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Acura RL reliability

19 messages,  Last post on Apr 11, 2011 at 1:08 AM

You are in the Acura RL Forum.

What is this discussion about? Acura RL, Sedan

Messages Page 2 of 2

#10 of 19 Re: reliability improved in 2006+ [tangofoxtrot] by johnhayd

Apr 13, 2007 (2:37 pm)

Replying to: tangofoxtrot (Apr 09, 2007 1:56 pm)
I'm happy with the PAX tires so far. I didn't do a head to head comparison by driving a RL w/o pax. Others on www.acurazine.com have said that with pax tires the car rides/handles better and the tires are quieter. The main downside of the pax tires is that you can't put any other tires on the special pax wheel: you have to get new wheels and a spare wheel. Also, the pax tires are reportedly expensive to replace. I'm very happy with the CMBS/ACC but could take or leave the PAX.

#11 of 19 Acura below Jag for JDPower reliability by jaybee85

Aug 16, 2007 (8:26 am)

New York Times 8/10/07 reported J. D. Power dependability study, based on experience with 2004 models. Acura came in #12, just behind Jaguar and Oldsmobile; next down the list were Mercedes and Infiniti. Best were Buick (!) and Lexus, Cadillac, Mercury and Honda.
 
For perspective, Lexus had 145 problems per 100 cars over three years, while Acura had 207 per 100; industry average was 216 per 100. Maybe not so earthshaking a difference.
 
But,this is more evidence that Acura quality control is slipping.

#12 of 19 Econ mode? by mike734

Sep 08, 2007 (1:08 pm)

I have a 98 RL. The A/C system can run full auto or manual over ride. In manual mode there are 3 modes: Off, Econ and On. I understand off and on. Does anyone KNOW what econ does? Acura technicians don't know. I can't find a reference in the owners manual or service manual.

#13 of 19 Navigation update. by mike734

Sep 08, 2007 (1:47 pm)

I am a little PO'd that Acura has not supported the navigation system on my 98 RL since 2003. The data is WAY out of date. Their answer is, "Buy a new car." Someone, (I bought used) paid about $40K for the car and surely expected the nav data to be undated more than 5 years.
 
Does anyone know if a newer update is possible?

#14 of 19 Re: Econ mode? [mike734] by johnhayd

Sep 09, 2007 (12:28 pm)

Replying to: mike734 (Sep 08, 2007 1:08 pm)
an educated guess based on what I've seen in Toyotas: It uses the a/c compressor less to save gas.

#15 of 19 Re: Econ mode? [johnhayd] by mike734

Sep 09, 2007 (5:51 pm)

Replying to: johnhayd (Sep 09, 2007 12:28 pm)
Thanks for answering but I thought of that and it doesn't make sense. If you can still choose a cabin temperature then the compressor still has to do enough work to cool the cabin to the desired temp. right?
 
The only thing that makes sense to me is this scenario. You are requesting a 67 degree cabin. It is 55 degrees outside. If you use econ the computer might be smart enough to turn off the compressor somewhat and use outside air for the job. What else could it be?

#16 of 19 99 Acura RL by aguntook

Nov 11, 2007 (10:46 am)

Planning to buy an used 99 RL with 113K miles. The exterior and interior is in excellent condition considering its age. However, the gentleman says there is a problem with the passenger side wheel bearing which he is going to take care of. Though at this point he is not sure of the exact reason. While test driving I hear some sound coming out of the wheel. It makes that noise only while making sharp left turns. It sounded like wobbling. Any idea folks? How bad it could be? Any known issues? Help is much appreciated.

#17 of 19 Re: Econ mode? [mike734] by kenb757

Jul 14, 2008 (2:10 pm)

Replying to: mike734 (Sep 08, 2007 1:08 pm)
The A/C in my low-tech '76 Cadillac had an "ECON" (omy) setting. It was just for the vent and fan. If the cabin temp. was above the outside temp., the fan go to "high" in a vain attempt to lower the cabin temp. If the cabin temp. was lower than outside it would heat the cabin. Probably works the same way in the new Acuras.

#18 of 19 RL Car cover by mumble88

Oct 17, 2008 (11:11 am)

I got a cover for my 07 RL from carscover.com. First I really thought that i made a mistake by getting a car cover cuz it's so inconvinient. But now that I think of it, the price that I got for was sooo cheap that I was already happy with the price. And the quality of it was better then what i paid for so i was much more happier.

#19 of 19 Acura RL Front Wheel Lock Up by joesax

Apr 11, 2011 (1:08 am)

My 1999 Acura RL (3.5L) recently had a used engine swap and upon reassembly the car developed a gear grinding noise that sort of came and went. It definitely changed with the rotational speed of the car and not the engine RPM. In fact, it even happened when the car was put in neutral when rolling. My 1st exception is I believe that it is unrelated to the engine. Yesterday after only about 75 miles after the repair and this sound coming and going, the car violently came to a stop when it sounded and felt like a set of gears broke apart. The car was still running after that scary stop which confirmed that it wasn’t the engine. It actually was still drivable after that as I nursed it home. The transmission still seemed to shift through all its gears smoothly. So the tranny seems ok.
 
The mechanic is attempting to claim innocence as his job was to just swap the engines which he did by dropping the engine and transmission out of the bottom of the car. The only thing that seemed strange to me was that he used the original old splined right side axil instead of using the axil that came with the new used engine. My thinking is that why wouldn’t he use the splined axil shaft that was already “worn in” with the replacement engine drive differential it came with? I’m wondering if the noise I was hearing was the meshing of the two dissimilar gears from two different engines and most likely from two different year cars.
 
My concern now is what froze up that caused the car to lock up the front wheels and what needs to be done to rectify the situation. The gearing I am talking about is located in the oil pan of the engine. Is that engine oil or are those gears in a separate compartment that is fed transmission oil? How about any metal filings that may have been created as a result of improper gear mesh? Ouch! I could be way off on my diagnosis what else could it be? Your advice or a post on the Acura forum is welcome. Love this car!
 
Regards,
 
JoeSax

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