Honda Car Forum

Honda dealer said (when I took my car for 60K miles service), Battery
test Bad - recommended to change battery, Sears said no need to
cgange, unless the car started with jumpstart. These are the results
when Honda printer for me when the dealer tested my battery (5 years
old car, bought brand new 5 years back, sofar I didn't change the
battery).

Battery size - 440CCA
Initial voltage - 12.97V
Loadvoltage 9.90V
State of the charge - 91%
Resistance - 0.0mOhm
Battery temp - 70F

Bad tested BAD

When I show this info, in sears, they said, unless the car comes to
stage of it needed jumpstart, no need to change. Finally I didn't
change the battery, no problem in starting, no problem in headlights
sofar, but I am getting scare is, suppose of I turn on my headlight
while I am driving, will that makes my car down?. I am thinking of
whether to change the battery or not?. Can some expert suggest me,
what to do. Thanks and appreciated.

I would change it ASAP. On average, batteries last 5 years.

The last thing you want is to find out you need a new battery when you're alone
on a deserted highway at night.

I remember looooong time ago, we were at the beach when we found the battery
dead. Since it was midnight, no one was around. Finally, someone showed up and
my dad asked him for a jumpstart. He refused to do it unless he was paid $50.
He reluctantly paid it. Damn negroes don't know the meaning of good samaritan.




....................
I do not killfile nor use do-not-call lists.

On 11/3/03 12:30 PM, in article
60e37826.0311031030.1c62a59@posting.google.com, "Santa"
<santa19992000@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Honda dealer said (when I took my car for 60K miles service), Battery
> test Bad - recommended to change battery, Sears said no need to
> cgange, unless the car started with jumpstart. These are the results
> when Honda printer for me when the dealer tested my battery (5 years
> old car, bought brand new 5 years back, sofar I didn't change the
> battery).
>
> Battery size - 440CCA
> Initial voltage - 12.97V
> Loadvoltage 9.90V
> State of the charge - 91%
> Resistance - 0.0mOhm
> Battery temp - 70F
>
> Bad tested BAD
>
> When I show this info, in sears, they said, unless the car comes to
> stage of it needed jumpstart, no need to change. Finally I didn't
> change the battery, no problem in starting, no problem in headlights
> sofar, but I am getting scare is, suppose of I turn on my headlight
> while I am driving, will that makes my car down?. I am thinking of
> whether to change the battery or not?. Can some expert suggest me,
> what to do. Thanks and appreciated.

Turning on your lights (or radio, etc.) while the car is running is not
going to have any effect on the battery. The power comes from the
alternator when the car is running.

The problem you are going to have will be on some cold morning, when you
don't have any extra time, the car is not going to start and you will need
that jump start that Sears is telling you about. At that point you will
have to get a new battery. It might happen tomorrow. It might be fine for
another 6 months.

5 years is pretty good for a Honda OEM battery. Around here (Texas) we're
lucky if they make it through two summers.

"Santa" <santa19992000@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:60e37826.0311031030.1c62a59@posting.google.co m...
> Honda dealer said (when I took my car for 60K miles service), Battery
> test Bad - recommended to change battery, Sears said no need to
> cgange, unless the car started with jumpstart. These are the results
> when Honda printer for me when the dealer tested my battery (5 years
> old car, bought brand new 5 years back, sofar I didn't change the
> battery).

Battery quality (price) is determined by cranking amps, and months.

60 months is about the longest battery lives you can buy...so even if you
assume Honda put the "best" battery in the car, its life could be at the
very end.

However it should be noted that "charge cycles" have a lot to do with
battery life, as does "in the red" battery load. If you have a car your
starting 10-12 daily, expect your battery to have a shorter life. Also, if
you load accessories at idle (big stereo, police car) so the battery is
outputting more amps than it is receiving (discharging), that can also
effect battery life.

> Battery size - 440CCA
> Initial voltage - 12.97V
> Loadvoltage 9.90V
> State of the charge - 91%
> Resistance - 0.0mOhm
> Battery temp - 70F
>
> Bad tested BAD

These number are subjective. At what amp draw did they come up with the
"Loadvoltage"?

> When I show this info, in sears, they said, unless the car comes to
> stage of it needed jumpstart, no need to change.

Hey...have you been talking to Mike?

>Finally I didn't
> change the battery, no problem in starting, no problem in headlights
> sofar, but I am getting scare is, suppose of I turn on my headlight
> while I am driving, will that makes my car down?.

Wont happen with a working alternator...providing your not discharging.

>I am thinking of
> whether to change the battery or not?. Can some expert suggest me,
> what to do. Thanks and appreciated.

Change your battery.

--
It's just about going fast...that's all...

http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/

Santa <santa19992000@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Honda dealer said (when I took my car for 60K miles service), Battery
> test Bad - recommended to change battery, Sears said no need to
> cgange, unless the car started with jumpstart. These are the results
> when Honda printer for me when the dealer tested my battery (5 years
> old car, bought brand new 5 years back, sofar I didn't change the
> battery).

> Battery size - 440CCA
> Initial voltage - 12.97V
> Loadvoltage 9.90V
> State of the charge - 91%
> Resistance - 0.0mOhm
> Battery temp - 70F

> Bad tested BAD

I think five years is excellent life from an OEM battery.

The failure mode might be that if you leave your lights on once, and need
a jumpstart, the battery won't hold a charge at all after that.
You would prefer to know that the battery is going to go bad just before it
does.

Did Sears actually test it? I think Sears, Kragen, and the dealer probably
all use a very similar load test. Probably 15 seconds at a load equal to
the battery rating, maybe 440Amps in this case.

9 volts probably won't start the car. 9.9 volts in this test may indicate
that it won't start the car on a cold day...

The original battary on my DX hatch is still doing great, after 5
canadian winters. I've got it loaded down with a 100amp bazzoka
subwoofers, a total of 600watts of speakers, CD Changer and Alpine
receiver. In countless occations, i've had the car plasting the music 8
hrs straight. I've left the interior lights on in many occations and
drained the battary. I've also jump started stalled cars in about 20 to
30 insidence over the years...

We'll just have to see how well the battary holds up this comming
winter.

Pars
98 DX Hatch

Santa wrote:
>
> Honda dealer said (when I took my car for 60K miles service), Battery
> test Bad - recommended to change battery, Sears said no need to
> cgange, unless the car started with jumpstart. These are the results
> when Honda printer for me when the dealer tested my battery (5 years
> old car, bought brand new 5 years back, sofar I didn't change the
> battery).
>
> Battery size - 440CCA
> Initial voltage - 12.97V
> Loadvoltage 9.90V
> State of the charge - 91%
> Resistance - 0.0mOhm
> Battery temp - 70F
>
> Bad tested BAD
>
> When I show this info, in sears, they said, unless the car comes to
> stage of it needed jumpstart, no need to change. Finally I didn't
> change the battery, no problem in starting, no problem in headlights
> sofar, but I am getting scare is, suppose of I turn on my headlight
> while I am driving, will that makes my car down?. I am thinking of
> whether to change the battery or not?. Can some expert suggest me,
> what to do. Thanks and appreciated.

In article <60e37826.0311031030.1c62a59@posting.google.com> ,
santa19992000@yahoo.com (Santa) wrote:

> Honda dealer said (when I took my car for 60K miles service), Battery
> test Bad - recommended to change battery, Sears said no need to
> cgange, unless the car started with jumpstart. These are the results
> when Honda printer for me when the dealer tested my battery (5 years
> old car, bought brand new 5 years back, sofar I didn't change the
> battery).
>
> Battery size - 440CCA
> Initial voltage - 12.97V
> Loadvoltage 9.90V
> State of the charge - 91%
> Resistance - 0.0mOhm
> Battery temp - 70F
>
> Bad tested BAD
>
> When I show this info, in sears, they said, unless the car comes to
> stage of it needed jumpstart, no need to change. Finally I didn't
> change the battery, no problem in starting, no problem in headlights
> sofar, but I am getting scare is, suppose of I turn on my headlight
> while I am driving, will that makes my car down?. I am thinking of
> whether to change the battery or not?. Can some expert suggest me,
> what to do. Thanks and appreciated.

Since when is a battery test a part of normal dealership maintenance?!
It sounds like they're looking for an excuse to sell you something.

If this was a 96/97 Civic, the numbers above would be passing. Its test
procedure is:

Battery must be between 70F and 100F.
Bring battery to full charge.
Apply 300A load for 15 seconds.
Allow 15 seconds recovery.
Apply an amperage load of 1/2 CCA rating for 15 seconds.
Voltage must remain above 9.6 volts during load test.

Get a second opinion and post your model of car. Dealerships will scam
customers just like any greasy hole-in-the-wall shop will. Compare
parts prices too. The scam dealerships will jack the prices up 2 or 3
times list price.

My wifes VW battery last 9 years before it exploded. Man, what a mess
it made. It even dented the hood.


pars <"sdaro(remove)"@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<3FA73DE7.3FF279FC@hotmail.com>...
> The original battary on my DX hatch is still doing great, after 5
> canadian winters. I've got it loaded down with a 100amp bazzoka
> subwoofers, a total of 600watts of speakers, CD Changer and Alpine
> receiver. In countless occations, i've had the car plasting the music 8
> hrs straight. I've left the interior lights on in many occations and
> drained the battary. I've also jump started stalled cars in about 20 to
> 30 insidence over the years...
>
> We'll just have to see how well the battary holds up this comming
> winter.
>
> Pars
> 98 DX Hatch
>
> Santa wrote:
> >
> > Honda dealer said (when I took my car for 60K miles service), Battery
> > test Bad - recommended to change battery, Sears said no need to
> > cgange, unless the car started with jumpstart. These are the results
> > when Honda printer for me when the dealer tested my battery (5 years
> > old car, bought brand new 5 years back, sofar I didn't change the
> > battery).
> >
> > Battery size - 440CCA
> > Initial voltage - 12.97V
> > Loadvoltage 9.90V
> > State of the charge - 91%
> > Resistance - 0.0mOhm
> > Battery temp - 70F
> >
> > Bad tested BAD
> >
> > When I show this info, in sears, they said, unless the car comes to
> > stage of it needed jumpstart, no need to change. Finally I didn't
> > change the battery, no problem in starting, no problem in headlights
> > sofar, but I am getting scare is, suppose of I turn on my headlight
> > while I am driving, will that makes my car down?. I am thinking of
> > whether to change the battery or not?. Can some expert suggest me,
> > what to do. Thanks and appreciated.

I'd say you have a dead battery just waiting to happen. One of these
days it's going to fail you, likely without warning. Once a battery
gets to five years of life it is good insurance to replace it. Unless
of course you like being stranded somewhere with a dead battery. Do
you really want to wait until it fails?

Dick

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 00:49:27 -0500, pars <"sdaro(remove)"@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>The original battary on my DX hatch is still doing great, after 5
>canadian winters. I've got it loaded down with a 100amp bazzoka
>subwoofers, a total of 600watts of speakers, CD Changer and Alpine
>receiver. In countless occations, i've had the car plasting the music 8
>hrs straight. I've left the interior lights on in many occations and
>drained the battary. I've also jump started stalled cars in about 20 to
>30 insidence over the years...
>
>We'll just have to see how well the battary holds up this comming
>winter.
>
>Pars
>98 DX Hatch

Santa wrote:
>
> Honda dealer said (when I took my car for 60K miles service), Battery
> test Bad - recommended to change battery, Sears said no need to
> cgange, unless the car started with jumpstart. These are the results
> when Honda printer for me when the dealer tested my battery (5 years
> old car, bought brand new 5 years back, sofar I didn't change the
> battery).
>
> Battery size - 440CCA
> Initial voltage - 12.97V
> Loadvoltage 9.90V
> State of the charge - 91%
> Resistance - 0.0mOhm
> Battery temp - 70F
>
> Bad tested BAD
>
> When I show this info, in sears, they said, unless the car comes to
> stage of it needed jumpstart, no need to change. Finally I didn't
> change the battery, no problem in starting, no problem in headlights
> sofar, but I am getting scare is, suppose of I turn on my headlight
> while I am driving, will that makes my car down?. I am thinking of
> whether to change the battery or not?. Can some expert suggest me,
> what to do. Thanks and appreciated.
our 2001 honda needed a jump to start.. the battery checked out fine. i
just ignored it..... so two weeks later it needed a jump to start..
battery checked out fine.... i figured it was time to get a new
battery.. Auto Zone, cost about $39.95 for a new battery, 440 CCA....
with a 1 yr. replacement and then the next 4 yrs. prorated... no big
deal for a battery... its three yrs old..no sense in pushing it.....
just go buy a new battery,...