2005 Acura MDX 70,000 mile review

[VNTS]

I believe they will be going to ZF transaxles very soon, mid 2012 for their cars and vans.

Per Honda, yes their transmissions still suck. My friend is a warranty manager for a group of stores up here and one is Honda and Acura.

They have many issues in the vans, pilot, Ridgeline. I would definately service them frequently to help.

Originally Posted By: hypervish
Chrysler transmission's still suck to date. They can't even make a good 4 speed transmission what makes them think they can make a good 6 speed. Their engineers need to go to school again, or do some extensive research before redesigning.

The newer Odyssey's definitely have a lot less transmission problems, this graph is not accurate at all.

 

[71Chevyguy]

I think it is sad that at this point the automatic transmission is still a mystery. So many years of making them and they still can not get it right and this goes for many manufacturers.
I had one of the first Acura MDX when it just came out. Can't say I loved the car. I think my issue was that I just could not get past it having to constantly downshift to achieve anything.I was living in NYC at the time and the fuel economy was just absurd. I will give it credit for one thing though, even though it required premium it did average 27 MPG on trips. Some of my longer trips were with the vehicle fully loaded to the ceiling with stuff as I was moving. 27 MPG in an suv that size full of stuff is impressive even if I did not like the vehicle personally. I was really glad when the lease was over on that one. Dealer service for issues was horrible as well. Might just be an NYC thing because any car I have owned or my parents have owned was not able to get any service at dealers there.

 

[Hokiefyd]

It's been a while since I checked in with this car. It just turned 110,000 miles this week, so it's been 40,000 miles since I wrote this review, and over 50,000 miles since we bought it. It continues to operate trouble-free. I've done some PM on it including the spark plugs, timing belt, and water pump. It sees lots of short trips, so it's a short OCI car (3,000 miles). The engine is very clean inside, though I never have cracked the valve covers to see what I can't see through the oil fill hole.

It will need some more PM in the next year or two. All suspension components are original, except for the rear upper control arms; those have been replaced with adjustable ones to dial-in correct camber. All shocks and struts and stabilizer bar links and bushings are original. They seem okay, but the car certainly doesn't drive as tight as our CR-V does, and it's looser than when we first got it, so it could use new dampers at least. I aim to do those in a few years, if not sooner.

Other than that, it's just gas and oil really. It had a front brake issue where it'd glaze the front rotors, and I turned them a few times before finally replacing the pads, and that problem hasn't returned since. It's got a pretty fresh set of Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires that don't seem to handle as well as the older Cross Terrains, but are certainly quieter and more comfortable. This car being my wife's vehicle, that's certainly okay. The engine and transmission continue to run without missing a beat. Everything just works. The navigation/touchscreen works. The A/C works. The DVD video player works. All power accessories work. This car just hasn't seemed to wear much. We take care of our cars, but it sure doesn't look and drive like 9 years old with over 100,000 miles.

My PM schedule:

Every 3,000 miles: oil and filter and tire rotation
Every 15,000 miles: ATF drain/fill (3 quarts), PSF turkey baster change
Every 30,000 miles: transfer case, VTM-4, and brake fluid exchange
Every 50,000 miles: coolant exchange

I hope to have another clean report when I check in 40,000 miles from now, with 150k on the odometer.

 

[rjundi]

Nice. Enjoying my 2007 MDX that is trouble free with 120,000 miles except for $7 AC clutch relay and $90 battery since 80k when I got mine. Everything works and my is loaded to hilt with Tech package including bluetooth, navigation and million other buttons on dash and 11 on steering wheel.

I have only changed transmission fluid once(according to service computer), AWD fluid once, and had timing belt changed for $650 and had someone do plugs for $150.