Bad 12V battery? I had a bad 12V a couple of years ago that would be completely dead sometimes, but then would be able to start the car without hesitation at others.
What's a factory program car?
What's a factory program car?
Bricked
OK. I just got this car last week. It only has 12,000 miles. It’s a 2021 touring model. It’s in very good shape. It’s a factory program car. I took my daughter to school this morning and returned home. When I came back to the car 30 minutes later. I became concerned when I was unable to use the key fob to open the trunk. Then I discovered that the vehicle door was unlocked (which I don’t recall, leaving it unlocked.) and when I tried to start the car, there was no power. Absolutely no power whatsoever to any of the internal systems. The car I have been driving all week was essentially “bricked.” To make things a bit more unnerving. I was just getting ready to go somewhere to give a speech at a conference and all of my presentation materials were stuck in the truck. Luckily I was able to remember some thing I have seen on YouTube as to how to gain access to the trunk when you don’t have any power. Long story short. I’ve now come back to the car and now the vehicle starts. Everything lit up like a Christmas tree. Lots of diagnostic stuff happening. (Antitheft system warning, talking about how the system had lost power, and how I needed to push and hold the power button for more than two seconds to enable to system.) Anyway, I’m about to take this vehicle back to the dealer and have them run a diagnostic on it. However, this is very strange. Can any of you think of a reason that this could’ve occurred?
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Sorry. I might be showing my age. It’s an old-school term for a certified pre-owned warranties automobile.
I'd be very surprised if you don't have a bad/dead 12V battery. Honda OEM batteries are notoriously crappy; mine lasted less than three years, and many others on this forum report similar longevity. All of the symptoms that you describe are consistent with a 12V battery failure. It's quick and easy to replace. Good luck.
I really appreciate everyone’s prompt feedback. I just took my wife’s car back to her and I’m walking back to mine. Hopefully the car will start again. I’m going to head out to the Honda dealership. I will make sure to follow up on this post hopefully, this thread will benefit someone else.
I really appreciate everyone’s prompt feedback. I just took my wife’s car back to her and I’m walking back to mine. Hopefully the car will start again. I’m going to head out to the Honda dealership. I will make sure to follow up on this post hopefully, this thread will benefit someone else.
12v battery should be covered under 3 year factory warranty. I had forgotten there was a way to unlatch trunk from inside cabin.
The culprit: an improperly fastened battery terminal connection. Apparently a service technician had not tightened the terminal clamp screw. It was completely loose. The 12 volt battery is 11 months old and while the technician agreed and that sometimes the batteries are prone to early failure, this one was tested and checked out. Hopefully this is the end of this. Certainly not the type of experience you want to have on a car you only owned for four days. Lol.
Serves as a good reminder to not overlook the basics when it comes to the battery. A loose and/or dirty connection can exhibit the same symptoms as a dead battery.
Unfortunately, a factory program car is not a certified pre-owned car. If it were a factory certified pre-owned car, it would be sold as, and called a factory certified pre-owned car. I've been in this business going on 40 years and a "program car" is dealership code for "rental". That's right, the OP got stuck with a rental.Sorry. I might be showing my age. It’s an old-school term for a certified pre-owned warranties automobile.
rkellis, thanks very much for following through on this and letting us all know what the problem was. Many times on this forum people describe problems, ask for help, get lots of feedback and suggestions, and then never show up again. Your posts are a great reminder to check the simple things first--like loose battery cables. Cheers!The culprit: an improperly fastened battery terminal connection. Apparently a service technician had not tightened the terminal clamp screw. It was completely loose. The 12 volt battery is 11 months old and while the technician agreed and that sometimes the batteries are prone to early failure, this one was tested and checked out. Hopefully this is the end of this. Certainly not the type of experience you want to have on a car you only owned for four days. Lol.
A Carfax report will confirm/deny that. A rental car is explicitly shown as rental car on the report.Unfortunately, a factory program car is not a certified pre-owned car. If it were a factory certified pre-owned car, it would be sold as, and called a factory certified pre-owned car. I've been in this business going on 40 years and a "program car" is dealership code for "rental". That's right, the OP got stuck with a rental.
While I agree it's not great if rental car status wasn't disclosed there is nothing wrong with buying a rental car as long as you know what you're getting into, as Steve Lehto said. I've purchased a rental car twice and both times I showed up with car ramps, toolbox, scan tools, etc and did a full multi-hour inspection and test drive of the vehicle. I also ask for (and obtain) the full oil change history for the life of the vehicle. Both times I've purchased directly from Hertz and my experience is opposite to what Steve Lehto said in the video - both vehicles had oil changes more frequently than most people do it themselves. The first car had oil changes about every 3,000 miles. The second car was purchased during Hertz's bankruptcy sale in 2020 - I got a 12 month old car with only 18,000 miles in excellent condition for half price with the remaining 4 yr/50,000 mi basic, 6 yr/70,000 mi powertrain warranty. We've had the car for almost 3 years now and haven't had a single problem.
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