fricart

Drove the car with the new shocks some more tonight. I finally feel I'm driving the car that I paid for. I hope everyone else can get their issue resolved.

It seems to be a Sachs quality control issue. I am amazed how many other manufacturers are using these shocks including Cadillac. I wonder if they are having similar issues or if it is the Acura specific valving that tends to cause problems.

KeithL

So you replaced the shocks on your own? I am told there are struts in the rear, what did you put in? I have issues with gf's RDX and they say there is one bad strut and I keep trying to get them to talk to Acura on it since Acura knows there is an issue. In 10 years gf and I have owned 10 Acura and Honda products and this RDX issue makes the car feel like a cheap car.

weather

^^^ Well, my rear suspension problem is fixed for good The RDX is now gone.....Since Acura couldn't solved the problem, I decided to give them a hand.

HotRodW

It's too bad it came to that, but even the most loyal Acura fanboys would have a hard time defending Acura's inaction on the issue. I would have done the same thing. (In fact, I'm about to send the X1 packing on principle, too.) Good for you, Weather. So what's the plan now?

weather

^^ Well, I am spending some time to re-evaluate my needs. I have had 2 vehicles that never drove in the rain/snow (the TL and the RDX) and one vehicle that drove in the rain and crappy weather (Hyundai Accent).

My TL will be going to another owner in a few weeks (that is the plan actually), so I'll be down to the Hyundai Accent only! *SHOCKED LOOK* Now, I am debating if I need 2 daily driver and one nice vehicle or 2 daily driver and forgo the luxury side of things for a while, or get one luxury replacement and keep my little Accent.

As of this morning (and my g/f says it changes every day).....my plans are the following:

1. Accent as my little daily driver to go to town and work when the weather is crappy
2. Lease a Honda Accord Sport as a second daily driver for longer drives (even when the weather is crappy). There are so many good options in teh segment and the styling of the Accord appeals to me but I am pissed off at Acura/Honda so out of spite, I may get something else *lol*
3. Not get a replacement for my TL this year and spend some time evaluating which car suits my need. An Audi RS5? Audi S7? Lexus GS350 Sport? BMW? This will still give the time to see what the TLX will look like in the fall as I know they always look better in person. Get a chance to see the bodykit they'll come up with, and see the feedback from owners as far as suspension problems, transmission problems, electronic problems.

I am VERY pissed off with Acura at the moment, that being said, I have the most amazing relationship with my dealer and in the, I am more loyal to them than Acura itself. Would I consider getting the TLX? Based on what I know NOW, the answer is NO. Am I willing to re-evaluate the situation further down the road? Yep...and that is the advantage of not rushing to replace my TL.

It will be weird not having an Acura in my garage.....

weather

...so what is the issue with your X1?

HotRodW

I wish you luck, Weather. I had two vehicles for several years, too. My daily driver/business vehicle, and my fair weather vehicle (G35 Coupe). It was nice at times, especially when I got the urge to drive a stick, but I simply didn't drive the G35 enough (12k miles in 7 years). I decided to just get something nicer to drive on all occasions. I know my plan was sound, I just wish I had chosen differently. It's difficult at times to see my car covered in bugs or salt, but it has been good for me to stop babying it so much. They really are just cars after all. But the BMW experience isn't what I expected. The car is OK. The company sucks. Based on my experience, I can only conclude that BMW is the most overrated brand on the planet. Our Audi, on the other hand, has been simply awesome. At the very least I recommend a test drive.

Please keep us posted.

weather

HotRodW....I hear you on the "cars should be made to drive"....I sometime wish I wasn't as anal with keeping my toy so clean but its almost an obsession....actually, it is an obsession *lol*. At the moment, excluding the TLX which I still want to see in the flesh, the Audi would be my likely choice for my next toy. I had hopes for the S4 but after seeing in the flesh, it left me a bit underwhelm. The A7 is a gorgeous car, as is the S5....Either way, I am not leaving Acurazine...too much fun here with too many good contributors.

I'll keep you guys posted for sure....

KeithL

You tossed it just because of rear suspensio? What did you replace it with?

KeithL

Well just picked up RDX and they told me they thought about my concerns and ordered both struts, so at least I will have a new pair, still may get the clunking back, but we'll see. Of course they washed the car, which it old them not to, and somehow cracked the rear tail light. They did not realize it and as soon as I pointed it out, they ordered a replacement. The dealer does seem extremely accommodating.

mdfree

Weather did you ever have your rear struts replaced?, I haven't read back thru all the pages to see. It seems like the new hardware has fixed some of the problems but I guess it was still a crap shoot

weather

KeithL....*lol* Nope, I did not get rid of the RDX just because of the clunking but the way Acura is handling the problem is what MAY prevent me from getting the TLX (amongst other things). The reason I got rid of the RDX is because I had two vehicles that I didn't drive in the rain and was restricted to one daily driver. The g/f was getting tired of seeing the two vehicles sitting in the garage and not being able to take out and enjoy. I know, you are likely saying...."Then why didn't you drive it?!" - I just hated the idea of seeing those two pristine vehicles go out in the inclement weather and this is a quirk of mine. By getting something a little more "mainstream", it will enable me to not feel guilty to take out when it rains/snows (like the Hyundai).

So at the end of the day, we got a great offer on the RDX and was where I wanted to be so I said, F' it, lets sell it! ....and the TL has a conditional offer (although the TL is a lease but I have someone willing to buy it and we'll do a convenience deal on it).

So I'll go from 2 Acura and a 1 Hyundai to 1 Hyundai only shortly. I am not actively shopping around and looking at something to lease to replace the RDX (we owned the RDX) and I will wait until next spring (I hope) to get a replacement for the TL.....unless something amazing just happen to strike my fancy. Congrats on the RDX....again, I said then and I'll say it now...its a great vehicle. My 2 greatest knock against the RDX was the rear noise and the lack of height adjuster on the passenger seat. Otherwise, its the right blend of comfort, sportiness, performance and fuel efficiency. We just wanted one nice garage holder (toy) and not two...thats all. Which color did you get?


mdfree.....No, I never had the replacement shocks put on but many have gone through the process and it was not a full success. I spoke to Acura Canada just a month ago and they confirmed that they have not solved the problem and that Sachs is still trying to figure out the problem (with Acura). So any replacement parts that gets put on may be an improvement but is not the permanent solution. One member here has done so on his own (hand-filer) and I give him credit for his perseverance and taking matter into his own hands. Mine was solved by selling the vehicle but as I said just above, I didn't sell the RDX to solve the noise problem, but the noise problem got solved by selling the RDX

KeithL

Weather

I understand. I have debated the 2 car scenario for a long time and then realized I spend 75-80% of my driving commuting so I decided I would do a single car and enjoy it. It is stratifying to see it dirty a lot and to drive it in less than ideal weather, but in GA it is usually just rain, although this year we had to snow/ice storms and driving on the roads even after the snow/ice was gone was annoying due to all the left over road treatment. But they build cars better today to deal with the elements and I only usually keep them 2-3 years so I decided to use them. I believe you are in Canada and in that case I would got nuts dealing with all the foul weather up there.

weather

^^^ Yup....Living in the great white north and the weather is the shits here! What makes it worst is that in the winter, they not only put salt, but the sand/dirt mixture and although that is less corrosive, it puts so much crap everywhere! Wheel wells are covered with rocks, hoods get pitted, calipers/suspension has little rocks everywhere. It pains me to put a 50k vehicle through that abuse....that is while leasing a 27k vehicle is more a viable option for me (mentally).....so I can lease an Accord for example at 375$ a month with zero down all taxes in. Keep in mind we are talking Canadian prices here so this far better than a 675$ lease payment on a TL for example.

Now I know its far from being super sporty but I happened to see a Avalon in white (limited version) and it looked pretty good. If I was older, that would be a good looking car....had a diffuser, the dual exhausts and the wheels looked sexy! Its still a Toyota Avalon though....

KeithL

Funny they do that here too some salt, but a lot of road mix that is gravel, sand etc. Still on the sides of the road after 2+ months.

mdfree

.... The g/f was getting tired of seeing the two vehicles sitting in the garage and not being able to take out and enjoy. I know, you are likely saying...."Then why didn't you drive it?!" - I just hated the idea of seeing those two

Maybe get a new g/f ! ;-) just kidding, I know you've said before you're lucky she puts up with you lol!

weather

I did the number crunching...the depreciation on the RDX was the cheaper option

Just kidding....as you said, I am very lucky! Its bad enough she puts up with my quirkiness, she actually understand it and doesn't try to change it.

fricart

The dealer replaced them. The first time my wife took the car in back in December, they heard the noise but would not do anything about it saying they did not know the cause and Acura would not reimburse them for experimenting. This time I went myself and spoke to someone else who heard it immediately and got the shocks ordered.

Doug's RDX

I am glad I am not the only one that feels that a $40,000 car should drive like a $40,000 car.......I am disappointed with the ride in the RDX. It drives like a Santa Fe.......noisey and bumpy. My wife pushed me to "upgrade" from by cvt Subaru, what a mistake. Since she likes Acura's so much, I might just swap with her. The new WRX is very enticing!!!

danmangto

I did the same as well. Rear suspension, other issues, VCM engine and Acura's lack of handling it. I replaced mine with a G37 Coupe leftover rear drive.. Couldn't be happier.

danmangto

Agreed!

danmangto

weather, I hope you don't get the V6 Accord, same vibrating/annoying at highway driving VCM V6. At least if you lease you will be rid of it in 3 yrs?

KeithL

I see a few folks tossed their RDXs over some issues, I agree the rear noise is an issue this far into the model run and think Acura has dropped the ball on it, but we have not had any other issues. As for the ride I think that is subjective, I find it decent for a small SUV, a tad firm, but that is Acura in general. I have not had any VCM issues and the car rides very nicely at highway speeds. I do find the car bogs down when I climb my driveway at a certain speed, but I attribute that to the car transferring power from the rear wheels to the front wheels. Since the AWD is engaged during acceleration I am guess as the car climbs the driveway (it is very steep) once the initial acceleration is over the car is switching from AWD back to AWD and in that transfer as the car is trying to pull up the hill the car bogs a bit. If I accelerate harder it is fine.

fricart

I agree with Keith. Our car has been fine otherwise. The suspension issue should not have dragged on so long with the dealer more responsive the first 2 visits. However, it has been a comfortable tourer for trips between Atlanta and Philadelphia/NYC. We have a FWD model. I wonder if this makes a difference in the overall perception as the FWD may have less vibration and noise.

weather

Hey danmangto...Hey, thanks for the advice. At this point, I am not commited to anything yet. The Accord I would consider was the 4 cylinder with the CVT (Sport model)....I have my concern about the CVT but again, this is going to be a lease so after 3 years...Bye bye

As Keith has said....Mine has been VCM problem free....

danmangto

Very true... I think if you get the manual shift V6 Accord (coupe only) it's NON VCM... They can't do the cylinder management with a stick.
Speaking of VCM problems.. my RDX was the best of the VCM cars i have owned over the years, but at a steady 60-65mph with the cruise control on the highway, you can definitely feel a minor vibration/sounds.. That you don't feel in other cars where the V6 runs on all 6 cylinders.

danmangto

In my case my RDX took bumps worse than an economy Honda Fit suspension.. it was that bad. At least with the radio on a decent volume you didn't have to hear the bad sounds on bumps. Still for a car with MSRP $40k+ and a luxury brand, I have driven so many others competitors like the Inifniti EX35 whose suspension takes bumps much better. My G37 Sports coupe suspension rides much smoother/takes bumps better than the RDX. Some people are immune to the minor vibrations sounds of the Honda V6 VCM.. it's there at highway cruising. Some cars better, some worse. I had a 2008 (1st year of VCM V6 accord) that car was down right terrible once it hit 10k miles. Pinging/vibrations... had a first generation VCM Oddysey V6, would eat engine mounts.. known issue. My 2nd generation VCM Oddy touring 2011... fouled out spark plugs and burned out ignition coils (luckily no engine damage) known issue and a class action lawsuit against Honda. I notice everything with my car, whether that is good or bad. Honda needs to get rid of the VCM engine, all the ones I have had had issues.

weather

^^ That doesn't bode well for the TLX eh?!

hand-filer

Just curious, knowing of these shortcomings some of which you had first hand knowledge of (VCM) and others which should have been obvious during a thorough test drive (rough ride); why did you even buy an RDX? I'm perplexed.

weather

^^ Its that DAMN NEW CAR SMELL!!! It gets us every time! (LMAO)

hand-filer

Maybe that new car smell is laced with heroin to get us hooked.

danmangto

It's that new car smell, LOL! I figured Honda got VCM fixed for generation 2. I was wrong. Vibration/strange sounds are still there, it does seem improved over gen 1. Others claim to not feel it.. I do. My issues (Fouled plugs/bad ignition coils, part of the class action lawsuit) that led to me dumping my Oddy Touring happened after I bought the RDX. As for the suspension... I had no idea on my test drives that the rear would develop a blown/speaker hollow sound on bumps. The ride was a little stiff that is common in Acura/Honda products. That said, enjoying my new G37 sports coupe, and it rides/takes bumps far better than the RDX does. Funny for a sports car. G37 has a larger wheelbase than the RDX that is part of the reason. Larger the wheel base the better the ride.

KeithL

Well dealer lied, they only ordered 1 strut. I escalated to ACS and am awaiting answer. Funny thing is the ACS case manager calls me and knew the issue I was having as he was driving a 13 RDX Corporate car last week and said he heard the same noises. Really don't understand what is so hard to fix here 2 years in.

KeithL

So ACS turned down approval of the second strut. I am done with Acura for now. We have purchased 9 Acuras and a Honda product in 10 years and they are nickel and diminig on the struts which is a well known issue. I really wanted a TLX, but think I will try the new Genesis or stick with Audi. Audi customer service is leaps and bounds better than Acura.

Spirited Driver

I am in the same boat with my ILX. Done with Acura. Unreal that they have yet to release a tsb, or address the issue after two years of these defective/cheap struts.

Multistage damper (SACHS) my ass!

rosen39

Well, I'm going in tomorrow for them to check out the replacements that were installed a year ago. I put up with the clunking all winter long. Hopefully they will replace them again. According to the gentleman at Acura, there is no "revised replacement" in the works. They are just on the manufacturer to improve quality control. We shall see.

KeithL

Dealer said Acura has been silent on this issue other than to tel the dealers to replace struts making noise. And the dealer SM is telling how simple the rear suspension is, well clearly Acura can't do simple. What really pisses me off more than the issue is ACS is useless. I had an issue with my first TL with noisy back deck and ACS did nothing, but the dealer stepped up and fixed it and threw in a rear deck lid for me to make up for it. One thing I learned is ACS are just the same as the Honda folks and they act like you bought a Civic for $15K. Audi has treated me very well. Infiniti treated me very good as well. Good customer service can make up form some issues and ACS clearly does not get that.

weather

It is really disappointing to see that Acura is not ale to solve this problem with the ILX/RDX and I am pretty sure that by next spring, we'll have a shit load of posts about the TLX rear noise problem.

GurlRDX

Is there a way to check on the integrity of the struts on a used 2013 before making a commitment? I am looking at a tech FWD being sold by a non-Acura dealer and Firestone told me they'd do a diagnostic, I am wondering if they'll be able to catch it. Based on the comments and me living in the South, the noise may not be as pronounced during the test drive in this 80 degrees weather.

I'd really hate to spend almost $35K OTD on a used RDX only to have to haggle with my local dealership on replacement, especially since I didn't even buy it from them.

fricart

Mine made noise even in the heat. In fact it was only silent below 20 degrees F