Mainecoons

New to this group and to RDX so pardon if redundant. Looking for a summary service schedule for the 2018 RDX AWD. Why is this so hard to find? Car has 38K kilometers, about 24,000 miles on it and dealer wants to do a very expensive service which as far as I can tell doesn't come until 30,000 miles, 50,000 kilometers. I feel taken advantage of here because I can't find the same kind of service schedule available on every other car I've owned including Mercedes that tells me what you do at various ages and miles.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Hello!

the art of car repair is having visual intelligence! meaning; one would use their eyes and knowledge to put clues together!
not one person drives the same. Put another way; parts will fail at different intervals or mileage.
Sure, mechanics have "guides" via mileage markers....however; it wouldnt make sense to change a good working part just because it has 100k miles on it.

what service were they trying to ask for at 24k miles? you should have the basics done...change oil, rotate tires, inspect brakes, inspect suspension.

Mainecoons

That's great but doesn't tell me where to find a guide so I am better informed when dealing with dealer shops who like to really pad the heck out of maintenance because they make big money on it.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

what service were they asking for?

you should have the basics done; oil change, rotate and balance tires, inspect suspension components, inspect braking components.
this service should cost very minimal.

if they are asking BIG money for an OBSCENE amount of work, GO ELSEWHERE. not trust worthy dealer.
at 24k miles, there is likely nothing but tire wear being the only issue.

again, its the art of visually inspecting your vehicle for it's needs.


here is a guide...
all the way up to 105k miles....you will have basic services...tire changes, oil changes, brake changes...now there might be some components that fail early, but only the mechanic that will be working on your car can spot it!!!

at 105k miles, there is a big service...timing belt and it's tensioners, water pump and perhaps oil filter gasket, spark plugs.

Clickit02

For some mysterious reason (making money on you?) Acura stopped publishing maintenance schedules. I was able to download it for my 2016 RDX (attached, and link below) but it is not available for RDX 2018. However, I recall that the only difference between 2016 and 2018 is that your RDX has SH-AWD vs mine is just AWD.
Feel free to use attached schedule or, better verify with your dealer is it is valid for your car as well.
https://owners.acura.com/service-mai...print-friendly

Douglas L

I found the maintenance confusing too, some people like to change the transmission fluids (and others) more often as a precaution. What if there is malfunction in the maintenance lights and u don't do a necessary service. Everyone drives differently, can the computer really tell u what kind of driving u too? (Maybe)

sixonemale

I also think it's very odd there is not a maintenance schedule available to download. A perfect example below:

If I follow the advice above and let's say I don't drive hardly any miles per year, does that mean when my car is 20 years old and just reaches 105k miles I must change the timing belt, pulleys, water pump, thermostat, coolant, tensioners, etc.? Generally speaking there is mileage and yearly limit as to when this service should be conducted, whichever comes first.

Mainecoons

Thanks very much for that, it does help.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the Owners manual has removed the time limit.


That's why the maintenance is the art of visual intelligence....


one has to look and assess what is going on!


I am not a mechanic by trade...I am just a hobbyist.

sixonemale

I'm not at all trying to be argumentative, but believe this is a very important topic. The owner cannot see the timing belt and therefore cannot assess it's wear and tear. Based on a discussion with an Acura tech, the RDX has an "interference" engine, therefore, there is no room for error. Should the timing belt snap for some reason it could easily ruin this type of engine. So, back to the miles or annual limit. According to the tech, right or wrong, he said the time limit was seven years, therefore, whatever comes first, 105k miles or seven years is when the timing belt with related components should be changed out. In summary, this topic is the exact reason that there should be maintenance schedule that owners can access or download.

egads

Yes the computer can tell you what kind of driving you do. These vehicles have a maintenance minder that shows oil life as a percentage. Once the oil life gets to 15% it will set codes for other maintenance.
The algorithm for oil life is quite real. If you never let the oil life get to 15%, you will never get the codes for other service. That other service is just like it has always been, it is just timed to the oil life.
So a 30k service will show a codes for that stuff after the 4th oil change. At that time you would, besides the typical LOF & tire rotation, change the cabin and engine filters. If you have an all wheel drive version,
you change those fluids as well. The trans gets a normal drain & fill at 45k, but 30K is prudent. It is not hard to find the schedule. Just follow one for any Honda V-6 from the last 20 years. there is no change.
The timing belt is 105 or 8 years if you do not get to 105k before then.
By the way, the all wheel drive system did not go back to SH-AWD until 2019 with the model change.

sixonemale

Are you saying that the RDX has a clock that keeps time and will let you know if 8 years occurs before 105,000 miles?

egads

No, you are supposed to RTFM
Don't have one?

https://owners.acura.com

sixonemale

Yes, I have a 2018 OM. Let me know the exact location where you see the replacement of the timing belt at 105,000 miles or eight years, whichever comes first. Maybe there should be a footnote "Just follow one for any Honda V-6 from the last 20 years. there is no change" or better yet a real maintenance schedule.

egads

For someone who "is not trying to be argumentative" you sure heck are.

In the 2018 manual, on page 351, there is a footnote about the timing belt if driving primarily in very hot or very cold places.
There does not seem to be anything about time in that manual.
As an Acura owner, you are just supposed to do what the maintenance minder says and only at the dealer.

Modern vehicles do do not require the maintenance that older ones did. It's an adjustment, especially for curmudgeons.

sixonemale

My point is that this is an "interference" engine and if the timing belt breaks it could cause catastrophic damage to the engine. Again, if someone is putting on very few miles per year the maintenance minder will not be triggered by the 8-year time limit, therefore the OM should state both the mileage and time limit in the manual or within a maintenance schedule so that there is not 100% reliance on the vehicle's computer. I also don't think owners should be tied to dealerships for all maintenance, especially those that are mechanically inclined. These are logical points, not arguments.

Engineer Guy

Are we supposed to solely trust the software to tell us when it decides things need to be replaced? The same software that craps out constantly in myriad ways filling up forums like these.

Or maybe we're supposed to trust the dealers - just do whatever service they suggest and pay them whatever they ask? The same dealers who deny the vehicles have many design defects driving customers crazy?

Call me skeptical. The maintenance guidelines should be readily available. If software uses some formula to determine a threshold, this should be documented as well.

ronsteve2112

I'm convinced there are mileage intervals programmed into Maintenance Minder. Mine has almost been dead-on pace to be at 0% oil life after 10,000 miles. If you're going to hit 30K since your last transmission/transfer service before another oil change interval, you'll get B123 (2 is engine and cabin air filters, save some cash and DIY, 3 is tranny and transfer), instead of just B1. Either way it's a bit of a diva. If you get your oil changed as soon as the MM goes orange (15%) you'll be doing it every 8500 miles and it might not hurt to stretch a 4th oil change interval with the tranny as you'll only be around 32-35K miles. .

egads

The algorithm does work. On another forum related to this engine (Honda Odyssey) there was much discussion about this when it was first introduced in 2005.
What has reported is that everyone seemed to have different oil life intervals. There is one guy, living in NYC, that gets to 15% as early as 4500 miles. Others go to
almost 10k. But the average is 8000 miles or so. There is a way to look up the codes that are coming up. But there is no way to clear them until you get to 15%.
As ronsteve2112 says, and I said above, the rest of the service numbers and letters are set by how many oil changes have gone by. Only the oil life is computerized.

jcross1231

The one thing the maintenance minder doesn't have is a clock. It monitors mileage and driving conditions. There are a few things you need to have done on a time basis if you don't put enough miles on to trip a maintenance message. Annual oil changes, for example.

acuratech481

Timing belt is due every 105k or 7 years per Honda. Otherwise follow the maintenance minder.

We do services every 15k. Coming up on your 30k at our dealership would be: Oil change, tire rotation, service brakes (make sure everything is moving freely and smoothly, lubricate all brake pad contact points and caliper slide pins), engine and cabin air filters, front and rear differential fluids.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

that's why maintenance is the art of visual intelligence.
Everyone possesses this skill, just very underused.

this requires looking at components to see if they are worn out or broken.
there is no time limit on the the belt, but it does have severe conditions limit.

meaning; if you drive in severe conditions(desert, antarctica) yes the belt gets changed earlier.

Kelsen

I seem to be missing something; please help me.

Jcross1231 says there are a few things you need to have done on a time basis if you don't put enough miles on to trip a maintenance message.

Acuratech481 says that [changing] the timing belt is due every 105k or 7 years per Honda.

Justnspace says 'maintenance is the art of visual intelligence', and 'there is no time limit on the belt'.

All of these things are true, but that is not the problem. The problem is that Honda is not telling us these things anymore. There is no rational reason for this information to have been removed from user's manuals, nevermind the general unavailability of service manuals (without incurring significant additional costs).

Note: visual inspection of Honda timing belts does not (generally) reveal problems. You need to *know* the time limitation. Honda has dropped the ball.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. -- Samuel Ullman

jcross1231

Honda seems to be relying on the maintenance minder for a lot of this stuff. Trouble is 1) not everything is monitored; and 2) if you don't run the oil down to 15%, you don't see any messages. It's hard to rely on the dealers advice. Some of them just make stuff up to generate business. So it's hard to tell what to do. The good news is, you don't have to do a lot for quite a few miles or years.

And yeah...replace the belt when you hit the mileage. Otherwise, in another 20,000 miles or so you're going to be replacing a lot of other expensive stuff. That belt WILL break eventually.

acuratech481

At the end of the day...it's your vehicle, your money, and if not maintained it's your problem and no one else's.

Do whatever you deem necessary I guess. Most people drive until something breaks because fuck it!

Ultimately it's up to the owner. All we, the techs can do is make recommendations. Unfortunately there's some very dishonest people out there that prematurely sell shit because all they think about is their wallet and that's what gives dealerships a bad rep...

egads

You can look up the maintenance intervals for this V6 from the 1999-2004 before the maintenance minder was introduced. That information is an easy Google search.
Owner's manuals are available on the Honda/Acura owner's site for free. They are in pdf format and indexed even. The page numbers highlighted in blue can be clicked and take you directly to
that page.

Brake fluid is every 3 years regardless of miles. The truth is, modern vehicles do not require much maintenance. The engine oil really does last as long as the algorithm says. There is no reason
to dump perfectly good oil just because your grandpa did. For one thing, it's not just oil, but a chemical formula designed to last.


acuratech481: I once was given a BMW owned by a wealthy guy and the glove box was full of service paperwork that stated "vehicle towed in" and then thousands of dollars in repairs.

jcross1231

Agreed. Somebody (Volvo?) is working on a 100,000 mile oil replacement interval. That seems a stretch, but who knows with synthetic? My granddad used press filtered oil that looked black when he put it in. Seemed to work for him, though. I have NEVER replaced brake fluid in my 60 years of owning cars and had no issues. Your mileage may vary. Err on the conservative side.

atis

Maintenance schedule for 2014 RDX (Russian) is available here: https://auto.honda.ru/upload/iblock/...267afdc44f.pdf
Translated version: RDX_2014.ru.en.pdf