Honda Car Forum

I've got a 2003 Accord 4 cyl. (in Texas) and I'm thinking of replacing
the battery. I checked the manual and it says to replace with the
capacity 12V - 38 AH / 5 HR .

I guess the 12V is 12 volts and 38 AH is 38 amp hours. However I
don't know what the 5 HR means nor do I know what the CCA or CA or
reserve amps should be inorder to shop at walmart, sears, etc... .

Essentially I would like to know the correct OEM battery to fit this
2003 Accord and need the terminology the stores use to size it
correctly (physical size and capacity). Last resort I will be to go
to a Honda parts dealer tho I doubt they will give me the info without
a sale.

Last, any recommendations for brand / model for use in Houston, Texas
climate year round (95 F summer, 30 F winter)?

Thanks in advance.

ps-- meanwhile I'll still look on the web and should I find anything,
I'll followup here to confirm my findings (if any).

Believe it or not, Wal-Mart's top-of-the line Maxx batteries did very
well in Consumer Reports latest testing. When buying aftermarket
batteries you have the store look up your year, model, etc. and they
will tell you what part fits.

I have also had good luck with NAPA auto parts stores top of the line
replacement battery. I think it is called Legend or some such.

John

Interstate is one of the batteries Honda has installed as
OEM in many of its models for years.

One can get them at a lot of places. I bought mine at
Firestone. A year later I was getting a new key made at the
Dealer and saw an Interstate there rated for the same number
of months, and the price was around $15 cheaper.

It was one of those rare instances where the dealer beat
other places for price.

I'd price your local dealer in addition to others for this.

<rob> wrote in message
news:12at421eg28bp3gsse5mn4tkulmmiffbgu@4ax.com...
> I've got a 2003 Accord 4 cyl. (in Texas) and I'm thinking
> of replacing
> the battery. I checked the manual and it says to replace
> with the
> capacity 12V - 38 AH / 5 HR .
>
> I guess the 12V is 12 volts and 38 AH is 38 amp hours.
> However I
> don't know what the 5 HR means nor do I know what the CCA
> or CA or
> reserve amps should be inorder to shop at walmart, sears,
> etc... .
>
> Essentially I would like to know the correct OEM battery
> to fit this
> 2003 Accord and need the terminology the stores use to
> size it
> correctly (physical size and capacity). Last resort I
> will be to go
> to a Honda parts dealer tho I doubt they will give me the
> info without
> a sale.
>
> Last, any recommendations for brand / model for use in
> Houston, Texas
> climate year round (95 F summer, 30 F winter)?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> ps-- meanwhile I'll still look on the web and should I
> find anything,
> I'll followup here to confirm my findings (if any).

rob wrote in news:12at421eg28bp3gsse5mn4tkulmmiffbgu@4ax.com:

>
> ps-- meanwhile I'll still look on the web and should I find anything,
> I'll followup here to confirm my findings (if any).



The famous Battery FAQ, by Bill Darden:
www.batteryfaq.org

All your requested info is there.

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:03:19 -0500, rob wrote:

>I've got a 2003 Accord 4 cyl. (in Texas) and I'm thinking of replacing
>the battery. I checked the manual and it says to replace with the
>capacity 12V - 38 AH / 5 HR .
>

Just as a follow up, apparently from calling around and checking on
the web, this 2003 Honda Accord 4 cyl auto LX takes a 51R battery.
All you need to do is ask for a 51R.

Also on another concern I found out at the Honda Dealer that this car
does NOT have a radio code which means that I do not need to worry
about disconnecting the battery and losing my radio broadcasts. I
don't know if this is typical of all LX's of 2003 or if it's just my
car??? Anyone know?

Last thanks to those replying to my orig post.

rob wrote:
>
> On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:03:19 -0500, rob wrote:
>
> >I've got a 2003 Accord 4 cyl. (in Texas) and I'm thinking of replacing
> >the battery. I checked the manual and it says to replace with the
> >capacity 12V - 38 AH / 5 HR .
> >
>
> Just as a follow up, apparently from calling around and checking on
> the web, this 2003 Honda Accord 4 cyl auto LX takes a 51R battery.
> All you need to do is ask for a 51R.
>
> Also on another concern I found out at the Honda Dealer that this car
> does NOT have a radio code which means that I do not need to worry
> about disconnecting the battery and losing my radio broadcasts. I
> don't know if this is typical of all LX's of 2003 or if it's just my
> car??? Anyone know?
>
> Last thanks to those replying to my orig post.


------------------------------------------

Generally, if you have a blinking light with the word SECURITY beside
it, you need to know your code. If it doesn't have the light, you're OK,
but you'll still have to reprogram the stations.

'Curly'

One question nobody here bothered to ask but WHY are you "thinking" of
replacing the battery on a 2003 Accord?
I still have the original battery in my 2001 Accord up here in Canada, do
batteries not last this long in Texas?

<rob> wrote in message news:12at421eg28bp3gsse5mn4tkulmmiffbgu@4ax.com...
> I've got a 2003 Accord 4 cyl. (in Texas) and I'm thinking of replacing
> the battery. I checked the manual and it says to replace with the
> capacity 12V - 38 AH / 5 HR .
>
> I guess the 12V is 12 volts and 38 AH is 38 amp hours. However I
> don't know what the 5 HR means nor do I know what the CCA or CA or
> reserve amps should be inorder to shop at walmart, sears, etc... .
>
> Essentially I would like to know the correct OEM battery to fit this
> 2003 Accord and need the terminology the stores use to size it
> correctly (physical size and capacity). Last resort I will be to go
> to a Honda parts dealer tho I doubt they will give me the info without
> a sale.
>
> Last, any recommendations for brand / model for use in Houston, Texas
> climate year round (95 F summer, 30 F winter)?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> ps-- meanwhile I'll still look on the web and should I find anything,
> I'll followup here to confirm my findings (if any).

Grahame wrote:
> One question nobody here bothered to ask but WHY are you "thinking" of
> replacing the battery on a 2003 Accord?
> I still have the original battery in my 2001 Accord up here in Canada, do
> batteries not last this long in Texas?
>

Battery life is highly variable depending on climate, usage style and
luck. Hot weather can be even harder on batteries than cold climates
are. Three years is a little early for battery failure, but not
unheard of in hot climates.

John

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:27:34 -0400, "Grahame"
<grahame.news@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>One question nobody here bothered to ask but WHY are you "thinking" of
>replacing the battery on a 2003 Accord?
>I still have the original battery in my 2001 Accord up here in Canada, do
>batteries not last this long in Texas?
>

Typical battery life in Houston, Texas is 3 to 4 years due to hot
summers. In my case, I was just being cautious but when dealer told
me that this battery tested almost like new, I left it alone. I will
probably wait one more year and then replace it automatically.

"Grahame" <grahame.news@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:JGa4g.3963$fx.342735@news20.bellglobal.com...
> One question nobody here bothered to ask but WHY are you "thinking" of
> replacing the battery on a 2003 Accord?
> I still have the original battery in my 2001 Accord up here in Canada, do
> batteries not last this long in Texas?
>
When I lived in Phoenix I don't recall any battery lasting three summers -
most died after about 1 1/2 summers. Of course, only four months of the year
have never had 100F (38C) days there, and the weathermen know better than to
call any day with a high under 110F (43C) "hot." One of my batteries didn't
survive 122F (50C) at all... when I hit the starter switch it exploded.

I've been in Flagstaff for 5 years and haven't replaced a battery yet. The
difference: it's usually about 30F (17C) cooler.

Mike