Honda RECALL of 43,000 Acura RL's

[jbartley]

i didn't know they'd even sold that many...

[stevecmh]

Originally Posted by K-1

Drat... I thought they were being recalled to have a V8 installed finally...

hahha... no Honda has not invented that yet

[Minnesota Nice]

Originally Posted by stevecmh

hahha... no Honda has not invented that yet

Fear for when they do though, because chances are it is going to be outstanding.

I know a lot of you hate Honda, but they make some damn good engines. I don't have much (read: any) torque, but I have about 200 horsepower on a relatively light compact car and I've actually seen gas mileage as high as 37 miles a gallon on the freeway (when I'm not high revving). The engine is smooth, responsive, and immediate. Of all the cars I've owned, the Civic's engine is the best, and I've driven the old Accord, and I liked the 4 cylinder model. Didn't drive the V6.

I know when to give credit where it is due, and while GM still, in my opinion, is THE source for V8's in America, they should definitely be worried if Honda releases a V8, because chances are it'll be no-holds barred.

[Proboscis]

I beg to differ Minnesota Nice, Honda's one cylinder engine hands down. little ohv is a neat little piece of engineering. Honda's best!

[Hurricane]

Originally Posted by CrunkedRL

What's even more unacceptable is a car w/ an MSRP starting at over 46k w/ no V8 and a 3.5L 290hp V6 that is only a slightly modified version of the engine powering the Accord. I have a friend who swears by Acura, he and his wife last year bought an MDX. He gets mad when I tell him that Acura to most enthusiasts is considered only a pseudo luxury car and will probably remain that way until Honda starts stepping up to the plate and creating more distance between Honda and Acura. I mean yota is begining to do it w/ Lexus why not Honda.

I could have overlooked the lack of a V-8 (although I agree that it is a weakness of the RL - they need a V-8!) but what really drove me away from the RL was the size. It is only marginally larger (interior) than the previous generation TL - for a LOT more money.

Although, for the money, you get an awful lot of goodies/standard features (remember, the RL has been out for several years now) in the RL. After hearing about the quality/reliability issues of the RL that C&D had, though, I am very glad to have avoided it like the plague.

Your differentiation point is excellent. The MDX (which is still a terrific SUV, just wish it looked better - the previous gen was fantastic, plus I think had more interior room) has the Pilot to contend with. Now Acura is further watered down with a CR-V equvilant (RDX). The flagship NSX is no more...

The RSX (which is going away) probably doesn't help the prestige factor much, either.

I will say this, though - their service is excellent. In six years I have only had one minor issue with service (more an annoyance - fixed within 5 min). Dealership called me (as they do everytime) with a survey about how was my service, I mentioned the minor issue, they apologized....then I got a phone call from corporate about the issue (which was really minor) and an apology....and then a third call from corporate with yet another apology.

For reliability, the TL Type S that I have has been pretty good. Transmission recall that affected many, many Hondas - was fairly painless, free loaner etc. 7 yr 100,000 warranty added. No other warranty issues or other repairs.

My biggest pet peeve, and it may be specific to that gen TL, is that I have had to replace 3 bent rims due to potholes. Now I know that it has low profile tires, but I have yet to replace a rim on any of the Corvettes or any other cars I have owned. I think the rims on that gen TL seem to be a bit on the fragile side.

My second pet peeve is the service schedule which requires, according to the owners manual, far more frequent visits (and usually not cheap visits) than GM products. This is one example of where GM really excels. The required maintenance schedule for my GM vehicles has necessitated far less frequent and costly visits.

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by Hurricane

What primarily scared me off of the RL a while back was Car & Driver's long term test of the RL - it had more problems than any other car in recent memory that wasn't a VW. Absolutely unacceptable, especially in a car at that price.

And they still recommended it in the article!

[Hurricane]

Originally Posted by Saturn69

And they still recommended it in the article!

As a long time (22+ years) subscriber of C&D, I found that disappointing, too!

Shouldn't surprise me too much though...they fawn all over BMWs and Porsches that self-destruct during their long term tests, too!

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by Hurricane

As a long time (22+ years) subscriber of C&D, I found that disappointing, too!

Shouldn't surprise me too much though...they fawn all over BMWs and Porsches that self-destruct during their long term tests, too!

Yes, but they don't recommend the GM X that never broke down, did what it was asked to do and behaved in an average way....all because a piece of trim wasn't aligned well. Stupid pretentious C&D reviewers. Who are they trying to impress?

[CobaltSScrazy]

Originally Posted by Saturn69

Yes, but they don't recommend the GM X that never broke down, did what it was asked to do and behaved in an average way....all because a piece of trim wasn't aligned well. Stupid pretentious C&D reviewers. Who are they trying to impress?

their readers with group think!

This is why I ONLY read Road and Track on a consistant basis, I look at MT/CD/CR only at face value, I put more equity in RT, I have the past 4 years I've read their compros.

CobaltSScrazy

[crooner214]

Looks like a good time to trade in your RL for a new CTS.

[GM lover]

I am not surprised by the recent string of recalls. I love telling my college friends who swear by Japanese cars that they are having more recalls than any other American car company.

[Minnesota Nice]

I wouldn't be so quick to generalize that much of a statement.

If I recall correctly, Chrysler had the most recalls of any car company by a large margin last year. And the VW Bug was the most recalled car last year.

[Johnny P]

Originally Posted by Minnesota Nice

I wouldn't be so quick to generalize that much of a statement.

If I recall correctly, Chrysler had the most recalls of any car company by a large margin last year. And the VW Bug was the most recalled car last year.

Chrysler also leads in items that should be recalled. The quality is just terrible for what we see at the dealer. Heater cores, evaporators, heater cases, rear axles, transmissions and tie rods are all VERY common while still under warranty. Not to mention all the wiring and module communication problems.

[Htay7500]

I think the TSX is the real accord imo.