Acura RLX Timing belt change questions
 

I have a 2014 RLX and now have 104,000 miles on it. It doesn’t see a lot of bumper to bumper driving at all. I have had a lot of long trips in it. I have a couple of questions.

#1 Do you recommend that I get all the parts and everything done at a honda./Acura dealer or can I buy the parts off eBay (one parts new only) and have honda put it in? The backlash is that if the part breaks they won’t warrrenty it. I have had problems in the past with dealers living about problems in the car. Take 2006 Lexus GS300 engine carbon build up issue. One dealer wanted me to pay $5000 the other did it for free. I had an issue with Mitsubishi before and I took the car there, then blew up the engine in a few days coming home blaming me and not their bad work. I am afraid that if something goes wrong and it is their fault they will refuse to fix so why not save a few hundred in cost of parts?

#2 can this wait another 5K miles until I do another oil change? Everything seems to be doing fine.

The problem is funds right now. My house got destroyed in April 13th last year, next door neighbors tree landed on the house, we didn’t have insurance they did and the house was a total loss. I am trying to keep what money I have for as long as I can but I can fix it now if need be.

Thanks for any help.

Dealer........period. If you have to wait, it likely isn't "mission critical" if you are not dong the repair for a little while. That doesn't mean I would do it 20,000 miles from now.

I was going to do it in 2-3 months or 5000 miles from now. i am not going way over for sure.

Boy it is irritating when you read over your own post and find a silly typo. Embarrassing.

How did that repair turn out RLX-SH? I assume a reduction.

Are you referring to my noisy wipers or are you referring to the topic in this thread started by another member?

Referring to the dong repair

Got it. My apologies.

How long do you plan to keep the car?
Is the few hundred save in labor worth it in the long run?
Most engineering is based on a safety factor of two, so double the recommend service interval.
I would like to see some examples of belts with 100,000 miles on them.
Honda just released a timing belt recall on 2019 3.5l engines as they got a bad batch, unrelated, but it call for an inspection instead of a replacement.

I've never heard of a timing belt failing at the maintenance interval
Supposedly even a 400k mile TL that had an original belt, several confirmed 200k and one 300k
Honda buffers this one well enough and the mileage recommendation is just that..

They also use a number of years as a marker as well.. 7 yrs / 105k miles.. whichever is first.
Think about a 7 year old RLX with 105k miles.. it was likely city driving and saw 4x the wear you put on your RLX.
So don't have severe anxiety over it. But keep in mind that even with all highway, you need to consider temps.
Extreme seasonal weather conditions where you live may accelerate wear

Dealer often times only changes the interval part, which is the timing belt and the water pump
The adjuster, idler pulley, and the auto tensioner are all likely to fail before the belt, but aren't standard to replace
The book says replace as needed. So an assertion that the dealer is the only trustworthy service is asinine.

We even had a member do a timing belt service with a dealer.
Timing belt job was fubbed, valve contact, totaled engine, dealer denied liability.
Although rare, thinking the job is so difficult that the dealer is the only trustworthy way to go is also asinine.
They'll warranty the part, not necessarily the job, and even if they do, may not honor it.

Timing belt service on J series is easy and shouldn't cost an arm and a leg.
You can get the Aisin kit, which is OE, for ~$180 on Amazon > Gates has a kit, but I would only trust the Aisin water pump.

If you don't have the tools, you can at least check out a DIY so you can see what is involved and work with an indy tech
It shouldn't take an experienced tech more than 4 hrs to do the job. Make sure they specialize in Hondas.
Fair labor ~$75-100 / hr. So $400 or less in labor is your mark.

You can throw in plugs and tstat for another $75 or so and an extra hour of labor max (~30 mins).

:blink:

Dong Repair, send me a PM

FYI

On the timing belt covers there are 3 plugs that you can remove and check the condition of the T belt. The holes are small but better than nothing.

$1,600,
 

Having something repaired at the dealership today and they recommended that I do a timing belt change now for $1,600. Mine is a 2014 w/ ~75k miles.

Seems like this is something important to do but wow at that price.

You don't have the mileage; but, over on time of whatever comes first (7 years or 105,000 miles). I would do the timing belt service if you are planning to keep the RLX for a few more years.

It was $1520 when I did my timing belt for my 11 MDX Adv at the dealership back in 2018:
- timing belt kit
- serpentine belt kit
- water pump + coolant
- valve adjustment + valve cover gaskets
- oil change + filter
(skipped the spark plugs because I had them changed out at 75,000 miles)

Another Year
 

My hope is to only have the RLX another year (the goal was to replace it in 2020 until the pandemic caused all sorts of problems). Right now I am waiting to see what the new ZDX EV is like and if that does not work out, perhaps the MB EQE or plug-in hybrid GLE. I do need new tires soon which is another $1,200 and I am really hoping that will be all I have to invest in the RLX before I get something else.

Thanks!

I'm going to be at the +7 year mark with my timing belt on my 18 RLX starting in late 2024. I'm currently at 28,000 miles and I only put around 5000 miles per year. Interested in the ZDX BEV also; but, probably wait until 3rd-4th model year to let the bugs get worked out first. I would also be interested if Acura came out with a Hybrid or Sport Hybrid 4th Gen RDX similar to the Lexus RX offerings. I haven't heard if Acura "might" change its mind and jump back into the hybrid game; but, every other luxury brand has one except Acura. I really miss the tall sitting position and utility of my old 08 RDX compared to my RLX.