For whatever this is worth, JD Power gave the RL third honor in its annual dependability survey, behind two lexus models (1st ES 300, 2nd GS 300/430.)

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/...bility/11.html

My car has been flawless in the three months or so I've had it (05 w/45k on it), but I would never have thought it would be rated this high based on reading this board. I guess this board just concentrates owners who are having problems and are seeking experiences from others and so we shouldn't make generalizations about the car's reliability based on what we see here.

 

Well said.

 

What you said is true of any product-related board on the Internet. The RL is, in general, a very reliable car.

My car is still going strong after 30k and almost two years.

 

I've had my RL for over 3 years. It has about 43K miles and I drove it across the country from Northern VA to Northern CA. No major problems so far.

 

It's all dependent on the cross section which they used to get their stats.

"This year’s VDS results are based on survey responses from over 52,000 verified original owners of 2005 model-year vehicles." - Jeff Youngs, 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study Results

Of the 52,000, how many RL owners are comprised here?

If reliability is based mainly on the powertrain, I'll vouch for the RL's reliability too. During the 3 years, I've never really had a show stopper where I couldn't start the car or was left stranded. On the other hand, non-powertrain items were all the problems I've had. A/C, AFS, rattles, paint, etc. So if reliability is measured that way, I'd disagree with the JD Power results.

Anyone know what the survey asks?

 

Here's the link to JD Powers ratings for Acura by year.

It's actually very interesting. For all I read on this board about people having problems with the 05 rls and how the 06-08s had the bugs worked out, that is not what the JD Power survey suggests. Indeed, the 05 gets the highest ratings of the 05-08 model years. I'm just reporting what JD Power shows so don't shoot the s[messenger.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/Acura

 

"For a 14th consecutive year, Lexus ranks highest in vehicle dependability, improving by 25 problems per 100 vehicles since 2007 to achieve a score of 120 PP100. Following in the top five rankings are Mercury, Cadillac, Toyota and Acura, respectively."

go to the source:
http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings...e-#page-anchor

can you believe it, Mercury (a Ford devision) overall better than our Acuras!

 

these boards do tend to have lots of "complaints". people don't log on and type "i've had my car for a year and it runs great". people post when $hit hits the fan.

ON a related note - i was over on a boxster board and there are threads on motor failure. it probably happens to very few cars - but from reading that forum you'd think half of every boxster on the road is on the verge of blowing up. (FYI - their motor is not rebuildable and costs about $15,000 to replace - some blow up before they are even off warranty) while it's rare, it sounds like it happens a LOT more thanon an RL!

it's great to hear how reliable these cars are.

did this article specifically mean 2005 models or all of them?

 

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...110319908/1283

Honda Motor Co. also had 3 winners with the Acura RL, Honda CR-V and Honda Fit.

 

Sorry, but how is Jag that high on the list?!? Hyundai above Honda?!? Something ain't right here...

 

sounds about right, Hyundai has long been kicking @$$...if you keep up with the news it wouldn't be a surprise.

 

I "keep up" with the news...and I still think it's bull...Hyundai will NEVER be on par with Honda...and no, I'm not a fan boy...but you will never get me to believe a car built in Korea is better than a Japanes built vehicle.

 

um...most Honda's are made in US now, same for Hyundais.

stop being old fashioned and get with the program. Hyundai quality is waaaay up.

 

Um, My RL was not made in the USA, nor were my RSXs and Integras, and that is what I'm referring to. I switched to Acuras from Hondas when I found out Hondas were being built by US autoworkers.

Of course Hyundai quality is up...it's the only place it could go.

 

what's a nice way of saying "stop being so thick headed?"

made in Japan is not the only sign of quality in this world. Hyundai comment was very snobbish. I should probably mention that Genesis Sedan holds better resale value than RL.

seriously, stop with the ignorant comments and do some research.

 

I agree with 037.

This is getting off topic, but Hyundai cars from the last 10 years are way better built than many cars that were once considered "reliable". (Read: Nissan, Mazda, and yes - Honda too.)

My parents have two different Hyundais - Elantra and Sonata V6. BOTH cars are more than 5 years old, close to 100k miles on each, and they have had almost no issues what so ever. On the other hand, our 2004 TSX with 92k miles had 3 repairs that each cost $1000+ at the dealer. (new VSA/ABS module, suspension/mounts work, Navi/DVD system). Go figure. It was built in Japan and always well maintained.

Don't get me wrong, the TSX and the RL are great cars!!! They are in a different class and in a different price range $$$, so i expect them to be better, more feature loaded, etc, etc compared to sub $20k Hyundai. Could the reliability be better - yes, especially on the TSX.
My 2006 RL still has less than 70k miles and so far only the $2k drive-shaft has been replaced. Not a cheap repair - i am lucky to have the warranty. Overall, It is a solid car and i expect it to stay this way.

On the other hand, saying that Hyundai will never be as good or as reliable as Honda/Toyota because it is Korean brand and not Japanese, is pure BS and it is not based on any facts. 30 years ago ignorant people in this country were saying the SAME things about Honda and Toyota. Look where these two brands are now.

 

There is no "nice" way to personally attack someone, so please stop.

I know someone with a brand new Santa Fe where the right front wheel assembly just fell off after 1 week of ownership...initial quality? Yeah Right.

Wait a while...we'll see how the Genesis holds up...

 

quality is measured on average not by 1 defective model you know of. I did not want to personally attack, but to get you to look at the facts and stats not on your "beliefs" and disgust with the name Hyundai and what it used to mean.

 

Hyundais are designed in CA, manufactured in MI, and assembled in AL. By the way, none of those states are in Korea which actually has good manufacturing. I'd buy a Samsung TV over a Japanese TV any day, but that's another topic.

Seriously though, how is Jaguar up there? I've been told if you buy one Jag, go ahead and buy two 'cause one will always be in the shop. Old ways?

 

i agree with 037 that Hyundai quality is gaining a lot through research and manufacturing but i just want to see how well honda could keep up with its name. I like the genesis but i love the nissan GTR and I think in the next few years Honda will catch up with what they are lacking off.

 

I remember when a Toyota had half inch gaps in the seams and they were considered an upstart POS.
Jaguars had a justified reputation but it was for cars from the 60's through 80's. Ford's ownership taught them a lot and now with a new infusion of investment their cars are world class in design and reliability.
The Hyundai Excel was a big seller and also created a reputation of poor quality but every generation has improved monumentally to today's fine cars.
Maybe the Chinese will be the next country to push vehicles in the USA and don't discount their ability to give Honda and Toyota serious competition after a generation or two of some models.
You can only live on reputation and tradition for a while and eventually the real product comes through. Cadillac's reputation was better than their cars and Hyundai's cars are better than their reputation.

 

The new hyundais look nice too! A neighbor has a new sonata with oem 18" wheels and it looks really nice. It looks far more upscale than the accords and camrys it competes with.... To me at least.

The genesis looks nice, but from pics, I didn't like it's interior....

 

I walked by the new Elantra today and actually had to walk back and confirm it was in fact an Elantra, limited on 18"s wheels. I dunno how crappy it is to ride in one of those but it sure looked sexy standing next to a civic or a corolla.