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Acura RL Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • aaaedgarpoeaaaedgarpoe Member Posts: 107
    Does it have an activated-charcoal filter and/or a smog sensor that automatically recirculated in-cabin air if the outside air is very poor (like in more and more luxruy cars -- even the Lexus IS)?
  • mnfunkmnfunk Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 RL & had the iPod connection installed at the dealer. My iPod is a 40G, about 18 months old. I've installed the software, etc. but the only thing that seems to work is the random play on Disc 6. It sounds great, but I'm hoping for more. Any thoughts?
  • bobrlbobrl Member Posts: 6
    You can make any CD a text CD. Just burn a copy on your computer.
  • llwysellwyse Member Posts: 56
    I love my '05 RL. 13,000 miles and no real problems. Was pleased with the headlights until I began reading posts here. Someone said they adjusted them up a bit. I found where to do that, but can't figure out what type of tool or how to actually make the adjustment. Help?

    I complained to the dealer about the driver's side windshield wiper not clearing the water from the passenger side wiper. Sometimes it's a problem even when stopped, but almost always a problem over 40 mph. He put on new blades, but the problem still exists. Anyone else having this problem? Find a fix?

    I just installed the 18" Acura wheels. Awesome look! My RL is Lakeshore Silver and the "black chrome" look of the wheels really compliments the car. Worth the money? Not sure, but I love the look. :)
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    Thank you for the info on how to get into the system. I had tried last night, but I could not get past the ODI thing. Really interesting site.
  • ilasilas Member Posts: 18
    Just curious, did the dealer install your wheels and tires. If so, what price did you pay. Also, does it make the steering more precise in your mind. I have been thinking about adding the wheels to my 06 RL ever since I bought it back in November.
  • drgreg67drgreg67 Member Posts: 1
    im a new rl owner and while driving home after a 1 hour trip, the car literally 'died' one second after the 'charging system' failure alarm came on.
    i had the car towed to the local dealer who 'could not find any problem' but also cant get the car started. the car doesn't 'turn over' but all interior lighting/electrical works. the car has 2500 miles on it and up to now, has not had any problem.
    any suggestions???
  • ilasilas Member Posts: 18
    The 06 RL has a loud warning beep and message in the driver control center (on the instrument panel) when you open the door and the ignition switch is still in the accessory position. The O5 apparently did not have such a safeguard. It will be almost impossible for someone not to turn the car off properly with this beeping noise and reminder.
  • nebraskaguynebraskaguy Member Posts: 341
    The 06 RL has a loud warning beep and message in the driver control center (on the instrument panel) when you open the door and the ignition switch is still in the accessory position. The O5 apparently did not have such a safeguard. It will be almost impossible for someone not to turn the car off properly with this beeping noise and reminder.

    Actually, the 05 RL has this safeguard, as well. The problem is that on very rare (at least for me) occasions, you can turn it past Accessory, but still not have it completely turned off. When this happens, the alarm doesn't beep when you open the door. The only clues this has happened are that the steering wheel doesn't retract, and you can't lock the door.
  • jtsjts Member Posts: 15
    Yes, I had the dealer adjust the headlights up a bit. I told them to ignore the manufacturers specs if necessary. They moved them up just a bit but were careful not to set them too high that they might annoy oncoming traffic or the car in front. I have driven many highway and city miles at night including secluded country roads and they are noticably better with no headlight flashing from other cars. The sharp cutoff of xenons is definitely something you have to get used to though.
  • llwysellwyse Member Posts: 56
    Just curious, did the dealer install your wheels and tires. If so, what price did you pay. Also, does it make the steering more precise in your mind. I have been thinking about adding the wheels to my 06 RL ever since I bought it back in November.

    Yes, they were installed by the dealer. They were on a showroom car. Tires are Michelin Pilot Sports. Total was about $2900 out the door for wheels and tires. A good deal, IMO! Steering is more precise, but the trade-off is that it is also more sensitive to road variations so takes a little more attention. Not a bad thing, really. Overall handling is better. Ride is more firm -- a function of lower profile and harder sidewall.

    I got them mostly for looks, and also wanted to have summer and winter tires. I will probably try something other than the Michelins when the summer tires are worn.
  • llwysellwyse Member Posts: 56
    Yes, I had the dealer adjust the headlights up a bit.

    It's nice to know your dealer was willing to ignore the specs. I'll try that, too. Someone also mentioned adjusting them himself. I found where, but haven't figured out how or what tool to use. Help?
  • gospeedracer2gospeedracer2 Member Posts: 1
    anyone know of a website that you can download this manual.
    lost mine.
    HELP...
  • josheeljosheel Member Posts: 73
    Before I plunk the money down. Can anyone confirm (without a doubt) that these tire are really quieter than the oem's. Thanks
  • gwestboundgwestbound Member Posts: 22
    Here’s my latest adventure getting my Acura RL serviced at the dealership.

    I asked the dealer to provide a Type 2 service, and a warranty adjustment to a sticking front seat belt. My car is 18-months old, but has only 8,500-miles. The oil and filter are changed every 3-months, five times so far at an average 1,700-mile interval. There has been a previous comprehensive inspection.

    The dealer performed $80 of unsolicited services additional to Acura’s published maintenance requirements. Coincidentally, most cost $15 plus labor and taxes. They termed the first three chemical services.

    • Motor oil additive, $15.
    • Gasoline additive, $15.
    • Door and window gasket silicone spray, $15.
    • Brake rotor polishing disk, $15. (The maintenance service calls for inspecting the brakes.)
    • Seat belt retractor lubricant, $15. (Warranty)
    • The ubiquitous environmental charge no one can satisfactorily itemize.

    Saying, "I thought you would appreciate the extra care and attention we gave your car," the manager reduced the bill about $50, but appeared to be offended.

    On arrival home I found a fresh foot-long scratch on the painted lower front bumper panel. It looks like a hydraulic floor jack may have been wheeled into it.

    I doubt I’ll return to the dealer unless I have a warranty claim, and can watch what they do.
  • drgkjedrgkje Member Posts: 21
    recently purchased a low mileage (<5k) 04 RL. Have 3 queations:

    1. Road noise seems excessive, seems more than a TL I test drove (on the same roads) and a 6-yr-old Lexus RX300. Is this what is expected from this car?

    2. with the compression ratio at 9.6, why is primium fuel required (knocking should not be a problem)..is it only to get more power? Any problem in using regular (I am OK with less power)?

    3. Getting around 16.8 MPG (in Northern NJ) in 70% city driving, is this normal?

    I searcehd the forum but did not find any specific info for 04..any comments or info will be apprciated.
  • gwestboundgwestbound Member Posts: 22
    Consumer Reports&#146; review of the near identical 2002 Acura RL reported, "The cabin stays quiet, although it's not as well isolated from the road as the other cars' cabins." The others were a Cadillac Deville, Oldsmobile Aurora and Lincoln Continental. My 2004 RL&#146;s highway road noise is a bit louder than some others, but not objectionable.

    A 9.6:1 compression ratio doesn&#146;t seem to warrant premium grade gasoline. I detected no ill effects after inadvertently refueling with regular, however I&#146;m reluctant to switch permanently. Most sources indicate increased gasoline consumption will negate savings.

    MSN Autos report 2004 RL fuel mileage at 18 city/24 highway. Four of 30 owners reporting complained about higher than expected gasoline consumption. I get 2 or 3 mpg better fuel mileage than you&#146;re reporting under similar driving conditions, but I&#146;m very light on the throttle.

    link title
  • drgkjedrgkje Member Posts: 21
    thanks...gwestbound
  • satiresatire Member Posts: 71
    You'll need a long shaft, flat head screwdriver. If you shine a light down into the adjustment hole you'll see a white, plastic cap. This covers the adjustment screw. I just pushed mine off since it would be a difficult job to remove it and put it back on. Once the cap is gone, turn the screwdriver in the direction you want. It takes several turns before you'll see any difference. I've adjusted mine two or three times and don't remember how many times I turned the screwdriver. Experiment until you're happy with the results. As I said earlier, this helps a lot but the lights still leave a lot to be desired.

    Good luck.
  • llwysellwyse Member Posts: 56
    Thanks so much, satire. It was the cap that was throwing me off. I couldn't tell for sure what it was and therefore didn't know what to do with it. Now I do. Thanks.
  • acuraphileacuraphile Member Posts: 131
    The Service Manager at my dealership expressed no reluctance to raise my headlights. I do agree, though, that despite being better, they don't fulfill their task well. I had previously called Acura Customer Relations and warned that they would be held responsible should the poor lighting system be implicated in deaths or injuries. The lighting is the only thing that detracts from the RL. I have 10,000 miles on the odo and have not yet had a malfunction, nor has a defect appeared. I love how the car handles and I find the interior luxurious and tasteful.The electronics and sound system are incomparable - easy to use and easy to listen to. I couldn't have made a better choice.
  • gwestboundgwestbound Member Posts: 22
    You're fortunate your Service Manager is helpful. His counterpart at my dealership said the headlights are on specification and refused to adjust the aim. Frankly, I doubt they even checked.
  • acuraphileacuraphile Member Posts: 131
    My advice would be to take the Service Manager aside, and in tones without anger, impress upon him in human terms how frightened your family is at night, and that your night time obligations aren't being met out of abject fear. Mention in detail the handful of occasions that caused you great alarm as a result of non-visibility and near accidents. Tell him that your wife is fearful about driving with you at night. Tell him that you can't conduct your life in this nanner and that you're frightening your children with sudden unecpected movements prompted by the sudden appearance of a strange opposing vehicle, that was virtually not revealed until the last critical moment when you made an avoidance maneuver that caused my wife to climb over the back seat and comfort the children. This is purely intolerable. Your job is not to anger the SM, it's to impress hm in human terms. Bring yout wife in once. Have her express her dismay. These are your lives,. No time to be sqeamish. Be strong - don't fold!!
    Good Luck!!

    George
  • crxsi420crxsi420 Member Posts: 2
    The chargin system failure alarm is right. You have an issue with the charging system. The battery can hold enough power to run electrical 12volts. Since electrical doesn't pull a lot of power, the battery can keep them running with out problems. Now when you start the car your battery will loose volts, and anything less than 10volts won't start your car. I'd have the battery tested (any parts store will do it for free) and that should fix the issue.
  • crxsi420crxsi420 Member Posts: 2
    Here is the thorn that has been in my spine for weeks now.

    My 1995 Acura RL gauges went out on me a few weeks back. Nothing works on them, no lights, gas, tach, speed, temp, trip meter. The only thing that does it the blinker indicator arrows. I have checked ever single fuse known in the car with my volt meter, all of them are good. I've checked every dimmer and light relay/switch i could with my volt meter, all seems normal. Now everything else in the car works with no problems, all electrical works as well. Could this be the VSS (vehicle Speed Sensor)??? Or the actual gauge cluster itself? Can the VSS shut down everything on that cluster?

    Colby
  • gwestboundgwestbound Member Posts: 22
    Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I had a similar conversation with our Service Manager, saying we were surprised on two or three occasions when objects suddenly appeared in the headlights and put it down to the very abrupt low beam cut-off. The result was disappointing.

    We like our RL, but have given up on the Acura brand. The road service department left us stranded, and the dealer's penchant for selling profit-boosting unnecessary services has resulted in squabbles. Though Acura products feel better, we have set aside the purchase of an MDX in favor of a Lexus RX 330.
  • surferricksurferrick Member Posts: 1
    i got my gun metal aluminum 18 inch rims and michelin pilot tires from curry acura for about 2500 including shipping to hawaii. they came with the tire pressure sensors. i paid 70 dollars to have a local rim shop change the tires but you probably could do this yourself. stick with the aspec acura rims, otherwise your warranty may be invalidated if you use other non-acura aftermarket rims (so i was told by my local acura dealership).

    here's the link: http://stores.ebay.com/Curry-Acura. give them a call and speak to joe.

    i'm sure you'll love them as much as i do. they really add to the aesthetics of the rl.
  • drgkjedrgkje Member Posts: 21
    Colby,

    I looked in the service manual but it only covers 96-04. However, the basic schematic is the same over the years so the following from the '96 pages may be worth a try.

    Most of the warning lights, gauges, and gauge-illumination are powered by a relay; for 96, it is the 3rd relay from the battery on the radiator side. The relay coil and contacts are powered by 2 separate fuses...assuming you have checked all three.

    The same relay also powers the outside heated power mirrors. So...
    * are the power mirrors/heaters working?

    There are a few lights that are not powered from the same relay: turn signal indicators, high-beam indicator, charging system indicator, low oil indicator..

    I understand the turn signal indicators are working....are other lights above working? High-beam should be easy to check, the charging and oil lights should come on when you turn the switch to on.

    If these lights are working, I would suspect the wiring feed or connection from the relay to the cluster. If these lights are not working, you will probably have to take the cluster out to check for damage.

    So far I have not seen any link between VSA and gauge
    cluster.

    I'll study the manual further and see if there are any links to other systems (other than the power mirrors)
  • friedoyster1friedoyster1 Member Posts: 4
    When my wife and I both enter the car (each with a keypod) it seems fairly random which keypod is picked up as primary for the drivers settings. Is there someway to get it to recognize the person coming through the driver door vs the passenger (timing maybe :) )? Or is there someway to reset it to 1 vs 2 if it picks up the wrong person (not just the seat)? Thanks,

    Brian
  • fighterwsofighterwso Member Posts: 15
    Moving to the north shore of Long Island, NY. I thought I would start using the dealer near by. I called Rallye Acura, Roslyn, NY -- for an appointment for routine service. Simple enough? Nope!

    I thought it kind of strange when the first question was "Did you buy it here?"

    They asked for my name/number and said they would call me back. (Again, a little strange!) No call ... I called back the next day! They said they would call - "When they had an opening!" Huh??? I haven't heard from them in a week! Talk about being "Blown off!"

    So ... While searching for a 'better' dealership online -- I found that Rallye won the "Precision Team Dealer of Distinction" for 4 of the past 6 years. Huh??

    Conclusions:
    1) They only service the cars they sell ... Wow, they must sell a lot of cars!
    2) They must really suck up to the customers they already have.
    3) They have Acura SNOWED big time!

    Later, I asked about the dealership from someone that lived here her whole life. I was told to never buy there! They are a bunch of "stuck up snobs"! She was judged the minute she walked in the door by her 'relaxed attire' -- The salesman assumed she wasn't able to afford the car. Quote: "Are you sure you can afford this car?" What the ...!!!

    They have lost at least 2 sales/future sales via this arrogance!

    Go ahead -- Give them a call. I'll bet you get the same response. (Mind you - they didn't even bother to check the schedule!!)
  • nebraskaguynebraskaguy Member Posts: 341
    That is so surprising, for two reasons. First, at many dealerships, service and repair is a great profit center. Second, if they provide good service to someone who didn't buy there, it encourages them to buy there the next time. That's how my dealership got me as a loyal customer. I bought my first Acura elsewhere because I got a good deal, but I took it to this dealership for service because it was close. The service was so great that now I wouldn't go anyplace else to buy an Acura, even if I could get a somewhat better deal elsewhere.

    My dealership provides bennies to customers who buy there - preferential appointments, free oil changes and free state inspections, etc., but I know they take all comers because I see many other dealer names on emblems, license plate holders, etc. on cars when I go there.
  • gwestboundgwestbound Member Posts: 22
    Acura doesn't seem to look after its customers or supervise the dealers very closely. Ours is pleasant but performs extra services without consent, and gets offended when payment is refused.

    I'm very happy with my Acura, but I won&#146;t buy another because of the regrettable dealer experience.
  • acuraphileacuraphile Member Posts: 131
    I'm sorry that your experience at Rallye was so disappointing. It's true that I bought all of my Acuras there for the past eleven years, and that I have established a relationship with them, but knowing Michael, the Service Manager, I can't imagine him behaving in this manner or precluding people who aren't Rallye customers. I suggest that you call and ask for him personally and explain your problem. Be forthright. Please post again after you've spoken with him.
  • drgkjedrgkje Member Posts: 21
    This is definitely surprising and not like my experience in northern nj.

    First, I don't think Acura, as a brand, stands for this. So, if you haven't already, you should write as well as call Acura's regional customer service. Your opinion MAY count. Recently, there was an issue with my post-service survey, surprisingly, a few minutes after the survey call, I got a call from the service manages asking why I was unhappy.

    I bought my car (used 04) in Florida in Jan 06. In Feb I took to one of the local dealers for some minor issues & oil change- they were very accomodating in every way except they did not give me a loaner. In March I took it to another local dealer, they were even better and gave me a TL as a loaner.

    I would definitely complain to Acura
  • scottjohnsonscottjohnson Member Posts: 61
    It isn't actually random, it has to do with which key last unlocked the door. Whichever key unlocks it are the settings that are used. If my wife touches the door handle first, it goes to her settings, even though I've got my key and am on the driver's side. Drives her crazy - seems to bother her more than me when it happens.
  • sad06rlowner1sad06rlowner1 Member Posts: 3
    I purchased an 06 RL in late December 2005. Loved the car for the first 2900 miles. Then it started to drag. Ran sluggish. Sounded "throaty". Check engine light came on, check emissions light, and check sh-awd light. Take it in, am told they cleared the codes, and since they didn't come back on, my car is fine. They determined that the codes were "thrown" because the car thought the engine got too hot. However, because they could not duplicate the code, they refused to do any work on it, or even check it.
    Called the hotline and was told that obviously this is a case of me not accepting that the dealership found nothing wrong with the car, and if the car is fine then there is nothing to be done. On the drive home, car acted worse than ever. Now it has no acceleration when you punch the gas if the car is revving under 2000 rpms. After punching it, the car takes between 1-2 seconds before doing anything, (I mean full seconds, one one thousand etc.)the odometer goes up to 5000 rpm and then the car lurches forward. So when cruising down the freeway, there is no passing power and no way to get out the way if an emergency situation arises. I was told I need to give the computer a second or two to determine what I am asking it to do. (Those two seconds can mean the difference between life and death.) This also happens on city streets when cruising, or slowing down to corner. Anytime the car is under 2000 rpms. Car also is now making a grinding metallic sound as it hits the higher rpms after being punched (above 5000). Car also is now shuddering when coming to a stop.
    Service director verified all complaints (except the shuddering) and then proceeded to tell me that he drove other RL's and they had the same issue, so these are not a "problem" to be fixed, they are a "characteristic" of the vehicle. He test drove it and repeatedly, when driving at 40 mph if he punched the car, the car sometimes shifted into 4th gear, sometimes 3rd, and sometimes 2nd. According to him, this is normal. This "normal" characteristic makes it difficult to drive when your car reacts differently each time under the same circumstances.
    American Honda Corp. sent DSM to test vehicle. He also test drove the other RL's on the lot and found they had the same problems. Therefore he agrees these are characteristics of the vehicle. They refuse to run any diagnostics on the vehicle or even attempt to fix anything. Mind you, the only thing that has been done on the car is that the service director drove it (he is not a mechanic he admits) the DSM drove it (he is also not a mechanic) and since they can't verify that my car drives
    "differently" than other RL's they won't pay the mechanic to diagnose the vehicle. The corporate response is that you "don't need to be a mechanic to fix a vehicle" and why should they pay for diagnostics if two non-mechanics can't verify the problem. After all, they "can't chase every ghost when customers complain." I thought that is what the warranty was for?
    They have had my car two weeks and I don't think they have opened the hood. Am told if the car doesn't say it is broken in its computer, then it is fine.
    If this is fine, then Acura RL's have tremendous drag on their engines while attempting to accelerate, they have no reliable power for passing or accident avoidance, they make grinding metal sounds, and shudder when coming to stops. Buyer beware - this did NOT show up until I had had the car for 3 months. I loved the car at purchase but when the honeymoon was over, BAM!
    Again, it is worth repeating - they have verified these complaints and say this is NORMAL.
    Don't know if it is a faulty defective transmission, faulty defective drive by wire, faulty defective computer or faulty defective catalytic converter (the last one is the service director's hunch).
    Whichever, anyone else enjoying these characteristics?

    P.S. when choosing my name for this forum I made up sadrlowner but was told that name was already taken.
  • friedoyster1friedoyster1 Member Posts: 4
    Funny... same here. My wife took the keypod out of her purse so she wouldn't win the race to the door handle anymore.
  • friedoyster1friedoyster1 Member Posts: 4
    Sadrlowner, that is bizarre... both that the car is behaving that way and that the dealership (and Acura) is treating you that way. I have a 2006 RL with similar mileage and the only symptom that even partially rings true is the drag on the engines at low RPM, but I did notice that on multiple RL's before purchasing. If they choose to ignore you the best thing that could happen is to have the transmission seize up completely...when the car is towed into the dealership they can tell you that all RL's tow the same way. :(
  • cavteccavtec Member Posts: 7
    :lemon: Problems aren't limited to you.

    "They all do that" must be taught at Acura school. My RL had sluggish performance, severe throttle lag at 50 mph, poor fuel mileage (16 mpg) and a host of electrical gremlins. Acura's response " no defect, they all do that." Acura went as far as to sent another RL out for a test drive to prove they are right. The test car got 11 mpg, had the same lag, an a variety of gremlins.

    Sorry Acura, the RL just doesn't cut it. :lemon:
  • sad06rlowner1sad06rlowner1 Member Posts: 3
    Follow up:
    Turns out the reason the car was acting so poorly was that it was in "backup" mode and stayed there. Apparently, after a code is thrown the car goes into backup mode, kind of like Windows safe mode, until it is sure it has been fixed properly. After the code is cleared, it can take up to 30 days for the car to cycle through all of its internal diagnostics to feel it is "safe" to come out of its shell again and work up to par.

    The awful part about this whole experience was how the dealership did everything it could to ignore the problem, the corporate headquarters avoided the issue and even when it became clear what had happened, I was still told 'but it could be bad gas too" - anything to blame the issue on me. They even refused to write up the service repair order explaining about the backup mode issue even though that is what the mechanic told both my husband and I in front of the service manager.
    While on the test drive, the mechanic says "yes, I remember driving with you when you came and the car ran really rough but that was because it was in backup mode because the check engine light was on". "So, how long does this mode stay in place?" "Up to a month after the light has been reset." "So, then that explains why it continued to run rough when I got it back from the dealership only a few hours after you had reset the code." "Well, not necessarily. It could be something else, like bad gas." "But you just said it was riding rough because it was in backup mode." "Yes, but that was while the light was on, so I knew that was the problem then, after that it could have been anything else (like something you did wrong)>"

    Unbelievable. Even when they KNOW what is wrong, they still won't admit it.

    Anyway, if you car runs like a golfcart, check to see that it is not in backup mode.
  • mitchtmitcht Member Posts: 3
    Sorry to hear you're having these many problems and no one to attend to them. Let me be frank - I don't own any stocks of Honda Motors nor any member of my family works for them. So I have no reason to defend them. But the facts have to be presented as they are.

    I own 2 Honda products:
    1. 1998 Accord 4 cylinders with 130,000 miles. It is such a superb product that my wife rather drive Accord than her 2005 Toyota Camry with 14,000. Mind you, Camry is very good car but in comparison - 1998 Honda Accord out does 2005 Camry.
    2. My other car is 2005 RL. I bought it in Sept 2005. It has over 8,000 miles. This car is loaded with all sorts of features. I got more bang for my buck. I love this car. I look forward to driving at each opportunity. I got 26.1 MPG at the average speed of 57 MPH; compare to what Acura declare in their Sales papers (18 - 26 MPG).

    Is it a perfect car? No! I've experienced 2 problems with this car. One the grinding vibration between 1500 - 1700 RPM as many have mentioned. Two - I've driven this car up to 108 MPH and noticed that the tire vibration between 70-80 MPH. don&#146;t know why between 70-80 and why not at any other speed. Since the tires were rebalanced I have not taken the car for high speed test. Other than these 2 problems I've not encounter any other issue.

    I have taken my car to the dealer for these issues and regular car services. Each time I went to the dealer they were more than cordial to accommodate me. I can not ask for more than this from dealer and the Tech support.

    IMHO - Could this car be improved? YES!
    1. Fix the grinding vibration between 1500 - 1700 RPM.
    2. Turning circle is wider than it should be allowed for a car of this size.
    3. Increase the size of the trunk. It is good size but not big enough.
    4. Trunk net should be standard part of the Car and it should be hung closer to the end of the trunk (closer to bumper) not in the middle of the trunk - as it is now.
    5. This is not the car issue but how Honda handles advertisement budget. It appears RL advertisement budget has to be the lowest of all other Honda car models. It is hardly advertised.

    Before I bought my RL, I spoke to many Acura car owners. I found a very high number of them to be repeat customers. It says volumes about their product and customer service.

    MitchT.
  • drgkjedrgkje Member Posts: 21
    Good to hear you are happy or at least not as sad...
    I don't own an 06 yet but have been thinking of getting it.

    2-1/2 questions:
    reading your post, it appears that this so called "back up mode" has no visible lights or warning messages..right? If that is the case, Acura needs to address this. Most trivial conditions have warnings, e.g., washer fluid low. Even if there is no warning light/message, any indication the dealer should have seen it on their diagnostic tools and cleared it?

    Does the owner manual say anything about it?
  • monstersmashmonstersmash Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1999 RL in which the tilt steering wheel is stuck in a position that is too low. I can hear the electric motor when I move the switch to adjust the position but it will only move in and out and not back up.

    Any ideas on what is wrong or what needs to be done to fix it?
  • sad06rlowner1sad06rlowner1 Member Posts: 3
    The warning light came on first to let me know that the car noticed something wrong with the emissions. When I brought it in to fix that,they did clear the code. While the code is on the car goes into backup mode to protect itself from harm. However, after the code is cleared, the car stays in backup mode while it runs through a few cycles to make sure it really is fixed and the problem has not returned. The cycles can take anywhere up to a month to complete before the car feels it is safe to return to normal mode. No matter what they have tried, the mechanics cannot "force" this cycle to complete itself. It has to do it on its own. That is why they have to return it to you in backup mode.

    At least this is the story that the mechanic told me. The owner's manual doesn't say anything about it, and I have not been able to find anyone else at Acura to verify it, and I asked the service director, the district service manager, and a seasoned Acura mechanic who is now in customer relations.

    But, I did notice the other day, that I hear a vibration/grinding kind of noise when I punch the car quickly and the engine revs high. I thought I saw something about others hearing this too. Can someone point me to the line of posts about it? Or is this different.

    Other than that, the car is now running fine.

    I agree, that the car is a technological wonder and for the money I don't think there is anything that comes close. It really has been my dream car.
  • rdharamsrdharams Member Posts: 17
    I have a 2000 RL and it been pretty much flawless so far. Recently while I was trying to change the CD selection to play a different one, I got a "E01" error code on the dash playere, and the CD player stopped working. Furthermore, the CD caddy in the trunk would not eject. It seemed stuck.

    The dealer looked at and fixed the problem and said that if it happens one more time, and they will have to change the CD changer in the trunk.

    About 2 weeks later I got the same problem and took the car back to the dealer. Dealer ordered the new part, but Acura got back saying they do not make the CD changer for the 2000 RL anymore!! Acura advised the dealer to get it fixed by a local repair shop. A local audio repair shop in downtown Houston fixed the issue by replacing the motor and lubricating the mechanism.

    My concern is why Acura has stopped making replacements for not too old vehicles (2000 in my case). Moreover, I am concerned that the CD player will break again and I will be left without a proper sound system in an expensive car. One of the key reasons I bought the brand new car was the smooth ride and a the bose sound system...

    First, has anyone else on this forum experienced this on their 2000, 2001 or 2002 RLs? If you have, I would appreciate what you did to fix the issue.

    Two, does anyone know of an after market CD changer that would work in the RL? (Just in case mine dies after the Ex. Warranty expires)
  • tedescm1tedescm1 Member Posts: 309
    To Sad06rlowner,

    I purchased a new tl that had a serious driveline vibration. When I complained, they told me it was "characteristic of the car"...just like they told you

    Just remember...Acura does not build lemons...and they don't fix them either.
  • drgkjedrgkje Member Posts: 21
    thanks..looks like acura still has not really ironed out all the bugs from this high-tech machine...i am tempted to hold on to my 04 for a while
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Sorry to hear about your disappointment with your dealer. It would be against the rules I believe to name the dealer. Just tell us where you live.
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    The majority of the owners are really enjoying this car. If you come to this particular forum to get a recommendation about the car it's skewed by a very small number. I have 18,000 miles on my 2005 and have to give it a perfect score. Best car I've owned in 47 years of ownership.
  • nebraskaguynebraskaguy Member Posts: 341
    The majority of the owners are really enjoying this car. If you come to this particular forum to get a recommendation about the car it's skewed by a very small number. I have 18,000 miles on my 2005 and have to give it a perfect score. Best car I've owned in 47 years of ownership.

    Ditto! Except for the 47 years part - I'm not quite that old. :-)
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