bladest

Hi i am considering switching to Rlx hybrid, pre face lift, model but i dont know since in our little small country in europe where i live Bg.
If my battery goes bad or with problem can the car be driven with the petrol engine only or car is automatically on limp/ mode so u cant drive it or it wont start at all can someone clarify?
I have same question in regards of rear steering wheels... if they go bad can the car be driven with the noises or not at all?
In order to receive parts from Usa or Canada i need to wait at least 2-3 months if not more...
and i dont have dealership or someone with software....

rlx015

https://exclusivelyhybrid.com/can-yo...t-the-battery/

bladest

This is in general of all hybrid cars i need specific information about acura and rlx hybrid ,

What will happen if my hybrid/traction battery goes bad or have bad cells, will i be able to start and run the car or not at all?

TampaRLX-SH

The Sport Hybrid relies on the 12V battery to start the car and electronics to boot up. So just as any ICE car, you would need to jump start the car if the 12V battery dies. I keep a small portable jumper in the car for this purpose (but have only used it to aid other drivers with dead batteries).

bladest

I already have 12v portable jump / booster, but my question was in regards of Hybrid battery

Car batteries at 12v are widely available but hybrid battery doesnt available,
so even if my hybrid battery have bad cell or its completely dead my car will still run and start correct?

TampaRLX-SH

I do not know of any RLX SH that has yet had the hybrid high voltage battery fail. That said, this links speaks to behavior of a failing battery pack and replacement of the RLX high voltage battery pack.

https://repairpal.com/estimator/acur...placement-cost

Hybrid high voltage batteries most commonly fail as a result of memory or one or more bad cells. When batteries fail due to memory or degradation of cells the vehicle will loose efficiency (as rated in MPGe). This is because the battery can no longer propel the vehicle with as much energy or for as long as it was previously capable. In some cases, the service hybrid battery (or similar) warning light will display, and the vehicle may no longer be able to drive as an electric vehicle, or even support the ICE with hybrid power. In the worst cases, the vehicle may be completely disabled, even though the 12-volt electronics still function.

bladest

So i will receive hybrid battery warning on the dash, and i will be to drive it on petrol without hybrid power and hybrid efficientcy and thats it ?
I can use it like a normal car ?

jdpdata

Nobody really knows as the Sport Hybrid hasn't been out that long, since 2016 AFAIK. In my opinion, you're taking a big risk buying a car that's not available in your country. You going to have a hell of a time finding parts for this very low volume car. It took me weeks just to secure a new windshield. I wouldn't do it if I were you.

rlx015

RLX Sport Hybrid is a little bit different because it has 3 separate electric engines - but the concept of being a hybrid car is no different. Questions you are still asking are in that article, so my recommendation is to find as much as you can and read through that information.
It is unlikely anyone with failed RLX SH battery will be on the forum because they likely got rid of the car, just in case if no one responds... at the same time 2022 is the year when these batteries are "expected" to get out of warranty... so, I hope someone can share their first hands-on experience with the failed hybrid battery...

I am originally from a neighboring country there near Bulgaria, and trust me - not a good idea to get this car where there is no service support, especially not the car that was in existence from 2014-to-2017... no matter how cheap it is, even if it was free to you... it is not free, it will not be free

bladest

Hi all car will be year 2014 hybrid acura rlx,
there is a chinese glass /windshield,
on that year there arent acura watch, and even if they are such systems they can be transfered to the new windshield easily. I recently saw broken front window of acura with that glass which was for sale in Canada...
rlx hybrid is out since year 2014.
Is it better to buy a lexus 450h, with 250.000miles and 10 years old , from europe without never seeing it and full dealership service history?

As far as i understand warranty is either 8 years or 100.000miles a lot of hybrid rlx are already more than 100.000miles so they should be out of warranty...
Too bad very few people are using old hybrid acura rlx.over the forums... since most people exchange it for newer car...

psheu

I've seen RLX hybrid battery for sale on eBay. Some from '14-'17 some from '18 -'20, so gotta get the year straight cuz they are a little bit different.

bladest

So car cannot be driven without hybrid battery?

psheu

I don't think anyone of us has purposely disconnected the hybrid battery to see if the car can still run. Plus, I think you have to jump through hoops to disconnect the hybrid battery that's behind the rear passenger seat.
Then again, I could've been wrong. Did anyone do what I just described?

mrgold35

I imagine the Acura engineers factored in diminished Li-On battery pack capacity over time, failed/failing cells, and failed EV battery pack. Just don't know if any of those situation will just give you a warning message with reduced EV performance or require you to call a flatbed tow truck?

phile

Saw a battery booster thingy at Costco the other day for around $60. This thread got me thinking I might have to do a return trip to Costco.

jdpdata

Anyone have any ideas how much replacement battery packs might cost? They should last 8-10yrs easily?

TampaRLX-SH

The average cost for an Acura RLX hybrid high voltage battery replacement is between $4,542 and $4,674.

https://repairpal.com/estimator/acur...placement-cost

jdpdata

That's not bad at all. I was thinking double that.

TampaRLX-SH

Also keep in mind the factory Acura warranty on the hybrid battery is 8 years or 100K miles., And considering a replacement Voodoo engine is my Shelby GT350 is 28K, I am not complaining.

jdpdata

I wonder if AcuraCare Extended warranty cover the Hybrid Battery Pack. This is the snippet of what's Not Covered. So can I assume the Lithium Ion Hybrid battery packs are covered. I got extended coverage for our MDX until 9/2026 or 80K miles. Currently only 32K miles.

batteries (except for nickel/metal hydride, lithium ion, and polymer lithium ion batteries used in hybrid vehicles)

TampaRLX-SH

Dunno as I did not get extended warranty on the RLX or NSX (but I did on the Shelby). Fortunately both Acuras have been bulletproof.
But I remember in my early days of ownership doing some research on the hybrid battery pack and found there were several services popping up that rebuild the battery packs with reconditioned cells. It was around $2k at that time if I remember. If you get eager to search, you might find that post out here. But do a google search for hybrid battery reconditioning and there are several vendors that specialize in this and I see pricing in the $500 - $1K price range....less than a transmission. My RLX is near 7 years old and I see no degradation in the battery or overall avg mpgs.

hondamore

The topic of replacing the hybrid battery was discussed a while ago and it was brought up that Acura has a hybrid battery exchange program where a hybrid owner can "trade in" their old hybrid battery for a reconditioned one with new cells. I believe the cost was around $1500. I don't know if that number includes the labor cost of the physical changeover of the battery.

Edit: if you look in the sticky threads under 2014 RLX, there is a thread called IMA Battery Exchange Program. If you click on that, it give some of the details for the program. For the RLX Sport Hybrid, the labor is estimated at 3.3 hours.

psheu

I think the OP lives in Bulgaria and's trying to get an RLX SH to drive there. There are no dealership or support for RLX where he lives. That is why he's inquiring about car driving without the hybrid battery if it goes bad. I think the warranty is void if the car goes there.

jdpdata

OP is in for a world of grief and pain if he wants to buy a car not supported in his country. Crazy if you ask me. No matter how good of a deal it is, this is a very bad idea. Especially a low volume car like the RLX. I fear we may not have parts available in the coming years. Took forever to get my windshield replaced.

bladest

Warranty is void here for any country even if its a brand new car, i dont care about warranty

in regards of windshield in Bg 1 person with RLX car petrol and he uses chinese windshield. So no one cares about genuine stuff.

mrgold35

The RLX hybrid windshield needs to reflect the Head Up Display (HUD) and you need to calibrate the Acurawatch cameras located behind the windshield if you do replace with the Chinese brand. It could mean blurry HUD and Acurawatch either not working or worse not working correctly and causing an accident.

bladest

Before face lift acura rlx doesnt have head up display so no one cares about that at least here in Bg, before face lift cars doesnt have acura watch as well,
this is what i have saw here.

mrgold35

The +18 RLX came with the full Acurawatch system:
Forward Collision Warning (FCW, camera in windshield)
Lane Departure Warning (LDW, camera in windshield)
Blind Spot Information (BSI, rear quarter panel radar system)
Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS, front facing radar in grill)
Adaptive Cruise Control with low speed follow, (ACC, front facing radar in grill)
Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS, camera in windshield)
Road Departure Mitigation (RDM, camera in windshield)
Traffic Jam Assist (TJA, combo of front facing radar and windshield camera)
Head Up Warning (HUW, reflected off windshield infront of driver)
Rear Cross Traffic Monitoring (radar in rear quarter panels, activated only in reverse)

The 14-17 RLX only had the full Acurawatch system on top models like the Advance hybrid or non-hybrid powertrains. The other models still had a few camera based safety features depending trim level like:
Forward Collision Warning (FCW, camera in windshield)
Lane Departure Warning (LDW, camera in windshield)
Blind Spot Information (BSI, rear quarter panel radar system)

I don't know if the safety features are different for Canadian the versions of the 14-17 non Advance RLXs? You might have to skip the Advance version of the 14-17 RLX if OEM replacement parts are going to be an issue in BG.

bladest

The guy with chinese glass , fyio something, everything works all of the system on his pre face lift rlx advance package.

Triaque

BLADEST


OEM Parts can be purchased at JPCarparts.com.

If you are mechanically inclined and passionate about owning one of these vehicles, email JPcarparts and ask them if they will ship Honda Legend parts of the year you desire. Also ask them do they plan on supporting this vehicle parts stream for “X” number of years.

I have been buying 1992 and 1994 Legend parts that are not available in the US from them for several years now. Some items that are no longer sold by dealers here in the US are still sold in Japan by this company.

As far as the Hybrid battery. Here in the US there are companies that sell fully remanufactured battery packs for this vehicle shipped to your door. These same companies will sell you the separate battery cell replacement kits on a trade-in basis, the cheaper option. There are ways to do what you want if you really want to.

The one issue you cannot overcome is the software upgrades.

bladest

I cannot read error codes of the car clear them or , learn new modules for example throttle body or anything needs reprogramming no software available and no software upgrades as well.
I never heard about these japan site and i am not sure if they ship to Bg?

Triaque

BLADEST

JPCarpart ships world wide. You just pay based on your location.

You can diagnose the RLX SH, clear codes, and run some active tests/diagnostic routines with the X-Tool D8. Email the company and they will send you two large PDF documents with all the technical details specific to the RLX and other Hondas.

https://www.xtooleshop.com/wholesale...cu-coding.html

bladest

But how i can do the upgrades ?
i think only dealerships in canada or usa can make them, at least honda BG cannot do anything since they dont have any software at all for RLX i personally asked them?

TampaRLX-SH

Did you ask Honda of BG if they could acquire software for the Honda Legend? That is what the RLX actually is.
Diagnostic Tools and Software

Also my 2016 RLX SH does have the HUD.

bladest

Honda legend was never sold in my country and they are franchize no one will, buy software for non existing cars, where is the point to do that, no such cars on the road.
The guy with chinese front windshield also have hud so i guess chinese is the best and widely available.

TampaRLX-SH

Probably so. The Acura RLX was available in the USA, Canada, China, Korea and Russia, Honda LEGEND for the rest of the world. Without Honda software (same as Acura) I do not see how you will be able to address your code and firmware issues.

DanL07RL

Isn't ANYONE going to answer the OP's original, specific question? As usual with this group, lotta talk and off-tangent stuff, but no answers.

Is it advised to drive the Acura Hybrid on ICE alone after the hybrid battery fails??

TampaRLX-SH

Wow.

I posted a link to a service advisory in post # 6 which DID answer.

In some cases, the service hybrid battery (or similar) warning light will display, and the vehicle may no longer be able to drive as an electric vehicle, or even support the ICE with hybrid power. In the worst cases, the vehicle may be completely disabled, even though the 12-volt electronics still function.

Thanks for reminding me how much more I enjoy my Acura when not participating in these petty shots. Time to loose this forum link. Adios.

mrgold35

I think the OP is looking for answers we just don't know.

I figured the 8yr/100,000 hybrid component warranty offered by Acura is the end point of time/miles we would see any significant issues. I'm also guess-i-mating most of us probably won't see problems starting until the 9-12 years and 120,000 to 150,000 mile mark depending on how we drive the RLX (garage queen to Uber/Lyft driver). Meaning, we could see some 14/15 RLX hybrid starting to have issues now; but, we will probably wouldn't know if they are not on this forum. The best we can do is provide possible avenues for a fix if battery issues occurs on a older model RLX hybrid.

DanL07RL

Au contraire. STILL no answer. The question is: "If it's not disabled, can it still be driven on the ICE without significant damage to the car?" So come back and try again, Snowflake.