I was in Vegas last weekend and had my car valet parked. It was parked for 2 days, and when it was time to get my car, it seemed like it took a long time for him to get it. I told my wife I bet they didn't turn the key all the way over and killed my battery. Sure enough the attendant came up to get me, saying he couldn't get the car started. It turns out the battery was dead.
After we jumped the battery, the car started OK, but we had to reenter the id codes for the navi and radio (fortunately they were in the car). At first all your presets and settings are lost, but I found later that by hitting the driver 1 memo, the settings were restored.

My warning to all RL owneres, whenever you valet park, tell the attendent to make sure the key is turned all the way over...or better yet, tell them to make sure they see the "goodbye." Note also, they can't lock the doors unless the key is turned all the way over. It's inconvenient, a pain in the ass and waste of time otherwise.

BTW, I'm sure this is more crucial the longer you're parked, and a few hours (eg. dining out) won't kill your battery, but why take the chance?

 

I still am at a loss as to how people can have issues wiht the RL ignition. If anything was on (radio, etc) then the damn shit stays on if the car isn't turned off and anyone should grasp that simple fact. Seriously....

 

Quite simply, people are stupid.

 

Rob L, unfortunately (for us), it's our cars and we get inconvenienced for someone else's carelessness or lack of attention. I had one parking guy tell me he's a "professional" and knows what he's doing. I just doin't want another RL owner to suffer for another's ignorance.

 

It is very clear to me that there is something different in the RL ignition's design and/or feel. Dead batteries tied to the ignition system is widespead and has been reported on at least three major Acura Forums. I was warned about the problem by the sales rep on my test drive; so the dealership's are aware there is a "problem" It is extremely naive to assume this problem is due to "stupid" people.

 

It may be "very clear" to you that "there is something different in the RL ignition's design and/or feel", but not everyone shares that view. I've had zero problems with it from the day I took delivery, noticing that the "goodbye" signal was all I needed for a safe exit. And never once have I had a problem parking the car at a garage, be it for a day or nearly a week. Never, ever.

Having said that, though, I will say that the Acura system, a practical blend of the old style turn switch on the steering column and the new style keyless transmitters obviously has some people in a quandry.

I am especially curious why some people encounter problems with it and others never do.

And it may not be just a few Acura owners that are having problems. Yesterday I noticed them putting a brand new M45 on a flat bed trailer in downtown D.C. and asked why. (The owner was nowhere in sight.) The service man said the car's push button starting system was "kaput" and offered no further explanation.

 

I find that the safest way to prevent this problem is to pop the ignition button, store it in the coin holder, and only leave the key portion of the fob with the attendent.

 

In my opinion, the knob on the RL works like the key cluster on every other Acura I've ever driven, so maybe we should essentially tell the valets that "the key is stuck in there." Once you give people something they're familiar with, they are less likely to make mistakes.

 

Let me first say that I love the RL's keyless entry and ignition system and mine has worked flawlessly. The keyless ignition technology is new and when operated by careless people who either haven't read the owners manual, are in a hurry and therefore innattentive, or simply don't give a damn (as is the case with your average valet parking attendant) it can be operated incorrectly. This is NOT a flaw with the RL but is part of the learning curve of the new technology. Peter97 could have given the attendant a 2 week course on how to operated the keyless system and he still may have screwed it up because of carelessness, apathy, stupidity or a combination of all three. Even if you tell him to make sure he sees the "goodbye", this doesn't mean that he will care enough to check, care enough to wonder what all the beeping noises mean, or care enough to even listen to you giving him the specific instructions. Thanks to Peter97 for raising this issue so we all can be aware of the potential problems. Rab's solution may be the simplest for now until the technology becomes more popular since it is something that all valet parking attendents are familiar with. My solution: no stranger will ever drive my RL.