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Acura RL

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Comments

  • jmatthejmatthe Member Posts: 51
    Patrick3, thanks for the response. Looking forward to it!

    Has anyone had there clock display erroneous times on occaision? This is a minor annoyance, just looking for a fix!
  • kacuratkacurat Member Posts: 33
    I am trying to figure out the traffic colors on my 2005 RL navigation system. I know red is for heavy traffic, yellow for light traffic and blue for no traffic, but what does pink stand for? And also, why would one road have both red, blue and pink? How would one determine which one is correct? I am very confused and my dealer is learning it as well so he is not great help and the dvd didn't help much as well.

      

    Any advice??
  • formulaformula Member Posts: 17
    Sure.

     

    Pink is slow traffic 0 - 27.4mph

    Yellow is moderate traffic 27.5 - 52.4

    Blue is free flowing traffic > 52.4

     

    Red is the color used for freeways and doesn't have anything to do with traffic.

     

    The colors are displayed for each side of the road based on roadway sensors and traffic reports. Different sections of the freeway will naturally show different speeds. The data displayed is refreshed every few minutes and is only as reliable as the source of information and the last time that it was refreshed. The most accurate information is typically highway sensors, but even this information is refreshed periodically and could be a few minutes out of date. As the usage of this information increases, the quality of the information should improve, but it is still very good now.

     

    In addition to the traffic information additional symbols appear that indicate accidents, roadwork, weather issues, etc.

     

    Hope this helps.
  • r2917r2917 Member Posts: 67
    I dont think it is an issue to be too concerned with if the sound goes away after a few times using the brakes. I have the squeaking brakes as well when I start up the car in the morn or after work but it goes away. It seems to be tied to the cold weather as well as the brakes sometimes being wet.
  • sacguysacguy Member Posts: 27
    The RL and the Mercedes are, IMHO, not comparable cars in status or looks, two key components of a luxury car. The Acura RL is pleasant looking, very well equipped and a good value. The Mercedes E is a classic - a beautiful design and yes, it is more expensive. You do pay a premium for the name and status, just like you do for any premium luxury goods purchase. It is not however, $15k more than the RL, as it would seem to be when you look at the MSRP. The E320 is widely available several thousand below invoice, so in reality it is about $5k more than the RL.
  • 1violinist1violinist Member Posts: 338
    "The Mercedes E is a classic - a beautiful design and yes, it is more expensive ... The E320 is widely available several thousand below invoice..."

     

    Why would a classic luxury car sell several thousands "below" invoice? reliability issues?
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Before this RL forum and the predocessor I was never exposed to as much negative talk about the Mercedes, Audi, and BMW products. These comments seem to appear on a regular basis and for some time now it has given me a more secure feeling about buying the new RL. After a while though I begin to wonder if it is only because we are in this forum. Who really can come forward with "the goods" on these cars regarding reliability issues?
  • 1violinist1violinist Member Posts: 338
    "Who really can come forward with "the goods" on these cars regarding reliability issues?"

     

    I lived in Germany for a few years, and my best friend overthere is a mechanical engineer. His advice to me was "buy Japanese cars because they're more reliable than German cars"!

     

    The RL forum may be biased to the Acura, but you can check in MB or other forums to see what the owners think and what problems they have. Also resources like NHTSA, JD Power, etc.
  • rlrlrlrl Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 Acura RL. The keyless remote is supposed to be able to be linked to the vehicle so it recognizes which driver it is and sets a number of accessories in the car based on that driver's preferences. I have been unable to link the remote with the car and the dealer has not had any success either. Neither the sales person nor one of the mechanics knew how to do it. There is apperently a sequence of steps you do with the buttons on the remote that links it. Does anyone know how to do this?
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    I think it is generally accepted fact of life that European cars, especially German, are beautiful cars to look at and drive but are appreciably less reliable than Japanese cars. I guess that just the way life is. Afterall, do you think Angelina Jolie is a reliable and practical woman? Just ask Jennifer Anniston :)
  • spiritintheskyspiritinthesky Member Posts: 207
    Unfortunately, no one person can "come forward with 'the goods' on these cars regarding reliability issues.

     

    I can tell you that my current 2002 BMW M5 with just under 45,000 miles has had 0 unscheduled maintenance or repair trips to the dealer. It is as tight and quiet as the day I drove it home from the dealership. The E39 model 5-series still holds the record for the highest rated car ever by Consumer Reports, not exactly your enthusiast biased magazine. But all of this is anecdotal (except the Consumer Reports rating) and will never meet any tests of statistical significance.

     

    There also seems to a component of urban legendness regarding Japanese relaibility and German finickyness. Lexus and Acura especially seem almost immune to criticism or ratings reconsiderations. We had a 2000 Lexus LX 470 that was reasonably reliable, but did require several (3-4) trips to the dealership in it's first 3 years and 45k miles for little quirks. I am also aware that the GX470 has had significant issues with respect to drive train vibration. One of our friends had theirs replaced (the vehicle, not the drive train) after 5,000 miles of failed attempts to correct the problem. Acura's automatic transmission problems are widely known among Acura owners, but apparantly have been overlooked by Consumer Reports and JD Powers. A business associate has the unfortunate distinction of having two transmission replacements on his TL and one on his wife's MDX. I haven't had a single transmission failure in 30 years of owning BMW's, Mercedes, Porsches, Nissans or Hondas.

     

    I have no doubt that "statistically speaking", tken over 10,000 owners, a basic Honda Accord is going to provide a more trouble free experience than a Mercedes E-class. However, I am not sure that the new RL, which has elected to adress handling and vehicle dynamics with an extraordinary amount of electronic systems, will fare as well 7-10 years and 150,000+ miles down the road.

     

    I may be old fashioned, but I still believe that simpler is better when it comes to long term reliability. There are areas in which Honda/Acura technology has produced significant advantages. As V-Tech technology enabling the Honda S2000's 2.0 liter engine to produce 240 horsepower. I am not prepared to give the RL's SH-AWD system the same credit. One thing is for sure, it will be a hell of an expensive system to diagnose and repair if anything goes wrong after the warranty period.
  • jmatthejmatthe Member Posts: 51
    Does the remote start the car? Assuming thatit is functioning, in order for it to set your preferences the car must first be locked, and then opened with the remote you want to use. You need to set the pereferences first, using the seat memory buttons, but radio stations, last used by the driver of the remote, etc should work anyway.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Some of you may be interested in our High End Luxury Marques discussion - several vehicles have been discussed there that may interest you. I think I already see a couple of you there, but I'm thinking there are others here who haven't discovered it but would enjoy it.
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Thanks for your excellent post.
  • markcincinnatimarkcincinnati Member Posts: 5,343
    . . .you may be interested in my almost test drive of the 300C AWD over on that forum.

     

    And, my luck, thus far, has not changed vis a vis the RL -- still none to test drive at THE dealer I would buy from if I would buy the Acura.

     

    As you may see, story of my life attempting to test drive Acura or Chrysler models.

     

    I will HAVE to order a new car no later than March -- unless I want to keep my leased car beyond the original lease term (something I have not done previously.)

     

    FWIW
  • jmatthejmatthe Member Posts: 51
    What part of the country do you live in? There are a couple at dealers in PA.
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    "

    What part of the country do you live in? There are a couple at dealers in PA."

     

    jmatthe....I'm chuckling over your question a little bit...sorry... but maybe you just have not seen Mark's posts before. He's from Cincinnapolis... er.. I mean Cincinnati. Go over and read his stuff...you'll enjoy it. (The continuing saga of an RL test driver wanabe... :-)
  • readyformyrlreadyformyrl Member Posts: 70
    I had the same problem and there is a short sequence to relink the remote with the car, someone else mentioned setting up your preferences, but it has nothing to do with the actual linking of the car, I can't recall the sequence, but I'm certain if you call Park Avenue Acura in New Jersey, the service tech/manager there was extremely familiar and helped me complete it over the phone in less than 30 seconds...the manual did not explain this process very well. Good Luck!
  • markcincinnatimarkcincinnati Member Posts: 5,343
    Hello, I am Mark from Cincinnati, my username is markcincinnati -- there are two 300Cs in the city, so they claim. There are some RL's but the story NOW is that while they are NOT all sold, they will not allow the ONE they have to be driven until AFTER the Cincinnati Auto Show which is in early Feb.

     

    The 300C is, so they claim, available to drive, if it is prepped, on Tuesday.

     

    I apologize for obfuscating my city's identity.
  • jmatthejmatthe Member Posts: 51
    Sorry, really didn't look at you ID before responding. There are cheap tickets on US Air, come to PIT and drive mine for a few hours...
  • sacguysacguy Member Posts: 27
    ((Why would a classic luxury car sell several thousands "below" invoice? reliability issues?))

     

    Reliability was a problem with the electronics on the launch of the new MBZ E in 2003. Those "bugs" have greatly improved since then.

     

    The reason the for the big discounts on the E320 are due to a new engine and model year change in March 05, it will become the E350.
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Or test drive mine in Milwaukee, Mark, anytime. We can take the wives to Louise's Trattoria and have a lot of fun.

    (Come to think of it from Louise's hilltop you can see our Acura dealership)
  • driftracerdriftracer Member Posts: 2,448
    lemon law stats, especially on Audi products, with BMW/MB thrown in, and the very unique stance that Honda/Acura takes in these cases.

     

    Feel free to contact me offline, or I can post my personal stats on cases I've handled, or general stats from the firm as a whole (5 expert witnesses total).
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Actually, since this discussion is about the RL, let's not get too far into "stats" on the reliability of Audi, BMW and MB - anecdotal though they may be. Thanks.
  • r2917r2917 Member Posts: 67
    Well, the 4Matic E320 with similar equipment level to the RL costs 20 grand more than the RL here. I doubt a person could get them to discount it by any significant amount to close that huge gap.

     

    Sorry, a name and its history doesn't do it for me...I buy products based on what they offer not by their "prestige" or status which apparently is only used to try and impress strangers.

     

    To me the key component of a luxury car is well, the luxury it offers.:) status and exterior appearance take a huge back seat for me.

     

    Anyone here with RLs on the east coast drive this weekend through the heavy snow falls? If so, how did you find the car handling the snow?
  • socalcardudesocalcardude Member Posts: 6
    I'm not on the east coast, nor have I driven my RL in snow.....yet, but I was really impressed with how well the RL behaved during all that rain we were having in So Cal a few weeks ago. The car always felt solidly planted, whether it was on the freeway or when I "slightly" floored it when the starter gun, I mean, when the light turned green at the intersection.

     

    As part of my additional testing (the limits) of the RL, I did take one 90 degree corner a lot faster than the posted speed. The RL did a microsecond fishtail, but it then did its magic and pulled me through that corner. I was REALLY impressed!

     

    Note: No other cars were around and this was in an empty business park at night.

     

    My next evaluation is to take it to Mammoth Mountain (ski area) in two weeks to see how it performs in the snow. I'm not sure if we will have a snow storm, if not, it will be another test to see how it performs on a 5 hour trip.
  • acuraphileacuraphile Member Posts: 131
    "Anyone here with RLs on the east coast drive this weekend through the heavy snow falls? If so, how did you find the car handling the snow?"

     

    r2917:

     

    I live on the North Shore of Long Island and deliberately chose an area that hadn't as yet been plowed. I drove through eight to ten inches of fresh snow at about 40 mph and taking corners faster than usual, but not at 40. As you experienced, the RL wiggled, but barely, and pulled me through the corners. Under the same conditions, my '96 RL's tail end would have described a substantial arc going through the corners at the same speed. I feel very safe in the RL. The 1,000 miles that I've driven on dry roads, sometimes provoking the SH-AWD intentionally, and successfully, provided me with the expectation that the RL would perform well on snow; it did, but I honestly don't know how "severe" my test was in terms of speed. I do know that I would not have had the same assurance entering those corners on snow in my '96 at the speeds that I chose.There is a husky, protective quality about the RL, though I'd never be fool enough to expect a "pass." :-)
  • kacuratkacurat Member Posts: 33
    Thank you so much for clarifying that!!!
  • kacuratkacurat Member Posts: 33
    I too live on the north shore of L.I. and drove my RL out during our "blizzard". I did find that when I kicked up the acceleration a bit the back tail did kick out a bit, but maybe I am being too critical. I did feel extremely safe and protected in the car and the power to drive through the snow was excellent. My 2001 Honda Prelude couldn't make it through 1 inch. It's such a great car, I love it!!! IT was just me and the snow plows out on Saturday night!!
  • jmatthejmatthe Member Posts: 51
    I live in a very hilly part of western PA and have a far amount of snowtime in the RL. Best all wheel drive system I have driven and fully confident in passing under power in snow and ice. In fact it is so good at going and turning, it is easy to forget that all season touring tires are on the thing until it is time to stop! Just need to plan ahead a bit, but still tracks perfect under full braking. Easier to maneuver around obstacles by backing off the brakes to bring the car around, which it does predictably. Don't ask how I know this...
  • somnosomno Member Posts: 43
    I have noticed that my XM traffic is not functioning for the past few days in the LA area in Southern California. My XM radio is working and my GPS works fine.

     

    Any others experiencing this problem?
  • jdsissjdsiss Member Posts: 1
    I may have finally figured out the locking problem. While reading through the instructions it's casually mentioned that one must push in on the starter switch when starting the car. Now, I always just push in on the thing before turning it and it seems to make the connection and link properly. I haven't had the problem since I started doing this.
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    In this day of high technology I am reminded back when I was a kid and got something new. My dad would always say.. "Take some time son and read the manual..." :-)
  • soapkngsoapkng Member Posts: 21
    Here's a shot of my RL with the windows tinted and the 18" wheels...nice.

     

    http://homepage.mac.com/spclst/RL/PhotoAlbum57.html

     

    Enjoy!

     

    DF
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    I inquired about 18" wheels when we were getting ready to finalize the decision to order the car. We have the Celestial Silver as well. What you have done looks great.
  • soapkngsoapkng Member Posts: 21
    Here's a shot of my RL with the windows tinted and my 18" wheels:

     

    http://homepage.mac.com/spclst/RL/PhotoAlbum57.html
  • valuebuyervaluebuyer Member Posts: 24
    Toronto Star article today on why the Infiniti M will kill RL sales - i.e. - RL overpriced.

     

    Lesson 1 - Japanese Luxury/reliability/fit finish beats the BMW/Audi/MB set, hands down

     

    Lession 2 - Acura juiced the RL pricing by about $12K Canadian - leaving their $71K vehicle looking at the tailpipes of the 'at least as equipped' M35x (about CAD$58-60K). Acura gets the 'Dummy' award for mismarketing their vehicle in Canada - too boring to take out German design at equal price, too overpriced for that wide swath of well-heeled $55-65K Canadian buyers who will opt M or LexusGS, 100% of the time. Shut out the lights, Acura Canada.
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    " Shut out the lights, Acura Canada. "

     

    You are always welcome to come to America when it gets a little dark in Canada! ;-)
  • kfhmailkfhmail Member Posts: 199
    I like the new RL, but I keep coming back to...Why...why would Acura offer ventilated seats on the RL in Canada but not the US???

     

    Question for the RL Canadian owners...

     

    Can you see how the seats are ventilated? (Is it just a "feed" off the line that cools the back seats?) Does this look like something that could be added to the cars in the US by a dealer or repair shop? (I would think there would not be that much that needed to be added.) Where is the switch located to activate the cooling of the seats?

     

    Thanks for any info on the ventilated seats!!!
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    "I like the new RL, but I keep coming back to...Why...why would Acura offer ventilated seats on the RL in Canada but not the US???"

     

    It was an interesting trade off. We get XM Satellite and they get the ventilated seats. If you live in Phoenix (Or any warm climate location in the states) the ventilated seats would be an attractive feature to have. Personally, I love the XM and the ventilated seats would be a low priority issue. (We live in Wisconsin)
  • scottjohnsonscottjohnson Member Posts: 61
    Based on reception issues here in Oregon with XM, I'm thinking that XM reception in Canada makes it impractical.
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    It was my understanding that XM doesn't operate in Canada so Acura equipped the Canadian RL's with ventilated seats...an option we in the USA don't get.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    I'd take ventilated seats over XM any day. Ventilated seats have no user's fees.
  • gnarlygnarly Member Posts: 13
    The following is excerpted from an article on page A6 of the January 31, 2005, edition of The Wall Street Journal:

     

    HONDA PROFIT SLIPS, BUT FORECAST RISES

     

    Honda Motor Co. said a stronger yen dented its earnings for the fiscal third quarter, but the company lifted its full-year profit outlook, predicting cost cuts will drive profit to a record for a fourth straight year ... Overseas vehicle sales grew 13% from a year earlier ... offsetting a fall of 4% in domestic sales ... Sales volume in Asia excluding Japan jumped 79% ... on brisk sales in China and Indonesia, and robust sales in the UK pushed European sales up 34% ... Sales in North America fell 4% ... as a slowdown in sales of its Accord model after brisk sales of the model last fiscal year OFFSET STRONG SALES OF THE ACURA RL AND ODYSSEY [emphasis added]. The rising costs of steel and other materials are within the company's expectations ... Even so, Honda may need to raise its vehicle prices in some overseas markets to offset the impact of the higher costs ...
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    and that's fine if it works for you. I really can't think of any feature I have enjoyed more than the XM Satellite radio especially with this sound system. (User fees are nominal considering what you invest in the car, also the first year is free.) As for the ventilated seats, I have never had them but it would seem to me that in my climate they would get very little use. (I do use the heated seats a lot and consider those a great feature here in Wisconsin) It would be interesting to hear the story why XM doesn't go to Canada. Maybe it's a licensing issue with the FCC here in the states because common sense tells you satellite goes everywhere...(Except perhaps inside a parking structure or car wash. Some folks can't get the signal inside their garages... it must depend on what is overhead because we get the signal inside ours.)
  • scottjohnsonscottjohnson Member Posts: 61
    The XM satellites are over the equator so the further north you go, the lower on the horizon/easier to obscure they are.
  • formulaformula Member Posts: 17
    I am guessing that the lack of XM in Canada is connected with the strict content standards imposed by the Canadian government that requires that a specified percentage of the content originate in Canada. Under these rules, most if not all XM stations wouldn't be allowed.

     

    For more information see:

     

    http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/cultural_policies/ca- nadian_content_rules.cfm
  • 1violinist1violinist Member Posts: 338
    So "Listen Canadian" is their equivalent of our "Buy American"! :-)
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Yes...very good FORMULA...I believe you've got it right. Hence the "Cancon Rules" that apply to radio, TV, and special broadcasting in Canada. They skew heavily toward strong Canadian Content. That would eliminate XM radio for sure. There is an excellant rebuttal entitled "Cancon Rules Should be Canned" on the following site: http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/articles/sovereig- nty_identity/cancon_rules.cfm
  • socalcardudesocalcardude Member Posts: 6
    Can you tell me if those TSW Montage are chrome? It's hard to tell from the pic.
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