Honda battery replacement at your curb, for the Civic, Accord, CR-V and the rest

Common Honda group sizes

Group size is the physical format and terminal layout. We check the car rather than the internet before bringing a battery.

Why Hondas go through batteries

Two things. Hondas, especially the Civic and Fit, come from the factory with a physically small battery, a group 51R, chosen for weight and packaging. A small battery has less reserve, so the same short-trip city driving that leaves a big battery undercharged leaves a small one flat.

And Hondas run a lot of electronics on standby. The keyless entry, the alarm, the infotainment, and on newer cars the driver-assist modules, all draw a little while the car is locked. That is normal, and a healthy battery covers it, but a small battery that is already past its best does not cover it for a long weekend on the street.

Add a module that stays awake longer than it should, which happens on some model years, and a Honda that goes flat after three days parked is a regular call.

Test first, because it is often not the battery

Before the new battery comes out of the truck, we load test the old one and check charging output at idle and under load. Alternators fail on high-mileage Hondas like on anything else, and a new battery in a car with a weak alternator lasts a week.

If the car has been going flat after sitting rather than failing on a cold morning, we test for a parasitic draw. On Hondas the usual suspects are a module that will not sleep, an aftermarket alarm from a previous owner, or a trunk light. Finding it is the fix. A battery is not.

What the visit involves

The correct group size and, on start-stop cars, the correct type. The old battery out, the tray checked for corrosion, the terminals cleaned. A memory saver connected first so the radio code, clock, and window auto-up settings survive, which on older Hondas saves you looking for the radio code card in the glovebox. New battery in, hold-down tightened, since a loose battery on Queens roads is a short-lived battery.

On the newer cars with a battery sensor on the negative terminal, we handle the sensor carefully and reset it where the car needs it, so the charging system knows it has a fresh battery. Then we start the car, confirm the charging voltage, and check for any stored codes from the low-voltage period, which on a modern Honda can leave a small collection of warnings that need clearing.

Under half an hour for most models. Labor starts at $95 and the battery is quoted by size before it goes in.

Dealer, parts store, or us

The dealer will do it properly and charge accordingly, and you need an appointment and a way to get the dead car there. The parts store will sell you a battery and, in some cases, fit it in the lot, which works for a Civic with the battery under the hood and a healthy alternator, and does not work for a car that is sitting dead in a garage in Forest Hills.

We come to the car. Test, replace, done, at a labor price that is usually under the dealer's and with the diagnostic included rather than skipped.

Hondas across Queens and NYC

The Civic and Accord are two of the most common cars in the borough, so we carry their batteries. Flushing, Jamaica, Elmhurst, Bayside, Astoria, and the rest of Queens, plus Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and Long Island. Text us the model and year and what the car does when you press the button, and we will tell you what it takes and when we can be there.

Common questions