Acura Service
Acura Repair in Royal Oak, MI
Acura is Honda engineering with more equipment, which means the failure list is short and familiar and the parts situation is good. The main trap is fluid specification.
- Honda specification fluids, not substitutes
- Timing belt and water pump done together
- Free multi-point inspection every visit
- Limited lifetime warranty on most repairs
Honda Engineering
Excellent cars, with one interval that is not optional
Acuras are Honda mechanicals with better materials, and they last accordingly. The engines are durable, the transmissions are well behaved when serviced, and the parts supply is straightforward. The one item that genuinely is not negotiable is the timing belt on the V6 models, which is an interval service rather than a repair, and which takes the water pump with it if it lets go.
We check belt history on any V6 Acura that comes in for something else, because the owner often does not know when it was last done and the paperwork rarely survives a second owner. Beyond that these are gratifying cars to look after: the faults are conventional, the diagnosis is quick and they respond well to being kept on top of.
Known Patterns
What an Acura needs watching for
Shared with Honda, which means all of it is well understood.
A brief rattle on a cold start
The VTC actuator on the four cylinder engines. It sounds worse than it is, but it does not improve on its own.
Approaching the timing belt interval on a V6
These are interference engines, so a snapped belt causes serious damage. The water pump lives behind the same cover, so both go together or you pay that labor twice.
Shifting that has gone soft or slow
Transmission fluid specification. Acura units want the correct fluid and respond badly over time to a universal product.
Inside edge tire wear at the rear
Rear camber, shared with the Honda models underneath. Correctable, and worth doing before it destroys another set of tires.
Worth knowing
Cylinder deactivation is behind a lot of oil use
Acura's 3.5 V6 uses Variable Cylinder Management, shutting down cylinders at light load to save fuel. The side effect is that the deactivated cylinders run cooler and wetter, which shows up as oil consumption and as spark plugs that foul on the rear bank first. If a V6 Acura is using oil, that is where we look before anyone talks about an engine.
Models
Acura models we work on
The range we see most from Royal Oak drivers.
- MDX
- RDX
- TLX
- TL
- TSX
- ILX
- RL
- RSX
- Integra
- ZDX
- and older models too
What We Do
Everything your Acura needs, in one shop
Questions
Acura questions
Is Acura just a Honda?
When should the timing belt be done?
Does my Acura need special transmission fluid?
Do you have Acura diagnostic capability?
Also Asian
Other Asian makes we service
Or see every make we service, grouped by where it was built.
Book It
Book the Acura in
29444 Woodward Ave, Royal Oak. Tell us the model and mileage and we will tell you whether yours is on a belt or a chain.