As originally posted first yesterday in another forum by aclc and confirmed by me today, the fix for most if not all the glitches caused by the update is to disconnect the battery for a minute. I disconnected the negative battery cable for a minute before reconnecting, then re-entered the nav and radio codes. I took several 20+ minute trips today to test the fix and observed no more annoying door relocking.

 

I have gone through the other problems in this forum and do not see some of mine listed. I purchased a white 2005 RL in Dec 04 and now there is a buildup of black soot on the bumper above the exhaust pipes that does not seem to come off. I took it in to the dealership, They checked the car and could not find any problem (although they did do all the updates at the time). My service writer said that due to the fact that the exhaust pipes are "just made that way" that I will always have this problem. I told her that if I had known that my bumper would turn black I would have bought a black car. My husband says that should this problem persist that it will rust out the bumper.

I also took it in for a very loud rattle in the front - they checked that out and said it is coming from the brakes although they said there is nothing unsafe about the brakes. Basically they said they would research both problems.

When I picked the car up they had done all the updates and now I have the doors locking & unlocking. I also have the problem with the nav screen starting out very dim when it's cold and then finally growing brighter. We have bought Acura's since 1989 and this the first time that we have been unhappy as we have never had so many weird problems and never had such a bad/uncaring/ attitude from our dealership & Acura as we were also advised to call them and notify them of these problems. They pretty much said we had to live with the problems of the bumper and the rattle.

 

I have a white pearl RL and it does have the black soot build-up also, but it does come off quite easily. I use Meguires Polish (#2), which is clearcoat safe and comes in a red bottle. You only need to put a small amount on a clean cloth and then gently rub it on the blackened area. Once you have rubbed the soot off, then flip the cloth over and polish the area. It only took me two minutes today to remove it. My advice is to do this after every car wash so that it doesn't build up and become more difficult to remove.

 

I see the blackish stain on my Meteor Silver RL as well. I run Premium fuel (Sunoco 94) all the time in the car. I was wondering if that had something to do with it. I never saw this on my 2002 TL even though I ran Premium in that all the time.

 

Heads-up for all.

The original sticky at the front of this thread has just been updated (new quirk associated with linking the keyfobs was worth mentioning).

I am aware of the problems that some have been having with the door handles (again), as we find that this is a general problem, we can add it to the problem list.

I'm not sure if the black soot is really a problem worth posting, maybe a quirk??

Also, I'm hearing that a lot of the post-update "glitches" may be fixed by disconnecting the battery. If anyone want's to try this, it is proposed that after the cables are disconnected, they are shorted together to drain all power from the car. FOR ANYONE ATTEMPTING THIS FIX, PLEASE DO NOT SHORT THE CABLES UNTIL THEY HAVE BEEN DISCONNECTED FROM THE BATTERY...SHORTING THEM WHILE STILL CONNECTED TO THE BATTERY WILL (OBVIOUSLY) GIVE YOU SOME UNDESIRED FIREWORKS.

Pete

 

I have the same soot build-up on my white RL. It comes off easily when I wash it.

 

I also have the black stuff on my bumper after a week or so of driving but it comes off easily when I wash it. I put Zaino on the car right after I bought it so that may have something to do with how easily it comes off (www.zainobros.com). My NSX is worse in that respect but I believe that black stuff is the tire compound wearing out as I drive.

My door handles occasionally fail to lock but I'm not going to let the dealer take apart my doors to install new handles. As you can see by the complaints those techs are just learning and they are creating more problems than resolving them. My advice is, don't let them touch your car unless you have a real problem that is preventing you from driving and/or enjoying the car. So far, every "problem" that I've detected on my car has been "caused" by my own lack of information and/or understanding of how the systems work.

I'm reading the owners manual from cover to cover and I'm discovering many things I didn't know before I started. Do read the manual if you have the time, it's worth it!

 

i received my RL in November, and have seen the SH-AWD and VSA failed messages several times since then. finally realized that i am only getting these messages above 48 degrees ambient, so they appear to be tied to some thermal condition. when the messages appear, its clear that the all-wheel drive and VSA is REALLY disabled, as torque steer becomes noticeable, and tire squeals and traction loss (say when punching it from a dead stop while making a right turn) is quite audible.

however, the MID display of torque distribution appears to have two modes after the messages come on. most often the display stops showing any torque information. but occassionally, front end torque continues to be displayed, indicating (?) some different kind of failure mode.

since we're just coming out of winter here in VA, its not been possible to actually get it to my dealer when the display was active, so they havent been able to troubleshoot any solution yet. any additional information on this problem from folks experiencing these messages would be appreciated...

 

It was also fairly warm when I had both of my AWD error codes. RLOwner what code did you get when this happened. Mine was an Error 78.

 

When my SH-AWD error code occurred, it was cold out during last few days of 2004 in Boston. (I don't know the exact temperature).

 

Dealer applied the XM, NavTraffic, PCM and Front Speaker updates on my RL yesterday. I get the random door locking. I do NOT get the stuck mirror. It returns to the normal position after returning the car to drive. Still cannot link to AcuraLink with my BT Treo650 phone. The linking works correctly to use the telephone but getting it to communicate with Acura has never worked. I am going to give up on that feature and be glad I have real-time traffic and Nav all updated.

This forum has been so helpful. Thanks to everyone for contributing.

 

Have the dealer rest the computer. Reset by disconnecting both battery cables and holding them together for about one minute. Don't short change yourself.

 

mderxman...thanks. I think I will ask the dealer to do the reset. I have to stop by there for a new set of wiper blades. I complained about the streaking when you drive at speed and they want to try a new set and see if it improves the streaking. They clean fine while the car is stopped.

 

Created a couple of entries in the phone address book, including "pauses" so that I could then include passwords when dialing into my voicemail. This was not an issue on my 2004 TL, but the pauses just do not work on the RL. I stopped by the dealer today and they confirmed that this has been a problem. Anyone else had this issue, and what did you do to fix it? I know that I can create another entry that I could then "send" once the call has gone through, but it's just not as convenient as it could be.

 

How about dead battery issues when unlocking the trunk with the door switch after iginition is turned off. I know another thread had been started. It just seems that thread should have been here.

 

Agreed, it is a known problem for which no solution currently exists. I know firsthand as my car has been at the dealership for over 2 weeks while they struggle to understand it.

 

This, as well as other more minor issues (e.g. XM delay), is the reason I have not yet bought an RL. I had more or less decided to wait for an '06 to see what additions/improvements had been made. Now that early reports are suggesting no real significant changes, I'm not sure what I will do. I may gamble that with no significant changes they really can't expect a lot more money for the '06. So hopefully one can buy an '06 at a good price and avoid problems that plagued the '05.

 

With the RL being too new I wouldn't expect significant changes, with that said I will say that minor on going changes have occured as running improvements. Look at the '04 TL compaired to the '05. There were some minor changes such as adding an additional seam to the front seats, attaching the lower seat belt anchor on the front passenger seat instead of the b-pillar, and changing the tires used.

Some may consider those significant changes but I see them as running improvements as MANY people complained about the seat and tire issues. It is a safe bet that Acura has been addressing the problems the RL has had for '05.

 

I think that the bulk of the RL issues, few that there are, are software related and therefore will get fixed eventually on the current cars. I'm glad I didn't wait for 2006, rather get the same car at an end of year price now than wait for the new car at a higher price. Just one man's opinion.

 

I agree shs111 with you regarding the higher price of the '06. Considering that the '05 isn't selling that well (I know Acura says sales are up over 100%. They should be considering that the first RL barely moved in the last few years).

Also with the exception of the MDX, Acura hasn't had an option package so I wonder how the Tech package will be priced.

 

There is a Corvette Forum that is very similar to this.
I had a 2000 Corvette (3rd full year of production) After 3 years of production my 2000 still had a ton of issues that hadn't been resolved or addressed with a running changes. The Corvette list makes the RL list to appear very small.

 

I must be pretty dumb these days, or aging faster than I thought. While the traffic information was there on the first day I got the car, went through the orientation, etc., I have not been able to find it since. A month goes by, and I finally thought to call XM and confirm that they were sending the traffic information to the car. Sure enough, they were not. Somehow they dropped it from my profile (I suspect it's when I called on the day I got the car and transferred my remaining months from my 2004 TL subscription to the new RL).

In any event, I suggested to XM customer care that they might think about crediting me the month that I've been without the service, given that it was a problem caused on their end. Here was their response:

Thank you for contacting XM Satellite Radio.

We apologize for the delay in our response.

In response to your email, we apologize but we are not authorized to provide service credits for the NAF Traffic service. Please accept our apologies but you will need to contact your Acura dealer regarding having the service credited to your account for the lost days of service. Your free trial service began on 7/26/2006.

Well, I guess policy is policy, but this seems very, very short-sighted on their part. Onward.

 

I just got my new 05 RL over the weekend and like it. Still need to figure out all the bells and whistles and voice commands. Had some weird programming problems with the remote.

I saw on here that the car has some software and speaker mods that are needed. Are these needed for every 2005 or just the early ones? My RL was built in February 2005.

Thanks!

 

Gleek wrote:
"....I saw on here that the car has some software and speaker mods that are needed. Are these needed for every 2005 or just the early ones? My RL was built in February 2005."

Enjoy the new ride!
I believe the VIN's above 11,xxx are ok with software. Speakers were way earlier than that. Your Feb. build should be well above 11,xxx, so you should be good.
I would trust (well, hope) that if your car was an earlier build, & you needed these upgrades, that the dealer would have made them before delivery, but you never know!

Did you buy or lease?

 

Thanks for the help! Mine is in the 13xxx.

I leased it with their year end special.

 

I want to put in my 2 cents on the dead battery issue. I find this to be incredibly frustrating, and I am beginning to really dislike this car. I have been driving and not reselling my 3rd car, a 2000 Accord, simply because I have been stranded by my RL so much. The RL is currently at the dealer (again), and they are updating the software, so we will see if the RL works now. I simply can't believe the problems with dead battery I have had on easily the most expensive car I have ever owned, not to mention the lack of help from the dealer. The dealer kept accusing me of not shutting off the car correctly, until it froze with the ignition switch in the off position, so dead, it could not be moved at all. I pay 900 dollars a month including my down payment, insurance, etc on my lease, and I have had poor reliability for around 9 months now. Very unhappy.

 

Just a couple of random thoughts, and it's certain you all have already looked into the following. Has the car had the Acuralink TSB? The information I saw posted here is that there was a battery issue with the Acuralink...most folks were concentrating on the XM refresh, but there was a battery issue mentioned in that TSB. FYI, I don't think my battery has ever been disconnected or gone dead, but I lost my Onstar minutes, which was determined to happen with a dead or disconnected battery. My car was parked for several days at a time after Katrina due to premium gas shortages, and maybe the battery drained low enough to affect the Onstar...at that time I didn't have the TSB work done. I just don't know if the minutes were lost then or earlier. You might see about that TSB if you haven't already. There is also an admonition in the manual not to leave the lights in auto if you leave the car parked for awhile.

 

Make sure your dealer checks the radio. In my case, the radio was still drawing current even when the car was shut off. Like clockwork, if the car was not driven for two days, the battery went dead. I completely understand your frustration with the flaws in this car.

 

I agree that if the most recent TSB is not done, the battery will go dead intermittently. In early October, my wife's one year old RL had a dead battery for the first time. The most recent TSB's, which were just released at that time were applied by the dealer. Everything has been fine since then, including not driving the car last month for over 2 weeks.

 

Yup, first thing in the morning....squirts loud and when the brakes warms up, not squeaks!!

 

How did you figure out that you weren't getting the service? Right now, my computer keeps saying, not traffic report within 30 miles. I live in Boston and there is NAVtraffic service. I think I should call and find out. I have my 06 RL for almost a month and no traffic report.

 

rxrxrx:

You are right. You should be NAVtraffic in the Boston area. I am in this area too.

 

Figured it out because the traffic indicators never showed up on the map, and I also think that that grayed out horizontal line at the bottom of the screen never showed up. Call XM/NAV and ask them to verify whether data is being sent to your car, just have the radio # handy. Good luck. Once you get these issues resolved, it's a great car. About the best I've ever driven.

 

My traffic stopped working a while back and my XM subscription is about to lapse. How do you get your radio number? I looked in all the paperwork that came with the car but can't find it.

Don

 

Tune your radio to Channel 001 and hit the "Audio" button. It will display on the screen.

 

I had the same problem on my 2month old white RL. Took it in earlier this week and it appears that Honda had released new exhaust tips to replace the old ones. The funny thing is that the service guys did not knwo this. It was the salesman who researched it and brought it to services' attention.

 

nralpmet............

So is there a TSB on the exhaust tips? Do you have the TSB number?

thanks.

 

'fraid not. It was the salesman who did all the groundwork on this.

Related question: is there a way to see if any/all the outstanding TSB have been done on a vehicle?

Rgds,

nr

 

has anyone heard a problem with squealing noise from A/C compressor, low volume happens from idle to about 3k rpm

 

Any problem with the '06 RL?