Maintaining Your Napleton Palm Beach Acura RDX

Your new Palm Beach Acura RDX, is a luxury midsized segment Sport Utility Vehicle that is legendary in its abilities and reliability. Precision built, it's a premium category SUV designed for years of driving pleasure. But proper care and feeding is essential to keeping your new RDX in top shape. Think of it as defensive car care. The first line of that defense is your Palm Beach Acura's RDX Owner's Manual.  In it, you'll find a complete list of maintenance items based on mileage and time. Your Palm Beach Acura service advisors are only a phone call away to assist with your service needs and to help in scheduling you and your Acura RDX for an appointment.

Also critical in such scheduling is the Acura Maintenance Minder indicator light on your Acura RDX's Multi-Information Display Screen. Depending on the schedule, the system messages you about an upcoming service in the near future with a Service Due Soon indicator, a Service Due Now event, or if you have missed it, a Service Past Due alert. The messages are grouped into alpha Code A and Code B alerts and numeric Code 1 through Code 6 categories.

•    Code A: Indicates your Acura RDX is due for an oil and filter change. Your Palm Beach Acura service advisor can help you decide between conventional and synthetic motor oils that provide longer life and lubrication. Code A is also an indication that if it has been three years, that you should change your brake fluid, and also have any noisy valves adjusted. Consult your RDX Owner's Manual and your Palm Beach Acura service advisor for more information.

•    Code B: Code B also indicates a need for an oil and filter change but with additional services performed at the same time. They include a Parking Brake Adjustment, Checks on brakes, a check on the expiration date of the Repair Kit Bottle for the Temporary Spare Tire, inspecting the tie rods, steering gearbox, rubber boots and other suspension and driveline components, inspect brake hoses and lines, inspect fuel lines and connections and finally a check of all fluid levels and their conditions.

Numeric Codes:

•    Code 1: Code 1 suggests rotating your tires for proper wear at all four corners. It's also a good idea to do this before having an alignment on your Acura RDX.

•    Code 2: This is the time, according to Acura to replace the engine and in-cabin air filters. These filters keep fresh air coming into your engine, eliminating dust and debris in the process, while the in-cabin filter helps to eliminate odors, pollen and dust into the RDX's interior.

•    Code 3: Indicates the time to replace transmission and transfer case fluid (if AWD equipped). If you subject your RDX to extreme situations like towing or driving through mountainous regions, Acura suggests changing the transmission fluid at the 60,000 mile range. Such care will ensure that you enjoy miles and miles of trouble-free driving behind the wheel of your Palm Beach Acura.



•    Code 4: Replace the Spark Plugs and Timing Belt, as well as inspect the water pump. From a mileage standpoint, this will occur at around 100,000 miles. Everyone knows that spark plugs provide spark to the RDX's internal combustion engine, but few know the timing belt keep the engine's camshafts and crankshaft turning synchronously, thus maintaining proper timing.

•    Code 5: Replace Engine Coolant. This fluid is vital to your RDX's engine and prevents it from overheating, which could lead to a mechanical mishap. Over time though, the coolant could break down causing it to lose its effectiveness. A Code 5 from your Maintenance Minder lets you know it's time to replace it.

•    Code 6: Replace Rear Differential fluid. Most people who come from a front drive vehicle aren't even aware of the necessary care of their Acura RDX's rear differential. Ignoring warnings eventually leads to noises and a possible breakdown of the unit.

Your Palm Beach Acura Service Advisor can offer more information. In addition to the alpha-numeric codes shown on your Acura RDX Maintenance Minder display, here are more tips that will help your Acura RDX to continue running as it did when you bought it.

Brake Pads and Rotors: Brake Pads and Rotors provide positive stopping power for your new Palm Beach Acura RDX. They do wear out, but their longevity is determined, in part, by your driving style. Simply put, your brake pads and rotors could enjoy a longer life by practicing moderate, regulated applications. Conversely, aggressive driving uses the brake pad material up faster, requiring replacement much sooner. Regular inspection of the brake pads, to coincide with oil changes on your Acura RDX will insure that you have ample stopping power for your new RDX. For more information on your RDX's braking system, consult your RDX Owner's Manual or your Palm Beach Acura service advisor.



Wiped Out:  If your windshield wipers whine rather than whoosh, that's a clear sign that time is up as far as their useful life is concerned. That's why we recommend changing your RDX wipers with fresh Acura-Approved wiper blades every six months. There is a saying in South Florida that if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes for it to change. Florida, according to the National Weather Service, has a rainy season that begins in April and ends (usually) in mid-October. In addition to the rain, heat does its part to break down rubber wiper blades at a faster rate. A Napleton Pro tip: If your wipers leave spots and streaks on the windshield, it's time to replace them. Your Palm Beach Acura Service Department stocks a full line of Acura-Approved Wiper Blades made specifically for your new RDX.

Tire Rotation: Tire rotation is a way of guaranteeing your tires are receiving equal wear all the way around your Acura RDX. If you notice excessive wear on the front set of tires with minimal wear at the rear, that's a clear sign they haven't been rotated in a while. Just how worn are they? A quick test with an "Abe Lincoln Penny" will show whether time's up. To do the test, insert a Lincoln Penny "head-first" into the tire's tread. If you can see the top of Honest Abe's head, it's time for a change. Honest! Anything else that covers part of Lincoln's head means there's still life in that set of tires.  Your Palm Beach Acura service advisors suggest tire rotation at the same time you have your oil changed for even wear at all four corners of your Acura RDX.

Straighten Up: Speed bumps and potholes are everywhere in South Florida, and quite frankly, do your tires no favors. It's quite possible that even a casual encounter with either can throw their alignment off. But don't worry, because your Palm Beach Acura service advisor can get you straight again. Have you noticed when driving or braking, that your Palm Beach Acura RDX tries to pull right or left even though you intend to go straight? That's a sign that your vehicle needs to have its tires aligned. With proper inflation and alignment, your RDX should steer straight ahead giving you the longest life possible. A Pro Tip: Before getting a proper alignment, always balance and rotate your tires in an effort to maintain even tire wear at all four corners of your new Palm Beach Acura RDX.

As always, the owner's manual from your Palm Beach Acura RDX offers more information on the operation and service schedule of your new Acura vehicle. Additionally, the service department and advisors at Palm Beach Acura are eager to offer you professional service that will keep your new Acura product running and feeling like new. Call for more information today. professional service that will keep your new Acura product running and feeling like new. Call for more information today.