Acura RL 2005 Owner's Manual

Determine which of the two bulbs
is burned out: turn signal or back-
up light.
Remove the socket by turning it
one-quarter turn counterclockwise.
Remove the burned out bulb by
pulling it straight out of its socket.
Open the trunk lid, and remove
the lef t or right maintenance lid.
Remove the mounting nut with an
8mmwrench.
Carefully pry in the top or bottom
edge of the with a small flat-tipped
screwdriver, and pull the trim
straight back.
Remove the two mounting bolts
with an 8 mm wrench.
Pull the taillight assembly straight
back out of the body.
2. 1.
3.
4.
5.6.
7.
8.
Lights
Replacing Rear Bulbs
320
MOUNTING NUT
MAINTENANCE LID BOLTS
BULBS
TAIL LIGHT TRIM

Dirt build-up in the loops of the seat
belt anchors can cause the belts to
retract slowly. Wipe the insides of
the loops with a clean cloth
dampened in mild soap and warm
water or isopropyl alcohol.
If your seat belts get dirty, use a sof t
brush with a mixture of mild soap
and warm water to clean them. Do
not use bleach, dye, or cleaning
solvents. Let the belts air-dry bef ore
you use the vehicle.
Install the new bulb in the socket
by pushing it straight in the socket
until it bottoms.
Reinstall the socket into the light
assembly. Turn it clockwise to
lock it in place.
Testthelightstomakesurethe
new bulb is working.
Tighten the mounting nut securely,
and reinstall the maintenance lid. When reinstalling the taillight
assembly, align and pop the snap
f asteners in place. Tighten the two
mounting bolts and reinstall the
trim in place.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13. Cleaning the Seat Belts
Lights, Cleaning the Seat Belts
Maint enance
321
LOOP

Make sure the rear f loor mats are
properly hooked to the f loor mat
anchors. Your vehicle is equipped
with f ront passenger’s seat weight
sensors. If the rear passenger’s f loor
mat is on the seat rail of the front
passenger’s seat, the sensors will
detect the decreased weight on the
seat and they may not work properly.
If you use a non-Acura f loor mat,
make sure it f its properly and that it
canbeusedwiththefloormat
anchors. Do not put additional f loor
mats on top of the anchored mats.
The floor mats that came with your
vehicle hook over f loor mat anchors.
This keeps the f loor mats f rom
sliding f orward/rearward and
possibly interf ering with the pedals
or making the f ront passenger’s
weight sensor’s inef f ective.
If you remove a f loor mat, make sure
tore-anchoritwhenyouputitback
in your vehicle. Floor Mats
Floor Mat s
322
DRIVER’S SIDE FLOOR MAT
FRONT PASSENGER’S
SIDE FLOOR MATREAR PASSENGER’S FLOOR MAT
HOOK HOOK HOOK
Front
Front Front

Push the edge of the cover on the
blade assembly until the other side
of edge is pivoted out, and remove
the cover.
Disconnect the blade assembly
f rom the wiper arm by removing
the two screws f rom the arm.
Adjust the windshield wiper arms
to the winter position by holding
bothwiperarmsasshowninthe
illustration at the same time (see
page ). Raise the wiper arms
of f the windshield.
Check the condition of the wiper
blades at least every 6 months.
Replace them if you f ind signs of
cracking in the rubber, areas that are
getting hard, or if they leave streaks
and unwiped areas when used.
2.
1.
3.
103
Wiper Blades
Maint enance
323
COVER
SCREWS
WIPER ARMS
HOLDING LOCATIONS
Do not open the hood when the wiper
arms are raised, or you will damage
the hood and the wiper arms.

Remove the blade f rom its holder
by grasping the tabbed end of the
blade. Pull f irmly until the tabs
come out of the holder.Examine the new wiper blades. If
they have no plastic or metal
reinf orcement along the back
edge, remove the metal
reinf orcement strips f rom the old
wiper blade, and install them in
the slots along the edge of the new
blade.Slide the new wiper blade into the
holder until the tabs lock.
Reinstall the blade assembly to the
wiper arm and tighten the two
screws securely. Reinstall the
cover by pushing in.
Set the wiper arms back on the
windshield. Adjust the windshield
wipers to their previously parked
position.
4. 5. 6.
7.
8.
Wiper Blades
324
BLADE
BLADE
REINFORCEMENT

CONT INUED
To saf ely operate your vehicle, your
tires must be the proper type and
size, in good condition with adequate
tread, and correctly inf lated.Keeping the tires properly inf lated
provides the best combination of
handling, tread lif e, and riding
comf ort.
Underinf lated tires wear unevenly,
adversely affect handling and fuel
economy, and are more likely to
fail from being overheated.
Overinf lated tires can make your
vehicleridemoreharshly,are
more prone to damage f rom road
hazards, and wear unevenly.
The f ollowing pages give more
detailed inf ormation on how to take
care of your tires and what to do
when they need to be replaced.
Check the pressure in the tires when
they are cold. This means the vehicle
has been parked f or at least three
hours, or driven less than 1 mile (1.6
km). Use a gauge to measure the air
pressure at least once a month. Even
tires that are in good condition may
lose one to two psi (10 to 20 kPa, 0.1
to 0.2 kgf /cm ) per month.
Remember to check the spare tire at
thesametime. We recommend that you visually
check your tires every day. If you
think a tire might be low, check it
immediately with a tire gauge.
Thetirepressuremonitoringsystem
(TPMS)willwarnyouwhenatire
pressure is low. See page f or
inf ormation on the TPMS. Add or release air, if needed, to
match the recommended cold tire
pressures on page .
277
326
Tires
Inf lation Guidelines
Maint enance
325
Using tires that are excessively
worn or improperly inflated can
cause a crash in which you can
be seriously hurt or killed.
Follow all instructions in this
owner’s manual regarding tire
inflation and maintenance.

If you check the pressure when the
tires are hot [driven f or several miles
(kilometers)], you will see readings 4
to6psi(30to40kPa,0.3to0.4
kgf /cm ) higher than the cold
reading. This is normal; do not
release air to match the cold
pressure.Every time you check inf lation, you
should also examine the tires for
damage, f oreign objects, and wear.
Youshouldlookfor:
Excessive tread wear. Cuts, splits, or cracks in the side
of the tire. Replace the tire if you
can see f abric or cord. Bumps or bulges in the tread or
side of the tire. Replace the tire if
youfindeitherof theseconditions.
Youshouldgetyourowntire
pressure gauge and use it whenever
you check your tire pressures. This
will make it easier f or you to tell if a
pressure loss is due to a tire problem
and not due to a variation between
gauges.
While tubeless tires have some
ability to self -seal if they are
punctured, you should look closely
for punctures if a tire starts losing
pressure. For convenience, the recommended
tire sizes and cold tire pressures are
on a label on the driver’s doorjamb. This chart shows the recommended
cold tire pressures f or most normal
and high speed driving conditions.
For additional technical inf ormation
about your tires, see page .
367
Tire Size/Ttpe
Compact Spare Cold Tire Pressure
Front
Rear
Tires
Tire Inspection
Recommended Tire Pressures
326
T155/70D17
110M
P245/50R17 98V
32 psi (220 kPa , 2.2 kgf/cm
)
30 psi (210 kPa , 2.1 kgf/cm
)
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm
)

In addition to proper inf lation,
correct wheel alignment helps to
decrease tire wear. If you f ind a tire
is worn unevenly, have your dealer
check the wheel alignment.
Have your dealer check the tires if
you f eel a consistent vibration while
driving. A tire should always be
rebalanced if it is removed f rom the
wheel. When you have new tires
installed, make sure they are
balanced. This increases riding
comf ort and tire lif e. For best results,
have the installer perform a dynamic
balance.To help increase tire lif e and
distribute wear more evenly, rotate
the tires every 7,500 miles (12,000
km). Move the tires to the positions
showninthecharteachtimethey
are rotated. If you purchase
directional tires, rotate only f ront-to-
back.
Your tires have wear indicators
molded into the tread. When the
tread wears down, you will see a
band 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) wide across
the tread. This shows there is less
than 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) of tread lef t
on the tire.
A tire this worn gives very little
traction on wet roads. You should
replace the tire if you can see three
or more tread wear indicators.
If you rotate tires, check air pressure
of all tires.
Tires
T ire Maintenance
T ire Rotation
Maint enance
327
INDICATOR LOCATION MARKS
TREAD WEAR INDICATORS Front
Front
(For Directional
Tires and Wheels)
(For Non-directional
Tires and Wheels)
Improper wheel weights can damage
your vehicle’s aluminum wheels. Use
only Acura wheel weights f or balancing.

It is best to replace all f our tires at
thesametime.If thatisnotpossible
or necessary, replace the two f ront
tires or two rear tires as a pair.
Replacing just one tire can seriously
af f ect your vehicle’s handling.Wheels:
Tires:
See page f or DOT tire quality
grading inf ormation, and page
f or tire size explanation.
Replace your tires with radial tires of
the same size, load range, speed
rating, and maximum cold tire
pressure rating (as shown on the
tire’s sidewall).
Mixing radial and bias-ply tires on
your vehicle can reduce braking
ability, traction, and steering
accuracy. Using tires of a dif f erent
size or construction can cause the
ABS and vehicle stability assist
system (VSA) to work inconsistently. If you ever need to replace a wheel,
make sure the wheel’s specif ications
match those of the original wheel
that came on your vehicle.
Replacement wheels are available at
your Acura dealer. 368
370
Tires
Replacing T ires and Wheels Wheels and T ires
328
17x8.0JAL(TPMS)
P245/50R17 98V
Installing improper tires on your
vehicle can affect handling and
stability. This can cause a crash
in which you can be seriously
hurt or killed.
Always use the size and type of
tires recommended in this
owner’s manual.

´
Tires marked ‘‘M S’’ or ‘‘All
Season’’ on the sidewall have an all-
weather tread design suitable for
most winter driving conditions.
For the best perf ormance in snowy
or icy conditions, you should install
snow tires or tire chains. They may
be required by local laws under
certain conditions. Mount snow chains on your tires
when required by driving conditions
or local laws. Install them only on the
f ront tires.
If you mount snow tires on your
vehicle, make sure they are radial
tires of the same size and load range
as original tires. Mount snow tires on
all f our wheels. The traction
provided by snow tires on dry roads
maybelowerthanyouroriginaltires.
Check with the tire dealer f or
maximum speed recommendations. Because your vehicle has limited tire
clearance, Acura strongly
recommends using the chains listed
below, made by Security Chain
Company (SCC).
Cable-type: SCC Radial Chain
CH2612T
CONT INUED
Tires
Winter DrivingT ire Chains
Snow T ires
Maint enance
329