i have a 08 mdx with about 10,000 miles on it and i have been having trouble with starting up. Ocasionally the car will not start up in the mornings, No i do not leave the cars interior lights on or sit in the car listening to the radio. I live in northern cali so the weather shouldnt be a problem. I took the car to the dealer 2 times already and now i have to go agin so this will be the 3rd time going. the car is still having problems stating and sometimes the car wont even turn over. It would be just completly dead.
the first time i went they said it was my battery so the replaced the battery.
the 2nd time i went they said the car had alot fo stored codes and the car would drain the battery even when shut off.
well none of these fixed the problem. I was wondering how many times do i have to let the dealer fix it and it not being fixed will it be considered a lemon?

 

http://ag.ca.gov/consumers/general/lemon.php

 

go to another dealer. sounds like the charging system could be the weak link though.

 

Alternator?


on the stored codes depleting your battery. Maaaaybe if your car sat for a really really long time but thats not the case. Whats the parasitic drain on those altogether? Its usually measured in milliamps.... and can go up to tenths of an amp at most. Comparably, an MDX can take up to ~150 amps (IIRC) just to start the car.

 

it could be a loose belt or a bad connection on the alternator. this may explain why it happens once in a while.

 

We have an '08 MDX Tech purchased at Christmas but haven't experienced anything like what you described. I will note that sometimes you have to be careful that the rear liftgate is fully closed, otherwise the interior lights will stay on.

 

Do you have a power liftgate? They had some parasitic drain issues with those on the 07's. I have seen a lot of parasitic drain issues from bluetooth as well.

Try another dealer would be my solution.

 

i have no liftgate no bluetooth phone connected to the car. Also i told them 4 times that could it be the alternator, and they kept insisting that it is not the alternator. I dont know what expalnation he gave but he was like NO WAT IS IT THE ALTERNATOR, IT CANT BE IM 100% SURE. i was like ok, thinking yea sure it isnt the alternator. I knew from the beginging that it may have been that part but they wont touch the alternator for some reason.

 

Even though you don't have a phone linked to the car you could get a drain from the system. Some 05 RL's had a strange flaw where you could lock the car, then pop the trunk and the bluetooth would become active and kill the battery.

 

take it to autozone they will test the alternator for free.

 

dang, those canadians don't know how to build cars right! j/k

 

I have a 2004 Honda pilot, and my wife complains about the same thing, sometimes she has to leave the car alone for a few seconds and come back to it to start it up. We've since changed the battery, and it happens alot less. Also, it has a weak start, like it's just catching the turn, so to speak. I had remote start installed, so the dealer blamed that, even tho we've had the problem from way before.

 

This is how you solve the problem:
go to acura and tell them that your car has had trouble starting after a few days, and a friend mentioned parasitic draw with the car off. The procedure to check this is to open the hood, connect a multimeter to the battery (alligator clips) and then to close the hood and lock the car. WAIT 10 minutes and then see the reading, it should be around 20 milliamps. If it is higher, open up the hood, unplug the fuse for the HFL system and recheck. Continue to do this until you pull the 1 fuse that makes it drop to proper levels. This is your problem area.

I would also have them check the alternator and all cable connecting for some sort of short.

I just have a few questions:
1. Do you hold the key when you start or do you turn and let go, and let the car crank itself? The 07+ MDX has this feature, where you turn and let go, it will crank itself, and it has been known that if you hold it, you can confuse the system and it will crank a little slower.

2. Does the auto-start (turn and let go) give you an error that the car cannot start?

3. How long (seconds) does it take from turn of key to the motor starting?

4. Do you fill up with premium fuel?


If acura cannot find anything wrong, I might be able to give you an answer, this may sound like BS, but it is not. If you walk over to your MDX and look at the rear 1/4 window, it will have a ULEV II system. This helps greatly in reducing emmisions from the car. When the car starts, ULEV II tries to minimize starting emmisions, much of the time, it can cause some slight delays in starting.

also just another quick note, acuramdx.org is another fourm just dedicated to MDX's. You will find me there too with the same username.