nothing works acura 3.5 rl 2005

Asked by slava888 Jan 24, 2012 at 05:43 PM about the 2005 Acura RL SH-AWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

coudn't start, open windows, trunk etc

3 Answers

205

I'm having the same problem. Drove the car to the car wash. Attendant vaccumed the car and drove it onto the automatic wash car pull system. When the car reached the other end of the washing process, it would not start. Totally dead, can't turn the ignition key, no dashboard warning lights or sounds, trunk won't open, nothing. When I jump start the battery the car starts fine, have to reset all the codes (radio, gps, etc.) . When I turn the ignition off and then back on, everything appears to be normal. When I tried to start the car the next morning (yesterday), same problem all over again. This time after jump starting the battery, I drove it to my mechanic. He tested the battery (cranking strength and charge of the batter) and it tested fine. He tested the output of the alternator (13.3 volts, mechanic said it should be around 14 volts) but because the battery was fully charged he did not think that was the problem. Left the car overnight to let the mechanic hopefully see for himself what the problem is. Have not yet heard from my mechanic. By the way, this same problem occured 18 months ago when I ended up replacing both the battery and alternator with genuine Acura authorized replacement parts. I'll keep you posted.

12 people found this helpful.
205

I got my Acura back from the mechanic. He did not find anything wrong with it. He is located in Arcadia, CA just east of Pasadena, CA. He suspects the car suffers from, "Little Ole Lady from Pasadena Syndrome" (i.e. not being driven enough). The Acura is usually driven by my wife, who drives it to and from the gym, mall, and grocery store. When we go somewhere on weekends, we usually take her car. I don't know if I buy that hypothesis. However, the car has not encountered the same symptom since being recharged overnight at my mechanic's shop.

2 people found this helpful.
205

Tried to disable the HFL in my 2005 Acura RL. However the Operators Guide gives no instructions for same. Both my wife and I disable (turned off) the Bluetooth capability in our cellular phones and "Viola" the problem of the battery going dead "at our house" in our garage disappeared. But that only eliminated 85% of our dead battery problem. The HFL is capable of detecting any Bluetooth phone within close proximity (even those Bluetooth phones that are not "Paired" with the car's HFL). So the problem still occurs but less frequently (i.e. if a person with a bluetooth phone is in the car, (a friend, a mechanic changing the oil, or installing new tires, or getting the car washed, etc.) when the ignition is turned off can cause the battery to go dead (within 5-10 minutes). Acura will replace the HFL for $800 (labor and parts) or disalbe the HFL for a "Diagnostic Fee" of $115. I tried to disable it myself but couldn't.

6 people found this helpful.

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