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Comments
My last car was an LS 430 and each has some advantages over the other.
I've seen similar comments here and elsewhere about every LPS, except Lexus. Nearly every make of car will have its lemons and disgruntled owners. I'm on my third Acura and while they haven't been trouble free (nothing serious, though), I love Acuras and I love my 2005 RL.
Last week they installed 2 new TSBs: 05-022 (another) XM/AcuraLink Update and 05-027 (another) PCM Update.
My dealer is hoping the lastest 2 TSBs will fix the AFS Errors... So far, no problems, but only time will tell. Both times they notified XM of the new radio ID, so service was not interrupted.
Which TSBs were applied to your RL when your AFS problems started?
4 of my friend have the car
no feedback on seat however:
all have rattle in the same place in the dash
all have had XM reception problems (SF)except me (first RL did)
all have seat belt sign in "off" position when someone is sitting on passengers front seat
My gripe: The last time the AFS warning cilityame on I was pulling to a stop - FLASH - FLASH DING! and I bumped a Ford F250. Put a $832 dent in the front bumper. The dealership would not give me any relief but did suggest calling Acura Client services. The guy that called me said they had no responsibilty(True. It was my fault). But he was very arrogant, uncaring and hostile.. What a piece of work. So much for ACURA customer service.
1. Main cruise button on steering wheel.
2. Select/reset button on trip computer.
3. Both back buttons on the steering wheel for the voice commands.
I would really appreciate it if someone could tell me if these buttons light up.
My 2005 RL's headlights are HORRIBLE on unlighted roads. I can't see anything 50 in front of the car. There is a black curtain and total darkness. Hills are really bad. Wow is this unsafe. the dealer says this is normal.
This is a crash waiting to happen. Beware.
I highly recommend them
Acura has a history of quality and dependability. Many other makers, including cadillac that you refer to, do not. Maybe CD got a rare problem car for this automaker.
>>Read the 40,000 long term test of the Acura RL, Car&Driver took it off
>>it's 10 best list because of all the problems they had with the car,
>>8 unscheduled dealer visits to fix a host of problems, they were
>>not happy with this car.
ilas responded:
>Acura has a history of quality and dependability. Many other makers,
>including cadillac that you refer to, do not. Maybe CD got a rare
>problem car for this automaker.
Consumer Reports has issued their "Top Picks for 2006", in which they select the best models in 10 categories. The Infiniti M35/45 took top honors over the RL in the Luxury Sedan category. The Consumer Reports review of the RL concludes "We expect reliability to be average, according to our latest subscriber survey. [New Car Reliability: Average (3/5)]"
That's pretty damning for Acura, especially since the TL is the top rated Sedan in the $30k-40k range. However, it certainly appears to reflect and expand on exactly what is shared on these boards, as well as apparently backing up exactly what was experienced by Car & Driver: a host of annoying technical issues experienced by thousands of new RL owners with the newly designed RL.
Compare that to Consumer Reports' reliability rating for the Infiniti M35/45: "First-year reliability has been outstanding. [New Car Reliability: Much better than average (5/5)]"
The RL and the M35 are both clearly excellent vehicles, but the data now conclusively shows that the new RL has some serious reliability issues, especially when compared to both Acura's own very highly rated TL, as well as their main competition, the Infiniti M35.
However, it now seems quite clear that the M35 is the superior vehicle, especially when reliability data is factored in.
"Maybe CD got a rare problem car for this automaker"? Yeah, obviously Car & Driver clearly DID get a problem RL...as did several thousand other folks who participate in the Consumer Reports surveys, apparently (such as myself).
- Racer X
I'm pretty sure the 2004 RL did not have Bluetooth and if it did, it's not part of the navi system. There's no connection between the two.
My statements reflect a belief, not necessarily a fact. Let's see what happens with the 06 RLs. My money is on the RL becoming as reliable as it has always been with consumer reports. Acura may have rushed the 2005 model into production, but their history of reliability suggests that they will correct the problems and return the RL to an excellent reliability rating. No way Acura lets their reliability perceptions decline over the long run.
FWIW, I like the M also. Both the M and RL are fine cars. I chose the 06 RL over the m35x. At 4500 miles, I have zero regrets and would do it all over again if I needed to.
RE: connection, in my RX, the bluetooth option was available only as a part of the NAVI system. All settings, are in the navi menu, all instructions are in the navi manual.
I have heard of some electrical errors with the 05, but that was its baby blues year. Most should have been corrected for the 06 model. In every new car that I have bought, I always wait till the first year goes by so the manufacturer has time to clean out the glitches.
I drove both the m35x and the RL and picked the RL. Each car has its advantages, but I have had extraordinarily good experience with Honda products, there was more competition in my area among Honda dealers than Infiniti dealers. For me, it was a real close choice.
I saw some headlight comments. The lighting pattern is apparently typical of xenon lights. Same on my MINI, Pacifica and a past Audi.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/complaintsearch.cfm
proved to be "illuminating".
The RL has 4 NHTSA complaints for the headlights. Seems to be a problem on unlit roads and poor headlight visibility.
Do other owners experience this on unlit roadways? My headlights are terrible! I can't see over 50 feet and the dealer says they are properly adjusted.
Tom
I test drove the RL and only sat in the GS, the GS felt much more spacious to me.
In any event, I am going to test drive the GS in the coming weeks and get a through sense of its interior volume.
Does anybody have any other concerns with new 06 prior to delivery/
I posted a message about ten minutes ago and it never appeared. It concerned the RL's headlights. What happened?
George
web site:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/complaintsearch.cfm
Why don't you just repost your thoughts?
To the right of the ODI text box is the vehicle search option. Leave the "vehicle" choice selected,
then...
Click on the "Search Selected Type" button and you can conduct a rearch of any vehicle, including the RL, by make, model, year, and component complaint.
A very informative web site. When you choose the component eg "Exterior Lighting: Headlights" be sure to check the check box for a full summary to read the actual complaint.
Based on prior posts here, I adjusted them myself (don't let the dealer BS you) and have substantially improved the situation but they are far, far from perfect or confidence inspiring. However, and this is a big however, these headlights are without question the worse ever put to a Honda vehicle. I'm convinced the designers were ten year olds who had nothing but flashlights to work with.
Bottom line, if you do a lot of night driving particularly on dark, narrow, winding roads, DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!! The headlights are the weakest link in an otherwise outstanding automobile. And it is this link that will cause Honda/Acura a lot of problems. Accidents will happen, people will be injured (or worse). Shame on you Honda/Acura. You damn near built a perfect car. What the hell were you thinking when you came up with those useless headlights?
Seriously, what were you thinking??????
I have had it in to Acura service but since it is intermittent, they have not been able to find anything.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I am not doubting you and the other posters, but I have just not noticed any problem with the lights. I will say that the demarcation line with these types of lights is very sharp, so maybe that creates an illusion of not being able to see; in contrast, my MDX has a fuzzy demarcation line out ahead of the car. I remember that Consumer Reports also trashed the M low intensity headlights for not having enough power.
But you do bring up something else that is most annoying. That demarcation line. Riding over a road that is less than perfectly smooth, the low beams are constantly bouncing up and down. Any little body movement is greatly exagerated at 30 to 50 feet in front. Sort of the effect one would expect in a car built 80 years ago.
I do love most other aspects of this car. But since I'm finding myself doing a lot of night driving, I'd love for Acura/Honda to take this car back right now and we just call it even. I do experience some stress and a certain amount of fear each time I'm out on a dark, deserted road. I just know that I'm not going to see Bambi in time and there goes my windshield.