Nates NJTL

2013 RDX Tech AWD. Car is flawless. Wife likes it and wants to keep it. Only has 35K miles.

Making list of maintenance that needs to be done. With low mileage, maintenance minder does not light up like it would if car driven 12k - 15k per year.

Car always in sub-grade garage that is 15 - 20 degrees cooler than outside in summer and 15 - 20 degrees warmer than outside during winter.

Radiator Fluid Flush? - just change it? Not inclined to do timing belt yet due to low mileage and vehicle in garage so not as much climate stress.
Power steering fluid?

Trans & Rear diff changed 2 years ago.
Transfer fluid?

Will be putting on new front pads & rotors and new brake fluid. Rear pads & rotors original with pad life above 50%.

Spark plugs supposed to change at 100K. Thoughts?

Will likely keep car 3-4 more years but will sell with max of around 90K miles (in the next few months probably moving to area where we will be driving normal mileage).

Thank you very much for your time and input.

egads

I would wait until 10 years and do an actual timing belt service. The coolant is long life and lasts 10 years. It should only be replaced with rear OEM fluid.
You might want to have a look at one of spark plugs, just because the engine
has variable cylinder management and these engines have suffered some spark plug issues on the cylinders that shut down. Brake fluid gets changed every three years regardless of miles.
The maintenance minder should be accounting for the (probably) short trips and getting down to 15% earlier than more normally driven cars. The other maintenance items will only show up
if you wait until 15%. (I think there is a way to look up pending items) those items come up based on how many oil changes there have been. So the 4th oil change will set codes for 30k items of old.
Like the engine air filter and the cabin filter. It's a good idea to "service" the brakes on a Honda/Acura in between pad changes. That is also a part of that 30k service. They should do more than
just check pad wear. The caliper needs cleaning and the pins lubed.

I bet the transfer fluid wa changed when the rear differential was changed. But AWD guys will have to chime in on that. I'm not familiar.

Nates NJTL

Thanks for the info.

Installing new pads and rotors, would repair shop lubricate the pins as part of normal procedure as well as clean calipers (isn't the process more or less wire brush caliper, spray with brake cleaner, wipe off and repeat).

If I pull one of the plugs on a variable cylinder (any specific one to pull), what will I be looking for to indicate there are spark plug issues.

TYIA

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i mean, yes...that's part of doing a brake job..to clean the components and re-lube them, but there are all kinds of walks of life..meaning one person might be lazy and not do it.

egads

The VCM does not seem to be the serious issue with this engine that it has been in others. Probably because of the piston rings used and the weight of the car.
You may not really need to check a plug at all. You do not say if you are the mechanic here or if you are taking it in somewhere.

Nates NJTL

I am not a mechanic but I believe the bank of pistons that faces outward toward the headlights are easy to reach and the ones in the back take a special wrench. The Acura dealers as you know are not shy about charging absurd amounts of money for their services. There is an independent shop near me that has been in business for many decades, one person owns it and has a top BBB rating (A+) with lots of positive online customer ratings (which I am always skeptical of). I know just enough that I hopefully won't get taken advantage of but I like to have my ducks in a row when I walk in to the shop. Some of the basic maintenance I could do myself bit willing to pay a competent independent mechanic a fair price for quality work. Acura dealers wants &700 for new front pads and rotors (Acura & Honda rotors in my experience always warp and machining them is a waste). Chain repair shops will do it for around $325. I would think the good independent would be around $350 - $375 which I am fine with.

egads

And that neighborhood mechanic has probably seen and replaced many Honda brake pads. Unless you are having an issue, you can put on new pads without turning the rotors at all.
I even got a Honda dealer to do that once on my Odyssey. (that did subsequently get new rotors) If the current rotors are not having an issue, just reuse them. If they are causing shakes, then just replacing them is the solution. Do look through the DYI & FAQ and the Problems & Fixes sub-forums above. Lots of good information to help you be forewarned of any known issues.