Hello,

Interested in Acura Rdx. Have some questions and concerns. I have driven Rdx and it had a bad gas/oil and some nasty smell coming from the vents. NY weather. Any members experienced that issue? Less than 10 miles commute each way for work. Mainly city driving. Mileage was 14mpg for 85 % city and 15% Hwy. Like the way it hugged the curves. Found it took some time going in to gear after pressing Reverse button. AC performance wasn't great either. Mainly concerned about the smell before jumping for purchase. Thank you in advance for the help.

 

Assuming this is a used car, did you ever check the Carfax for accidents?

 

What year, model and mileage?

1) Never smelled gas/oil coming from the vents. Maybe the air cabin filter is clogged or needs replacement.
1a) AC is not the strongest, but its the way Acura AC works with the refrigedent they use. Changing the air cabin filter helps a lot, so does rinsing out external radiator and AC radiator (low pressure water from a hose works best). Then see if the system has an adequate charge.
2) MPG - lots of factors that contribute to super low (14 mpg) in the city. Tons of stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic. How heavy your right foot is. Tire air pressure, what type of tires and last maintenance. I average 16-20.5mpg in the city, weather and traffic play a huge part in the lower numbers. worst I go was a 8 mile commute in snow and -10 degrees - averaged 15mpg. Best was on a 2k road trip - 27ish/mpg going 72mph on cruise with 38psi in the tires + regular gas.
3) Push button gear selector is slowish, but never had an issue where it won't go into gear.

***Before any used purchase - get it looked at by a mechanic - as the oil/gas smell is not normal.

With all these issues, and so many used vehicles on the market - go view a few more that may not have a few of these issues. My 2021 has been rock solid, zero issues and built like a tank. MPG may not be great, but it's inline with other mid-size CUV's with a turbo and AWD. Want better MPG especially in the city - look at HYBRID CUV's.

 

I would be concerned about the oil smell too. There are LOTS of RDX's out there and great deals are out right now, I would consider traveling a bit to get one in better shape. Oil smell is not the norm.

 

Not sure the vehicle being commented on is the one being considered for purchase, It is December in NY, how was AC tested on this vehicle? OP needs to provide more info if they want helpful advice.

 

Thanks for the response team. Was long day for me today.

It was 2021 advance AWD from someone I know. It was bought during winter month. Car was fine until it reached 1200 miles and all of sudden cabin started to smell like gas/oil. Once you recirculate it goes away and comes back without recirculation. It had the same smell during summer too. Eventually they got rid of it. I did drove few times in 2021. One time during heavy rain and wipers were not fast enough to clear the water. Liked the way it handled the corners and 3d Els sound system. But once you notice the smell and it takes the fun away. They used it for work less than 10miles each trip. 85%city and 15%Hwy. Less than 10miles is not short trip. I have the similar trip. That's why I'm concerned if it's dilution causing smell due to short trips. Any one here do short trips and experiencing gas smell in cabin? I hope it was just a problem with that particular one. With Reverse button it took like 2 second delay for it to engage. There was a problem with keeping phone and keyfob in the same pocket. Either take the phone or key fob out of pocket to open the door. As long as no one is having smell issues I'm happy. Thanks.

 

That gas smell is not normal for any car. Probably a leak somewhere, or a mechanic spilled something during service and didn't clean it properly. Dealer should have been able to diagnose/fix smell for free under warranty, (unless it was traced to a leak cause by road debris/impact hit then the fix would be paid for.)

Wife drives our 22 rdx and has never smelled gas/oil in 27k miles. She similarly uses it for mostly under 10mile trips doing school pickup, groceries, etc.

 

Does anyone that enters the car work for a refinery?

 

Thank you for the reply. Good to know you guys have similar trip and not having any cabin issues. Comforting to know. Dealer told them that there was no leak or find any smell.

 

No. No one work for refinery. For family use and Just basic back and forth for work, Groceries and such. Nice to know that people are not having this issue. Maybe it was bad one.

 

Have you aired out the cabin with windows open? I’ve driven over skunk that needs at least a day to clear the smell!

 

Nothing like that. It happened around 1200 miles even before any dealer visit for oil change. So no spillage happened with service. Smell was once in a while in the beginning. Then it gotten strong and couldn’t get rid of it. . Recirculation helped but then smell comes back once you put in regular fan mode. No skunk smell. It was like oil/smell. When it sat in sun in the summer that smell was even nasty.

 

Unless you can verify that it is something trivial, like someone was sloppy during an oil change, I would stay away from this car. As others have pointed out, there are plenty of nice used RDXs out there, and prices seemed to have come down a bit recently.

 

Car that is mentioned on this thread was sold in 2021. Situation happened before the first oil change. I'm looking for a car. With my similar commute, Short trips, I'm being cautious, That's why I'm just curious. I don't know if 2021 were affected with bad fuel pumps. Thanks for the reply.

 

Never heard of that issue on this forum. Plenty of USED RDX's out there to find one that you like. If I was in the market - the 2022 Aspec Advance SHawd would be on my shopping list - HUD, electronic suspension, more sound insulation and power folding mirrors.

 

Glad to hear that. Thanks for your help.

 

Of note...this is the bar none absolute best time to buy a car from a dealership. That all changes after the New Year.

 

I disagree. With repos at 25k+ a day, new vehicles selling very slowly and most mfgs are having to do significant incentives to push units - things won’t get better in 2024.

 

Well...every other month this year---the prices have dropped towards the end of the month...the most RIGHT now...and then the new month rolls in, and they go back up. That's been the case for 6 months now. And there has not been any greater incentives than there are right now in the last 6 months.