mrag

My 2014 MDX SH-AWD TECH has 44,000 miles over the past 28 months. I am on a first name basis with the entire Service Department at my local Acura dealer, because I have been there too many times for repairs. These include:

14,500 - repaired rear seat rattles
16,150 - replaced roof drip moldings on rear hatch
21,500 - software updates on steering
23,000 - replaced bulkhead cover strikers and latches, second rear seat repair
25,350 - left front wheel bearing replacement
26,500 - AC compressor clutch bolt recall replacement
28,000 - power tailgate switch replacement
33,200 - blower motor replacement, door sill plate replacement
39,600 - headliner clip replacement
42,800 - direct injection pump replacement, rear camera software update
44,000 - telematics control unit replacement

Wow - this list looks even longer when writing it out vs. what I thought I had remembered...

Seems I have three options before me, as the bumper-to-bumper warrantee will be up in about 90 days. 1) buy extended warrantee at over $2,000 2) pay future repairs as needed 3) dump it and start over.

Therefore, I would like to hear from others as to what your experiences are. Have you dealt with other repairs not on this list? I recognize the first model year is going to have a few "gremlins" but this is way in excess from my past Acura/Honda experience. So, the big question is - what's next??

Kirill

what did this update fix ?

mrag

The rear camera software update was supposed to correct an issue with the camera view remaining on screen when shifting back to drive - it would occasionally hang for a few seconds before returning to the navigation view. I believe there is a TSB for this. The issue was infrequent, but it has occurred once since the software update so I am not convince it really did anything...

CTNYC

Sounds like my 2013 ILX Hybrid... Multiple instances when I literally left the dealership and halfway home would turn around for a new issue.... Had everything from the sunroof rails to the horn to the rear shocks to hybrid system go bad... Oh any it would randomly leave me stranded (car would not start). I was also on a first name basis with my entire service department and loaner car staff. Sounds like you just got a bad car out of the bunch (like I did with my ILX)

mrag

So, did you dump your ride or pony up for an extended warranty and keep it? I am at the crossroads of such a decision now...

9SpeedTran

Wow I got a fairly early Tech SH-AWD and had a few problems but nothing like that. Sorry to hear it!

pickettt

I don't know if we're comparing apples to apples because of the age and level of car, but I had the same experience with my 2001 Subaru Forester. It was the biggest POS for the first 50,000 miles. I was cursin' the hell out of that car, and every Japanese person that may have been in proximity when it was built. My list of broken and malfunctioning parts was at least as long as yours. Fortunately, it was all covered under warranty. However, since that 50,000 mile mark, that car has been PERFECT (now at 224,000 miles). Hopefully, you get all of the bugs worked out before the warranty expires an enjoy trouble free miles after that. I haven't had any trouble with my 2015 MDX Advance yet, but for me, $2K (which may be negotiable) isn't too bad if it'll get you to 100k miles. Good luck.

TacoBello

Wow, that's a terribly long list. People keep thinking Honda/Acura is as reliable as it once was. I keep saying that it isn't, but alas, old stigmas are hard to break. It's lists like this that prove my point exactly. You don't buy a Honda for Honda reliability anymore.

RDX10

CTNYC

I didn't pony up for an extended warranty... My hybrid system went bad at exactly 50,001 miles (thank god my dealership/corporate did it "goodwill" although official paperwork says I purchased it with 10 miles on it). It is still in my family (Was going to sell it at a loss, but my parents decided they would rather have it because they think I was making this all up so I had stories to tell... I still have a pending lawsuit with Honda/Acura on it... since around 40k miles, has a bit under 70k now. Most things seems to have been fixed under warranty, but an issue that first came up around 14k or so (the car randomly not starting - Might have been sitting for 5 minutes or 5 hours, just randomly happens) still persisted. Acura made "repairs" (parts alone were $700ish plus the dealership said that the field engineer and the techs spent more than 12 working hours looking for the issue, but if I didn't get my lawyer involved, this probably would not have been fixed.) and my parents didn't have issues with it yet (been about 3 weeks). I'm a business person (owned several businesses) so I know the ins and outs of sales, and the sheer profit with extended warranties/service program (albeit in a different industry). Looking back, I think it would have save me a whole lot of time, effort, etc to just dump it when it was around 22k miles, when I first had doubts with the car - Would have lost ~$1000, but would have literally saved 50 hours of my time plus at least 500 miles going back and forth from my dealership.

If you 've had that many issues, if you can financially absorb it, I'd personally say to just take a hit and move on (as long as we're talking a couple thousand and not $5k to $10k) Might be worth trying out CarMax for an appraisal, their business hasn't been performing as well as it could be because they can't get their hands on enough in demand cars (ie SUVs/crossovers) because so many people are leasing and just returning now. I technically got rid of my ILX, but my parents are too stubborn to do so.

I agree. Now that Honda is throwing CVTs into most mainstream cars and Acura is venturing into 8sp and 9sp trannys, and being in countless Acura loaners with fewer than 5k miles on them, many of them with quality control issues, I've officially sworn off purchasing another Honda/Acura product until they work out all of their kinks in their cars. That being said, I have no problem leasing an Acura if I get a great deal. Hyundai has really stepped up their game though. I used to rent cars 2-3 times a week for business and I routinely got higher mileage Hyundais (40k+ thanks Hertz ) and they held up a lot better than their Toyota and Nissan counterparts, at least in terms of creaks/rattles. However, the 2012-2014 Camry SE's held up very well too... Corollas on the other hand... Jeez, they were a rattlebox with as little as 8k on them! My old 2008 Accord is still in the family and kicking strong with ~290k trouble free miles on it! Not sure if the newer cars can do that as easily

RDX10

I am super excited to see the suv's coming out of the new genesis brand. Based on their current products, I expect them to be based on the new genesis rwd sedan platform vs the fwd sonata platform. Hyundai also has some mean V8, and V6 engines to play with.

CTNYC

The genesis brand will be very interesting, for sure. IMO, the Koreans "copy" a lot of the Germans and Japanese and keep things simple -- Not a bad thing at all, that's how Lexus got to where they are today. The current (2015+) Genesis is in a class of itself, and IMO, they are taking the luxury brand seriously. They did not sell the 2015+ Genesis to rental car fleets (which tends to really depreciate the value of the car). The previous Genesis was all over the place right there with Maximas and Avalons. This is a good step for them.

Their cars will likely be RWD based with AWD options, based on what I have been reading so far. Just wondering how their pricing will be... IMO, their sales have only been this good because they are a very good value compared to the Germans and Lexus...

RDX10

I feel like they do steal a lot of cues and ideas from the japanese and germans when they want to do luxury. But they also have a style of their own. They were offering some very neat features in their vehicles when they were still very uncommon in mainstream brands like cooled seats and heated steering wheels. Now they offer things like napa leather and real wood trim in some vehicles. I personally don't know how they manage to give so many features and options and remain profitable at the price points they sell at.

I agree that the luxury field is a COMPLETELY different ball game. But I think genesis will be a near luxury brand as opposed to luxury. They will be a tier 3 luxury brand along with acura, infiniti, and buick. Therefore they will have to market their vehicles in certain price points. Then gradually move up like lexus did. The Genesis walks all over the rlx imho and it isn't even their best car. I really hope they go for the rwd-awd setup on their suv's as opposed to fwd/awd. They have what it takes to make it imho, the engineering is all there...now they need to sink their old reputation.

CTNYC

Completely agree- I think they are making a good profit still by not really having to develop new technologies so to speak. Like heated steering wheel? Fantastic option with a lot of value for a lot of customers, but I'd bet it is pretty cheap for them to add to a car... Same with heated rear seats and such. Napa leather and wood too, materials are extremely cheap, and I wouldn't be surprised if parts came from China or Taiwan or something. Still amazing quality, but not as expensive as wherever Benz gets their parts.

Also, I believe I read somewhere Porsche makes something like $20k+ on every car sold... I'm sure Hyundai doesn't make that much...

RDX10

Good point, they aren't exactly revolutionizing anything. They are just really good at giving a lot of things for the price. They aren't even a budget brand anymore. The sorento for example is 50k, it costs more than a highlander/explorer and almost as much as the pilot. But in their defense, they are giving some features not even available on the mdx!

Even if the genesis brand was using equal material quality to the big german 3, nobody is going to buy a genesis when they can buy a mercedes or bmw or audi or lexus. But people will buy a genesis over an Acura or infiniti or buick. There is a big hole in the market right now for nice cars at affordable prices because Acura is sleeping.

By the way, is it just me it does it feel weird referring to genesis as a brand vs a single car? I feel like they should have named it something else.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^nah, several companies have done it. Dodge did it to the Ram line, which now its just called Ram. instead of Dodge Ram 1500/2500/3500

RDX10

I guess you are right. I didn't think about it like that. Maybe it is just one of those things that you get used to after a while.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^i know a few other companies have done it as well, but i leave at 3 and its 2:56 and i cant think becz its fryday

RDX10

Well I can think of an opposite scenario where a brand became a trim. Like when maybach became a trim on top level mercedes vehicles.

ceb

Or "Cimarron by Cadillac" which everybody (including dealers) called the Cadillac Cimarron - but Cadillac wanted to distance themselves from that Chevy POS.

mrag

Thanks for all the feedback to date! I received confirmation from my dealer yesterday - that had I NOT had warranty coverage that list within the original post would have been just a few dollars shy of $7,000 out-of-pocket! That is a huge number for a vehicle to have repairs (non-maintenance or wear-n-tear items) over the first 28 months of ownership. I would have estimated a number about half that...

So, back to my original comments about what to do next the list has been narrowed. Should I chose to keep this MDX I clearly need to invest in an extended warranty. Yet, still considering dumping it before before the coverage expires and start over.

Not sure how this forum got off track on the Genesis topic (agreed, nice car) - again, I continue to welcome feedback on your experiences and what is likely to break next on my 2014.

RDX10

Sorry, didn't mean to go off the deep end and off topic.

In my honest opinion, you should dump it. $7k on a supposedly bullet proof Acura is ridiculous. I can only imagine as this thing ages what kind of money pit it will become. Almost every new car will have one or two little quirks and then is bullet proof thereafter. But 7k of repairs in such a short time is nuts.

I feel like you have already made he choice to dump it, but need a push. Well here is a push. Dump it before it becomes a huge pain in the ass and time waster.

CTNYC

Somewhat agree as well, I'm not a fan of warranties (business owner, so I know how they work and how profitable they are) - If you keep it, I'd say it's worth it, but if you total your car or it's stolen, or if you simply need to move on before the warranty is up, then you're more or less out your money... And for a couple thousand, I'd imagine that might be enough for you to cover a lot of the costs of switching...

and $7k is rough... I'm sure my ILX was in that range as well... I haven't had 10k continuous trouble free miles with that thing.. Now with my TL, my tire wears badly on one tire, but other than that, no issues for the last 40k miles outside of routine maintenance.

RDX10

A lot of OP's issues seem to be in the fit and finish department. Almost suggesting that they rushed his build at the factory and cut out a lot of checks. Imho extended warranties do not tend to cover those sorts of complaints very well. If it were my choice, I would dump it while resale was still high.

markpaco

I wouldn't use the initial $7k in repairs as motivation to get the extended warranty. The first model year of a new design will have a lot of bugs that are fixed within the warranty period. You shouldn't expect that you will have the same amount of defects after the warranty period is over.

If you look at the chronology of TSBs that are coming out for the 14+ MDX, you will notice that they are still steadily coming out. While the majority of serious defects are covered under a recall, a lot of the TSBs are nuisance type fixes.

As your car gets older, you may consider some of the issues to 'come with age' and you wouldn't pay to get them fixed since you can live with it. But if you had the extended warranty, you could get them addressed.

I tend to be rather picky about having everything in working order on my car so I would be inclined to get the extended warranty and have any TSB items addressed. But be careful as that does not mean that the warranty will cover all problems. For example, I don't think that the recent suspension noise TSB (TSB 16-035 - Rattle or Clunk from the Rear Suspension) will cover the shock since it is a wear item but it should cover the upper damper mount bushing.

If it were me, I would look at the list of the TSBs applicable for my vehicle that have not yet been performed and determine if I could live with the deficiency. If I can't live with the problem, I would try to estimate the cost to fix the problem(s). If the total(s) come close to the price of the warranty, then I would get it.

So here's a case for me: I had TSB 15-017 - (AcuraLink System Status Indicator Is Red and DTC B1403 Will Not Clear) happen to me. The problem affected the telematics control unit (TCU) which affects GPS location (not for the NAV though). I don't really use Acuralink for anything but the real time traffic but the OCD part of me wanted it fixed. So I looked up the cost of the replacement TCU and it was $1300 ($1800 retail). So based on that TSB alone, I would have opted to get the extended warranty.

Also, I would consider the warranty if any fix was something that I couldn't do myself such as a reflash or one that involves using a proprietary programmer (i.e. TSB 15-001).

So when the time comes for me to consider an extended warranty, I will look at the list of possible TSBs and determine the cost to fix it and whether I could live with the problem or not. If I had to decide today, I would get the warranty. That is also based on the fact that I will likely keep my MDX for 8-10 years.

mrag

Very thoughtful response, markpaco, thank you! I also tend to have "OCD" and want everything to function as it should - particularly on a $50k vehicle. A TSB is not an automatic fix, you still need either warranty coverage or pay for the repair - as the TSB merely identifies the problem/solution. Of course, a recall is something different. Your economic view is absolutely the approach I am trying to take. $7k in repairs it the only indicator I have for future expectations. Yes, I agree that once all the bugs are worked out this should not be a repeatable occurrence, however, non of us have a crystal ball to know that will happen down the road.

If I keep it, an extended warranty is a must to provide some protection. Guess the bigger question is should I simply move on? I have some time off this week, so revisiting both the cost/coverage of the warranty along with trade-in value to help provide some final direction. Given that I drive 20,000+ miles per year, this will not be an 8-10 year car. Plus, I will have a teenage driver in 3 years - so may use this as an opportunity to downgrade so to be aligned in 3 years to have an "age appropriate" car for that teen driver.

Any other thoughts on experiences of specific issues/repairs that were not noted in my original list that I may anticipate?

mdx001

I have a 2015 Advance and many of your problems are the same problems I have and some of the problems I have they haven't agreed to fix yet. I have had Acura for the last 10 years and have owned 7 for myself and my wife. These last couple have had more problems then all the first 5 put together. So much so that I'm rethinking my next purchase. I just had a friend who has a 2012 Acura that is out of warranty get hit for a known power steering problem that cost $900 to fix. Any repair out of warranty is going to be expensive. If it were me and as it will be soon I will get rid of this one and move on. Too many problems for me to even worry about. Let the next person mess with Acura.

neuronbob

I'd sell it and move on. Early build cars like yours are at higher risk of having issues. Hopefully the 2016s are not having the same issues as your 2014; they should be nicely discounted at this time.

mrag

It appears I answered my own question contained within this posting title...

Today I had the steering column replaced (TSB #14-031). In speaking with the Acura service technician, seems what I potentially have to look forward to is: 1) heater core, 2) repair suspension shocks. Up to about $8,600 in warranty covered repairs. This is getting nuts!

Thinking about moving to a sedan since the wife has a Highlander for any crossover needs. Kind of like the Volvo S60 Inscription and Subaru Legacy 3.6R. Welcome your comments.

RDX10

The only comment I have is why are you still driving this lemon?

mrag

Right! Several issues occurred recently in quick succession of one another... guess I am kind of slow to spend money and trying to determine what is the most cost effective next step given the depreciation I am facing. My local dealer has a surplus of 2014 as leases come due and folks upgrade to the 2017. I got 5,000 miles to figure this out before the warranty is up.

RDX10

In my honest opinion you should find something else you like and dump it. 5000 miles really isn't a lot of time. Keep in mind that sure you will take a depreciation hit, but it will only get bigger the longer you wait and also if the warranty ends and this stuff keeps popping up, it will only cost you more. Nothing serious has happened yet. but can you imagine that $8400 was out of pocket? ew.

Anyways man, just weigh your choices and figure it out sooner rather than later!