Acura batteries fail twice in 5 years.

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Old 05-07-2018, 10:36 AM
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Acura batteries fail twice in 5 years.

So my 2013 TL decided not to start over the weekend. I had to jump start this morning and drive to the dealership only to find out it's NOT covered under Acuracare. Great!

I bought the TL new in 2013. In 2016 battery was replaced under the original warranty. 2018 now it fails again. Best part is it says "Acura 100 month warranty" on the battery. Their 100 month definition is not the same as mine obviously. The service advisor says that the warranty for the battery replaced under warranty expires at 4 years/50K miles which now I understand by reading their warranty language. The 100 month thing is only IF I pay for the battery.

Mind you, my other Acura (2014 MDX) also has the same failure rate. Failed twice in 4.5 years. The 2nd time, I replaced it with a Autozone one because the MDX doesn't have Acuracare.

I am sure I'll get a call saying I need a new battery for $180 or something. I'll probably buy the Interstate one from Costo or something. Thoughts?

Pretty disappointed for the stupid Acura batteries AND the fact that it's not covered under Acuracare.
Old 05-07-2018, 10:42 AM
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surprised that you havent come across MULTIPLE threads saying that the Acura batteries are terrible.
it seems as if Acura decided to cut cost and skimp out on batteries. been happening since the 3G TL's.

I also live in Houston with the temp swings...summer = 100+ degrees. winters gets down to 15 degrees.
which plays havoc on batteries.
on average, I tend to get about 3 years from an aftermarket battery..costco's, autozones..
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Old 05-07-2018, 11:41 AM
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Originally Posted by justnspace
surprised that you havent come across MULTIPLE threads saying that the Acura batteries are terrible.
it seems as if Acura decided to cut cost and skimp out on batteries. been happening since the 3G TL's.

I also live in Houston with the temp swings...summer = 100+ degrees. winters gets down to 15 degrees.
which plays havoc on batteries.
on average, I tend to get about 3 years from an aftermarket battery..costco's, autozones..
Well then my thread is another anecdote LOL.

At least with aftermarket you'll get prorated warranty after 3 years.
Old 05-07-2018, 07:30 PM
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As justnspace said, Acura batteries are crap, mine was replaced about 2 years ago under warranty. As soon as mine dies I'm probably going to pick up an Odyssey battery.
Old 05-07-2018, 07:35 PM
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Service records indicate my 2012 SH is now on its 4th battery.

But one of those can be attributed to the car sitting during a very cold winter while it went up for auction.
Old 05-07-2018, 09:39 PM
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Originally Posted by dopeboy1
Service records indicate my 2012 SH is now on its 4th battery.

But one of those can be attributed to the car sitting during a very cold winter while it went up for auction.
You are the winner :P
Old 05-07-2018, 10:27 PM
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I had to replace my OEM battery after 3 years. Of course it failed on a Saturday and Acura Dealer was closed . There was a battery shop down the road that had the extreme batteries options for auto and they were still open on that Saturday. Since I have a car cam draining the battery while I park,(yearly temps 95 to -25) I bought a pricey monster deep cycle battery . So far no issues with Odyssey 34R-PC1500T with height spacer plus 850cca. The car cam ran to the shut off voltage on 5 days -20+ this winter , I left it on when I went out of town. When I got home used the remote starter and boom the car started on an extremely cold day.
Old 05-08-2018, 09:27 AM
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Surely Acura resolved the Bluetooth issue by now? The one where the module drains the battery.
Old 05-08-2018, 09:29 AM
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Originally Posted by mossman77
Surely Acura resolved the Bluetooth issue by now? The one where the module drains the battery.
the bluetooth module isn't made by Acura..
Old 05-08-2018, 04:04 PM
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Jesus Christ. You know what I mean. I didn't say Acura manufactures them. By resolve, I meant discontinue using the problematic module(s) in their vehicles. I've experienced premature battery failure and alternator failure in an MDX and in a TL due to faulty BT modules.

Last edited by mossman77; 05-08-2018 at 04:16 PM.
Old 05-09-2018, 10:12 AM
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Update: Dealership did call back with $180 to replace the battery. I declined and bought a Costco Interstate instead. My love for Acura went down a bit but fortunately, the TL still drives nice and looks good IMO.

The dealership did a good job washing the car, change oil, replacing a couple of things under Acuracare, and giving me a loaner. They weren't however able to replicate a couple of intermittent issues I noted. Overall, they are good in my book.
Old 05-09-2018, 10:28 AM
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LoL $180 for their crappy battery. Better jump on that ASAP! It's like paying extra for an automatic transmission from a '99 TL to be installed in your car.

Seriously. Both Honda's and Acura's batteries (presumably the same supplier) have been going downhill for sometime. I would never consider their batteries when you could get a high quality Interstate, NAPA or Duralast for half the price.
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Old 05-09-2018, 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted by hadokenuh
Update: Dealership did call back with $180 to replace the battery. I declined and bought a Costco Interstate instead. My love for Acura went down a bit but fortunately, the TL still drives nice and looks good IMO.

The dealership did a good job washing the car, change oil, replacing a couple of things under Acuracare, and giving me a loaner. They weren't however able to replicate a couple of intermittent issues I noted. Overall, they are good in my book.
If you don't mind me asking, what battery group did you get from Costco? According to https://costco.interstatebatteries.com/ there isn't a battery available for the 4G TL
Old 05-09-2018, 02:23 PM
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Originally Posted by VanyDotK
If you don't mind me asking, what battery group did you get from Costco? According to https://costco.interstatebatteries.com/ there isn't a battery available for the 4G TL
It was MegaTron with 700amp crank power. It was the only one available for the car and fits perfectly. I couldn't find it on the website either but they had it at the local store.
Old 05-09-2018, 02:41 PM
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24 and 35 with a height spacer. Sure there are more. Had far better luck with the Megatron plus vs Megatron II, just fyi.

Last edited by Anicra; 05-09-2018 at 02:44 PM.
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