2019 Accord battery ... maintenance advice needed!

[Robert2468]

good afternoon! THANKS for all the great advice over the years.

OK. sister in law got stuck with a dead battery.She is single and got very upset. 2019 Honda Accord. We are mad at the honda dealer. we thought the dealer should have told her to replace it. she brings it in religiously for service always. It is the smaller engine. I think a turbo 4 cylinder. car was bought new, has 9500 miles or so. that is not a typo. nine thousand miles.

dumb questions:
1. what maintenance should she do? we will look at her meticulous records, to see what has been done.
2. I like to replace my battery at 3-4 years, no matter what. should she any timing belt, differential fluid, transmission fluid (it is an automatic)
3. i wonder if she should lease a new Accord. her car is worth about $22,000 to $24,000 or so. it is paid off. lease a new accord for about $3800 and $270/month for 3 years. she drives very little, and takes impeccable care of her car. looks new, inside and out

l would love all ideas.
THANKS!
bob

 

[Brian123]

good afternoon! THANKS for all the great advice over the years.

OK. sister in law got stuck with a dead battery.She is single and got very upset. 2019 Honda Accord. We are mad at the honda dealer. we thought the dealer should have told her to replace it. she brings it in religiously for service always. It is the smaller engine. I think a turbo 4 cylinder. car was bought new, has 9500 miles or so. that is not a typo. nine thousand miles.

dumb questions:
1. what maintenance should she do? we will look at her meticulous records, to see what has been done.
2. I like to replace my battery at 3-4 years, no matter what. should she any timing belt, differential fluid, transmission fluid (it is an automatic)
3. i wonder if she should lease a new Accord. her car is worth about $22,000 to $24,000 or so. it is paid off. lease a new accord for about $3800 and $270/month for 3 years. she drives very little, and takes impeccable care of her car. looks new, inside and out

l would love all ideas.
THANKS!
bob

Was there any warning that the Battery was going dead, my car just about started 1 night and got me home. The next day when I went to start it there was a crazy clicking sound and all of the lights, they were kind of doing a funny thing on the Dash, it was 6 A.M. when this happened. I ended up getting another battery, I do not know how old the battery was, but this 1 I do have the receipt, it was bought on 12/14/2023, and it is Warrantied for 30 Months.

 

[kschachn]

1. what maintenance should she do? we will look at her meticulous records, to see what has been done.
2. I like to replace my battery at 3-4 years, no matter what. should she any timing belt, differential fluid, transmission fluid (it is an automatic)
3. i wonder if she should lease a new Accord. her car is worth about $22,000 to $24,000 or so. it is paid off. lease a new accord for about $3800 and $270/month for 3 years. she drives very little, and takes impeccable care of her car. looks new, inside and out

l would love all ideas.
THANKS!
bob

I'd replace the battery for $125 or whatever it is, and motor on until the next scheduled maintenance.

 

[crashz]

A 6 year old car with only 9500 miles means it probably sees a few very short trips a week or so. I wouldn't be surprised if the battery is not being maintained enough in those short trips and long sitting time. Its simply discharging more than re-charging.

Not to mention, a 6 year old battery is starting to get long in the tooth.

I certainly wouldn't suggest trading it in. The dealers will not likely offer much, as they will want to re-sell at a profit at the value of the car. My advice is to replace the battery (I like Interstate still) and try to exercise the car a little more. Maybe go for an hour drive once a week. She could put it on a trickle charger, but that could be daunting if she is not comfortable opening the hood and dealing with electrical connections.

 

[CarLuver]

those honda batteries are lucky to get 4 years out of them . most die at 3 years is my experience . put the new battery on a charger every once in while .

30k miles change the trans fluid . these run chain so no timing belt needs . dif is part of the trans unless its an awd model . they have 10 year coolant

 

[Chris142]

Tell her get over it and stop trying to play victim. sometimes a battery can fail with no warning.

 

[cptbarkey]

It isnt the dealer's fault that the battery died. It sounds like it had a natural death.

#1 the manual goes in depth on what to do and when.
#2 Ok. I personally have been buying AGM batteries, they typically last 5 years and can last longer.
#3 Waste of money. She has a car with no use, its fine for another 15 years at the rate she is driving it.

 

[duck__dodgers]

assuming she really is driving <2000 miles / year, get a top-off or trickle charger for new battery

for once I have sympathy for service advisors, lol..... advisor: sir/m'aam, you need a new battery. Random customer: what do you mean? I only have 10,000 miles on the car! are you trying to scam me?

 

[opus1]

I've had both versions of a battery fail, one with some warning, and one that completely died with no warning.

I drove the Dakota home, about a 60-mile trip, no problem. Glad I didn't stop anywhere because when I went out that morning the battery was a paperweight ("graveyard dead" I think is the technical term). No clicking solenoid, and the interior light wouldn't even come on. Stuff happens.

 

[nickaluch]

Replace the battery Amazon has a great sale going on right now

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Was there any warning that the Battery was going dead, my car just about started 1 night and got me home. The next day when I went to start it there was a crazy clicking sound and all of the lights, they were kind of doing a funny thing on the Dash

Similar experience with my Accord. Absolutely no warning that the battery was unhappy. I parked it after a 15 minute trip, ran into a store, came out, and the dash lit up like a Christmas tree and the starter just clicked. I would have noticed if it gave any signs of imminent death prior but it was perfectly fine... until it wasn't.

Not the dealer's fault. These things happen.

 

[Nukeman7]

Buy this for her and teach her how to use it.

GOOLOO Jump Pack

 

[fdcg27]

Yeah, six years from delivery so some months prior to that for actual car assembly and battery install.
Probably better than is typical for current batteries.
The car is apparently not driven much, which does not help the battery.
I generally like to replace a battery after four years in service, since batteries can and do fail with little or no warning and after four years you're really on borrowed time.
Incidentally, if someone offers her $24K for her Accord, tell her to take the money and run.

 

[dubber09]

It's not an old car and since it's in great clean shape and paid off, the only sense it makes is to keep it and do maintenance. Replace the battery, it's a maintenance item, keep the car.

Personally, I just run Costco Kirkland regular batteries, in Canada they come with 4 years full free replacement and 100 months total prorated after 4 years warranty. Both cars are on them for past 5+ years now, I replaced factory original ones after 6 years just before a winter for peace of mind. I'll keep an eye on these and will replace either before coming or following winter.

 

[Tdbo]

Put a new battery in it and motor on.
Batteries fail. Life goes on.

 

[eljefino]

When I worked at a tire store, we did battery tests as part of the multi point inspection. Naturally it was to sell more stuff. You could ask for it to be done at every oil change if they don't do it already.

But batteries do sometimes just give up the ghost without warning.

Some Hondas run a very small battery, group 51R or so, which can be upgraded to a bigger battery "from the V6 model" which would be helpful in very cold weather. But she'd have to own this car another six years to see payback, and, readlly, six years is about what you get anyway.

 

[oldcodger]

I too have had more batteries just die suddenly than give me some warning. In my old age I have started replacing every 4 years, no matter what.

 

[Geekhead]

those honda batteries are lucky to get 4 years out of them . most die at 3 years is my experience . put the new battery on a charger every once in while .

30k miles change the trans fluid . these run chain so no timing belt needs . dif is part of the trans unless its an awd model . they have 10 year coolant

Had a 2007 Odyssey and it was first vehicle I had where the OEM battery quit at 4 years after an all day run on I-75 to Sault Ste Marie after filling up with gas. Got a jump start, crossed the border to Canadian Tire and got a new battery that I put in with loaner tools. That one lasted 4 years too before it suddenly quit but at least it had a pro-rated warranty so I got another new battery for 50% off. Sold it 2 years later with that battery. Never had a vehicle before or since chew thru batteries so fast.

 

[JavierH19]

6 years on the oem battery isn't amazing but not bad. I got half that from the gm battery in my 21. Just get a new one.

 

[Patrick0525]

good afternoon! THANKS for all the great advice over the years.

OK. sister in law got stuck with a dead battery.She is single and got very upset. 2019 Honda Accord. We are mad at the honda dealer. we thought the dealer should have told her to replace it. she brings it in religiously for service always. It is the smaller engine. I think a turbo 4 cylinder. car was bought new, has 9500 miles or so. that is not a typo. nine thousand miles.

dumb questions:
1. what maintenance should she do? we will look at her meticulous records, to see what has been done.
2. I like to replace my battery at 3-4 years, no matter what. should she any timing belt, differential fluid, transmission fluid (it is an automatic)
3. i wonder if she should lease a new Accord. her car is worth about $22,000 to $24,000 or so. it is paid off. lease a new accord for about $3800 and $270/month for 3 years. she drives very little, and takes impeccable care of her car. looks new, inside and out

l would love all ideas.
THANKS!
bob

2. Buy a battery conductance tester. Test every 6 months. Amazon

A short tripped car needs to be put on a battery maintainer such as a BatteryMinder 2012 connected via 12V SAE cable.

I tell my spouse if u want near absolute 100% start confidence then connect ur car to the battery maintainer. Now she is trained, and fully compliant.