Danny Li

Hi everyone,

I bought rdx 2013 FWD tech package 2 months ago, I've brought the car to dealer twice already.
First time , the rubber spoiler came off on the back of the windshield after several days, and then they repaired it for me . After2 months of driving . the car now has very weird sound or noises come out when driving slowly forward or backing up the car . I really don't know where they come from . Today, I brought the car to dealer again ,and I was told that they couldn't find the problem right away , I have to wait until Monday .
What am I supposed to do ? At this point , I'm really disappointed at the car . 2 problems have been popped up in 2 months ONLY.
Anyone else ever had same problem like mine ?

weather

Danny Li....as far as the rubber on the back window, I never had that problem. I will say that is will be very hard for anyone hear to diagnose what the problem you are experiencing when driving slowly forward or backward. Without being able to hear the exact sound you are hearing, it could be anything. Unlike the clunk in the rear suspension which is quite common and easily heard, this is very vague. Hopefully your dealer will be able to help you, keep working with them to solve the problem and don't lose hope

Danny Li

Thank you ~~
Yea, they did say that it could be suspension problem. but what I don't like is that it has had 2 problems already within 2 months only.

weather

^^^ I can appreciate your frustration but it is better to have minor little problems than more serious problems like transmission, engine or even worse, electrical gremlins.

Can you try and describe the noise? Is it like a grinding, a thumping, a clunking, a clang clang, a put put, a ding ding ...

Danny Li

it's like clang clang bo bo bo .sounds like that .
it happens only when I start driving under 10 miles or on reverse.
pretty annoying. hehe

weather

I assume it doesn't do it all the time otherwise your dealer would have heard it ...correct? Keep us posted as I'll be curious to hear what the exact problem is. I like helping people when I can but there are certain things that people here won't be able to help out, especially when dealing with odd "clang clang bo bo bo" sound Good luck with that...

Just for the record....its not your tummy full of gas right?!?

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

if the tech doesn't hear the issue, take a ride with the shop foreman and describe exactly what you are hearing and WHEN you hear it so they can duplicate your exact actions.

as annoying as the little things are...a good dealer will always do their best to try and fix it. i agree with weather, it could always be worse...a major mechanical issue where the car is not driveable would make me more upset.

i've had a number of little things needing to be fixed in my MDX ('09) which i bought CPOd ('11). trust me it's had more little things wrong than my TL that i bought new and it's going to be 8 yrs old this yr.

your noises cound like it could be the rear suspension. when you are driving under 10mph or backing up, are you going over any speed bumps or uneven surfaces (driveway)?

Danny Li

I can hear the noises no matter on flat or uneven surfaces. I don't even have to give it any speed. Just let it go, the noises come out . I was sitting at the passenger side , and led dealer do the driving. They heard the noises and they couldn't explain either. 2 hrs ago, they called me that they said they already did inspection and couldn't find out what's going on , so I have to wait until Monday.

I guess I have very bad luck on this car.
I had high expectation before bought this car, now it feels like from the top to the bottom.

dmacneill

Danny Li-

Does the sound seem to be coming from the front wheel area?

Danny Li

It's now Monday, I didn't get answer from them instead I called them for when I will be able to pick up the car. they said they've ordered parts for the car and will keep me updated but they didn't tell me what parts they ordered .
*sigh*

I don't really know where the noises coming from . For me it's like from front , my wife tells me that it's from the middle.

My first car was Camry and never had any problem like this .

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

hey at least they are trying to fix the problem. as annoying as it is, relax. it's not like the car's engine is about to take a crap.

dmacneill

The reason I asked the question about the noise coming from the front wheel area is your statement that you can only hear the noise at very low speeds, even without pushing the accelerator.

I have had a similar problem with mine (2600 miles on it). About two months ago I began hearing a rattling sound from the left front wheel area. I only heard it when I was moving at under 5 - 10 mph, such as entering my garage. It sounded like worn-out, loose shocks, and when I grasped the tire and shook it back and forth I could hear a clanking sound.

I took it to my dealer and asked that a mechanic ride with me to listen to it. As soon as he began to move the car forward slowly he heard it. He said he didn't know offhand what it was, but it certainly wasn't normal. He said to bring it in and they would diagnose the problem and fix it.

They called me the next day after I dropped it off and said the left front strut was defective and they had ordered another one. When I picked it up, the repair order said, "Found that left front strut assembly, upper bearing cap, and bump stop require replacement. Replaced suspension components due to making popping and clicking noises at low speed."

The noise is now gone and the front suspension and steering feel more solid. The service manager said they drove 3 or 4 other RDXs on the lot to see if they had similar noises, but they didn't. I hope your problem can be solved as easily as mine has.

Napoleon

I actually had something similar in my RSX... yes a totally different vehicle, but I too had a rattling at low speed (under 10 mph). Took it in and it turned out to be a cracked engine mount, more than likely thanks to the lovely pot holes here and that I drive in NYC for work often.

Ask if they took a look at the engine mounts. Probably not what is wrong, but something to take into account!

PS - If you don't like your RDX, I'll make a trade you for my RSX

Danny Li

I'm actually driving RSX the dealer lets me drive for now. It's so tight >.<
I got call today from dealer ,they said they fix the noises problem and then found another problem that strut is broken or something.
So frustrating.

Danny Li

Yea, that's what they told me today about strut needs to be replaced. They've ordered new one and waiting for the shipment.
This car is defective , I would say.

kingkong222

Sounds like a demo car to me. Someone must have test driven the hell out of that car.

Danny Li

Hi everyone.
The car has been repaired. The noises were from the top of the mounting the part next to the struts in the front . They replaced both parts for me.
The noises gone.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

glad it all worked out.

Chas2

Good to hear the dealer stuck with it. That is what a warranty is for.

If you keep your car for a long time, as I do, it might be worth going for an extended Acura warranty. For $1500, I got an Acura warranty from an online dealer, actually, Tim of Peoria Acura, who may be a sponsor here (although at the time he worked for Ray Laks Acura). I have a warranty for 7 years or 120K miles, and I look at it as great piece of mind since the original warranty has passed. The dealer price for the same warranty was close over $3000. One drive shaft bearing, a known issue with my car, is $4K. It has just started to make noise...

Danny Li

Hi everyone
I'm back after my rdx repair a month ago, now the same issue has popped up. still the car remaining the weird sound as I described before. I think I will have to bring the car to the dealership again. I'm really tired of doing this because I barely have time to fix this problem and the dealership is about 20 miles from where I'm living. Now The 2013 RDX is facing recall as well. My question is can I file lawsuit to return the car or upgrade the car to different model ? or should I contact dealer first before doing that ?
This car is only 4 months old. I've brought this car to dealership for 2 times already. This time will be third time for repairing. Plus recall which will be fourth time. LOL
*UNBELIEVABLE*
It's so frustrating.
Please help!!!

Rocket_man

The recall is related to the A/T shifter. Not sure if all RDX's are affected. I don't think this recall is going to be fodder to help you get an 'upgrade' from the dealer.

Each state has their own lemon laws. Usually the car has to be brought in a certain number of times and a certain number of days for it to qualify for that. Your car may not qualify. You did buy a first year car and those are bound to have a few quirks that were not found in development. If it is that upsetting to bring the car in for service than you may want to talk to the service manager or Acura Customer Service and see what they are willing to do. Maybe as little as top up your tank when you come in, or offer you an extended warranty on the car. At least they are trying to fix the car as far as I can tell. They just may not know what the problem is.

fleuger99

I lemon law'd a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Here in MA it is 15 business day out of service due to the same defect and or 5 or more repair attempts for the same defect. Once I filed the Lemon Law claim they were entitled to either accept it or attempt one more repair. They obviously went with the repair and it didn't solve the issue so they tried to push me into a new Jeep but I wanted out and got the cash paid in my monthly payments and my down payment less a few hundred dollars I had to pay for mileage. Over all, I was only in the hole for $480 and a ton of frustration and time at the dealer.

Mike_TX

Is it just me, or is the OP going a little overboard here? Lemon law a car because the spoiler comes loose (which they fixed) and there is a noise in the rear?

Danny, cars are complex machines and no car is perfect. It sounds like neither of these issues affect the operation or safety of the car and I doubt you are in a position to lemon the car. They just don't buy cars back because you're annoyed with it.

You might need to try another dealer, as the quality and the abilities of dealers does vary. But don't give up just because your vehicle has a glitch. The warranty is there to get these things corrected.

fleuger99

Agreed, he doesn't have a Lemon Law claim there at all. My Jeep was the Overland with the air suspension and the air suspension kept failing. I'd be driving along and all of a suddent the vehicle would sink and lower itself and every little bump in the road would result in heavy pounding on the vehicle. It was like it has no shocks. Each incident they had my Jeep for 5 days or so. On the fourth time in they flew Jeep engineers out to inspect it. They replaced sensors, air compressors and even the central suspension computer but nothing fixed it. When I filed for Lemon Law I'd been at the dealer 6 times in 5 weeks and they'd had my vehicle for about 24 business days.

Danny Li

com
thank you for the suggestions .
what really bothers me is that if i leave the car to dealer for repair and i have to move the carseat from rdx to another car. the sounds are coming from suspension for sure. it sounds like the parts broken . Im,not sure it would cause safety issue or not, so far i just drive locally instead of highway

Danny Li

com
thank you for the suggestions .
what really bothers me is that if i leave the car to dealer for repair and i have to move the carseat from rdx to another car. the sounds are coming from suspension for sure. it sounds like the parts broken . Im,not sure it would cause safety issue or not, so far i just drive locally instead of highway

techman707

As has been mentioned, every state has its own "Lemon Law" rules. I don't think Danny mentioned what state he's in. I know in New York, where I'm located, if the dealer fails to fix the problem after 4 or more attempts AND, the car is out of service for 30 or more days....THEN IT'S A LEMMON.

I feel that's fair to the manufacturer as well as the consumer. Put yourself in the buyer's position. They have a problem that not only isn't fixed after four tries, BUT, they have kept your NEW CAR in the shop for 30 or more days. You can only wonder WHY or WHAT the problem is that can't be fixed properly after 4 tries. Cars are just too expensive and complicated today to saddle the buyer with a Lemon the manufacturer can't seem to correct a problem on.

Before retiring ten years ago, I worked as a mechanic my whole life, so I have an understanding of BOTH sides. My wife wanted a Honda CR-V to replace her Sienna Limited, which was in mint condition (and never had ANY problem in 5 years). However, I told her, if the CR-V is any good, the RDX will be even better. Now, after reading many of the posts on this site, I'm beginning to wonder if she's going to be telling me "I told you so". In the past I wouldn't have cared, since I've always done all my own repairs, however, because of medical problems, I can no longer do any work on cars, so at the dealer's mercy. That's why some of the problems I'm reading about, while simple to repair (once you know what it is), seem too numerous for a car with Acura's reputation.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

^^all of the problems you read about are a small population of people that have voiced complaints of their cars.

people say stay away from the 04-06 3G TLs b/c they have tranny problems. not entirely true. again this is a small population that complained openly about it and the problem is not wide spread throughout the early 3G TL, maybe the really early 04's.

as with any industry, people will complain about the bad things instantly, but rarely compliment the good things. the whole 1 person tells 100 people about a bad experience, while 1 person with a good experience tell 10.

Honda and Acura in general are solid cars and mechanically sound. I've had a few mionr annoyances with my MDX (none are mechanically related), but i'm not going to say Acura is a horrible car b/c of it. It's all relative. As many will say, every car company has it's issues.

weather

That is very well said and I wish people would grasp this concept. Its sad that this how we are as a society, but its just the way it is. We are very quick on the complaints but very scarce on the praises....

techman...I think there are a few minor issues with the RDX, and the one that really comes to mind is the suspension noise. Apparently, Acura is aware and are working on a fix. Its not a problem that will leave you stranded but will leave you frustrated. I have had the RDX now for 1 year and I never had any problem per se with the RDX. We are all passionate people here on Acurazine and we tend to report any little squeaks, rattles and things that run 100% perfectly, and that is just because we care about our car and just want to share our discoveries with other owners in an effort to help them out. I doubt you will regret the RDX over the CR-V..the RDX has a great engine with a much smoother acceleration and great fuel efficiency. I hope you will not have any problems (major) with your RDX, so just enjoy it and share any findings you have with it....and we are all here because we care for each other and want to help each other out. If you need anything, just let us know

techman707

Over the years I've read many forums where many people have complained of all kinds of problems with their cars. In many cases, they were on the same model cars that I owned and I'd wonder why I haven't had any of these problems....or, WHEN or IF the problem might develop on MY car....yet never did.

Of course in all fairness, I've never let anyone but me service my cars, and I certainly never abused any of my cars, so it's sometimes hard to know whether problems posted by some people are REAL problems that might become more widespread at some point, or I'm just a VERY LUCKY PERSON. The majority of my miles are interstate miles with very little city driving and never in stop and go traffic. However, in New York City, the roads are REALLY HARD on a car's suspension if you're not careful (as I am).

I should also point out that, while my car is still very new (only 650 miles), I haven't had ANY problems or complaints yet. The only exception, which isn't really a defect or broken, is the navigation system and telephone, that only fully works when standing still, unless you use voice prompts. I was told that Acura DIDN'T have that limitation (which my wife's Sienna had, but was easy to defeat).

You're correct when you say "Honda and Acura in general are solid cars and mechanically sound", which is one of the main reasons I decided to switch from Toyota/Lexus to Honda/Acura. I certainly did not use the problem posts on this site to formulate my overall opinion of the brand or model. However, according to some industry sources, as well as Consumer Reports, Acura/Honda had "higher than expected" problems virtually across all their models over the last couple of years. That caught me totally by surprise when I read it. My own personal experience with the Honda brand, I bought a Civic for my daughter in 2004 after she graduated from college. Besides getting SUPER gas mileage and other than me replacing the timing belt, it hasn't had ANY OTHER problems except the A/C-Heat blower motor bearing, that's it, right up until TODAY!

Hopefully, if there were any problems that needed to be addressed on the 2013 RDX's, they have figured them all out in the 2014's (all you 2013 owners, just kidding ). I'm still remembering the past, fifty years ago. When buying a car "made in the U.S.A." you needed to be mindful of what plant it was made in, what day of the week, the time of day, not before or after a 3 day holiday and what particular options (how difficult it was for the worker on the line to install ) and even what color (there were no robots for a perfect job every time). It was a crap shoot at best.

techman707

I didn't see your post when I responded above. I guess I was busy typing. In any event, I agree with you. I'm very happy with the way the car runs....and just hope it STAYS THAT WAY.

Other than the post referring to a problem with the front strut tower, I'm not sure I understand some of the "noises" being described. But out of curiosity, have they determined what it is...if anything? If so, I wonder if that, or any of the other more serious problems posted, have been corrected on the 2014's? It was because the 13's were the first year that I figured I would pay a little more thinking if there were any new model problems maybe they would be corrected on the 14's.

weather

^^ The problem with the rear suspension has not been resolved yet but someone posted earlier that Acura was close to make an announcement on the solution. If you have the problem, it would be pretty obvious to you. When you hit a bump, you hear this "thud" coming from the rear and the ILX has apparently the same problem. I doubt the 2014 has the issue resolved because otherwise, I suspect the TSB for the 2013 would have been issued as well. Acura has in their best interest to move really fast on this because they are selling the RDX like hotcakes, so the more are out there with this problem, the more expensive it could for them to fix. Mine does it and its especially worse when its cold....now that the somewhat warmer weather has returned, the noise is still there but not as pronounced as before.

MardiGras

Such true human nature. When we pay $$ for something, especially as expensive as a new vehicle, we EXPECT everything to function well, so we see no reason for specific compliments. When we have problems, then it becomes a big deal, and rightfully so for some.

MardiGras

BTW, I've owned nothing but Hondas since I was a teenager. My wife's '07 Camry has surpassed 100k and we have our radar locked in on the new RDX.

She never wants to purchase another Toyota product, because her 6-speed AT died at 58k miles (just 2k miles before powertrain expired).

rsx2rdx

Yes, I agree we are quick to criticize, especially since 40K is probably a lot for most of us but I think it's also a matter of expectations.

Acura's strengths (at least in my mind) are long-term reliability, high-quality fit/finish and a great Honda powetrain. No complaints about the powertrain so far on the RDX but the minor noise related isuse I've experienced lead me a little dissapointed with the fit/finish. It's not a bit deal and mostly stuff you notice after having the car for a while but I certainly hope it's not reflective of the direction Acura is headed where there is less QA, more cost-cutting and less emphasis on quality. My only comparison is my RSX which is 10 years old, but has been solid..it just feels like things they used to use slightly better materials and everythings glued together better. The Acura finish still way better than any Hyundai, Ford, GM, Nissan cars I've driven as rentals...and I hope it stays that way.

Mike_TX

I'm puzzled by the rear suspension issue, too - are you guys saying it makes a thud WHEN you hit a bump? In other words, is it the sound of the rear suspension dealing with the bump, or are you saying there is a secondary thud?

I've never had a car that didn't make a thud or thump when hitting a decent-sized bump ... even my Lexus LS 460 and BMW 7-series. The suspension goes from being extended to being forcefully compressed, and that almost always makes a noise.

There is also the possibility that the bump-stop (a chunk of rubber that keeps the suspension from actually contacting the body or frame at full compression) is being contacted. If so, that's actually what it's there for.

In short, my RDX thumps when I hit bumps, but I don't interpret that as something being wrong with it. What am I missing here?

weather

^^ Its hard to explain in a forum....If you lived closer I could give you a test drive. I think if your RDX was doing, you'd know what we are talking about as it sounds bad. The best way to describe it is imagine that the cover where the spare tire would be loose and when you hit a bump, it would lift up and then drop and made a hollow thud. I am not a mechanical guy so I can't say what is the problem but it sounds like a shock thats worn out and the bump is no longer absorbed.

A friend of mine and I went test driving an ILX and I warned him about the noise from the rear suspension noise...as we drove over the train tracks in town, it did it and looked at me with "What the fuck" look on his face.....That was enough for him to say...no thanks. So Acura needs to solve this problem because it will turn some potential buyers away...mind yo, if they sell enough cars in the summer, it will offset the lost of sales in the winter because when its cold, the noise is ridiculous.

techman707

At this point, I don't have the noise you've described coming from the rear end, but, I haven't had the car long enough to drive it in the winter yet either. But if it's as you described, I think I would probably be able to at least determine where it's coming from. Rattling cars was my specialty and, also my nemesis. It used to make me crazy. It could be as minor as two different materials in the dash expanding and contracting from temperature changes. Rattling is how I wound up buying my first BMW. It was the first car I ever owned that could go on the bumpiest road and not only not rattle, it actually ran very smooth over bumps, but that was 1966, before BMW North America and when Hoffman Motors was the sole importer. I haven't owned one since 1975.

One of the main reasons I picked the RDX was specifically because it had a 6 speed auto that was assembled in Japan. So it was pretty unnerving to read about noises in the tranny and bad torque converters. Once again though, I have not experienced ANY of the problems posted....yet.

Mike_TX

Hmmm ... "assembled in Japan"? Unless I'm mistaken, it's assembled in East Liberty, Ohio.

dmacneill

I believe he was referring to the transmission:

"6 speed auto that was assembled in Japan."