LegendaryAcura11

Hi everyone, I've been checking the forums out for a while now. I've loved my dad's '07 RL since he got it, and I am picking up my 2011 RL w/Advance tomorrow (already paid for). 67K miles, super clean. Pomegranate pearl w/parchment interior. I'm quite excited! Coming from an '02 TL Base.

Anyway, I think I know a decent amount about owning an RL, I've brushed up on my RL facts (even though there isn't much out there about the '11-'12's. My question to you all is this: is there anything I should be aware of as a new owner? For example, maybe there's something you know about your car now that you wish you knew when you first bought it, could be positive or negative.
Also, I've heard of possible electrical gremlins with the RL's. Is there anything I should do to avoid these problems?

CadiGTi

Congrats! Great color and it's an Advance model!

I have had 2 RL's. A 2006 RL CMBS (advance model back then). I purchased in 2008 with just 4k miles on it. Kept it 3.5 years and sold it with 173K miles in 2011. I see my old RL from time to time since I sold it to a friend. That RL car is doing great.
I currently have a CPO 2012 RL Tech. Purchased January 2015 with 25k and it now has 92K on it. This RL was originally leased for 30 months and had a great car fax history with Acura service history. These cars are pretty much bullet proof, at least the 2 I have owned. I have Acura change the oil every 5k miles, have the transmission, brake fluid, and front and rear differential fluids changed regularly. I run Shell or Exxon premium most of the time and run BG44K fuel cleaner every 3 months or so. I usually get 60k miles out of my Michelins and the front brakes are good for about 80k miles, rears go over 100k, at least for me.
I pamper my cars, they are garaged, Acura serviced, and high-end detailed, but they are put to the test. I live less than 2 miles from Washington DC so they are driven in pretty intense traffic and on marginal roads for the most part. I just wish I could hold up as well as my RL's!
Enjoy it and take great care of it, and your RL will take great care of you hopefully for many miles.

Wh1t3r0b

Nice car! I saw it for sale when I was shopping for my second RL. I had a 2005 for 8 years. I just bought a 2011 Tech in forged silver.

Arielkb2

Have you guys had any issues with the transmission I have a 09 gold RL and it's been giving me problems with the torque converter and it's shifting rough especially down shifting

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

I read of a lot of torque converter issues in the '05-'08 RLs, I think they switched to a 6 speed in '11?

CadiGTi

Never any transmission issues on either my 2006 or 2012 RL

The 6 speed was new for 2011 model year replacing the 5 speed

truonghthe

congrats on the purchase, as with any luxury sedan, cost of repair will be higher than your 02 TL as mileage increase but at your mileage I would not be worried. I spoke with the previous owner of my RL and he said between regular wear and tear he never got a "surprise" with the RL. Torque converter issues can happen with any year if you too lazy to change the ATF. Acura recommendation first ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) change at 60k miles and 30k miles after that. I came from TL side and it telling me ATF should be chage every 10-15k miles and as far as rough down shift or up shift you can change the pressure switches and the problem will be gone.

LegendaryAcura11

Thank you all for the responses!

So, I picked up the car yesterday and it's practically brand new. Well taken care of and has an immaculate interior. There's only one (relatively) minor issue that I can't seem to find an answer to anywhere on these forums:

it seems the right-hand side view mirror was popped out of it's track somehow. By the mirror, I mean the housing/casing (not the glass piece itself) It stays in place once set, but after using the power folding function it never sets back to where it's supposed to, effectively making the mirror useless until physically set back in place.
Im going to bring it to my local dealer for a diagnosis, have any of you heard of this before?

schen72

If you bought from a dealer, is there a warranty? If so, I would want a brand new mirror housing.

LegendaryAcura11

I can confirm this. My '11 has a 6 speed and, coincidentally, I'm having rough shifting issues too. Rough up and downshifts, but the worst is shifting from park to reverse or drive, and from reverse to drive or vice-versa. Could this be my tranny mounts? Or something else? It's pretty bad, rivaling the hard shifts in my '02 TL. (Also, before anyone asks, I accelerate very slowly and never really get on my car at all)

3.2cls6speedmt

when was the last time the transmission fluids were changed?

LegendaryAcura11

I was told it was changed 2 weeks ago by the dealer. Checked it the day I bought it, cherry red.

truonghthe

so you just ignore what I said above?

LegendaryAcura11

Oops! I missed the bit about the pressure switches, sorry about that. I've been typing these posts from the office, I apologize if I miss anything.

I will give this a try next week on my vacation and see if I feel difference, thanks.

truonghthe

Before you replace the switches, you should do 2 more drain and fill ATF since the whole AT along with torque converter holding about 9 quarts or more. Each drain and fill only take about 3 quarts therefore it takes 3 drain and fill to replace all the fluid, torque converter issue is another experience than yours. The car will shutter around 2500-3000 RPM (like being hitting the rev limiter) they only happen when you on light throttle or cruising and this happen quite often with the 6spd AT which found on MDX, TL that has the 6spd AT. You can youtube MDX, TL torque converter issue and see it for yourself.

LegendaryAcura11

Got it. I'll drain and fill before changing the switches, thanks. My '02 TL did that actually, it was a pain (in regards to the torque converter). Hopefully that won't pop up on my RL, I'll be on the lookout for it. So far the car rides like butter, barring the rough shifting from park and such.

grappler171

So you JUST bought this RL with 67,000 miles at an Acura dealer? Your having shifting issues and have a malfunctioning mirror. Was this bought AS-IS? I would have been back their the next week even though I should have checked all that before I bought it. Did it shift hard or was mirror acting dumb when you test drive the car? Yes I'm sure it wasn't CPO, but still. Most TCs seem to crap out as soon as 70,000 if fluid is never touched. I would atleast ask the dealer to honor some sort of customer experience or something and fix the mirror for free and even think about the pressure switches too. If not call acura directly and maybe they will take care of you. Trans issues less than a week after buying any car and I'm on the phone with the dealer. Congratulations on your RL Advance. They are quite rare and I wish I had found an Advance if only for the power folding mirrors.

knv8

take it to the dealer , there are some service bulletins out. I forget the specifics but something converter reprogramming was the latest, it made my steering wheel vibration go away.

TonyCD

My advice is to smile and congratulate yourself on making a helluva score. Your car is equipped exactly as every knowledgeable RL enthusiast would spec their car, and they're rare as hen's teeth. What's more, yours has low mileage and, other than those minor shifting problems, looks to be in terrific condition. You just paid used-car prices for a 200,000 mile luxury car. Way to go!

LegendaryAcura11

Not bought as-is, and the dealer was very accommodating with the exception of the mirror. I didn't feel the shifting issues during my two test drives, but I fought with them on the mirror. There was a lot of back and forth about replacing it, and Acura was quoting me close to $900 for the new mirror (due to all electronic components and the power-folding option). The dealer was saying the mirror is fine and functioning properly, trust me I argued to hell and back. In the end, they wouldn't budge, and quite frankly I realized it's something I could live with. The car was absolutely perfect otherwise, I couldn't find anything wrong with it even though I tried (pretty hard) to. Also, I might add that this was not an Acura dealership. It was at a new/used Porsche dealership.

The tranny issues are minor, annoying yes, but minor nonetheless. I replaced the fluid last week (along with rear differential, engine oil, and power steering just in case) and it seems to be a bit better. I may hold off on replacing the pressure switches.


Thank you all for the congratulations! I'm quite happy with it, and I was aware of how hard to find these can be. I was doing everything I could to contain my excitement on the lot! Hoping this will last me for quite a while now.

TERRY A KHAN

Congratulations and I am really glad for you. I think you will enjoy every minute in your RL.
Mine is 2011 Advance now at 65000 miles.

Here is the list of things that went wrong:
Rear parking sensors failed.
Stroke sensor failed.
SAS sensor failed, which created random malfunction icon rotating display.
Front rotors wrapped.
Transmission judder between speeds of 25-40 mph during up/down hill and turning.
Interior noises and squeaks.

Some things I tried to improve for my happiness:
Replaced the stocked Michelins tires in both 05 and 2011 RL. Pilot Sport A/S 3+ my current.
The Pilot Sport A/S3+ is a very strong tire and supports the weight of the car. Very sweet to drive with low noise level.
I found the stock brakes too hard for my foot. Replaced pads with Advics as were in the 05. Makes a softer feel.