2012 Acura RDX fuel

Before you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to use and how to check the
levels of important fluids. You also
need to know how to properly store
luggage or packages. The
information in this section will help
you. If you plan to add any
accessories to your vehicle, please
read the information in this section
first.Break-in Period
...........................
352
Fuel Recommendation
................
352
Service Station Procedures
.........
354
Refueling
.................................
354
Tighten Fuel Cap Message
.....
355
Opening and Closing the
Hood
...................................
356
Oil Check
................................
357
Engine Coolant Check
............
358
Fuel Economy
.............................
358
Accessories and
Modifications
..........................
362
Carrying Cargo
...........................
365
Before Driving
351
Before Driving
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Break-in Period
Help assure your vehicle's future
reliability and performance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the first 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:●Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.●Avoid hard braking for the first 200
miles (300 km).●Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.●Do not tow a trailer.
You should also follow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. Fuel Recommendation
Your vehicle is designed to operate
on premium unleaded gasoline with
a pump octane of 91 or higher. If this
octane grade is unavailable, regular
unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane of 87 or higher may be used
temporarily. The use of regular
unleaded gasoline can cause metallic
knocking noises in the engine and
will result in decreased engine
performance. The long-term use of
regular-grade gasoline can lead to
engine damage.
Avoid driving with an extremely low
fuel level. Running out of fuel could
cause the engine to misfire, damaging
the catalytic converter.
To help prevent harmful fuel system and
engine deposits, use high quality fuel
containing detergent and additives. In
addition, in order to maintain good
performance, fuel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain harmful manganese-
based fuel additives such as MMT, if
such gasoline is available.
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation35211/06/16 17:42:51 12 ACURA RDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STK650 enu

Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely affect performance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your dealer for service. Some
gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol. Your
vehicle is designed to operate on
oxygenated gasoline containing up to
10% ethanol by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol. If you
notice any undesirable operating
symptoms, try another service
station or switch to another brand of
gasoline.Because the level of detergency and
additives in gasoline vary in the
market, Honda endorses the use of
‘‘
TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline ’’
where available to help maintain the
performance and reliability of your
vehicle. TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline meets a new gasoline
standard jointly established by
leading automotive manufacturers to
meet the needs of today ’s advanced
engines. Qualifying gasoline retailers
will, in most cases, identify their
gasoline as having met ‘‘TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline ’’standards at the
retail location. This fuel is
guaranteed to contain the proper
level of detergent additives and be
free of metallic additives. The proper
level of detergent additives, and
absence of harmful metallic additives
in gasoline, help avoid build-up of
deposits in your engine and emission
control system. For further important fuel-related
information for your vehicle, or
information on gasoline that does not
contain MMT, visit My Acura at
owners.acura.com.
In Canada, visit
www.acura.ca
for additional
information on gasoline. For more
information on top tier gasoline, visit
www.toptiergas.com
.
Fuel Recommendation
353
Before Driving
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Refueling1. Park with the driver's side closestto the service station pump.
2. Open the fuel fill door by pulling on the handle at the outside of the
driver's seat.
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.●Stop the engine, and keep
heat, sparks, and flame
away.●Handle fuel only outdoors.●Wipe up spills immediately.
3. Remove the fuel fill cap slowly.You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank equalizes.
Place the cap in the holder on the
fuel fill door.
4. Stop filling the tank after the fuel nozzle automatically clicks off. Do
not try to ‘‘top off ’’the tank. This
leaves some room in the fuel tank
for the fuel to expand with
temperature changes.
If the fuel nozzle keeps clicking off
even though the tank is not full,
there may be a problem with your
vehicle's fuel vapor recovery
system. The system helps keep
fuel vapor from going into the
atmosphere. Try filling at another
pump. If this does not fix the
problem, consult your dealer.
FUEL FILL DOOR RELEASE HANDLE Pull
FUEL FILL CAP
TETHER
HOLDER
Service Station Procedures35411/06/16 17:42:51 12 ACURA RDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STK650 enu

5. Screw the fuel fill cap back on untilit clicks at least once. If you do not
properly tighten the cap, you will
see a ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP ’’
message on the multi-information
display (see right column on this
page), and the malfunction
indicator lamp may also come on
(see page 466).
6. Push the fuel fill door closed until it latches. Tighten Fuel Cap Message
If your fuel fill cap is loose or
missing, a
‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP ’’
message appears on the multi-
information display after you start the
engine. Turn the engine off, and confirm the
fuel fill cap is installed. If it is, loosen
it, then retighten it until it clicks at
least once. When you can restart the
engine, the message appears again.
The message goes off after several
days of normal driving once you
tighten or replace the fuel fill cap. To
scroll to another message, press the
INFO (
/
) button.
If the system still detects a leak in
your vehicle's evaporative emissions
system, the malfunction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the fuel fill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine off, and check or
retighten the fuel fill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL should
go off after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If the MIL does not go off,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more information, see
page 466.
Service Station Procedures
355
Before Driving
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Engine Coolant CheckLook at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, seeAdding
Engine Coolant on page 424 for
information on adding the proper
coolant. Refer to
Owner's Maintenance
Checks on page 417 for information
about checking other items on your
vehicle. Actual Mileage and EPA Fuel
Economy Estimates Comparison.
Fuel economy is not a fixed number.
It varies based on driving conditions,
driving habits and vehicle condition.
Therefore, it is not possible for one
set of estimates to predict fuel
economy precisely for all drivers in
all environments.
The EPA fuel economy estimates
shown in the example to the right are
a useful tool for comparison when
buying a vehicle. EPA estimates
include:
City MPG
－Represents urban
driving in a vehicle in light traffic. A
range of miles per gallon achieved is
also provided.
Highway MPG －Represents a
mixture of rural and interstate
driving, in a warmed-up vehicle,
typical of longer trips in free-flowing
traffic. A range of miles per gallon
achieved is also provided.
RESERVE TANK
MAX MIN
Service Station Procedures, Fuel Economy35811/06/16 17:42:51 12 ACURA RDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STK650 enu

Combined Fuel Economy－
Represents a combination of city and
highway driving. The scale
represents the range of combined
fuel economy for other vehicles in
the class. Estimated Annual Fuel Cost
－
Provides an estimated annual fuel
cost, based on 15,000 miles (20,000
km) per year multiplied by the cost
per gallon (based on EPA fuel cost
data) divided by the combined fuel
economy.
For more information on fuel
economy ratings and factors that
affect fuel economy, visit
www.
fueleconomy.gov
(Canada: Visit
www.
vehicles.gc.ca
)
Fuel Economy FactorsThe following factors can lower your
vehicle's fuel economy:●Aggressive driving (hard
acceleration and braking)●Excessive idling, accelerating and
braking in stop-and-go traffic●Cold engine operation (engines are
more efficient when warmed up)●Driving with a heavy load or the air
conditioner running●Improperly inflated tires
(Sample U.S. EPA label shown)
City MPG
Combined Fuel
Economy Highway MPG
Estimated Annual
Fuel Cost
CONTINUED
Fuel Economy
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Before Driving
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Improving Fuel EconomyVehicle MaintenanceA properly maintained vehicle
maximizes fuel economy. Poor
maintenance can significantly reduce
fuel economy. Always maintain your
vehicle according to the maintenance
messages displayed on the
information display (seeOwner's
Maintenance Checks on page 417).
For example:●Use the required engine oil (see
page 420).●Maintain proper tire inflation －
An underinflated tire increases
‘‘ rolling resistance, ’’which reduces
fuel economy.●Avoid carrying excess weight in
your vehicle －It puts a heavier
load on the engine, increasing fuel
consumption.
●Keep your vehicle clean －In
particular, a build-up of snow or
mud on your vehicle's underside
adds weight and rolling resistance.
Frequent cleaning helps your fuel
economy.
Drive Efficiently●Drive moderately －Rapid
acceleration, abrupt cornering, and
hard braking increase fuel
consumption.●Observe the speed limit －
Aerodynamic drag has a big effect
on fuel economy at speeds above
45 mph (75 km/h). Reduce your
speed and you reduce the drag.
Trailers, car top carriers, roof
racks and bike racks are also big
contributors to increased drag.
Fuel Economy36011/06/16 17:42:51 12 ACURA RDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STK650 enu