Acura Owners Club - Meet the Members

benjaminh

This guy takes his Acura TLX 2.4 to its computer limited max speed of 134 mph on a German Autobahn at a little past the 3-minute mark. The Accord's speed limiter is set for 126 mph, and so Acura gives you an extra 8 mph lol! I'm never going to drive anywhere near those speeds, although once on an Interstate in Texas where the speed limit is 80 I went higher than that when passing a truck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=884b45mm5g0&t=214s

graphicguy

benjaminh said:

If I were getting one, I think I'd get the color combo above—the platinum white with flake with red interior. But I'd get the 6-speed manual. My local dealer seems to be selling them as fast as they come in, but that's true of most vehicles these days.

Exact combo I would get, too. Maybe Red with Orchid interior.

sda

benjaminh said:

This guy takes his Acura TLX 2.4 to its computer limited max speed of 134 mph on a German Autobahn at a little past the 3-minute mark. The Accord's speed limiter is set for 126 mph, and so Acura gives you an extra 8 mph lol! I'm never going to drive anywhere near those speeds, although once on an Interstate in Texas where the speed limit is 80 I went higher than that when passing a truck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=884b45mm5g0&t=214s

I wonder what the top speed and cruising speed is in top gear? Passing a series of 18 wheelers I had the Accord up to 100 and was surprised it got to that speed so quickly. When I glanced down at the speedometer I was expecting 85 or so. I quickly slowed down to 70 as I was in a 65 zone. No blue light specials please.

benjaminh

Tyson has owned his 2012 ILX with the K-series engine for 10 years, and has gone 238,000 miles with regular maintenance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qel60hRJDwE

benjaminh

I've returned from my nearly 5000 mile road trip, which I enjoyed a lot. I'm hoping to take more big road trips in the future, if time and finances allow. My TLX now has more than 61,000 trouble-free miles (knock on wood).

During the trip, however, I discovered that once-in-a-while the trip computer calculates range in an overly-optimistic way. As you can see below, during one long day of driving on state highways at about 65 mph I consistently got over 40 mpg. My high mpg for one leg of about 150 miles was actually 43 mpg. Anyway, shortly after a fill-up my range was listed as 708 miles. The tank in my TLX is a rather large 17.2 gallons, and 17 x 42 is 714 miles. Although the range computer may have been technically correct at that moment, in real life no one ever intends to run their car to empty. And clearly 42 is at the high end of possible mpg for this car, which is actually rated by the EPA at 33 mpg hwy. From my pov the trip computer range should probably max out at about 650 even when you're getting great mpg on a full tank. But I guess in ideal conditions the car is capable of going 700 miles on one tank—if you're willing to drive a bit slower and end up with mere ounces of gas before filling up again.

This TLX is the best trip car for 1-2 people I've ever had. Comfort was great. Stereo excellent. Loved that I could download albums from CD into the TLX's hard drive, because sometimes I got tired of audio books, and ready for a change from XM, and in those situations being able to listen to some favorite albums from the hard drive was a nice feature. Appreciated too that the drive was quieter and smoother than my wife's CR-V. Acceleration was good when needed. In one passing situation for a second on a nearly empty road I nearly hit triple digits, and the car seemed smooth and capable. Some of our Western Interstates are not that far from being almost like Autobahns, since the speed limit is often at 80, and a few are going 95 and above.

cdnpinhead

On my TSX the range waves all over the place as the [non-permissible content removed] MPG goes up and down. The wife's Forester is the same way, and I don't see how it could be done any differently. All the computer has to work with is the fuel mileage since the last fill or two, and that's going to vary a lot as one works through the tank, with different windspeed & direction, elevation, grade (watch it drop like a stone on a 10-mile climb to an 11,500 foot CO mountain pass, then go back up on the other side) and ambient temperature.

benjaminh

I assume that all Honda and Acura dealers use genuine Honda oil filters. Strangely, the intervals in the manual only say the filter should be changed every other time, but my Honda and Acura dealers say they change it every time. This is a 3-minute video from Acura/Honda about how their oil filters are better than many aftermarket filters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liqC141MuM8

benjaminh

In 2024 Acura will introduce its mid-size to large SUV EV, which will be called the ZDX. Honda and Acura were behind in EV development, and so a few years ago they partnered with GM to share GM's Ultium platform, batteries, and powertrain. This is somewhat of a disappointment to me, because Honda and Acura have always prided themselves on the excellence of their own engineering. But given how far behind they apparently were, I can see why they made this decision, and in fact it looks like Ultium might in fact be the first real competitor for Tesla. GM has poured probably more than ten billion dollars into this project, and apparently Honda and Acura have maybe put in a billion or two as well.

Anyway, here's what Acura has recently released for their EV concept. Below that are pix with a possible renderings of what the ZDX EV might actually look like, which I actually prefer.

I'd shy away from buying the first year of an all-new platform and powertrain like this, maybe esp. because it will actually be built in GM factories. But still it's good to see Acura getting into the game, even in this strange way.

Acura and Honda will apparently have their own EV platform and system ready for the 2026 model year, with EV vehicles at that time actually being built in their own factories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Tlxu8JSaA

stickguy

I never understood why they did the every other oil change gets a filter recommendation. The 2020 still has that. And I have used the Acura dealer for the last 10 years (Honda dealer longer than that) and never once didn't get a new filter too.

sda

Any Integra owners out there to give us their impressions of the car? I have noticed our local dealer only has the A Spec and A Spec tech. I have yet to see a base model listed.

Michaell

sda said:

Any Integra owners out there to give us their impressions of the car? I have noticed our local dealer only has the A Spec and A Spec tech. I have yet to see a base model listed.

I know @breld has a Type S on order, and has tested an A-Spec Tech with the stick shift.

sda

I have yet to see a new Integra in the wild. Are they even selling?

benjaminh

sda said:

I have yet to see a new Integra in the wild. Are they even selling?

I finally saw an Acura Integra in person a few days ago at a breakfast place near us called First Watch. My wife said it was a good looking car, and I agree. But yeah that's the only one I've seen in the wild. They are well priced for an Acura, and actually the base Integra has almost exactly the same msrp as a Civic Hatchback Touring. Acura should be selling lots of them, but so far it doesn't seem like a lot. Just looked it up, and it seems like Acura will probably sell about 33,000 Integras in the US in 2023.

https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/acura-integra-sales-figures/

The Civic Hatchback Touring has a premium stereo, a rear window wiper, and a real leather interior.

The base Integra has a good enough Acura stereo, no rear window wiper, and vinyl seats iirc.

That's why the price is basically the same.

benjaminh

If you get the loaded Integra A-spec with Technology package, with the 6-speed manual, ELS 16-speaker sound system, upgraded wheels and tires, rain sensing wipers, 9-inch navigation screen, red pearl paint, orchid interior, and all sorts of other stuff, the msrp is $38k. Good value for the money imho, and perhaps the only Integra aside from the Type S that might be favored by collectors years from now. With EVs coming it might well be gone in another couple of years, and the 6-speed manual might be phased out even before that.

benjaminh

@cdnpinhead About how many miles on your 2008 TSX?

sda

I like the Integra. As it is Honda’s premier brand, it should have a/c vents and a folding arm rest on all trims for the rear seat passengers and memory seats for the middle A-Spec. The charcoal gray with red interior is really sharp.

benjaminh

I agree. I would have also kept Acura's fine in-house 8-speed dual clutch transmission, but probably that would have increased the msrp by some amount. Since the R & D on it was long in the past, however, doesn't seem like it would have been that much?

stickguy

I have seen a few on the road, but there is an Integra that lives right around the corner from me. they also have a new style RDX. THe integra gets the garage!

cdnpinhead

benjaminh said:

@cdnpinhead About how many miles on your 2008 TSX?

206K

benjaminh

The Car Care Nut takes 39 minutes to explain in detail why he likes the engineering of the Integra Type S. I usually watch long videos like this at 1.5-2x speed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfaEwBKZ994&t=245s

benjaminh

Surprisingly, the Integra Type S beats the Civic Type R twice in this race by Edmunds. In a bonus race, the TLX Type S easily beats the Integra.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIi8dudk4J8

stickguy

Big recall announced on 2.5 million Honda and Acura fuel pumps. Fix is to replace the module (not sure if that is an electronic piece attached or the pump itself).

benjaminh

Went into my Acura dealer with the TLX with 69,850 miles for service. They found a slow and mild oil leak in the timing chain housing. Oil level was still full, and so no harm done. They said it probably wasn't urgent, but should be done in the next six months. But with 150 miles before the engine warranty expires, Acura is now going to cover this $950 repair. That was close. They gave me a loaded RDX with super-handling awd as a free loaner for the next five or six days until they can get to my car. First time driving an RDX, and it feels great. It was my first experience with sh-awd, and it moves so smoothly and powerfully on wet roads. The interior is beautiful and really comfortable. Definitely worth the extra over a Honda if you can afford it. I can see why stickguy's wife won't give her RDX up lol!

stickguy

Same color as ours too.

I always try to bring a car in right before the warranty expires and list every possible flaw I can think of to be checked. Just in case they can find anything!

benjaminh

The 5.5 year 70k mile maintenance log for my 2018 TLX 2.4....Except for tires, the work was done at the Acura dealer. The Maintenance Minder recommends long oil change intervals, but I've sometimes gone sooner than recommended. They use full synthetic oil at my dealer, and so that maybe provides a bit of a cushion, but going forward I'm thinking of doing c. 6k OCIs.

10/31/18: $0, 6371, Oil and filter change
6/10/19: $78, 12792, Oil, filter, tire rotation, cabin filter (oci 6421)
10/25/19: $30, 20484, Oil, filter, wipers (7692)
6/29/20: $84, 29158, Oil, filter, engine air element, key battery (8674)
4/27/21: $192, 38470, Oil, filter, wheel balance, cabin air filter (9312)
8/30/21: $747, 47000, Michelin CrossClimate2 tires from Costco
9/22/21: $331, 47922, Oil, filter, brake fluid change, transmission service (9452)
1/18/22: $197, 52085, Battery
3/30/22: $170, 54110, Oil, filter, cabin filter, engine air element, wipers (6188)
4/27/22: $0, 55829, Costco tire rotation
4/28/22: $122, 55839, Alignment
12/22/22: $60, 63534, Oil, filter (9424)
12/22/22: $0, 63544, Costco tire rotation
12/29/23: $101, 69850, Oil, filter, tire rotation, timing chain seal warranty (6306)

$2112 so far

benjaminh

I like my Acura and want to keep it a long time, although I confess that the very slow oil leak from the timing chain housing is a bit worrying. But maybe once that's fixed under warranty I'll just need normal maintenance for a while.

With the Acura/Honda Maintenance Minder the system tracks things like rpms, temperature, length of trip, time, etc, and comes up with a custom oil change interval for your driving and conditions. For me, and seemingly a lot of other people, by the time you're down to 15-20% of the MM's predicted oil life you've driven around 9k miles. I've sometimes changed it sooner than that, but in the last couple of days I went down the rabbit hole a bit on oil change intervals and oils at this site:

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/forums/used-oil-analysis-gasoline.3/

There's a whole thread at that link where people post the results of their used oil tests, with mileage and time. Having read selected reports from about 50 pages of these, focusing on people who try longer OCIs, it does seem like non-turbo cars that are given full synthetic oils can probably safely go 9k-10k between changes. Some at that Bob site do 10k-12.5k OCIs, and their used oil analysis for full synthetic still looks pretty good. But it seems like most who get over 200k on their vehicles change oil at more like 3k-7.5k.

My Acura dealer uses Duramax full synthetic oil, which seems like it's maybe about as good as the better known name brands, but costs a bit less.

https://duramax.com/products/motor-oils/


Durmax actually has a free warranty for your engine if you use their oil, which is good up to 10 years and 300k miles, and I just signed up for that. The max repair bill is $3k, but that's better than nothing. You need to change your oil at least once a year before 10k miles to keep that valid. And if you upload your Duramax oil change receipt from your dealer to them, they'll give you a $7 credit toward your next oil change. Haven't done that yet, but for the heck of it I might.
https://duramax.com/dollars/

sda

My SIL bought a new 2018 RDX Advance. It has been mechanically reliable and has 60k on it. The infotainment system has been problematic but some updates have improved its functioning somewhat. Most problematic has been the electric sunshade as it has come off track twice and had to be replaced both times.

cdnpinhead

In over 200K miles the only major work the TSX has required included a steering rack replacement (warranty/recall), a RH rear wheel bearing/hub assembly, a starter and one coil. Oil, tires, filters and the like are simple maintenance. I don't know what I'd replace it with if it became necessary; everything has gotten so bloated, and the availability of manual transmissions continues to go down -- I'm still on my original clutch.

benjaminh

I realize your Forester is only about seven years old, but how does it compare to your TSX when it comes to maintenance, reliability, and repairs?

sda

The 06 TL with 180k was my SIL’s until she bought the 18 RDX. Both were bought new. The TL has required few repairs and has only been dealer serviced. For the past 4 years it has had a minor oil leak at the rear main seal. I check the oil weekly. The leak does not seem to have worsened and the oil level has remained on full on the dip stick between oil changes every 5k or so. It runs and drives great. I am not sure what will be the next step should it require a significant repair but don’t want to replace it anytime soon.

stickguy

So far looks like my RDX avoided the fuel pump recall. Happy about that.

benjaminh

My TLX also avoided the fuel pump recall, but my wife's CR-V has been hit. But Honda won't have the parts in stock to fix it for a few months. We'll try to use my Acura for any long-distance travel until the CR-V's fuel pump is replaced.

sda

I wonder what percentage of fuel pumps failed to prompt the recall.

cdnpinhead

benjaminh said:

I realize your Forester is only about seven years old, but how does it compare to your TSX when it comes to maintenance, reliability, and repairs?

Better, if anything. I need to have the fluid in the rubber band transmission replaced, but otherwise it's just been standard stuff in over 90K miles.

stickguy

right now, if my wife had to replace her RDX and wasn't buying into my get a convertible plan, I would try to steer her into a Crosstrek. I just really like the design and size of those.

Michaell

stickguy said:

right now, if my wife had to replace her RDX and wasn't buying into my get a convertible plan, I would try to steer her into a Crosstrek. I just really like the design and size of those.

You’d have to get the Sport or Wilderness trim, else it will be painfully slow.

benjaminh

Going from an Acura RDX to a Subaru Crosstrek would be rather a fall. The RDX I have as a service loaner is pretty fabulous.

stickguy

she would be fine with the Sube. her needs are not that great! plus she does not drive it much.

I actually like driving the Maverick more. But the RDX is a bit of a hotrod. and a gas hog compared to the truck.

benjaminh

stickguy said:

she would be fine with the Sube. her needs are not that great! plus she does not drive it much. I actually like driving the Maverick more. But the RDX is a bit of a hotrod. and a gas hog compared to the truck.

Since you mentioned that both of you only drive around 4k miles a year these days, at current gas prices it costs only $250 more a year to gas up the RDX turbo sh-awd than the Maverick hybrid fwd. Since I've been driving my service loaner RDX, I'll say again that it's great to drive. No turbo lag, great transmission, excellent handling and tracking, great sound system, plus cradled in luxury. For $250 more a year I'd personally ride in the RDX.


https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=41410&id=46366&#tab1

stickguy

the RDX actually averages about 22 overall, and the Maverick is a tick over 40.

and you can't put a christmas tree in the bed of an RDX.

kyfdx

For a difference of $250/year, I'll just drive what I want..

stickguy

the Maverick is actually a little quieter on the highway. probably mostly related to the tires, but Honda and Acura have never been known for low road noise.

benjaminh

Acura added additional sound insulation for the RDX starting with the 2022 model year...

https://acuranews.com/en-US/releases/release-a0525a4b9f1f2e7c24eef9e25108d02f-2022-acura-rdx-remains-atop-the-podium-with-new-styling-more-features-and-available-long-beach-blue-pearl-paint

"....the 2022 RDX receives extensive updates to reduce road noise in the cabin. A new front fender liner reduces road noise and the Active Sound Control (ASC) system has been enhanced to further cancel exterior sounds from polluting the interior ambiance. The engine's cold idle speed also has been reduced from 1100 rpm to 950 rpm...Included with the Technology Package is a new, thicker carpet padding. The front doors receive a new sound insulator, plus acoustic glass to further reduce road and wind noise. A new and thicker noise insulation pad in the dash reduces engine noise further, and a new insulator in the D pillar further reduces road noise."


My 2024 RDX with Tech package loaner is very quiet, aside from the pleasing sounds of the turbo engine. Still can't get over how much I like the sh-awd. Feels great, and it's rather like 4-wheel steering, as I have on my TLX. But I do like getting 36-40 mpg on the highway in my TLX, which makes for a 600-mile range between fill-ups on long highway trips. In comparison, the RDX has a highway rating of 27. The acceleration of the RDX is quite enjoyable, and even exhilarating. Have to admit I'd like an RDX more than I thought I would. But overall I still like my car more, since we don't really need another suv, plus the beauty of a paid-off vehicle is appreciated.

sda

I haven’t found my SIL’s 18 RDX Advance to be noisy. I would be interested to compare it to the 24. She says it gets about 30 mpg highway, however, it is fwd. That is about the same as the Q5 that typically gets 27-30 mpg highway.

stickguy

maybe the FWD helps a lot, or she drives like a granny (and lives where it is flat). Because I don't even get close to the EPA highway number running up and down the thruway! Though hanging in the mid-70s most of the time and lots of hills does not help.

I did see 30 once on a trip to Vermont, but that had a lot of back country highway time in the 55-60 MPH range.

and in almost every other car, I have always gotten better than the EPA highway number.

kyfdx

The RDX is definitely the hotrod of the compact luxury SUV segment. Not surprised that it doesn't get great gas mileage.

benjaminh

One thing I don't care for on the RDX is the touch pad. After experimenting with it when the car was stopped, it seems like it doesn't do what was intended, which was reduce distractions. It's just tricky to get it to do exactly what you want it to do. A touch screen is overall better from my pov. I have gotten used to my metal control dial on my TLX, and I like that better than the touch pad. But even after more than five years of having our TLX, my wife still doesn't "get it" with my control dial. She rarely drives my car, but still. A touch screen is just more intuitive for most people. Maybe Acura will fix what seems to me to be a mistake with their next refresh?

stickguy

once you get used to it (like most other things!) the touchpad is fine, and actually easier in many ways. Probably safer too.

one thing I don't like about the touch screen is you have to reach out and stretch to get to it. and are forced to take your eyes off the road to study it to decide where to poke (and hope you don't hit a bump at the wrong time!) The screen in the RDX is a bit higher and further back, so better for line of sight, but harder to reach (touchscreens have to be closer and lower to reach).

with the pad, your hand naturally falls to that area without having to stretch. Then you just need to do a quick glance to see if you tracked to where you want (no different than glancing at the radio or navi screen) since whatever you are over is highlighted, and if in the right spot, just tap it.

the relational set-up, once you get used to it, does make sense. A lot easier to getting to the right area as opposed to a cursor that could be anywhere. I know at this point where the icons are and can largely do it without looking.

benjaminh

Got my TLX back from Huffman Acura today. Total was $94 for an oil change and tire rotation, bringing my 5.5 year/70k miles maintenance cost to $2105. Acura was charged c.$600 under warranty for resealing the timing chain cover, and another hundred for the loaner car that I got. Service advisor tried to sell me on an extended warranty, now that I'm down to 100 miles on the Acura powertrain warranty, but I said no thanks. Driving home I was reminded of how much I enjoy the 4-wheel steering, 8-speed dct, and souped up K-series engine. The RDX was great, but overall I still like the TLX better. And that RDX was a gas guzzler. I didn't drive it very much and was down a quarter of a tank. A surprise was that my TLX's brakes are still mostly there at 70,000 miles. How is that possible? I try to coast when convenient, but overall I don't baby them. Usually by now I've replaced the brake pads already iirc? These seem to be better brakes than I've had before. Service advisor said that she'd seen a few people get to 100k on their first set of Acura brakes.

stickguy

I do miss my red Aspec. That car had style. very comfortable, fun to drive and great MPG for it's size.