Just got of the phone with XM again. This time the nice lady said there was no navtraffic on my account. Previously her equally nice colleague said there was So she created my own account and put navtraffic on there for the next year. I should be receiveing information in the next 20 mins. We'll see

It sounds too stupid that the dealer would not re-activate the replacement radios properly. Not just once but multiple times. If this is really the issue I'm glad I mentioned it to the Acura quality dude that just called. Of course the dealer was begging me to give them '5s' for all questions. That I don't really like.

 

I had the same issue. I called and did it myself.

 

Its sad we pay this much for a vehicle and that these technicians cannot do much more than an oil change. I'm so glad we have this site. I hope I never have a real problem like with the SH awd.

 

The Acura service technicians have no way of actually activating the XM or Navtraffic service themselves and rely on the XM side of things to actually implement the changes. The service techs call or communicate via the internet with XM folks who then have to check both of the boxes for XM and Navtraffic. Its a fairly low tech way that leaves it open for miscommunication or misunderstanding of what is on the account.

While it appears to a less than perfect process, I think it is unfair to beat up on the Acura service people at the dealers for this issue. It happened to me too and I found the local service reps to be very helpful in their follow through with XM to get the radio and navtraffic re-activated. To me, not worth spending any time/energy on blaming folks as long as the activation occurs and the service people are making a good faith effort to address your situation with XM.

 

Oh I think if Acura replaces a an XM unit we can flame them all we want if they haven't figured out a year later how to reliably re-activate these units. Nothing to loose sleep over but this shouldn't happen. If the current method is low tech then they need to improve on it asap. Go to a webpage, type in the new radio ID and poof! Done. Certainly they should have verified that everything was OK before handing me the car.

This is not a new product. A year is plenty of time to work out the problems.

BTW I finally checked the coverage area here in San Jose. Traffic Flow data is pretty limited. Most freeways have accident coverage which is nice to know but it's the flow data that's most interesting.

http://www.xmradio.com/images/navtra...n/san_jose.jpg

 

Woohooo! Things work now! Coincidentally I got an automated message from the service manager making sure I would give a '5' when Honda calls me next week about my service experience. He wasn't there when I called back but I left a message that we should talk. After all the broke it Saturday but didn't recognize this, I called about it Tuesday and they said all 05-022s were broken and on Thursday again they told me there was nothing they could do.

 

Hey Hendjaz, Out of all the three times I had my two week old Rl in the shop. I asked them to keep the car overnight. They said that was not needed. On the third time they had it from sat to mon. It went out after that. I BLAME ANYONE WHO TOUCHED MY CAR DURING THAT PERIOD. IT STILL NEEDED TO BE ACTIVATED BY ME and that is uneceptable.If I screw up at my job two times with a client its my ass. You must not be in sales or the customer service industry.

 

LOL

So there is no problem other that your particular dealer/tech failed to follow directions. I could have sworn others have said numerous times (in the orginal TSB post) that you may have to call XM yourself if the dealer sucks.

I did not have to do this. My dealer took care of reactivating the new unit the same day it was installed.

All of your "The Sky is falling . . ." posts should be locked now.

 

Well I did call and XM said it was fine. I talked to the dealer *twice* and they told me it's a problem with the box the installed. So I called again and finally things were resolved. But sure, lock away

 

[QUOTE=Nocturnal]Oh I think if Acura replaces a an XM unit we can flame them all we want if they haven't figured out a year later how to reliably re-activate these units. Nothing to loose sleep over but this shouldn't happen. If the current method is low tech then they need to improve on it asap. Go to a webpage, type in the new radio ID and poof! Done. Certainly they should have verified that everything was OK before handing me the car.

This is not a new product. A year is plenty of time to work out the problems.

BTW I finally checked the coverage area here in San Jose. Traffic Flow data is pretty limited. Most freeways have accident coverage which is nice to know but it's the flow data that's most interesting.

QUOTE]

I understand what you are trying to say, but the dealers swapping the Acura Link Control unit has not been going on for a year. Its been going on for about a month. My dealer said that he reactivated my unit and it still didn't work when I picked up the car later that day. It took me 3 days of calling XM myself to get both radio and nav traffic working again. The Service Manager at the dealership told me that he had the SAME problem with another car. I doubted it at first, but after reading some of the posts on this board, it seems like a pattern - and that pattern seems to point the finger at XM and not Acura. I'd be the first to bash Acura (or whoever was to blame for poor service) and maybe all the techs aren't up to speed on all of the techology in the RL, but I need to try to be objective here. That being said, I think you're a little off base by flaming Acura. I think this is a classic case of finger pointing. XM points the finger at Acura and vice-versa. My experience with this issue says that XM definitely has their share of f__k ups. I was on the phone with my regional XM rep for 30 minutes trying to get the nav traffic working and he didn't evoke a great deal of my confidence during that conversation. He also told me (after we were unable to get nav traffic working again) to take the car back to Acura to have them swap the Acura Link unit AGAIN. The nav traffic started "magially" working again the next day.

 

Well I'm glad you have a higher tolerance for screw-ups than I do :-) It's probably a side effect of being a long time QA engineer that I have high expectations of the luxury goods that I buy. The RL falls into that category.

The reason that I still say 'a year' is that the activation process for a new RL is the same as for a replaced XM unit. They've had plenty of time to figure out how to do this smoothly. 'They' being Acura and XM.

 

Common sense would dictate that you would be correct about the activation process being the same for a new car as it is for a replaced unit. However, we have heard from several users on this board who have had activation issues with their replaced units and in most cases, the dealership either claimed to have already gone through the activation process for the new unit OR the users unit suddenly became de-activated after it was swapped and working.

If I didn't have some level of tolerance/acceptance when dealing with new, high-tech products being offered by companies without adequate infrastructructure in place to support them and which are being serviced at the consumer level by mostly underqualified staff, I would probably be yelling at people who either don't care or can't help me - or both. In the meantime, I have directed my concerns to my rep at ACS. If we were all to call our respective ACS reps and camly air our greivances, we may actually impact a change from the top down. As you must know from your work as a QA engineer, the guys at the bottom can't push sh_t uphill.
This forum is a great place to start. If we pool information, we can collaborate, troubleshoot and take our findings to the people who we hope can actually help. I think those people are at ACS. If there is a problem with XM's process on this swap, I would think that the folks at ACS can get the ear of someone at XM who can fix it. I doubt that the Service Manager at a dealership complaining to someone at a call center in Montego Bay is going to resolve much.

I just don't think Acura is entirely to blame for the nav traffic problems. Fine, they had some faulty hardware, but XM can't deal with some of the simplest changes at their end. Their call center is not in the US and my local rep didn't know anything about the RL, Acura Link swaps, or even very much about the nav traffic product. This technology is all so new that there is no way its all going to work perfectly out of the gate. Maybe part of my tolerance for this is my having worked on rollling out new and technologically advanced products. If you really want to beta test a new technology, the best way to do it is to just "roll it out" and let the users tell you what's wrong with it. I'll bet there's a lot of that going on here from both Acura and XM. We are most likely guinea pigs. Fortunately, there is some honor in being the first monkey shot into space.

This is a first model year car with lots of new features and arguably offers the most technology available in any vehicle. There's bound to be a problem or two, three, four and trying to roll out a fix to 18,000 owners at once can be a bit of a logistial nightmare. Of course, Acura is a big company and they are going to want to implement fixes at the least cost to them. On top of all that, there are TWO companies involved with this issue. This gives both an opportunity to (at least temporarily) circumvent accountability by pointing the finger at the other company.

 

Common sense would dictate that you would be correct about the activation process being the same for a new car as it is for a replaced unit. However, we have heard from several users on this board who have had activation issues with their replaced units and in most cases, the dealership either claimed to have already gone through the activation process for the new unit OR the users unit suddenly became de-activated after it was swapped and working.

If I didn't have some level of tolerance/acceptance when dealing with new, high-tech products being offered by companies without adequate infrastructructure in place to support them and which are being serviced at the consumer level by mostly underqualified staff, I would probably be yelling at people who either don't care or can't help me - or both. In the meantime, I have directed my concerns to my rep at ACS. If we were all to call our respective ACS reps and camly air our greivances, we may actually impact a change from the top down. As you must know from your work as a QA engineer, the guys at the bottom can't push sh_t uphill.
This forum is a great place to start. If we pool information, we can collaborate, troubleshoot and take our findings to the people who we hope can actually help. I think those people are at ACS. If there is a problem with XM's process on this swap, I would think that the folks at ACS can get the ear of someone at XM who can fix it. I doubt that the Service Manager at a dealership complaining to someone at a call center in Montego Bay is going to resolve much.

I just don't think Acura is entirely to blame for the nav traffic problems. Fine, they had some faulty hardware, but XM can't deal with some of the simplest changes at their end. Their call center is not in the US and my local rep didn't know anything about the RL, Acura Link swaps, or even very much about the nav traffic product. This technology is all so new that there is no way its all going to work perfectly out of the gate. Maybe part of my tolerance for this is my having worked on rollling out new and technologically advanced products. If you really want to beta test a new technology, the best way to do it is to just "roll it out" and let the users tell you what's wrong with it. I'll bet there's a lot of that going on here from both Acura and XM. We are most likely guinea pigs. Fortunately, there is some honor in being the first monkey shot into space.

This is a first model year car with lots of new features and arguably offers the most technology available in any vehicle. There's bound to be a problem or two, three, four and trying to roll out a fix to 18,000 owners at once can be a bit of a logistial nightmare. Of course, Acura is a big company and they are going to want to implement fixes at the least cost to them. On top of all that, there are TWO companies involved with this issue. This gives both an opportunity to (at least temporarily) circumvent accountability by pointing the finger at the other company.


Ok Spaklebucket, maybe cause its friday night or I just got lucky you calmed me down and I started thinking you are wright. Just got back from getting Icecream in the RL and everytime I drive it I can't get enough. I'm just not going to stress about it because I'm sure acura wants us happy and there will be more updates to come that will work better.

 

Nocturnal - It's amazing we seem to have both had the same experience at Pohanka! Three AcuraLink units later the thing is finally working, although I have no idea if it was really a hardware problem or just poor mechanics at the dealer. . .

I talked to the folks at XM three times and they assured me my radio was activated for both XM radio and traffic. Seems odd that the replaced unit worked for a day and then stopped. This was very frustrating for me too! My car was at the dealer for five full days while they worked these issues.

Now, to make matters worse - I only have two seatbelt buckles in the back. I have to think the mechanic screwed up and didn't push the center buckle thru the hole in the rear seat while working on this TSB! I gjuess it's back to the dealer one more freakin time!

I'd give Pohanka the lowest rating possible for this service attempt! It's ashame too, because the service manager seemed very professional.

 

Lachancs, sorry to hear you're having trouble too. I'm not at the same dealer though. I'm at Stevens Creek Acura in Santa Clara, CA. I hope you get things resolved soon. Keep giving them accurate and polite feedback so they have an incentive to improve.

 

One more note, I just read the TSB in more detail. Step 5 clearly says the tech needs to test that the repair was a success. It even refers to another TSB, 05-026 in case no real time traffic is observed. So either the tech didn't do this step or he did and did not see the problem or he saw the problem and didn't tell me. All three items are under 100% control by the dealer and service department. If they had properly tested the car and told me of the results it would be a different story. But -I- had to tell them it didn't work. Now if step 2 where they activate the radio doesn't work then that is something Acura/XM need to figure out. But you can bet that a call from the service manager of a big Acura shop has a lot more influence than a call from me.

Of course I'd always be polite when talking to the dealer or Acura. I think the service manager will be interested to hear how I fixed this problem with your help. He can then contact others in his file and suggest the same so they are operational again.

 

Alright I'm pissed again. Went and blew some steam off in the gym. Its been raining all week in northern Va and I finaly got to detail the car today. Low and behold there are no bolts in the rear seat where they are supposed to go. I was looking for a seatbelt witch I guess was tucked under the seat from the caring genious technician that worked on my car and he did not put two bolts back. One of the rear ac vents is cracked with a foot mark on it and my rear quarner panel where they worked in the trunk on the drivers side is scratched. The trunk lining was also a sloppy reinstall. THIS is bullshit. I just went down to Pohanka acura and the service manager is off till monday. I will be going down there first thing monday morning. I got better service and more qualified technicians when I had a chevy berreta and took it to a chevy dealer when I was 17. This is not right.

 

Yikes. Good luck crazy!

 

Wow...It makes me think twice of bringing my car in for the TSBs'. I'm experiencing the XM delay, but this is only on occasion. Sometimes it refreshes instantly, and sometimes it takes about 10 seconds. I decided to get it fixed when oil change is due, but after reading the posts of issues after applying the TSB, I'm kinda afraid they'll messed it up even more. Hmmm....

 

crazy: The quality of service that you are receiving from your dealer's service department is clearly not acceptable. I would suggest speaking with the Service Manager one time about it. If you do not feel as if he is addressing it appropriately, call ACS and complain. They will in turn call the Service Manager and I think that should "motivate" him. Good luck.

 

Spacklebucket, I am going to the dealer first thing tommorow morning to talk to the service manager. He is a nice guy. Before I call ACS witch I will do if he does not resolve the issues including the scratch on the panel I am going to give him a chance. What really makes me upset is I said to him and the technician on the third time I picked it up did you put all the bolts and everything back in this time. Kinda of kidding around but looking them in the eyes and they sais absoulutly. Thats not cool to lie. I tried to get the scratch out but it is to deep like a belt buckle or metal did it.

 

Crazy -

I sent you a private msg. I think we need to get together and pay a visit to Pohanka! Their RL mechanics are just terrible and the service mgr needs to know. My car was full of shoe scuff marks and dirt when it was returned to me - so bad they offered an interior detail. They had it for 5 days total, and now I need to return for a 3rd visit so they can fix my belt buckle they left under the seat! By the way, the mechanic who worked on my car is their lead RL mechanic, Mark. Make you feel good about Pohanka?!

 

Hey lachancs I just sent you a pm with my phone #. I just dropped of my RL today at pohanka for a fourth acuralink install and so they could fix everything they messed up. The service manager is a nice guy but they refused to replace the car so I am at there mercy.

 

I had the update completed a few weeks ago and everything worked great until tonight. All of a sudden, I had no traffic. So I called XM and was told the radio ID for the new XM module installed as part of the TSB had never been registered or activated as a user account. It had been activated as a dealer activation, so what I think is happening is when the techs are testing the system, they are activating under a dealer code, which eventually expires. Maybe. Anyway, they reactivated the traffic and all seems to be working properly.

 

The same thing happened when I had the TSB issues corrected. The radio and traffic worked great for 10 days and then reverted to channel 1.

I contacted XM with the new radio ID and they fixed it within 15 minutes.

You can save yourself some time and frustration if you make sure the dealer actually registers the new hardware they install in your car.

Dave