2007 HCH, 76000 miles on it. Purhcased 7/2007.

Today after an oil change (that honestly I did because things were feeling a bit sluggish) - on the way up the highway, i got an IMA and CEL, and when I got home, code P0A7F.

Funny thing is, the shop doing the oil change said that my 12V appeared weak -- and it's not that old.

So, rather nervous now and trying to figure out the path forward.

I have an appointment with the dealer on Friday; my extended 9y/92000 mile "settlement" warranty expired 2 months ago (50 days to be exact). They mentioned a possibility of "goodwill" assistance since it's only 2 months out of warranty, but couldn't promise it and couldn't decide that until it was diagnosed; but i'm hearing more and more that they simply will not do this anymore and at dealers everyone pays full price (and apparently thousands in labor... which I don't understand...) for battery replacement.

Battery quote from the parts department of the dealer was $2035, and to get it installed, with labor all told, $3600. ($1600 in labor and tax???)

Any opinion on the options of:

-Taking it to the dealer and paying them $140 to let them attempt do the software updates that'll likely mask the problem (but possibly treat a new battery better?)

-If its worth taking it to the dealer and letting them do the diag ($140) and then engaging in the whole goodwill fight runaround (from what I hear, unlikely these days) and possibly ending up with $1500-$1600 cost for a questionable refurbed IMA pack; (but possibly also being stuck with $3600 for that same questionable pack if they stick to their guns...)

-Believing the P0A7F code, buying a Bumblebee for $2150, and installing it myself... (So little info on actually installing the 07 HCH II battery; plenty on the Insight and the 03-05 HCH I...)

or any combination thereof.... This hit pretty suddenly, kind of rough with a car that only has a KBB value of around $4500 at best.... but it's been working fine up until now...

 

Where are you located?

You're the original owner?

You're still under the original 80,000 mile warranty before the settlement?

I would push hard for a goodwill warranty. If they refuse, go to corporate.

If you haven't done the updates, you should have. They weren't done to mask the problem. They were done to manage the battery much more like the Prius, which has a much better track record with its battery life.

Pursue goodwill warranty first. They should put a new pack in.

If you can't get satisfaction from the dealer/corporate, go for a Bumblebee.

The HCH2 installation is EASY - way easier than the Insight or HCH1. I can do it complete in about 25 minutes. Instructions and videos abound.

Look on the bright side. The 2006-2008 HCH had 7-8 year battery failure rates around 16% - that's 1 in 6. You're among the lucky ones.

Good luck,

Steve

 

I am the original owner. I'm under 80,000 miles, (76k) but I exceeded 9 years as of 50 days ago. (Really wish my IMA light came on 60 days ago...) On the phone, the service guy said "Man, you just missed it!"


I don't know what updates were or weren't done; I know for sure some software updates were done when I took it in for service, but I think there were more after that. I don't know if all of them were done - the car hasn't had any trouble up to this point.


The idea that it masked the problem was just something I gleaned from other sites. If it makes it manage the battery better, okay - but I know its throwing P0A7F now.

 

That's the point I was trying to make - you're the original owner, and you're STILL under the original warranty mileage. Emphasis on those for when you make your case to Honda corporate.


You should also cite that due to poor battery performance, Honda extended the warranty on ALL 2009-2011 HCH to 10 year/150k miles regardless of state. Consumer reports high battery failure rates for 06-08 as well on the order of 1 in 6.


You should get a NEW pack out of the deal. Reconditions - even when done by Honda - are woefully inferior.


The rabble from the other websites are just whack-job conspiracy folks. It's absolutely true that the pack uses the battery more conservatively. What they don't elaborate on is what "conservatively" means.


I don't have hard data, but the primary way this was accomplished is that rather than run the battery from 80% state of charge (SoC) to 20% SoC, it doesn't run it down to 20%. Again, I don't have hard data, but it's probably 40%. This reduction of cycle depth slows the normal deterioration from use. The 40-80% range is what the Prius uses and has been very reliable. The reduction of cycle depth is consistent with the wording describing what the patch does.


I can say any accusations that the car uses the battery less are false without specificity. When accelerating, it will pull 100A - just like before. When regenerative braking, it will charge at 50A - just like before. I have personally witnessed these values on a test drive with Honda Diagnostic System (HDS) attached. The only way "less" applies is that it stresses the battery less by a lessened depth of discharge - which is nothing but good for battery life with no measureable impact to economy except in extreme situations (up and down hills).


P0A7F is the deteriorated battery code. The service manual indicates "replace battery" to resolve it.


Good luck,


Steve

 

BTW, update your profile to indicate your location.