Boomstick0

Something else I should have asked, do I have to run high test gasoline?

rlerman

Yes.

oo7spy

91+ octane or the engine will retard timing to avoid knocking.

Boomstick0

93 it is.... if the readout is accurate, I may get slightly better mileage so it should even out.

oo7spy

I found the MID to be 1/2-1 mpg high, but close enough to feel good about it.

shahram72

I ran 89 or 87 once. I thought the car was having major problems. Trouble starting, rough idle. Ran the tank out and put super in it. Problem gone instantly. I thought the computer would adjust like a Lexus does but it didn't. I was told Acura's are no go for regular gas.

oo7spy

It's should not have had that much issue, but the computer will retard timing and reduce power. In any case, you have a world-class engine in a $50k car. Spend a little extra to give it what it's designed for, and the added detergents will keep it clean.

shahram72

I agree with your assertion. I'll bet one in better condition would not have had this issue, something may be wrong with mine, but everything else working, it's not worth fixing. We cannot afford to excorcise every demon from an 11 year old car. Many of you know of my rust bucket RL. I take it a day at a time. I will keep it until it costs a new car payment, then it's time to downgrade to a new lower level car. Running premium does not bother me. Right now we replaced my wife's old Pilot (which was wonderful but totalled by an idiot) with a 2015 CR-V. That's no luxury car. It's new and tight, but no luxury car like the RL and Pilot, which both have that same smooth power delivery that an economy 4 cylinder car (based on a Civic) cannot deliver. I have a love hate relationship with that car. Been looking at an Accord Sport as a potential replacement for the RL. But today driving it and listening to Tipper on DTS surround and loving my new smooth brakes and new tie rod ends, realized that a new Accord will not have this stereo system. Very confused right now car-wise. A new tight Accord will be nice, and geez the body looks almost as nice as the RL, and it drives nice too, but that Earth Dreams with CVT tranny is just not luxury. So I will keep my non-perfect RL as long as I can. However, I am amazed with the CR-V. The Rpms stay way lower than the RL at all speeds when driven conservatively, and 30mpg is nothing to sneeze at, but the cost of a new car more than negates better gas mileage, Plus I get 23 to 24 in the RL, which is great for a heavy luxury car. My biggest complaint in the CRV is the seats! They are God awful and hard. I use a seat pad.

Boomstick0

I don't drive all that much anymore. The cost of high test is something like $6 per week, really not that bad.

I got my girlfriend a 2010 CR-V last year. It's plain as can be, but we haven't had any issues with it to date other than flat tires (probably caused by the massive pothole at the end of our road). The only car with a CVT I have ever driven was a Nissan Maxima. In regular shift mode, you have to put the pedal to the metal to get it above 2,000 rpms. You could run it in sport shift mode, and it would keep the RPMS 5,000+. When I tried the sport shift mode test driving it, it nearly torque steered itself off the road! But I don't think one poorly "geared" CVT is a fair representation of all CVTs.

23-24 combined is pretty good! I was getting 20-22 combined mileage in the v8 Charger so I should break even for having to use high test. And before that, I had a Cadillac CTS that got 16-17 mpg in the summer and 14mpg in the winter (direct injection engines are worse than carburetors in the cold!). If I didn't run cruise control the entire way to work, then subtract another 2mpg. Trying to pass someone on a 2 lane highway? subtract a little more. You get the idea. Plus it was noticeably slower than the RL as well, passing someone doing 45mpg in a 55mph was pretty scary and most dotted lines weren't long enough and it wasn't just mine either, I've driven plenty of them and they're all the same.

From my experience, Honda vehicles usually tend to get close to the EPA rating, where other vehicles usually fall short.

rlerman

I get 30 on the hwy in the summer and 25 in suburban driving! Knock 3-4 mpg off in winter suburban driving. My RL exceeds what it's supposed to get, another reason I don't want to part with it. I run Mobil 1 and a KN air filter.

Boomstick0

I had a 2000 Buick Lesabre years ago that was rated for 17/27 I believe. I once got 40mpg driving from Baltimore and back home to Williamstown. Got outside of Baltimore, filled up, got back on the freeway and literally didn't touch my brakes until I hit Albany, NY, which is the reason for it. But that was one of the rare vehicles that would exceed the EPA rating -- it'd have still got 33-35 if I drove it more aggressively and had more traffic to contend with as well.

30 in a Suburban is amazing! Most of my friends with Suburbans say they get < 10, is it a hybrid model? Or are the newer ones just that much better?

Boomstick0

Also keep in mind there are hills everywhere in the Western Mass area. Where I got 40 in the Lesabre coming back from Baltimore, I would normally get no more than 30mpg over here, just because all the hills.

rlerman

Suburban driving, not driving in a suburban.

Boomstick0

Oh my bad! I completely misread that. Now it makes more sense!


The majority of my daily commute timewise is suburban driving. On the way in, I can usually avoid most red lights, but not so much on the way home. Plus I am generally a spirited driver, and pass 4-6 people doing 35-45 in a 55 everyday as well. So if I combine 25mpg that would be amazing! Even if I had a smaller economy car like a Civic I would not expect much better.

Boomstick0

So I have figured out almost all of the options in the car except how to set the steering wheel position when I exit the vehicle. I will go RTFM now.

oo7spy

There are three buttons on the driver's door, "1", "2", and "memo" IIRC. The 1 & 2 save the seat and steering wheel positions, and memo is used to program them. That way if you start the car with driver 1's settings, you can easily get to driver 2's safe driving position and visa versa. The car uses the settings of whatever fob last unlocked it.

Boomstick0

The problem I had was the exit position. It was putting the wheel inward, and since I am tall my legs go under the wheel so I need the wheel out. Had the same issue on the Charger on other cars...

So what I figured out how to make it not adjust the seats or wheel on the car at all. Since I am pretty much the only driver, that's fine. if someone else drives it, I can just hit the button to switch to my reset profile as well, which is more than adequate for me.

oo7spy

I thought the wheel was supposed to lift and retract when the ignition is turned off. Maybe someone else with an RL in hand can comment.

wackjum

You can disable the auto-tilt and retract function.

I haven't had an RL in 4 years so I can't be of exact help, but it is in the MID functions menu.

http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/p...u/JA0505OM.pdf

Go to page 86.

Boomstick0

It is by default, my issue is that it retracts. I figured out how to turn that off, which will do.

Ratheruneeq

Im also In Mass, Whats your favorite part of the experience with it so far? What kind of impression does it give you both in it and as a driver?

Boomstick0

Hmm my favorite part? Hard to tell. It didn't overheat on the way home from the dealer? Because my Charger actually did! Or maybe the fact that I fit in it, because I fit in so few cars these days...

The steering is really good on the RL. I've driven the newer Cadillacs (which have really good steering), Audis and BMWs, and the RL steers up there with the best of them. The ride itself is a bit stiffer but it is softer on the bumps and feels no worse than the "boaty" style suspension in the Charger, which is usually best on crappy Mass roads, and the stiffer, sportier suspensions are usually the worst.

I also like the audio system much better. I'm always playing music and that is rather important to me and the stock system was pretty terrible on the Charger -- I was going to replace the speakers, which I hear would have improved the system, but no need now.

I also have more faith in a higher mileage Honda vehicle giving me far fewer issues, and probably having more life left on it as well. The fact that the interior is still silent with 80k miles gives me a lot better faith in the build quality of the vehicle than my prior two vehicles alike (the interior creaking in the CTS's once they hit 20-30k is absolutely deafening!)

I filled up last week and then drove to work and back this week, and I got 23.45mpg at the pump. The readout displayed 23.5. We have lots of hills, and if I was able to fit in some small, grossly underpowered economy car, I would likely see no better than 26-27mpg tops for my normal weekly driving with all the hills and whatnot, so that is very good!

It's a base model, but the base model includes all the options that I actually care about (heated seats, sunroof and HIDs) and doesn't come with some low output engine that gets worse mileage than the higher output engine. It's easy enough to add NAV as well, which I like the design.

The complaints about the car? Trunk space is pretty abysmal which is by far my biggest complaint with the design of the car (which is all I can comment on so far).

The controls are pretty tough to use, but I figured most of them out in a couple of days and now that I know how to use them, it's not a problem. Took me a couple more days how to make the steering wheel not retract when I exit the vehicle. I don't think the manual explained how to even get into or navigate the vehicle configuration menu either. It explained the options, but not how to access or use the menu. I figured it out eventually, but someone less tech savvy might not.

Maybe it's not quite as fun to cruise along open highway with as the Charger. Following the hood along the line was cool as well as the soft suspension for highway driving. But that's in design. And certainly not as fast either (which might be a good thing, it's a little too much fun), but I've been able to pass people who decide they want to race as I'm about to pass them without an issue.

Is there anything else?

Overall, I am very happy with the car.

dapqam

So how has it been going Broomstick0? I am a little late to read your questions and comment, but here it goes. I bought an 06 RL with 105K in early 2013. It was kept in good condition in the Philadelphia area. Bought it on Ebay! I am from the Buffalo area which has horrible winter salt conditions. I applied a rust deterrent material "Carwell CP-90" liberally for the 2 winters I drove the car to work. It worked well. Still no rust. Now that I am retired I will be able to keep it off the salty roads in winter. I replaced the timing belt myself (quite a job) and keep meticulous care of the car (fluid changes, etc.) The car is extremely comfortable especially on long trips. It has been very reliable. I have 125K now. I have had to have an alignment, replaced the battery, and fix a leak (from rust) under the roof molding (driver side). Alignment was at dealer. All other work was done by me. I too wish the car had a timing chain but once every 7 years isn't too bad I guess. I would not change the shocks until they need it. Mine are doing just fine at 125K. I like to do as much as possible myself to save money and learn new things about car maintenance and repair. If you are not into that, find a good Honda or Acura repair person (at a dealer or independent) and maintain the car well and it will probably service you well. If you have issues I would think about a lease turn-in like a Camry or Accord or Legacy. These are probably the best bang for the buck if they were cared for.

Boomstick0

My dad's side of the family is from the Buffalo area, so I'm familiar with the insane amounts of snow you guys get over there!

So I've had mine almost 2 months with no issues yet. And miraculously like I think I said, I actually had more rust on the '11 Charger I traded in! Also, unlike when I bought the Charger, I made it home without the car overheating, so that is good so far!

I can't actually sit in the driver's seat of an Accord. The steering wheel won't raise high enough to let me in the seat. I've been told the TL should be fine as it's much better designed. The cabin space in the RL is significantly smaller than the Charger's was, yet I have more headroom, adequate legroom and there is more legroom in back. It's just better engineered. While I believe I do not fit in a Camry, I do know I take objection to the seats Toyota uses -- only Volkswagen's are more uncomfortable. Only Toyota I've ever been able to sit in without hitting my head or knees or both too badly has been the Tundra which has better seats than their sedans (my carpool buddy drives one so thank god!), and even then my knees still do hit the dash a little and that is still unacceptable. So you can see that car shopping is extremely difficult as I only have a few cars to choose from.

I think the RL will be fine though, Acura/Honda has a much better track record than GM or Chrysler for one, and not having a warranty means I can service with the mechanic I have used for 15 years who is great. I have some other indy shops that are also good and I trust to do the job right as well. I've had bad luck with dealers being lazy, not fixing it right the first time (and sometimes ninth or tenth as well) or not fixing it at all, telling me it didn't throw a code which means apparently they don't know how to fix it. I don't have tools or much or a place to store them either (small house with no garage), so I'll have him do my timing belt when the time comes.

knv8

if you are super picky look for a certified acura rl, less worries with the 1 year full warranty and extended drivetrain warranty.

dapqam

Broomstick0 you must be a big guy. Glad you can find something as nice as the Acura RL to work for you. I am not big, but I know that seats in cars have been getting smaller over the years. I like how deep the RL seats are. I think it is interesting that chairs are being made bigger but not car seats. I think you should be able to go into a dealer and they fit the seat to you! Considering how long we sit in the seats over the lifetime of the car. Of course that would be difficult for the used car market. Enough jibber from me. Hope you continue to have success with your RL, I love mine.