When is a warranty not a warranty?
08-20-2013, 03:52 PM
#1
AVB for President!
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When is a warranty not a warranty?
I recently took my 2005 TL into the dealership for scheduled maintenance as well as to diagnose some problems I've been having. One of the problems was a rough idle that started after losing battery power.
The dealership found that the battery is close to the end of its life (even though it was newly installed by another dealership in Apr 2009). They said that the 100-month warranty does not apply since my current battery was a warranty replacement (this is the THIRD battery that I've been through, even though I have a completely stock car).
Okay fine, at least the battery isn't terribly expensive to replace, although it still doesn't sit well with me why the Acura batteries are "going out" so quickly. The service manager mentioned that most batteries are expected to last 3-4 years, and if it gets 4, then that's great. Wtf? Why have a 100-month warranty then? Since warranty replacements are not warranted, this essentially means that the POS batteries that they've been using as replacements will just fail soon as well and owners will have to pony up to get a replacement.
To rub salt in the wounds, they also found that the HFL was not "shutting" down properly when the car is turned off, meaning it was the source of a parasitic drain, which is what was causing the battery to drain. Similar to above, the HFL was replaced under warranty about 2 years ago due to the inability to pair a phone to it. Non wear-tear items that are replaced are typically warranted for 12 months, so I was out of warranty. I've used the HFL maybe twice in the last two years and the fact it was faulty again just tells me how unreliable it is. Of course, given the short replacement warranty, I was out of luck. Of course, if I don't replace the module, my battery will just continue to drain, thereby contributing to the same problem described above. I was given the option to disconnect the HFL, but not only would I lose significant functionality, they quoted $165 to disconnect it. WHAT the F, right?
I guess what I am feeling about the HFL is that problem was there to begin with (I really doubt it "developed" this problem unless something did burn out, which would be quite aggravating since the replacement was so new). I asked the service manager to see if he could contact Acura Corporate to ask for some level of goodwill support. They denied my request in less than 2 hours. I realize they technically don't owe me anything, but this honestly pisses me off that not only did I have something that basically failed without use or significant age, they also refused to help out given its interconnectedness to the battery issue. Fine, they save a few hundred bucks here, but I did let the service manager know that stuff like this will figure strongly into future purchasing decisions. I realize lots of people say this, but I'm sure there are also lots of us that will hold true to this.
Anyhow, just venting..
The dealership found that the battery is close to the end of its life (even though it was newly installed by another dealership in Apr 2009). They said that the 100-month warranty does not apply since my current battery was a warranty replacement (this is the THIRD battery that I've been through, even though I have a completely stock car).
Okay fine, at least the battery isn't terribly expensive to replace, although it still doesn't sit well with me why the Acura batteries are "going out" so quickly. The service manager mentioned that most batteries are expected to last 3-4 years, and if it gets 4, then that's great. Wtf? Why have a 100-month warranty then? Since warranty replacements are not warranted, this essentially means that the POS batteries that they've been using as replacements will just fail soon as well and owners will have to pony up to get a replacement.
To rub salt in the wounds, they also found that the HFL was not "shutting" down properly when the car is turned off, meaning it was the source of a parasitic drain, which is what was causing the battery to drain. Similar to above, the HFL was replaced under warranty about 2 years ago due to the inability to pair a phone to it. Non wear-tear items that are replaced are typically warranted for 12 months, so I was out of warranty. I've used the HFL maybe twice in the last two years and the fact it was faulty again just tells me how unreliable it is. Of course, given the short replacement warranty, I was out of luck. Of course, if I don't replace the module, my battery will just continue to drain, thereby contributing to the same problem described above. I was given the option to disconnect the HFL, but not only would I lose significant functionality, they quoted $165 to disconnect it. WHAT the F, right?
I guess what I am feeling about the HFL is that problem was there to begin with (I really doubt it "developed" this problem unless something did burn out, which would be quite aggravating since the replacement was so new). I asked the service manager to see if he could contact Acura Corporate to ask for some level of goodwill support. They denied my request in less than 2 hours. I realize they technically don't owe me anything, but this honestly pisses me off that not only did I have something that basically failed without use or significant age, they also refused to help out given its interconnectedness to the battery issue. Fine, they save a few hundred bucks here, but I did let the service manager know that stuff like this will figure strongly into future purchasing decisions. I realize lots of people say this, but I'm sure there are also lots of us that will hold true to this.
Anyhow, just venting..
08-20-2013, 04:32 PM
#2
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I hear your pain on all of the above. The Acura batteries are notoriously weak and fail quickly. Most folks have gone to a Die-Hard Platinum or some other high end battery. Some of us low-weight folks have gone with Optima's or Braille batteries. I've used a light weight braille and it's served me very well for 2 years now.
The HFL is another frequently defective part that causes the parasitic loss you described. I personally detached mine, which took all of 10 minutes, since I never use it. Wow. $165 for 10 minutes? I'm in the wrong field I guess. There's a DIY on how to remove/replace the HFL here:
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-94/hfl-module-replacement-06-tl-843512/
The HFL is another frequently defective part that causes the parasitic loss you described. I personally detached mine, which took all of 10 minutes, since I never use it. Wow. $165 for 10 minutes? I'm in the wrong field I guess. There's a DIY on how to remove/replace the HFL here:
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-94/hfl-module-replacement-06-tl-843512/
08-20-2013, 04:39 PM
#3
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...Of course, if I don't replace the module, my battery will just continue to drain, thereby contributing to the same problem described above. I was given the option to disconnect the HFL, but not only would I lose significant functionality, they quoted $165 to disconnect it. WHAT the F, right?
Disconnecting the HFL should take you about 3-4 minutes, or 2 minutes if you're good with a ratchet drive-- see posts #7 and #13 in: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/battery-draining-hfl-related-892004/.
on not being stranded!!!!
08-20-2013, 04:56 PM
#5
AVB for President!
Thread Starter
Yeah, if this replacement fails again within 12 months, obviously the dealer will have to replace it at no charge. But if it fails again after a year, I'm just going to disconnect it myself.
You know what's funny? The service manager said that Interstate is one of the companies that makes the best batteries out there and they make the batteries that Acura uses... Hmm... Right.
You know what's funny? The service manager said that Interstate is one of the companies that makes the best batteries out there and they make the batteries that Acura uses... Hmm... Right.
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