bearcat2000

Is there any truth to Acura coming out with new exhaust tips? Anyone?

1HOT NSX

Yes, go to your dealer and bring up the black soot around the bumper issue and he will replace them for you under warranty.

Rich in NC

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2003

jeremysm1

I had the TSB for the front brakes installed and the brakes squeek just as much as before---really squeek when slowing down to park.

Anybody get this issue fixed correctly? The Acura service manager told me that the brakes are so good that I drive too "softly" and this is causing the problem. And that there is nothing they can do. Obviously, he hasn't driven with me before...but that was a very poor response on his behalf.

Thx.
J

Rich in NC

But probably very true.

1. You can have very high performance brakes.
2. You can have very quiet brakes.

Chose one.

Brakes that can take a lot of heat and heavy braking effort tend to leave depositis on the rotors when not up to temperature. This is made worse by cars with automatic transmissions.
Want quiet brakes on the Acura? Take the car on a road course where you beat the crap out of the brakes. They quiet right down!

rickzamp

I feel your pain. don't make the mistake of contacting Acura it won't help. I wrote two letter the CEO and the call from California began with "it doesn't matter who you write to you have to deal with me" You would think an Acura rep. would care. They don't. Good Luck!

rickzamp

I have an RL (Really Lousy) you can add this to your list: My RL will change the climate control all by itself. Set it at 68 when you come back to the vehicle and restart it you now have 70 or vice vesa. And then sometimes for added pleasure if the radio was off it is now on and very loud on a setting that is mostly static. Forget about fixing it neither the dealer or Acura is interested.

klister

Not bug -- it feature. The climate control and radio settings that you have when you save a driver configuration (like seats and mirrors) will return each time you unlock the car with that driver's key. It is supposed to be a good thing.

wbartel

I am new to site and can't seem to post a new thread so I will use this one. I owned Legends in late 80's and early 90's. Loved the cars but was not pleased with ac performance here in Houston. After owning Lexus's, BMW's and MB's I am considering coming back to Acura for the RL. How does ac perform in traffic and hot summer days? When I test drove RL the other day it seemed to take minutes or longer to cool down the sun baked RL. I am torn by the typical RL, GS, MX choice. I would stay with my 5 series because nothing handles like a BMW but the seats kill my back and legs after about three hours on the road. Any feedback, particularly from hot/humid southerners would be appreciated.
Wayne

1HOT NSX

Keep the BMW and replace the seats with a nice pair of Recaros. If you are satisfied with the BMW A/C you will be OK with the RL's too. The RL has a good but not exceptional A/C, in my dry 100+ degree weather here I'm comfortable after a few minutes. My previous 2000 3.5RL seemed to have a better A/C than my current '05 RL. BTW, I think the RL handles better than a 5 series Bimmer - M5 excluded.

DCRL

Not one problem with my 2005 RL air conditioning system. Even on DC's 90+ days, it cools quickly and can even chill you soon after (especially if set to "Lo"). But some people say the units in their RLs have been a problem, posturing the notion that is why the unit was changed for the 2006 model year. But again, mine has been stellar since day one.

GoHawks

We've have a few near 100 degree days this year and I have no compaints with the A/C in my RL.

I think those who have had compressor problems are mostly '05s.

i_mobile

Less than 2 weeks with my car, they had to replace the XM control unit. As it happened to another poster, my real-time traffic information stopped working just a couple days after I got the car. I also tried calling XM twice to send me a refresh of the data, to no avail.

Took my car to my local dealer and after almost a full day of trying to make it work by having XM send a refresh to the XM unit, they concluded they needed to replace it. Gave me a loaner (a TSX with 6,600 miles on it) and today (that was quick) called me to tell me my car was ready.

One thing I didn't like was that they didn't clean the interior, and I found tiny bits of styrofoam (guess the packaging for the new XM unit). Took a good look at the car to make sure everything was fine. Car had 9 more miles on it. Waited until the traffic information came in. Finally I was able to see the red and green lines around the freeways. Now we'll see how useful they really are. Now I have a new radio ID (wonder if my one-year free trial will be reset to today's date?)

I missed my car so much this whole day without her.

rbpeirce

I have this odd problem where the memory settings sometimes work and sometimes don't. If the green light comes on and stays on it is okay. What often happens is the light doesn't come on at all or it only comes on briefly. Pressing the driver button (2 in my case) also is a sometimes thing. I had it into the dealer, but naturally, it was when the stupid thing was working.

This is actually the only problem I have had after 10 months.

bkw

Mine did this constantly as well, but after reprograming my preferences - basically pressing the #2 button (#1 belongs to the wife), it works perfectly once again.

drewspimpin

is there a know problem with the driver's side window control unit? The RL can roll down the driver window only with that unit (and yes I have tried the window lock/unlock button). All other window switches work with their respective door unit. 06 RL with 126 miles.

Gator5000e

Don't know if it's a known problem but the driver's side window control in my 05 went out and had to be replaced.

rbpeirce

I have done that several times. It works fo0r a while and then it doesn't.

Sometimes it hal sets. The seat adjsuts but the wheel doesn't. Weird.

guest

Has anyone figured out a fix for this or why the locks are randomly locking itself again.

If you drive with the lock open, it does not seem to lock or make the clicking noise, but after you lock the doors with the power lock switch, it seems to randomly relock several times overs a few minutes. It keeps doing it while driving, very annoying.

Any other info on this ? Don't want to take this to the dealer to look at if they will charge me 10 hours just to try and figure it out...

It's Locking Annoying

NJRonbo

Same problem with my 05 RL.

Kaiserseal

Found an RL with none of the problems in this thread. Additionally, it has a better MPG, a little more spacious, and is known for never breaking down. This special RL, that offers so much for so little, we call it the 04!

GoHawks

Yeah, going through the 1st gen forum, there aren't any reported problems with those.

Ry4an

I traded in my first gen RL for my 2nd gen. It was a great car, gave me 145,000 miles without a single repair, and is missed, but it's no where near as fun as this one is.

Kaiserseal

There is no way I would trade in my 1st gen for a second gen. Aside from my car being just about bullet proof, so many years of production, there are just too many things you can't do with a second gen. First, while racing I usually have a little time for a nap before I hit 60 mph, while taking hard corners I get to sample both lanes, and don't forget the stealthy exterior, a car that never gets noticed. I am just a bit suprised to read about so many problems with the new RL. I guess when you push the tech you have to expect the quirks.

rbpeirce

Responding to my own post, I have discovered that the car sets up in park. If I jump in, start the car, and shift into gear, the setup is interrupted and never completes. If I wait a few seconds it works perfectly.

rbpeirce

The only way I have found to switch between driver 1 and driver 2 is to lock the car from outside and unlock it. The car recognizes the nearest fob as the car is unlocked.

The manual says that pressing the starter switch in will cause the car to recognize the driver, but this doesn't work.

Are there any other ways to get the car to switch drivers? The one method I have found is plain stupid 90% of the time, for example, if you leave the car in your garage and don't want to lock it.

miner

If the car is not locked previously then you need to engage the unlock button on the fob for it to recognize the 'new' driver.

rbpeirce

Thanks. I'll give that a try.

soloboy

http://www.law.com/jsp/ihc/PubArticl...=1163194122833

hey guys - i found this article online. I followed up with acura to see if this effected the 05 RL, and they said that it was too early to tell and that by sometime later this month a more definitive answer would be announced (method of announcing unknown).

Royal3

I bought my 06 RL(non-tech) on Nov. 19th. I paid $41,000 which includes free backup cam($770), trunk tray($99), splash guard($135) and wheel locks($82). And I added sealant($430, ouch! It should have been done by local detailing shop).

1. The car was so smooth, nice ride quality, no rattle, and very quiet.

2. A couple of days later I realized my RL had PAX system(RFT). Since I saw bad reviews on RFT, I asked the dealer to bring original tires and wheels. The salesman didn’t know why my RL had PAX on it. Seems a Tech pack customer didn’t want the PAX and swapped the tires. Anyway the dealer replaced the PAX by standard stock tires and wheels.

3. Wow! The tire noise is excessive. Even my wife immediately noticed. I thought transmission or engine noise. But it came from the tires(Pilot HX MXM4). The noise is much louder than my 10 year old Camry. I guess the noise level of PAX has been improved. But I’m not sure how long it can maintain the same level of noise and ride quality. I seriously think to replace the stock tires by Pilot Sport A/S. Acura should consider to chagne the stock tires.

4. When I picked up my RL right after the sealant job, there was a rattle from the passenger side chrome molding of the audio control console and passenger side dash board attached to the chrome. I guess the technician pressed hard the area during the sealant job. The dealer said a slip in the chrome molding was loose and they replaced. Now no rattle.

5. I feel the lack of low end torque as others. It looks the gear tends to stay at higher gear than it should be (but rpm was not low). Even if I sit in rear seat, I can feel some grinding noise/vibration. Either Acura should improve the torque or update the firmware to make sure the smooth gear transition. It is annoying. To avoid this bad feel, I have to push the acceleration pedal hard or use Manual mode. RL is lighter than MDX and has more power. I don’t understand the bad feel of low end torque.

6. The gas mileage is 16.7 mpg(my commute includes 3 mile highway drives). The camry shows 23 for the same daily route. My MDX(my wife drives around town) has 16 mpg(if I drive it for commute, I can get about 18).

06 MDX(green/black): Nav. and RES
06 RL (black/black)
97 Camry

Previous
02 MDX(black/saddle)
88 Camry

jftjr

Look for that to get better after about 2500-3000 miles. Gas mileage kind of sucks for the break-in period, but it does get better.

Of course, if you dip into the VTEC, it goes down some... drive it like the Camry (i.e., only use the first 180 HP or so.... ) and it'll be fine.

GoHawks

You also can't compare the gas mileage to your 1st gen MDX, as the 4-VTM AWD system in it is different in the SH-AWD in the RL, RDX and the new MDX.

In the first gen MDX, the system was pretty much a front-driver and torque was only transferred to the rear wheels if slippage was detected. In SH-AWD, power is directed to all four wheels all the time. It's just the torque that varies based on driving.

t55J$via

1.When you have the heated seat on, it seems as though it only heats your butt, but not your lower back. I used to have an Audi A6 and it used to heat both. I currently have a Lexus SUV and it also does both. Why did Acura choose to only heat my butt?

I must say I don't like this, my butt is toasty, yet my lower back is quite cold.

2. I know this must be a quirk with the car's computer, yet it is quite annoying. When accelerating, then reaching a constant speed the car will try to down shift. However, when it downshifts it "hiccups." The dealer said they couldn't do anything about this. Nothing critical, but an annoyance.

3. The front of the car it too low. When I try to park, those "concrete blocks" always rub the bottom of the front bumper. I had tons of scratches and scrapes in the first month, so now i have learned to park in front of those concrete stops.

Chas2

The passenger seat only warms your butt. My wife is complaining about this one! The owner's manual says:

"To reduce the risk of injury from an inflating side airbag, your vehicle has an automatic cutoff system for the passenger’s side airbag. The side airbag may also shut off if a short adult leans sideways, or a larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the airbag’s deployment path.

"Although Acura does not encourage children to ride in front, this system is designed to shut off the side airbag if a child leans into the side airbag’s path.

"Objects placed on the front passenger seat can also cause the side airbag to be shut off. If the side airbag off indicator comes on (see page 35), have the passenger sit upright. Once the passenger is out of the airbag’s deployment path, the system will turn the airbag back on, and the indicator will go out.

"The passenger seat only has heaters in the seat bottom because of the side airbag system."

west403

REPLACE drivers door lock actuator

acuralvr1

Has anyone had any paint chip problems with their '05-07 RL? If yes, what color do you own?

A person on another thread was complaining about this problem with his Celestial Silver RL.

I thought the RL went through an excruciatingly detailed process on layering the vehicle with paint. Similar to the paint jobs that much more expensive vehicles go through. At least this is what the marketing intimates.

Netman

I have an 06 RL with a strange gurgling sound ( actually it is annoying gurgling sound ) from the tailpipes when the car starts up. It does have a moisture sound to it but when I have asked a few different mechanics they did not have any answers as to exactly where it is coming from. They have had guesses but nothing concrete. I have also put it up with another brand new 06 and an 07 and they both have this sound.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what this is and if I should have any long term concerns about it.

Netman

gavine

My 06 does this too. I don't think it's moisture related. Most cars idle high when cold so they don't stall. The RL idles low when cold with the mixture controlled by the ECU. It's a little bit of a rough idle and I think that's why it sounds different.

However, on a lighter note, the RL warms-up faster than any car I've ever seen. Even when it's below freezing out, the car gets up to full temperature within a minute or two. All of my previous cars have taken 10 to 15 minutes to warm-up.

lland

I got a small chip in my hood (within a week after buying it!) from a rock kicked up by another car. Touched it up with touch-up paint so which actually did an O.K. job (I'm still not happy and unless I can find a better solution, may have the hood repainted in the spring). The problem is not necessarily the paint/finishing process but the hardness of the paint itself. A "harder" paint may tend to chip a bit easier than a "softer" paint.

LL

sambiam

Anyone know how Driver 2 can get access to Driver 1 address book.

My wife is driver 2 and I do not want to have to redo a separate address book for her...what a waste of time. If she drives the car, she has to set up a whole new address book??????????????????????????????????????