Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums banner

how long till your original RL battery died?

98K views 467 replies 204 participants last post by  FTM1 
#1 ·
We bought an '06 in oct of '06, have 11K miles and the battery died, sound normal?
 
#3 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

(Knock on wood)

I purchased my 2006 Ridgeline in April 2006 (Truck was manufactured in February 2006) and the battery seems to be doing its job just fine.

(Really knocking on wood now)
 
#5 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

(Knock on wood)

I purchased my 2006 Ridgeline in April 2006 (Truck was manufactured in February 2006) and the battery seems to be doing its job just fine.

(Really knocking on wood now)

Another thing Mike, that we down here have to worry about is heat effect on our batteries. I have a B&D lawn tool center that consists of several lawn care devices powered by 18v batteries. The charger station is in my garage and it went out the other day. I took it in the house, let it cool and it works fine. Can't be good for any kind of battery. Man, today my outside temp gauge under my shaded patio is 105!! PS-are you ready for next week's event?
 
#4 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

It depends on how much you drive the truck per day. 11k miles in 23 months is only 478 miles per month. For me, that sort of driving would be every other weekend. For some, that is about 15 miles a day. (It's a 15 mile round trip to the freeway and back from my house. 15 miles doesn't get me anywhere.)

If you only drive the truck once or twice a month. Yes it should be dead because car batteries don't like that sort of treatment. If it's charged by being driven every day, the answer is no.
 
#6 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

Mine died in the first 8 months after sitting for a week in the garage while I was on vacation. Came home, dead as a doornail. My dealer replaced it, under warranty, after a little complaining.
 
#12 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

You guys are scaring me. Bought March `05 when they hit the showroom and the OEM battery is doing fine. 60,000+ miles and three New England winters.
 
#14 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

Purchase our Ridge in April 2005 have 38,000 miles and the battery seems to be fine. No problems starting the vehicle.
 
#15 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

Bought in April '05, died in about May '08.
 
#18 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

The green eye on my 2006 is now black so I'll replace it in the next few weeks. I've added water to it a couple of times.

Three years is reasonable for an OEM battery. It's not worth trying to find the limits of the product (they'll always fail when it will cost you triple in one way or another).
 
#19 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

Bought my Ridgeline in april 30, 2005 - still original battery 44 months old. Knock on wood.

My 91 subaru legacy wagon kept its original battery for 8 years ( I traded it in with the original battery )
 
#21 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

What are peoples choice of replacement battery for the Ridgeline? I replaced my Acura TL battery with a Sears Diehard Platinum this past summer
I had a Diehard Gold replacement in the car for 5yrs when tested at the dealer it was very low. The car was starting okay but I knew I was going to replace it anyway before winter just becase of age. With my 94 Accord the OEM battery went out when I was thinking about getting a new one. This is the reason I go by time. The battery just did not sound good one mourning while in Baltimore. The Temps took a dip overnight when I got back to DC & stoped to get gas car did not sound good. Came back to house to get money for new battery car did tick tick tick. I got it to start without jump when I got to Sears it would not start again to get into service garage. This is why I don't wait for them to die.
 
#22 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

We bought our Ridgeline in April 2005 and it is still going strong. Just got back from a 1405 mile trip. Gas Milage was as high as 22.9mpg with lots of 20-21mpg.
Have not had any problems with the battery yet.:D:D:D
 
#25 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

OEM battery lasted 32 months. However, we are hard on batteries due to working conditions. Replaced with the Everstart, CR's Best Buy (Nov. '08).
 
#28 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

Bought my Ridgeline May '05 and no problems with it so far. I live in Texas and the summers are brutal, heat taking a greater toll on a battery than cold weather unless you are talking Alaska kind of cold. When the time comes there is no way I will spend the big bucks like some of these batteries cost that are being recommended here. I'll go to PepBoys or Sears or someplace like that and get the cheapest, four year battery I can find. I won't have the truck longer than another two or three years anyway.
 
#31 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

Bought my Ridgeline May '05 and no problems with it so far. I live in Texas and the summers are brutal, heat taking a greater toll on a battery than cold weather unless you are talking Alaska kind of cold. When the time comes there is no way I will spend the big bucks like some of these batteries cost that are being recommended here. I'll go to PepBoys or Sears or someplace like that and get the cheapest, four year battery I can find. I won't have the truck longer than another two or three years anyway.
I got my Optima for $200. Don't think of $200 as just an expensive battery. In reality, it really isn't. I think of it as insurance.

First of all, lets throw out the PITA factor. I don't like to walk of be caught out in the cold. It has been my experience that batteries fail at not only the most opportune time (like when I need to be at work on time) but in the worst weather conditions. There is nothing like trying to open the hood on a vehicle to jump start it after it has 8" of snow on it after it has snowed all day or night. Trying to get the hood open on a RL is pretty much damn near impossible after it has frozen down after an ice storm. Been there, done that.

Second, let me mention starter wear and tear. The starter on the pre 09's are not the best. Honda actually changed the starter on the 09's in part to offset the problems they have had with people killing their batteries and killing their starters because of how slow the starter spins in cold conditions with the OEM battery. Simply stated, the RL starter on all 06-08 model RL's don't have enough torque in cold weather conditions given the amperage of the battery. (550cca IIRC) Low amperage batteries are one of the leading contributors to premature starter failure on any vehicle.

I don't know if you have priced the starter on the RL but your dealer would be more than happy to sell you one for $450! In comparison, I could go down to autozone and buy a Ford, GM, and a Chrysler starter, a pack of gum and have money left over for a 6 pack for what the Ridgeline starter costs.

I would guess that a starter installation would pay about 2 hours so now you are looking at another $135. That is a grand total of $585 if a person can't do this task themselves. You will also be without your vehicle for 2 days while the part comes in.

An inadequate battery will make the alternator run all of the time which will cause premature alternator failure. The RL alternator is resonably priced (not!) at $390 plus an hours installation.

I guess that my point is that spending $200 for a battery in these parts is probably one of the best one time insurance policies you can buy. After pricing a new alternator or a new starter, $200 is downright cheap.
 
#29 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

Well, I've learned something. I have consistently had my batteries last 6-7years in my cars. 30-36 months in my truck is gonna be new for me. :confused:
 
#30 ·
#32 ·
Re: how long till your RL battery died?

I was not aware that the earlier models had bad starters in them. The stock battery does not spin the starter with enough force, hence, it could contribute to premature starter failure. So you go with the highest amperage batteries you can find to offset this problem. I understand that but how high a rating do you need? Are the highest amp batteries also the most expensive and that's why they cost $200 or are there other differences? Does DieHard or Interstate and other lower cost batteries come in the higher amperages or are these confined to the higher dollar batteries? I guess what I'm asking is are there batteries out there that will do the job to protect this starter that don't cost as much?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top