Mark Greene
Honda started the Acura car line as their car line focused on luxury and high performance. These cars have largely delivered in this regard and are also quite renowned for their reliability and high safety rating. Also, if you’re looking to purchase an affordable supercar or luxury car, the Acura is a very good line.
Their good reliability and safety features make them a great car for low insurance premiums and good loan deals. However, despite their good qualities, they have had their fair share of complaints and recalls over the years. This article will highlight common problems associated with Acura cars and the best tips for purchasing used Acura cars. This article is a must-read if you want to buy a used Acura car.
Factors to Look Out For When Picking An Acura Car
When planning to buy an Acura car, here are some things to do before making that final pick:
1. Go for High-End Choices
Despite the good resale value, most Acura cars have, they also experience depreciation. However, one way to reduce the price depreciation of your vehicle is to go for models with high-end features. These models will sell for higher if you plan to resell and do not depreciate as much.
2. Go for a Test Drive
Car dealerships offer test drives for cars on sale. You should never pass up the chance to take the car for a spin before buying it. You could test out the various features you’ve heard about on the car and see if the problems mentioned online are also present there. This could help to determine the best choice for you.
3. Get a Mechanic to Inspect the Car
With the various faults common to Acura models, getting a mechanic to check out your preferred choice could save you a lot of trouble. In addition, the mechanic would be able to give a more experienced verdict on the state of the car and could even draw up an estimate on what you’ll need to spend to bring it to your preferred taste.
4. Certified Pre-Owned Cars are The Best
Buying certified Acura models gives you way better perks than non-certified models. Apart from the extended 1-year warranty added, you’re assured of a certified model being in better shape as certified Acura mechanics handle its repairs. Also, the car would have undergone a rigorous 182-point inspection before getting certified.
5. Check the VIN
Checking the Acura VIN with EpicVin wouldn’t take much of your time and will reveal intricate details about any Acura model in your consideration. Details such as accident history, theft history, liens, ownership information, accurate mileage, and other sensitive information can be uncovered with a quick VIN search.
Common Problems Associated with Acura Cars (and Solutions)
Like any other car, various Acura models have had problems over the years. Knowing these problems would help understand what to look out for and the models to avoid. This section will highlight these multiple problems and suggest solutions to them.
Fast Battery Drain
Acura was one of the first car companies to incorporate hands-free calling into their cars. They started this with the 2nd generation Acura MDX, which equipped the Hands-Free Link (HFL) module. While this was quite innovative then, it quickly became a problem for MDX drivers. This is because even while the car was off, the HFL system stayed on, drawing power from the car’s battery.
This led to swift battery drains, and after a while, many users couldn’t start their cars without a jumpstart or battery change.
Solution
Although Acura updated the module to become more stable, some people still had the problem. The best solution provided seemed to involve deactivating the HFL completely and installing third-party Bluetooth software to access Bluetooth in these cars.
Excessive Oil Consumption
The V6 J37 engine found in 2nd generation Acura MDX, TSX, parts of the 2nd gen RL, and the 4th gen TL models is infamous for its heavy oil consumption. While Acura tried to shift this blame on users for poor maintenance habits, the car consumed a quart. of oil for every 1,000 miles driven. You don’t need a mechanic to tell you that is not normal.
Solution
Unfortunately, there’s no provided solution to this problem. The only way to prevent this oil consumption from doing any damage is to monitor the oil levels regularly. Acura also offered an extended warranty for cars affected by this issue, pending an oil consumption test at a certified dealership. However, this extended warranty also depended on the user having proof-of-service records. If you bought a used car, the chances of not having the records are pretty high.
Slipping Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT)
The Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) is a feature that helps to enable smoother gear changes and makes acceleration easier. While this feature could be quite jumpy at low speeds, adding a torque converter should help solve this problem. Or so the Acura manufacturers thought.
The torque converter added to the DCT only even made matters worse. The problems peaked when the cars were at speeds of 30 – 45mph. Drivers narrated their nightmarish experiences of the vehicle vibrating, shuddering, or even turning itself off. This problem was common among 2015 Acura TLX drivers, with this model having many recalls over the years.
Solution
This problem persists among the TLX drivers. A management hack for the issue was constantly draining and replacing the transmission fluid. While this was not a permanent fix, it made transmission much smoother. If this doesn’t work, you should get a mechanic to check the torque converter.
Conclusion
An Acura car is an excellent choice for anyone searching for affordable luxury. With a good resale value on most of their cars, you can be assured of getting a good deal when the time to sell comes. However, using the abovementioned factors would ensure that your choice wouldn’t cost you even more.
