The old battery and the new replacement battery drained over an 8 hour period while the car is not running. I've had the car in a specialized car electrical repair shop twice and they can't find the problem. I've been stranded in the parking garage at work and had to use my wife's mini-van on a half dozen occasions. I'm to the point where I want to get rid of the car and not buy another Honda which is a shame because I bought this car new and it's been reliable (until now), quick, and fun to drive. But the paint is peeling off too which is another gripe of mine. I don't know why Japanese companies like Honda and Nissan cannot do a better job of painting their cars. I've been more than happy with every Toyota I've had.
Update from Jun 6, 2016: I solved the problem myself using a Fluke multimeter and fuse/relay diagrams printed off from the Internet. I used the multimeter to read the current flow from the battery to one of the pins on the fuses. You don't have to remove the fuses to do this check. I read no current until I got to fuse 20 which was reading a significant current. I checked across the fuse and it was good. I then removed the fuse and left it out overnight. The car started fine the next morning. I did this for several days without problem but noticed my A/C was no longer working. I figured it was the relay in the same circuit. Using information from the Internet, I found which relay controls the A/C clutch. (It was engaging even with the car off.) I replaced the fuse (Omron) with a part from Amazon and everything is okay now. The car starts fine and the A/C is running cold. Why couldn't the electrical repair shop do this? Actual physical work took me only a few minutes. Research on the Internet was somewhat time consuming, but ultimately, invaluable. Since I'm going to keep the car, I may try to invest in a workshop manual.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
The old battery and the new replacement battery drained over an 8 hour period while the car is not running. I've had the car in a specialized car electrical repair shop twice and they can't find the problem. I've been stranded in the parking garage at work and had to use my wife's mini-van on a half dozen occasions. I'm to the point where I want to get rid of the car and not buy another Honda which is a shame because I bought this car new and it's been reliable (until now), quick, and fun to drive. But the paint is peeling off too which is another gripe of mine. I don't know why Japanese companies like Honda and Nissan cannot do a better job of painting their cars. I've been more than happy with every Toyota I've had.
Update from Jun 6, 2016: I solved the problem myself using a Fluke multimeter and fuse/relay diagrams printed off from the Internet. I used the multimeter to read the current flow from the battery to one of the pins on the fuses. You don't have to remove the fuses to do this check. I read no current until I got to fuse 20 which was reading a significant current. I checked across the fuse and it was good. I then removed the fuse and left it out overnight. The car started fine the next morning. I did this for several days without problem but noticed my A/C was no longer working. I figured it was the relay in the same circuit. Using information from the Internet, I found which relay controls the A/C clutch. (It was engaging even with the car off.) I replaced the fuse (Omron) with a part from Amazon and everything is okay now. The car starts fine and the A/C is running cold. Why couldn't the electrical repair shop do this? Actual physical work took me only a few minutes. Research on the Internet was somewhat time consuming, but ultimately, invaluable. Since I'm going to keep the car, I may try to invest in a workshop manual.
- Robert K., Martinsville, IN, US