More of a report than an inquiry in case this happens to other RDX owners.

2007 RDX almost 180k. Spark plugs done at 110k. All other regular maintenance intervals followed. Other random repairs along the way include: neutral safety switch replacement (battery acid causing corrosion), alternator, oil filter housing replacement, and ac/heater blend actuator.

I was driving last week and the car started to sputter out while at idle. It felt like I was losing power and I could see my rpm bounce up and down while I was at a stop light. I was stuck at a bad spot, so I tried to drive couple blocks into a parking lot. After about half a block, my check engine light started to flash, so I stopped the car and turned it off. I could see my SH-AWD light come one right before I killed the engine.

After getting it towed, I found out that one of the coil packs failed. I didn’t have any issues or codes regarding the coil packs prior to this incident. The shop said my valve cover gasket was leaking, so I asked if I could pay just for the valve cover gasket replacement and if they could not charge labor for the coil pack, because the coil pack needs to come off when doing the valve cover anyways. They agreed and I got both taken care of. Also, the alternator was on its way out, so I got that replaced as well. The shop mentioned that my PS pump is starting to leak and suggested that I get it rebuilt.

Moving forward, I think I will just get the other coil packs and spark plugs done preventatively. They don’t cost much and I would have done the plugs pretty soon anyways. The shop charged $100 per each coil pack so it didn’t make sense to get it done there.

I would appreciated any suggestions on the PS pump, but mainly this was to add more datapoints on what/how things can go bad as the car ages.

 

I've been told my p/s is leaking for years, and yet I've never observed any fluid level change in the p/s reservoir. If it is leaking, it is the tiniest of drips. I would recommend checking the p/s fluid level (it's at the front passenger side of the car), and monitoring it over time to see if you have a real leak or just some very minor seepage. I've also had one coil fail, around the same mileage as you actually, but still on the other original ones (204k miles at this point). I personally do not think they are worth doing as preventative maintenance, but that is a judgement call obviously. If you're in there changing the plugs out, it's only the cost of the parts at that point, but more than likely the other coils will last as long as the car providing you don't let your plugs get too worn (that can put more load on the coil packs).

End of the day, it's a car with ~200k miles on it. A drip here or there is not the end of the world. Don't let perfect get in the way of good enough - it'll cost you more in the long run.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience Tomtwtwtw. I just didn’t like the way the coil pack failed. I wouldn’t want anyone else driving my car to have that kind of “oh sh%t” moment. It also could have been worse if it failed on the highway or somewhere I couldn’t pull over. Anyways, I got three coil packs for around $100, so I’m willing to lose that for a little peace of mind. I think I will follow your suggestion on the ps pump. Thanks again.