New Battery Needs Calibration for Auto-Stop-Start Honda Odyssey?

tooblue on 20/12/2022 - 14:01

Battery suddenly dies one day after RACQ's 2 years warranty. RACQ won't budge so have to source a new battery myself.

After calling around, the battery stores (e.g. Supercheap Auto) said because it is auto-stop-start engine, new battery needs calibration that I cannot just put it in myself. Some stores (e.g. mycar) are not aware of this. One Honda dealer quoted $390 simply for a calibration. One reception from another Honda dealer never heard of this requirement.

Supercheap Auto won't fit it for me even I buy battery from them because they are not doing Auto-Stop-Start betteries.

My questions are:

  • Is the calibration necessary or just a gimmick?

  • What issues might occur if don't do the calibration?

  • Can I just turn off the auto-stop feature every time to save the battery without doing the calibration?

  • Where can I have the battery calibrated cheaply or can I buy some tools to do it myself?

Automotive Honda Van

Comments

  • spackbace on 20/12/2022 - 14:09

    What does it say in your owners manual?

    Why do you need SCA to fit the battery, can't you DIY? Instructions - US Model

    • tooblue on 20/12/2022 - 14:20

      Nothing mentioned in owners manual.
      I can fit the battery myself and did it many time with other cars. It is the SCA and Battery World staff said Auto-Stop-Start batteries need recalibration.

      • spackbace on 20/12/2022 - 14:25

        Nothing mentioned in owners manual.

        I find that hard to believe. Battery replacement is always mentioned, and would have recommendations around the system, if necessary. If it just simply gives instructions of how to do it without any other caveats, then I'm sure it's fine to DIY

  • skid on 20/12/2022 - 14:11
    +1

    If you don't calibrate the battery, the stop-start might not work. Maybe that's a good thing?

    If you ask Honda, they'll say that the battery has to be calibrated. In practice, you might be able to get away with it by charging your new battery above 85% before installing it in the car and/or going for a long drive.

  • 87percent on 20/12/2022 - 14:13

    I got Honda to swap out my battery at my last service. Their price was actually cheaper compared to the other retailers

  • pegaxs on 20/12/2022 - 14:25

    It's not the battery that needs to be calibrated, it's usually the body computer needs to be told it has a new battery.

    Some cars will just work it out themselves. I dont know what year model Odyssey, so I cant be sure, but I dont know if Honda needs it done, and even if they did, it wouldnt be a $400 trip to a dealer just to reset it (but then again, it is Honda… The BMW/MB/Audi of Japan.)

    And are you sure it needs calibration? Kinda sounds like someone is confusing "calibration" with "settings". If you disconnect the battery to replace it, it may lose all the vehicle settings and radio codes that you will have to put back in yourself.

  • skid on 20/12/2022 - 14:32

    Found the calibration procedure if you need it: https://www.odyclub.com/threads/auto-idle-stop-potential-fix…

    Procedure to try fix AIS:

    Take your van out for at least a 15 min trip and be sure it’s warmed up. If you have the message popup activated, confirm that is says unavailable when you come to a stop.
    Park somewhere safe, shutoff the van. Open the door and pop the hood.
    Get out and open it up and prop it up on the kickstand.
    Get back to the seat, start the car, close the door, confirm the message center says hood open.
    I got out the van, looked at engine and then went back and shut it off. I think I left the door open and leaned in to turn off, and then returned to shut the hood. (not sure if door open/close played a role yet)
    Get in, close the door and start normally.
    Take it out for a drive, and AIS should work instantly, assuming all conditions are met.

    • SBOB on 20/12/2022 - 15:15
      +3

      I got out the van, looked at engine and then went back and shut it off.

      clearly a critical step in the process..

      • pegaxs on 20/12/2022 - 15:20
        +1

        This is 90% of my job…

        ☑️ Look at engine

      • darshu on 20/12/2022 - 17:01

        Of course you have to verify that the engine is there. Because of some drivers' capabilitities, the engine can travel faster than the car. Eg., this video https://youtu.be/OBDbvLwNbC8?t=1275 (21:17 to 21: 47)

  • CheapandUsed on 20/12/2022 - 14:36

    Some places carried on with this about my Mazda3 with Start Stop. I took it to Battery World they said the car figures it out itself after 20km or so once it works out the new ones charge and discharge rate.

    They connected to some consistent power device, change the battery over and.. Start Stop started working again fine after about 20km or so.

    Hopefully your Honda is as simple as that.

  • iDroid on 20/12/2022 - 14:57

    Calibrate a battery - what does that even mean?

    Is it one of those things where they slap fish together over the battery?

    • pharkurnell on 20/12/2022 - 15:41

      and charge 380…. cost price for the fish

    • Transient on 20/12/2022 - 15:42

      you mean like this?
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8XeDvKqI4E

    • Drakesy on 20/12/2022 - 18:06
      +1

      It's not so much a calibration as a resetting of the battery stats in the car itself.
      When you have a new battery you can recharge it to a higher target voltage.
      The car is pre-programmed to reduce this target voltage over time (as it becomes unobtainable).

      By calibrating it you're telling the car that there's a new battery installed. Pretty straightforward.

        • Drakesy on 04/01/2023 - 14:13

          Um,
          It's the recommended way of calibrating a battery as per what Audi's and most Stop start cars require?

          How else do you propose? I'm intrigued.

  • Mumbles on 20/12/2022 - 15:42
    +1

    For the $390 cost of of calibration its like the price of an extra two car batteries. Put another way that's another 5-8 years of expected battery life.

    If you can't find any more information then its worth just replacing the battery yourself especially if you are confident to do it. Then pray that Honda cars are as smart as their competitors and can self learn.

    I don't know anything about modern cars with stop-start or regenerative braking but I do know that battery capacity changes with temperature/environment. There's got to be a self learning algorithm. Say you live in the snowy mountains where its below zero degrees. A battery in cold temperatures won't hold as much charge as a warmer climate. So what does the car do when you move house to a warmer area?

    Worst comes to worse another option to try is a factory reset or detach the car battery for an extended period. If the car can forget all its settings it will have to start from scratch and forget the old battery.

  • ozwog05 on 21/12/2022 - 00:34
    +2

    I'd actually go in the opposite direction, and look into whether there's a way to disable stop-start.

  • WHL on 17/04/2023 - 11:12

    Hi @tooblue,
    What did you end up doing? I have a 2019 and probably need a battery replacement soon. Love to hear your experience.

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