I took my 2008 RL to the dealer for an state inspection as well as to take a look at a few potential issues (some have been documented on here) such as:

-A strange sound that intermittently happens at around 55mph

-The scraping sound I get when I go up or down a driveway at more than 5 mph.. This has happened ever since they installed my aspec there. (it's within 12 mos so it should be under their labor warranty)

-The classic hesitation by the tranny when you shift from R to D after a startup.

The dealer quoted the state inspection as free but went on to quote $125 (for an hr of labor) to run diagnostic on these other issues (which should be under warranty shall any arise).. They said if there were any issues, then they wouldn't charge the diagnostic fee but I'm guessing if everything checks out okay, I'd be paying the $125 for peace of mind.. Is this something standard or am I being squeezed.. I'm a repeat customer and they have been reasonably fair to me in the past.. They will call me later today with the verdict..

Lastly, I've been experiencing this for sometime but whenever I turn off my car, I hear a subtle click at the end after the motor shuts off.. Is this normal or not.. Thanks in advance for the advice guys!!

 

In response to the motor clicking question after you shut the car off: I started hearing this sound after I ran SeaFoam through the intake manifold to clean the engine. It may make 1 or 2 clicks after it shuts off. I am starting to think this has always happened but I just started noticing it because I was actually looking for sounds. You know what they say....don't go looking for something you don't want to find LOL

 

I always have that click after I turn car off as well.. I think it's normal, as for aspec maybe your too low or the driveways a little steep? I've also got the hesitation for
Park to drive or reverse to drive etc, seems normal/ harmless.. Strange sound @55? Not sure, Like Matt said I wouldn't look for things I really didn't want to find IF I wasn't under warranty in which case I'd try and get all I could taken care of before it ended! Good luck!

 

After the hesitation from shifting, does the car jump?

If so, I would say your motor/tranny mounts are bad.

 

I just had my transmission fluid changed at 89,000 miles for the first time and the entire transmission shifts and feels better especially from drive to reverse and if I am going down a steep hill coming to a red light when I shift into low gear to assist the brakes. Also I park in a heated indoor garage that echoes so every time I pull in or out I roll down my windows and listen for any abnormal noises. This is without a doubt the finest car that I have ever owned. I am hoping to be able to purchase an S2000 by next summer so that I can have both cars.

 

Excuse the N00b question, but is there a life expectancy to the tranny\motor mounts? I got an 06 RL with 83K. I dont notice any herky jerky in shifting from P to R or D, other then impatiently hitting the accelorator before the 1-2 sec "hand off", but want to know if there is a mileage threshold when to expect these to start to break down.

 

It depends a lot on driving patterns. Honda motor mounts in general are pretty soft and can go out in as little as 30k with aggressive driving. I don't know what the upper limit of a the mounts would be.

 

I've got a bit of a jump from P to D or R, it's gotten worse since I've been behind the wheel surprisingly I'm not concerned, then again I'm under warranty motor mounts could be an issue

 

Yeah I get that occasionally as well.. The bad mounts would also affect that scraping sound from going up on down a driveway >5mph according to some of the azine vets on here.. As for the warranty, my RL didn't even hit 10k on the odo yet so I'm well within it and want to make sure everything checks out before I get my J-Pipe installed so an unscrupulous dealer can't use that for an excuse if I reported those probs afterwards (if they can tell the diff between the RL pipe & TL pipe).. I wanted the documentation in their records..

Is charging the $125 if they find nothing wrong a standard thing? I haven't heard back from them yet and I dropped the car off yesterday just after 3..

 

$125 is semi-standard. IIRC, you are in NY? I have usually heard of $110 for a check out, but your mileage may vary with location.

The hesitation is normal. The scrape is not. Like wack said, the mount life is completely dependent on how hard you drive the car.

Also, if you install the j-pipe, they cannot refuse you warranty service on anything that could not be affected by the mod. They also have to be able to prove the mod caused it. It is a protection under the Federal Lemon Law.

 

I do believe it is a standard practice. Which I must say I do hate that rule as well, especially when your asking them to look at parts that are under warranty. But I suppose people took advantage of it which is why dealerships (not only Acura), charge such fees.

 

Yep I'm in NY, I'm going to pick up the car now.. they said they couldn't hear that 55mph whine (big shock there) & that they couldn't see anything out of the ordinary with shifting from P to R to D.. but they did fix something on the scraping which they did not charge me for so we will see.. I'll update after I pick up the car if anything out of the ordinary happens..

 

The car is under warranty? I have never heard of the dealer charging ANYTHING to check something out while you are under warranty. I have had a few new cars, Dodge, Honda, Ford, they never charged me a dime to look at the car if it was under warranty. This is shameful for a flagship sedan from a premium brand.

 

When I went last month to change my propeller shaft they told me the same story of charging if they don't find anything.

I feel like all NY/NJ dealerships charge but some dealerships in the less populated area's don't (just a theory). Not fair, and I hate it because it makes me think twice before going to a dealership.