2001 Acura RL steering

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

Do not leave the light switch in
AUTO if you will not be driving the car for an extended period (a week
or more). You should also turn off
the lights if you plan to leave the
engine idling or the engine off for a
long time. This will prevent the
battery from discharging.
The automatic lighting feature iscontrolled by a sensor located on top
of the dashboard. Do not cover this
sensor or spill liquids on it. Daytime Running Lights
(Canadian Models)
With the headlight switch off, the high beam headlights come on withreduced brightness when you turn
the ignition switch to ON (II) and release the parking brake. They
remain on until you turn the ignition
off, even if you set the parking brake.
The headlights revert to normal operation when you turn them on
with the switch.
Instruments and Controls

LIGHT

SENSOR

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

Instrument Panel Brightness
The dial on the dashboard to the left of the instrument panel is used to
adjust the brightness of the lights in
the controls and displays. Turn the dial to adjust the brightness. To reduce glare at night, the instru-
ment panel illumination dims when you turn the light switch to or
Turning the instrument panel
brightness control fully to the left, past the detent, will return the instru-
ment panel to its full brightness.
Signal a turn or lane change with this
lever. Push down on the lever to signal a left turn, and up to signal a
right turn. If you push it up or down all the way, the turn signal continues
to blink even when you release the
lever. It shuts off automatically as
you complete the turn.
Instruments and Controls Turn Signals
TURN SIGNAL LEVER
INSTRUMENT PANEL
BRIGHTNESS DIAL

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

To signal a lane change, push lightly on the turn signal lever in the proper
direction and hold it. The lever will
return to the center position as soon as you release it. Fog Lights
Turn the fog lights on and off by pressing the button. The indicator in
the button lights to show the fog
lights are on. You can use the fog lights only when
the headlights are on low beam.
They will go off when you turn the headlights off or onto high beam.

On cars with automatic lighting

With the light switch in the AUTO position, you can also use the fog
lights when the headlights turn onautomatically. They will go off when
the headlights turn off.
Instruments and Controls
Cars with navigation system

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

Windshield Wipers

The right lever controls the wind- shield wipers and washers. The
rotary switch at the end of the lever
has three positions: INT: intermittent
: low speed
: high speed

In intermittent, the wipers operate

every few seconds. The sweep

interval will change slightly with

speed; getting shorter as you drive

faster. In low speed and high speed,
the wipers run continuously.
You can vary how often the wipers
sweep the windshield by turning the
INT TIME ring next to the rotary
switch.

If you turn the INT TIME ring to the shortest delay, the wipers will
change from intermittent to low speed operation when vehicle speed
exceeds 12 mph (20 km/h).
Instruments and Controls

Controls Near the Steering Wheel
To operate the wipers in mist mode, push the control lever down. The
wipers run at high speed until you release the lever. This gives you a
quick way to clear the windshield.
Wiper Arms Winter Position

The windshield wiper arms have two
parked positions: Winter and
Summer. In the winter position, thearms sit slightly above the edge of
the hood. This reduces the possibili-
ty of damage to the wiper arms or
windshield wiper motor by a build-up of snow and ice.
Adjust the wiper arms to the winter position by grasping either arm near
the pivot. Pull on the arm, parallel to
the windshield, until it locks in the
higher position. Push the arm in theother direction to return the wipers
to the summer position. A heavy build-up of snow or ice on
the wiper arms will cause them toautomatically park in the winter

position.

Instruments and Controls

WIPER ARMS

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

Windshield Washers
To clean the windshield, pull back on the wiper control lever. The washersspray until you release the lever. The
wipers run at low speed while you're pulling the lever, then complete one
more sweep of the windshield after
you release it. Hazard Warning
Push the red button to the left of the
clock to turn on the hazard warning
lights (four-way flashers). This causes all four outside turn signals
and both indicators in the instrument
panel to flash. Use the hazard
warning lights if you need to park in a dangerous area near heavy traffic,
or if your car is disabled.

Instruments and Controls
Cars with navigation system

Controls Near the Steering Wheel
Rear Window Defogger
Th
e rear window defogger will clear
fog
, frost, and thin ice from the
window. Push the defogger button to turn it on and off. The light in the
button lights to show the
defogger is
on. If
you do not turn it off, the
defogger will shut itself off after
about
25 minutes. It also shuts off
when you turn off the ignition. You have to turn it on again when you
restart the car. Make sure the rear window is clear
an

d you have good visibilit
y before
starting to drive.
The defogger and antenna wires on the inside of the rear window
can be
accidentally damaged. When
cleaning
the glass, always wipe side
to side. Steerin
g Wheel Adjustments

See page 17 for important safety
information about how to properly
position the steering wheel.

You

r Acura's
steering wheel is
electrically-adjustable
for angle and
distance. The adjustment switch is
on the left side of
the steering
column.
Always adjust the steering
wheel before you begin driving.

CONTINUED

Instruments and Controls
Adjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
caus

e you to lose control o
f the
car
and be seriously injured in a
crash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when
the car is stopped.
Cars with navigation system

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

1. Locate the adjustment switch on the left side of the steering column.Move the steering wheel, in, out,
up, or down by pushing and
holding the adjustment switch in
that direction. 2. Release the switch when the
steering wheel reaches the
desired position. Make sure the
steering wheel points towards
your chest, not toward your face, and that you can see the

instrument panel gauges and

warning lights. The AUTO switch controls automat-
ic movement of the steering wheel.
When this switch is in the ON posi- tion, the steering wheel automatical-
ly moves fully in and up when you re-
move the key from the ignitionswitch.

Instruments and Controls
Automatic Movement

AUTO SWITCH