RDX_indy

My 2007 RDX is one of the biggest piles of garbage i've ever owned. I'm posting this so maybe people researching may know to say away. This car has been a headache since I bought it. Acura parts are expensive and Honda isn't even making parts for this pile anymore. half the time I look for parts it out of stock.

I bought my RDX for $6,700 with 160k in 2022. I've only put 16k miles on it.


- 16 MPG in town WITH PREMIUM
- Constant Emissions Failure codes that disable AWD. (SUPER COMMON).
- Car will drive like hell with AWD disabled.
- Radiator failure that was sucking up ATF fluid and mixing them. I was lucky to catch this otherwise my transmission would be toast if coolant got into the transmission.
- weak garbage engine mounts that, ($200 for a side engine mount, that is still garbage after market)
- Garbage winder trim weather stripping
- Good luck finding these parts in stock. I had to wait over 6 months to get all 4 windows and it was almost $500 in parts
- buy NEW Denso Coils, Pieces of garbage are defective from the factory and cost all $200

Now my RDX is losing coolant and I don't know where. It's gotten so bad I don't even want to drive it anymore. I tested the system for exhaust gas and none were present. The car is driving like shit and I may have clogged CATS, which is another common issue.

DO NOT Buy One Of these piles. It's a cool car, but they aren't reliable. Maybe if you are cross shopping with a German car, just know what you are getting into. This thing has been a constant headache for me, and mine is still all messed up. I spent almost 8,000 and this POS, and it's probably not worth anything because the motor is a broken POS.

mrgold35

I purchased an used 08 RDX Tech with 30,000 miles back in 2010. I handed it down to my daughter in 2019 and she still drives it today with +200,000 miles. I've had my fair share off issues over the years like:
- replaced ivtec solenoid twice
- replaced spark plug coils
- leaky P/S pump replaced
- replaced A/C compressor (extended Acura warranty)
- replaced radiator because of hairline crack on bottom
- alternator 2X times
- passenger side door actuator
- replace struts/shocks
- added front camber kit

The problems I've had didn't seem all that bad overall for me because the individual issues happened around 12-24 months apart and were spread over +16 years. You might be experiencing the same level of problems; but, all crammed into 1 year. I've had around the same amount of issues with my 06 TSX at the same mileage. I felt the same with the TSX with problems/fixes spread over 13 years wasn't that bad overall (TSX totaled in 2019 with +176,000 miles).

There are some very good RDXs out there; but, you might need to screen a bit more with certain criteria like:
- first model year of ANY Acura seem to have more issues
- MMC Acura usually have all TSB/fixes applied on manufacturing line after the 3rd model year (this would be the 2010-2012 RDX MMC run)
- fwd RDX drive and handle differently compared to sh-awd (fwd 1st Gen RDX have more half-shaft issues)
- less previous owners is usually better in used market (2nd to 5th owner's usually sell because of issues instead of just upgrading to a newer model like a 1st owner)
- less mods and close to stock is usually better in used market
- consistent documented maintenance history extremely helpful (Acura owner's site or Carfax report)
- no accidents
- underbody inspection if you live in the rust/winter salt belt

RDX_indy

well posts like this are why I bought the RDX if the first place, and I'm posting my experience. These are not good buys are high mileage for the reasons I listed.

The turbo charge systems always have problems, and the radiators often have problems that destroy the transmission.

If I could do it again, I would buy something else.

mrgold35

I like to pick current or previous model year and I try to stick with the +MMC model for used vehicles with the 4yr/50,000 basic warranty still active. The oldest models year I would do personally would be the 16-18 RDX or 18-20 MDX with or without CPO in the used Acura SUV market. I try and keep as long as I can; but, +150,000 miles for any model year is my limit before I hand down to family or sell while it is in good running condition.

Tomtwtwtw

You bought a car with 160k miles - who knows how it was maintained before it came to your hands? Even the most reliable cars will fall apart over time without some TLC. While your situation is unfortunate, it is also by far the outlier among typical ownership stories of this car. I hope you find something else that doesn't give as many headaches.

DCS

My 2010 has been very reliable for 170K miles but I did have a problem with the turbo (and a P2263 code) and it appears this happens at higher mileage to many but not all RDXs, not sure why. It's a valid concern for potential owners of higher mileage 1st gen RDXs because it can be a very expensive fix if the turbo has to be replaced. It's a worn eyebolt and pin on the variable flow actuator linkage arm. I was able to repair myself but it's a difficult repair if the pin has to be replaced in addition to the eyebolt and this is why repair shops and the dealer will just want to replace the turbo.
With your car and the emission code you're seeing you should check this area for wear. It could be you may just need to replace the worn eyebolt and you can get rid of this problem. Whenever I can I recommend putting some high temp lube in this linkage pivot point areq for current owners to help prevent wear.

You're also experiencing the changes in the auto parts aftermarket and the inconsistent quality of these parts even from the big OEM names. Not unusual these days and it's happening to all makes of cars. Even the dealer parts are of less reliable quality these days.

Can read about he problem here
Turbo related P2263 Worn out Eye-bolt, Worn out linkage pivot pin - AcuraZine - Acura Enthusiast Community

RDX_indy

no. it's not an outlier. The radiator breaking and destroying transmissions and turbo issues are very common.

RDX_indy

I know the about the waste gate eye bolt wear problem. This is not the problem on this car. p2263 can happen for various reasons and is often impossible to diagnose.

RDX_indy

The eyebolt problem is not the problem I face. I can't get good answers as to why I keep getting the code. Perhaps the solenoids, is my guess. maybe clogged cats. IDK. I think about putting a new engine in the car, I honestly hope some one just hits me so I can say goodbye to the car. I can't believe I put almost 8 grand into this pile.

Tomtwtwtw

Broken turbos and transmissions are incredibly uncommon on this site. You'll find more anecdotal evidence out here supporting the car than bagging on it. I'm happy to share my own, but I am certain your mind is set. Internal radiator failures are somewhat more common, but is most likely caused by neglect than a part defect. Coolant becomes corrosive over time. But if it makes you feel better to shit on an entire platform because your car didn't work out, that's your prerogative.

RDX_indy

p2263 issues are very common.

Tomtwtwtw

Yes, I've had it myself. P2263 is also not indicative of a failed turbo. The vast majority of the time (as it was with my own car), it is the worn bolt on the actuator of the variable flow inlet. I bought a new bolt for 50 bucks and fixed it in my garage. I've since put another 60k trouble-free miles on the car. That's not to say that sometimes there are other causes to the code, as may be the case in your situation, but again - this is far different than a blown turbo. I do hope you are able to sort out your issues and be able to enjoy the car, but from your posts it sounds like you've had enough and it may be better to move on to the next ride. Either way, best of luck.

RDX_indy

Yeah, this car has been a complete POS. losing coolant and running like garbage, p2263 code almost every day. I would never recommend someone buy a high mileage RDX.

DCS

I don't know if you've seen this Youtube video but it does have some good information (Alldata) about the P2263 code and why it occurs, not really what's specifically causing it but the condition of boost expected vs. what is seen. Slow boost response pressure to what's expected. The car in the video has the worn eyebolt and the guy adjusts it but doesn't really fix the problem. The video does have good information though regarding this particular code. The reason it's a difficult code to diagnose is because everything in the turbo system needs to be functioning properly, every sensor, solenoid, hose, turbo (nothing worn or cracked) so a good scanner and someone that can use it what's needed as a minimum to diagnose.

What I got from the graph shown in the video where the boost is slow to rise as compared to the expected value is that the turbo needs to spool fast enough and no leaks on the high-pressure side, any leaks with the tubing, intercooler, bypass valve or the turbo itself (crack near wastegate opening will lower boost pressure. There's a lot that could keep the turbo from spooling fast enough such as the worn eyebolt and loss of boost pressure control. The boost pressure control flap needs to open up correctly to increase boost pressure under higher loads. The intake tubing, flex hose and MAF also have to be in good working order.

What's been done to diagnose your car and what have they told you? You mentioned dumping a lot of money into the car, how much has gone for the P2263 problem and was anything repaired or replace?

RDX_indy

I do appreciate the thoughtful response. I have seen this video, and I know why the code is a major pain to fix.

I've dumped money into the car, but I haven't spent a lot of money on the p2263 code because the car has had various issues and I didn't want to keep putting money into the car until I knew it was worth it. Car had all sorts of problems from BAD DENSO coils. Spent money and fuel pressure regulator and MAF sensor because of it. Transmission was behaving weird, I think from bad torque convertor issues.

I have looked into the eyelet bolt. The bolt is not worn, and there was no play in the wastegate. I've adjusted the arm length with various results.

This car is losing coolant like crazy and I can't tell from where. I believe it's from the water pump. I've done exhaust fume tests on the coolant and had no positives. Now, the car runs like total shit too. Turbo is not giving good boost and sometimes wants to die when stopped. I'm tired of this pile and it's been a waste of money.

DCS

I really disliked my RDX when I couldn't get rid of a vibration and spent more money than I wanted trying to fix it with little success. Finally replaced passenger side axle, no help, driver side axle fixed the problem and I suddenly like the car a lot better.

Is your coolant loss a visible leak on the ground or internal with no leaks visible?

RDX_indy

I actually like the first gen RDX a lot. I just am pissed that i'm losing my ass on this car.

the coolant has been real slow for over half a year. wasn't sure if it was air in the system or leaking because I just replaced the radiator. I haven't seen any puddles. I think i've seen some coolant under the water pump. I sometimes smell coolant in the cabin. So I do think it's leaking somewhere.

DCS

Do you notice if the carpet is damp in the driver side or passenger side footwells near the console? A loaner cooling system pressure tester kit from an autoparts store may help find a small leak and tell you if the system can hold a pressure.

RDX_indy

I haven't been looking out for damp floor carpets, but I don't think so. Doing a pressure test is first order of business.

yanga001

I may be disillusioned coming from Volvo's but near all of those problems are common on other European brands and then some.

Having wrenched on my partners RDX i will say the following:
When maintained by the previous owner (bought ours at 300k km's) they are fairly bullet proof like most honda's. We carefully checked ours with a OEM level scanner to filter out any cars with turbo issues stored (there were more than a few). We also pushed it hard on the test drive to aggravate any latent issues(sent 1 test car into limp home mode). I would try to clean the MAF sensor in your RDX with a can of MAF clean. It may help with the mpg's. These cars are also particular about air filters and we found the best sound and performance with OEM filters. The transmissions can cause other power issues so id say you should slowly drain and fill all your tranny fluid. This solved some acceleration issues we noted which did not activate a code. The turbos in these cars are actually pretty common and used in different configurations in other brands (SAAB & Volvo) for many years.

The radiator issue you noted is pretty common amongst old cars and is why ill be crossing my fingers until this spring to change out my partners radiator. The starter motor does suck and we did have to change that along with the transmission range switch which had issues.

We do mostly our own wrenching so to me im in it for the parts. Where Acura was advantageous is in its design. It is very easy to wrench on for the most part, and did not require acrobatics in the same manner that european cars did. It has a timing chain on it, and one of the easier serpentine belt routings i have dealt with. It has a good AWD system and about average fuel economy for the luxury sector of that era. It is a nice drive, and outperforms my turbocharged volvo of a similar hp and only fwd.

If you cant wrench and cannot buy a code scanner then yes, an old car is a bad buy for sure. If you can wrench, and use a forum then these cars are about average if not above average for older vehicles.

The emissions failure you are talking about is effectively limp home mode. Many manufacturers have this and it essentially locks the car into a certain gearing and will rpm limit you. My older volvos went into this mode for a few transmission reasons due to age.

For parts, i had decent success with Rock Auto for a power steering pump. Other than that, most common parts are available at the dealership at a spread of pricing. That is, the starter was cheaper than online sources, but the powersteering pump was 4x as much than rock auto counterparts. For coil packs i keep a set spare from a wrecking yard, and the same goes for other parts.

When you break it down, these cars have fewer (engine critical) maintenance items than other makes. They do not have a timing belt, they have pretty good clearances on parts, and their awd system is much simpler than other makes. Up here in canada they are commons as all hell in the 1G so there are lots of parts cars available.

One can say cars are bad at high mileage in any make. I find a real determining factor is how many high mileage cars can you find for sale. We routinely saw them at 300k km and a bunch at 400-450k km up here. That was why we decided to pull the trigger on a cheap one. Likewise, my Volvo is routinely seen at 400-500 k km.

The last thing that makes these cars a pretty good buy is the availability of the shop service manual and the existence of this forum. There are many makes with pretty poor communities or no shop service manuals available. With these in hand, a diy individual can fix pretty much anything on these cars.

To close all this up, yea they are bad cars if you cannot wrench on it and do your own service. The older a car, the more service it tends to require. However, for someone who can do their own work, they are about average in terms of maintenance and repairs and have an engine built to last.

Matt_ATX

I'm just blown away by these random posts that pop up like once a year. What type of car is someone coming from that causes them to think parts for a 1g rdx are expensive or hard to get? I replaced the entire suspension for less than I have to pay for 1 corner for my V70R. These cars are an absolute bargain at current prices. Like any other car, you just need to stage zero it when you buy something with 150k miles and an unknown maintenance history. I realize this is easier said than done unless you have a garage and the needed tools.

Denso coils (and their other parts) are top notch. Coils for this car are <$40/each.
The side engine mount is like 60 bucks from Acura.
I could go on and on....

You almost certainly bought a car that was abused. A pre-purchase inspection from a quality shop would have caught most of your problems.

Lastly, if you smell coolant in the cockpit, it's almost definitely the heater core.

RDX_indy

you just made up a ton of stuff to fit your narrative. Do you know how to read? the side engine mounts is over $300 from acura. The Denso coil are not good, and I have the experience to back it up. This car had documented maintenance, and most of its miles are highway miles. Honda still has part shortages and many acura parts are still hard to get. If you read my post maybe you would follow.

I don't know why i'm even bothering to reply to your stupid comments. This post was made for people thinking about buying an RDX. I don't really recommend buying one.

RDX_indy

The exhaust manifold having a water jacket and weird emissions system, and often impossible to diagnose turbo issues make this car a bad buy IMO. Those are huge nightmare type of jobs that can pop up. maybe if you are cross shopping other luxury vehicles, the risk is better than some alternatives. I wish I bought a lexus with a v6 or v8.

Matt_ATX

I'll start by admitting you are right on the oem motor mount. I was thinking of the bracket. However, there are aftermarket options available for less than $100 and they are easy to change.

You've made it very clear you don't recommend buying the 1st gen rdx. My post was simply stating the opposite. There are probably still > 70k of these things on the road in the US alone and they are basically a Honda.

I've got over 170k on my 2007 with no issues that I would consider major. I've had Denso coils for almost 60k miles without a hiccup and have them in my V70R as well. The window weather stripping did fail after almost 15 years of being parked in the sun, but even today you can get all new factory trim stripping on ebay for less than $400 or you can use generic stripping off of Amazon for less than $50.

I get that it's frustrating to run into a bunch of issues at once as I've been there as well, but your experience is not indicative of the overall quality of the RDX (or Denso). That picture you shared of your coolant leak really makes it appear the issue has been around for a while. The car didn't just stat falling apart when you bought it.

and, yes, the mileage is lousy. You can eek a couple extra mpg out of it with a Hondata reflash.

yanga001

Judging from your tone i do believe you would be better off with a toyota :P

A quick search on car parts.com indicates that a 08 rx350 v6 runs from 1500-3000 cad with the average around 2k. An rdx engine is 750-1500 + 800-1300 for the turbocharger. Seems to me that the honda engines tend to last a good long while as the demand is much lower with a much higher supply. The turbo's do seem to be a weak point, however my theory is that people throw turbos at these cars without a proper diagnosis. Hence a more expensive turbo price.
-If you go pre-07 on a lexus rx350 then you deal with timing belts which are far more of a risk than a turbocharger with a chain imo.
-Your MPG is no better with a 350 compared to the RDX.

So at the end of the day you may be right. This was a bit too much car for you and a camry would have been a better choice.

JCash23

Hi, I’m sorry to hear of your past experiences, your coolant loss could be coming from a hair line crack on the coolant reservoir tank lid and or the hose that runs from the reservoir tank to the radiator, that was where mine leaked and was looked over.

Wrenchit88

I have an 07 with 240k on her and she has been for the most part trouble free

MtnRDX

Set your phone up to take a video and force the flash to come on for the recording. Then take a good recording in between the firewall and the intercooler cover all the way across. Bring it back and go in around behind the oil filler cap and record really well too. What you are trying to record is the turbo manifold area down behind the valve cover.

If you are loosing coolant, but the head gasket tests are passing and you're not finding any drips, this is the only place I can think of that coolant can easily leak out pretty good and cook off without ever hitting the ground. If you have the correct coolant in there, what you are looking for is bluish colored blobs of goo from coolant puddling and cooking off. Look hard around the external coolant pipe connections back there and look hard all along the manifold gasket area. Coolant can drip from the lines and puddle to cook off, or bubble upwards out of the gasket and puddle to cook off back there.

Also, I have never discussed it here because I think most would dismiss it. But mine consumes a little coolant, and sometimes I can even smell a sweet smell after a drive. But there are no leaks. I have been all over the thing and recorded all kinds of footage even all around in places I can't see. I have slowed it some by using zip ties as clamps on the overflow tube. I could see a little white on each end before. Nothing is ever wet, and I never see any steam either. But I can smell vapor. The sniff test tells me its minor vapor coming from one or both of the caps (radiator & bottle). I've also figured out over time that for reasons unknown to me, the more I tried to keep it topped off in the overflow bottle to the full mark, the faster I lost it. I discovered this once I tried to determine how long it would take it to go from the full mark to the low mark if I didn't top it. I have made a habit of just making sure I check it habitually and keep it above the low mark. This means I look at it every time I take it to fill up with gas, or once a week, whichever comes first.

I've been topping off from the same separate gallon for 5 years. I would say that the majority of it went in early on, and I have had the last bit a very long time as it all but stopped once I stopped trying to keep it topped to the full mark and started just trying to keep it from going low.


I won't disagree with you a whole lot on the overall of the car. I have a love/hate relationship with mine. I love a lot of things about it, but I hate all the little nagging quirks, and I absolutely hate trying to work on anything on it, even though the things I have had to do fall under the scope of what are generally basic repairs. To be fair on that though, it may be that I just hate trying to work on anything that has a sideways mounted front wheel drive style engine bay?

I am in general particularly underwhelmed by the overall built quality and so forth. Mine is an 07 and seems to have some annoying intermittant electrical issues and so forth. Like my puddle lights work, and the blue convienice lights work, and so do all the door switches for door ajar. But the overhead lights don't work. I used to be able to press the front ones and get them on like that. But then they got where they didn't want to work that way either, and you'd forget if they were pushed on or off and sometimes one or both would just start working again and if it was pressed on then it would come on, which I figured would result in dead battery eventually. Sometimes the radio has severe static after startup, which is worse on cold weather. Sometimes you can turn the car off and turn it back on and it's clear as a bell. Other times this does not work and it takes a long time to clear up. Similar with the power window switches. Sometimes they work fine. Other times you have to fiddle. Press several times and it will go all the way down or all the way up. Sometimes perfect other times works every time you touch it but can't control how far it goes easily. Other times a window will start up and then go right back down several times. Windshield wipers sometimes have a mind of their own as well. Heated seat don't work on the passenger side. I've had to take the cover parts off the positive battery cable because it kept wanting to corrode up under there for whatever reason.

It's been solid in many ways and very quirky in many ways. And oh yeah, now I have leaks coming into the interior which I think are coming from the body seams in the roof line. Probably failing body seals? Idk because Acura parts lookups and diagrams are all the same pain in the ass hard to look up anything everywhere you look. If you don't have the part number or exact name of what you want then good luck. Can't easily look at exploded parts diagrams and find what parts make up something easily and figure out what you need to order easy.

Would I buy another Acura or Honda product? Probably not. It would have to be a really good snag on an Accord or Civic, then maybe I might would grit my teeth and try one more time. But not another Acura, and not any other Honda. No thanks. My biggest hope is that the solid continues to be solid until we are comfortable on getting something else down the road. And I would also hope that it has been a painful enough learning experience for my wife so that she is more patient and less insistant when that time comes. We would have been much better off with any one of the simple run of the mill vehicles.

Going forward I am going to try to get her to stick with the more average looking vehicles, preferably those few left that have normal rear wheel drive engine mounting, like trucks, jeeps, explorers, 4runners, etc. Ones with less complexity to go wrong and more simple to work on when needed, even if that is a little more repair maintenance and a shorter overall lifespan. Rather not do the Acura, Infinity, Audi, Volvo, etc, etc, etc again.

RDX_indy

if you are losing coolant it's probably from the exhaust manifold somewhere. I had a leaking o-ring on top of the manifold. the manifold itself is water-cooled, and can leak/crack.

RDX_indy

lol. yeah, you're the man.