deadbattery

I have had my battery dying on me since I bought the car. It has been in th shop f6 times and is currently there. They have changed the battery 3 times, reprograamed and replaced AcuraLink, changed the Alternator, but nothing has helped.

Acura Client Services basically told me to get lost and get a lawyer if I wanted to for the Lemon Law (Which, by the way applies in this case: Mileage, days in the shop, number of times in the shop for the same problem). They also told me: get this: You do not drive the car enough (8K miles/yr) and to CHARGE THE BATTERY EVERY NIGHT IF I WANTED IT TO WORK PERFECTLY.

It has been 7 days now since it has been in the shop. 2 Acura Client Services Managers have told me basically to BUG OFF!!!

All I want is the car to be reliable and guaranteed that it is reliable or change the car.

I am at a loss and have contacted a lawyer for the Lemon Law.

If anyone has any advice, please forward.
Thanks.

dwest1023

Did they run a current test on the battery to see what the vehicle draw was with the engine off? Was the charging voltage checked? This is not rocket science. I cannot understand how Acura could not fine this problem. What I do is check the car for current drain with the car off. If it is high or more than 1amp, I pull each fuse ,one by one unti lthe current drops. Problem solved. They should be able to tell if the alternator is charging with a $10 meter. Unreal

dwboston

Take a look at these posts for folks who had issues with batteries dying. Maybe one can help you.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...7&postcount=12

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=544

The second one relates to a known issue with the 2005 RL, where using the inside trunk release button after shutting the car off would cause the battery to drain.

gavine

My car is 13 months old and I only have 5K miles on it. It's all short trips. My battery is just fine so the "not driving it enough" is total BS. I understand their philosophy on it, but it's bogus.

You didn't add an underdrive pulley, did you? If so, perhaps the alternator isn't spinning enough to recharge the battery on all of those short trips? Just a thought.

kirbyflorida

Did you add any after market items to the car.
This whole thing does not add up. Is there more to the story??

neuronbob

Welcome to AZ, deadbattery.

Sound advice noted above from people who have experienced battery issues. Is the dealer installing the OEM Delco batteries. Have you considered going aftermarket?

getakey

I agree that this does not add up. Should be very simple to check for current drain or lack of charge.

csmeance

this is commonly caused by a bad hands free link unit which overdraws from the battery with the car off. Removal of the handsfreelink fuse will drop the voltage being drawn, this can be check with a multimeter from radioshack, drawn should be around 35-40 miliamps.

mr_allenp

How do you check drawn voltage when the engine is off using a digital multimeter. And can the same method be used while the engine is running to check for voltage drawn while the engine is running?

db22

How many dealers have you been to? They ALL can't be hopeless.As has been said, it's not rocket science and I'm sure that every dealer has the ability to check this out.

dwest1023

You have to use an amp meter with the engine off. One lead goes to the battery and the other to the hot wire of the battery that you remove. that will measure your current draw. You can check the charging system with a volt meter, by first checking the voltage before starting the car and then after. With the car off you should see around 12.5 volts. Once the car is started, you should see at least 13volts or more. It should not read over 14.5V. For a battery that is draining down, the amp meter is best to find the problem. You want to see what is drawing the battery down when it sits. It should be less than .5 amps. 1 amp or more will kill the battery quickly when the car is off.

deadbattery

Thank you all for your assistance with the dead battery issue. I am picking up the car today. The only thing they found after 1 week is: Maybe you did not turn the ignition switch all the way and ACC were still on.

I am looking at the lemon law. Acura Client Services are the S---. They really do not care !!!

larrynimmo

I just changed the battery on my old 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan...i happen to have a clamp on DC amp probe. ... i checked the key off amperage and found it to be about .12 amps.