I have a 2017 RDX base. My RDX has 260k miles & runs great. Batteries would last about 2 years so I opted to use AAA batteries that come with a 3 year replacement warranty. I had a new AAA battery installed on May 26, 2022 & it went dead on September 19, 2023. I called AAA & requested that they send out their battery truck to check my battery. When the AAA rep checked the battery he stated that it was dead & said he would not replace it unless I had the receipt from the previous battery. I told him I did have the receipt in my glove box. That caught him off guard. Then he said he would not replace the battery unless I paid him $240. Feeling like he was trying to scam me I told him to leave. I then contacted AAA on the phone & filed a complaint. While being on the phone they would transfer me to another representative & then I started to get the runaround. Bottom line….AAA DOES NOT HONOR THEIR BATTERY WARRANTY. I ended up going to AutoZone & bought a battery from them. Once my AAA membership is over I will not renew & will NOT recommend them.

 

There are people and companies you just can't trust. Good to know about this.


RFT!!!!
Dave Kelsen
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If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you'll have trouble putting on your pants.

 

I had no problems replacing a AAA battery even without receipt a year or two ago. They were able to scan the barcode on the battery, see that it was theirs and replace it on the spot. It sounds like you had a bad third party company experience that was just trying to exploit it.. I would leave them a bad Yelp review and report that to AAA corporate as well. A single case of this does not make the entire company bad...

 

I spoke with a supervisor on the phone & filled out a survey that they texted me. I replied on their review of service as TOTALLY DISSATISFIED. It’s been a week & they haven’t responded. This is the second battery that did not last the full 3 year warranty for my RDX.

 

Any chance you have another outstanding issue in your car that's causing you to go through batteries like that? My last AAA battery lasted 5 years

 

That does seem excessive, and from the way you wrote about it, it would appear that you expected it. I would say that given the breadth of experience on this board, and the fact that no one else has reported experiencing this regularly, there is something draining or otherwise affecting your car.

That doesn't excuse AAA, of course. They made an agreement, and then chose not to live up to it.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
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"I'm not a fatalist. But even if I were, what could I do about it?" -- Emo Philips

 

Consistent with my experience, never any problems with warranty always honored without a receipt. In fact, when my wife had an SC430 they replaced the battery at least two times for no charge. I find this one of the better features of being member.

 

The original reason I ended up with a AAA battery in my RDX is because of their 3 year warranty. Yes, they did replace a failed AAA battery in May of 2022 & were professionally kind about. During this incident, I spoke with 3 different AAA representatives on the phone after the battery rep refused to replace. The last AAA rep I spoke with said she was a supervisor. AAA sent me a review & I submitted my account of what went down. They have not as of today, responded to my review of their service. Maybe it was a random incident ……I just won’t be doing anymore business with them.

 

Based on your high mileage, did anyone check your charging system to make sure it is working properly. 16 months is a very short time for any battery.

 

I had the Acura dealership check it out & found nothing wrong

 

So what is it charging at? On my 2017 RDX it is always at 14.4V which is just right for a conventional battery.

 

My RDX is in the the shop for an oil leak. I had them check the possible charge issue again. It’s 14.4 charge. So,….I asked the mechanic what he thought might be causing the battery to go bad & his thoughts were that FL is hot/humid & the high mileage I was putting on the RDX is tuff on batteries. He also stated that he has heard of these problems with AAA in our area. Bottom line…..AAA did not honor their 3 year battery warranty replacement.

 

The humidity is not the issue but the temperature is. If you are at say 100F, then 14.4V is overcharging the battery. Is that still the original alternator, or has it been replaced with an aftermarket unit. The hotter it is, charge voltage should be reduced and normally the voltage regulator with negative temperature compensation or a temperature probe to the charge system takes care of that.

You should get what I have, plug it in and see what the charging system is doing when it is hot. I have had 16 and 14 years out of factory installed conventional batteries.

 

Looks like my last response was blocked…..anyways had by RDX in for repairs….oil leak & new timing belt. Also, had charging checked & all is good with that. My RDX now running better than “new”…..oil leak repaired, new timing belt & a new battery (not a AAA). Ready for the next 100k miles