Hello,

I'm trying to put together a short list of the top 10 common problems that someone could look for when buying a Gen 2 and Gen 3 RL.

What would you say are the top 10 common RL Specific problems to look for? Thanks for the help.

 

I flipped though the service file for my '05 RL this morning looking to answer your question, but found nothing but scheduled maintenance and tire replacements. The only non-scheduled repair was a replacement of the power steering feed hose done in '05 as part of an Acura recall of the part. I also had to replace the fog lamps because the glass lenses both cracked when hit by debris (I put clear film on the new ones to prevent a repeat occurrence).

That's all to report after 10 years of ownership.

 

There are some parallels. As with any new generation, the 1st year had some issues to work out. In both 2005 RL and 2014 RLX there are a few TSBs and a recall or two that should be verified as applied to the car. Next, AZ has an excellent compilation of issued TSBs (thanks to EE4Life) that you may use to evaluate if the car has been addressed for that particular issue.

And in both cases., waiting a model year or two resulted in most issues being resolved (2006 RL & 2016 RLX). But if all TSBs and recalls are applied to the earlier builds, it is pretty moot.

The primary thing that sticks out in my mind is both the 2005 RL and 2014-15 RLX had constraints with the head unit / NAVI. In both models they were resolved, but the updated feature was not backwards compatible to earlier models. In the 2005 RL the primary constraint was it could not utilize the OEM accessory rear cam. In the 2016 RLX the head unit is more responsive, less clunky and includes additional music data over the 2014-15 model. And again the 2016 RLX is available with 360 cam which has not been determined if backward compatible to the 2014-15 RLX. There were also suspension revisions made on the 2016 RLX.

Where they differ is the most? The 2005 RL was acclaimed as Japan's Car of the Year and Car & Drives 10 Best and sold more than projected (and dropped dramatically in 2006+). The 2014 RLX got panned by CR (for issues mostly addressed in 2016 model) but CR set the tone for market acceptance and cred. The CR review was incarnated into Forbes recent 10 WORST. Later to market was the Sport Hybrid, which most all reviews are excellent, but the shadow has already been cast over the RLX as a whole. That resulted in a benefit they both share in that you can get up to $10K discounts on new models.

For more details, do some searches, it is all there in both forums, recycled multiple times. My 10 year ownership of the 2006 RL was the best vehicle and most bulletproof vehicle I have ever owned. My 2016 RLX SH has been flawless this 1st year of ownership and I expect similar long term experience with this car.

 

I have had exactly same experience as Tampa - nine flawless years with my '06 RL (and 2 fabulous years with my '14 RLX SH-AWD). I do remember that the outside door electronic unlock mechanism on the '06 RL eventually failed and all four handles had to be replaced. I was told that was common to the year. Great car.