Good afternoon everyone,

First I want to applaud and thank everyone for putting together such a great group and marvelous collection of tips, information and tutorials. I've only been looking at this board for a couple of weeks, since I started considering the RL, and have only been a member for a couple of days, but already I've found it to be an invaluable resource. I was previously a member of InfinitiFX.org so I've come to appreciate having a such a knowledgeable group of peers and such a useful recourse for any problems other than the dealer.

Just some background on me and my car(s): I'm a philosophy grad student at the University of South Florida in Tampa, and applying to law school as we speak. Until December 18th, I was driving a 2005 Infiniti FX35 AWD with tech, nav, and sports packages (navigation (duh), intelligent key, back up cam, intelligent cruise control with brake preview, akin to CMBS, and of course, all wheel drive).

That car was the love of my life and I'd owned it since new. Its untimely and unfortunate demise came when I was driving straight down a 2 way street and someone traveling the opposite direction decided they couldn't wait for me to clear the intersection before making a left turn. The result was a disastrous mangling of my car, with 6 airbags going off, the front portion of the car's frame being shorn off, and her car being crushed like a beer can and her being in the hospital for week as a result of major concussion, deep lacerations, and a broken knee. I walked away unscathed, save for a few burns from the airbag. The pictures are still chilling (and heartbreaking) to look at, but that car saved my life. To say that it was built like a tank would not be an understatement.

When it came time to buying a replacement, I originally wanted to stay with Infiniti, looking first at another FX35, and then expanding my search to G35Xs and EX35s. I didn't much care about having a built in nav-system, but the most important features for me were AWD (I know, I know, I live in Florida and snow is a non-issue but say what you want, AWD is an amazing thing to have during hurricane season) and some kind of preview braking system, since I'm pretty sure that's one of the things that saved my life in the accident. Needless to say that shortens the list considerably, and i just couldn't find any clean, used Infinitis with low enough miles or a good enough price to fit the bill.
With that, I broadened my search to include the RL, which I've admired from afar since they were known as Legends (acutally before the FX, I had an Acura Vigor, but I always liked it's big brother more). When I was buying my FX, I had narrowed my choices down to the FX or the TL, and I remember going to the dealership to see the TL and being completely enamored with the RL.

Long story short, I finally found an immaculate 2006 RL with nav and tech which, thankfully, the previous owner had de-PAXed. It was in south Florida so I drove down from Tampa last Friday and took delivery.

Here is the eBay posting with all the pictures:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...t_10777wt_1074


When I actually drove down to see it, the seller ended up selling it to me for just under 19,500.

I love the car, but I have just a couple issues with some things not working, like the lumbar supports on both front seats and the socket in the console that doesn't retract. But I called the local Acura dealership to see if the car was still warranted to 52,500 miles as a result of the law suit a few years ago, and turns out that it is, so hopefully I can get all that fixed.

So, now that all that is out of the way, I have some questions I hope you guys can help me out with:

1) I posted about this earlier in an older thread, so I don't know if it got much attention. The radar sensor for the CMBS on the front of the car is very hazy and dingy looking, even though the headlights suffer no such fate. What does everyone here do to keep theirs clean? Can I use the same treatments commercially available to treat the same problem on headlights as a remedy?

2) My smart key works wonderfully and as it should, every time. The only thing concerning me is whine/whistle sound when the driver's side lock engages. For those of you who have needed to change yours, is this a sign that the lock is on it's way out?

3) Based on your experiences and what you've seen these cars do over the years, are there any consistent widespread problem areas with these cars? Are there any systems or components that a lot of people have found to be prone to failure? I have less than 800 miles of bumper-to-bumper warranty left on this car and it would be nice to know if I should have the dealership look at anything that might be on it's way out so I can get it preemptively fixed. Anything in particular I should have them look at?

4) Is there anyway to get the audio system to display track names embedded on a CD or DVD? I use iTunes to burn my discs and encode the track names. Now I know that the 2006 RL doesn't have RDS, I just wasn't sure if it was incapable of reading CD text as well.

Thanks again for putting together such a great forum, and I hope to be part of it for years to come!

 

Welcome to the board! You got a great price on your RL.

1. Can't answer as I didn't have the CMBS model.
2. No big problem. What usually needs changed in this car is the door handles themselves, not the locks.
3. You have a 2006, so not many problems other than with: door handles, batteries dying after two years, and some cars required propeller shaft changes. Pretty much it.
4. No, not with the stock system. This can be done in the aftermarket IIRC.

BTW: The SH-AWD is also great for handling in dry weather. It's even better with better tires and A-Spec suspension if you're looking for a little sport with your lux.

 

The car's wearing Michelin Pilot Sports, and they're great. I was very impressed with the handling characteristics of the car; virtually no torque-steer on hard acceleration, be in a straight line or out of turns. This car does an incredibly good job of disguising it's front-drive bias. And you're right, the handling is great no matter what the weather conditions.

Thanks for the reply btw Bob. Car has no power problems so far, and I have yet o hear a whine of any sort but if it pops up, I still have some time before the powertrain warranty is up. I'm definitely going to have them check on that lock though...

 

Welcome.

I have a 2006 with ACC/CMBS and have not had the issue with the cloudy emblem. Just curious. Is it on the outside, like it has been sand blasted, or is it cloudy below the surface?

WRT the locks, mine has not (knock on wood) had any handle issues except once when I took it to a high pressure Laser Wash car wash and that was only once out of half dozen times. A few hours in the sun and the problem was gone. BUT, my locks since day 1 have had a sort of whine/whistle sound when locking and unlocking. Don't know if that is good or bad, I just thought that must be normal. Let me know what you find out.

So yours is white with a trunk spoiler? What kind of wheels and tires are on there now that you have been de PAXed. Do you have a spare?

 

Have you considered buying Acura Care extended warranty for your car?
You can buy it from one of the Acura dealers who sell online/phone. Prices are not that high for such high-tech car, yet you'll be covered for ANY minor or major issues for the next 50k miles.
You got the car cheap, so why not buy some good night sleep?

 

Agree with this. I ordinarily don't recommend extended warranties on cars but for this one it would be appropriate.

 

Chas, the actual plastic on the outside of the emblem just looksvery weather worn and, as stated earlier, looks similar to the way plastic headlights start looking when the elements really get to them. After I saw your question however, I took a closer look and sure enough, there was some condensation inside the emblem as well. We had a lot of rain in Tampa this past week and are expecting some more over the weekend. If and when that condensation re-appears, I'm going to take pictures to show the dealer, because I doubt they'd do anything about it if it was just a cosmetic issue. I will also let you know what they say about the whining door lock.

And yes, my car is white with the regular lip spoiler. The car is still wearing factory rims but with Michelin Pilot Sport rubber. I don't have a spare but I do have a can of fix-a-flat at roadside assistance with the warranty I bought on the car.

Now the warranty I bought was through the dealer who sold me the car. We played with different variations on it and ended up with a "3 star-plus" (out of 5 stars) warranty for 4 years or 48k miles. It covers major components, including major electrical, engine, AC, drivetrain, but leaves out the small stuff, and has a 200 dollar deductible on repairs. I figured it would be better to have the big stuff covered for longer than the all the big AND little stuff for shorter. After I bought the car though, I reconnected with an old buddy who has a dealership now and offered to sell me a bumper to bumper warranty with a 50 or 100 dollar deductible at cost, which should be under a grand. Now I just have to see how much I can get back form the warranty I bought. Apparently I can get most, if not all of it back, but that remains to be seen.

 

Get your money back STAT and buy an Acuracare warranty from an online/phone vendor for likely cheaper than what you paid. You can still do that while the car is in original warranty. It's a lot easier to deal with Acura than it will be to deal with a third party.

Use site vendor Hondacuraworld or you can also go to http://www.curryacuracare.com . They will require some sort of phone contact because Honda/Acura no longer allows online warranty sales....but they didn't prohibit calling the dealers for the best deal.

 

I only paid about 1600 for the one I bought. Acura wanted at least 2500. Can i get it cheaper than that?

 

I just saw your location. You are in Florida, so ignore my advice. If I recall correctly, you are not allowed to get warranties from other states.....and FL is the only state that does this....or some such confusion.

Hey TampaRL, can you chime in and verify?

 

I would try to get rid of the 3rd party warranty and get an Acura warranty, much less headaches IMHO.

Congratulations on the purchase.

 

Just keep in mind, we Floridians are not able to buy warranties from an out of state vendor unless they are licensed in the state of Florida.

We get screwed on auto warranties as a result (along with homeowners insurance). I do agree AcuraCare is the way to go, but generally you will find AcuraCare in Florida will cost you TWICE as much as members report elsewhere and from the aforementioned vendors.

It appears we now have 3 RL members in Tampa. Perhaps they have read my post carving the left turn off Memorial Highway by the airport?

 

*DING DING DING*

I just did.

 

 

Hi armashi, sounds like you got a great deal on a great car. Welcome to the forum.

+1 for AcuraCare if you can find an affordable source. I had the propeller shaft replaced at 52K. Could have been expensive later. (Like 2 grand. ) Also think about the fact that the car is bristling with expensive electronics. You want bumper-to-bumper coverage.

Love the CMBS/ACC feature. Still on my original PAX tires at 57K with plenty of tread remaining. And no, I do not drive like an old lady. Just a lot of freeway miles.

 

Welcome! I actually work at USF. If you see a white RL with Acurazine stickers, honk and wave!