Oge_Vader

For fifteen years, I've been happily driving various BMW 3-series coupes. But when I had a baby daughter, I knew it was time to go with 4 doors and something that, at 6'5", didn't make me bend down too far to put her in the car seat. I checked out the X6, but I felt like the interior was dated, it was too truck-like, and I didn't think the price tag was justified. Especially when I drove the ZDX!! Plus, I love the look - just like the title says, it loks like the Batmobile. Even more when I'm done with it (with inspiration from mugen_kid). Here it is, just as I got it from the dealer (it's a 2010 Advance):

HAWAII-TSX

nice congratulations. I am sure you will love it.

Check the rims regularly for peeling black areas. I had all 4 of mine replaced for that reason.

Enjoy!!!!

Deltaflaze

Congrats - the car looks amazing.

terdonal

Congrats, the black suits the ZDX imo.

mugen_kid

I could not agree with you more terdonal.

Welcome and congrats, I do agree that the ZDX does have some kind of resemblance to the Batmobile Thanks for sharing you ZDX, I always enjoy new pictures of these things.

Oge_Vader

I agree with both of you, mugen and terdonal. Then again, I'm not sure what would ever convince me to get ANY car any other color than black. I guess if you were getting Ferrari, you'd have to consider red...

Thanks for the compliments, all. I'm really enjoying it, so far!

Yumcha

Congrats.

jhr3uva90

I think the ZDX looks best in black. Back when I lived in the DC area, all my cars would be black, since they were almost always parked in some kind of parking garage. Now that I'm in the Bay area, though, I might have to consider silver :-(

1alembic

It looks Great! Enjoy it!! I hink you'll love it. I also have young kids and the ZDX has been perfect.

Oge_Vader

Mod Day 1 - debadged dealer logo and SH-AWD badges, blacked out Acura, ZDX and logo badges, blacked out rear reflectors, put my tag on from my mean old BMW 335 coupe.

HAWAII-TSX

nice I like what you did with the emblems. Maybe do mine too.

Oge_Vader

Thanks! My first experience with plastidip. That stuff is incredible! So easy to work with - just check out a couple Youtube videos...

mugen_kid

Awesome mods Vader! The two emblems on the tailgate looks really good. Plasti Dip is a really nice product for mods like this. Glad to see you modding the car so soon

saba007

Simple and Clean. I definitely like the blacked out deflectors especially that mine is CBP as well. I may have my bro-in-law do mine. He's the body/detail guy. Nice work Oge! Thanks for sharing.

HAWAII-TSX

hey Vadr don't forget to do this mod to make your under dash lights brighter.

https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-2009-2014-123/make-under-dash-lights-brighter-783070/

jchau2012

this is one sick ride... i wish i have the dole

VeNeNo

iTrader: (1)

hey Vadr did you take off the emblems to plasti dip them or no?

Oge_Vader

No - if you've never worked with Plastidip, you can't believe how easy it is. As long as put enough thin coats and there's a natural break, the stuff just peels right off of where you don't want it - even in the thin little space at the top of the 'A'. Check out the instructional videos at www.dipyourcar.com.

I blacked out my window trim this week - I'll post pics soon.

saba007

Any idea how plastidip holds up in NE Winters - salt, snow, etc...?

23109VC

why is your license plate VADR? do you know the power of the dark side??

nice ZDX... they are for sure growing on me... i just saw one this AM on my way to work... i hardly ever see them on the road...

Oge_Vader

I don't, but I've been pleasantly surprised how wel it holds up to multiple washings. The good news is, if it starts to wear, you can just peel it off and or re-apply. Ive found the key is a very light first coat and then plenty of subsequent coats to make it nice and thick, which makes it both more durable and easier to remove.

OneOfOne

dumb question I am sure but how do you black out the lower rear reflectors?

Oge_Vader

There are 4 nuts behind each silver tail pipe trim. If you take them off, you can loosen the trim enough to pop out the reflectors. I painted them with Plasti-dip - I definitely recommend a flat color, not gloss. Easy job - just make sure you have a socket wrench - a couple of the nuts were very tight.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!

Oge_Vader

Updates since I last posted pics: plasti-dipped the chrome window trim and, more significantly, bought mugen_kid's wheels!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Wow...well done buying my absolute favorite Vossen wheels and making an already futuristic looking car blast off off the face of the planet! Gorgeous!

J>

Sandro

Congrats Oge_Vader! The wheels are one of the nicest I saw on the ZDX so far

mugen_kid

Looks freakin awesome Oge! Glad we were able to work out a deal. You now have the best looking ZDX, seeing these pics makes me miss my ZDX!

Oge_Vader

Thanks fellas! Trying to figure out what to do next - definitely some lighting adjustments like Sandro. Maybe plastidip the grill and see how I like the blacked out look...

Sandro

Matte black grille looks not so nice. Gloss black on a black ZDX looks very nice. I heard there is gloss black plasti-dip now

Oge_Vader

I don't know, Sandro - I always liked the matte grille I put on my 335 - I know that's much smaller. I also ike some of the matte grills I've seen on big Audi front grills...

Sandro

The difference is that Acura grille is solid massive as hell, so it looks like a black hole when matte black
This is how it looks like on a white ZDX

Ugly
But it may look much better on a black ZDX

ZhenyaF

iTrader: (6)

Thats too much black

I think this way looks better...

1alembic

All nice cars!!

Sandro

Oge_Vader what pressure do you set for the new wheels?

Oge_Vader

Oh hey Sandro - sorry - just logging on for the first time in a while. I have them at 45 PSI. Ride is a bit rougher than the stocks, but not as rough as my M3

Sandro

wow 45 psi is serious pressure))
I ponder what pressure to set for my comming 21' wheels
never could think that going above 41psi cold is OK (considering that recommended tire pressure for cars is usually 35-40psi)

mugen_kid

I recommended him to run between 40-45 on the 22 inch setup. It seems high but with a package this size and not much side wall the less chance you have bending wheels. I see this a lot at the shop, people come in with bent wheels and it most likely could of been prevented if the tire pressure was checked. Im talking slight bends nothing major now, but enough to notice a difference when driven or balancing out. Plus the higher you keep your pressure, the better tire wear. You just have to find that happy medium for comfort and performance which has to do a lot with you tire brand too!

Sandro

I'm not a tire guru but I always thought that excessive pressure also increases the risk of bending the rim when bumping over holes, and increases the wear of the center of the tire (while too little pressure increases the wear of outer parts of tire)

I guess I'll go 39-40psi on my 21's

Type34

new wheels = huuuuuuuge improvement

Not a fan of those 2010 Advance wheels - that design was originally on the 2007+ RDX 19" upgrade and doesn't belong on the ZDX

Love the license plate - we've called out MDX "Vadar" for years as it's front end has always reminded us of Vadar's helmet...

SubrinaIsMyCar

wow that thing is a thing of beauty