Hello everyone.

I just bought an '05 RL about a month ago. I bought it used but it's certified by Acura. I have been reading all the threads since I found about this site. And it has been real helpful in finding more information about RL. Although, I love my car, there are few things that I dislike about it. Maybe some of you can give me some information or advice on my concerns/issues.

1. The car's ride is not as smooth as I thought it would. I don't know if there is anything wrong with my car's suspension system. I can really feel the bumps while driving over them. I also have a 1997 Lexus ES300 which has about 125,000 miles on it but it's ride is still better than my '05 RL. However, my brother's '03 Infinity G35 ride is kind of same as my RL. I was expecting RL to be much better. Could it be that Lexus has spoiled me?

2. The sound of the seat belt warning message is just annoying. I live in PA and it's not really a law to wear a seat belt here. I don't like to wear a seatbelt while driving in the city or in the streets. Is there anyway to stop the "Fasten your seat belt" warning message from beeping?

3. I hear lot of noise from my tires. After reading some of threads on this site, it seems like its a common problem, and it has to do with the OEM tires.

4. The keyless locking doesn't work after I wash my car. I notice that if I wash my car, the keyless locking system doesn't work for a day or two. After couple of days , it works fine.

Please advice. Sorry for being long.

Thanks.

 

1. It is not as isolated as a Lexus.
2. No way to disable it. Being a facial trauma surgeon who treats patients with broken faces from not warning seat belts, I highly recommend that you change your habits instead of trying to change the warning.
3. Change out the OEM tires.
4. No real way to improve it. Just make sure your car key is NOT outside of the car; the water activates the handles. I leave my key IN the car while washing it.

 

Yes. The ES is the Lexus equivalent of your average Buick. Quite, isolated, and cloud like. Definitely not the goal of the RL.

Nope. Liability issue. Plus, as I understand, it is the law everywhere in the country to wear a seatbelt. If you do not like to wear a seatbelt, then you have to learn to put up with the sound. Otherwise, you'll have to get used to wearing the seatbelt.

Yup. The OEM tires are designed to provide long life and low rolling resistance. Many people have had success with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S and the Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S.

This does appear to be a recurring issue. Probably has to do with the sensors being drenched in water and needing time to sufficiently dry out. You'll find several threads on this particular issue so you can go through those to see what has worked for people.

 

1. Replace the OEM tires with Pirelli PZero Neros
2. Listen to the surgeon's advice above and always wear your seatbelt at all times
3. See #1 above
4. There is no apparent way to fix this. Even those who have had the handle replaced under warranty are still experiencing this problem.

 

So you would really prefer the ES300 ride over the RL then?

 

I don't think you are very current in your knowledge of the rules of the road. From your own Commonwealth's State Trooper website concerning seatbelt laws:

Except for children under 8 years of age, each driver and front seat occupant of a passenger car, class I truck, class II truck or motor home operated in this Commonwealth shall wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety seatbelt system.


The full text can be found here.

 

Do is a favor-
Please inform your insurance company that you do not wish to wear a seat belt.
This way, you can carry the financial burden on your insurance, and leave us who do wear them the benefit of not having to carry your costs with our coverage.
And then please let us know if your carrier drops you or just hikes your rates.

 

I haven't had the wet door handle problem. Maybe that was a feature with the earlier built RL's? Maybe there's a TSB for it?

 

The door handle problem can definitely be fixed by your dealer. The dealer can order a new handle and adjust same to be certain you never have a problem, whether or not the car has just been washed. Do not settle for anything less than the car operating as it should.

 

Wow. Thanks for everyone who replied. This is more information than I need. I appreciate everyones replies.

1. Okay, so it's not just my RL that have this problem. I was afraid that since I bought the car used that there might be something wrong with suspension system or something with just my car. Even though the car is acura certified, I just wanted to ask you guys and make sure.
atomarchio So you would really prefer the ES300 ride over the RL then?
To be honest, yeah ES300 has better ride. Now, don't get me wrong, overall, RL is much better car. I'm just talking about the ride's smoothness.

2. When I said that wearing a seat belt is not really a law, what I meant was that a cop can't just pull you over just for not wearing a seat belt like in other states. However, if they pull you over for something else then they may give you a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. Sometimes, I just don't feel comfortable wearing a seat belt while going for a short drive. Yeah, I know for safety I should wear seatbelts all the time, and lot of you guys might say something about it. It's a bad habit that I need to take care of. Trust me I'm getting better at wearing seat belt all the time especially since of this warning message now.

3. I'm definitely going to get different tires like you guys said. However, I'm going to wait for little bit until the original tires are little worn out.

4. I'm going to ask the dealer to replace my door hadles. Hopefully, that will take care of that problem.

Thanks.

 

If youre trying to compare the ride of an ES300 to the RL, you probably purchased the wrong car.

Perhaps you shouldve test driven the RL before purchasing it? The ES and LS make me *yawn*.. and I'm very certain that this is what Toyota had envisioned.

Don't mean to thrash, but what in your book constitutes as "smooth"? Cadillac buttery smooth?

And wear your goddamned seatbelt. Your friends and family will thank me for this.

 

And I thought the original post was a joke. Comparing ES to RL?? Doesn't like wearing seatbelts? My advice on handles is...don't wash your car.

 

Yup, sounds like this person bought the wrong car. I've driven the Lexus ES and it is VERY quiet, which is apparently what America wants. If this person thinks the RL is too rough, imagine if he drove a BMW?

 

Why wait? You can probably trade in your OEM tires to get a discount on the new tires you want. Save yourself some trouble and get the new tires now.

 

yeah the RL will ride "harsher" than the ES partly because it is designed to be firmer and also because the OEM tires blow. No doubt the ride could be better because my previous 2001 Lexus IS300 rode as harsh as the RL and the RL should ride better but I'm used to it.
The ES is designed to be super smooth so hard to compare a sports luxury sedan to a luxury sedan designed for optimal smoothness and quietness.

never had the doorlock issue. first time i washed the car I noticed it locked/unlocked the car so I put the key in the house. NO probs

you should wear a seatbelt. I have no clue why we have hit 2006 and some still don't wear a seatbelt after all the proof that they help. Then again, I have no clue why people smoke so humans baffle me at times.

 

bkw If youre trying to compare the ride of an ES300 to the RL, you probably purchased the wrong car.

Perhaps you shouldve test driven the RL before purchasing it? The ES and LS make me *yawn*.. and I'm very certain that this is what Toyota had envisioned.

Don't mean to thrash, but what in your book constitutes as "smooth"? Cadillac buttery smooth?


ralteredstates And I thought the original post was a joke. Comparing ES to RL?? Doesn't like wearing seatbelts? My advice on handles is...don't wash your car.[B]

jhr3uva90 Yup, sounds like this person bought the wrong car. I've driven the Lexus ES and it is VERY quiet, which is apparently what America wants. If this person thinks the RL is too rough, imagine if he drove a BMW?


Let me clarify something. Originally, when I post the message, I mentioned that I bought the car used. I thought that there might be something wrong with my car becuase my car's ride is not as smooth. I mentioned ES300 becuase I owned an ES300 before. I was used to the smooth ride, that's why RL's ride feel little harsh. And yes, I test drove the RL but that time it didn't feel as bad. When atomarchio asked me if I think ES300 ride is better than RL, then I said yes the ES300 is more quieter than RL which is the truth as some of you agree. Now, again, if the ride is not as smooth that doesn't mean I don't like the car. I still love my car. RL has lot more other better stuff than ES300. If I didn't like the overall RL then I wouldn't have spent so much money. The car's smoothness is not the only thing I care about.


CGTSX2004 Why wait? You can probably trade in your OEM tires to get a discount on the new tires you want. Save yourself some trouble and get the new tires now.


CGTSX2004, where can I trade in my OEM tires to get a discount on the new tires. Any preference?

Thanks.

 

I traded my OEM tires when they were still under 400 miles at Direct Tires in the Boston area for $100 each. You should try it at any tire place you want to go.