Not to make others self conscious of their new RDXs, but this is something that I've been going back and forth with my dealership on wanted to see if anyone else has noticed the same thing as me. Dealership is saying nothing can be done and I'm really not happy about that.

So about a week after I purchased my 2019 RDX, I noticed these small sort of "dents" on the tailgate, to the left and right of the Acura logo. The gif I attached shows an example of what I'm talking about. Wasn't a big deal since they were not very visible, until I was driving behind my wife the other night and could see the waviness and indentations, they were clearly visible with headlights on them. Worst part is the left side is more prominent than the right so it really does look dented.

I had someone come out to try and fix the dents, and when they were starting the work, they realized the tailgate panel was plastic and couldn't do anything to fix it. He said it was most likely where the panel was glued to the frame. Went to the dealership and after looking at some other 2019 models still there, I noticed they too had these same sort of "dents", however, I did not see them on the 2020 models that I looked at. The panel was smooth as it should be. Since there were other 2019 models that had the same thing, the dealership said that was "just how they're made" which seems like their excuse for subpar build quality.

I know I might be being too picky but I'm big on aesthetics. Love the lines and the curves of the 2019 RDX, but these two dents are an eye sore. Just curious to see if anyone else has noticed this and if maybe it only affects this batch of 2019 RDXs at my dealership.



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I'm not aware of any of these dents in my tailgate and I have a 2019. So I don't think it's "how they're made." Also, are you sure that the panel is plastic? If it is, I would still guess a good PDR guy could heat it up and work on it a little bit from behind the panel. Did you just get some random guy to come out or was it a pro? Just asking.

 

They're a well reviewed local PDR company so I would say the guy was a pro. Not sure if the panel is really plastic but he said is the same material as the fenders. Definitely not metal.

 

Mine is a 2019, January '19 build, has no evidence of such distortions. Could it be due to uneven heat effects (ie sunlight hitting only part of the panel, etc)? The entire rear hatch panel is definitely 'non-metallic', not sure if plastic is the right word, but using a magnet I can find no evidence of any metallic frame or skin.

 

The rear hatch cover is composite ( plastic ). From the Acura press release:

 

So it looks like Acura tried something new again and didn't get it quite right on their first shot releasing it to the masses. Seems to be a recurring theme.

 

I stated in another post that I think they had quality issues with that tailgate mold. If the 2020s are fitting better my guess is they couldn’t change the process until the line was brought down for the model year retooling.

 

Excellent usage of a gif!

 

Again..... thanks to all of you "beta-testers" who bought a first year re-design!.......sorry for you, but good for the rest of us who didn't.

 

There's no evidence this has anything to do with first-year production. You don't know when he purchased his car or when it was produced. Nobody else seems to have experienced or seen this problem in a widespread manner. It seems that there are other cars at this dealership with the same problem, but that could indicate a problem with the dealer. As I've said a couple of times before, the barrels of all of my wheels were scratched up. That's not because Acura used defective parts or had a production problem. Probably someone at the dealership damaged the barrels of the wheels. Regarding the problem, it would be surprising to me if it couldn't be repaired. If someone dented their tailgate, is the only way to fix it to replace the entire panel? There has to be a way to repair such a minor dent or dimple. The main question is whether it is worth the cost, not "can it be done?" I had a tree branch fall on my car and it dented the hood in two places and it may have also loosened the sharkfin antenna. The dents are minor, however. I probably could get them repaired, but they're not in a place that most people look at and they're not that bad, so I've learned to live with them. The tailgate may be another story, but tbh that is a relatively minor defect, as well.

 

I mean "roof," not hood.

 

just more proof that Acura is unreliable

 

Very helpful.

 

OK, you made me look. Mine's a 2019 and she definitely does not have this dimple. I'm wondering, since there are other dimple darlings at your dealer, that perhaps this happened because of the way this batch was secured on the truck/train in transit? Like somebody overtightened the restraints.

 

I see no reason to question the PDR professional's assessment on the lift gate "dimples". Filling in, smoothing and painting the area may be the only viable solution aside from replacing the entire lift gate. And if my experience with relatively minor bumper damage is any guide, that's gonna be a big expense for someone. From what I can see, it looks like Acura sells replacement lift gates as an assembly, so replacing the "skin" may not be an option.

Here's another blurb on the issue:

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2...teel-tailgate/

Personally, I would leave well enough alone. As noted, the dimples aren't very noticeable except when the light reflects off them just right.

[edit] I doubt shipping restraints are an issue. Those attach underneath the vehicle.

 

Yeah doesn't look bad enough to repair to me personally. Just kind of an annoyance.

 

An annoyance I’d want fixed if it was my car. We waited a LONG time to buy a new car and for 40k + I would insist that Acura make it right.

 

Bondo

 

On a new car?

 

If they can't fix it with PDR, I'd rather not have my car bondo'd and resprayed already. That's just me though. I could live with that dent but the inevitable mismatched paint would annoy me more.

Ideally, I'd want them to fix so it's back to new too, but realistically they would probably screw it up even more than it already is. Don't know how much time I'd invest in getting the dealer to fix something that is obviously cosmetically wrong but they claim is normal.

 

This is exactly the problem. Especially with the "metallic" paint, the match will never be perfect.

I had my white diamond pearl bumper resprayed twice after they had to repair a hole, and it's still not perfect.

So now I leave some bug splatter on it to remind me it's just a car, a means of getting from point A to B, but with a bit more entertainment value than most SUVs.

 

Good points- all reinforcing the importance of getting some good eyeballs to inspect a new car before signing off. My 2001 CL had uneven paint color on the hood, but I didn't notice 'till after the sale. They repainted it and it was OK, but I never felt the quality was the same.

 

Not to mention that with the hatch being plastic/composite, it would be very difficult to match it even from factory, let alone after the fact.

I remember the paint match was a HUGE issue on pearl white and silver 2G MDXS in terms of the plastic bumpers and the rest of the metal car. Used to bother me immensely.

 

If you're so anal you can't live with a couple "depressions" like that, take it to a competent shop and have it refinished and painted. And you pay the freight because insurance won't.

This is one time I'd have to agree with Acura. "That's just the way it is."

 

That would probably drive me crazy, but honestly it's part of buying a car.

You can complain but I'm not sure it will do any good.

 

The best fix is probably to replace the entire composite peice with a factory pre-painted OEM part.

 

If you think that's bad, take a look at the plastic panel between the front edge of the hood and the top of the grill on current Civics and Accords! This plastic piece was wavy/"dented" on both my 2017 Civic and 2018 Accord.

 

I remember the plastic bumpers on the 1G white MDXs looking yellow on the lot.

 

That's exactly it! The white MDX would have a yellowish bumper. I thought it was involved in an accident initially until I seen more.

 

But they may not be available pre-painted from the factory. I don't think the front bumpers for 3rd-gen RDX are, and I'm not sure about rear bumpers either. IIRC pre-painted rear bumper covers are available for some other Honda/Acura vehicles.

BTW, apparently the "plasticizer" that gets mixed with the paint for application over composite panels is responsible for a color shift.

 

If this is the only fit/finish issue you've noticed, consider yourself lucky. It could be much worse. Every time I look at my rear taillights I can't help but notice that one side is lower than the other. Funnily enough, my friend has the same problem but vice versa. We're betting that somewhere out there is a happy fella who has even taillights and doesn't even know how lucky he is.

 

I think what I meant to say was paint it with OEM paint, and not shop blended aftermarket paint.

 

The indentations you see may be from the outer panel being over tighten, there may me fasteners or rivets molded to the outermost liftgate panel that are too tight and that is why you see the indentations. Have the dealer look into it, it may be as simple as loosening the screws slightly to relieve the pressures.

 

Interesting! I've always wondered why the plastic parts were a different color and have never really had a solid answer.

Fwiw, some manufacturers are VERY good at making the paint all match. I've had some vehicles where I absolutely couldn't tell the difference in paint between plastic and metal parts.

 

I didn't notice it on our 2007 RDX until a few days after buying it, if I'm remembering correctly.

Some vehicles never truly match and it annoys me to no end.

Makes me think of the 4G (97-01) Camrys. As much as I love those cars, the paint on all of the plastic, bumpers, morrors, spoilers, ect... never matches after it ages and turns to a silver-ish white-ish color when the car was originally painted gold or biege, and sometimes, even on the silver cars too.

In contrast to that, any of the deeper, darker colors never did that... Go figure...

 

I agree that darker colors may not show the effect of the additive, but the amount of "metal flake" effect can be difficult to match on a respray.

As far as the plasticizer, my fuzzy understanding is that even factory paint needs to be altered for application over rubber/plastic/composite, so that it adheres properly and doesn't crack as the material flexes. But I imagine the manufacturers can compensate somewhat with tint of the base paint.

 

I just remembered that there was an issue with GM trucks having the paint crack off of the bumpers in the early 2000's...

 

This is definitely the way I feel. Hard to be ok with such a blemish on a brand new car. If the dimples/dents on the rear were symmetrical it wouldn't be so bad but the left is larger and they're visible not only with headlights, but in the sun as well.

I'm just trying to decide if it'd be worth it to go to the extent of having Acura try and repair it. As others mentioned, I'd hate to have it come back looking worse than it already does. May check with another PDR company and get their opinion. I'll keep you guys updated on what I decide to do.

 

I have the exact same dimple. I noticed it a couple of weeks ago when my car was parked in the sun and I was walking up to it from behind. It was so visible in that particular light that I thought somebody had dented it while parked somehow initially. This started my masochistic walk around the car that I should have done when I bought it. What I discovered was a car that was dialed in worse than a 90's era Chrysler. I had too much trust in Acura/Honda, that I didn't even consider basics like these would be an issue. I actually passed on a used 19 RDX partly because it was a corporate car that had this same issues and I thought maybe it had been repaired or re-assembled with haste. I didn't even consider it a possibility that the new ones would be like this. Shame on me .

The leather on the back of my steering wheel bubbling up on the backside of the right and bottom spokes is my most recent find - 1,700 miles in.

 

You wouldn't happen to be located in AZ would you? Trying to pinpoint if the models with these 'dimples' are just in AZ or other locations. I saw one about a week ago with a Nevada license plate, and no dimples.