Help: Can't turn power off

danieljut said:

2018 Clarity Touring: I can't turn the power off on my car. There is a warning light on in the upper right corner for the "Electric Power Steering(EPS) System Indicator." But the manual does not offer instructions on what to do to shut off power. To the car? Any suggestions?

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danieljut said:

Follow-up:
I went back to the car and kept pushing the Power button. It finally turned off. But I can't recall if I had my foot on or off the brake. (One helper thought the car was in "accessory mode," and I should try powering down with my foot off the brake. But, again, I didn't focus on where my right foot was located -- sitting on the floorboard or applying the brake pedal.)
I noticed something else when I went back to try again: the "12-volt battery charging system indicator" was illuminated red. Now, I've been playing "car roulette" with that battery because it's still the original one from December 2017 when I bought the car. (And when I looked at the indicator on the battery itself, there was no blue circle, only white, indicating "needs charging.") If everything starts up in the morning, I'll head to my dealer to see about a new battery.

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EV Nerd said:

A four-year-old battery is likely near the end of its life. A weak 12V auxiliary battery can cause problems in modern processor-laden vehicles, and is known to throw seemingly random codes.

Shop around. You may be able to find a battery cheaper than at the dealer. Some dealers will match legit lower prices found elsewhere. Doesn't hurt to try. Replacing a Clarity aux battery is a relatively easy process for a DIYer. Expect the vehicle to throw some codes that you'll see on the DIC afterwards. This is normal, and they should clear themselves after a bit of driving.

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4sallypat said:

Wow, you hit something I have neglected to check.

Thanks @EV Nerd

My 2018 Clarity still has the original 12V battery and it's 5 years old now.

Will take it to get tested by Auto Club (AAA) - they offer Interstate batteries which is more reasonable than the dealer's replacement...

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2002 said:

Have you priced the dealer battery replacement cost? If so I'm curious what price they quoted you. I read a post a while back that said a battery at the dealer costs more as we would expect, but it comes with an eight year warranty. The first three years is full replacement then it prorates over the remaining five years. They came to the conclusion that overall it worked out to a comparable value to a discount battery with a three-year prorated warranted. For people who already take their car to the dealer for oil changes, etc. I'm just saying I think battery replacement at the dealer may not be the ripoff that we naturally expect it would be, compared to say cabin air filter for example.

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EV Nerd said:

A four-year-old battery is likely near the end of its life. A weak 12V auxiliary battery can cause problems in modern processor-laden vehicles, and is known to throw seemingly random codes.

Shop around. You may be able to find a battery cheaper than at the dealer. Some dealers will match legit lower prices found elsewhere. Doesn't hurt to try. Replacing a Clarity aux battery is a relatively easy process for a DIYer. Expect the vehicle to throw some codes that you'll see on the DIC afterwards. This is normal, and they should clear themselves after a bit of driving.

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ClarityDave said:

I was wondering if maybe these lead-acid batteries might last a little longer in our vehicles since they’re not discharged so heavily as with those used to turn over starters on ICE-only cars.

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2002 said:

Have you priced the dealer battery replacement cost? If so I'm curious what price they quoted you. I read a post a while back that said a battery at the dealer costs more as we would expect, but it comes with an eight year warranty. The first three years is full replacement then it prorates over the remaining five years. They came to the conclusion that overall it worked out to a comparable value to a discount battery with a three-year prorated warranted. For people who already take their car to the dealer for oil changes, etc. I'm just saying I think battery replacement at the dealer may not be the ripoff that we naturally expect it would be, compared to say cabin air filter for example.

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danieljut said:

Price for a replacement Honda battery at my dealership: $159 (and they waive the $16 core charge

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2002 said:

Was that the installed price? If so did they allow purchasing the battery without installation?

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danieljut said:

Not sure what they charge to install the battery. They did offer to sell the battery without installation -- but there would also be a $16 core charge. ( I'm just guessing here, but the cost with installation -- and no core charge -- might just be a bit more than buying the battery without installation.

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danieljut said:

Not sure what they charge to install the battery. They did offer to sell the battery without installation -- but there would also be a $16 core charge. ( I'm just guessing here, but the cost with installation -- and no core charge -- might just be a bit more than buying the battery without installation.

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jzchen said:

Were you able to charge the battery and see if it's still okay? (Auto parts stores usually test them for free as another option). I like the little built in indicator, vs playing a guessing game on what the battery needs, ie adding distilled water every once in a while vs it indicating to add water...

An option I'm currently using in our '12 Prius v is a LiFePO4 battery I purchased from a Chinese company on eBay about 3 1/2 years ago now. Expensive, but working well so far. (We don't get many very cold days here so I'm not able to provide cold weather performance data).

I believe the size of the battery is S46B24L. Interestingly it seems to have SAE terminals vs skinny JIS terminals. So the corresponding BCI battery should be 51R. (Please confirm + and - placement prior to purchasing)...

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