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General Comments and Questions from a future MDX owner …

3K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  xcel 
#1 ·
Hi All:

___First off, I want to thank all the present and future MDX owners for sharing their time in educating us hopeful new MDX owners with our future purchase. This is truly a great resource for the enthusiast and general use MDX owner.

___So far, I have been very interested in threads discussing 87 vs. 91 Octane, Pilot vs. MDX comparisons, $’s under MSRP in Florida and possibly DFW, Zaino, and of course Tim’s MDX accessory store and group buys … I have a few questions and comments.

___In the 87 vs. 91 Octane threads, I see the Pilot producing the same power (although the torque curves are more than likely completely different) at an imperceptibly different RPM using Regular Unleaded. Does anyone ever mash their foot into the floor for 5000 RPM + operation? I am almost ready to purchase an MDX for a 10 + year life span and this kind of activity seems to trounce on that idea? Engine performance between the two may matter to Car and Driver or Motor Week but to the average owner? I have a 92 Previa heading for the sales lot now and I have never mashed my foot to the floor even though I have had it in almost every state in the lower 48, pulled Landscape trailers far exceeding what most anyone here would pull with their MDX’s over short hauls, and weighs as much as an MDX yet only produces 140 HP! God only knows what I am going to do with a 240 HP automobile … Highway mileage in the Pilot seems to have dropped just a tad which may be accounted for with the lower Octane fuel and if so, I could only assume you have to weigh the lowered highway mileage against the cost of fuel. $150.00 to $200.00 in ones pocket per year is $1,500.00 - $2,000.00 over a typical cars lifespan and this is real money. Mentioning ones reasons to use Premium fuel vs. regular unleaded based on the cost of the vehicle purchased or because that is what the manual recommends for the maximum HP potential is a poorly thought out solution IMO. If I could only purchase an MDX with a detuned 170 HP 3.5 L but getting 26 - 27 MPG highway …

___In the MDX vs. Pilot comparisons, the Pilot looks like a bread box (higher Cd) whereas the MDX … most here know which looks superior and the MDX probably slips the wind somewhat better ;) Similarly, I thought luxury was to be mentioned in the same breath as a smooth and comfortable ride + performance? By all appearances, the MDX will be tuned for an even harsher ride in 2003? I don’t test the skid pad limits in any car I own and by all appearances, no one else would either. If my vehicle is at its limits, I could appreciate the extra .01 G’s on the pad but in real life day to day situations as well as even emergency situations, I would gladly take the smoother tuned suspension given most would not challenge their vehicle with the softer ride to its extremes in the first place … I guess that is my small rant. Can someone please place the Pilot’s suspension on my future MDX, please?

___In the MSRP + options threads, it appears as if Acura dealers not only know how to infuriate loyal Acura owners but piss off just about everyone in the business with unrealistically high option price add-ons, higher than MSRP in a lot of cases, overly priced interval maintenance costs, for pure profit motivation instead of attempting to satisfy the customer for a future Acura vehicle purchases, and a general “you will accept my terms regardless if I screw you or not”? I see some dealers trying to move away from this activity now that the 2003’s have been announced in a somewhat limited form but my god, I hear less complaints about Ford and Chevy dealers from those I work with! A month ago, my local Acura dealer (Libertyville, IL.) wanted to add all the accessories at over inflated prices on top of MSRP for a 2002 MDX Touring whereas I just received an E-Mail yesterday stating they will now just ask for MSRP w/ no options attached … Makes me want to drive to the Central Florida or DFW area Acura dealers just to stay clear of the highway robbers here in Northern IL. It is not about MSRP as I will probably be paying this regardless but its that extra $500.00 - $1,000.00 that makes the difference between a customer that comes back for a future TL and one that heads over to the local Lexus dealer to purchase an ES.

___On a similar note, Acura Canada sells the MDX in Touring trim (I know they do not call it this) for almost $7,000.00 less and it has an even longer warranty. This isn’t an Acura dealer problem but Honda Motor Company taking the Americans to the cleaners. Lastly, I compared prices of the Pilots accessories like all-weather floor mats ($119.00 vs. $124.70 installed), cargo tray ($89.00 vs. $139.70 installed), rear splash guards ($42.00 vs. $89.80 installed), and sidesteps ($499.00 vs. $626.00 installed). I can see the sidesteps and rear splash guards as it takes ~ an hour each to install but $50.00 for a cargo tray just because it says Acura on it? Someone is definitely reaching up the profit scale on these items …

___Zaino … What more do I have to say. The pic’s are worth a thousand words and I have some of the product on order now ;)

___Tim, how many more accolades can I add. You have provided a great service for the MDX owner and I look forward to purchasing from you in the not to distant future over and over again.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
 
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#2 ·
i purchased a 94 integra years ago from the libertyville acura dealership prior to the change of ownership. they used to be the dealer to beat in illinois in my opinion. however, that said, i ordered my 03 mdx from pauly in highland park and they are much better and upfront now. they told me straight up msrp for an 03 and no added required accessories. in fact my salesman discouraged me from buying siderails, rear deflector and BSM because he thinks they are overpriced for what they provide. i only say this to dispell the notion about what you said about northern illinois dealers
 
#3 ·
Hi Belosh:

___I was also at Pauly Honda trying to get a Front Stabilizer bar replaced on my sons Accord LX maybe 6 months ago and received a $740.00 estimate. Ripley’s in Waukegan did the job for $230.00. I was at their dealership ~ 3 months ago attempting to test drive an Odyssey EX … “Well, if you put some money down, I will order you one with a 60 day wait. I can’t let you drive the Demo w/ 5000 miles on it however … I was walking out the door before I heard the reason why. I cannot say how Pauly conducts themselves but their Honda dealership in Libertyville is less than adequate so I won’t revisit their other dealerships. Another area dealer I am displeased with is Woodfield Acura. They offered me just $400.00 for my Previa LE a few weeks ago as well as MSRP and ~ $500.00 worth of overpriced options on the MDX. Even KBB has an $2200.00 listed “Trade in Value”! 3 months ago, Libertyville Toyota offered me $2,000.00 for the same Previa plus $300.00 over on a Leather equipped Toyota Camry GLE. I guess I am used to deals so that is why I listed all the prices above.

___In any case, I love the MDX for its looks and utility but my practical side tells me I am going to get screwed into the ceiling. My better half however will not relent now that I have turned her on to the “Best Lux SUV” in the market ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
 
#4 ·
xcel,

i too remember having a terrible experience with the libertyville honda dealership. i spent 30 seconds in there before i had to leave just to stop me from committing a felony. i dont know how the money thing works between pauly dealerships or who is responsible for their way of doing business. i just know that years ago i hated pauly acura, and now they seem to be much better.
 
#5 ·
Re: Chicago Dealers

I'll tell you, my possible purchase experience at McGrath Acura in Glenview was top notch...no forced accessories and a not too awful wait time.

Libertyville is definitely slime....they tried to sell be a 2001 Demo for MSRP WITH a ripped leather driver's seat.

And Bob Rhorman Arlington Acura gloats about their MDX's which are no wait first come first serve....yet they then tack on the mandatory $1500 "Protection" package.

I haven't heard good things about Muller's Woodfield either.

But I will say McGrath in Glenview (unfamiliar with their other location in Westmont) and Continental in Lisle are both good bets.....not familiar first hand with Continental, but friends have said it was a good dealership with no games.

Hope this helps!
 
#6 ·
I hope you gest

xcel said:
If I could only purchase an MDX with a detuned 170 HP 3.5 L but getting 26 - 27 MPG highway …
You would NOT be happy. Most wish the MDX had more power not less. We average 23 mpg on the highway.:cool:
 
#8 ·
I own an 01 MDX with Navi and have $54k miles. I really like the vehicle and use it for work and fun. Ski trips to Tahoe, pulling my boat and generally everything. Being a previous RX 300 owner I have to say that the Lexus had less mechanical problems over the time I had it. Acura's SUV may be better in deed but I think the fact that it's had VTM replaced, SRS worked on 3 times, Rotors replaced do to warping after 40K miles, and now at 54k the air conditioner completely shot (no warranty anymore) I'm starting to wonder if it's gonna last as long as I anticipated. I paid $2k over MSRP in Oct 00 for the pre ordered 01. At first I loved it, now I think it's wearing out too fast. Fwy miles shouldn't really cause so many problems. You should see my file on the MDX, tons of repairs over 2 years. I'm pissed about it and thinking of selling it before it's worth nothing!
 
#9 ·
vbigman said:
I own an 01 MDX with Navi and have $54k miles. I really like the vehicle and use it for work and fun. Ski trips to Tahoe, pulling my boat and generally everything. Being a previous RX 300 owner I have to say that the Lexus had less mechanical problems over the time I had it. Acura's SUV may be better in deed but I think the fact that it's had VTM replaced, SRS worked on 3 times, Rotors replaced do to warping after 40K miles, and now at 54k the air conditioner completely shot (no warranty anymore) I'm starting to wonder if it's gonna last as long as I anticipated. I paid $2k over MSRP in Oct 00 for the pre ordered 01. At first I loved it, now I think it's wearing out too fast. Fwy miles shouldn't really cause so many problems. You should see my file on the MDX, tons of repairs over 2 years. I'm pissed about it and thinking of selling it before it's worth nothing!
:confused:

Hmmm sounds like my 86 Trooper :28: . My question to you is how early in the production year was your MDX? I own a 98 ford F-25O SD, I had ford replace the engine right off the line. It was 1st year of fords new line of an engine BTW the engine now has 80k without any troubles. 1st year there are bound to be some problems.
 
#10 ·
vbigman said:
I own an 01 MDX with Navi and have $54k miles. I really like the vehicle and use it for work and fun. Ski trips to Tahoe, pulling my boat and generally everything. Being a previous RX 300 owner I have to say that the Lexus had less mechanical problems over the time I had it. Acura's SUV may be better in deed but I think the fact that it's had VTM replaced, SRS worked on 3 times, Rotors replaced do to warping after 40K miles, and now at 54k the air conditioner completely shot (no warranty anymore) I'm starting to wonder if it's gonna last as long as I anticipated. I paid $2k over MSRP in Oct 00 for the pre ordered 01. At first I loved it, now I think it's wearing out too fast. Fwy miles shouldn't really cause so many problems. You should see my file on the MDX, tons of repairs over 2 years. I'm pissed about it and thinking of selling it before it's worth nothing!
That's an awful lot of miles for less than two years of use...
 
#13 ·
vbigman said:
and now at 54k the air conditioner completely shot (no warranty anymore)
At the rate that you are accumulating miles, you would have hit the wall on the warranty just a month and a half ago - was there no indication that the air conditioner was having a problem before the warranty expired? (What exactly is shot?)
 
#14 ·
mdxxxx said:
Depends MDXtrous, In Cali, those numbers fall within avarage to slightly above avarage milage...
Wow, I did not know that... Just as a reference, here in NYC, I just hit 3,750 miles in 6 months. What a difference:eek:
 
#15 ·
Re: High miles

mdxxxx said:
Depends MDXtrous, In Cali, those numbers fall within avarage to slightly above avarage milage...
Those miles are HIGH in anybody's evaluation of a used vehicle.

Toss in the trips to Tahoe & towing and this is definately a "severe duty" vehicle. Highway or not, when you are running that many miles things get stressed. (Evidence-- brake rotors, they cannot get warped/worn without hard use...)

I wonder if the VTM was sproperly serviced according to the severe duty schedule? If so, that is NOT encouraging...

If the previous RX300 had 4WD AND was driven/used just as hard & serviced in the same way, this is also disappointing news.

I wonder if the overheated SF market would swallow up your MDX without a too close inspection, I STRONGLY recommend that you consider selling it now, as it depreciate MUCH more when the '03 with Navi hits...

Finally, as to question about the Cayenne-- you must be kidding! Porsche has even less experience building tow-worthy vehicles than Honda! I can't imagine what kind of expenses you'd have with that beast!
 
#16 ·
mdxxxx said:



Depends MDXtrous, In Cali, those numbers fall within avarage to slightly above avarage milage...
12k-15k is average in CA. 27k+ a year? No way that's average or slightly above.
 
#17 ·
vbigman, No offense but are you a troll?

vbigman said:
At first I loved it ... You should see my file on the MDX, tons of repairs over 2 years. I'm pissed about it and thinking of selling it before it's worth nothing!
You have two new threads asking peoples opinion about very expensive wheels and tires for your X.

http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6999
http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6998


Why are you considering such a purchase on an X with 55K miles on it that you are pissed at and considering selling?? I don't get it:rolleyes: In the Polls Forum you said you just hit 55K and were out of warranty - out of warranty in a car that has a history of problems! And you want to put more accessories on it?
 
#18 ·
TheWorm said:

12k-15k is average in CA. 27k+ a year? No way that's average or slightly above.
I have not referenced any statistical info on the subject of milage, however, I was basing my opinion on experience and personal observation. I believe it is common knowledge that daily commute that usually clog interstates 80, 680, and 880 from Fairfield, Vacaville, Stockton, Vallejo, Antioch, Pittsburg, Richmond, and Oakland, to San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Gilroy, Los Altos, ect, run between 40 - 50 miles one way. I used to participate in such madness. :eek: No more I'm happy to say. Bottom line is the 27k+ a year falls in line with what I see.

I agree however, It does make the resale value or trade virtually worthless. I experienced that with my Volvo 740. (130k in 4+ years)
 
#19 ·
Hi All:

___Let me thank MDX4now for his lead to McGrath Acura in Glenview. The sale was a decent enough experience for me to comment on the order of a 2003 Premium MDX.

___After all the rants (including my own) against some of the unscrupulous Aura dealerships here in Northern IL., I wanted to present McGrath Acura some accolades. They were a bit busy this afternoon so a greeting hostess hooked us up with a sales manager instead. With that 5 minutes out of the way, we were introduced to Doug Bushman. He spoke of the dealerships history and service with commitments to loaners and late night repair services. At 30 miles one way, I hope not to have to ever use these services but you never know. As far as the purchase, no matter how ready you are to follow through on the order, something always gets in the way. In this case, my wife had previously decided on one exterior/interior color set and than decided to possibly switch while sitting in front of the sales paperwork. Doug even had a Honda Pilot brochure ready just so she could see the Sagebrush w/ Gray leather interior. Her first choice of White w/ the Quartz interior prevailed however. (I wanted the Midnight Blue w/ Quartz :(). I specifically asked about the 7,500 and 30,000 mile VTM flush and change and was quite surprised after he mentioned it was ~ $60.00. He walked back to the Service Dept to verify it was just $59.95 complete. I did not receive anything below a promised MSRP (whatever that will be) as I did not expect anything less for a 2003 unfortunately.

___To wrap it up, this Acura dealership did not force any options, paint protecting plans, or anything else for that matter. I had to place $2,000.00 down with a refundable deposit clause being placed into the contract. He actually did this before I said anything about it. I asked that they not wax the vehicle after shipment/prep which he said would not be a problem but they did need to do a basic clean for the fact that there will be plastic strip marks which he recommended that they remove. I asked about BSM installation and he quoted $299.00 installed which was not forced but if you are purchasing options for your X from this dealer, you will want to be careful here. With the particulars out of the way, it was maybe 30 minutes from the time we walked in to the time we walked out and overall, I would have to give them a thumbs up. Now if only I could have received the elusive $1,500.00 under MSRP ;)

___Good Luck to you all.

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
 
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