i took the car to the honda dealer today and told them of my problems. they did a software update on it and said that that was the reason for the depleating batteries. they also stated that the A/C shutting off when the IMA is depleted is normal, however a few RPM above idle would cause the A/C to blow cold again. i am somewhat sceptical at this, however, they did check the A/C and said they found nothing wrong. on a side note, when i had the A/C problems the A/C was in normal mode. i did not have the REC or ECON button pushed. the software update was done free under warranty as well as the A/C check was free. thanks for all of the info, it's greatly appreciated.