Raghvendra Sharma

Hey All,

Just acquired my first Acura, a used 2010 RDX AWD, here in Greater Toronto Area.
Been driving it couple of weeks now. the car is pretty well loaded in terms of features and we are loving it.

Having said that, there are couple of things that are worrying me, so, before hitting acura dealer with those, here i am. finding people in my shoes and learning from experience

1. the steering wheel is a bit too tight in city driving conditions. its just fine on highways (higher speeds perhaps). Is it supposed to be like that ? or should i be worried about something broken inside ?

2. the fuel economy doesnt look that good so far. I looked up and found that claims are in the range of 21+/-1 mpg (which roughly coverts to 13 odd L/100 km). However, what i am seeing it much worse. Probably in the range of 16 L/100 km. What is the exp in this area ? is it normal with this age of car (its a 2010 model, driven 143k km before i bought it)

3. the navigation maps are just not correct. I already had a tom-tom and its saving me so far. Shouldnt the navigation system be correct to some extent !!! everything i google points me to acura website where i need to spend $200~ to update the maps. Is it worth it ?

Suggestions/experiences please.

cheers

AlanW

Based on my 2007 RDX, I'd say:
#1. The steering should be light & easy at any speed. Maybe it is low on power steering fluid or the accessory drive belt could be loose.

#2. The fuel mileage is not very good. Mine gets only 16-17 MPG in around town stop & go type driving, about 18-20 MPG in mixed highway/town driving, 20+ MPG in mostly highway travel. Fuel mileage supposedly got a little better in your model year than mine.

#3. Updated navigation CDs can be had for about $100.00, assuming he nav is working correctly & it just that the original 2010 nav disc is not showing anything done after 2010.

mrgold35

I have an 08 with +140,000 miles:
1. I did a power steering fluid flush at 100,000 miles and replaced my serpentine belt with a kit at the same time. I felt much better steering feel at lower speeds after that. If your power steering fluid is extremely dark, it might help to change it out.

2. The turbo 4 works pretty hard moving +4,000 lbs with sh-awd and I only got around 17-18 mph city and 20-21 hwy (at 80 mph) before I did Hondata and ETS intercooler. After mods, I see 18-19 city and 21-22 hwy.

3. The USA Navi maps start at $200 in the fall, down to $149 late winter/early spring, and most of the time they go on sale for $99 starting late spring to mid-summer until the once a year fall update is available around Oct/Nov. I don't know how much the USA map cover's Canada or if you need a Canadian specific Navi map update? The good thing about the CD-ROM based navi is you can look on eBay an purchase previous versions of the USA/Canadian maps for much cheaper. The version you purchase on eBay just has to be newer than what is in the RDX. I only update my TSX and RDX every 3-4 years and just purchase a used map on eBay for $35-$50 depending on how old the navi updates are.

I've seen on Navtool.com an interface for iPhones for $200-$300 depending on which features you want: NavTool ACURA RDX 2007-2017

It would be a good way to use your smartphone apps for navi/traffic/weather instead of updating CD-ROM for $200 every year.

Tomtwtwtw

At that age/mileage, I highly suggest replacing the power steering fluid. If it hasn't been done, you should notice a significant improvement in steering feel/effort. I was able to get a 2014 nav disc for 50 bucks off E-bay a little over a year ago...check regularly, sometimes people throw their old discs up there for super cheap. For the AWD model I would expect anywhere from 10 - 14 l/100km, but many factors can skew the number. In addition to the power steering fluid, look into your other high-mileage maintenance items - spark plugs, transmission and diff fluid exchanges, etc.

Raghvendra Sharma

Point taken, this is the next thing todo for me. It was hinted at during the pre-purchase inspection as well.
Any idea what it "should" cost me ? Any pointers on whether its alright to get this done outside Acura dealership ? Any good references in Greater toronto Area for getting this done ?

Wow.. why didnt i think of that myself before ? will keep an eye for sure..

Fair point. What kind of checkup should i ask Acura for ? When i was buying the car, i asked them if they could do a complete health report for me, so that i can take a decision of buying.. but they didnt do that. I had to hire someone outside to get that done. that gent, didnt point out anything funny, beside the medium level of steering fluid and medium level of battery life. who can do this around here !!!

greenguy

hey Raghavendra,

hows ur steerong now. Have a look at my thread. Is yours something like this?
https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-rdx-...normal-960267/

Tomtwtwtw

I would suggest finding a mechanic that specializes in Japanese / Honda autos. Check reviews, make sure they're decent, and most likely you'll end up with someone that is as good as a dealer for maybe half the price. I'm about as far away from Toronto as you can get, so unfortunately I can't give any good recommendation. The shop by me will do most basic fluid changes for around $70 bucks (I got brake fluid, coolant flush and transmission service for under $200).

If you want to do power steering fluid yourself, it's actually super easy. In my opinion it is even easier than changing oil. You just need a pair of pliers to remove the hose clips, a container at least 32oz to drain the fluid and a funnel to refill. Some plastic tubing is optional but recommended to avoid a mess. 3 x 12oz bottles of fluid should be more than enough. My power steering pump started making a nasty groan last year on Thanksgiving morning and I had a road trip planned the next day. So, I did some googling, bought some fluid from Wal-Mart and it only took me about 45 minutes to do it. Having done it once now, I'm sure I can do it again in half the time.

For the other items...it's hard to really evaluate the condition of your coolant or spark plugs. Acura recommends first coolant change at 5 years or 150k miles, which ever comes first. Spark plugs at about 100k. One or both may also pop up in the maintenance codes, I don't remember. So, unless you have a record of them being done, I say assume they weren't and get them done ensure the longevity of your car.

Willowbeast

Mine is a tech 2012,

We get about 12.7l/100 kms in 95% stop and go traffic here in Ottawa (the average speed shows 36km/h). I have a new sealed 2012 disk if you might be interested. I have no idea how and if it is an update compared to your 2010. I bought the 2017 disk through a friend in the US after all was said and done, I saved about 50$ CAD. PM me should you want to talk about the disk.

Win Tran

I'm rite there with ya op we just sold our 10 tech fwd, even tho it was fwd mpg was terrible. I also felt the steering was way too lite, I'd go into a long sweeping bend hot ~80mph then back off because th lack of road feel due to the super lite steering feel. Mine only had 99k at time of sale but the back up cam looked horrible don't know if the screen was going bad but resolution sucked!