Acura RSX Maintenance and Repair

himiler · August 2003

Bummer about your troubles.

When I started having A/C trouble with my '98 GS-R, I needed to have the condensor and radiator replaced. Turns out that all the highway driving I do had caused the radiator/condensor fins to become bent (small stones and other debris) and even clogged (tar, dust & road scum). Long story short -- $1200.00 later, everything was back up to snuff.

Yes, it is a poor design, and the parts are expensive. Depending on your insurance deductible, you could make a claim on the radiator. With a $500 deductible, I did, and got most of the repair costs back.

My suggestion is to get some aluminum screen from a home supply store and affix it with zip-ties in front of the radiator, behind the bodywork. It'll give you better protection from small stones and keep the other gunk out of there, too. I did this on my Integra (post-repair) and have done the same for my Prelude. Works great, and cost me $11.

kerryd · August 2003

$750 plus tax and I have it back. I still love the car but a little worried about the dependability. Acuras are supposed to be so reliable! These things only happen to me.

Thanks for the tip about the screen, himiler. Will do.

What about oil changes? My salesman insisted it only needed to be changed every 7000 miles and the service department is saying 3000. I driven an average of 1700 miles per month and I do about 80% highway (in N. NJ so there is traffic about 50% of the time) 20% city.

himiler · August 2003

I drive ~1,500 miles weekly (90% highway), and get my dino-oil and filter swapped every 5-6K, just to be on the safe side.

You'll be well within safe limits for your car if you do changes every 4-5K.

nitromax · August 2003

My suggestion is to get some aluminum screen from a home supply store and affix it with zip-ties in front of the radiator, behind the bodywork. It'll give you better protection from small stones and keep the other gunk out of there, too. I did this on my Integra (post-repair) and have done the same for my Prelude. Works great, and cost me $11.

It works great. I bought some gutter guard at Lowes for $2.00(Home Depot will have it also)
Used a piece of cardboard first to get the size right, and cut it with some snips/cutters. Make sure you wear some gloves.
I then slipped it in from one side, behind the license plate holder and then used one small zip tie to hold it to the vertical brace on each side of the license plate holder. A trick to getting the zip tie in from the front is pre-bend it so it maintains a U-shape before feeding it in from the front.
(or you can take your whole bumper off, but the whole install from the front of the car took me about 20 minutes...not including cutting the gutter guard)

vickat · August 2003

Hi,
Recently got my RSX base, with leather-wrapped steering wheel. What's the better way to clean/preserve this leather thingy? There must be some sort of wax, but I'd need so little amount for wheel only!
Thanks in advance - Vic

d5tanley · August 2003

My rsx-s was making a mettalic rattling sound at low rpms, so I took it in to the dealer to have them take a look. They said it was a defective needle bearing and angular ball bearing in the transmission and replaced them along with some sleeves and an interlock. Since I picked it up, the transmission seems much more notchy than before, and when I am in 4th gear, the stick moves when I take my foot on and off the gas pedal. I'm planning on taking it back to the dealer today, but was wondering if anyone had any insight.

edberg_dc · August 2003

As a recent RSX S buyer (June 2003), I have some thoughts. It's an 02 and had 10,000 miles on it and the shifter was really notchy going into 2nd from 1st, I thought I was going to have to get the synchros replaced or something. I have found though as time as wore on, the notchiness has all but disappeared, and when it is there it's usually when the car is cold (i.e. not having been driven for a day or so) and isn't as bad as when I first had it. also, I think it takes a while to get used to using this shifter, it's not like driving a traditional gearbox, it needs to be worked in for a little and massaged. I am guessing the new parts just need to be worn and broken in... however if they persist longer than say 4-6 months of regular driving, take it in.

And in terms of the gear lever movement, I have noticed on other sticks I have driven that same thing happening, especially my sister's 97 civic. Again, it's a matter of wearing stuff in I think. good luck....

d5tanley · August 2003

I'd experienced notchyness in 1st and 2nd gear before the transmission work, it just seems worse now. I talked to the service guy at the dealer and he said to give it a few days to let the new parts break in.

I've also noticed gear lever movement in other cars, but once again, mine didn't do it before I had my transmission 'fixed', so its kind of troublesome. I'm going to give it a week and see how I feel then.

Thanks for the input.

edberg_dc · August 2003

No problem. Sounds to me after your last post that something they did either triggered another problem or didn't fix the one you had. Let us know what they find out, if anything....

good luck!

henrypeck · September 2003

I have a base RSX. The CD player is a pain. I have to take my eyes off of the road to open the jewel case and load the CD. Does anyone know of an aftermarket CD changer that will work with the RSX's radio?

nitromax · September 2003

I have a base RSX. The CD player is a pain. I have to take my eyes off of the road to open the jewel case and load the CD. Does anyone know of an aftermarket CD changer that will work with the RSX's radio?

You mean besides the CD changer that Acura already makes for the RSX?

jbkreegs · September 2003

Hi all,
I have a '99 Jetta GLX vr6 w/34k, and I'm getting a little fed up with its problems.

I'm interested in the RSX-S, Golf TDI, and WRX. Any suggestions? I've read some of your problems, and that all seems manageable compared to my Jetta.

What do you think? I'd appreciate it.
JBkreegs

d5tanley · September 2003

They replaced the syncros for 3,4,5,6th gears and now the transmission is working fine. Its nice to finally have my car back, although the TL loaner was pretty nice too.

revka · September 2003

and thanks for updating us on your situation. Glad to hear everything is working well for you now. Happy motoring!

Revka
Host of Hatchbacks & Wagons

snakerbill · September 2003

I bought the base auto, and have 41000 miles, and have had no problems of any kind. I have driven the stuff out of this car, and I have had zero problems. Why not try the 5 speed auto and end the syncro and other trans problems?? My car still drives like new, and has never had any service done except oil changes every 4000 miles. The tires are begining to look a little thin in front, but I am going to trade it in for a red 04 RSX Auto. I do not think that there is any real difference between the base auto and the base standard trans in terms of street performance. I get 36 mpg hi way, and 25-26 in town. It seems to me that the RSX is the best small car around.

seksisatrina · October 2003

My engine or something is making a whining sound only when im in 2nd, 3rd or 4th gear but its only when its between 2000-2500 rpms.. im going to take it in, but everyone seems to be telling me its something different. any suggestions?

myopicpaideia · October 2003

Hi all, I've been passively reading this list for a few weeks now, as I am zoning in on my purchase of a 2004 RSX Type-S in a month or so here. I just have one question. Besides the fact that you have a warranty to worry about, why do you all take your cars to your dealerships to get them serviced? I own a 2000 Honda Civic EX Coupe right now and I have never once taken it to the dealer. I'll tell you why. Dealerships are in the businss of selling cars. It is not in their best interest to keep cars out on the road for 100's of 1000's of miles. It is a simple fact of conflict of interest. If they kept all the cars they sold in good working order, they wouldn't sell as many cars.

I live in Minneapolis, and I've noticed that most of you all live in even more heavily populated areas. There must be a honda/acura specialist shop in your area you can take your car to. I found one here in the Twin Cities called OHV Motors. It is run by a bunch of (now former) Honda racing mechanics, and they ONLY do Hondas and Acuras. If you live in this area you shouldn't take your car to anyone else. I just discovered them and they are awesome. I'm not trying to advertise for them or anything, I just want to help those of you who seem to be getting run arounds from your dealers. These guys tell it straight up, and have many vehicles they have kept in good running order for well over 200,000 miles. Just go to OHVMotors.com to see their record for yourself.

719b · October 2003

if a dealership depended on supporting itself by selling cars, it would be out of business in a short time. a few hundred dollars on each car sold wouldn't keep the lights on. most of the money the dealership makes is on service and used cars.
so it is in their best interest to keep a good service department. servicing one car can make more profit than selling a car.
you'll have to rethink your logic.

tommyijr · October 2003

It also depends on weather you own or lease the car, I lease the TSX (had a RSX-s for about 10 months before trading up) and it is honestly in my best interest to have Acura handle all the work. I live in Richmond, VA and the one dealership here has been very fair in terms of cost for the work they do, lets face it, it all should come down to who you trust, I trust the dealership. I have leased 2 cars from them in less then a year, why would they want to screw something like that up.

beowulf7 · November 2003

Is going from an RSX-S to a TSX really "trading up"? I suppose you get more luxury items (power heated seats, optional GPS, 17" wheels, etc.), but you lose performance. I guess if you need the 4 doors and more room in the back ...

tommyijr · November 2003

Drive one, no lose in performance, just as much fun....

beowulf7 · November 2003

Well, I just meant "loss in performance" strictly by the numbers. The TSX weighs more but has the same HP as the RSX. Granted, the TSX has a bit more torque, but not enough to compensate for the extra weight. RSX-S does 0-to-60 in 6.7 sec., I think the TSX is just under 7.0 sec. (maybe 6.9). It's no slouch by any stretch of the imagination, but not *as* quick.

I'm sure the fun factor of the TSX must be just as high b/c I've heard its tranny is driver friendly.

tommyijr · November 2003

I am a HUGE fan of the RSX-s, I owned one, I loved it, to me both cars handle really well. No complaints. You are on the money with the tranny observation, the TSX six speed is noticably smoother than the RSX-s, especially in the first 3 gears. You know what is really cool, the seat warmers......the headlights are nice to.

nitromax · November 2003

Heated seats. I sure wish the US version of the RSX had those.
Not fair that the Canadiens get all of the good stuff. That's why I opted for the cloth interior with mine....no heated setas to back me up in the wintertime.

Question of the day:
If an RSX sold in Canada has heated seats and mirrors, what does an RSX sold in Alaska have? US sold RSX's do not have the heated seats and mirrors...and yet, Alaska certainly should qualify for cold temps.
Perhaps there are no Acura dealers in Alaska?

Anybody have the answer for this one?

joe249 · November 2003

Live in Maine .Accura doesn't want to deal here ,so I had to buy in NH.
Anyways after using the wife's car w/heated seats, I'm going to a GTI or WRX w/heated seats.

I'll miss acurra's qualiity, but I want some comfort when I'm driving.

nitromax · November 2003

Anyways after using the wife's car w/heated seats, I'm going to a GTI or WRX w/heated seats.
I'll miss acurra's qualiity, but I want some comfort when I'm driving.

oh, c'mon....it can't be THAT bad. How long does it really take to warm the car up so the heater is blasting hot air?

And even in Maine, how many days a year do you really need to keep your butt warm?...all for the sake of losing the Acura quality?

On cold mornings in NH I start the car up 5 minutes early...warms up the interior and melts the ice on the windshield.

chacha99 · November 2003

Hey Everyone! I bought my RSX 03 in May and it was the best decision I've ever made. The car is perfect, except for one thing.... a lot of times when i get out of my car it smells like rotten eggs!! Is that normal?? A couple people said that they had the same problem but after the first couple thousand miles the smell went away. I have about 5,000miles on my car and the smell is still there. Acura told me to use the middle gas instead of regular gas and that might solve the horrible smell.. that didnt work. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help!

719b · November 2003

if the smell is outside the car, it may be the catalytic converter. has the dealer checked it?

nitromax · November 2003

The smell is from the catalytic converter it will eventually go away.

beowulf7 · December 2003

The USA 2004 RSXs (both trims) now come w/ heated mirrors as standard (i.e. not an optional upgrade).

I care more about heated mirrors than heated seats. I wonder if there's a way to get heated mirror functionality in my 2002 RSX-S. : \

nitromax · December 2003

The USA 2004 RSXs (both trims) now come w/ heated mirrors as standard (i.e. not an optional upgrade).

:-O
That's not fair!!

I care more about heated mirrors than heated seats. I wonder if there's a way to get heated mirror functionality in my 2002 RSX-S.

I feel the same way.
If what you say is true than it shouldn't be too hard for the dealer to switch over to the heated mirrors. The hurdle has been adding the heated mirror controls into the wire bundle coming from the door and routing it throuhg the dash. Very time consuming and expensive. Now that it comes standard, I would think it would be as easy (ok not too easy) as swapping cable bundles and swapping the mirror assemblies.

The heated seats have been done already with very little work. (Not me but I heard it is fairly simple)

nitromax · December 2003

I got a price "questimate" from my dealer for getting the heated mirrors added to my 2002 RSX. The price would be over $1000 ( I believe they even said "well over")

Perhaps waiting awhile to let them get more standardized with it and also wait for some good documentation on how to do it and it may be plausible to do it yourself once purchasing the harness, mirrors, relay, and switch.

wwlccp · December 2003

Hi!

I was wondering,is there anyone that can refer me to a place where I could find a set of the front fenders for the RSX? I don't care if it's used or not, but I'm looking for a set of factory fenders.
Thanks!

tommyijr · December 2003

try Ebay...

beowulf7 · January 2004

Sorry for being MIA for so long. I haven't contacted my dealer yet to see what it would cost to retrofit heated side mirrors into my 2002 RSX-S. Given the terrible and cold winter we've had (again) in the Northeast, I wish I had already asked. : \

wwlccp, just do a search for that part # or description on google and also add "Acura RSX" in the search box.

vickat · February 2004

Hi,
Reporting on my experinces with RSX base bought new back in July'03. It's got 16K mile on it by now.
Love car, but can't help to list problems, real or preceived:
1. Gas mileage hit 33 miles/gallon once in late Aug'03, fell to 31 mpg later, and to 29 mpg in winter time (downstate NY). Dealer makes vague references to gas quality. Yeah, right!

2. Just a couple of days ago, in cold morning, pulled driver's side window down at toll booth. Sure it refused to roll back up. Pulled to the shoulder, helped it up with my fingers, it rolled up reluctantly, and door plastic panel was "wavering", suggesting window guide is out of alignment. Brought car to the dealer same day, they put some grease into guide, seems working for now.

3. This car workmanship is worse than that of my previous car, Mazda Protege. These little things, uneven plastic panels, screaching rear window wiper, floor carpet gets loose in corners... A pity!

hen263 · February 2004

i agree - the fit and finish for this car, an Acura, albeit the least expensive one, is pretty shameful. for the dollar, it's fine, but for the name, it's not.

that being said if my only complaint is fit and finish (and to date, at 4K miles it is) then i ain't complaining.

nitromax · February 2004

Love car, but can't help to list problems, real or preceived:
Gas mileage hit 33 miles/gallon once in late Aug'03, fell to 31 mpg later, and to 29 mpg in winter time (downstate NY). Dealer makes vague references to gas quality. Yeah, right!

Your drop in mileage could be that you are enjoying your car more (if you know what I mean) But the story about winter gas could also be true. Additives are sometimes added to the gas through the winter months to keep it from freezing. Have you had the regular dealer maintenance? If not, the air filter could be dirty. I've got the K&N filter in mine.

Just a couple of days ago, in cold morning, pulled driver's side window down at toll booth. Sure it refused to roll back up. Pulled to the shoulder, helped it up with my fingers, it rolled up reluctantly, and door plastic panel was "wavering", suggesting window guide is out of alignment. Brought car to the dealer same day, they put some grease into guide, seems working for now.

I've had mine squeal before (only the drivers side) when going down. This would only happen the first time I did it....and only on very cold mornings (around 15 deg F)

Besides that, 46,000 miles and still happy with it.

This car workmanship is worse than that of my previous car, Mazda Protege. These little things, uneven plastic panels, screaching rear window wiper, floor carpet gets loose in corners... A pity!

Sorry to hear about that. I got one of the first models in the fall of 2001...they had to have it brought in from over 500 miles away. I would have thought that mine would be more troublesome, but maybe they were extra meticulous putting the earlier ones together....don't know.

zero2sixty_ms · February 2004

I am in the sports performance scene and i just totaled my 02 Mits GT-S In December it was all decked out for shows. but i needed another car, so i was on edmunds and compared cars. I decided that the 04 RSX TYPE-S was the best deal. i got it for 3.9% and at a price of 21,500.00 great deal. I bought it St. Louis on the 2nd of Jan. and drove it back to VA, Beach on the 5th of Jan. I had a little over 1000 miles on it when i blew 2 cylinders and 8 valves on the 6th of Jan. it took the dealer 3 weeks to get me the car back and didn't give me a price till the day i picked it up (22 Jan). they went 50/50 on it since they said it was my fault but it was really my friends. The day i got it back i went back to St. Louis. When i got back to VA Beach the engine light went on and i think its because I didn't tighten the gas cap all the way (stupid mistake on my part). but not only that but on and off the locking mechanism to stop you from going to 5th to reverse doesn't close sometimes. anybody know why? so far its been a bad month and now i am scared to do anything to it even sometimes drive it, because something might happen. Oh yea i forgot to mention that it was at the dealer all day today (January 9th with 3880 miles on it now) and they fixed that problem and there was a burning smell under the hood and it was because when they fixed the car the first time they had to take the whole engine out and didn't tighten the oil cover tight, it was loose, so oil was coming out. Dont get me wrong I LOVE this car its just that I have had to put it in the shop more times in 6 weeks than i did my 02 GT-S eclipse. Oh yea, to make this car the best overall car would have to be..... more toruqe.....142lbs, come on it needs more.

hen263 · February 2004

what did you (or your friend) do to blow the engine?

are you saying you tried to shift from 5th to 4th and ended up in reverse?? are you pistol gripping the shifter?

vickat · February 2004

Thanks for sharing! Actually, if I drive this RSX base within 55-65 mph range, gas mileage turns out much better than my usual 75 to 80. Well, hard to complain on that! Still, I think Acura should've done better job on fit/finish. BTW, sometimes, after driving in wet weather, I can feel the odor of burned rubber coming from rear right wheel area. Any suggestions? - thanks, Victor

nitromax · February 2004

BTW, sometimes, after driving in wet weather, I can feel the odor of burned rubber coming from rear right wheel area. Any suggestions?

"FEEL" the odor? My, aren't we talented?
:-)

I'm assuming you mean smell the odor. Is this after getting out of the car and smelling near the right rear tire area?

zero2sixty_ms · February 2004

he was at a stop light and floored it. When he was trying to go to 4th gear at high RPMs he put it into 2nd instead which in turn over reved the engine. to the 2nd Question you asked. just driving casually around town i know that the locking mechanism isn't closed because I can put the shifter far right past 5th. When the locking mechanism is closed you cant go that far right. i never accidentally threw it in reverse while driving because when i go to 6th gear its a smooth transition. when the locking mechanism is open while driving i can feel the grind as i i try to go to 6th but know its trying to go to reverse, so i just be careful and find the 6th gear slot and put it in 6th.

vickat · February 2004

Yes, correct: walking around the car, I can smell burned rubber odor near the right rear tire, but only after driving in wet weather.
What'd that be?

hen263 · February 2004

on other boards a lot of the fast and furious types can't understand why Acura won't pay for their blown engine after they do just what your friend did: misshift. i just have to shake my head. 1) it's piss poor driving to misshift like that, and 2) i think Acura has been very lenient (the first time) for this screw up.

tell your "friend" they are done ever sitting in the driver seat and they should pay for every bit that Acura doesn't cover.

re: the lock out, i don't think the synchros wd let you put it into reverse from 5th, but to do so wd basically mean you might as well get an automatic. (when i say you i mean the "universal you").

nitromax · February 2004

correct: walking around the car, I can smell burned rubber odor near the right rear tire, but only after driving in wet weather.
What'd that be?

You got me there. Maybe someone else knows what it could be.

If it was all weather, I might wonder if you're confusing the smell with the catalytic converter smell, but you only smell it during wet weather.

Are you driving the car hard (high rpms) right before you smell it?

Have you run over any rubber ducky's recently?
(perhaps it got lodged up in your wheel well area)
:-)

li_sailor · February 2004

Just my 2 c...I have no complaints re FNF with my '02 type S. Everything's tight and clean.

I do, however, have the notchy 3rd gear problem...even pops out occasionally (rare, but annoying) on the shift. I plan to have it addressed when I take it in for my (overdue) 15k service. I note that there are several TSBs on this.

I have no idea about the smell thing...perhaps others have a guess.

vickat · February 2004

Hey, thanks for the suggestions, rubber ducky included!
I suspected cat converter, but it doesn't seem to be the case.
To answer your question, no, I didn't drive car hard before stopping and getting out and smelling this burned rubber thingy. Latest hypotesis is it's rubber bushing next to the muffler. Possibly, Acura used some kind of grease on this bushing, and hot water reacts with the grease with the smell as a byproduct. How 'bout that? I plan ask dealer this question at next service visit, but I don't expect much...

5port · February 2004

You ran over a plastic bag. Its now stuck to the bottom of your Cat converter. Its been on there so long now that it is quite dried out so for the most part it does not smell. Then along comes a rainy day and the water reactivates the plastic again, hence the odor. It happens.

zero2sixty_ms · February 2004

yea i know that Acura was very fair and yes my friend will never sit in my driver seat. Also he knew he did it so he did pay the left over amount.

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