Hi folks,

I am excited to be back as an Acura owner, I had a 2003 TLS (One of my favorite cars that I owned for 12 years and drove to death) and am now back as an owner of a used certified Acura RDX 2020 Advanced with 12k miles on it. Overall really loving to drive this car.

I now need your input on some of the issues I have been facing. I will post a list of everything below and would really appreciate your opinions before I head to the dealer next week for attempts to resolve some of these.

1. Read Windshield Wipers Issue: Rear windshield wipers make a loud electrical noise when swiping. It's loud enough to be annoying
2. Steering wheel thread cutting into hand: Steering wheel on the inner right side where my fingers tends to go is hurting into my hand, seems the thread there is not smooth like it is on the left side
3. Squealing Breaks: The breaks are squealing every time the car is not warmed up. Yes that problem... this is one of the few ones I've already learned a lot from this forum but still any latest updates/suggestions welcome on how to try to deal with it
4. Vibration felt in back seat at acceleration: When my wife is sitting in the back right seat (hanging out with our toddler) she is feeling a very annoying vibration at around 50-70MPH, during acceleration especially. It's driving her nuts, I am really worried about this one being hard to resolve . If we cant fix this shell have my sell the car and that would really suck
5. Weird shifting, engine RPM spikes when using Sport+: When using the really fun Sport+ mode the car is acting really strange. At first its fine but two things stand out as not feeling as "normal":
   1. When I stop accelerating the car often (but not always) get stuck in around 3-4k RPM and it just leaves the engine revving really hard. Feels horrible
   2. When I am decelerating every 10MPH or so the cars RPM jump up before going down. The car almost feels like it jumps forward a bit
6. Speakers are lightly hissing ALL the time when car is on: Speakers in the car are amazing, but this is so odd that even when no sounds is playing they are hissing. This is slightly annoying to me, but driving my wife totally crazy
7. Back seat vent wont fully block/turn off: When we slide the vent in the back to the off/locked position it is still leaking a good amount of air
8. Fuel economy stuck at 18MPG: I was expecting to get around 20-24 MPG with this car and I often drive highway for 15-20miles using mostly cruise control. But no matter what (while driving regular Sport mode) I cant seem to break out of 18/19. This is annoying, might be some problem here?

This is all pretty concerning. I really tried to catch as much as I could during a long test drive but still failed to find these problems . I really hope these are solvable and could use your feedback folks on anything I should know about these before confronting the dealer for repair request. thank you folks for anything you can suggest

 

I have no issues or exp with 1-4, 6 and 7 on my 2021 RDX Aspec SHawd, maybe the dealer can assist there.

#5 - Sport+ mode does hold the RPM's much higher. Rarely use that mode, when I do I use the paddle shifters. That mode is super responsive and keeps the rpm's higher, so the turbo is spooling up and building pressure. When decelerating, it holds the gear shorter and downshifts to keep the revs up. Normal from my perspective - I use comfort, sport or snow mode 99% of the time. Sport+ just seems meaningless for a big SUV. Hammer time - I use Sport mode and she is pretty quick and smooth shift with no rev hanging.

#8 - That all depends on your driving style, terrain, wind, outside temps and speed. I have average 21.6mpg over 6,600 miles (70% of that freeway miles and one 1,100 mile road trip).
-Sub freezing temps, snow and a mixture of mostly city = 13.5 - 16mpg (with a light foot).
- Regular city driving = 15-17mpg.
-Freeway driving, mild temps at 70-75mph with the cruise on, with no wind and flat terrain = 24mpg
-Freeway driving with rolling terrain, cooler temps, 70-75 mph cruise on = 22.5mpg (with a head wind) and 25.2mpg (with a strong tailwind).
*Check your cold tire pressures on the dash - I keep mine at 35-36psi.
**I run pure synthetic oil and premium gas.
***RDX is a thirsty SUV, even with a smaller turbo engine and 10 speed auto transmission. The more your foot is on the fun pedal and turbo spooled up - she will drink petrol like a drunkin sailor.

 

thank you for sharing your experience with Sport+, it is helpful to know what is normal with this driving mode. For #8 that is very interesting too! A lot of detail, I know this car is going to eat lots of gas, so I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. Just thought highway travel during clearer/calmer days on cruise control would be easier on it a bit. I can live with 19MPG

 

Reset your dash next time to see what mpg's you get on the freeway. Sport mode doesn't shift into 9th or 10th gear till after 60-65mph - I use comfort on the freeway and cruise control. you should be able to get in the lower 20's with that. Speeds over 70 mph, this tall and wide SUV is hindered by wind drag. Again, tire air pressure is a component too.

 

Great advice on all counts thank you, I will give this a shot!

 

And here is a photo :-D

 

With my 2020 Advance, I've found that I get slightly better mpg in Sport vs Comfort, which surprised me. I've also gotten really good at using the radar cruise control even on highways with traffic lights. Once you get used to the steps to have the car start from being stopped (and using the auto-idle off) you may see a difference in mpg. They upgraded the cruise control system in the 2022 model to more easily deal with stop and go traffic, but it still works fine in the 2020. I've also found the Sport mode to be a great balance between mpg and enjoying the sportiness for which the RDX is capable! I do use snow when needed and comfort when the family is on board for any medium-range trips. Sport+ is fun on a safe, straight drag if you're looking to blow some bonus money or around a tight traffic circle...especially if you set the dash to show the SH-AWD chevrons if equipped.

 

MrFileInc . . . looks fantastic!

We have the same color/trim as you but a 2021.

The only issue we had was the hood latch and passenger side hood strut was loose causing a shaky hood at high speeds (all at or below the speed limit of course).

Overall still an excellent value!

 

It's more than likely normal ... most rear wipers I've owned/heard make a noticeably whining electrical noise when they're working. You could mention it to the dealer to look at, but I can almost guarantee they'll say it's working normal, but it's hard to say without hearing it myself. It's definitely audible in the cabin though, so if you were expecting it to be a low hum or silent, then no, unfortunately it's not.

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Steering wheel thread cutting into hand:

Might be worth it to bring it up to the dealer, but again, I doubt they'll do anything for you here. Even if they find an issue, they'll say it's "normal wear and tear." I would simply try a slightly different hand position.

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Squealing Breaks:

It's a common issue on all Acura cars as of late. You can get them replaced, but most are saying the problem returns. It's likely due to whatever compound the manufacturer that Acura contracted for their brake components use. It seems most dealers are receptive to changing them out, so it's worth a shot if it annoys you.

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Vibration felt in back seat at acceleration:

How many miles are on the car? Are they the original tires? It sounds like a wheel balance issue in one/both of the rear wheels.

This is how Sport+ drives. If you're not fond of the transmission performance in that drive mode, switch drive modes. I drive in Sport 99% of the time. Just flip it over to Sport+ when you want to hoon it around some.

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Speakers are lightly hissing ALL the time when car is on:

Sounds like the ANC working. Another issue you may bring up to your dealer, as it may be related to the CAN Bus recall, but it honestly just sounds like the ANC working as intended.

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Back seat vent wont fully block/turn off:

No idea. Probably the shutter that blocks the vent is defective. Or just poor design on Acura's part.

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Fuel economy stuck at 18MPG:

Nope, these cars aren't very fuel efficient. There's a big thread on it with many debating back and forth whether or not the car is fuel efficient. I'm usually in the 19.x-20.x MPG range with mixed driving, probably ~70% highway.

 

All I got

 

Knock on wood, I’ve never had any of these issues with my 2020 Advance SH-AWD with 15k miles over 17 months. I’ve never observed indicated mpg less than 20, and I’ve gotten as high as 28 with pure interstate travel at 67-75 mph. 23-24 mpg is normal for mixed city/highway driving. I never take it out of Comfort unless I need it for snow, which I’ve only done once. I do have a light foot, and I never floor it unless I absolutely have to - say, passing on a two-lane back road. As they say, YMMV.

 

I have a 2021 Tech AWD with 3k miles….here is my experience with your concerns. It definitely has its quicks, but overall I enjoy driving it and try to ignore them. I’m coming from a 2017 Lexus NX and it was so boring to drive.

1. Read Windshield Wipers Issue: Mine does the same..annoying, but tolerable.
2. Steering wheel thread cutting into hand: I don’t have this issue.
3. Squealing Breaks: I haven’t noticed it yet on my RDX, but when I back out of the garage people tell me they do squeal. I also have a 2021 TLX with 5k miles and the brakes squeak on it as well. Will probably bring it up when I go for service.
4. Vibration felt in back seat at acceleration: Interesting you mention this. I notice at these speeds if I accelerate without causing the RDX to downshift I can feel/hear something from the driver seat that sounds like a vibration. Passengers in the back say they can’t feel anything or hear it. It may be the piped in sound, but I’m not sure yet. I was going to wait until it gets warm and disconnect the sound module and see what happens. It could also be the AWD sending power to the back wheels? Again, I’m not sure.
5. Weird shifting, engine RPM spikes when using Sport+: Completely normal in Sport+, holding those gears was a lot of fun in my 2018 V6 TLX, not as exciting in the RDX.
6. Speakers are lightly hissing ALL the time when car is on: My RDX doesn’t do this, but my TLX has all kinds of stereo popping issues. It’s an advance, so the system is a bit different than my RDX and would be more comparable to your Advance RDX.
7. Back seat vent wont fully block/turn off: Mine turn off completely.
8. Fuel economy stuck at 18MPG: MPG is not good in this vehicle. There is a setting that you can reset the average MPG after every fuel refill. It happens automatically.

 

Good point about the reset. I got a loaner 2021 RDX when I took mine in for service a couple of weeks ago, and the trip odometer had the same 4,000 mile reading as the main odometer, and the mpg was 18.0.

 

I think is a SH-AWD issue or possibly weather related effect on the MPG.

My 2019 FWD gets consistent ~24 MPG on mixed city/highway, driving in Sport mode for the most part (spirited driving)

I reset the mileage B after every oil change and usually get ~23.7 MPG or so during a ~7,500 mile oil change interval, YMMV

 

Weather (super cold and heat suck gas mpg), elevation changes, rolling hills and wind. SHAWD does knock the mpg, it’s always working and more weight. My lowest has been 13.5 mpg in city driving in the winter temps and snow. 1,200 mile road trip across a few states - best was 25.4mpg (70mph, cruise on, comfort mode and a 25 mph tail wind).

Given you live in flat lands Florida, no hills, limited wind, super flat roads and warm temps, ideal for MPG. I’d have to push it to get those mpg in Texas and Colorado.

Sure wish I knew the advertised MPG was not correct in the real world before I bought it, as $4gal gas now (and only going up from here), makes filling her up a chunk of change. I’ve owned V6 and V8 engines that got better mileage than the RDX SHAWD.