Cecil69

Hello All,
My first post to this forum. I promise that I've searched and searched for an answer to the question I am about to ask. So I hope it's not been asked 1000 times before this post. ;-)

Wife and I just purchased a used 2015 RDX that came off lease. It's a great time to buy that vintage as many are coming off lease with low miles and a good chunk of depreciation taken out of them. We acquired a great used example that was well maintained and certified through Acura. A Graphite RDX with Tech Package. I love the thing already. And believe it or not, prefer the looks over the 2016-2018, even though there are a few concessions feature wise.

My issue: I cannot get a data-connection set up through my cell phone (iPhone 8) running on T-mobile. This is because the method the infotainment is using to utilize my phone's data plan is antiquated. The "Dial String" default for T-mobile on the car is incorrect. On iOS 10 it's not something that you can look up on the phone anymore. It's all cared for via the SIM card and I cannot locate a valid Dial String for T-Mobile anywhere I've searched. Without that, it's impossible for the car to use my phone as a data-connection. Can't link up to Acura's servers. Can't activate real-time traffic or real-time weather.

Questions:

• If I update the infotainment firmware / software, does it use a more current method to establish a data connection?
• Is a firmware / software update different than the navigation update? I'm willing to purchase a DVD to update. But I'm under the impression that this only impacts maps and navigation. Not the OS behind it. And if the DVD doesn't update firmware, can my dealer do it? I want the infotainment firmware updated to the most recent version.
• Do I want to go through all of this trouble? My hope is that by establishing a data connection through the car that it will be able to send diagnostic information and receive updates over the air from Acura. I know it's only a 2015 model. But it seems to be set up to do this. That said, the net result of all this effort may be minimal. So again, is it worth it?
• Lastly, does anyone know what the various infotainment versions do? What changes were made? What's the latest version?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me with these questions. Really happy to have joined the Acura family. Been a Honda person for nearly 20 years. Plan to have many more Acuras in the future based on this vehicle. It's pretty awesome. A great replacement / upgrade from our 2006 Pilot with 172k miles on the clock. We raised our kids in that thing. Now it's our turn.

Cecil69

Update: I managed to update my Gracenote library. I also ordered the latest, "Purple" Nav disc from HERE. It looks like it may update the infotainment software in addition to the nav maps. But I still don't know that it cures my ability to create a "data-connection" using bluetooth to my iPhone. We shall see.

It's a shame that Acura wasn't thinking ahead with Acuralink First Gen versus Next Gen. Seems to me that you could get a significant portion of Next Gen working on an older car if using the phone as the data link. The hardware limitations don't seem to warrant the lack of functionality they impose on you. Even if Bluetooth wasn't fast enough to do the data transfers required of Next Gen, you could still use the USB. Not ideal, but it would be something.

Anyway, still hoping to hear from some of you about your experiences with the tech package as it ages.

Thmanx

I too have had issues with Acura Link syncing with my iPhone XR (AT&T).
We picked up a used 2015 RDX a few weeks ago and its taken some time get get everything synced and updated. I had the pandora/ipod issue at first that took some time, all that is left now is getting acuralink setup so navigation can use traffic data.

I've debated the update DVD for the navigation, but the price is steep like $160 and I'mnot sure what new features that includes or if its just updated roads, scenic points, etc.

Were you ever able to get AcuraLink setup?