Hello All,
As we all know that the Honda/Acura Alpine DVD Navi unit has problems with their system which causes inconviences and costly repairs. I would like all within the forum who have had this problem to post on the forum under this thread to get a general idea of who currently has an issue, who had theirs repaired, and who had theirs replaced. I will be consulting with a lawyer here in Denver, CO and for those who would like to join me in talking would be more than welcome to join. As this is a huge issue that demands either recall or replacement for free by the manufactures as a defective product.
Thanks Troy (tunit)

can anyone help to post this across all communities in this forum? as well as the if you are a member?
Thanks again and I will keep you all posted

 

What kind of problems, if u could name a few ? Mine hasn't given me any problem except the for the map graphics that are dead ugly.

 

The issue is the DVD unit located usually in the trunk has been known to cause disc scratching and laser lens scratching. Causing the Navi to not work and gives a common "please check disc" message. This cannot be repaired by you, you have to contact Alpine and have it repaired for $358, Honda will replace it for $500+ or you can find one out of a salvage car but they want nearly $500 from ebay and junkyard for it. It is common in TSX, TL, Accord, Civic may not be with RL but they used the same Navi as the First generation TSX and Third Generation TL

 

Heck I don't expect my iwhatever/cellphone/GPS to make it three years, and things on cars break when they get old.

Is there any statistical data showing this is some major issue?

If mine broke after six years it would suck, but stuff breaks.

 

Totally agree with the others here. I haven't had any nav issues and I haven't heard of many people having issues either. You hear way way way more issues about the RL door handles and I haven't seen anyone start a class action on those. I'd love to get in on that if someone would get something like that going!

 

I think you will shove out more for a lawyer then to go get it fixed at the dealership.

 

The only people that benefit from class action lawsuits are the attorneys (I am an attorney).

If you are one of the representative members of the class, expect years of time and effort to get a $50 coupon.

 

interesting OP... I wish you the best with this but I dont think the RLs have a lot of issues.

Now if you could throw a line item in there about the shitty graphics these guys would be on board. LoL

 

The NAVI drive is basically a DVD player.

Buy a DVD player from a retailer, and you typically get a 1-2 year warranty.

Acura gave the OEM components a 4 year warranty (longer with AcuraCare Extended warranty).

How are out of warranty repairs basis for class action law suits?

 

 

Had a problem with mine a while ago. Volume would always default to lowest setting. Dealer replaced it under warranty, no questions asked, and the new unit came with the then current disk.

LL

 

Eh. Class actions are completely useless unless there is a safety issue being litigated, and even then the consumer gets little out of it. Good luck man, but this will turn into a bigger headache than you desire.

 

ehhhh never had problem with my navi when i had my TL-S .... OP good luck but i think your wasting your time on this

 

 

Class action suit over merchandise failing outside of a warranty period? Yeah, good luck with that.

 

OP - while you are speaking to your lawyer ask him about the legality (and intelligence) of tinting your tail lights and turn signals.

 

I put 170k on my 2006 RL and never had Navi issues.....I put 183k on my 2003 Acura CL-S with Navi....I did have some minor glitches when that Acura was brand new, but Alpine and Acura took care of it when the car was new.

I have a 2012 Kia Optima with the 10 year factory "guaranteed to not rust, bust, tarnish, corrode powertrain warranty"......But even Hyundai - Kia group is smart enough to warranty vehicle electronics in new vehicles for 3 years.......NOT 5 or 10.

The Wal Mart mentality of you can return anything at any time is making weenies out of the general public. The last thing this country needs is another senseless lawsuit.

 

My 05 has never had a problem either but my friends did so we removed it from the trunk and sent it to Alpine for a fixed price of around $165 and they sent it back in a week. I think that the Alpine service is excellent and the reliability of their product is on a par with the best out there. The main failure is with the DVD player and Alpine buy them from a manufacturer such as Panasonic. Not only is this unit bouncing around in a car but it is a dual layer device that utilizes much tighter tolerances for operation.

 

Mine always has trouble accurately finding me on a map/showing the wrong location. I'll just send it to Alpine when I have an extra $165

 

^it is now $356

 

^^^ I would be surprised if the disk drive is your issue. If it can show you the map, it is doing it's job for the most part.

 

Potentially there is a calibration issue with the NAVI. If you are familiar with the NAVI diagnostics screens, first check that you are 'seeing' 3 or more satellites. Then scroll through the Calibration screens and see if there are any errors highlighted. You may need to have Acura Service connect the HDS and reinitialize the system.

A few other possibilities....

Do you have metallic tint? Possibly it is interfering with the GPS reciever?

Do you park in garages or drive in a city with tall buidings? If the sight line to the satellites is obstructed, the NAVI may be off until it recieves a GPS signal and snaps to the map, synching with the cars onboard sensors. When the car is not in sight of satellites (at least 3 to triangulate) the NAVI is guiding from onboard directional sensors and may loose accurate location until the GPS updates with a satellite signal.

I agree with 007, that it is not likely the NAVI drive unit, but more likely a reception and / or calibration issue.

 

I thought maybe the gyro sensor was in the disk drive.

I've recalibrated in an open area with no trees about 10 times and I'm seeing more than three satellites every time. I don't see any errors when I scroll down.

No metallic tint

I dont typically park in garages and DC isn't really known for the height of its buildings. However your comments do make me think of a few things...

It seems like when I stop, (most of the time) the GPS can find where I am. However, it's when I start moving again where it moves me in the wrong direction which is typically off the map. You mentioned onboard directional sensors, could it be a problem with those?

I know someone with an Acura HDS, I may have to have them check it out. They live about a little over an hour from me though. So I have to weigh whether its worth it to get them to check it out for free or just pay Acura their diagnostic fee. I appreciate the feedback

 

yep, a couple of months ago..Alpine raised the price from $158 to $358

 

Likely the availability of our NAVI drives is waning. It is 'old' technology and there is no demand to build new units. As inventory evaporates the price comes to premium levels.

Hard drives replaced our systems and now HondaLink and AcuraLink will be migrating to cloud based technology. With 4G data online, less information will be satellite transmitted (to the chagrin of XM / Sirius) and souced will cellular (which offers more options, better reception and an array of application / smartphone interfaces). This may even replace satellite GPS in favor of cellular positioning technology.

Someday your smartphone device will be you receiver & collection point for all wireless data, guidance and media, and the cars will simply be extension services (via customized apps and mobile interfaces) to the smartphone.

 

A Month ago, I had my DVD player go out (started with a "check disc", then screen just went grey), so I had the dealer check it out, as Im still under my 100,000 mile Acura care warranty. They pulled it, and say they sent it back to Acura.

They left a message last night, saying it cannot be fixed DUE TO WATER DAMAGE! What?!?!?! I have no leaks, no water damage, smell etc.

And Im seeing that the dealer cost of replacement for the DVD player in the trunk is $3,000!

http://acurapartsworld.com/parts/200...agramCallOut=1

Im hoping that there is another alternative! Everything else works, other than GPS -- bluetooth, voice, stereo etc - I just dont have anything on the GPS screen.

Is there another alternative? Id have to literally see this "water damage" in the existing unit to believe it. And changing the unit is literally a plug and play.

 

There is another alternative... it's called EBAY!
But it'll still cost you around $500.

 

yup, ebay or a salvage yard.

With it being in the trunk I can see how some water could have gotten to it by opening the trunk in the rain

 

Thanks!

BTW Will my old NAVI code work with the new/salvaged DVD unit or will I have to hunt down a new code?

Or does the code go to the front (screen) portion so my old code will work with the replacement unit?

I *really* hope the replacement unit is what it seems. Plug and play.

Also BTW,,,, Salvage yard= $260 30 day warranty. Sweet. Rolling the dice on the Version disc that comes with it (if any!).

 

Can I ask how you find them via salvage yards? I've always wanted an easy way to search salvage yards across the entire US for parts. I may pick one of these drives up just to keep as a spare.

 

I just did a goole maps view of my local area, then typed in the search "Auto Salvage Yards". Picked the closest, biggest and most "professional" one (one that isnt in the back of some hicks property) and called them from there.


Boy, Junk yards have come a LOoong way from when I used to rummage through them freely with my tool box for VW parts!! It was a free for all back then. Now, not only is every part cataloged, removed (in most cases) and stored, its networked to other reputable salvage yards. My DVD unit is coming from Georgia. Just paid for it and will wait till next tuesday for delivery.

 

I would first not give up on getting Acura to replace the NAVI Drive. With some finesse ask them to explain how it would get wet unless there was a leak in the trunk (which would also be an Acura problem). Other than you driving around with an aquarium in your trunk, it just does not make sense.

But if you do not succeed, it may be possible to find a 2009+ NAVI drive in which case you would get some additional features (XM Weather) and I believe slightly better screen resolution.

 

i use http://www.mypartshop.com

you can search parts by the distance from you, all over america (i'm in Canada and it lists local salvage yards up to the farthest in the US)

 

Yea, I looked at the location of the navi unit up under the rear deck and even in pouring rain wouldn't get wet. I would have had to leave the trunk open for a long time or open and drive in reverse.

I'm going to give Acura a try, but if not $260 isn't bad. Curious, will my current navi code work with the new unit in the back or will I need a new one?

 

I am fairly certain the NAVI code, Radio Code and PIN are controlled by the head unit, and not the NAVI drive.

Think of the head unit as your PC interface with operating system stored in flash memory and the NAVI drive as the database drive.

 

I got mine repaired for $158, see here...

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-90/dvd-reading-error-my-story-851787/

Oops, guess the price went up...well it's still better than what Acura wanted to do it.

 

Navi code is for the Navi unit (when requesting a Navi code through Acura dealer, you need the serial code from the Navi unit : available on the white sticker located under the "dvd/drive" or in the diag menu on the screen using Menu+Map+Cancel buttons).

if you replace screen or controls : no code needed.
if you replace Navi unit in trunk : new code will be needed.

 

Thank You for clarifying.

 

Clarified and now verified. I received the gps unit from the salvage yard, but with no code. I called Acura, (1-800-382-2238), and gave them the new navi units serial number while I had it in from of me. They gave me the new units code ( 4 digits) , i installed the unit, entered the code and it fired right up - once the gps was acquired.

Luckily enough, the DVD in the used DVD unit had a 2011 DVD in it! My old DVD was from 2009. I find it hard to believe the salage yard didn't pull the DVD and sell it.

 

That's funny that they did not pull the DVD, but good for you!