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The battery in my TL is on it's last legs (no idea how old it is, it was in the car when I bought it 25 months ago); my plan all along has been to throw a new AGM 24F battery into it and call it a day. Prior to pulling the trigger on the new battery, I thought I'd do a little research, and said research has given me pause.
Per my research, relatively late model cars have circuitry to prevent overcharging AGM batteries, the 3G TLs have no such safeguards.
When an AGM battery is overcharged, and once the hydrogen catalyst has been consumed, overcharging will end the life of the battery in pretty short order.
As a general rule, AGM batteries are pretty good plug in replacements for flooded lead acid batteries, but only for cars which make a lot of short trips.
When an AGM battery is used in a car not designed for that type of battery, the battery will typically have a very short life if the car it is in does lots of long-distance highway driving.
Given I do a lot of highway driving, say 10-12 trips of 20+ miles per week, I am concerned if I opt for an AGM battery, I'll destroy it in a matter of a few months. With that in mind, I have a few questions for the collective here:
Should I simply stop overthinking it and put a wet battery in?
Is there a relatively easy way to enhance the TL's charging system to play nice with an AGM battery?
And most importantly, for those of y'all who've already taken the plunge into the AGM world, what has your experience been?
Last edited by horseshoez; 06-15-2019 at 07:57 PM.
Don’t waste your money. From my experience I bought the AGM battery from autozone, my car had 1 12” subwoofer and small amp and that battery only lasted year to a year and a half. I said f-it, went to Walmart got the 5 year warranty battery for like $99. I now have 2 12” a bigger amp and it’s lasted me just about 2 years. Can’t complain honestly. Just my experience.
Never did any research about it before, but I took that from Optima's website:
"Float charge" is battery connected to the charger 24h/7.
Bosh AGM batteries have written on them "Recommended charging voltage 14.4V".
TL shouldn't exceed 14.4V so it should satisfy both batteries, well unless you run your car the whole day.
I'm running red Optima since two years and didn't had any problems, with me driving for ~70 minutes per day 7 days in a week, and rare field trips for couple hours. I choose that one because my friend's optima lasted a long time (he claims 8 years), so he got another one, and I guess I was impressed by it. Oh and Amazon had it for $140 at the time.
So just pick anything that makes sense financially and comes with good warranty.
I've cycled between the Optima red and yellow tops. The yellow top has lasted the longest. I've stopped putting the red tops in my cars for whatever reason they all seem to go to shit quickly.
I had a red top Optima, it only lasted 2-2.5yrs. No extra sound system in my car, and no long drives continuously. Went back to FLA battery’s. Cheaper, and the heat here in Florida does affect battery’s...
I also remember reading a few years back that Optima got bought out, and whoever took over, quality went downhill. Idk if that is 100% true or not.
I’m on my second AGM from Advanced Auto Parts. The first one lasted just over 6 years until the faulty HFL drained it. Always got a good deal with a coupon.
shoez - I guess it all depends on what you need your battery to do and how long you plan on keeping your car. I replaced the OEM, FLA that was in my CPO car in October of 2011, so being original, it lasted just shy of 3 years. I had it replaced under warranty (so another OEM) as there was no out of pocket cost to me. I replaced it again this past November, so the second one lasted me just over 7 years. I have historically gone with Diehards, but for whatever reason, none were to be found in our size locally. I wound up replacing it with an Interstate Mega-Tron Plus and it cost me about $125. Believe it comes with a 5 year warranty and has more CCA than OEM, but not sure I will still have my TL-S in 2023. For me it just didn't make sense to spend the extra $$ for an AGM.
I ended up deciding to kick the can down the road and going with a wet/FLA battery. I called all of my local Napa stores looking for one of their Legend Premium 725CCA batteries, unfortunately, they were all out of stock, two of the stores told me they sold their last 24F battery yesterday. Geez. I then drove over to our local Walmart and bought one of their EverStart Maxx 700CCA batteries instead. Funny thing, of late, my car has been starting very poorly after a day or two of sitting, as it did yesterday following about 60 hours at the airport, and again this morning, but for the rest of the day, it would always start up very energetically; when I got to the Walmart I shut the car off and went inside to buy the battery. The tech went out to move the car into the bay and it wouldn't start. I guess I timed that perfectly, got the very last start out of the battery and then put a new one in.
I did a research on Optima a while back, they fired everyone and close the factory in USA, the whole operation moved to Mexico. After that, their batteries went to shit. If you pop the 2 caps for the 6 cells and check the water level every 6 months, then top off as necessary, you'll get at least 4 to 5 years out of a battery.
Optima did have a bad run of their batteries after they moved production from the U.S.A. However, based on info I was told by one of their authorize battery distribitors and my experience with their Optima Red, Optima is back on track producing quality batteries again.
I'm currently using Optima Red in 02 TL for 3.5 years and going strong. From my reseach before purchasing, life expectancy should be 6+ years.
Any costcos near you? They make decent batteries, i haven't had any issues with the Interstate ones besides the now 42 month warranty. The previous ones were awesome.
Any costcos near you? They make decent batteries, i haven't had any issues with the Interstate ones besides the now 42 month warranty. The previous ones were awesome.
I ended up getting a conventional "wet" EverStart Maxx from Walmart for $93.76 out the door.
Optima did have a bad run of their batteries after they moved production from the U.S.A. However, based on info I was told by one of their authorize battery distribitors and my experience with their Optima Red, Optima is back on track producing quality batteries again.
I'm currently using Optima Red in 02 TL for 3.5 years and going strong. From my reseach before purchasing, life expectancy should be 6+ years.
Good to know. I went through two or three in a relatively short period of time and Optima was of no help with any type of warranty, etc.
I am using AGM on all of my TL, the first AGM (Duralast AGM) died out only 2 days after warranty ended (3 years). During those 3 years I used my TL every day for highway and city driving.
Given what I've learned in my research, no, AGM is not always a good choice; especially for folks like me with older style charging systems and who do a lot of long distance driving.
I ended up deciding to kick the can down the road and going with a wet/FLA battery. I called all of my local Napa stores looking for one of their Legend Premium 725CCA batteries, unfortunately, they were all out of stock, two of the stores told me they sold their last 24F battery yesterday. Geez. I then drove over to our local Walmart and bought one of their EverStart Maxx 700CCA batteries instead. Funny thing, of late, my car has been starting very poorly after a day or two of sitting, as it did yesterday following about 60 hours at the airport, and again this morning, but for the rest of the day, it would always start up very energetically; when I got to the Walmart I shut the car off and went inside to buy the battery. The tech went out to move the car into the bay and it wouldn't start. I guess I timed that perfectly, got the very last start out of the battery and then put a new one in.
This comes at an opportune (or rather inopportune time) as my battery in my 06 TL died this morning. Lights up but then the crank will try to start for just a split second and then die off and have that "old man dying crank groan" lol.
This battery I think is from an Acura dealer OEM all the way back in 2014 when the owner replaced just before they sold it to me...so it has given me 6 years of solid performance...so that has been incredible.
I also looked at AGMs and found similar conclusions to yours and I am now looking at the best wet/FLA battery.
Any advice on if I should just go to my local Honda dealer and get an OEM or look for a better brand wet battery? There are so many sites and "reviews" of whats the best....
In my case, I got 9 years 10 months a Honda 100-Month FLA battery in my 2001 Accord; had I had the time to get to a Honda/Acura dealership when my battery died, I would have put one in my 2006 TL. Given I needed a battery fast, I went to Walmart and bought their best FLA battery in the correct size; so far at least, it has been flawless for the last 13 months. What has had me a bit worried since March of this year is the whole COVID-19 thing; prior to March I was driving roughly 1,200-1,500 miles per month; since then I've only driven 700 miles in over 4 months; there are now times my car goes two to three weeks without being started. The good news is, my HFL, which is still operative, is apparently not suffering from the almost universal battery drain issue as my car has started first time, every time, even after weeks of inactivity.
In my case, I got 9 years 10 months a Honda 100-Month FLA battery in my 2001 Accord; had I had the time to get to a Honda/Acura dealership when my battery died, I would have put one in my 2006 TL. Given I needed a battery fast, I went to Walmart and bought their best FLA battery in the correct size; so far at least, it has been flawless for the last 13 months. What has had me a bit worried since March of this year is the whole COVID-19 thing; prior to March I was driving roughly 1,200-1,500 miles per month; since then I've only driven 700 miles in over 4 months; there are now times my car goes two to three weeks without being started. The good news is, my HFL, which is still operative, is apparently not suffering from the almost universal battery drain issue as my car has started first time, every time, even after weeks of inactivity.
Dang, nice! 9 years is awesome...of course back in 2001 cars probably had lot less electrical/complexity/drain/etc so I can see modern batteries lasting quite a long time in older less complex cars...Didn't know about the 100mo Warranty...that looks great. I'll definitely be heading over to the local Honda dealer then. Thankfully was able to get a ride to work and theres a Honda dealer real close by.
What has had me a bit worried since March of this year is the whole COVID-19 thing; prior to March I was driving roughly 1,200-1,500 miles per month; since then I've only driven 700 miles in over 4 months; there are now times my car goes two to three weeks without being started.
I have two battery maintainers in my garage to connect our cars up for this reason. My car sat for I think close to 5 weeks without being started. Then my wife's car sat for close to 4 weeks. I have been keeping them on the maintainers if they sit more than a week.
I have two battery maintainers in my garage to connect our cars up for this reason. My car sat for I think close to 5 weeks without being started. Then my wife's car sat for close to 4 weeks. I have been keeping them on the maintainers if they sit more than a week.
LOL, I wish. When two of our three small businesses failed back in the 2012 time frame, my wife and I sold our house and rented a small "caretaker" apartment on a large horse farm; our cars have sat outside ever since. As of earlier this year we are *finally* out of debt, have our cars paid off, money for our daughter's senior year of college banked, and exactly zero large expenses looming. Said another way, we're now making bank as fast as we can to buy a townhouse sometime in 2022. Maybe then I can have the luxury of plugging my car into a battery maintainer.
Does the 07 TL type S charging system support AGM batteries? I am in need of a new battery and Costco and advance auto are recommending AGM batteries for my car.
Does the 07 TL type S charging system support AGM batteries? I am in need of a new battery and Costco and advance auto are recommending AGM batteries for my car.
I recall researching this at the time I put the battery in my car; the answer came back "no" for any 3G TL.
With that said it seems TL’s even though may not originally be designed for AGM batteries still handle AGM’s just fine?
My takeaway from the research I did in 2020 is they will handle AGMs perfectly well, if you don't do a lot of longer distance driving. If I recall, the rub was the inability of the 3G TL to stop feeding a charge to the battery, FLA batteries don't care about a non-stop flow of juice, AGMs can die a premature death in this scenario. Given I was commuting 25+ miles each way to work at the time, it was a no-brainer for me to opt for a new FLA battery.
My takeaway from the research I did in 2020 is they will handle AGMs perfectly well, if you don't do a lot of longer distance driving. If I recall, the rub was the inability of the 3G TL to stop feeding a charge to the battery, FLA batteries don't care about a non-stop flow of juice, AGMs can die a premature death in this scenario. Given I was commuting 25+ miles each way to work at the time, it was a no-brainer for me to opt for a new FLA battery.
Does the TL not a have voltage regulator preventing any battery from overcharging?
Does the TL not a have voltage regulator preventing any battery from overcharging?
That's the point, the voltage regulator on older cars simply regulates the voltage to the battery at a constant rate of charge; the newer systems actually stop feeding the battery when it is charged.
To buy at Walmart, do you have to go to one of their auto centers?
Or can you buy inside and take it to auto center to be installed?
I bought mine at an auto center and they installed it out in the parking lot. In the past I've purchased batteries from various retailers, carried them out, and installed them myself; I don't see any reason why you cannot buy one and then pay to have someone else install it.
Originally Posted by vindroid
Also does anybody know why Walmart website seems to think that this 24F is not compatible with TL 2008?
Not sure, I put one in my 2006 TL back in 2019 and it is still doing it's job three years later.
Dunno anything about battery tech, but I do know that Costco seems to have the best battery warranties around: 3-years full replacement. No pro-ration, and if you need a replacement, the 3-year warranty starts again. I live in the desert and our batteries almost never make it 3 years. Can't remember the last time I had to come out of pocket for a new battery.
Does anyone know what the Acura OEM battery 100 month warranty cover?
Apparently it's an OEM battery I have, and trying to find out what it covers before I go replace it with a 3rd party battery at Walmart.
No offense @vindroid , but based on the "hood strut" thread and this, it doesn't seem like you're trying very hard. If your search results don't satisfy you, you can call any Acura dealers' Service or Parts departments for the answer. But this result from an Acura dealer spells it out:
No offense @vindroid , but based on the "hood strut" thread and this, it doesn't seem like you're trying very hard. If your search results don't satisfy you, you can call any Acura dealers' Service or Parts departments for the answer. But this result from an Acura dealer spells it out:
06-15-2019, 07:48 PM
The previous ones were awesome.
