2001 Acura RL 3.5 Owner's Manual

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

The two levers on the steering column contain controls for driving
features you use most often. The left
lever controls the turn signals, headlights, and high beams. The
right lever controls the windshield
washers and wipers.
The switch for the hazard warning lights is on the dashboard to the
right of the steering column.
The controls under the left air vent are for the cruise control, instrument
panel brightness and the VSA
System.

The switches for the rear window defogger and fog lights are under
the audio system.
The steering wheel adjustment switch on the side of the steering
column allows you to tilt and
telescope the steering wheel.

Instruments and Controls
VEHICLE
STABILITY

ASSIST SYSTEM
OFF SWITCH
HEADLIGHTS/
TURN SIGNALS HAZARD WARNING
LIGHTS WINDSHIELD
WIPERS/WASHERS

REAR WINDOW
DEFOGGER

HORN
FOG
LIGHTS

INSTRUMENT

PANEL

BRIGHTNESS

STEERING WHEEL

ADJUSTMENTS

CRUISE
CONTROL

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

Headlights

The rotating switch on the left lever controls the lights. Turning this switch to the position turns on
the parking lights, taillights, side marker lights, and rear license plate
lights. Turning the switch to the position turns on the
headlights. If you leave the lights on with the
ignition switch in ACCESSORY (I)
or LOCK (0), you will hear a
reminder chime when you open the driver's door.

On cars with automatic lighting

When the light switch is in either of these positions, the Lights Onindicator comes on as a reminder.
This light remains on if you leave the light switch on and turn the ignitionswitch to ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK
(0).
To change between low beams andhigh beams, pull the turn signal leveruntil you hear a click, then let go.
The blue high beam indicator will light (see page 57).
CONTINUED
Instruments and Controls

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

To flash the high beams, pull the turn signal lever back lightly, then
release it. The high beams will comeon and go off.
The high beams will stay on for as long as you hold the lever back, no
matter what position the headlightswitch is in. Automatic Lighting

On U.S. models

The Automatic Lighting feature turns on the headlights, all other
exterior lights, and the instrument
panel lights when it senses low ambient light.
To turn on automatic lighting, turn the light switch to AUTO at any time.
The lights will come on automatically when the outside light level becomeslow (at dusk, for example). The Lights On indicator comes on as a
reminder. The lights and indicator
will turn off automatically when the system senses high ambient light.
The lights will remain on when you turn off the ignition switch. They will
turn off automatically when you openthe driver's door. To turn them on
again, either turn the ignition switch
to ON (II) or turn the light switch to Even with the automatic lighting
feature turned on, we recommend that you turn on the lights manually
when driving at night or in a dense
fog, or when you enter dark areas, such as long tunnels or parking
structures.

Instruments and Controls
AUTO POSITION

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