Is Acura Service Usually This Bad? 12 Months of Getting the Runaround on My New MDX
I don't think I will be buying another Acura again. It is not the same quality product they used to make and they just don't stand behind it. Their EV investments must have really taken a toll on their finances to get them to nickel and dime like this. If you are debating about an Acura goto Lexus, I owned several Lexus's prior to this and it was nothing but postive experiences and great customer service. Here is my saga:
-July 2025 : Purchased 2025 MDX Aspec Advanced.
-One way home from dealership- Noticed a odd vibration around 65-70MPH on the highway. Something just felt off. Felt like a flat spot in the tires. Figured maybe the car was sitting on lot for a while so i thought it would go away after some miles.
-Aug 2025: 500 miles in car still vibrates. Also I noticed the bumpers on the car and not properly aligned. Front bumper is not sitting flush on the car and its causing the front grill to be slightly miss aligned. Schedule service at dealer and they replaced front right tire, told me the bumper hood/grill alignment - > 'It is what it is' and they cant do anything about it.
-I get the car back and the vibration is till there, slightly better but still feels off. I drive the car a bit to see if it will go away, it does not.
-Sep 2025: Schedule service again for the same vibration issue. Dealership is about 1hr20Min from my house so this is starting to become an inconvenience, I ask the dealer for a loaner, they give me a hard time but say they will do it. I arrive at dealership and they tell me i have to wait there for up to 3.5hr of service because this doesn't qualify for a loaner. I am at the dealership with my wife and 2 small children. I tell him I have the confirmation text about a loaner. Service advisor responds to my request by saying " I cant make a car for you they are all gone". After making enough of an argument about this situation and showing the service advisor the texts a loaner magically appears. I also ask them to look at the bumpers again because when hood closes the grill is almost rubbing against the hood.
-Get car back and services performed: They supposedly balanced all 4 tires. Said they cant do anything about bumper misalignments "the are all like this" and gave me a number to call with Honda.
-Sep 2025: Call Honda and open ticket. I mention panel alignment and vibration as the issue. They don't seem to car much and said they will get back to me.
-Oct 2025: Get a call from Honda Corporate and they tell me to go to dealer and sort it out with then. I tell them that I was at the dealer and they told me to call Honda. Round and round we go for about an hour. Honda support begins to blame all of this on me and says when they car left the factory it was within specification which is what the service department documented. (Even though in person the service advisor acknowledged that panel misalignment is common.) So we are at a stalemate and they tell me to goto dealer.
-Oct 2025 : At this point I am contemplating this mess and the decision of purchase the Acura. First priority for me is to get this vibration addressed. I goto discount tire near my house and pay out of pocket for them to rebalance the tires. I am standing in the shop with the tech as he is roadforce balancing the tires, the right rear tire is completely out of spec. The tech says check this out, spins the tire and it bobs like an egg. (You would think this would have been addressed at Acura when they rebalanced all the tires...). I end up purchasing new tire out of pocket, because this is no longer worth my time. And....PROBLEM SOLVED!
-Oct 2025: Dont hear back from Honda so I call them back tell them what happened, they refuse to do anything about panel alignment and again tell me to goto the dealer. I call the dealer and they tell me to call Honda because they don't have power to do anything. I tell the dealer about the tire and he said to call Honda because they can reimburse.
-Oct 2025: I call Honda and file a reimbursement claim for tire.
....... Weeks go by and no response, Honda stops responding to my emails...
-Feb 2026: At this point i just stopped wasting my time and energy on this. I get an email 'Your check has been approved' It to 4 Months.....
-March 2026: Noticed paint peeling on edge of rear bumper, where its rubbing against corner panel. Those 'in spec' panel alignments are now causing issues.
-April 2026: Schedule appointment at different dealer 1hr30min away. Better loaner experience. Service advisor looks at the paint and goes 'Yup this is common, its a lot more noticeable on the white cars'. He tells me they have to take photos and submit it to Honda for approval and they work with a local body shop to address it.
-Aug 2026: No word from Honda or the dealer. Every time inquire, I get the we are working on it...
Aug 2026: Issue still not resolved, I have give up all hope on Acura and Honda. But now the car has developed a weird whooping sound around the timing chain cover, sounds like a bad idler pulley or something. I am dreading the idea of having to goto dealership for warranty work.
If you plan on giving Honda $70,000 for a new premium car. Take your money somewhere else.