IMA battery drains quickly w/ac on
Created July 3, 2008, at 11:15 am by paulyd1966
I recently read the forum about using the ac in the Auto mode and I will try this asap.
My question is, Doe's anyone's IMA battery drain quickly when in stop and go traffic? I have a 2007 HCH and I can only drive in traffic for a few minutes w/ac on before the battery level drops to the point the Auto Stop stops working. This is with the ac on low with fan at mid speed. I live i NY and traffic is always an issue.
However, people own these cars in hotter climates than mine. Could the IMA battery be bad?
Thanks
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Hi Paulyd1966:
Yes, the Stop-and-Go traffic in conjunction with AC use will decimate the State of Charge in no time. There's nothing wrong with your battery pack.
However, the key is to not only have the AC in Auto mode but also set it to a strategic initial value. If you set it too low then the battery charge will be gone a lot faster and you wont be that much cooler anyway.
- when starting the car, drive off with the windows open.
- when picking up speed, close the windows and set the climate control temp to the highest number possible. Yes, try it.
- when the fan begins to slow down, lower the temp setting by 1 degree. Continue to do this until you are comfortable. You'll notice that the comfort temp reached is much different from what most people think.
Also, while driving in this pattern avoid the use of EV assist by keeping the assist to 2 bars or less.
Cheers;
MSantos
With our '06 I've come to the conclusion that proctracted periods of autostop coupled with Air Conditioning are not a good mix. I believe from '06 on the AC is designed to run directly off the main battery when the car's in Auto-Stop mode. With typical Auto Stop of say a half a minute or so, it's no big deal, but with protracted stop-and-go with repeated Auto Stops, it depletes the battery, quite quickly.
Msantos thanks for the informative post.
keep up the good work man.
i also read some articles about battery on hybrids at [&#@%!].
I have a 2004 HCH and since about 90,000 miles have had some serious problems with the car. First at 90,000 there was a clicking noise in the Transmission. The dealership could not figure it out and replaced it under warranty. They did a terrible job (took three weeks, did not replace all of the plastic safety clips on the bottom so when I drove home on the freeway the plastic cover fell down and dragged a bunch of debris into the newly replaced tranny, they did not replace the transmission fluid and I had to pay to have it replaced 10,000 miles later at another dealership...)
Anyway, lately it has been these damn sensor lights. In July the IMA light went on, I was kind of busy with work and did not have a chance to take it to the dealership that same day, so the next day the car was dead. I jump started it and then took it to the dealer. From what I understood maybe I just needed to replace the main battery, the dealer guy tells me no that the battery is fine and that all I needed was a software update.
Fine, here we are in September, I have the same problem. Now, even though the IMA light is on they are saying all I have to do is replace the regular battery. I ask the guy, will this fix the IMA light and he tells me... I don't know. Not the most assuring words for the consumer.
I been to three different dealerships, since buying the car brand new in 2003 and they have charged me an extra 10 to 25% for everything that has been done. However they are still clueless on the technology that they sold me. The car has a computer and apparently it does not tell the truth some times... I would not recommend that anyone buy any USED Hybrid car from anyone. Even if you are thinking about buying a Hybrid, I would probably recommend the regular Civic as a money saver over the Hybrid. Even if you pay more for gas at least you won't get screwed over as much with the dealership pricing and you can possibly take the car to a regular mechanic with out the fear that they are going to totally screw the thing up.
Yes, I am at home right now because my HCH is in the shop for the same problem I had two months ago, so I have time on my hands.
Good luck out there.
Jorge
Hi Jorge;
Sorry to hear about your experiences.
Please remember that the people that service your car are not the same folks that designed it or built it. Picking a good dealership to service your car at is a bit of a lucky shot for most people but it does not have to be so.
Ask the service adviser how many of their technicians actually have had hybrid service training and if the answer is "none" or "don't know" then run away and go elsewhere.
If the answer is "one" or "more" then get his/their name and insist that he/they be the one(s) responsible to clearing the car through the repair process.
If you encounter a problem with the service, please write to Honda and include the names, dates and issues in a factual and concise manner. Honda does not control the dealer's actions but they will often intercede on your behalf and even discipline the dealers.
You have a great car and the only thing you need is a good shop with knowledgeable people along with a bit of willingness to change the mediocrity of some dealers.
Cheers;
MSantos
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