Acura RL Maintenance and Repair

had · July 2006

I was one of the first to have a white 2005 back in Nov 2004 and complained every few weeks. The dealer sent me to the their body shop and they performed heat test on the temperature around the bumper. It was extremely high. Hot enough to eventually discolor the bumper. We looked at a black RL in the shop and it's bumper was discoloered (more miles on it). The body shop contacted Honda and they were told they we aware of the problem and a fix may eventually come out (it's out now, which amounts to inserts in the exhast pipe). The body shop went ahead and extended the exhast pipe out 1/2-3/4 inches and the black soot problem went away. When the fix came out they installed the inserts too! Great customer service!

am_odessa · July 2006

you can check out http://www.curryacuracare.com/ for warranty info

steveinindy · July 2006

Thanks for the reply. I had 2006 exhaust tips installed (the defect is fixed for the 2006 model year) and I have been problem free ever since. Acura pays for the tips and installation as a warranty item--I agree, great customer service. Steve

scottjohnson · July 2006

I got several random AFS warnings in various conditions over the first year. I let the dealer know and they were able to tell right away that positional sensor in the steering was failing. The dealer replaced it and I haven't had any issues since. That's the only glitch I've had in my '05 in 18 months.

luken001 · July 2006

Occasionally, I turn the key in the ignition and nothing happens. If I then turn it fully left and then back to start, everything works fine. We've been having the problem for years but it is happening more frequently now. Anyone encounter this problem? Is it the ignition switch or a relay some place else?

kellyk · July 2006

I just purchased a brand new 2006 RL a month ago and it's just way too noisy. My family owns a Honda Pilot and Lexus es330 and it has the most road noise. I understand that Toyota cars are known for its quite ride, but even worse than the Pilot? Perhaps, something wrong with my car?? Is anyone having same complaints?
It's a $50,000 car and I'm very dissapointed.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2006

Some posts were removed for flaming. Please refrain from any personal comments in the forums.

thank you,

Mrshiftright
Host

mack99 · July 2006

I sent an earlier reply to your problem - suggesting that the problem is cause by a weak battery. I had a 1994 Legend that had the same exact problem you describe.

lorenzo2 · July 2006

From the enter destination menu the address book, today's destination, and go home are greyed out. Anyone knows how to fix this problem. 2006 rl and yes I had a destination entered before the problem.

tayl0rd · August 2006

There's nothing wrong with your car. It's just "the nature of the beast." The RLs aren't very quiet at all, despite the noise cancellation technology.

captaintruth · August 2006

1) make sure you have a 'home address' entered... go to setup > personal information > home address and make sure you have home address there

2)todays destination ... will be grey unless you have pre designated one or more destinations as "todays"

captaintruth · August 2006

2005 RL ..

Overall, I've been very disappointed with the quality of the car .. so many noises and squeaks and rattles .. like a NYC taxi...

Most recent rattle that is driving me INSANE is one that appears to be coming from the drivers seat belt .. has anyone experienced this and does anyone have a solution? Dealer cannot do anything about it and I will trade the car in if I have to listen to this much longer.

jts220 · August 2006

My 05 RL had same problem with the AFS light. Dealer traced to level sensor in the rear suspension. Dealer located problem right away, but had to fly part in. They gave me a loaner, so no problem.

carguy2615 · August 2006

In our 2006 RL, I can't pair my bluetooth phone (RAZR) with the handsfreelink system. For the second step, when you must press the talk button and say "phone set up", it always does something different, like turn the radio on. I can't get it to follow that one command for some reason. Is there any other way to pair my phone, without using the voice control system?

scottjohnson · August 2006

It sounds like you're pressing the wrong button on the steering wheel. You want the one on the wheel that has a picture of a phone on it, not the one you use to give commands for navigation or sound system. I did the same thing this weekend when pairing a phone for the first time.

andy2 · August 2006

Has anyone else had problems with bluetooth dropping calls? The phone rings, but when you answer, the call is gone. If they call back, it usually works fine. I had it into the dealer and supposedly they replaced the whole part, but it still is a problem.

lorenzo2 · August 2006

RL 2006 only on driver 1 when trying to change setting I'm getting message driver unknown customize impossible any help would be appreciated

bobrl · August 2006

I've had an intermittant problem with my Motorola 815 phone (Verizon) but not dropping calls. What happens is the incoming call shows up on the dash,and then disappears, but there is no audio thru the speakers. The call is actually connected to the phone, but there is no audio thru the handset since it is actually Bluetooth linked to the car. Powering down the phone & turning it on again has always fixed the problem.

carguy2615 · August 2006

I'm back with another problem. My 06 RL won't show any traffic on the navigation system. We've pressed "show traffic incidents" and it keeps saying that there is no traffic within 30 miles (which is not accurate). We also made sure that the options to show traffic, etc., were on. I even looked up on the xm navtraffic website to see if our area is covered, and it is (even down to the county). I know it should work, because it did when we picked it up at the dealer. Any suggestions?

thaishark · August 2006

I had this exact same issue. lucky for me i noticed it before i left the dealer.
The issue is the key fob is not properly linked to the car.
I dont know offhand how to do the link, as the service guys did it in about 2 minutes for me. BUt it may be in the manual, if not have them do it at your next service.

xeroate · August 2006

I've read some posts here and I'm kinda glad i'm not alone on this one. Had to change my battery twice in the matter of 2 years. It's in the shop while i type this.

They said I may not be turning off the ignition all the way *rolls eyes* the first time. We'll see what they say this time.

Anyone with the battery problems get a fix or an answer for this?

P.S. for those of you who have squeeks, mine went away after about 3 months. it was coming from the driver's side of the dash.

daveh8 · August 2006

I have the same issue, can any one help?

jim_agnew_2 · September 2006

Had the same problem, required that the GPS be replaced under warranty. The computer that controlled the display at the bottom of the speedometer also failed a week before.

niclio5 · September 2006

Hello everyone- I am new to this board and need some help. My 2001 RL (106k) has recently been having issues with door locks, driver door trunk release and steering wheel mounted radio controls. Each door will intermittently stop responding to the key fob and drivers side lock button. The driver's rear door has stopped responding altogether. The trunk release no longer opens the trunk. The steering wheel mounted radio controls at times will function properly, other times the volume will change the station, or the volumes controls will perform the opposite function (lowering volume button causes volume to increase). Trying the volume contriols once or twice more can get them to function properly. Anyone experience the same or similar? any help or commentary is appreciated-
Marc

acuraphile · September 2006

Has anyone had their tires purged of air (by the dealer) and refilled with "NitroFill," refined nitrogen? I had this done today on the dealer's recommendation. The cost was modest but the purported benefits quite interesting:

Increased tire life
Improved fuel economy
Better braking and handling
Reduced chance of tire failure
Reduced wheel corrosion
Maintains tire pressure despite changes in temperature

I had never before heard of the product. Has anyone used this product on the dealer's recommendation?

George

jim_agnew_2 · September 2006

I have a 2006 w/tech pkg and the PAX tires. Had them dealer filled with nitrogen and found them quieter and handle better.

Jim

tayl0rd · September 2006

I don't know how nitrogen would make the tire quieter, but I can say that it does maintain pressure fabulously. I guess I'm speaking from experience. :confuse: I bought a set of wheels and tires from The Tire Rack in the Spring of 2005. I rarely drive the car that the tires are on but every time I check them, they haven't lost a drop of pressure sense they've been on the car. I don't know if The Tire Rack filled them with nitrogen or if it's just a really, really good seal on the tires and valves. I'm betting they used nitrogen. (Maybe I should call them and ask what they use to fill tires. Hmm... :shades: )

cocopuffs · September 2006

Is the problem persistent? I've seen that sometimes it takes up to a minute for mine to register any traffic incidents. I just give it a few seconds, and try again, and it's always worked.

sburke7 · October 2006

One week old RL and keep getting this message,,,metro area is convered,,,I think one has to go to XM site,,,then call to activate this feature?,,,

I have tried "everything in the book" setting up,etc,,

Surely this is not a faulty GPS,,,as travel directions,etc all work,,,

Imput?,,,

Thanks!,,,

jim_agnew_2 · October 2006

I had the same problem after 8 months and it required the GPS to be replaced.

I also had the computer that drives the Speedometer display go bad two weeks earlier

Jim

Jim_Agnew_2@Yahoo.Com

sburke7 · October 2006

Jim,

Thanks for your quick response!,,,all the other screens are working,,,visually at least!,,,were there any other symptons to your GPS going bad?,,,mine reads and calculates,etc,,,just no traffic shown,,,

Thanks.

SM

sburke7 · October 2006

I have been unable to use either of these features so I called customer support,,,My BlueTooth Phone works fine; able to place and receive calls- however, I do not have "data function" on my Nokia Phone?,,,I asked for an example of what that "data" function is and no one is able to tell me,,,but, I was told not having that function on my phone prevents utilizing real time traffic reports (I live in a city which is listed for service), as well as not able to connect to Acura Link!

When I tried to connecting with ALK,system identified the carrier, went thru 'easy process method', phone "bluetooth" would disconnect while trying to reach,,,then "reconnect" after telling me test connect had failed!

Any similar experiences?

Thanks.

SM

jim_agnew_2 · October 2006

No other GPS problems, The traffic reports come via the XM radio, however my XM radio seemed to be operating fine so it was the GPS interface between the XM and the GPS that must have been bad. I know that the cure was to replace the GPS.

Jim

sburke7 · October 2006

Simple cure,,,I called XM Radio,,,that feature was not added to my 'basic' radio plan when initially set by dealer,,,was able to get it free for one year-working great!

Quite surprised that 3 salespeople from Acura had no clue as to why I could not initially get coverage! Neither had an answer as well!,,,I would bet they are told Not to add this feature if their local market traffic is not covered by this perk,,,

Thanks for your follow-up!

SM

kurtamaxxxguy · October 2006

Not all Lexus dealers are helpful. In S. California, we have a few bad ones that are very pushy and "old school", particularly in Santa Clarita, CA.

Sorry, though, to hear Acura dealers are not as good as they should be.

satire · November 2006

It just slams down if I let go of it. Whatever mechanism is used to slowly open and keep it up is broken. Probably won't take it in for a couple of weeks. I just wanted to add this to the growing list of things that go wrong.

If anything of interest comes out of this, I'll be back to share.

sburke7 · November 2006

my drivers side lower fog lamp lens is split,,,not back rock,,,simply by rinsing with hose while washing!,,,do not know if this is covered by warranty!,,,sure hope so,,,anyone else encountered this?,,,please copy and paste below for pic,,,

Thanks,,,

SB7
[img]http://www.hostmypiconline.com/images/DSC02404.JPG[/img]

pat · November 2006

Here's the pic:

sburke7, rather than keying in [img] and [/img], click the Img button under the post box, paste in the URL, then click the Img button again.

sburke7 · November 2006

Thanks Pat!,,,

SB7

pat · November 2006

Sure thing!

You can also post your pics on your CarSpace page - it's a snap to get them there and then to display them in the Forums.

houstonrl · November 2006

I am taking my 05 RL in Monday to have another axle bearing replaced. Has anyone else had this problem? I had the first one replaced at 8K miles and this one at 18K miles. They have to replace the entire axle to fix it since the bearing and axle are one piece.
Still love the car but this is crazy.

steveinindy · November 2006

what were the symptoms of the bad axle bearing?

houstonrl · November 2006

Increasing whine starting at 30 MPH and getting pretty loud by road speed. Constant, not a clicking like a wheel bearing.

billlui · November 2006

Yes, I have the same problem which needs to replace the battery twicw in 9 months. I did turn the ignition all the way off. Will bring in the car for check-up this week,
What did they tell you the second time you have the battery replaced?

badbuy · November 2006

Bought a new 2006 RL w/navi + wood simulated steering wheel, mats etc, back-up camera. Used by dealership (so they say) for under 4,000 miles. BUT, having horrible gas mileage in first week. On two last fill ups, 14.2 & 14,6 mpg!!! No gas smell so no leaks...dealership says the mixed blend winter gas (90%gas10%eth) plus not enough break-in accounts for low mileage. Don't believe that can make a 22% reduction from rated 18 mpg. (my driving so far is suburban/small city, not highway yet)

Has anyone experienced the same horrible mpg?? Any idea what's wrong? Our state has a very strong lemon law so I'll keep going back to document this horrible situation.

Thanks for any help you may have on this issue.

happynana · November 2006

I have a 2005 RL. The good news is that probably nothing is wrong with your car. The bad news is that 14mpg in city/suburban driving is about what you can expect, especially if you are making lots of short(i.e.under about 5 mile) trips. On the highway, you will get much better mileage. I get 14 in the suburbs and about 28 on the highway.

Good luck with your new car!

jim_agnew_2 · November 2006

I have a 2006 RL with the Tech package and the hwy mileage is about 26+ mpg. However, the city driving mileage is not great. I have complained to Acura about the redicously high shift points under low manifold pressure (e.g., light acceleration). The overdrive (5th) shift point will not occur until 48 mph. I drive the same route each day of 19 miles each way some local and most 60-70 mph highway. My Infinity I35 3.5L 260hp averaged 21.5 - 22.7 MPG over many years. The RL gets 20.1-20.7! I tried driving the same route a number of times manually shifting each gear at 2500 RPM and can get 24-25 MPG.

I believe that most of the low fuel mileage is caused by a "performance" shift algorythem being use rather than allowing for an economy one.

Having had a lot of experience with GPS systems and moving maps for aircraft and roads I pointed out to Acura that given the GPS integration that they could include on the DVD disk the readily available terrain information down to 1/2 minute (1/2 SqMi). This would allow dynamic shift algorythems that could be predicted prior to need just like the driver starts to accelerate as he reaches a hill and not wait until you start to slow down.

This would allow some reasonable set of shifting algorythems like "flatland, hills, mountains, etc.".

Jim

bobrl · November 2006

14 mpg is about right for non highway runs. I've found I can exceed the EPA highway estimate on a straight highway run. Using a VERY LIGHT FOOT on a 180 mile highway only run, I got 31 mpg. This was a conscious effort to see how high I could go. Normally I'm in the 25 mpg range on the highway. I also had under 4,000 miles when I did this.

royal3 · December 2006

I bought my 06 RL(non-tech) on Nov. 19th. I paid $41,000 which includes free backup cam($770), trunk tray($99), splash guard($135) and wheel locks($82). And I added sealant($430, ouch! It should have been done by local detailing shop).

1. The car was so smooth, nice ride quality, no rattle, and very quiet.
2. A couple of days later I realized my RL had PAX system(RFT). Since I saw bad reviews on RFT, I asked the dealer to bring original tires and wheels. The salesman didnt know why my RL had PAX on it. Seems a Tech pack customer didnt want the PAX and swapped the tires. Anyway the dealer replaced the PAX by standard stock tires and wheels.
3. Wow! The tire noise is excessive. Even my wife immediately noticed. I thought transmission or engine noise. But it came from the tires(Pilot HX MXM4). The noise is much louder than my 10 year old Camry. I guess the noise level of PAX has been improved. But Im not sure how long it can maintain the same level of noise and ride quality. I seriously think to replace the stock tires by Pilot Sport A/S. Acura should consider to chagne the stock tires.
4. When I picked up my RL right after the sealant job, there was a rattle from the passenger side chrome molding of the audio control console and passenger side dash board attached to the chrome. I guess the technician pressed hard the area during the sealant job. The dealer said a slip in the chrome molding was loose and they replaced. Now no rattle.
5. I feel the lack of low end torque as others. It looks the gear tends to stay at higher gear than it should be (but rpm was not low). Even if I sit in rear seat, I can feel some grinding noise/vibration. Either Acura should improve the torque or update the firmware to make sure the smooth gear transition. It is annoying. To avoid this bad feel, I have to push the acceleration pedal hard or use Manual mode. RL is lighter than MDX and has more power. I dont understand the bad feel of low end torque.
6. The gas mileage is 16.7 mpg(my commute includes 3 mile highway drives). The camry shows 23 for the same daily route. My MDX(my wife drives around town) has 16 mpg(if I drive, I can get about 18).

06 MDX(green/black): Nav. and RES
06 RL (black/black)
97 Camry

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02 MDX(black/saddle)
88 Camry

powerchief · December 2006

I am up for my first oil change in my 2006 RL. I have my first oil change free at the dealership but I am curious if I will need to continue going to the dealership for the life of the car. Is the RL oil change complicated or can I simply take my car to a Jiffy Lube or a similar type of business?
Any feedback would be appreciated....

Acura RL Maintenance and Repair

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