Cablerat

I have a 2013 RDX 4WD made in April 2012 (first of it's kind I was told.) I've had it since May 2012.

I'm at 76K KMs (about 48K Miles,) and I recently started hearing a short thud sound coming out of the right rear side every time I hit bumps. Turns out the rear right shock had to be replaced - saved by warranty thankfully.

I believe the consensus is that shock absorbers last somewhere in the range of 60K - 80K Mileage. Bad luck? (just more potholes than usual) Faulty part? or normal?

Thanks for reading.

WanaBeFaster

I see this alot on the RDX. anywhere from 15k to 50k miles. i would expect them to be putting out a bulletin soon

Cablerat

That's unfortunate.. I've never experienced a shock absorber failure on a car before, let alone this one.

They estimated it to be like a $600 CAD job, if it wasn't under warranty. Hoping none of the others fail.

Davey74

At 21,000 kms I've replaced the rear shocks twice on my 2013 RDX. The sevice Mgr said they had a bad batch.

rkanak

We bought a pre-owned acura rdx 2013, 3 months ago...What i have been noticing is that the ride is not that smooth whenever i hit a bump on the road. My Nissan quest 06 has a smother ride than the rdx. Should i take it to dealer and let them know?

Joe Las Vegas

KYB 349095 will fix the issue. DYI solution.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the problem with shock absorbers is that they "wear" as soon as load is put on them. this means that they can last anywhere from 2 miles to 200,000 miles.


Honda has to either change production in design or change materials.

rkanak

i still have warranty left on the rdx..

Joe Las Vegas

So, that's not gonna do any good if they just replaced OEM shocks with OEM shocks.

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

KYB tech support states..." the 1st Gen RDX shock is NOT designed for the 2nd Gen. We do NOT have a KYB product that is a proper replacement.


The '12 shock is "rigged" to work...but, still is not the correct shock for that suspension. And that's just a fact. Ignore if you will...just because you "shoehorned" in a part doesn't make it right for the application. It rides like a tank with them.

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

The '16 RDX has all new shocks and springs. New part #'s confirm this as well as my Service/Parts Director at my dealer. Suspension has been re-calibrated...re-done, etc, etc.


So, buy a '16 and enjoy all the new upgrades!!

jmt053

I just picked up a 2015 RDX AWD w/ Tech Package last week. I looked at the 2016 RDX and did a comparison though it did not include checking out the suspension.

2016 Pros: LED headlights and fog lights.

2016 Cons: Have to pay for foglights. Have to pay for a spare tire and jack. Prices are higher. Purely subjective: Uglier wheels than the 2015.

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

If you are comparing to a '16 Advance, then it's a different ball game. Has everything and then some. Has spare, fogs, all the "techy stuff" the RDX never had before, cooled seats, auto dimming outside mirrors, 8 way pass. seat....on and on. And actually the price did not go up that much. Yes, there are "deals" on the '15's to get them off the lots. But, I also know the '16's at my dealer were flying off the lot last Sat. They are sold out...more soon...and many of those are pre-sold. Lot's of '15's selling....and quality trades like my '13. Sold within 2 hours after I parked it on the lot when I drove in.

jmt053

I looked more closely to all the features of the advanced model. It's nice, but the only feature I would consider paying for are the ventilated seats. I have them in another car of mine and really like them on hot days. I don't care for all the lane departure, parking sensors, etc. Given the current discounts on 2015 models, the price difference is between $6K and $7K. That and you still have to pay for a spare tire kit in an advanced model for 2016. As much as I like ventilated seats I didn't want to pay that much for them.

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

Only to clarify --- AWD models come with the spare tire kit.

jmt053

The reason I said spare tire is an option is based on the Acura website where when you build the AWD Advanced it still has spare tire kit as an option. Not sure where you are seeing this as included, but if it's an option that implies it's not included in the AWD models. Please follow the link below and scroll to the last option.

Acura.com ? Build and Price

jmt053

Wouldn't make a big deal of this, but it bothers me that a spare used to be included and now is a priced option. I understand that tire technology has improved greatly over the past decade and many cars don't have any spare or even room for a spare. They use run-flat tires. Just my guess, but most people probably don't know how to change a tire even if they have the spare. Given that in the last year I picked up a screw in one of the rear tires of my mercedes and my wife's acura tl picked up a nail, I still want a spare tire in the car.

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

I KNOW what the "build and price" says. Trust me...it's an error!!! They are wrong.
All AWD models come with the "Spare Tire Kit." Take that to the bank!! Doubt me...that's your choice...find out for yourself...again...the Acura web site is WRONG! They have made many printing mistakes on the web, also on the CD you now get in place of some of the paper manuals. I know...been dealing with it all.

EE4Life

See TSB 16-059 - Pop or Clunk from the Rear Suspension in Cold Weather in the TSB threads.

Bob fillare

I am wondering if a stock 2016 strut can be used for the 2013. I need the upgraded version for the 2013, the suspension is not tight. I changed the shocks, a great move, but no one makes aftermarket struts for the front.

I just cant buy another RDX, mine is worth 17k at 57k(rough)

Doobiewah

I did this last Thursday as we noticed the sound on cold mornings. Dealer had the vehicle for two hours (they also re-balanced the tires). 18 degrees the next morning. No more noise! Great help, EE4Life, thanks!!

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

I have 2 RDX's and changed both vehicles rear shock upper bushings. I did them myself. Don't ask...long story. No big deal. Easy to do. I sure noticed the "softer" new replacements and they are thinner also...compared to
the ones from the factory. By the way...just in case anyone is curious. The replacement bushings are Honda Civic upper shock bushings. Acura found replacement "off the shelf" ones without having new ones made.
I have noticed a difference on both RDX's. And yes, they were both listed on the Serv. Bulletins as needing replacement. Seems like all along this was the "issue" instead of bad shocks....ya think??? Don't know for sure,
but, it's quite possible.

nandixon

Can you outline the steps you went through to replace those bushings, including torque values for re-tightening the nuts? My 2013 RDX has just started experiencing the rear shock problem and is out of warranty. I'm curious to see if simply replacing the bushings will actually avoid having to replace the entire shock. Thank you!

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

The problem is you have the "first" shocks built by Sachs in Mexico used in the 2G RDX's. They have since been upgraded. I have a '16 and a '17 and have had no real issues. I did the bushing replacement since it was
a Serv. Bulletin that included both my vehicles. Many people got their early 2G RDX's warrantied for the shocks. I'd try and get those replaced first, rather than putting these bushings on the original shocks.

OriginalLucy

We just bought our 2014 two weeks ago. It was a lease return and we got an excellent deal on it. However, we are having that thumping noise at lower speeds, also. When I go over a bumpy road, the rear driver side thumps. I will be taking my car back in for a fix. Thanks for all the discussions on the problems that are found. It will save me a lot of aggravation.

Skidoor

Does anyone know if there's a way to tell if you have the original shocks or the replacements by looking at them? I have a 2014 I bought used last fall.. The service history from the dealer does not indicate the shocks were replaced but the service history may have been altered by the sales manager before he gave it to me after i asked for it. (I know he looked through it for 15 minutes before emailing it to me).

mdfree

If I'm not mistaken I think there is a sticker on the shock that has a date of manufacture? I ended up putting KYBs on mine and no more problems

Skidoor

Did the KYBs give you a firmer ride?

mdfree

Nothing that I can recall, I was just so glad to have the clunking gone. My vehicle is a 2014