My MDX doesn't start :(

[MDXpression]

Agreed. It varies wildly. My BMW batteries lasted forever and with battery abuse . E.g., letting it sit for weeks and often. My MDX battery dies at 4 years and 44k. All batteries at sourced from outside suppliers such as Interstate and Johnson Controls. Most run about the same price when sold to the OEM. So I doubt OEMs have an agenda to strand their customers with shoddy batteries. Also the climate, vibration and usage cycle plays a role.

[Dominik-X]

Originally Posted by nsxtasy

Do you mean the next time you did not drive it for two WEEKS, or for two DAYS?

TWO days. Parked it on a Friday night, Monday morning it did not start.

[AC_MDX]

The Acura batteries are one of the smallest batteries used on SUV's. My Mercedes SUVs batteries were huge compared to the Acura, and I used 3 batteries (OEM and 3rd party) over the 108K miles that I put on each one of my ML SUVs. Smaller batteries normally have smaller reserves, which makes the Acura batteries very prone to discharge fast.

All my batteries only have lasted around 2 years here in Houston. Maybe because I always have my AC on (no pun intended), my fan high, and I like to use my stereo system loud. Here in Houston, TX, it is very hot and you normally need to run the AC and fan at max, which is not good when you are in rush hour traffic since the alternators only run at around %50 capacity around idle or less when the outside temperature becomes very hot, which can drain the battery if your overall electrical load is large. Knowing the these batteries don't like and are not designed to be deep cycled, it is not a surprise that they die fast, in my case.

With Acura, if you are in an emergency and the dealer is closed, you need to call Acura road side assistance first, if you want to have a refund. You need to bring the old battery, too.

On my 2011 MDX, I had to change the battery a couple of months ago because it just suddenly died at a parking lot. One of the battery cells seemed to have failed and the voltage was way below 12 volts and the battery load test showed it defective. My MDX has now around 45,000 miles.

AC

[fredthenav]

Okay--what's the HFL unit???

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by fredthenav

Okay--what's the HFL unit???

Hands-free link.

(I asked the same question a couple of days ago.)

[fredthenav]

I am just getting to 40k miles and have had no problems. Car sits in garage for several days a week as I do not get off the mountain much---when I do drive it (2 to 3) times a week, it is usually for 2-3 hours. Have had no trouble with original battery. Will be keeping an eye on it though---no other vehicle around where I live.

[fredthenav]

TKs NSXTASY---

[cl206]

To the OP, ask if people have 20ft jumper cables, if not see if they can help you go buy one. That should do the trick. I think even a 16 feet might reach but you should measure the distance.

[ND40oz]

Originally Posted by Dominik-X

This happened to me last year. I came back from a two weeks vacation and the X would not start. Jump-started it and it was fine until the next time I did not drive it for two days. Dealer replaced the battery, but it happened again. Then they found the HFL unit was not turning off and was draining the battery. They replaced the HFL along with another battery and no problem since.

The HFL issue seems to be common on this car.

Yup, the HFL fails and pulls over an amp when the vehicle is off, it'll go dead overnight on really cold days.

It's in the rear of the center console, you need to yank the rear vents straight out and you can unplug it for a quick fix. Then just get the dealer to take care of it the next time you go in.

[Leorooster]

I really appreciate the great advices from everyone. I am still busy with work after my vacation, so the X will sit in the garage for now until I have time to take care of it. Hopefully, I will be able to do something in the coming weekend.

BTW, how do I know if the HFL unit is not turning off?

[Dominik-X]

Originally Posted by Leorooster

I really appreciate the great advices from everyone. I am still busy with work after my vacation, so the X will sit in the garage for now until I have time to take care of it. Hopefully, I will be able to do something in the coming weekend.

BTW, how do I know if the HFL unit is not turning off?

You would have to do a parasitic draw test. I think that's what they call it.

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by skinny2

Are you an authority on batteries and have some proof to dispute my position? I agree vehicles have more electronics which will tax the batteries, but good aftermarkets appear to last far longer than OEM's. There's clearly a huge difference in battery quality based on most product testing I've seen. What incentive would a manufacturer have to install a 30-60 month battery on a car with a 12 month warranty? I haven't had an OEM batter last more than about two years in a long time. And those are on my daily-driver cars which rarely sit.

Dude, I've bought new cars since 1999, and never replaced a battery in under 4 years, some longer than that.

I just replaced my MDX battery. It's a 2007. It has 85,00 miles. It's been in service for 5 years. If you haven't had one last more than 2 years, well, maybe you ought to look at some other factors....

[Bill_de]

Originally Posted by skinny2

Are you an authority on batteries and have some proof to dispute my position? I agree vehicles have more electronics which will tax the batteries, but good aftermarkets appear to last far longer than OEM's. There's clearly a huge difference in battery quality based on most product testing I've seen. What incentive would a manufacturer have to install a 30-60 month battery on a car with a 12 month warranty? I haven't had an OEM batter last more than about two years in a long time. And those are on my daily-driver cars which rarely sit.

What cars only have a 12 month warranty? The first oem battery I've replaced since the 1980's was the one in my '11 X which was replaced under warranty.

I agree that manufactures will try to save where they can, but not so much that they destroy their reputation.

[skinny2]

Originally Posted by Bill_de

What cars only have a 12 month warranty? The first oem battery I've replaced since the 1980's was the one in my '11 X which was replaced under warranty.

I agree that manufactures will try to save where they can, but not so much that they destroy their reputation.

Batteries are considered "USE" or "WEAR" items generally covered under the basic vehicle warranty (which in most cases is 12 months). Many have additional clauses for battery coverage which gives you full warranty for that period and then pro-ration after that. Some are only covered for the 12 months with no pro-ration. I haven't read every owners manual from cover to cover nor have I googled every brand to find out if this information is 100% up-to-date. I have a life, but if some troll wants to spend their free time on that, be my guest.

I have a fleet of about 100 vehicles for my business and these days it's not uncommon to have batteries go in the 2-3 year period, where-as ten years ago we never replaced one during the typical five year life. Our previous Odyssey battery lasted about 18 months. I didn't want the same junk in there regardless of warranty so I bought a high quality battery and it was perfectly fine when I sold it five years later. $100 vs a trip to the dealer with an unknown outcome...that's an easy choice in my book

[Bill_de]

Originally Posted by skinny2

Batteries are considered "USE" or "WEAR" items generally covered under the basic vehicle warranty (which in most cases is 12 months). Many have additional clauses for battery coverage which gives you full warranty for that period and then pro-ration after that. Some are only covered for the 12 months with no pro-ration. I haven't read every owners manual from cover to cover nor have I googled every brand to find out if this information is 100% up-to-date. I have a life, but if some troll wants to spend their free time on that, be my guest.

I have a fleet of about 100 vehicles for my business and these days it's not uncommon to have batteries go in the 2-3 year period, where-as ten years ago we never replaced one during the typical five year life. Our previous Odyssey battery lasted about 18 months. I didn't want the same junk in there regardless of warranty so I bought a high quality battery and it was perfectly fine when I sold it five years later. $100 vs a trip to the dealer with an unknown outcome...that's an easy choice in my book

I'm wondering if the warranty for fleet vehicles is different than for individuals. I'm also not sure if you are in the US. Most cars have at least a 3 year base warranty, sometimes called bumper to bumper. The drive train warranties are even longer.

It is possible the oem's are using lower capacity batteries to save on weight. Ford did it years back and had a lot of battery failures.

I'm just happy that my dealer replaced mine, before I knew I had a problem. That's the way all repairs should be handled.