Acura Link - Worth it for a 2022?
 

Taking delivery today of my 2022 RDX. My key fob has remote start. Would the acura link be worth it for other features?

I know I can lock and unlock the car, and see my fuel level... What else can this do?

Something I'd like it to have is being able to set the A/C or heat from a distance, is that even doable without just shutting the car off with heat/ac on full blast?

Might be a newbie question but hey, we all start somewhere lol

Simple answer is a big fat NO.

Only if distance is an issue. I’m 4 floors up and park in a parking ramp at work so the keyfob is out of range.

Also, you get a free trial when you buy a new car so use it and you’ll quickly determine if it’s worth it or not.

The keyfob shouldnt be out of range. The booklet says 1/4 mile range.

1/4 mile with no obstructions.

Adding walls and a concrete parking structure reduces that range.

328 feet to be exact. I have started my RDX at that range around objects, buildings, fences etc and it works like advertised.

Unfortunately many manufacturers adopting this subscription model for the constant revenue stream from the owners.

Is this the pre-2022 KeyFob? I thought I remembered reading the new one is much further.

Well when I’m 4 floors up and my car is parked in the ground level of a parking ramp it doesn't work. I’m assuming it’s more than 328 feet. In my case the app is the best option.

Keyfob has a feedback light green if the remote start works , red light means out of range

My wife locked her key in the car a couple of months ago (which isn't supposed to be possible, but it happened). She called me at work and I was able to unlock the doors from afar with the AcuraLink app. We both decided that one incident made the cost of three years of the service worthwhile!

I didnt know it was possible to lock your keys in the car. I thought if the key was inside the door wouldnt lock.

That's what we thought too, but it happened. I'm just glad it happened to my wife and not to me! :wish:

I’m not a fan of AcuraLink in general, but I still pay for the Remote package. For me, that’s the most bang for the buck. I use it to remotely start my car pretty often during the winter and sometimes during the summer heat too. I like the peace of mind/convenience that comes with Find My Car and Stolen Vehicle Locator.

That said, the other features are really pretty minor or completely useless. I’d love to be alerted when my car alarm goes off but all it does is send me an email. Seriously?!? How is that helpful? I don’t know until the next day if something set my car alarm off, which is kinda a problem since I live in a city and street-park my car. With vehicle break-ins and catalytic conveyer thefts on the rise, I’d like to be notified by text or even a phone call…

Anyway, point is AcuraLink overall sucks but I still find a few features that keep me paying. I still want to rage-quit every time it comes up for renewal tho.

Give it a try!
 

Welcome to the Forum and congrats on the purchase. I really enjoy my RDX and I know you will too. Another user mentioned the free trial, which is what I did on my 2018 Accord and at the end of the trial, I subscribed to the services I liked (Remote and Security). When my 2018 was broad-sided by another vehicle, the security function kicked in and saved me from serious injury. Also, the Remote function is very helpful if you are outside the range of the key fob and want to get the vehicle started and the climate control on. You can’t actually set the temperature, but it senses the ambient temperature and the internal temperature, and sets it to what would be considered comfortable. The other features e.g., geofencing, speed alerts, locate my car) are all very helpful. I subscribed to these same features in my 2022 RDX because I have grown accustomed to them.

that’s why I think the trial is a good option without any commitment. Try before you buy!

Any idea how it happened?

None at all!

how much is the subscription for this anyway? mine, trial ended, didn't used it anyways

If you have remote start on the 2022 key fob, then it’s not worth it. My 2021 Advance doesn’t have remote start on the fob like my 2019 TLX Advance did and that is the only AcuraLink feature I try to regularly use. Like everything with the RDX, it is unreliable and commands (lock doors, send directions to NAVI, remote start) work 50% of the time. I paid $120 last year for Remote only package for the pleasure of working half the time. Disappointing.

Strange. I wonder if the area your RDX is parked has poor cellular coverage? My remote start via app works 99% of the time. While at work the range of the keyfob is too far so the app serves its purpose.

Same here. On the rare occasions it hasn't worked, it worked on the next retry. Pretty quick too. Usually only takes about 15-20 seconds.

I've also used it to check the car's location and odometer when it was in a body shop for a week. Just to make sure they're not taking it for joy rides.

I have had the app for a year and I hate it. Just can't believe how useless it is and how much better it could be. I know there are 3 levels you can purchase but none that I know of allow you to set the temp. It will tell you what the temp is inside your car but that is about it. The app only allows you to start your car one time and then all other remote commands will fail saying you've exceeded your allowed number of remote commands. So if it is freezing outside and you want to be sure your car is toasty it probably will not be because it won't stay on long enough to get warm.

My experience is that the Auto mode of the climate control can change the car temp around 5 degrees per minute. And remote start (if you left the car on Auto when it last shut off) targets something around the 70 degree range, which is within 5 degrees of almost anyone's preferred temp, so after remote start the car is tolerable for most people when they get in and perfect within a minute. So picking a particular temp on the app is (to me) a bit of overkill. The key thing is to make sure you keep the climate control (and seats) on Auto before it shuts off, as I don't believe remote start overrides anything that was manually set before shutoff (not 100% sure).

Remote starts lasts 10 minutes and can be done only one more time after the first one expires. So on very hot/cold days, when the cabin is likely to be more than 50 degrees from a preferred temp, you just need to ensure you start it twice and begin at least 20 minutes in advance. It's probably just as important to warm up the engine for longevity anyways.

Acuralink startup is a lot slower, probably 45 seconds to use the app commands, vs about 15 seconds with the key fob, so I use the fob 95% of the time. But there are enough times I use the app that it is worth the cost for me to renew (eg: when I run out to get something in the car and realize I left my keys behind, or if I want to prewarm the car in a shopping mall or movie theater behind enough walls that block the fob).

I wish Acuralink could use its existing tech to add a few more features (eg: Lexus lets you remote start with Alexa, and it would be cool if you should schedule remote start at a particular time each weekday). But even as is, it is priced just enough that I cringe at the cost but still chose to buy. Both my newer Acuras were CPO so the trial was only 6-12 months, and I paid for a 3 year extension on both.

I live in Minnesota and AcuraLink works fine for my situation. While at work my car is too far away to use the fob. I’ve found that 10 minutes is more than enough time to get it warmed up. The heated seats and steering wheel are warm and the fan is blasting full speed when I get in the car.

Idling your engine for 20 minutes is not great for longevity IMO.

total waste of money.. sickening how OEMs are moving to a subscription model for basic things like seat warmers.. don't support this ridiculous money grab

App based remote start has been subscription based for quite some time. They do have to maintain an app and the background services so I understand the cost. Seat warmers are another story though.

Sorry for the newb' question - but what is AcuraLink in 2023? We just got a '23 MDX and I think AcuraLink is free for some period of time. What do I do? Does it require a phone connection? Or does it use integrated, dedicated cellular service? Acura infotainment, in my opinion, is mid-grade at best ... so I don't have high expectations but am willing to give this a try.

Your dealer should have assisted you. Download the app and register. It uses cellular.

Of course the Acura tutorial video won't even play on the app. Because Acura.

I used the free trial this winter and the remote start feature was excellent. Car started within 5-10 seconds of giving the command. I didn’t really play with the rest of the features though.

Is the free trial available if I have a second-hand (used) Acura? Or is it only for the original owner?

Not by default unless it is a CPO. Why not call and ask? If they offer that for CPO, they can surely do so for others. Another option is to just subscribe Acuralink and cancel at any time - I believe Acura would refund the unused portion.

Yeah, it's CPO so I'll give them a call.

On my 2022 CPO, they gave me 6 months of remote and concierge packages, and 12 months of security.

Had my RDX 2020 stolen last night in a commercial parking lot
Expected AcuraLink would help tracking my car with the help of Police
Because a stupid glitch in their system they could’nt help
And then when they asked me to try again later, impossible to reach them
People behind their phone service not the brightnest , and very difficult to reach them after the first contact
Was expecting trading my 2020 RDX this Fall for a 2024 but now too frustrated, must reconsider Acura

That’s a bummer. AcuraLink has always been pretty bad - definitely not what should come with a luxury or even premium car.

Maybe contact the dealer you bought from? They might have a better way to get it tracked, and they are the ones with an incentive to do so.

Thanks for your replyMy Acura dealer is closed on week ends AcuraLink is closed on week ends
Great service for a premium car?

I know for sure my wife will not have any part of AcuraLink. I'm proud of her for learning all the tech! lol I can say I had a trial period for the version made for my car and I never used it. At first I got a kick out of locking and unlocking the doors, but I never saw the need. So once the trial expired, I let it go. The only way it would make sense for me is if they put it on sale one day. Then it might be worth having for fun. If you can see the need and value by all means get it. Good luck.

Agree Acuralink is mostly.gimmicky, but I have used it at least once a month to open the door to get something when I left my keys behind.

My wife uses it daily to remote start and pre warm/cool the car after her gym class, as she heads to the locker room for her bag and keys. Really an edge case, since in most other situations you could do the same with keys.