Hi All,

Test drove a formerly leased 2010 ZDX today which I was almost certain would be my car by this evening. However, I thought it was the tech package and it turns out it was just the base. I was going through listings thinking only the tech and advanced had the rear facing camera. Woops. Either way I took it for a test drive and loved it in general. I'm going to hold out for a tech package. A few questions though:

1) There was a subtle but noticeable hiss coming from the front dash as we drove. I turned off the air and it didn't go away. I turned off the stereo and it didn't go away. It seemed to get louder the faster making me believe it was air. Does this seem at all normal?

2) When I put the car into reverse, the passenger side mirror tilted downward with a bit of a shudder. I asked what that was about and the guy figured that was a feature so you could see your vehicle better. Is this true? This was a mitsubishi dealership and the guy clearly in general didn't know jack about the car. It stayed down after I shut off the car I might add.

3) Do Acura "Certified Used" certifications follow the vehicle? Looking at the carfax, the vehicle was traded (or something) to the Mitsubishi dealership from an Acura dealership a few months ago. I asked the guy if certs follow and he said he didn't know. I asked if the vehicle was certified used by Acura before they got it and he said didn't know. My girlfriend next to me noticed that in his inventory binder there were a bunch of certs from manufacturers for other vehicles such as BMWs on the lot. She says he saw her looking at this and he folded his arms over the book and started saying "Well Lexus and other brand certs follow the vehicles between dealerships, not sure about Acuras."

Anyone know the answer to this and does this seem a bit shadey?

 

1 -dont know
2- Most Acuras have this, it is so you can see the curb or where you are backing. switch the mirror selector L or R to choose which mirror goes down. You can turn it off too. That's how my most recent Acuras have worked.
It should have gone back to normal position tho. Shoudn't shudder either, maybe needs some grease or just some use?
3- get the vin # and call Acura. only way to know. I think CPO does follow the vehicle if it is certified. Adds 1 year to warranty and powertrain warr goes to 70k miles, I think. Get the IN-SERVICE date from Acura. that's when the warranty started.

ps -dont trust anything the dealer says.

pps - I don't own a Z but I'm a little obsessed with them right now~!

 

I think I was a little harsh on the dealer, at least he said he didn't know, instead of lying or saying what he thought would get the car sold.
good luck on your Zearch. exc choice.

 

1) That depends on if it sounded like it was outside the vehicle or inside. I do know that sometimes aftermarket wipers can do that.

2) That should happen as long as the switch is set on one of the side mirrors. Like he said above, it should not shutter. It sounds like the actuator is starting to go bad.

3) The Certification will not transfer unless you purchase it from the Acura Dealership. If you purchase in a private sale, you can pay a fee to have it transfer. From my understanding, the ZDX will not be certified if you purchase it from anyplace other than an Acura dealership.

Also the Acura dealership has to actually certify it.