we are thrilled to have sold our 2004 MDX and will never buy or recommend an Acura to ANYONE including our enemies.
As for the front engine seal, unless it was anything more than a little seepage, I wouldn't bother with it.
If the struts aren't making noise, or visibly leaking, and the tires aren't "cupping", and the ride is acceptable to you, I'd pass on those, too.
As for the transmission, keep your fingers crossed.
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Replacing the 3 engine mounts is 3.5 hrs of labor plus parts of about $325.
Engine mounts are quite important, so if any are actually broken, there's no avoiding replacing them.
If they aren't broken but merely a bit flexible, that may not be doing any harm.
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MDX* and I wanted to know a little more about what other Owners were paying for maintenance
fees. Usually the men of the house take care of details such as these, however I've been challenged
to tend these matters on my own -- also for future purposes, I would like to take circumstances
into my own hands so I'm better equipped to deal with such aspects if need be
received a *B1* service message and was wondering pricing quotes others have recieved ?! Also,
there has been issues with the *battery dying*, as of late, and it continues to be an on going issue
even after the vehicle has been jump-started. If one doesn't drive the truck for a day -- it'll be dead!
Lastly, I was wondering how much it would cost for a *wheel alignment* and having your *break
pads* changed ?! One other piece of information: I'm from the Vancouver area in Canada --
Thank-You to all of you in advance
1. paint protection film
2. Nose Mask
3. Just repaint bumper after few years of use.
Also, I have to part the car outside, so is it worth to buy car cover., if yes, which ones good ones out there.
Thanks for your time.
My opinion is that 'paint films' or coatings are a waste of money, and that having the car waxed 2X a year is about the best you can do.
Nose masks can protect paint but also cause problems for paint, so it's a trade-off of sorts--you may end up with less chipping but more discoloration over time.
Repainting the bumper shouldn't be necessary unless you are hit while parked--a little chipping in the front bumper can be dealt with by using a touch-up stick from the dealer.
Car covers can be a real pain but they certainly will keep the car cleaner. The downside is when it rains and they get wet--how do you dry them if you've taken them off to drive the car---and putting a wet cover back on a dry car creates a mess----and the wind blows them off. You don't want a water proof cover because that traps moisture, so a "breathable' cover would be best. They do make them in hi-tech materials and probably, if you don't mind all the hassles that go with covers, it's the best thing for protecting your car from UV light, airborne debris, air pollution, and animals.
But "pristine" isn't going to happen with an outdoor car.
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I agree that by keeping it outside not going to help.
Regarding Paint Protections Films (XPEL or 3M), I read that they can protect from chips, bugs highway driving. I am kind of leaning towards them. XPEL says it has even self healing mechanism. My concern is that will it create lines on paint and how easy its to remove or replace.
On car cover I read about getting scratches while taking it on - off.
regarding wax -- which wax are good out there.
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Good luck!
I’m having the same issue! I have a 2009 MDX and the driver side vent tab broke a couple of months ago! Now, my passenger side vent tab just broke when a passenger readjusted the vent for their comfort! I am extremely disappointed in Acura’s quality as I paid over $40,000 for my 2009 MDX SH-AWD Technology vehicle! For those of you that haven’t really called to get a quote; I was quoted two different prices from the only Acura Dealerships in my area (Buffalo, NY and Rochester, NY). One quoted $262.20 and the other was $312 including tax and labor with an install time of 1 hour for both vents! Are you kidding me?! I then sent an e-mail and complaint letter to Acura Client Relations: [email protected] 1919 Torrance Blvd. M/S 500-2N7E Torrance, CA 90501-2746 (800) 382-2238 and (310) 783-3535 Fax. I sent my complaint by fax and e-mail and received a response a couple of weeks later. I spoke to a Jenine and she seemed really nice. I was advised on every call that “calls will be monitored for quality purposes”….. She said that she would try and resolve this issue. I informed her that I did not want to pay for this! She said she understood and that she would talk to the Service Managers at Acura to see if there was anything they could do. I also was advised that I couldn’t get a quote over the phone and that I would have to get an “estimate” from one of the Acura Dealerships. They price still ended up being the same. Jenine called me back yesterday to let me know that they would be able to knock $100.00 off the bill if I went in to get both vents fixed! Are you kidding me?! I advised her that this is a huge issue ergo the countless blogs/ posts of complaints on these air vent tabs. I also asked if the models they were replacing were better or up to date. She said she couldn’t give me 100% clarity if they changed the model to fix the issue. I also asked if there was any type of warranty that would cover the tabs since I was going to have to pay for them again as they were included with my purchase of the car. She stated “unfortunately not.” I informed her that I would have to think about it further. This is ridiculous! I have never had so many issues with a car. This is my first luxury vehicle and I’m extremely disappointed! We need to write Acura and let them know of our frustrations and aggravations over this crap! With the economy continuing downhill, we don’t have this type of cash to just throw around and hope that the problem gets fixed!!