What is the expected battery life for the RDX? Today after leaving the car on but not running for the update, it now refuses to start. Barely an hour or two in that mode. This is after having driven it a fair amount the last couple of days and this morning. Does it mean my car's battery is nearing its end of life? The car is 3 years & 3 months old and I use Auto Idle Stop quite a lot.

 

I can say I was having issues with mine dying in 30-40 minute updates. I had it into the dealer a moth ago for a few other things, and mentioned the battery issue. They replaced it. 2019 with 8,500 miles. I don't much (anything) about AGM batteries or what to expect in life expectancy. I have had lead batteries last 2 years, and last 8 years. I think those RDX batteries are in the $280-$320 range, so I was glad it was 'under warranty' still.

 

Interesting. Is the battery considered a warranty item? Is it covered by the 4 yr/50k miles warranty?

 

I can only say in my case, yes. I had not even thought about the warranty but had posted something here about the issues I was having and someone mentioned it....thankfully...because it saved me +/- $300. But I would definitely try to run it through your dealer.

 

yes sir!

see page 6 warranty booklet

 

Car Batteries are unpredictable when they fail. They all made by one or two companies, and its a coin flip. Nothing to do with Acura.

 

I took the car in to the dealer to have the battery tested and it came back as testing out OK. So looks like the car battery doesn't like the car being in Accessory mode.

 

When I do updates on my RDX I put my Battery Tender on the car just as a precaution. Some here tell me that is silly and isn't needed. Well, I do it anyway and I have never had a battery go dead on me.

As for batteries in US cars: Most aftermarket car batteries sold in the U.S. are made by three companies that build them for retailers: Johnson Controls, which supplies more than half of the market; Exide; and East Penn. If I remember correctly Honda branded batteries may be made by Johnson Controls. They will put whatever name you want on a battery. They bought out Delco's battery division some years back. They still say "Delco on the label but JC is running the company. Johnson Controls is part of a complex group of companies that have merged, spun off parts, bought up competitors, etc. They have sales of well over 30 billion dollars a year and have their fingers deep into the OEM auto supplier game. They are the largest supplier of automotive interiors as well as batteries and much more. I am sure you all know that on average 50% or more of a modern car is made by "someone else".

 

I just move the RDX out of the garage and leave the engine running when doing updates during the last 3 years and never had a battery issue.

 

I just wanted to post an update on this. My battery drained because of user error. The car was in "on" mode as opposed to "accessory" mode. I thought "accessory" mode just mean power on but engine off, but that's not the case. Yesterday, I completed the update just fine in "accessory" mode.

 

Good old “Pilot error” . Most of us have had more than one of those moments in life LOL!

 

That $ seems crazy... just like everything else from Honda. I have had a number ofcEast Penn AGMs in cars, boats & motorhomes and had very good luck w them. Current set in boat completed 8 seasons and still serving well... and I can't charge them during winter storage. I keep maintainer on the 8 - 6V GC AGMs in my motorhome.
Sams Club is about the best price on Duracell AGMs (about $150-$175) and they are made by East Penn.