thefork

Just bought a brand new 2013 RDX with AWD and tech. The very next day it won't start.....I am disgusted beyond belief....Would you let them attempt to fix it or would you just ask to replace the RDX? How could this happen? Could the battery be dead on a brand new 2013 that they just got in? Or could this be another problem.

We paid sticker for this car, they wouldn't budge and the next day it is dead.....Unhappy is putting this nicely.

HotRodW

That's awful. I can't blame you for being upset, but I don't think you'll be able to get a replacement. Stuff happens, and that's what the warranty is for.

Can you use the radio or other accessories?

weather

thefork....Does it feel like its a battery issue or something more complex? In other words, the vehicle "turn" when you push the button or nothing at all? Are you sure you didn't leave anything on?

I will say that it sucks to have a brand new vehicle go dead on the next day. Try and have them assess the problem before jumping to the conclusion the vehicle is the problem. I doubt you will be able to have it swapped....there is alot of paper work and registration of the vehicle that takes place when you buy a vehicle. Its not like taking a pair of jeans home and then taking it back.

Although I can feel your frustration, being calm will only help you establish a rapport with your dealership. Let them see what is wrong and then get back to us for more advice.

thefork

The radio and accessories won't work. We bought it on Friday, I bet the paperwork won't be sent in yet and they could still turnaround and sell it new if they don't send the paperwork in. We will be there Monday morning. I also have an RL from the same dealership.

Could a battery actually be dead on a brand new off the line 2013? I just fear that this is why you don't buy a new car just after its introduction b/c this is when it is in essence in Beta Test and you could get problems. I am going to push extremely hard for them to replace it b/c it is impossible for me to believe a battery could be dead on such a new car, there could be other electrical problems.

Just so pissed to pay 40K sticker and have this happen. I hated paying sticker.

weather

The fork....I will say that Acura is known for its weak batteries and given the amount of tech features in the car, if the RDX was left in the accessory mode, or a light would be left on somewhere, it would take NO time for it to drain the battery. I have a TL and I bought a CTEK3300 as a device to maintain my battery fully charged. If I don't drive my TL on a regular basis, the battery will just drain itself.

Did you call roadside assistance to come and give your RDX a boost? Did it start once they came (if you called). Don't let a Faulty battery ruin your enjoyment of the RDX. Trust me, if the battery is the problem, that is the least of your concerns. Other brands have more serious mechanical problems and I'd rather get a new battery than dealing with replacing turbo compressors, engines, transmissions etc.

Acura stands by their product and if it is the battery, they will give you a free replacement. If that one is weak and you don't like it, you can always buy an aftermarket battery with more cranking power.

weather

With respect to a brand new vehicle....I know that most people gives that advice but I have a 2012 TL that has a sunroof rattle that was diagnosed on the 2009 model and they never changed the design of teh car. Instead, they have a TSB to rectify the issue when customers complain so there is no guarantee that buying a vehicle on year 2 will be better than year one.

As far as paying sticker, that is the drawback on wanting the freshest design and dealers know this. I was able to get a 1000$ off, winter rims, cargo tray and 0.25% (and a good value for my traded vehicle) so I did pretty good.

Finally, if the paperwork hasn't been sent yet, you MAY be able to work something out with your dealership but they don't have to. That is where being calm, polite and rational will help you. Again though, if its just the battery, don't worry about it too much.

thefork

My concern is that it seems unfeasible to me that a brand new car that has probably been on the lot for under a week could have a dead battery unless something else was wrong with the car. I wonder that the car might have another much harder to diagnose problem then just a bad battery and don't want to get into a bad car from day 1. I didn't call roadside assistance as it is sitting in my garage. We are going to attempt to get the car replaced. If the car had been sitting on the lot for a long time then maybe the battery, but in a brand new car? I have left things on in my RL and the battery didn't go bye bye.

If it is just the battery I would be ok, but I just don't want to get into a lemon that goes back into the shop looking for an electrical problem. there is nothing worse than a new car with an electrical problem. Why do I have a feeling that there will be 50 threads in 3 months with other RDX owners having the SAME problem with this NEW build? You are a guinea pig if you buy a car in its first few months of introduction and I am in the cage with the other guinea pigs now...LOL

You wouldn't demand a replacement, you would just let them try to fix it the very NEXT day off of the lot?

weather

I know its easy to jump to the worse assumption after spending so much money and I am not saying I wouldn't do the same as well. That being said, what if its just a dead battery, or a defective one. Acura do not make the batteries and its possible that the battery is defective and a simple swap would solve all your problems and restore your faith and enjoyment in your RDX.

Why don't you want and try to call roadside? That would solve alot of your anxiety and help determine whether or not its just a dead battery.

I am going to join you in the guinea pig cage later this week so I will be able to see whether or not there is something fundamentally wrong with the RDX. If there is one brand I would trust with respect to its introductory model, it would be Acura and Lexus. Keep in mind that the drivetrain on the RDX is already used (3.5L V6 and 6 speed transmission) so that should be re-assuring. I agree that an electrical problem is troublesome as I had a 1997 Brand new Grand Am GT that had an electrical problem and was always go dead on me until they finally found the problem....a wire had its protective coating cut on it and it was shorting out.

thefork

We are going to call roadside and give them a shot, I figure the chances of them replacing it regardless of how adamant I am (and the state of the paperwork) is slim to none. I pray that it is just the battery. I cannot imagine a worse experience one day after buying a new Acura for sticker than I am currently having.

weather

Make sure you let us know how things turn out. I agree that it is not a good feeling to have problems within 24h but it could be just a fluke. I don't want to trivialize your frustration but to be honest, I doubt you wouldn't have been as upset if you would have paid 2000$ under sticker. So sticker price or no sticker price, a new car going dead is never fun anyway you look at it but it maybe a very simple fix

BTW...when are the pics coming on that RDX? What color is it?

thefork

Decided against roadside after thinking about it a bit. I imagine roadside isn't Acura people they probably just subcontracted out to AAA or something? I will be at the dealer first thing Monday morning and want to see how they handle this.

I will let you guys know what happens. Pics will be up after all this is settled.

NAMA

A while after I bought my RX my battery went dead. The night before, I left the lights on thinking that they were auto shutoff. At the time I was not a happy camper. Apparently this is programmable by the service dept. Anyways, when I called Lexus they dispatched a tow truck and towed it back to the closest dealership which was about 30 miles away. They determined it was a dead battery, replaced it with a heavy duty battery (the original was not heavy duty since I bought the car from a Florida dealership) and reprogrammed the lights to auto shutoff even when it isn't in the "auto" setting. I'd give Acura a call and at least get the vehicle to the dealership. Going to the dealer without the car will just delay the time in getting it fixed. Hopefully they take care of it as good as Lexus took care of my situation. It will be interesting how Acura resolves this from a customer service standpoint.

hawkeye252

We bought a 2012 Honda CR-V earlier this year, fresh from the factory, not sitting on the lot. In the time that it took to program the satellite radio, figure out the bluetooth settings, etc. the day after we brought it home, the battery died. Once I jumped it, we never had another other problems.

It seems like the demand of the electronics is huge, much greater than years ago when a radio could run for hours without turn the vehicle on. I don't know if that could be the issue with you but if it is, perhaps jumping it could solve the problem.

hawkeye252

Well the last couple of sentences should read (I don't see an edit button):

It seems like the demand of the electronics is huge, much greater than years ago when a radio could run for hours without turning the vehicle on. I don't know if the above could be the issue with your situation but if it is, perhaps jumping it may solve the problem.

Onac

I probably would have called the Acura roadside and just asked them to tow it to the dealership. Then when I got there Monday morning the car was there.

Let us know what happens. I pick up my new 2013 RDX tomorrow afternoon. I will post a mini review since I have had a pretty much brand new 2012 RDX loaner for a week now.

hawkeye252

Onac-please do post your mini review. My 2013 RDX should arrive in a couple of weeks.

Rocket_man

Are you sure you didn't sit in the garage and play with all the new electronics and drain the battery? Left a light on overnight? Did you try to jump start it? Sounds like a battery issues. Even new batteries can fail, a short between cells. Could be a blown fuse. Did you check the fuse box(es)? There may be one under the hood in addition to the one under the dash.

weather

I will look forward to hearing what the actual problem was...He should be at the dealership today and we'll soon find out. I suspect that a few things could be...drained/defective battery, a fuse (good one) or a worse case scenario, a defective push button. Hope its nothing serious....

freddy202022

I bought a TL in 2004 and was very unhappy with the quality and have bought 3 lexus since which in terms of quality and reliability are perfect, my wife drove the new RSX and had her heart set on it and we put a deposit for deliver for the end of this week or early next week. Not what I wanted to hear....

weather

I am sure you meant RDX...and don't worry until we hear from the OP as to the exact problem. I have put my name down on one too

freddy202022

Correct...

R*D*X*

I dont blame you.... Dealer should check or do the inspection first before leaving their lot on a new vehicle... they have a checklist including battery charge...I still have a copy of my delear's checklist when i bought my car.... they suppose to inspect the car first before giving you the key...

weather

thefork....So?!? What is the verdict? You can't leave us hanging like this

weather

I suspect it was the battery that just needed to be charged and why we are not getting any updates *lol*

markrogo

On my previous RDX, I went out to start it one day and it wouldn't start. They explained to me I had left my lights on (I hadn't). I was insistent otherwise; they jump started it, told me I was nuts, it would never happen again.

Three weeks later, it happened again. Again, I was told I left the lights on -- I hadn't -- and this time the battery was so dead they couldn't jump it. They replaced the battery under warranty and, of course, the problem never occurred again.

I mention this story to point out that OEM batteries can and do fail. They will blame you, but they will replace the battery anyway because, well, they know it's the damn battery that's defective.

Oh, I took deliver of a new 2013 AWD/Tech yesterday.

weather

I know...I have seen this common problem with Acura's batteries and I don't have a lot of faith into them to be honest. Glad to see you were taken care of despite the battery problem...and glad to see that you confirm my theory about the battery

Congrats on the RDX. Mine arrived at the dealer this morning but won't go to pick it up until next Wednesday....Work schedule is just too crazy and the dealer is over 4h away.

thefork

They ended up towing it to the dealer and gave us a whole story on how the new electronics are such a HUGE drain on the electronics that they are starting to see this happen quite often. They charged the battery, it held and we are good for now.

Well, part one of being a guinea pig of a tech package RDX, don't be surprised if you get a brand new one and it dies the next day. We had to wait a week for ours and picked it up the day it arrived ,as we wanted black on black with a tech package. I guess the batteries Acura is putting in these things now just can't hack it, as everyone says their batteries suck, but now the electronics pull is bigger which makes the batteries suck even more.

It is a bit scary that they said that this is happening QUITE OFTEN now.

Rocket_man

Could just be that the car was new and the battery only had the charge from its manufacture. The car sat until it was shipped, it sat on the truck etc, then maybe you didn't drive it long before you got home. So the state of charge may have been low right off the bat. A nice drive will get it charged back up. Glad it was only a battery thing. A jump start and a long drive may have worked too.

I bought a new battery at Autozone a few months ago. The battery developed a fault and died in only a few months. Unusual but it can happen. A new battery at no cost and all was well.

So in the future, all you lucky new owners, take your cars out and drive them... just tell the wife you are charging the battery lol.

markrogo

The dealer is supposed to do a battery check before you receive the car. My salesperson even showed me the report from their meter confirming the amperage was well above the recommended / required number on my new RDX. It's possible the OP in this thread had a dealer who didn't do that. It's more likely the battery was just junk.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Your dealer is the exception rather than the rule. I have never had a dealer show me this info. I have also never had a brand new car die on me because even with a car that is fresh off the truck, I insist on taking it for a test drive before I sign on the dotted line. And since I have owned Acuras before, I also tell the dealer not to spend the time on the walk through of the electronic features.

weather

I would afraid that my wife would say while you are out CHARGING the battery of YOUR toy, I'll be staying home DRAINING the batteries of MY toy!

LMAO

R*D*X*

That's a common problem for RDX and they cannot fix it.... My brother's Inifiniti EX, full of tech too doesnt drain battery fast,,, last christmas both our cars (RDX & EX) were left in our garage for 1 week... My RDX (with new oem Battery) wont start while my brother's inifiniti start w/out problem.... I end up buying Optima Yellow top, it can last 5 days (parked in my garage) but the red top (optima) can only last 3-4 days then it's dead..

weather

That is where the CTEK3300 comes in so handy! That little device is easy to use, takes no space, and ensures your battery is always topped up. I don't drive my TL much in the winter and the CTEK does a fantastic job at keeping things fully charged. They should be provided for free by Acura if they continue to stick with their poor OEM battery supplier

Gen4MDX

Sounds to me like you have something draining the battery like an aftermarket alarm or something. I have had a TSX and an MDX, both garaged for two weeks at a time, numerous times while vacationing and have never had a problem.

Now my s2000 with viper alarm, back up battery siren and after market stereo would drain the battery down.

R*D*X*

First time it happen dealer replaced bluetooth they told me that's what the problem was,, but after a few days my battery is dead again so i send it back to the dealer and they told me it's normal because i didnt start or use my car daily.... they recharge the battery for the whole day but same thing happen....dead battery...so i just accepted the fact that RDX drains the battery fast... leave it for 5 days and you will be stranded...

Doug W.

That is not clearly a normal or acceptable situation. I will watch for this with our new RDX as we will be traveling later this month and leave the car sitting for about that long.

If 5 days, or even 10 days, were enough to habitually kill a young battery that was not subjected to unusual drain, then there is a clear defect in either design (battery size, charging system adequacy) or a defective battery. I would also be suspect of charging system if this were a chronic problem.

R*D*X*

5 days it might still start but for 10 days i'm 100% posisitve it will not start.... my car is always parked in my garage so the alarm, light, stereo are all always turn off.....i only drive my car on weekend but if i skip then it wont start...

Dorsey

Based on the discussion, can we assume the 2013 RDX does not have battery run down protection (similar to the CTEK mentioned by weather) from the factory? 2012 MDX and TL show it as standard and GM has had it since the late 90s.

thefork

I think Weather is talking about buying a CTEK aftermarket and using it to charge his battery.

Is this correct Weather?

weather

thefork...You are correct. The CTEK3300 is a little device that you buy as an aftermarket unit that plugs into the wall and keeps the battery charged through a slow trickle. Please see the link attached for further info:

http://smartercharger.com/

It is an amazing little gizmo and not sure how I lived without it in the past....