Draxx

Hi guys,
Just got an 05 RL. I'm willing to bet that not many of the updates have been installed. The service records are pretty scarce on the carfax. It only has 38K miles ...

What I was wondering is - well - what should I do? Are there updates that I should absolutely have done?

Are they're updates I should totally avoid?

I am a Bonneville owner of 10 years and I am not used to this much technology in a car but I'm a computer geek and know that not all updates are desireable. LOL!

Any words of wisdom appreciated.

Thanks!

neuronbob

WELCOME to AZ!

Welcome to the exotic 2G RL ownership club!

An '05 with only 38k miles is quite a find. You really lucked out!

To answer your question directly....
You need to check which version of the navi software you are running. Just look at the navi disc, which is in the trunk. If you are running a version below 4.92, then it is a three-disc process to get to the latest: You have to first update to above 4.31, which allows you to update to 4.92, then you can update to the latest. Others will correct me if I'm a little off. The 4.31 and 4.92 discs are long discontinued, so you'll have to depend on eBay or our fine members here to help.

If you are running above 4.92, you are good to go with the latest navi disc.

Really silly process, yes, or you can purchase the latest navi update, take it to an Acura dealer and they'll do the install for you for a nominal fee.

Draxx

Thanks Bob for your reply.

So far I have been very pleased with the car and its price. But I must say coming from a Bonneville its a very BIG difference.

At the moment there is some really wild thing happening with the XM radio. Is the XM radio tied to the navi disc?

It seems I'm getting free XM at the moment. The car won't let me change channels with the nob but if I "tell" it to take me to an XM station it takes me there and plays it. What update would "fix" that? Perhaps I want to avoid it.

wackjum

If I am reading your post right, you have to change XM channels with the "track" buttons or the up and down button on the left hand side of the steering wheel. Although I remember that the steering wheel control only jumps between presets. I'm not sure what it would do if you didn't have presets.

The knob is the volume adjustment and power switch (press it to turn on/off).

oo7spy

The only "updates" to the car's electronics are in the nav like Bob stated. In the Electronics section, there is a thread about nav discs on sale. If you put in the model year, they will send you everything you need to be updated for $99.

XM channel 1 is always available. If you bought the car from a dealer, they may have given you a 3 month trial. If you bought it privately, the previous owner's subscription isn't over. In any case, no knobs will change the XM channel. You need to use the "seek" buttons to do that just like you would with AM/FM radio.

Other than that, the technology is old but advanced for its time, so it is only recently becoming out dated. It is what it is; no updates. A few mods, but no updates.

IanVS

The way that Bob described is one way to update your nav software. 007spy's is another. I also have a thread in the electronics subforum with an upload of the 1.29 firmware that you need before updating to the latest nav disk if you're not buying it through official channels.

Draxx

I have slowly realized that the tech in this car seems to be ahead of its time and it does seem the others are just now catching up and offering similar technology.

I only paid 18K and am pretty sure it was a gem of a find at that price when you consider the 5 year 60K warranty.

As far as the Xm thing goes - if I try to change channels with any other means than voice command it seems to take me to channel 1 and thats all it will let me have. The steering wheel, seek on the console and some other tune option. I don't know if its a bug or I got a trial subscription and they did not tell me or I just don't know what I'm doing which is highly possible at the moment.

I'm adding a Head Up Display next week. Thats the only thing I think it should have had it didn't.

The navi seems pretty accurate for my area but that is on the list of things to do.

I read somewhere that there was some update you could do to get better gas mileage but I don't think it was on this forum. ??

TampaRLX-SH

Indeed the RLs technology is still very competitive with models just being released Consider you version of the car was baked in 2004, that is quite a leap. Some updates to software and hardware were made with the 2009+ refresh but it still impresses me over some latest releases on the market.

This is one car that truly serves you to read (and re-read) the 2 manuals (operator and NAVI). There are many customizable features you may never discover until you explore the manuals.

Concerning the NAVI system databases and feature updates, you can check out this site from Acura Navi.com this is the database versions for your car:
http://www.navigation.com/is-bin/INT...0AAAEciSN9YZDi

If you select the MAP COVERAGE tab, scroll to the bottom and select the link to PRIOR UPDATES you will launch a PDF of all the map version and feature updates by disc.

Concerning the heads up display....is this an aftermarket product? I am not aware of any for our RL. However, heads up and night vision was offered to JDM LEGENDs, but not In the US. If I remember correctly it was a costly $2000 US option in Japan.

The extended warranty was a very wise catch. Although the car is very reliable, some nags in early models can be costly to repair out of warranty. It is worth the peace of mind alone.

I also replied to your thread in the AUDIO forum concerning XM. Again this is covered in the manual.

Check out MyAcura.com and register your VIN. It serves as a portal for manuals, feature tips and videos, NAVI upgrades, HandsFreeLink features and phone compatibility, service records, specifications and accessories.

Draxx

Ohhh no no no - I am not modding a HUD into the dash. That would be far too expensive and ... well ... I like the OEM look.

Its an OBD2 HUD I am going to give a try. The bonneville I drove had one and ... at the risk of sounding silly I swear I don't feel like I have a clue how fast I'm going in this car and my eyes are not trained to look at the round dial. My brain does not want to compute the round dial. I tell ya those HUDS really spoil ya!

Thanks Tampa for taking the time to reply. I have read both the manuals (the geek read the manual!?!?!???!! LOL!) and have already registered on Acura. Although their manual distribution kinda lacks as it comes in 10 page pdf files.

I think really the only way I'm going to know is wait 3 months and see if I still have XM. I can't imagine I have a "bug" nobody else ever had ....

Draxx

Okay I'm confused and I'm sorry for some its probably like beating a dead horse.

I have version 4.13b Does that mean I have to update to 4.31 and then to 4.91 to buy the latest package here:

http://www.navigation.com/is-bin/INT...0AAAEciSN9YZDi

Or can I just go buy that package and it comes with the updates I need?

IanVS

You can buy it from that site (make sure to select 2005 in the drop-down), and it will come with two disks and instructions for what to do. You don't need anything else.

Draxx

Thanks IanVS!

The more I think about it the more I wonder why they don't have a satellite driven NAV system where people who are driving through unverified areas would actually be sending GPS info and then they would have 100,000 drivers updating the maps on a real time basis.

oo7spy

Money.

Draxx

Well then there is the million dollar idea. 1 company to update maps and all the automakers use them

neuronbob

db22

Fixed databases are a thing of the past - newer systems will be similar to Google maps with traffic and be real time with real time updates.
If your map info is good for your area then I would not update it. The newer versions give you very little for a lot of money except maybe new coffee shop locations 3000 miles away!
If your 05 ever went to the Acura dealer for service then it will probably have the updates for the 05 gremlins (numerous flash firmware). My updates were during the 05 year and has been flawless ever since except for the trans whine which was fixed under "goodwill".