4 years is the average life span for a starter battery. 51R is the OEM battery. Although it is available in a 400 CCA economy version or 500CCA premium version.. You can go to a H5 battery used in the newer CRVs but you will need to purchase the battery tray and possibly battery hold down hardware for a 2020-2021 models.

 

I bought an Interstate 51R for $86.50 with sales tax from Costco. That was the best price I could find. 2017 model year, 49 months old.

 

It doesn't really matter. Most US wet-cell batteries are made by two companies; there's not a lot of difference between them. Buy a battery from a place where it will be easy to warranty, if needed; don't spend too much time thinking about it.

 

happy to see yours made it that far. I figure w/all the electronics in vehicle these days - alot of expected of the battery. batteries in the FOBs don't last real long.
my car battery died just before 3 yrs of purchase, so dealer replaced w/no questions.

btw - before mine died, I did notice the start wasn't as quick with easy press. I just didn't think much about it - but I know now for the future.

be sure to write you install date on your battery... helps me remember to watch it after 3 yrs.

 

I think if you'll do a search here for battery failure you will have more to read than you care to. This subject has been discussed ad nauseam. I have a '17 and posted my findings and results in this forum. Come back if you have no luck finding the info you need but please search first. Thanks.

 

Clearly, getting 4 years from your battery, which you probably never checked and maintained in it's life is quite good life expectancy in a gen5 CRV.

The new battery in the 1.5Ts is an H5 (or similar) which is a European battery code as that battery was originally designed years ago when BMW put the battery inside the cabin (I think under the rear seat) and it needed venting to open air. H5s have small dual vent ports on them that can be connected to a vent hose, but in Hondas, they just install the battery. The nice thing about H5s is they are sealed units, so while they do outgas a bit, they do not lose electrolyte over time. They are a bit expensive compared to a 51R though.

Personally I would put an EFB (Enhanced Flooded Battery) version of the 51R in as a replacement as these are much more rugged and durable, and they will have a spec CCA of 500 amps.. and have a better reserve charge capacity than a standard 51R. You pay more for an EFB 51R, but you get almost the same life span and capacity as you would by upsizing the battery in your CRV, which requires some additional parts to take up the bigger battery.

Basically, an EFB starter battery is well suited for the number one killer of batteries in modern motor vehicles, higher parasitic drains resulting in batteries being in an undercharged state and decaying at an accelerated rate. An EFB has much better recovery from depletion, can handle deep depletions dozens or even hundreds of times without damage to the plates, and are also very robust and suitable for auto start/stop vehicles as they have 10-20 times the number of start cycles during the batteries life.

What is an EFB, and how does it compare to regular flooded cell batteries, and AGMS? here you go.

 

For reference:

2017 CRV LX, Florida, just replaced my battery, 2nd time. 1st under warranty @ 31621 miles, date 6.2019. Current 79000.

No signs of failing; just would click, after trying to restart a couple times, it luckily restarted, but would not hold charge.

 

My 2017 CRV was 6 months old when I started to have battery problems. The dealer (reluctantly) replaced the 410CCA battery with a 500CCA battery.
Problems solved. One thing, though: I checked the water levels in the new battery and each cell was LOW!!. I topped them off and have had no problems
for the past 3.5 years. I now check the water levels every 5-6 months.
An interesting fact: my wife's car is a 2011 Elantra. It still has the ORIGINAL battery which works perfectly. What's Honda's problem?

 

lucky. my friend's 2011 Sonata is on it's 3rd battery

 

EPA, economy, stuff like that.

 

I had my battery checked this morning. Here is the comment from the mechanic:
"Battery tested good but strongly recommend having battery charged up at next oil change."
"Battery tested at 500 CCA came in at 442 CCA."

The battery is the original in a 2017 CRV EX with 36,000 miles.

I didn't notice the comment until I got home and haven't called back for clarification.
Any comments from the forum as to my next steps?

 

When they tell you that they recommend a full charge at next oil change, that most likely means when they tested your battery they saw it was a bit under charged (ie: sitting below 12.4 vdc, which seems to be the trigger level in my experience with service providers). This may just be from short trip driving, infrequent driving, or the battery plates are beginning to fail which limits the charge level you can achieve.

Your battery IS however nearing end of life. My guess.. it has about 6 months useful life left. So I would keep a close eye on it from now on until you replace it.

The key indicator is the CCA. A brand new properly working battery will generally test at ~120% or rated CCA. As a battery ages and the plates begin to degrade, the internal resistance of the battery rises, which causes measured CCA to drop when tested. When a battery gets to 70% of rated CCA, I replace it, even though it would continue to work fine down to 50% of rated CCA. I just don't take the chance as long as the cause of low CCA is actually age, not low electrolyte or poor battery terminal connections.

Rule of thumb for how much CCA you need to reliably start a vehicle engine: take the cubic inch spec of the engine, double it.. and that is the CCA amps you need for reliable start. A 1.5T engine is right around 92 cubic inches, so, a starter battery will continue to be able to start the vehicle as long as it is not depleted and it tests at a CCA of 200. I would however not wait that long as other factors in a declining battery can create other issues.. most notably random light shows on the instrument panel of alert lights.

 

Just changed our 2017 Touring battery for the 3rd time. 1st one failed after 3 days due to parking brake drain issue. 2nd one a couple years later. I routinely check water levels... Just replaced that one at approx 60% capacity with a Costco battery just to be safe with winter coming. Cheap insurance.

 

I was under the impression that the parking brake only uses the battery to set it and disengage it.

 

My preference - AGM 51R -read this What is an AGM battery? | Greenlight by Interstate Batteries

 

I'm going to have my late 2018 CRV's OEM battery tested - but it sounds like it will be coming due for replacement soon. My 2014 Ody with 100K miles still has its OEM battery and STUNNINGLY - my 2004 Volvo with 154000 miles is still on its 2nd battery - which (knock on wood) is still going strong after 12 years. Sounds like the newest cars won't see that sort of battery life anymore.

My preference - AGM 51R -read this What is an AGM battery? | Greenlight by Interstate Batteries

Thanks for the link. But the Interstate battery finder at that link does not offer an AGM battery for the 2018 CRV. What brand AGM did you find?

 

2017 CRV EX-L Turbo with Nav. Took me 3 Honda battery to get one that worked right. The 2nd one died with no warning--bad cell. I just replaced my "good" battery when the service test said cranking power was down about 20%. It was 26 months old. In 2 years the cost of a Honda battery has gone up about $35.

It probably would have been good for awhile longer but I don't have time to take the chance. I put in another Honda battery but at my next Costco visit I saw that they sell Interstate batteries. I think that the next time that I need a battery I will have an Interstate battery installed and see if they do better.

 

I put a DieHard in my 2015.. A bit pricey but I had really good luck with them in the past.

 

I got 33k miles out of my '18 OEM battery. Got the Interstate at Costco for $89. but had to put it in myself. It took about 1/2 hour, but when I restarted I got a ton of error messages. I turned the radio on and found instructions to idle the car for 10 minutes while GPS signals sort out the computers. After 20 minutes, no resurrection, so I decided to drive it down the street, and in about one more minute, everything reset and I was good to go. I did have to push the ECO button, as the default is regular operation. So I went from 36 MPG to 27 MPG for about 10 miles! I changed the FOB battery so I'm good to go to maybe 60k miles.

 

Another reason to buy an Interstate from Costco is that Costco gives you an additional 12 months on their warranty. You get 36 months instead of the normal 24.

 

If you have a AAA membership buy a battery from them. They have a 6 year warranty on them. The first 3 years is a complete replacement and the last 3 years you pay a small fee for the replacement. They have good batteries and keep all your purchase information so you don't have to go hunting down receipts. Plus, they will come to you to replace the battery.

 

Batteries fail without notice. This subject has innumerable threads here at CRV owner's club. Many people -- including me -- have said that the first sign of a weak battery was when it flat out would not start the car. Happened to me in the parking lot at Walgreen.

A guy on youtube tested a bunch of different make batteries and concluded that the Walmart Everstart Maxx is the best buy. I got a group 24F (CCA 750) for $99. You don't have to buy a new battery tray if you don't want to. Just cut the sides off the OEM battery tray. Either get new longer J-hooks, or (what I did) get a battery strap like they use on boats. All in the same rack at Walmart.
Walmart has a great warrantee on the Everstart Maxx barreries.

At the time I bought the 24F for $99, Walmart had the 51R for $120. CCA 500. The 24F was a no-brainer.

 

Could you post or send a picture? thanks

 

After reading about the EFB batteries - I found this one that is a direct fit for my 2018 CRV which uses a 51R battery. Seems like a good option if you don't want to make adjustments to fit a larger H5 battery now used by Honda in the CRVs: https://www.autozone.com/batteries-...tery/p/duralast-platinum-efb-battery-51r-efb-group-size-51r-500-cca/1070704_0_0

 

 

Just following up - After having no issues with my 2018 CRV OEM battery (35 months in service) - but knowing it might be wise to replace it soon - I came back from a 2 week trip this past Saturday and the CRV was pretty much dead (just lots of clicking and flashing lights when I tried to start it). So I put it on a charger for about an hour - got it restarted - picked up a replacement 51R 500CCA EFB battery at AutoZone (but didn't install) and then drove it up to WI with headlights on to trigger full alternator output.
The CRV performed perfectly - with multiple restarts the rest of the weekend. I swapped the batteries this morning and tested the old battery after removal an the digital tester indicated it is was totally fine. It's water under the bridge at this point but makes me think I probably had some decent life left and simply should have put it on a battery tender while away from home for so long.
HOWEVER, it really sucks to have a car that can't be depended on for airport extended parking. What do my fellow CRV owners do if you have to park at the airport for a week or two? I suppose I could install a disconnect switch at the battery terminal - but my wife would NOT be comfortable doing that if she were the one parking at the airport.
By the way the other family vehicles - older and newer than the CRV had no problem starting after 2 weeks away.

 

Just following up - After having no issues with my 2018 CRV OEM battery (35 months in service) - but knowing it might be wise to replace it soon - I came back from a 2 week trip this past Saturday and the CRV was pretty much dead (just lots of clicking and flashing lights when I tried to start it). So I put it on a charger for about an hour - got it restarted - picked up a replacement 51R 500CCA EFB battery at AutoZone (but didn't install) and then drove it up to WI with headlights on to trigger full alternator output.
The CRV performed perfectly - with multiple restarts the rest of the weekend. I swapped the batteries this morning and tested the old battery after removal an the digital tester indicated it is was totally fine. It's water under the bridge at this point but makes me think I probably had some decent life left and simply should have put it on a battery tender while away from home for so long.
HOWEVER, it really sucks to have a car that can't be depended on for airport extended parking. What do my fellow CRV owners do if you have to park at the airport for a week or two? I suppose I could install a disconnect switch at the battery terminal - but my wife would NOT be comfortable doing that if she were the one parking at the airport.
By the way the other family vehicles - older and newer than the CRV had no problem starting after 2 weeks away.

If you have a properly working battery (ie: passes a proper load and CCA test), if it is fully charged before parking.. it can last easily 3-4 weeks sitting parked. Much beyond that is pushing it. If you park on a battery that is an undercharged state though.. all bets are off.

If my vehicle is going to be parked at the airport or elsewhere where I cannot put it on my smart charger/tender.. then I will do a full saturation charge the day before, and then drive to my parking destination with the headlights on (which keeps the charging circuit in the high charge state) while driving. That insures I have a fully saturated charge on the battery for the normal parasitic drain to suck on while I am away from the vehicle. I would be comfortable doing this for as long as 3 weeks parked and know my vehicle will still start when I come back.

You new battery is an upgrade from your original. So.. run with that one and I bet if you are reasonably kind to it you will get 5 years from it since it is an EFB version. The old one, if it still tests good, you could keep it as a backup and if you keep it properly maintained and on a trickle charger.. it probably will retain sufficient capability to use as a back up if you need one in the future. On the shelf, at full electrolyte, and with periodic top up charging.. even an older good battery can last several years on the shelf. If it were me though... since it is close to 3 years old, I would turn it in for the core charge and be done with it, because you new battery is a great replacement choice.

 

I bought my 2020 Touring as a brand new leftover in March. We took it cross country in the Summer, and the battery died, while parked overnight at hotel. Honda Roadside Assistance came and jumped it. My guy thought he might have left an interior light on. In the past month, battery died 3 different times. Called Honda Roadside Assistance each time, and had it jumped. After the third time, I took it to Honda, and they replaced the battery, at no charge to me. They had no explanation, but said it happens more often than you would think. My theory is that, since the car presumably had sat on their lot, unsold, for months, the battery died multiple times, and was not at full power, when I purchased it. Hopefully, I will have no more problems.

 

Yep yep... that battery was probably severely compromised sitting on the dealer lot for a long time. Smart and ethical dealers will run a bank of smart chargers across their inventory in rotation to keep all the batteries on the lot in good charge, but I bet most of them simply ignore this and pass the issue along to the customer through vehicle sale. Silly though, because it's just going to have to get replaced under warranty anyway... but I guess a warranty claim is money for the dealer in the process... so honestly with some dealers I bet this is slyly deliberate.

 

Our 2017 battery was replaced 4 months after we bought the car. I told the dealer about the parasitic drain TSB and they said they applied it. Fast Forward 4 years and 3 months (the last 2 weeks from today), the car suddenly didn't start after 1 use. I thought it may be a light left on that drained it. I jumped the car, let it run for 30 mins and parked it at home and let it sit for a couple of hours. Tried to start the car, battery dead again so I had to jump start it and let it run for another 30 mins.

I thought that with these too much electronics, maybe something is not shutting down properly or a process is in a hang state. So I removed one of the terminals for about 1 minute, reconnected and jump started the car and let it run for 30 minutes or so and park it at home. The next day, the car started on its own but it had a harder time doing it so I thought maybe the battery did not have enough charge since I would drive for more than 30 minutes but less than an hour dropping off the kids to school. The car was starting for a week but harder time doing it.

But a couple of days ago, battery went dead again. So I called up the dealer and scheduled an appointment. I told them that I'm not sure if something is draining the battery or the alternator is not charging the battery correctly. I'll bring it to them this Friday and want to hear what they say.

I'm curious though, the Honda battery says it has a 100-month limited warranty. 4 years and 3 months is only 51 months, would Honda honor the 100-months or do I have to pay for a prorated battery price?

 

I'll defer to Traylaw regarding the battery warranty but call them and ask before you go in if you want to be 100% certain. It is very likely a battery issue and depending on how the warranty works (labor is probably not included) the dealer will likely charge much more than an auto parts store - many of which will install it for free if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself. Also many auto part stores will perform a free battery/alternator test. While these batteries sometimes test okay until they suddenly die - if it does test bad you'll at least know for certain it's time for a new one. BY THE WAY, if you want to more fully charge your old battery and don't have a battery tender you should drive longer - with the headlights turned to ON (not Auto) which will trigger the alternator to go to full output. Also good to pop the battery caps/lids and fill as needed with distilled water.

 

If you paid for the battery last time than yes it is covered by the terms of the battery's warranty. Which I think is 36 months full replacement than prorated. But I'm sure it was replaced under the orginal factory warranty.
When the battery is replaced under the orginal factory 3 yr/36k miles warranty than you will have to pay for a new battery, no prorating on the old battery since you didn't pay for the replacement battery Honda did.
If you get a new battery I would recommend getting it at Walmart or Costco, they are exactly the same battery at Honda, made by the same manufacturer just under a different brand label but far cheaper.

 

Honda battery last 4 years+, your doing GREAT!

Sams or Costco for the 51R is my vote.

 

I have had good luck with the Everstart Maxx from Walmart.