Review (reliability)- Used 2014 Acura RDX after three years of ownership- purchased fall 2018

GON

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In 2018 my Wife told me she wanted a white SUV with a light colored interior.... imagine that.

I travel out of state for work regularly, and my Wife does not even know how to put gas in a vehicle. So dependability is the number one criteria.

Decided on a Acura RDX with a normally asperated V6 engine. Began a nationwide search, preferred one owner, only from the South or West, white, and dealer maintained. Found a few, most were priced above what I want to pay. I had time, so would wait out for the right car.

In the fall of 2018, located a 2014 RDX in Sacramento. One owner, dealer maintained, AWD, tech package, 89k miles, being sold used at the same dealer it was sold new at. Called right away, and committed to buy. Overnighted a check. Dealer cashed the check, but would not follow up on pickup date, etc. Seemed I saw this RDX the minute they posted it on-line, and the dealer had a lot of people willing to pay more than I did. I wrote a NICE letter to the President of the Dealer Group, and she got the sales manager to finalize the transaction. Paid $16,500. They did get me for usual dealer doc fees on top of the price paid... chose not to fight it as it seemed like a real good car priced right.

So after three years put on about 10k miles. Three oil changes, and a set of wiper blades. That is it. For a used car purchased with 89k miles. I drive S-classes and Super duties. They are great vehicles, but a lot of work always seems to be needed. Not so for this RDX- nothing ever breaks-ever.

Car has zero personality.... but everything works and does it flawlessly. I sleep good out of state knowing my Wife has this car in the garage. Could not recommend it enough for a driver that needs dependability and zero repair hassles.
rdx.jpg
 
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My wife drives a 2016 RDX bought new that now has about the same miles as yours when you bought it. The only thing that ever broke was the latch for the center console because she tried to slam it shut when something was blocking the lid. That's it. I did replace the front brakes at 80,000 and put new tires on it. I do a drain and fill of ATF every other oil change. Dead nuts reliable.
 
Sounds like a good deal on a very nice vehicle....but 0 repairs in 10k miles doesn't impress me.......
Purchased used with 89k miles, center of gravity is three years of ownership, not 10k miles. I suspect if she put on 40k miles in the same time period, a few more oil changes would be all that would be changed in my original post.
 
Purchased used with 89k miles, center of gravity is three years of ownership, not 10k miles. I suspect if she put on 40k miles in the same time period, a few more oil changes would be all that would be changed in my original post.
Gon, you must be approaching timing belt replacement mileage. Are you going to do it yourself or take it to a shop?
 
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Gon, you must bed approaching timing belt replacement mileage. Are you going to do it yourself or take it to a shop?
JHS,

If I remember correctly (may be very wrong), this model didn't require the timing belt change. Something I better review real quick. Thanks for bringing this up. If it needs it, I will go to the Acura dealer, suspecting they have a tech that can do it in his sleep.
 
GON congrats on your purchase and the satisfaction that it has brought you and your wife. Kudos also to you for being tenacious in the search for what you wanted in a used car. IMHO, I think that is the key, "knowing what you want in a vehicle" . That is the category I am certainly in, and I don't expect everyone in the market or heck even among us enthusiasts here on BITOG to act the same way.

The last 2 used vehicles that I have bought were both from out of state. I knew what I wanted, and kept searching until I found the vehicle and deal that I wanted. Impatience gets the better of many prospective auto purchaser, and resulting post sale experience can then be daunting no matter how good or bad.
 
JHS,

If I remember correctly (may be very wrong), this model didn't require the timing belt change. Something I better review real quick. Thanks for bringing this up. If it needs it, I will go to the Acura dealer, suspecting they have a tech that can do it in his sleep.
All Honda 3.5 V6's have timing belts IIRC. I can't imagine Honda would not require it to be changed at around 100,000 miles. Our nearest Acura dealer is about 60 miles away (where I purchased it) so I may use the local Honda dealer to replace the belt in my wife's RDX. I'll get the valves adjusted , new spark plugs and serpentine belt done at the same time and hopefully will be good for another 100,000 miles of trouble free driving.
 
One of my brothers has an Acura SUV. He is a pharmacy manager at Walmart and won’t drive it to work. He bought my old GTI for his work car.
 
All Honda 3.5 V6's have timing belts IIRC. I can't imagine Honda would not require it to be changed at around 100,000 miles. Our nearest Acura dealer is about 60 miles away (where I purchased it) so I may use the local Honda dealer to replace the belt in my wife's RDX. I'll get the valves adjusted , new spark plugs and serpentine belt done at the same time and hopefully will be good for another 100,000 miles of trouble free driving.
do water pump and tensioner while you're in there. it will be just the cost of the parts.
 
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How about 80,000 plus miles with zero repairs. See my post about my wife's 2016 RDX.
I had failed the brake booster on Sienna. When I was trying to figure out why the brake pedal is soft and then hard, I asked a colleague whether he had similar symptoms on his Sienna. He said: "Oh yeah, I had the same issue." I was thinking, great he will tell me what is it, so I asked what was the issue, and he said: "nah, it did not bother me at all, so I kept driving like that until I sold it. Great car."
SO, if you don't repair what should be repaired, I guess you could never have an issue with a car.
 
It is definitely due for its timing belt, water pump and hydraulic TB tensioner replacement. 7/105k. The hydraulic tensioner is probably leaking already.

These cars are very reliable. The only major issues are noisy rear shocks (on the early ones), VCM oil pressure switches and torque converter shudder.
 
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It is definitely due for its timing belt, water pump and hydraulic TB tensioner replacement. 7/105k. The hydraulic tensioner is probably leaking already.

These cars are very reliable. The only major issues are noisy rear shocks (on the early ones), VCM oil pressure switches and torque converter shudder.
Do you happen to know the "fix" for the torque converter shutter, or if there are any steps to prevent it?
 
we had a 2010 accord that would jump in and out of overdrive, depending on speed. had the fluid changed and that fixed it.
 
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