[Daltongang]

To clarify, these AGM batteries have been the flat plate AGM battery, not spiral cell. A few links related to AGM batteries in general is here, here, and here. I was told in 2016 that this AGM battery would last longer, along with the other benefits listed in the first link above, so I went with it. As I provided my own historical battery longevity #s above in past response, the factory non AGM flooded battery in my 2012 Pilot lasted 4.5 years, the AGM one 6.5 years. Both nearly identical mileage. I never had a problem with this replacement AGM battery "failing", other than the Pilot wouldn't start once this past February(when battery was nearly 6.5 years old) in -20F temperature. With no further perceived problems and a few weeks later, a battery tester indicated 390A CCA, or 50% of stated original capacity, so replacement was recommended and done. There had/has never been any dummy lights or messages displayed in the dash for anything electrical/charging related in recent time. Thus, due to what I would call good fortune with my own past AGM battery experience, I went with another AGM battery when I replaced the old one this past March.

If you and/or others have proof that the Pilot charging scheme is or will cause "overcharging of an AGM battery", please present the details here showing this exactly what AGM battery you are referring to and when/where/how the overcharging is happening. Most/all reads I see indicate overcharging occurs only when charging goes > ~15V. From my battery monitor stats, I am never seeing anything close to 15V occurring. To the contrary, I am more concerned that my 2012 Pilot alternator/computer scheme is under charging my battery overall. If you and others think otherwise, please provide some actual objective proof of your own #s, and/or Honda's actual literal intention, and/or Honda's detailed logic. As consumers, we all deserve some detailed answers, particularly those that have had the potential of accident/lethal critical experiences, with no explanation of root cause, and the unknown if it will happen again. This knowledge may in addition provide answers to the less life threatening questions such as "why is my battery dyeing so early?", etc...., which does seem to be asked more often with the gen3 Pilot per this forum.

Do as you wish. It's your vehicle and your money. Vehicle technology changes whether we like it or not, drivers/owners are much slower to change with the technology.

 

[xGS]

As I provided my own historical battery longevity #s above in past response, the factory non AGM flooded battery in my 2012 Pilot lasted 4.5 years, the AGM one 6.5 years. Both nearly identical mileage.

What was the CCA rating for the factory non AGM flooded battery?

 

[sequoiasoon]

What was the CCA rating for the factory non AGM flooded battery?

Mine in my 2019 EX-L said 620 CCA from factory. The flooded (not AGM) replacement Interstate from Costco is 730 CCA.

 

[crack$rjack]

What was the CCA rating for the factory non AGM flooded battery?

For my gen2 2012 Pilot, the original battery is long gone. I don't see CCA specs in my owner's manual for the original/recommended battery, it just has amp hours(AH). I did check a few Honda parts web sites and it appears today they generally sell a 630 CCA flooded lead acid battery, size 24F, for my model. I'm thinking the gen3 Pilot has different battery size/specs, not certain.

Regarding CCA, it is not abnormal for a new battery to have an actual larger CCA output than what it is spec'd at. Always get this CCA value measured via a battery tester with a fully charged battery. Over usage time, this CCA value will decrease, primarily due to battery internal resistance(measured in ohms, another measurement that a battery tester typically provides). This CCA percentage value(current measurement vs. stated spec value) is also referred to as "State of Health", or SoH. My mechanic said they recommend battery replacement when SoH goes below 60%, regardless if there are noticed issues or not for the vehicle.

Also, it is also important to put all the below factors together to understand that the CCA measurement one gets with 'a fully charged battery' is likely not the same result seen when you are in the real world. Likely, the below real world factors will produce a battery with an actual lower CCA value at given time X.
(1) Your battery voltage/SoC(state of charge) will always decrease while your engine is not running. (of course unless you have an external charger connected to the battery)
(2) As temperature decreases, your battery charge will decrease even faster vs. in warmer temperature.
(3) More CCA are needed to start your vehicle as the temperature decreases.
(4) If your battery is not fully or near fully charged when your engine was last shut off, you obviously will be at a lower battery charged status for your next engine start vs. if battery had been fully charged prior to last engine shut off.
(5) One needs to also subtract any normal parasitic load that the car uses while sitting idle to determine how charged the battery really is/will be for its next cranking start. This subtraction obviously increases more the longer the car sits idle.

 

[xGS]

For my gen2 2012 Pilot, the original battery is long gone. I don't see CCA specs in my owner's manual for the original/recommended battery, it just has amp hours(AH). I did check a few Honda parts web sites and it appears today they generally sell a 630 CCA flooded lead acid battery, size 24F, for my model. I'm thinking the gen3 Pilot has different battery size/specs, not certain.

So, the AGM replacement battery with a higher CCA rating lasted longer than the factory battery with a lower CCA rating - not surprising.

 

[crack$rjack]

So, the AGM replacement battery with a higher CCA rating lasted longer than the factory battery with a lower CCA rating - not surprising.

Yes, also noting that the gen2 Pilot does NOT have an auto start/stop system, which I thought all gen3 Pilots do have. I also thought all auto start/stop cars recommend/?require? an AGM battery?

Below is one +/- chart I saw on Rock Auto that summarizes benefits vs. disadvantages between these two types of batteries. For my one experience(thus far) with my 2012 Pilot, my specific prior AGM battery lasted about 50% longer than the original flooded lead acid battery.

 

[xGS]

For my one experience(thus far) with my 2012 Pilot, my specific prior AGM battery lasted about 50% longer than the original flooded lead acid battery.

Again, the replacement AGM battery had a higher CCA rating than the original FLA battery, so not surprising that it lasted longer before becoming weak enough to need being replaced.
How much more did the replacement AGM battery cost versus a replacement FLA battery with about the same CCA rating as the original FLA battery?

 

[crack$rjack]

Again, the replacement AGM battery had a higher CCA rating than the original FLA battery, so not surprising that it lasted longer before becoming weak enough to need being replaced.
How much more did the replacement AGM battery cost versus a replacement FLA battery with about the same CCA rating as the original FLA battery?

I'm not posting my own battery experiences to do a penny to penny comparison, rather more to inform others what I have historically experienced using my own data, and folks can make their own purchasing decision. Other factors, not just cost, influence a such a decision, such as geographical location/potential extreme temperatures, considering what the manufacturer recommends as a minimum requirement, potentially new/different/applicable technology introduced since the vehicle was initially manufactured, odds of encountering another battery replacement earlier than one desires (eg, some may see battery replacement every 6+ years vs. every 3-5 years as beneficial vs. the extra cost), etc....

Regarding recent cost comparison in my case, my new AGM battery was $200 in March. The Costco Interstate site today is recommending a $183 AGM battery for my Pilot model. Honda Parts Now is selling a 630 CCA lead acid battery currently that has MSRP $155 on sale for $110. So my suggestion is for one to collect relevant pertinent info and make your own educated decision.

 

[sequoiasoon]

Yes, also noting that the gen2 Pilot does NOT have an auto start/stop system, which I thought all gen3 Pilots do have. I also thought all auto start/stop cars recommend/?require? an AGM battery?

Touring and Elite at least through 2019 had the auto start/stop. EX-L and lower trims with 6 speed transmission didn't. I don't know about '20 and newer if all the trims with 9 speed have it.

 

[crack$rjack]

Touring and Elite at least through 2019 had the auto start/stop. EX-L and lower trims with 6 speed transmission didn't. I don't know about '20 and newer if all the trims with 9 speed have it.

Using Edmunds, it appears ALL models of the 2021 - 2022 gen3 Pilots have the auto start/stop feature. This correlates to the Costco Interstate battery finder web site for these years, which shows only one battery option, a flat plate AGM priced at $170 today. There is no traditional SLA battery option.

In contrast, for the 2019 Pilot, the Costco Interstate battery finder web site shows 2 options, with the output shown when choosing the second option I find being misleading/incorrect. This selection option is stated as "Ex Elite, Touring, TRG" and it returns both $120 traditional SLA and $170 AGM batteries as options. However, at least at the time of this writing, the output does NOT state that the AGM battery is required for the Touring and Elite, implying either could be used? My understanding is that one should NOT install the traditional SLA battery in the Touring or Elite due to its auto start/stop functionality? Assuming this is the case(the first selection option from the Costco Interstate battery finder web site for the 2019 Pilot only states "Elite, Touring, TRG" and returns only the AGM battery), hopefully some folks are not incorrectly installing the traditional SLA battery into models that require the AGM battery (ie, those that have auto start/stop), unsure how these will hold up/behave both short term and long term?

In addition, it does appear that the AGM battery could be installed in the 2019 EX as an "upgrade", just not the minimum requirement.

In short, the devil is in the details and one can't be careful enough when determining a valid battery replacement.

 

[TheOtherBill]

Info on alternate negative ground for jump starting Pilots

Thanks Camping Randy

I know it's 6 months later but I just had to jump my 2019 Touring for the first time and what a PITA! Not only is this a great tip, but I found some even better ones in the comments below this video, even Camping Randy thought they were good.

1. Use the oblong steel hood latch that goes into frame to hold hood down for a ground, it's connected to the same cross member the battery ground is.
2. Just get a M6 battery post and screw that into the hole. It is said Honda did that in the '23 Trailsport.

 

[sequoiasoon]

I know it's 6 months later but I just had to jump my 2019 Touring for the first time and what a PITA! Not only is this a great tip, but I found some even better ones in the comments below this video, even Camping Randy thought they were good.

1. Use the oblong steel hood latch that goes into frame to hold hood down for a ground, it's connected to the same cross member the battery ground is.
2. Just get a M6 battery post and screw that into the hole. It is said Honda did that in the '23 Trailsport.

Just make sure you clean the threads in the paint first with a tap and then protect with dielectric grease or copper conductive paste.

Link to other posts with it Jump Starting with PIlot