New Car - dead battery
 

Hello,

I have 8,000 miles on my 2018 RDX and just had our first year anniversary with the car.

We're on vacation and the car was parked for a couple of days. I went to drive it and everything was dead. My husband jumped it the battery, then I drove it for a little over 30 minutes and then later that day took it to a nearby, (Reno, NV) Acura dealer. They tested the battery twice and said it's fine. It couldn't possibly be the battery as I didn't leave anything on over the few days I didn't drive it. Anyways, they weren't willing to test anything further, said it was fine and assured me that I wouldn't have any more issues with it. So I took it back to our vacation home. Fast forward a few more days of not driving it and it's dead again!

Has anyone had issues with this? The dealer said this was an old issue, but wouldn't happen on a 2018. Hmmm.. I'm not convinced. I"m not sure I want to deal with this particular service center again so I'm planning to jump it again, drive it home this weekend and bring it to our local dealer before I leave on a business trip. I'm hoping to get some information before I do that though. Any thoughts or experiences? I did a quick search, but I'm on my phone and it's difficult for me to do a thorough search without my pc. Thanks in advance.

Hello,

You need to have the dealer check for parasitic current draw when the vehicle is off. Normally after you shut off your car, the computers may stay awake for several hours before going to sleep. If one of these modules does not go to sleep, it will draw power from your battery till it's dead. Also make sure that you have all lights turned off inside vehicle. If you installed any aftermarket equipment, you should disconnect that first to see if that is causing your dead battery.
Hope that helps
Dave

Interesting issue. I have not heard of it occurring on the RDX other than a defective battery (which isn't your case as it wouldn't able to hold a charge again). As started above I would look for a light being left on. Otherwise a search by the dealer is in order. The fact yours is an 18 doesn't make any difference as we had plenty of issues with our '16 (4th year of the model run). These cars have plenty of glitches....

Thank you.
I am quite sure that a light was not left on or a door not shut, etc. And it has now happened twice, which tells me that it has to be something else.
I did do a search and found that past models had some issues with a parasitic draw from bluetooth.
I have an appointment with our local dealer service center (Roseville, CA) and will leave it with them next week while I'm on a business trip.
Thankful for Uber.....

Acura batteries aren't known for being stout.
The Reno heat could have pushed the 2 year old battery to the edge...
I suspect dead battery and NOT a parasitic draw.

TLX'ers are getting only 1-2 years on the Acura battery. some closer to 1 year than 2 years.

Except that we are staying in Tahoe, not Reno (Reno is closest dealer). And, even if we were, Auburn (our home town) is just as hot as Reno if not more so.
I have seen that earlier models had issues with parasitic draws. Either way - I just want the thing fixed!! Awful to have my car in the garage and not be able to use it! The service guy in Reno was pretty condescending and rude and I don't want to take the car back there.

Hello,

I just checked mt 2018 RDX Advanced current draw and with the vehicle off I am drawing 123.9 milliamps. I believe that the maximum draw should be 200 milliamps for most vehicles.
Dave

We can park our 2014 for several weeks and it will still be OK. Either your battery is going dead, regardless of what the dealer says, or there's something staying on that should be shutting off. They should be able to test for the latter pretty easily.

FWIW, the original battery lasted less than 18 months. The replacement (from Autozone) is still going strong 3 1/2 years later...that's pretty good for a battery here in the AZ desert (esp one from Autozone).

I heard back from the dealer yesterday. They said that my car has been tampered with and somebody must have tried to break in. Evidently the alarm mechanism from the drivers side keyhole was tampered with. They said as a result the alarm was disabled but also causing the battery drain. My husband and I are both a little curious as to how they found this and maybe a little skeptical as well. So warranty will not cover this. And it will cost about $1,000 to replace parts. Thoughts?

Sounds a little strange but I suppose it's possible. I don't know how the alarms work. If it's truly caused by someone trying to break into your car, your insurance might cover it, minus any deductible of course.

I looked at the wiring diagram for the alarm system and the driver key lock assembly has only one switch that locks and unlocks the doors. If the switch was damaged in the lock position, then it will unlock the car doors even when you try to lock it. This also applies when it is stuck in the unlock position. Now if it is true that the lock assembly was damaged by a thief. The Lock assembly lists for 95 dollars and with online discounts it cost 65 dollars. How can they charge you 1000 dollars. The dealer is the true thief here, be careful.

Actually total is $678
$95 for door lock cylinder
$145 door handle replacement
$112 sublet a rekey lock cylinder
$310 labor
$18 tax

Here is the report from the dealer. Skeptical at first, after reading this I'm inclined to believe them. I do know that several weeks ago I was no longer able to use the keyless entry on the driver's side but regained use after cleaning the inside of the outside door handle.
Thoughts?

TESTED BATTERY. BATTERY TESTED GOOD. CHECKED FOR EXCESSIVE PARASITIC DRAW. FOUND A DRAW OF 1.14 AMP. FOUND WHEN LOCKING DOORS WITH REMOTE VEHICLE DOES NOT GIVE BEEP SOUND WHEN ARMED. FOUND ALL DOORS AND REAR HATCH LOCKED BUT SECURITY NOT SETTING. FOUND REMOTE START DOES NOT WORK ALSO. HOOKED HDS TO VEHICLE AND DID NOT FIND ANY CODES. CHECKED STATUS OF LOCKS. FOUND DRIVER DOOR LOCK CYLINDER IN UNLOCK POSITION WHEN IT SHOULD BE IN LOCK POSITION. INSPECTED DRIVER DOOR LOCK CYLINDER. FOUND LOCK CYLINDER APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN DAMAGED. WILL NOT ACCEPT KEY OR TURN. REMOVED LOCK CYLINDER AND MANUALLY LOCKED DOORS. EVERYTHING WORKS FINE AND DRAW IS NO LONGER PRESENT. RECOMMEND REPLACING DRIVER DOOR LOCK CYLINDER.

Sounds about right to me. I am sure an indie could do it cheaper, but with the car being so new why wouldn't you have gone to the dealer. At least they figured it out quickly.

I wouldn't think of not going to a dealer with this new of a car. Shocked to discover that it was a break in as there were no signs and I have no idea when/where there incident occured. Disappointed that the cause means that the warranty doesnt cover and not worth it to file an insurance claim.
However, I agree that I'm glad they figured it out so fast. The parts are on order and since I'm out of town I won't get it back until next week. I drove my husband's Ford flex yesterday - I miss my car!

Get a dash cam when it's all done!


That was not where I expected this to go but I'm glad there's some sort of possible explanation.

It was sooooo not where I expected it to go either!!

If it's a break-in, you can probably file a claim with your insurance co.