2012 ACURA RL service

Bef ore you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to use and how to check the
levels of important f luids. You also
need to know how to properly store
luggage or packages. The
inf ormation 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 . 382
................. Fuel Recommendation . 382
......... Service Station Procedures . 383
.................................... Ref ueling . 383
..... Tighten Fuel Cap Message . 385
Opening and Closing
................................ the Hood . 385
................................... Oil Check . 387
............. Engine Coolant Check . 387
............................... Fuel Economy . 388
... Accessories and Modif ications . 391
............................. Carrying Cargo . 393
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving
381
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Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:
Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).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
perf ormance. The long-term use of
regular-grade gasoline can lead to
engine damage. Do not change the oil until the
multi-inf ormation display indicates
it is needed.
Do not tow a trailer.
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced.We recommend quality gasolines
containing detergent additives that
help prevent f uel system and engine
deposits. Break-in Period Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
382
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance, and
cause the malf unction indicator lamp
on your instrument panel to come on. If
this happens, contact your dealer f or
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. We recommend quality gasoline
containing detergent additives that help
prevent f uel system and engine deposits.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain harmf ul manganese-
based f uel additives such as MMT , if
such gasoline is available.
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CONT INUED
Park with the driver’s side closest
to the service station pump.
Open the f uel f ill door by pressing
the button in the driver’s door (to
open the f uel f ill door manually,
see page ). 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
perf ormance and reliability of your
vehicle. TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline meets a new gasoline
standard jointly established by
leading automotive manuf acturers to
meet the needs of today’s advanced
engines. Qualif ying gasoline retailers
will, in most cases, identif y their
gasoline as having met ‘‘TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline’’ standards at the
retail location. This f uel is
guaranteed to contain the proper
level of detergent additives and be
f ree of metallic additives. The proper
level of detergent additives, and
absence of harmf ul metallic additives
in gasoline, help avoid build-up of
deposits in your engine and emission
control system.For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation f or your vehicle, or on
inf ormation on gasoline that does not
contain MMT, visit My Acura at
. In Canada, visit
f or additional
inf ormation on gasoline. For more
inf ormation on top tier gasoline, visit
.
1.
2.
511
owners.acura.com
www.acura.ca
www.toptiergas.com
Service Station Procedures
Ref ueling
Bef ore Driving
383
FUEL FILL DOOR RELEASE BUTTON
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Screw the f uel f ill cap back on
until it clicks at least once. If you
do not properly tighten the cap,
you will see a ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL
CAP’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display, and the
malf unction indicator lamp may
also come on (see page ).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
If thefuelnozzlekeepsclickingoff
even though the tank is not f ull,
there may be a problem with your
vehicle’s fuel vapor recovery
system. The system helps keep
f uel vapor f rom going into the
atmosphere. Try f illing at another
pump. If this does not f ix the
problem, consult your dealer. Remove the f uel f ill 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.
Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top of f ’’ the tank. This
leaves some room in the f uel tank
for the fuel to expand with
temperature changes. 3.
4.5.
6.509
Service Station Procedures
384
TETHER FUEL FILL CAP
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.
Stop the engine, and keep
heat, sparks, and flames
away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.
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Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release lever located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly. Your vehicle’s on board diagnostic
system will detect a loose or missing
f uel f ill cap as an evaporative system
leak. The f irst time a leak is detected
a ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’ message
appears on the multi-inf ormation
display. Turn the engine of f , and
conf irm the f uel f ill cap is installed. If
it is, loosen it, then retighten it until
it clicks at least once. The message
should go of f af ter several days of
normal driving once you tighten orreplace the f uel f ill cap. To scroll to
another message, press the INFO
button. The ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’
message will appear each time you
restart the engine until the system
turns the message of f .
If the system still detects a leak in
the vehicle’s evaporative emissions
system, the malf unction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the f uel f ill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine of f , and check or
retighten the f uel f ill 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 of f ,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more inf ormation, see
page .1.
509
CONT INUED
Opening and Closing the Hood Tighten Fuel Cap Message
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
385
HOOD RELEASE LEVER
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If the hood latch handle moves
stif f ly, or if you can open the hood
without lifting the handle, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated. Reach between the hood and the
f ront bumper with your f inger.
Slide the latch handle up.To close the hood, lower the hood to
about a f oot (30 cm) above the
f ender, then f irmly press down on
the f ront edge of the hood. Make
sure it is securely latched. Lif t the hood up most of the way.
The hydraulic supports will lif t it
uptherestof thewayandholdit
up.
2.3.
Service Station Procedures
386
LATCH
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Remove the dipstick again, and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower
mark, see on
page . Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.
Remove the dipstick (orange loop).
Wipe the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole.Look 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, see
on page f or
informationonaddingtheproper
coolant.
Refer to
on page f or inf ormation
about checking other items on your
vehicle. 4.
1.
2.
3.458461
452 Engine Coolant Check
A dding Engine Oil Oil Check
A dding
Engine Coolant
Owner’s Maintenance
Checks
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
387
MAX
MIN LOWER MARKUPPER MARKRESERVE TANK DIPSTICK
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Although your tire pressure is
monitored, you must manually check
thetirepressuresmonthly.
Each tire, including the spare, should
be checked monthly when the
vehicle is cold, and set to the
recommended inf lation pressure as
specif ied on the vehicle placard and
intheowner’smanual(seepage
).
If the tire is f lat, or if the tire
pressure is too low to continue
driving, replace the tire with the
compact spare tire (see page ). If you think you can saf ely drive a
short distance to a service station,
proceed slowly to the station, then
inflate the tire to the recommended
pressure.If you have a f lat tire, the low tire
pressure/TPMS and tire monitor
indicators will come on. Replace the
indicated f lat tire with the compact
sparetire(seepage ).
After the flat tire is replaced with the
spare tire, the low tire pressure/
TPMS indicator stays on while
driving. Af ter several miles
(kilometers) driving, this indicator
begins to f lash, then stays on again.
You will also see a ‘‘CHECK TPMS
SYSTEM’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display. This is normal;
the system cannot monitor the spare
tire pressure. Manually check the
sparetirepressuretobesureitis
correct.
This indicator and the warning
message on the multi-inf ormation
display will go of f , af ter several miles
(kilometers) driving, when the spare
tire is replaced with the specifiedregular tire equipped with the tire
pressure monitor sensor.
Never use a puncture-repairing agent
in a f lat tire. If used, you will have to
replace the tire pressure sensor.
Havetheflattirerepairedbyyour
dealer as soon as possible.
Each wheel is equipped with a tire
pressure sensor. You must use
TPMS specif ic wheels. It is
recommended that you always have
your tires serviced by your dealer or
a qualif ied technician. 482
496497 Changing a T ire with T PMS
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
430
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