Last time I posted on this forum, I had two Acura TL's (04 & 05). Since then, we had our first child and decided that we wanted something a little larger. I work from home four days a week and only live two miles from work. Given that scenario, we decided to sell both cars for a RDX.

I sold my 04 TL last week and have had the RDX bug ever since. Originally, I wanted a CPO RDX; however, after visiting my dealership today, I learned that they were extremely motivated to move the 2012's since the 2013's would be arriving within a month. After test driving the 2012 RDX Bellanova White Pearl, I was hooked. Great pickup and felt like an overall sturdy, nicely built machine.

After an hour of back and forth, we reached an agreement. I received $12k trade in for my 05 TL w/ 75,000 miles and the RDX for $29k. Overall, I am very satisfied with getting a high trade in for the car and getting this far under invoice on the RDX. Six months ago when I began window shopping, they were stuck on $31,900 for the same 2012 model. Glad to see they stood behind their "motivation!"

We checked out the 2013 and honestly, I do not see the appeal over the current generation. The turbo and sleekness of this current model has me sold, not to mention that the dealers want to move them. I asked about a break-in period, but they did not suggest it. I purchased a Z06 back in 2002 and I remember them saying not to exceed 60mph or floor it until at least 500 miles. Anyone recommend something similar for the RDX?

 

Woah 29k?

FWD drive model or SH-awd?
Either way great deal!
Congrats!

 

Thanks!

FWD, I wanted the AWD, but all they had was black. Since the inventory had more FWD, I got a better deal.

 

Just got around to reading the manual and the break-in period is for 600 miles where during the period they recommend:

-Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid acceleration
-Avoid hard braking for the first 200 miles
-No oil changes until scheduled maintenance
-No towing

 

Congrats! Best time for the 2012s.

 

We don't even have the fwd drive models in Canada, which is fine because I prefer AWD.

 

And what's wrong with black?

 

Breaking In Brakes...



Season your rotors


The first step in preparing the brake system for duty is to “SEASON” the rotors. The most visible effects are that of burning the machine oils from the surface of the iron and establishing a wear pattern between the pad and rotor. The most complex task it performs is that of relieving the internal stresses within the material. If you’ve ever poured water into a glass of ice and noticed the ice cracking, then you’ve witnessed first hand the effects of internal stresses.
By gradually heating the material, the crystalline matrix will reconfigure to relieve these internal stresses. After these stresses are relieved, the rotor is ready to accept the heat of bedding pads. Heating the rotors before they are fully seasoned can result in material deformation due to the unrelieved internal stresses in the material. This deformation may cause a vibration from the brakes.
Rotors need to be gradually elevated to “race” temperatures before any severe use. A “nibble”, or slight vibration, normally indicates rotors that were heated too quickly. After initial “Seasoning”, when running your car at open track events or serious canyon carving, you should use the first lap of a session (or first couple miles of open road), to warm the brakes as well as the engine, gearbox, etc. Where an engine turns chemical energy into motion, the brakes turn that motion into thermal energy.... and lots of it! And where there is no cooling system for the brakes as there is for the engine, and there’s not, the brakes could use the courtesy of a warm-up lap.
Remember to ALWAYS WARM THE BRAKES before any heavy use!
Seasoning Procedure:

Before you begin, please note: The following represents the minimum recommended, “Seasoning” process. If your situation offers any opportunity to perform gentle preliminary “Seasoning” outlined in Step 2 below for a longer period of time, this will
generally render even better performance and increase further long-term rotor life. Use the vehicle for 5 to 6 days of gentle driving. Use the brakes to the same extent that you used the stock brakes, DO NOT TEST PERFORMANCE or ATTEMPT HEAVY USE UNTIL ALL ITEMS OUTLINED HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. It is imperative that excessive heat is not put into the rotors at this stage. They need temperature-cycling to relieve the internal stresses.
Note: Zinc plated rotors (which are an extra cost option) need a couple of extra days of driving to wear through the plating before “Seasoning” actually will begin. Find a safe location where the brakes can be run to temperature. Your goal is to gradually increase brake temperatures with progressively faster stops. Start by performing four 60 to 70 mph stops, as you would in the normal course of driving.
Next, perform four medium effort partial stops (about 50 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with five minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool.
Then, perform four medium-hard effort partial stops (about 75 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with ten minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool.
Park the car and allow the brakes to cool overnight to ambient temperature. You are now 50 % done with the rotor “Seasoning/Bedding” procedure proceed to STEP 4 the following day.
Return to the safe location where the brakes can be run to temperature. Make sure the brakes are warmed to full operating temperature and then, perform four medium effort partial stops (about 50 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with
five minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool. Then, perform four medium-hard effort partial stops (about 75 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with ten minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING
to allow the rotors to cool.
NOW, make six HARD partial stops from 60+ mph down to 15 mph or until rotors have reached an operation temperature of between 900 and 1,100° (Note: Temperature paints to accurately measure rotor temperature may be purchased from Baer Racing). Every effort should be made to perform this procedure without locking a wheel. Follow this with ten minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool.
Let the system cool off over night. The rotors are then ready for the next step in Preparing your Brake System: Bedding Pads.
If any of this is unclear, or you have comments, please call the us at
(602) 233-1411

How to bed your pads


Bedding brake pads has a couple of important effects. The friction material in semi-metallic pads is held together by an organic binder, usually a type of phenolic material. As the pads get hot, the binder boils and burns from the top surface of the pad. Once this burning or “Bedding” takes place, the friction material makes proper contact with the rotor.
Baer Claw® systems feature Baer’s ceramic-based SPORT TOURING “D-compound” brake pads. Although pre-burnished from the factory, SPORT-TOURING, just as with all pad types, benefit from being properly mated to the rotor surface. If both the rotor and pad are new and the rotor surfaces are un-plated, it is most desirable to run the pads through normal commuting type driving for at least 150-200-miles before using them aggressively. If the new rotor surface finish is plated or the rotor is used with a compound other than the SPORT-TOURING ceramic-based pad, increase the commuter type driving with no hard use, to a total of 250-300-miles to accomplish the blending of the pad surface to the rotor surface.
Bedding The Pads - (NEVER DRAG the brakes)
Note: Never “Bed” pads on rotors, which have not first been “Seasoned.” Always allow a substantial coast down zone when bedding pads that will allow you to safely drive the car to a stop in the event of fade.

• Perform four-repeated light to medium stops, from 65 to 10 mph, to bring the rotors to temperature.
• Perform three light stops in succession. Perform eight heavy stops, back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock, from 65 mph to about 5 mph.
• Drive for ten minutes to create cooling airflow, without using the brakes if at all possible.
• Perform three light stops in succession. Perform eight heavy stops, back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock, from 65 mph
  to about 5 mph.
• Drive for ten minutes to create cooling airflow, without using the brakes if at all possible.

Additional Notes:

• Metallic brake pads – Metallic pads need high temperatures to keep the pad “Bedded”. If you drive the car for a period of time without using the brakes extensively, you may need to “Bed” the pads again. This is not a problem. Simply repeat the procedure.
• Switching from Carbon Metallic pads to semi-metallic brake pads (not recommended) – When switching from Carbon Metallic pads to semi-metallic brake pads will need to wear through the layer of carbon that the PFC pads have deposited in the rotor surface. The new pads won’t grip well at all, until this layer of carbon is removed.
• Racers - Racers should “Bed” a few sets of pads at a time. In the event you need to change brake pads during a race, you MUST use a set of “Bedded” pads. Racing on “non-bedded” pads leads to a type of “fade” caused by the binding agents coming out of the pad too quickly. This is called “green fade”. These binders may create a liquid (actually a gas) layer between your pads and rotors. Liquids have a very poor coefficient of friction. This condition is the reason for reverse slotting or cross-drilling rotors, as it allows a pathway for the gasses to escape.

If any of this is unclear, or you have comments, please call the us at
(602) 233-1411

 

Are you planning to get the Hondata reflash of the ECU?

A FWD reflashed RDX would be one fast beast on the road. You might even get a 1-2 mpg increase on your combined mileage also. I would wait until my first or even my second oil change before doing the reflash.

 

Hondata hasn't released their reflash for the 2012 RDX yet.

 

Quote:
"A FWD reflashed RDX would be one fast beast on the road."

Yeah, a traction limited, one legged, wanna be beast.

Ask me how I know.

"Okay, how do you know?"

I made the same assumtion. ~ 200lbs lighter, should be 2/10 sec quicker, right.

Yes, if all things were equal.

I ask about the diff. Is it an LSD or open diff?

Could not get an answer, should have got the facts before proceeding.

I made a leap of faith, "Well I know the RAV FWD has an LSD, so therefore the RDX must have an LSD," I told myself.

No way Acura would put that much HP/TQ to a one legger, right?

Well, after we bought it, I kept pressure on the salesman to get the info I asked for before, during, and now after the sale.

Two days later, he confirms the one leggedness of our FWD RDX. Sniff.

Wish I could get a do-over. ~ $1k more for SH-AWD, bargain.

Fast forward to the Summer, in the mountains, at a swimming hole on the Yuba river, off camber parking w/pass side wheels in a sandy low spot, drivers side wheels on pavement...and were stuck.

To be clear, you must apply throttle with traction limited factor in mind if you want to move as quickly as possible.

If you want to sit and spin, you can do that easily.

And I'm guessing we FWD'ers will go through tires quicker.

We have had ours ~ a year and 16k miles, love it.

Would love it more with better traction.

So do SH-AWD units spin the tires at all on launch?

 

No spin at all, it is jab the gas, instant start (below 2K is understandably lethargic), hit 2K start to spool and that's it, you are gone though all of the gears.

Around corners, I can kick the ass end out with enough throttle, the SH-AWD lives up to its name. It is easy to rotate the vehicle around corners. With better tires this thing would impress most anyone.

To the OP:

Congrats! Great deal, and you have one of the last of the RDX's as they sat, sporty character. The party had to end sometime... enter the 2013 RDX.

 

Just wanted to chime in as a new 2012 RDX SH-AWD Owner. I got a smokin deal on the last AWD 2012 I could locate in sourthern cal. SH-AWD w/tech package, mud flaps and wheel locks for $35,173 before tax/lic. Sticker was $39,179! Just getting to know the vehicle and so far it's a blast to drive. Good forum...

 

Wow, inv and dest total is $36,200. $1k under is a great deal.

What is the current Acura interest rate?

 

there is no reflash for '10+ RDX. i think it would be a waste of money on the fwd with too much torque going into only the front wheels. you will get hella understeer and torque steer.

 

Pick - you mean '12+?

Being a FWD owner w/o HD I can say the wheels spin is the problem, not the torque steer.

19" Summer tires and a/m wheels, how wide will fit our '11?

 

Wow, inv and dest total is $36,200. $1k under is a great deal.

What is the current Acura interest rate?

I don't know what Acura's interest rate is, but this is my office lease vehicle. I drive 4-5 times a year round trip from San Diego to Central Oregon for vacations, so I bought a total of 30,000 miles per year for 3 years with a drive-off of $3500 and my monthly payments are $566. The 30,000 miles per year covers my daily work driving and my vacation travels.

 

Easily the best colour to these eyes.

 

I too got a 12 AWD with Tech, splash guards, wheel locks and roof rack for $34.6k, and the dealer won't do the deal unless I finance it. I was gonna pay cash for the whole thing, so I financed about $11k plus enough to cover the tax, title, the bs doc fees for 3yrs and got the 0.9% interest rate. The interest is about $200 for the whole loan, roughly about $7 per month.