miner

The RLX will not recognize my remote as Driver 1. I can unlock the car and it does "see I"t as I approach the car but once I get in my memory settings are not set. I have to manually push the mem button one for seat and steering column the adjust. I notice when I start the car the mem button 1 blinks twice but doesn't stay lit. I then have to push the mem button 1 to engage my settings. Thoughts or ideas why this is happening. Does this too, with wife's remote - sometimes. Meaning, it sometimes recognizes and sometimes not. Not consistent.

miner

Need to add that I recently had steering column replaced but issue was happening prior to that.

getakey

in the RL you could unpair and repair
seems like you need to do that if it is same in RLX

neuronbob

Agree, should unpair, then repair first and if no help, then it's dealer time.

miner

Thanks guys. How to re-pair the remote?

getakey

used to have instructions on the back of the remote
I think you are going to have to look in the manual

neuronbob

If not changed from other Acuras:

Press and hold lock and unlock buttons simultaneously until you see two red flashes from the remote. Then start up the car or put it into Accessory mode, make sure your seats, etc are set correctly, then setup button one on the driver's door.

Should do the trick!

miner

Many thanks to the gents with their replies - great site we have here. All egos left at the portal.

miner

I guess the RLX is not like previous Acuras - the procedure did not work and I could not find anything in the manual about re-pairing the remotes. I'll give the dealer another shot on my next service visit. My guess is the memory unit in the door will need replacing.

pgeorg

If you have a few minutes maybe you can try to clear the Driving Memory Position settings (The driver 1 and driver 2 memory). The procedure is below:







HTH.

neuronbob

^^^
Wow! Do you have the service manual? I could not find any information about resetting the key fob in the owner's manual, and I really looked!

Thanks!

getakey

wonder what brilliant engineer thought of that reset procedure

pgeorg

Unfortunately they do not sell a paper manual for the newest Acura vehicles:-(. I used to buy it, every time i bought a new Acura.....
So i signed up for the online service manual......it is excellent! If you need me to look up anything, please let me know.

miner

Tried it and did not work - back to dealer to fix ..... again.

miner

I have taken the RLX back for the remote issue and to have them replace the steering column cover that was damaged when the column was replaced.

wstr75

My remote did not work last Friday afternoon. I could not get into my car. i used the key to get inside and was happy the car recognized the fob so it could be started. I stopped by Walgreens and got a CR2032 battery (one required). When I came up to the car to leave Walgreens the car handles lit up in happy fob recognition. I got home, took the fob apart intending to change the battery. Being a curious George kind of guy, I ended up taking the fob apart to the point where the key pad parts were on the kitchen table. Note: To avoid this issue, just take the back of the fob off and do not pull the guts of the fob out of the case. I first put key parts back in but discovered they were in reverse order (never had a fob before that had metal keys that could fall out). During this assembly and re-assembly process my car alarm went off several times. As I was some distance from the car, this told me the original battery (cell) did not need replacing.

Bottom line: My fob was ok. Maybe shifting the battery made for a better electrical contact patch. As I have had a couple of software gremlins show up recently (occasional ACC not working and requiring pulling over and re-starting the car) maybe there is something a bit unhappy within my car's operating software. Anyone else have a situation where their key fob was not recognized by their car and then later was recognized?

miner

Well, what do customer/owners know....it was what I suggested 2 weeks ago on initial visit. A dying battery, not enough amps. Battery was 24 months old. Replaced at no cost to me.

getakey

So looks like the RLX eats batteries the same as the RL

wstr75

Car battery or the fob battery? Which was replaced? The mention of amps sounds like car battery.

(Technically speaking a battery is a group of cells. The fob's power is from a single cell and thus is not a battery as per the definition.)

miner

The car battery. I changed the fob battery when I initially experienced the issues.

wstr75

Car going in for servicing tomorrow to check out electrical system status (battery) and noise when steering column retracts. The fob not unlocking the car episode last weekend is a big concern.

BTW, speaking of sometimes only two or three year battery life in our RL/RLXs, here is a quiz question for those interested:

I also have a 2004 BMW 330Ci convertible that is my manual transmission fun car. (I traded my 2006 RL with 127K miles for the BMW with 107K miles and have learned just how expensive it can be to maintain a BMW!).

This week I was on this site and learned of Miner having to replace his RLX battery at two years. This same week I was on a BMW forum where owners were remarking about having batteries 8, 9 and even 10 years old (original batteries). My two previous RLs had two to three year battery life and my GM cars prior to that had 3 to 4 year lifespans, yet these BMWs have long battery lives.

What is the explanation for the Acura battery short lifespan and the extraordinarily long battery life in a 2004 3 Series BMW?

Hint: The answer does not involve electronics, drains or any other system electrical aspects. Another hint: Battery life has been getting shorter since the introduction of CAFE standards.

miner

I believe BMW requires registration and reprogramming when a new/aftermarket battery is installed to get max performance form it.

miner

There is a TSB for steering column noise - replace the entire column.

getakey

BMW batteries are in the trunk. Wife has 1999 323i.

Maybe less heat?

wstr75

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! The 3 Series BMW of our (getaway and wstr75's) era have batteries located in the far less temperature stressful trunk space.

Our RLXs have enclosed engine compartments and also under cladding beneath the engine compartment. As designers continue to shape front ends and cladding for gas mileage efficiency at highway speeds this shutting off of non-fan pulled airflow through the engine compartment leads to batteries that are subsequently subjected to greater heat stress. Batteries are chemical systems subject to increasing anodic/cathodic degradation (think internal corrosion) as temperatures rise. There is a general rule of thumb for most exothermic chemical reactions where the rate of reaction doubles with each 10 degree C rise. Yes, a battery "should" only experience a chemical reaction when there is a completed circuit. The reality is the shelf life of nearly all batteries/individual cells is adversely affected by higher temperatures. This is why cars like the Chevrolet Volt and Tesla have an extensive cooling system devoted to maintaining the drive battery within a pre-determined optimal temperature range.

getakey

Man I'm thinking you know way more about batteries than the ave Joe.

wstr75

Getaway, thank you for your kind words. From age 21 to age 30 I worked for the company that made Energizer batteries (cells). We would shelf test product samples at elevated temperatures for 90 days to two years so as to rapidly determine what typical shelf life would be in flashlights, personal electronic devices, etc. So, yes, elevating the temperature dramatically shortens battery/cell shelf life. Long exposures to high temperatures leads to shorter battery life in my observation. My cars mostly get highway miles and factoring in my living in NC and periodically doing two to eight hour Interstate trips mostly during April through October, it is likely my car will be getting a new battery tomorrow. I am a proponent of changing batteries, tires and brakes well before they absolutely require replacement (have slowly passed by too many fatal accidents on wet roads). Having had my fair share of break downs during my formative years, I place a high value on preventative maintenance expenditures.

getakey

"I place a high value on preventative maintenance expenditures."

Have you ever heard of the Waddington Effect? Interesting read:

Living Stingy: The Waddington Effect

wstr75

Man, that was an interesting read. Yes, I know sometimes I am having stuff replaced on my cars that could keep on going along fine. It is Prospect Theory at work in my mind:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_theory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow

My remembering mind is out weighing the logic of my experiencing mind. I remember my rare flat tires, hydroplaning events, times when the car would not start and am placing a higher value on those events than what my longer term experience of not having problems is getting inside my mind. Thank you for the Waddington Effect link. Maybe instead of suggesting a new battery tomorrow, I'll just let the Acura tech tell me the battery is in the acceptable range and leave things be.

getakey

As for batteries I know another issue to reduce life is when charge is frequently drawn down below 50%. Rarely happens in Starting batteries, but common for "house" batteries in RVs/Boats.

In the past, but not so much now, I used to find leftover tools sitting somewhere in the engine compartment after getting car serviced. Could have caused a big problem

Edit: I just realized that I intended to post a different link about Waddington. You should read hi bio. Very interesting guy and what he did in WW2 for the UK. Strange thing is that his revisions to maintenance procedures were kept classified for many years and some military (or airline) engineers in the US basically rediscovered what he did before his work became declassified. I'll see if I can find that link.

here it is:
http://blog.aopa.org/opinionleaders/...ington-effect/

love this quote:
Maintenance isn’t an inherently good thing (like exercise); it’s a necessary evil (like surgery). We have to do it from time to time, but we sure don’t want to do more than absolutely necessary to keep our aircraft safe and reliable. Doing more maintenance than necessary actually degrades safety and reliability.

it was 2 United scientists who recreated his work. Hmm - didn't know that Airlines had scientists

miner

I, too, over maintain my cars but I am the type of person I would want to buy a used car from.

wstr75

Took car in today and they cleared the codes. The electrical system/battery was deemed acceptable. The steering column needs to be replaced. Because of my recently gained knowledge imparted by Dr. Waddington (thanks to Getaway), I responded, "Are you sure it needs replacement? The sound is not a bother to me." They said it needed replacement but is perfectly safe to drive and they would be ordering a steering column.

I also asked my favorite sales lady to let me know the next time they have a RLX-hybrid to call me for a test drive.

wstr75

This afternoon my car again did not recognize my remote. It happened after putting groceries in the trunk. When I went to open the car door, nothing happened. Pushing the remote's buttons did nothing, including pushing the alarm button. This is very disconcerting when it happens. I took the key out of the remote, opened the door and pushed the start button. The car started and, like previous times, then acts as if nothing had happened. This issue is sure to be some kind of software "bug". My cruise control sometimes will not work. When it happens, I now know to pull off at an exit ramp, turn of the car and restart the engine. There are sure to be some subroutines not clicking in order in the system when the above events happen. Anyone else here experienced these problems?
wstr75

TampaRLX-SH

Is it possible there is something interfering with the remote's radio frequency?

Though rare, I remember a few instances of this from the RL forum. If the fob is in close proximity to your cell phone, another remote (i.e. a security gate) or a security access card, it could interfere with the remote's signal to the car.

TampaRLX-SH

On the remote topic, I have a query. When I took home my RLX, I set up my personal settings, address book, music, etc. to the Driver 2 Fob.

Is there a simple way to copy the same settings to Driver 1 Fob? Not really an issue as I am the sole driver of the car, but I would not mind having both Fobs programmed with my personal settings.

holografique

^ The only "copy" like function I know of is with the driver seats, where you just select the current position and then just save it to the other position.

I don't recall seeing any functions readily available in the Systems settings of the NAV/Infotainment system. I also don't recall seeing anything in the diagnostics functions, but I've not dug through all the functions of that area in great detail, so could be somewhere hidden in there.

wstr75

Tampa, thanks for mentioning possible frequency issue. I was parked in front of a grocery store yesterday. A previous occurrence was in the parking lot of a country club about 200 feet from the shed where the electric golf carts were recharging.

Never had this issue during the eight years with my 2006 RL.