I do not know what to do anymore. I bought by 07 RL SH-AWD w/ Tech package with 43,900 miles +/- on 12/12/12. I soon as I hit highway speeds (65-85 mph) I felt the steering wheel shake and the whole car for that matter. I let the dealer know and they balanced the tires and checked the alignment, everything was within Acura spec. On the drive home again it was still doing it. I took it back to the dealer and they still felt it as well. They just gave me the car back after 8 days - because at first they were stumped and seemed to have no clue but they replaced a tire, balanced and rebalanced, and even changed the front struts - they said it ready for pick up and that the car was fine now. I just drove it down the highway and it is still doing it at 70 - 85 mph. Needless to say, I called them again and they will work on the car again tomorrow to see what they can do. When I drive it and put my elbow on the door and a hand on the steering wheel you can actually see my watch shake. I can even feel it on the pedals. The service manager said he drove the car yesterday before giving it me and felt it was much better. Does anyone have any clue what can be causing this? I just want my new ride to drive properly especially because I drive on the highway everyday. I have read a lot of TL forums about this same issue but hardly any on RL's. This is a certified used Acura and the dealer really has been great about trying to fix it but my patience is wearing, I am honestly worried what may be up with the car, and I just want it to be right. Any ideas would really be helpful. Should they be checking the suspension, tie rods, motor mounts, rims, what exactly? It feels like it is coming from the front passenger side tire. I just want the frustration to be over with and be able to enjoy my car. Any help is appreciated. I need someones on this. Thanks!

 

Your list at the end sounds like a good start.


I know this isn't any help to you now, but did you test drive the car before buying it?

 

I surely did but it was along local roads. Lesson learned, always do a high speed highway drive but I have never had this problem before with any of my previous vehicles. The following day after buying the car when I left to go home to be with the wife and in kids about three hours away from my office is when I hit 70+ mph and noticed the problem. Thankfully this has not cost me any money because the dealer is taking care of it but I just want to be able to enjoy my car already.

 

Someone here will chime in. I suspect Carbon Legend would have some good guesses.

Have you tried rotating wheels to see if it moves? A bent rim could do that.

 

They have road force balanced them about three times already. The first time thinking it would fix the problem, the second time after taking off the tires and rotating them, and then another time after replacing a tire. I have had Acura/Honda call me already too.

 

take that bitch back!

Whats the accident history on this rig?
Did you say you had new tires?
Have then dismounted them and flipped them?

 

Clean CarFax - one previous owner, probably someone older due to the low miles, this is Naples, Fl and that is pretty much the demographic. Acura certified used car - so it has a 12K mile warranty on it. It had new tires - Michelin's (I believe that is part of the certification process) and then they switched one out thinking it had a wobble. And yes they did dismount and rotate them.

 

I was going to guess a broken belt or an out of round tire.

Do you see any anomalies on the side wall?

Shame you cant switch rims with someone for a test ride.

Other than that you have to look at wheel bearings or the hubs/rotors.

 

I can't tell of any anomalies on the sidewall. I just went down there to look. I stay at a hotel during the week. Yeah, I don't anyone with an RL that I can switch rims with - heck you hardly see any around and I honestly like that. I will have them check those items tomorrow morning. Wasn't hoping to have these problems so early on. Can't believe so many things affect this. I have had two Honda Accords, a Lancer, a Fusion, two Corollas, and a Civic and never had an issue that could not be resolved. Hoping this gets resolved.

 

Take it to a tire shop. Somebody that knows a lot more about tires and balancing than Acura.

 

Coud it be a bad wheel bearing or ball joint, would think dealer would check that first. Maybe an issue with the half shaft?

 

I doubt it would be a wheel bearing. Usually wheel bearings start making noise long before there is any kind of mechanical issue with them.

 

Honestly he just bought this car... I would have issues with the dealer.

Maybe go to a shop to ID it, but at the end of the day they sold you someones problems.

 

After all the time they spent on the wheels and tires, it's doubtful there is anything wrong with either. Sounds more like an axle. If they can drive the car on the rack and
duplicate the vibration with the wheels off, then it elminates that. Also if a tie rod end was that loose, it would be noticeable at a lower speed as well, and would not cause much of a vibration, as much as excessive play in the steering wheel.

 

So today on my drive to work. I notice that the psi was at 39 but after a thirty mile drive I noticed that the right front went to 36 (new tire), and two other tires lost 1-2 psi. What I don't get is that they a nitrogen filled. I have told the dealer about this now and I am still waiting for them to come switch me out again. The vibration/shimmy was still present from about 70 to about 100 mph this morning. They have replaced the two front struts and a tire already. I am so f'ing livid right now. Thank you all for the advice. I'll keep everyone posted as well.

 

39 psi is way too high (should be around 32-33). Don't buy into the nitrogen fill. It's just another gimmick that has been passed down from race cars and aircraft. If you can trust yourself with a tire gauge and the occasional top off, then spending the $20 or more they charge you should seem like a rip off. If Honda or any manufacturer thought it was necessary, they would be filling them from the factory.

btw, these are stock size wheels and tires right?

 

When I first took possession it was at 33 psi, they just bumped it up this time around and that also confuses me because why inflate it so much higher now? I believe all the tires are new due to the certification process and the rims are stock. From what I can tell I believe the RL comes stock with Nitrogen. Also, I have found that Costco gives you nitrogen for tires, for free - you probably need a membership but the one down here has it outside and anyone can use it.

 

They "bumped it up" because they are careless. 39 is high, but not too high. IMO, 32 is a
little low even though it is OEM spec. I try to keep 34-36.

Tires are not part of the certification. If the old tires were out of spec, they are obligated by law (I believe) to put new ones on. However, you said these were low miles. Are these possibly the originals?

 

Then it could possibly be the originals I guess. I would think next step is to replace all the tires.

 

Not original tires. Just confirmed with the tech who came to pick up the car. They are going to keep exploring what could be causing the problem.

 

07 RL Tech - now you discover they are not the original tires - were the originals Pax? What size are on the car now? Good luck.

 

I honestly do not know if the originals were PAX. They rims are stock, I believe 17's. Have not been able to enjoy my own car or go through it like I would. Busy at work during the week and then family time when I get home on the weekends. Plus I drove a TSX for a few days, then the RDX for over a week and now they dropped off another TSX with like 50 miles on it. What comes on a stock 2007 RL SH-AWD Tech?

 

2007 was the first year of 3 packages, Base, Tech I (a.k.a. "Tech"), and Tech II (a.k.a. "CMBS" or "Advance"). A Tech I has navigation capabilities, but no ACC or CMBS. Does the front grill have a plastic "shield" over the Acura emblem, or does your steering wheel have two buttons on the bottom right leg? If the answers are no, then you do not have PAX tires. In any case, you have 17"x8" wheels.

 

Tech I then...

 

39psi at the rear??Way too high,spec is 32 front,30 rear.You do the math.I have A-spec 18 inch rims and i still follow factory spec psi.Dont know if its right though,prob should jump it up a notch.GL with your ordeal!

 

At this point, they should have swapped out the wheels/tires with a known good set to compare to; if they have another set of wheels/tires laying around or another RL, which the chance of that is highly unlikely but would be an easy way to eliminate.

 

I just went to their website and they already sold the 2009 RL they had on the lot. Wishing I would have bought that one now but it had more miles than my 07 and was six grand more on the sticker. Was really looking forward to my first Acura.

 

I wouldn't sweat too much about it. You still got a great car, and as long as they acknowledge there is a problem, they should fix it at no charge to you. As long as the service manager is involved, I don't think you will have anything to worry about. He can pull some goodwill strings if it's not covered under the regular powertrain warranty.

 

At this point, he has the equivalent of a brand new car warranty and really a car that should not have passed the CPO inspection. I suspect American Honda Corp. would take this very seriously if the dealer lets up too early.

 

bingo

 

I don't know if you already did this, but here is a suggestion. Are your tires directional? Go look at the sidewall of each tire and look for something that says something like "Outside" or "Mount on outside only". If you see something like inside, there is your problem.

One of my friends ('08 328XI) had exactly these symptoms, the dealer cleared the car and so did a tire shop (discount tire mind you ). I was looking at the car and bent over near one of the tires. Lo and Behold, I had a "mount on inside of wheel only" staring right back at me. Some dumbass mounted the one tire wrong and no one seemed to notice this.

 

As far as certified, that guarantees nothing pertaining to 'inspections'. I bought a certified Legend Coupe from the Acura dealer and there was a laundry list of obvious flaws, broken items, warning lights, etc on the car. Most not that serious but all impossible to miss with a 'thorough 150 pt inspection process'. Things like the driver window glass was off its track and didn't close all the way, indash warning light for the brake sensors, something lodged in the track so the driver seat would not move, it was a quarter. Head lights way out of alignment, and other things. Was a great car but he CPO process may just be marketing IMO.

 

Very true, but whether the dealer certifies it properly or not, you get a bumper to bumper warranty. I made a requirement for CPO when I was shopping because I had to leave the state to get an RL with what I wanted. I wasn't about to fly out to Montgomery, AL to pick up an "as is" or power train warranty only car from some guy named Bobby.

 

I also have an 07 RL Tech with vibration issues. I have had my car road force balanced twice at two different Acura dealers (I figured the Acura dealer from whom I did not purchase the RL will tell me every little thing that's wrong so they can make some $$); aligned twice; rotated tires on schedule; tried all different psi in different temperatures (climates/seasons); swapped out the drive shaft; and nothing helped. The only thing I noticed was after driving for about 10 minutes, the car will "smooth out" a little. However, I have had my new brakes for about a week now and I have noticed the car riding smoother. There's still a little bit of vibration and it's much better than before. I know how you feel since I went through it myself. It is extremely frustrating especially you just purchased the RL and want to enjoy it. This may be a long shot, but check out the brakes.

 

Well, the dealer emailed me this morning. They changed another front tire and they are "expending all possibilities as to what could be causing the shimmy in the wheel" and "are continuing to drive and pinpoint this". In other words, tomorrow will be a week since the have had the car again and they still do not know. Just great!

 

Not sure what the lemon law in your state is, but you may want to start looking into it.

 

Let it work itself out. They gave you a loaner; right?

 

Yeah I am in a 2013 TSX, they gave it to me with 77 miles and no courtesy lettering on it. It now has over 600 miles.

 

I believe in Florida the lemon law only applies to new vehicles. I'm SOL on this one.

 

There is a federal lemon law as well.

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