Hi all,

Have a 2006 Acura TL. Its been real cold here in the DC area due to the polar vortex and the other day I noticed my rear trunk was open. I then tried to unlock the door automatically and nothing happened, no power anywhere.
I was able to jump the car without issues. 2 days later (today) I tried to start the car and it wouldn't start and there was barely any power left. Lights were very dim and power lock options wouldn't work. Had to jump the car a 2nd time. I noticed that there was no "battery water" in one of the holes and started to think I may need a new battery replacement. I replaced my original factory battery back in 2009 under warranty and has been going strong for the past 4.5 years. I called the dealer and the service guy suggested I bring the car in to get the HFL module checked out to ensure nothing was utilizing the battery when the power is turned off. I was very hesitant to commit to bringing it in and am deciding to just go out and buy a new battery (i.e. Costco or Interstate) and be done with it.

Given my situation, should I just replace the battery and see what happens and then perhaps bring the car in for an HFL check or just replace the battery? What are the chances of this being an HFL issue? The guy said the check was free of charge but it always seems something else goes wrong when I bring the car in. Also I'm trying to avoid having to keep jumping the car to avoid risking ruining the alternator. Open to all of your suggestions, including battery options. Dealer quoted me their Interstate 24F brand 550 cca for $138. For that price I figured I may as well go for the Interstate MegaTron plus battery for a little less. Appreciate your time and apologize if this has already been posted. I'm trying to make a decision tomorrow. Thanks!

 

With the trunk open, the light was most likely on for a long time and the cold weather isn't helping. With a low fluid cell of the battery, you likely have an internal short in the battery, and with the deep cycle discharge (when the trunk was open), the battery is likely toast. Go to Autozone, Advance, Walmart, pretty much whatever you want, and get a new battery (will probably be ~ $90 with the core exchange). If the HFL was working previously, I doubt that's an issue. Assuming good results (which will probably happen), you're done. Usually, the HFL will be faulty if it doesn't work or displays 'Booting Up' on the MID.

 

+1, doubt this is an HFL issue. This is a dead battery issue.

 

4.5 yrs is plenty out of a battery. my oem one lasted about 1.5 yrs then it went bad, and thats in socal weather that never gets below 30 degrees.
luckily oem battery has a great warranty, free replacement within 3 yrs just got a new one free of charge yesterday

 

Thanks guys for your replies. I'm going to pickup an Interstate MT-24F for $110 including install down the street from me. I know it didn't get the best reviews on Consumer Reports but all the dealers told me I didn't need the MTP-24F (MegaTron Plus) unless I lived somewhere that was cold all year round. For the DC area, the MF-24F should suffice. Hope it works out. We shall see. If anyone has any opinions on this battery, i'm open to listening for the next 4 hours lol. Thanks!

 

I live in Colorado, I bought a Diehard 6 mos ago, the OEM finally crapped out. I bought a Diehard cuz Sears was close...no issues so far.

 

I think that if you buy a quality battery, no matter what brand that's the right fit for the car, it should be fine. Just make sure it has a decent warranty (most batteries these days are 60 or greater month prorated warrantees and usually a 2 year full replacement warranty.

 

you are able to tell whether it's the HFL issue by pressing the voice command button on your steer wheel. if there's no response or display on your dash, then the HFL is out and you need a new one or simply unplug it if you dont use it.

 

Ok thanks for the info aIRpeACE. Is there a tutorial/easy set of instructions on how to unplug the HFL. I'll try googling it if that does happen to be the case but first and foremost, I'll replace the battery and then test it out. Thanks.

 

First and foremost, I wouldn't disconnect the HFL unless it was actually not working. If you swap out the battery and all is well, disconnecting the HFL is a waste of time and it eliminates one of the useful features of the TL.

Here's the link to disconnecting the HFL though:

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/how-remove-overhead-console-556355/ (look about 1/2 way down the page)

 

Thank you sir! Good info to have handy just in case.

 

it will take you literally 2 seconds to test your HFL. test that first because that might be the reason of drained battery. just recharge your battery if it's only 4 years old

 

Trunk probably has your battery very low on power. I agree 4.5 years is much of the battery's useful life but I would top off the fluid with distilled water, give it a full charge and see what happens.

 

Definitely change the battery due to the age and the dry cell. Always get a battery with the highest Cold Cranking Amps as a replacement.

 

my original acura battery lasted me 8 years, my current one is 4 years old and even in the coldest weather (-28f) it started the car on the first crank. The replacement battery was made for construction equipment and it is awesome...

since your battery has damage (dry cell), get rid of it.